Courses
PHIL 1101 Introduction to Philosophy: 3 semester hours.
An introduction to the major thinkers and major problems in Western philosophical and scientific traditions. Sections may emphasize either an historical or problems approach. Partially satisfies Objective 4 of the General Education Requirements. F, S, Su
PHIL 1103 Introduction to Ethics: 3 semester hours.
An introduction to philosophy through an analytical and historical study of major ethical theories. The course will focus on the basis of judgments and reasoning concerning questions of good and bad, right and wrong. Partially satisfies Objective 4 of the General Education Requirements. F, S, Su
PHIL 1199 Experimental Course: 1-6 semester hours.
The content of this course is not described in the catalog. Title and number of credits are announced in the Class Schedule. Experimental courses may be offered no more than three times with the same title and content. May be repeated.
PHIL 2201 Introduction to Logic: 3 semester hours.
An introduction to the concepts and methods of deductive and inductive logic, with special emphasis on the use of logical methods to identify, analyze, construct, and evaluate everyday arguments. Satisfies Objective 7 of the General Education Requirements. R1
PHIL 2210 Introduction to Asian Philosophies: 3 semester hours.
A study of Hindu, Buddhist, and other Far Eastern approaches to topics such as immortality, time, reality, mystical experience, the divinity of the soul, the question of duty. Emphasis varies. Satisfies Objective 9 of the General Education Requirements. R2
PHIL 2220 Philosophical Issues in Religion: 3 semester hours.
An inquiry into the nature of religious belief, the concept of God, rational proofs of the existence of God, the religious experience, the concept of faith, the character of religious language, the meaning of myths and symbols, and the question of modern atheism. R2
PHIL 2230 Medical Ethics: 3 semester hours.
An examination of ethical issues that arise in medical practice. Topics may include informed consent, withdrawing life-sustaining treatment, abortion, assisted suicide, and the allocation of scarce resources. F, S, Su
PHIL 2250 Contemporary Moral Problems: 3 semester hours.
Examination of ethical issues that arise in modern society. Topics may include global justice, same-sex marriage, human and animal rights, abortion, affirmative action, climate change, and war. R1
PHIL 2255 Political and Social Philosophy: 3 semester hours.
Questions concerning social justice as discussed by Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Hegel, Marx and others. F, S
PHIL 2260 Philosophy of Life and Death: 3 semester hours.
An examination of some of the most important and difficult questions about life and death, including the nature of death, how to live given the fact that we will die, whether death is really the end, and whether immortality would even be desirable. Satisfies Objective 7 of the General Education Requirements. R2
PHIL 2299 Experimental Course: 1-6 semester hours.
The content of this course is not described in the catalog. Title and number of credits are announced in the Class Schedule. Experimental courses may be offered no more than three times with the same title and content. May be repeated.
PHIL 3305 History of Philosophy Greek Reason and Christian Faith: 3 semester hours.
Philosophical readings from the pre-Socratics to St. Thomas Aquinas. Topics include the theory of essence, human nature and happiness, the problem of evil, the relation of reason and faith. R2
PHIL 3315 History of Philosophy Early Modern Philosophy: 3 semester hours.
Readings in philosophy from Descartes to Kant. Rationalist and empiricist answers to questions concerning the source and scope of human knowledge. R2
PHIL 3325 History of Philosophy Modern Philosophical Movements: 3 semester hours.
Readings in philosophy of the 19th and 20th centuries. Organized to illuminate the development of particular schools of thought, including existentialism, pragmatism, phenomenology, analytic philosophy, and Marxism. Emphasis varies. D
PHIL 3353 Philosophy of Law: 3 semester hours.
An investigation of historical and contemporary theoretical approaches to law and a variety of philosophical problems that arise with respect to the law. Topics include natural law theory, legal positivism, legal realism, Constitutional interpretation, theory of punishment, and civil liberties. R2
PHIL 3399 Experimental Course: 1-6 semester hours.
The content of this course is not described in the catalog. Title and number of credits are announced in the Class Schedule. Experimental courses may be offered no more than three times with the same title and content. May be repeated.
PHIL 4400 Philosophy of Art: 3 semester hours.
Study of philosophic problems encountered in perceiving, interpreting, and evaluating works of art. Topics include the nature of a work of art, aesthetic response, expression, symbol; the nature and role of representation; the nature of interpretive and evaluative claims. R2
PHIL 4410 Philosophy of Language: 3 semester hours.
