Philosophy

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Classes

PHIL 055 : Intro to Philosophy

Examination of the basic concepts and principles of philosophy concerning being, nature, knowledge, freedom, and God.

Credits

3

PHIL 110 : Classical Ethics

Analysis of the nature of moral conduct, good and evil, vice and virtue, and other topics in ethics as they are treated by such classical moralists as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Bentham, Mill, and Kant.

Credits

3

PHIL 112 : Intro to Soc & Pol Philosophy

An introduction to the traditional themes of political philosophy concerning justice, the individual and society, and the best and worst regimes. Readings from Plato to Habermas.

Credits

3

PHIL 114 : Feminist Philosophy

An exploration of the various approaches to the philosophical study and analysis of the experience and perspectives of women. These include the liberal, marxist, socialist and post-modernist approaches to feminism. The course will focus especially on the perspectives of African-American women.

Credits

3

PHIL 116 : Intro to Interdisciplinary Bio

An interdisciplinary survey of topics and themes in bioethics, including reproductive rights, racial discrimination in medicine, and medical research ethics.

Credits

3

PHIL 117 : Critical Race Theory

A survey of the primary arguments and themes presented in the Critical Race Theory movement. Explores the relationship between racism, power, and law.

Credits

3

PHIL 120 : Existentialism

Study of the primary themes in existentialism, with special emphasis on the differences between its humanistic and theistic branches.

Credits

3

PHIL 133 : Afro-Caribbean Phil

An exploration of philosophical questions arising from the Afro-Caribbean experience. Authors include Frantz Fanon and C.L.R. James.

Credits

3

PHIL 137 : Forensic Science & Law

A exploration of epistemic issues surrounding the collection and classification of evidence in legal contexts.

Credits

3

Prerequisites

PHIL 051: Principles of Reasoning

PHIL 140 : Contemporary Moral Issues

A philosophical analysis of moral issues confronting contemporary society: violence, welfare, abortion, assisted suicide, war, affirmative action.

Credits

3

PHIL 147 : Ethics & Public Policy

Philosophical investigation of the role of ethics in the formulation and execution of public policy in education, defense, health, housing, environment, etc.

Credits

3

PHIL 148 : Environmental Ethics

Consideration of ethical issues in our interaction with the environment, including the impact of developments in technology.

Credits

3

PHIL 150 : Epistemology

Investigation of the possibility, sources, nature, and scope of knowledge, with examination of both classical and contemporary texts.

Credits

3

PHIL 151 : Metaphysics

Examination of the fundamental nature of reality, including such topics as existence, space, time, infinity, causation, possibility, and actuality.

Credits

3

PHIL 152 : Aesthetics

An introduction to aesthetics, a variety of theories of art, aesthetic analysis, and aesthetic judgment reviewed and evaluated, and the nature and role of the creative process in human experience are analyzed.

Credits

3

PHIL 153 : Philosophy of Culture

A philosophical analysis of culture in its various aspects and an investigation of the cultural foundations of philosophical speculations. Issues to be discussed include the meaning of culture, varieties of cultural experiences, cultural identity, cultural pluralism, culture conflict. The course will also focus on issues of race, racism and racial conflict.

Credits

3

PHIL 154 : Phenomenology

An examination of contemporary continental thought emphasizing the phenomenological philosophies of Husserl, Heidegger, Jaspers, Merleau-Ponty, and Sartre.

Credits

3

PHIL 156 : Pragmatism

An examination of the philosophy of pragmatism focusing on the contributions of its representative thinkers including Pierce and William James and on its contributions in the fields of epistemology, ethics and religion.

Credits

3

PHIL 157 : Phil Assump & Social Conflicts

Analysis of philosophical principles applicable in the explanation and evolution of social conflict, with attention given to the meaning and philosophical roots of such notions as culture, nationalism, racism, and totalitarianism. Includes comparative studies of rights, anarchism, and violence.

Credits

3

PHIL 162 : African-American Philosophy

An examination of the nature of philosophy and a reflection on African-American perspectives in philosophy. The course focuses especially on the context of African-American experience, issues of justice, freedom and identity.

