Burke Townsend, Chair
Philosophy is the search for an understanding of how the world
as a whole hangs together and of how we are to assume our place
in the world. Philosophy pursues its goal first of all historically.
It is the trustee of the heritage of great philosophical texts,
and it engages those texts in a conversation with contemporary
problems. Second, philosophy turns to the contemporary world directly
and tries to illuminate and advance its concerns with ethics and
art, with science and technology, with ecology and feminism, with
law and medicine. Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees
are offered.
Special Degree Requirements
Refer to graduation requirements listed previously in the catalog.
See index.
The following requirements must be completed for the Bachelor
of Arts degree with a major in philosophy: a minimum of 33 credits
including PHIL 210, 215, 251H and 252H; at least 21 credits in
courses numbered 300 and above, including PHIL 300E, 480 and one
course for each of the following groups: History ( PHIL 450, 453,
461, 463); Value Theory (PHIL 323E, 325E, 421E, 422E, 427E, 429E,
441E, 443E, 444, 477); Continental (PHIL 465, 467); Logic and
Analytic Philosophy (PHIL 410, 411, 469, 471). A PHIL 395 or 495
Special Topics course may be used to count as a course from any
of the above four groups as its topic makes appropriate (consult
the department advisor).
Majors are expected to complete lower-division requirements before
beginning upper-division work. No credit toward the major will
be awarded for any course in which the student receives a grade
less than a C.
The Upper-division Writing Expectation must be met by successfully
completing PHIL 300E and 480.
All philosophy majors must complete at least three semesters
of one of the following languages: French, German, Latin, or Greek.
Substitution of another language may be allowed by petition to
the department.\
Suggested Course of Study
First Year |
Autumn |
Spring |
PHIL 100 Introduction to Philosophy |
3 |
- |
PHIL 210 Introduction to Logic |
3 |
- |
ENEX 101 Composition |
3 |
- |
Foreign language |
5 |
5 |
HIST 104H, 105H or 107H,108H European Civilization |
4 |
4 |
College mathematics course |
- |
3 |
Total |
15 |
15 |
Second Year |
|
|
PHIL 215 Philosophical Reasoning |
3 |
- |
PHIL 251H History of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy |
3 |
- |
PHIL 252H History of Modern Philosophy |
- |
3 |
PHIL 300E Systematic Ethics |
- |
3 |
Foreign language |
4 |
- |
LS 151L and 152L Introduction to the Humanities |
4 |
4 |
Electives and General Education |
- |
6 |
Total |
14 |
16 |
Students should not neglect mathematics and the physical and
biological sciences in choosing elective courses. Philosophy majors
are encouraged to pursue a minor in another discipline.
Requirements for a Minor
To earn a minor in philosophy the student must complete: PHIL
210, 215, 251H, 252H, 300E,and an additional course numbered above
300.
Courses
U = for undergraduate credit only, UG = for undergraduate or
graduate credit, G = for graduate credit. R after the credit indicates
the course may be repeated for credit to the maximum indicated
after the R.
Philosophy (PHIL)
U 100 Introduction to Philosophy 3 cr. (R 12)
Offered intermittently. An introduction to philosophy through
examination of the thought of selected great philosophers or of
traditional positions on classical philosophical problems.
U 105 Topical Introduction to Philosophy 3 cr.
Offered intermittently. An introduction to philosophy through
examination of a selected theme. Themes will vary; existentialism,
technology and the good life, justice, environmental value, and
science and society are examples.
U 119H Philosophical Perspectives on Women in the Western
Hemisphere 3 cr. Offered intermittently. Same as LS and
WS 119H. Introduction to the discipline and scope of Western philosophy
focusing on women as the subject rather than men. A chronological
study following the ideological development in the West of social
attitudes and scientific theses.
U 190 Supervised Internship 1 6 cr. (R 6) Offered
intermittently. Prereq., consent of faculty supervisor and department
chair.
U 195 Special Topics Variable cr. (R 6) Offered
intermittently. Experimental offerings of visiting professors,
experimental offerings of new courses, or one time offerings of
current topics.
U 198 Cooperative Education Experience 1 6 cr.
(R 6) Offered intermittently. Prereq., consent of instr. Extended
classroom experience which provides practical application of classroom
learning during placements off campus. Prior approval must be
obtained from the faculty supervisor and the Center for Work-Based
Learning.
U 200E Ethics: The Great Traditions 3 cr. Offered
every term. An examination of the Western vision of morality through
the careful study of selected writings from Aristotle, Kant and
Mill. Additional works in ethics may supplement primary readings.
U 201E Political Ethics 3 cr. Offered autumn
and spring. An examination of the issues of political ethics through
the careful study of selected writings from the three great Western
political traditions: classical natural law theory, modern individualism,
and contemporary distributive justice.