Study of theories of language, with emphasis on contemporary thinkers such as Frege, Heidegger, Russell, Wittgenstein, Piaget, and Chomsky. Topics include the nature and origin of meaning, the temporal dimension of discourse, the significance of syntax, animal languages, computer languages. D
PHIL 4420 Philosophy of Mind: 3 semester hours.
Inquiry into the mind-body problem and representative solutions, such as dualism, philosophical behaviorism, central-state materialism. Related topics include the self, personal identity, immortality, claims of parapsychology, mystical consciousness. R2
PHIL 4425 Existentialism: 3 semester hours.
A survey of major works of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, and Camus. Topics may include the origins of values, the death of God, the varieties of despair, the inevitability of love's failure and the absurdity of life. R2
PHIL 4430 Philosophy of Science: 3 semester hours.
A survey of the philosophical issues related to science. Topics include the nature of scientific theories, science and non-science, scientific explanation and causation, realism and anti-realism in science, and scientific revolutions. R2
PHIL 4435 Metaphysics: 3 semester hours.
A study of some of the main questions of metaphysics, including such topics as being, substance, universals, space and time, appearance and reality, identity, freewill and determinism, causality and the nature and possibility of metaphysics itself. D
PHIL 4440 Philosophy and Literature: 3 semester hours.
Reflections on the relation between poetic and speculative discourse. Topics include forms of consciousness, temporality and narrative, metaphysics of genre. Equivalent to ENGL 4440. D
PHIL 4450 Ethical Theory: 3 semester hours.
Study of the nature of value claims, stressing ethical value claims; examination of the scope of reason in ethical decision-making. Applications to normative ethical theories. Related topics include human rights, justice, ethical and legal systems. R2
PHIL 4454 Topics in Biomedical Ethics: 3 semester hours.
This course examines a selection of current issues in biomedical ethics. Theoretical frameworks for analyzing ethical issues will be explored. The nature of the issues will be clarified, and the application to them of ethical theories and principles will be considered. Issues to be considered will vary and will be guided by current debates in biomedical ethics, such as gene editing technology, assisted dying, or the ethical limits of screening and vaccination programs. R2
PHIL 4455 Environmental Ethics: 3 semester hours.
Examination of ethical issues that arise in our relationship with the natural environment. Topics include the moral status of non-human animals and ecosystems, the nature and value of wilderness, endangered species, human population, human poverty, sustainable growth, and climate change. R1
PHIL 4456 Ethical Issues in Healthcare Law and Policy: 3 semester hours.
This course examines the ethical issues that arise from the laws, institutional policies, and professional standards that shape healthcare. In addition to describing ethical systems and principles, the course will cover issues such as ethical concerns with strategies to control healthcare costs, the abuse of laws to protect conscientious refusals, physician conflicts of interest, and responding to medical errors. R1
PHIL 4460 Theory of Knowledge: 3 semester hours.
A survey of topics in epistemology such as the nature of knowledge, the problem of skepticism, and the nature of justification. Various claims about the sources of knowledge, and accounts of a priori knowledge and truth will also be considered. Readings from classical and contemporary sources. R2
PHIL 4470 Symbolic Logic and Foundations of Mathematics: 3 semester hours.
A comprehensive study of formal methods of determining validity and of systems of symbolic logic, with attention to the philosophy of logic and the relationship between logic and mathematics. D
PHIL 4480 Philosophy Tutorial: 2 semester hours.
Consultation course for seniors interested in a philosophical problem connected with their major field. Will consist of independent reading, conferences, and the preparation of a term paper. May be repeated for up to 6 credits. F, S
PHIL 4490 Philosophy Seminar: 1-3 semester hours.
Advanced reading and discussion on selected topics in philosophy. May be repeated with permission of the department. D
PHIL 4492 Senior Tutorial: 3 semester hours.
A culminating course for senior majors. Directed research resulting in a senior thesis, to be evaluated by the philosophy faculty. PREREQ: 90 credits and permission of the Director of Philosophy. S
PHIL 4499 Experimental Course: 1-6 semester hours.
The content of this course is not described in the catalog. Title and number of credits are announced in the Class Schedule. Experimental courses may be offered no more than three times with the same title and content. May be repeated.