Credits

3

PHIL 164 : Current Topics

The content of this course varies from semester to semester. It may focus on issues such as the philosophy of technology, on the thought of a current or recent thinker or on an interdisciplinary theme. The course content is announced several months prior to the date the course is offered.

Credits

3

PHIL 166 : Philosophy of Language

Analysis of the philosophical problems raised by the use of language, including theories meaning and the relationship between language, thought and reality.

Credits

3

PHIL 168 : Seminar on Heidegger

A study of the thought of Martin Heidegger. Normally several of Heidegger's books are examined and Heidegger's place in Existentialism, as well as the history of philosophy, are discussed.

Credits

3

PHIL 169 : Seminar on Nietzsche

A study of the thought of F. Nietzsche. Normally several of Nietzsche's books are studied with an eye to Nietzsche's relationship to classical philosophy and his influence on modern philosophy (especially on Existentialism and on Deconstruction).

Credits

3

PHIL 171 : Ancient Egyptian Philosophy

An investigation of the contributions of ancient Egypt to philosophical scholarship, including the mutual borrowings that occurred between ancient Egypt and ancient Greece.

Credits

3

PHIL 172 : African Philosophy

Critical examination of such traditional and modern concepts in African thought as life or existence, time, the universe, man and his place in the universe, and God.

Credits

3

PHIL 175 : Symbolic Logic

Presents the principles and techniques of analyzing and evaluating deductive arguments through symbolic representation of logical structure.

Credits

3

PHIL 179 : History of Africana Philosophy

an historical account of African and African/American philosophy from 1800 to the present. The focus of the course is on thinkers who have contributed to the shaping of African thought in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Credits

3

PHIL 181 : Philosophy of Logic

Discussion of views on the nature of logic and the status of its principles, with readings from Frege, Lewis, Strawson, and Quine.

Credits

3

PHIL 182 : Seminar on Plato

Reading of selected middle and late dialogues, including Parmenides, Theaetetus, Sophist, and Philebus.

Credits

3

PHIL 184 : Mod Phil 17th & 18th Cent

Study of representative philosophers since the Renaissance, with special attention given to Descartes, Sponoza, Leibniz, Hume, Kant, and Hegel.

Credits

3

PHIL 191 : Meaning & Truth

Analysis of problems around the related notions of meaning and truth, including issues in the study of mind and language.

Credits

3

PHIL 193 : Comparative Philosophy

A comparative analysis of the contemporary philosophical orientations of Western, African and Latin-American thought, focusing on ethics, metaphysics, social and political philosophy and on representative schools and individuals.

Credits

3

PHIL 196 : Senior Colloquium

Introduces students to topical philosophical issues through the format of colloquium in which students meet with invited philosophers who have worked on the issues.

Credits

3

Prerequisites

Student must be a Philosohpy major or Bioethics major

PHIL 199 : Asian Phil:Phil & Prac of Yoga

Investigation of four fundamental problems of Oriental philosophical traditions: man, the nature of the universe, norms of the moral life, and the validity of knowledge claims, with attention given to methodologies of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism.

Credits

3

PHIL 200 : Senior Seminar

Investigation of a specific philosophical problem in a seminar format. Topics vary from time to time.

Credits

3

Prerequisites

Student must be a Philosohpy major or Bioethics major

PHIL 205 : Seminar in Bioethics

Investigation of topics in the field of Bioethics, including reproductive rights, end of life decisions, and medical research ethics.

Credits

3

PHIL 710 : Classical Ethics- WRTG

Analysis of the nature of moral conduct, good and evil, vice and virtue, and other topics in ethics as they are treated by such classical moralists as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Bentham, Mill, and Kant.

Credits

3

PHIL 712 : Social & Political Phil (WRTG)

An introduction to the traditional themes of political philosophy concerning justice, the individual and society, and the best and worst regimes. Readings from Plato to Habermas.

Credits

3

PHIL 770 : Ancient Egyptian Phil (WRTG)

An investigation of the contributions of ancient Egypt to philosophical scholarship, including the mutual borrowings that occurred between ancient Egypt and ancient Greece.

Credits

3

PHIL 890 : Study Abroad

Study Abroad. Experiences vary by department, topic, semester, and locale.

Credits

3 - 12

Prerequisites

Department Approval