Philosophy Department Course Descriptions Summer 2013
Session I
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.
** Pillars/Philosophical/Religious/Ethical Inquiry (Level 1)
** Proficiencies & Experiences/Quantitative Reasoning
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M-F
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10:00AM-11:50 AM
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HYER0107
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Professor Lockard
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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.
** Pillars/Philosophical/Religious/Ethical Inquiry (Level 1)
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M-F
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2:00OM-3:50PM
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HYER0107
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Professor Lockard
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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.
** Pillars/Philosophical/Religious/Ethical Inquiry (Level 1)
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M-F
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12:00PM-1:50PM
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HYER0200
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Professor Popovic
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3310. Advanced Topics in Philosophy- Friends, Family, and Lovers.
This course focuses upon a set of philosophical questions raised by the nature and demands of the relationships
we enter into with each other. The course will be divided into four parts, one each week:
Friendship: Using Aristotle's Nichomachean Ethics as our starting point, we will ask what is required for friendship.
Is it possible between people who are (or perceive themselves) to be unequal in important respects? How does it
require that one view one's friend's projects, desires and ends? Can one treat a friend preferentially? What is the
importance of friendship?
Family: What sorts of obligations does biological kinship provide? Is the notion of family kinship biological,
and if not how do we determine it? What do parents owe to their children and vice versa?
Love: What is romantic love? Is it even possible? (We will consider some arguments from Kierkegaard and
Sartre which suggest it is not.) It it is possible, what does it require? What role does emotion, friendship,
and sexual attraction play? What sort of duties do we have to those we love in this way?
Professional Roles--my hope is to have guest lecturers for at least some of these classes:
What special obligations are generated by being a colleague? By being a medical doctor or therapist?
By being a boss? How do these obligations get generated, can they be cancelled, and how do they
conflict with other obligations--such as those generated by one's other roles.
The class will involve two papers.
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TWR
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3:00PM-6:00PM
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HYER0110
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Professor Howell
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Session II
1316. Introduction to Ethics.
This course is an introduction to some of the central questions in ethics (or moral philosophy), including the following.
What things are good in themselves or in their own right? Are pleasure, knowledge, and virtue all intrinsically good?
Or are some of these things only valuable instrumentally, as means to other things that are good? What makes right
acts right? Does the rightness or wrongness of an act depend solely on its consequences? Or can the moral status
of an act depend on other factors, such as the kind of act that it is or the intentions with which it is done? Is there
an objective morality? Is there a set of moral norms or standards that is not a human creation or construct?
The focus of the course will be on arguments for and against proposed answers to these and other centra
l questions in ethics.
** Pillars/Philosophical/Religious/Ethical Inquiry (Level 1)
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M-F
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10:00AM-11:50AM
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HYER0102
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Professor Lockard
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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.
** Pillars/Philosophical/Religious/Ethical Inquiry (Level 1)
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TWR
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3:00PM-6:00PM
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HYER0106
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Professor Daley
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3312. Introduction to Philosophy of Language.
A systematic study of central issues in contemporary philosophy of language. Topics include the nature of linguistic
meaning, synonymy, truth, reference, description, and the relationship between language and logic.
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M-F
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2:00PM-3:50PM
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HYER0200
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Professor Lockard
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3351. History of Western Philosophy (Ancient).
A survey of the history of ancient Greek philosophy from the Milesians through Aristotle. The course will focus on ancient Greek views of nature and the nature of the good life. We will trace the development of philosophical themes among the Presocratics and proceed to their development at the hands of Plato and Aristotle. The emphasis throughout will be on understanding, analyzing, and evaluating the arguments of the philosophers.
** Pillars/Philosophical/Religious/Ethical Inquiry (Level 2)
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M-F
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10:00AM-11:50AM
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HYER0110
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Professor Barnes
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