Philosophy Department Course Descriptions Spring 2012
1300. An Introduction to Critical Thinking. Learning to analyze, evaluate and present information in order to better assess one’s own beliefs and to persuade others more effectively.
001 MWF 12:00 PM – 12:50 PM Hyer 110 Professor Lamb
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1301. Elementary Logic. An introductory course in symbolic logic. Logic provides a means for determining whether the purported conclusion of an argument really does follow from the premises. In symbolic logic, mechanical procedures are developed for determining whether a given argument is valid. The techniques and skills acquired through logic have important applications not only within other academic areas such as the sciences and humanities, but may be of use within various professional areas, including law.
001 MWF 11:00 AM – 11:50 AM HYER 110 Professor Lockard
002 MWF 8:00 AM – 8:50 AM HYER 110 Professor Popovic
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1305. Introduction to Philosophy. A general introduction to the central questions of philosophy; topics include the theory of knowledge, philosophy of religion, metaphysics,philosophy of mind, ethics and political philosophy. Typical questions might include: Can we know the world outside our minds? Is it rational to believe in a God who allows evil to exist? Do the laws of physics allow for human freedom? Is morality more than a matter of opinion? Can there be unequal wealth in a just society? Readings will include classical authors such as Plato, Descartes, Locke, Hume and Mill, as well as contemporary philosophers. The focus of the course will be on arguments for and against proposed solutions to key problems of philosophy.
001 TR 9:30 AM – 10:50 AM HYER 100 Professor Howell
002 TR 11:00 AM – 12:20 PM HYER 111 Professor Fisher
003 TR 3:30 PM – 4:50 PM HYER 204 Professor Daley
004H TR 2:00 PM – 3:20 PM HYER 107 Professor Chuard - Honors
701 MW 6:30 PM – 7:50 PM HYER 201 Professor Thompson
1316. Introduction to Ethics. An introduction to philosophical ethics focusing on questions in ethical theory. Topics vary, but the following are representative. Is morality merely conventional – and hence historically and culturally relative – or is there an objective morality? If there is an objective morality, what is its content? And what is its basis: reason, human nature, or divine command? Why be moral? If the demands of morality conflict with our own self-interest, why should we comply with them? And what exactly is in our own self-interest: in what does human happiness or well-being consist? We will read, discuss, and write about philosophical arguments for and against proposed answers to questions like these.
001 TR 12:30 PM – 1:50 PM HYER 200 Professor Robinson
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1317. Business Ethics. A discussion of the moral and political issues surrounding a free enterprise system. Students will be introduced to basic moral theory. Further topics will include distributive (or economic) justice, the moral prefer ability of capitalism and socialism, and selected concrete moral issues such as truth in advertising, worker safety and affirmative action.
001 MWF 12:00 PM – 12:50 PM HYER 111 Professor Hiltz
002 MWF 1:00 PM – 1:50 PM HYER 111 Professor Hiltz
701 M 6:30 PM – 9:20 PM HYER 110 Professor Popovic
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1318. Contemporary Moral Problems. An introduction to philosophical ethics focusing on questions in applied ethics. Students will explore ethical theories, philosophical methods, and their application to some of the most controversial and pressing issues confronting contemporary society. Topics vary, but the following are representative: abortion, animal rights, affirmative action, capital punishment, economic justice, euthanasia, sexuality, war and terrorism and world hunger. Class discussion is an important component of the course, as is reading and writing argumentative essays about these issues.
001H TR 12:30 PM – 1:50 PM FOSC 153 Professor Gollop- Honors
002 MWF 9:00 AM – 9:50 AM HYER 107 Professor Daley
003 MWF 11:00 AM – 11:50 AM HYER 111 Professor Bartlett
004 MWF 10:00 AM – 10:50 AM HYER 201 Professor Popovic
005 MWF 1:00 PM – 1:50 PM HYER 201 Professor Daley
006 MWF 2:00 PM – 2:50 PM HYER 201 Professor Popovic
007 MWF 3:00 PM – 3:50 PM HYER 204 Professor Daley-Hilltop Scholars
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PHIL 3310 – ADVANCED TOPICS: Perception. Your sensory experiences—experiences of seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, etc.—seem to put you in direct contact with objects in your environment. But what is the nature of that contact, exactly? And what are the objects and properties, which you can have, access to through your perceptual experiences? Concerning your experiences, what is their nature? How do they differ from other types of psychological states? This course will examine a host of philosophical questions surrounding sensory perception: metaphysical issues about the objects and properties we perceive, epistemological issues about the role of perception in gaining knowledge of the world, and issues about the special kind of consciousness that perception gives rise to.