U 210 Introduction to Logic: Deduction 3 cr.
Offered autumn and spring. Understanding general principles of
reasoning and the habits of clear and correct thinking. Emphasis
on the analysis of the logical structure of claims in natural
language and the skills of elementary deductive inference.
U 211 Introduction to Logic: Applied Logic 3 cr.
Offered spring. Elementary principles of reasoning from evidence.
Emphasis on effective evaluation of information and argument in
public discourse.
U 215 Philosophical Reasoning 3 cr. Offered autumn.
Focus on basic skills essential to success in philosophy; careful
reading, critical analysis, and well-structured writing. Emphasis
on repeated practice in recognizing, reading, analyzing, and writing
philosophical arguments.
U 251H History of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy 3 cr.
Offered autumn. The origin of philosophy in ancient Greece; its
development in the Roman Empire; its encounter with the Jewish,
Christian and Islamic traditions.
U 252H History of Modern Philosophy 3 cr. Offered
spring. A survey of the history of philosophy from Descartes to
Hegel, which includes other Continental Rationalists, the British
Empiricists, and Kant.
U 290 Supervised Internship Variable cr. (R-9)
Offered intermittently. Prereq., consent of faculty supervisor
and department chair.
U 295 Special Topics Variable cr. (R 6) Offered
intermittently. Experimental offerings of visiting professors,
experimental offerings of new courses, or one time offerings of
current topics.
U 296 Independent Study 1-6 cr. (R-6) Offered
intermittently.
U 298 Cooperative Education Experience Variable cr.
(R-9) Offered intermittently. Prereq., consent of faculty supervisor
and the Center for Work-Based Learning.. Extended classroom experience
which provides practical application of classroom learning during
placements off campus.
U 300E Systematic Ethics 3 cr. Offered spring.
Prereq., PHIL 215. Development of the fundamental principles grounding
moral reasoning in the Western tradition. A more thorough treatment
of the material offered in PHIL 200E intended for the philosophy
major or prepared student interested in a rigorous introduction
to the foundations of ethics.
U 323E Business and Ethics 3 cr. Offered intermittently.
Prereq., lower division course in Perspective 5 or consent of
instr. An analysis of ethical conflicts that may arise in business.
U 325E Morality and the Law 3 cr. Offered intermittently.
Prereq., lower division course in Perspective 5 or consent of
instr. Analysis of moral reasoning in Anglo American law, emphasizing
certain ethical and legal concepts and the role of the Supreme
Court.
U 327E Environmental Ethics I 3 cr. Offered autumn.
Same as EVST 327E. Critical exploration of selected philosophical
and literary texts pertinent to the ethics of human relationships
with the natural environment. Issues parallel to those in PHIL
427E, but presented in a manner available to those without prior
experience in philosophy. Credit not allowed for both EVST/PHIL
327E and EVST/PHIL 427E.
U 340L Aesthetics 3 cr. Offered intermittently.
Prereq., upper division standing. The nature of aesthetic experience,
of the standards of art criticism, and of the kinds of knowledge
communicated by art. Readings from philosophers, artists, and
art critics.
U 375 Agriculture, Society and Ecology 1 cr.
Offered every spring. Same as EVST and SOC 375. Lecture series
that accompanies cooperative education credit for students participating
in the Program in Ecological Agriculture and Society (PEAS).
U 390 Supervised Internship 1 12 cr. (R 12) Offered
intermittently. Prereq., consent of faculty supervisor and department
chair.
U 391 Agriculture in the Humanities and Fine Arts 1 cr.
Offered autumn. Same as EVST and LS 391. Lecture series that accompanies
cooperative education credit for students in Program in Ecological
Agriculture and Society (PEAS).
U 393 Omnibus Variable cr. ( R 9) Offered intermittently.
Prereq., consent of instr. Independent work under the University
omnibus option. See index.
U 394 Seminar Variable cr. (R 9) Offered intermittently.
Prereq., consent of instr.
U 395 Special Topics Variable cr. (R 9) Offered
intermittently. Experimental offerings of visiting professors,
experimental offerings of new courses or one time offerings of
current topics.
U 396 Independent Study Variable cr. (R 9) Offered
intermitently. Prereq., consent of instr.
U 397 Research Variable cr. (R 9) Offered intermittently.
Prereq., consent of instr.
U 398 Cooperative Education Experience 1 12 cr.
(R 12) Offered intermittently. Prereq., consent of faculty supervisor
and the Center for Work-Based Learning. Extended classroom experience
which provides practical application of classroom learning during
placements off campus.
UG 410 Formal Logic: Scope and Limits 3 cr. Offered
spring. Prereq., PHIL 210 or equiv. A systematic study of first
order logic, including development of standard metatheory and
the significance of modern formal methods.