701 MW 5:00 PM – 6:20 PM HYER 201 Professor Thompson
3312. Introduction to the Philosophy of Language. A systematic study of central issues in contemporary philosophy of language. Topics include the nature of linguistic meaning, synonymy, truth, reference, and the relationship between language and logic.
001 MWF 9:00 AM – 9:50 AM HYER 110 Professor Lockard
3314. METAPHYSICS: What really exists? What is the essential nature of what exists? What is the deep structure of reality? These are some of the questions that concern metaphysicians, and which we'll try to address in this course, regarding the nature of objects, persons, our properties and relations, and their identity and essence.
001 TR 3:30 PM – 4:50 PM HYER 111 Professor Chuard
3315. Philosophy of Mind. A systematic treatment of the nature of consciousness, self and person.
001 TR 12:30 PM – 1:50 PM HYER 111 Professor Howell
3316. MINDS, BRAINS AND ROBOTICS. Topics may include neural networks, artificial intelligence, perception and action, consciousness, robotics, dynamical systems, embodied cognition, game theory, and the evolution of cognition. Prerequisites: Two courses in cognitive-science related fields (Philosophy, Computer Science/Engineering, Psychology, Linguistics, Biology or Anthropology)
001 TR 3:30 PM – 4:50 PM HYER G1 Professor Fisher
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3352. History of Western Philosophy (Modern). This is a survey course in the history of modern philosophy. The modern period as we are considering it begins with Descartes, Includes Leibniz, Spinoza, Locke and Hume, and ends with Kant. Many seminal writing on central areas of philosophy occurred in this period, and this course provides an introduction to, and background for, these areas. We will be examining key writings from major figures on such issues as: rationalism and empiricism; the nature of external reality and our knowledge of it; the existence and nature of God; the relation between mind and body; causation; induction; rationality and rational action; and the nature of morality and moral action. This course satisfies one part of the history requirement for philosophy majors; and may be used to satisfy the history requirement for philosophy minors.
001 TR 9:30 AM – 10:50 AM HYER 110 Professor Gollop
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3362 (CF 3341). Creativity, Discovery and Science. This course considers central issues in the history and philosophy of science with a special emphasis on the nature of creativity and discovery in scientific thought. General questions are: what is science, and what is the nature of scientific method? What is the nature of evidence and explanation in science? The course will address in some detail the question of how new ideas – such as theories and problem solutions – are produced and assessed in scientific thinking. Is creativity essentially a random or blind process, or is it rule-governed in some way? What is the nature of a scientific discovery? This course will combine literature in the history and philosophy of science together with psychological literature on the nature of creativity to answer these and other questions. No previous coursework in science is required, but students with some science background will be well-equipped to appreciate the relevant issues.
001C MWF 10:00 AM – 10:50 AM HYER 110 Professor Barnes
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3371 (CF 3342). Social and Political Philosophy. This course will examine some of the basic questions in these fields, and the most important answers that have been given to them. Topics may vary, but typical questions include the following: What forms of government are most reasonable and morally defensible? Are citizens in a modern state normally obligated to obey the law? What is justice, and how might it be embodied in a system of government? Are there such things as ‘natural rights’ and how do we know about them? What is the basis for saying that we have rights to freedom of speech and religion? When, if ever, is it legitimate for a state to go to war? These questions have been asked since antiquity, and we will be
looking at the important answers that have been given to them since then.
001C MWF 10:00 AM – 10:50 AM HYER 111 Professor Hiltz
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3379. Environmental Ethics. A course exploring our ethical obligations concerning the
natural world. Topical issues like climate change, endangered species, recycling, and the population explosion are covered from a variety of philosophical perspectives.
001 MWF 1:00 PM – 1:50 PM HYER 110 Professor Kazez
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3380. Ethical Theory. An examination of the more fundamental – and more abstract –questions in philosophical ethics. Topics vary, but the following are representative. What
is the Good Life: in what does human happiness or well-being consist? What is truly worth valuing: are pleasure, knowledge and virtue valuable in themselves? What are the basic principles that determine or govern our moral rights and obligations? Are moral judgments descriptions of some features of the world, or are they merely expressions of approval and disapproval? If they are descriptions of the world, what features of it do they describe? How do we know whether an action is morally right or wrong? We will explore questions like these through a close and critical examination of classic and contemporary works in philosophical ethics.
001 TR 2:00 PM – 3:20 PM HYER 204 Professor Robinson