UG 411 Philosophy of Science 3 cr. Offered intermittently.
Prereq., upper division standing. A consideration of philosophical
issues relating to the nature of modern physical science: method,
explanation, theory, progress, space/time, causality, relation
of science to philosophy.
UG 412 Philosophy of the Social Sciences 3 cr. Offered
intermittently. Prereq., upper division standing. Philosophical
issues relating to the nature of social science: human behavior,
relation of social science to philosophy and physical science.
UG 421E Medical Ethics 3 cr. Offered intermittently.
Prereq., upper division standing and lower division course in
Perspective 5, or consent of instr. An examination of ethical
problems raised by the practice of medicine and by recent developments
in medically related biological sciences.
UG 422E Contemporary Moral and Political Theory 3 cr.
Offered intermittently. Prereq., upper-division standing and PHIL
200E or 201E. Recent theories in ethics and their implications;
recent work in political theory, emphasizing contemporary liberalism
and its critics..
UG 427E Environmental Ethics II 3 cr. Offered
spring. Prereq., lower division course in Perspective 5 or consent
of instr. Same as EVST 427E. Critical exploration of selected
philosophical and literary texts pertinent to the ethics of human
relationships with the natural environment. Issues parallel to
those in PHIL 327E, but considered from a more philosophically
sophisticated perspective. Credit not allowed for both EVST/PHIL
327E and EVST/PHIL 427E.
UG 429E Feminist Ethics 3 cr. Offered intermittently.
Prereq., lower division perspective 5 course or consent of instr.,
PHIL 200 strongly recommended. Examination of the implications
for philosophic ethics of the claim that Western men and women
have different moral perspectives.
UG 441E Philosophy in Literature 3 cr. Offered
intermittently. Prereq., upper division standing or consent of
instr. Philosophical thought in selected works of literature.
UG 443E Ethics and Public Affairs 3 cr. Offered
intermittently. Prereq., lower division perspective 5 course or
consent of instr. Examination of morally relevant issues in government,
journalism, education and other social institutions. Issues considered
include deception, confidentiality, conflicts of interest, privacy,
paternalism, responsibilities in conflict with other institutions
and responsibilities across national boundaries, among others.
UG 444 Topics in the Philosophy of the Arts 3 cr. (R
9) Offered intermittently. Prereq., upper division standing. Examination
of philosophical problems related to the particular arts and discussion
of the nature of the arts. Topics include music, visual arts,
literature, and film.
UG 450 Classical Modern Philosophy 3 cr. (R-6)
Offered autumn even-numbered years. Prereq., PHIL 252H or consent
of instr. Intensive reading of one major philosopher from the
rationalist tradition (Descartes, Spinoza or Leibniz) and one
from the empiricist tradition (Locke, Berkeley or Hume).
UG 453 Kant 3 cr. Offered intermittently. Prereq.,
PHIL 252H or PHIL 450 or consent of instr. Reading and interpretation
of selected works.
UG 461 Plato 3 cr. Offered intermittently. Prereq.,
PHIL 251H. General introduction to the philosophy of Plato emphasizing
dialogues of the Early and Middle periods.
UG 463 Aristotle 3 cr. Offered intermittently.
Prereq., PHIL 251H. General introduction to Aristotle. Early biological
writings, Categories, De Interpretatione, Nicomachean Ethics,
selections from Physics, De Anima and Metaphysics.
UG 465 Major Philosophers of the 19th Century 3 cr.
(R 6) Offered intermittently. Prereq., PHIL 252H or consent of
instr. Selection to be announced in the class schedule.
UG 467 20th Century Continental Philosophy 3 cr.
(R-9) Offered intermittently. Prereq., upper division standing.
Intensive study of the work of one philosopher (Heidegger, Husserl,
Sartre, Merleau Ponty, Ricoeur, Derrida, etc.) or several texts
representing a major movement in 20th century continental thought
(Phenomenology, Existentialism, Hermeneutics, Post structuralism,
etc.)
UG 469 20th Century Anglo American Philosophy 3 cr. (R-9)
Offered intermittently. Prereq., upper division standing. Readings
in analytic philosophy, contemporary empiricism, and contemporary
pragmatism.
UG 471 Topics in thePhilosophy of Language 3 cr.
(R-6) Offered intermittently. Prereq., upper division standing.
Same as LING 482. Discussion of one or more of the following topics:
theories of meaning, theories of reference, pragmatics, the origin
of language, psycholinguistics, and foundations of linguistic
theory.
UG 477 Philosophy of Society and Culture 3 cr.
Offered intermittently. Prereq., upper division standing. A philosophical
examination of cultural forces shaping modern society, forces
such as science, technology, or domesticity.
UG 480 Senior Seminar 3 cr. (R 9) Offered intermittently.
Prereq., senior standing. Research in problems in philosophy.
U 490 Supervised Internship Variable cr. (R-12)
Offered intermittently. Prereq., consent of faculty supervisor
and department chair.
U 493 Omnibus Variable cr. (R 9) Offered intermittently.
Prereq., consent of instr. Independent work under the University
omnibus option. See index.
UG 494 Seminar Variable cr. (R 9) Offered intermittently.
Prereq., consent of instr.
UG 495 Special Topics Variable cr. (R 9) Offered
intermittently. Prereq., consent of instr. Experimental offerings
of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses,
or one time offerings of current topics.
U 496 Independent Study Variable cr. (R 9) Offered
intermittently. Prereq., consent of instr.
U 497 Research Variable cr. (R 9) Offered intermittently.
Prereq., consent of instr.
G 501 Topics in Epistemology, Philosophy of Technology
and Philosophy of Science 3 cr. (R 6) Offered every year.
G 502 Topics in Value Theory 3 cr. (R 6) Offered
every year.
G 503 Topics in the History of Philosophy 3 cr.
(R 6) Offered every year.
G 504 Colloquium in the Philosophy of Ecology 3 cr.
(R 6) Offered autumn and spring. Same as EVST 504. Critical study/discussion
of current (as well as benchmark) texts and issues in environmental
ethics, environmental politics, and the philosophy of ecology.
Interdisciplinary; open to concerned students from all disciplines.
G 505 Topics in Contemporary Philosophy 3 cr.
(R-6) Offered intermittently.
G 506 Nature, Language and Politics 3 cr. Offered
intermittently. Same as ENLT 524 and EVST 506. Investigation of
environmental, social and political thought from the perspective
of contemporary language theory.
G 510 Philosophy Forum Colloquium 1 cr. (R 3)
Offered intermittently. Prereq., graduate standing. Discussion
and further exploration of issues presented at the weekly Philosophy
Forum.
G 520 Seminar in Foundations of Ethics 4 cr. Offered
summer. Major traditions in Western moral philosophy along with
feminist and non-Western critiques.
G 521 Theory and Skills for Teaching Ethics 3 cr. Offered
every summer. Exploration and critical reflection of concepts
and significant issues in the teaching of practical ethics in
classroom and corporate settings.
G 523 Practicum in Teaching Ethics 4 cr. Prereq.,
M.A. teaching ethics emphasis candidates. Field experience in
a post-secondary classroom or off campus learning environment.
Field work includes lession planning, teaching, and evaluation.
G 581 Thesis Proposal Preparation Variable cr.
(R-2) Offered intermittently.
G 590 Supervised Internship 1 12 cr. (R 12) Offered
intermittently. Prereq., consent of faculty supervisor and department
chair.
G 593 Professional Paper Variable cr. (R 9) Offered
intermittently. Fro students in the M.A. in Teaching Ethics and
AGS options.
G 594 Seminar Variable cr. (R 9) Offered intermittently.
G 595 Special Topics Variable cr. (R 9) Offered
intermittently. Experimental offerings of visiting professors,
experimental offerings of new courses, or one time offerings of
current topics.
G 596 Independent Study Variable cr. (R 9) Offered
intermittently. Prereq., consent of instr.
G 597 Research Variable cr. (R 9) Offered intermittently.
Directed individual research and study appropriate to the background
and objectives of the student.
G 598 Cooperative Education Experience 1 12 cr. (R
12) Offered intermittently. Prereq., consent of faculty supervisor
and the Center for Work-Based Learning. Extended classroom experience
which provides practical application of classroom learning during
placements off campus.
G 599 Thesis Variable cr. (R 6) Offered intermittently.
Prereq., approval of a thesis proposal by the student's thesis
committee.
Faculty
Professors
Albert Borgmann, Ph.D., University of Munich, 1963
Deni Elliott, Ed.D., Harvard University, 1984
Phillip R. Fandozzi, Ph.D., University of Hawaii, 1974
Thomas P. Huff, Ph.D., Rice University, 1968
Burke A. Townsend, Ph.D., University of Hawaii, 1976 (Chair)
Richard E. Walton, B.A., The University of Montana, 1964, 1966
Associate Professors
Irene Appelbaum, Ph.D., University of Chicago, 1995
Deborah Slicer, Ph.D., University of Virginia, 1989
Assistant Professor
David Sherman, Ph.D., University of Texas, Austin, 1999
Adjunct Assistant Professors
David Clark, Ph.D., Purdue University, 1979
Mark Hanson, Ph.D., University of Virginia, 1993
Sean O'Brien, Ph.D., University of Colorado, 1989