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.
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, 251H, 252H, 310; at least 20 credits in courses numbered 300 and above; at least one of the following three courses: 353, 461, 463; at least one of the following two courses: 361E, 363; at least one of the following two courses: 465, 467; at least one of the following two courses: 410, 469; and Phil 480. The Phil 252H requirement may be satisfied by Phil 351, 352 and 353. Normally students are expected to complete Phil 251H and 252H by the end of their sophomore year.
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.
First Year
Second Year
*Semester of enrollment depends on beginning letter of student's last name.
**LS 151L, 152L should be taken the first or second year. Students should not neglect mathematics and the physical and biological sciences in choosing elective courses.
To earn a minor in philosophy the student must complete: Phil 210, 251H, 252H (252H requirement can be met by the philosophy sequence 351, 352, 353); at least two additional courses numbered above 300, at least one of which must be from the following group: Phil 340, 361E, 377, 441.
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.
U 100 Introduction to Philosophy 3 cr. (R-12) Great philosophers, problems of philosophy, or topics of general contemporary concern.
U 105 Introduction to Existentialism 3 cr. Introduction to basic ideas of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre, and Camus which form the foundation for what is known as Existentialism; literary works as well as philosophic essays. Intended for nonmajors as well as majors.
U 109H Philosophical Perspectives on Women in the Western Hemisphere 3 cr. 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 195 Special Topics Variable cr. (R-6) Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics.
U 200E Ethics: The Great Traditions 3 cr. 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. 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 every semester. 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: Inductive and Scientific Reasoning 3 cr. Prereq., Phil 210. Elementary principles of induction and scientific reasoning. Emphasis on effective evaluation of information and argument in public discourse.
U 251H History of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy 5 cr. 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 5 cr. A survey of the history of philosophy from Descartes to Hegel, which includes other Continental Rationalists, the British Empiricists, and Kant.
U 255H Introduction to the Philosophical Traditions of India and China 3 cr. Introduction to the diversity of thought found in the early phases of the philosophic traditions in India and China.
U 295 Special Topics Variable cr. (R-6) Experimental offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new courses, or one-time offerings of current topics.
UG 310 Formal Logic: Scope and Limits 3 cr. 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 321E Medical Ethics 3 cr. Prereq., upper-division standing and lower-division course in Perspective 5, or consent of instr. Offered alternate years. An examination of ethical problems raised by the practice of medicine and by recent developments in medically-related biological sciences.
U 323E Business and Ethics 3 cr. 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. 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.
UG 327E Environmental Ethics 3 cr. Prereq., lower-division course in Perspective 5 or consent of instr. Critical exploration of selected philosophical and literary texts pertinent to the ethics of human relationships with the natural environment.
UG 329E Feminist Ethics 3 cr. 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 331 Philosophy of the Social Sciences 3 cr. 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 340L Aesthetics 3 cr. Prereq., upper-division standing. Offered alternate years. 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.
UG 341 Philosophy in Literature 3 cr. Prereq., upper-division standing or consent of instr. Philosophical thought in selected works of literature.
UG 344 Topics in the Philosophy of the Arts 3 cr. (R-9) Prereq., upper-division standing. Same as LS 344. 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 351 Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz 3 cr. Prereq., Phil 252H or 6 credit hours in philosophy or consent of instr. Offered alternate years. The development of Continental Rationalism.
UG 352 Locke, Berkeley, Hume 3 cr. Prereq., Phil 252H or 6 credit hours in philosophy or consent of instr. Offered alternate years. The development of British Empiricism.
UG 353 Kant 3 cr. Prereq., Phil 252H or 6 credit hours in philosophy or consent of instr. Offered alternate years. Reading and interpretation of selected works.
UG 355 Politics and Culture 3 cr. Prereq., PSc 250E or consent of instr. Same as PSc 355. Study of the ways political processes and cultural issues shape and modify one another in contemporary western societies.
UG 361E Contemporary Ethical Theory 3 cr. Prereq., lower-division course in Perspective 5, nine credits in philosophy or consent of instr. Offered alternate years. Recent theories on the nature of moral concepts.
UG 363 Contemporary Political Ethics 3 cr. Prereq., upper-division standing. Offered alternate years. Examination of contemporary political philosophers with particular attention to utilitarian liberalism and deontological liberalism and their critics.
UG 375H Oriental Thought 3 cr. Prereq., upper-division standing. Offered alternate years. Philosophical themes in some Hindu, Buddhist, and Taoist literature.
UG 377 Philosophy of Society and Culture 3 cr. Prereq., upper-division standing. Offered alternate years. A philosophical examination of cultural forces shaping modern society, forces such as science, technology, or domesticity.
UG 379H Women in America: The Historical Perspective 3 cr. Same as LS 335H, Hist 379H. The feminine image in America as revealed by popular literature_the "good-wyfe" of Colonial America, the Southern belle of the 19th century, the "Jewish mama" of the immigrant experience, and the "castrating female" of the 20th century.
U 393 Omnibus Variable cr.( R-9) Prereq., consent of instr. Independent work under the University omnibus option. See index.
U 394 Seminar Variable cr. (R-9) Prereq., consent of instr.
U 395 Special Topics Variable cr. (R-9) 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) Prereq., consent of instr.
U 397 Research Variable cr. (R-9) Prereq., consent of instr.
UG 410 Philosophy of Science 3 cr. Prereq., upper-division standing. Offered alternate years. 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 431H History of Science I 3 cr. Prereq., upper-division standing or consent of instr. Same as Hist 431H. Offered alternate years. Scientific thought from preclassical time to the Renaissance of he 12th century.
UG 432H History of Science II 3 cr. Prereq., upper-division standing or consent of instr. Same as Hist 432H. Offered alternate years. Scientific thought in western Europe and U.S. from the 13th to the 19th century.
UG 441 Philosophy of Law 3 cr. Prereq., consent of instr. Empirical, analytical and normative theories of law. Special attention to how these theories deal with substantive problems in American law.
UG 443E Ethics and Public Affairs 3 cr. Prereq., lower-division perspective 5 course or consent of instr. Same as Mans 443E. Examination of morally relevant issues in government, journalism, education and other social institutions such as deception, confidentiality, conflicts of interest, privacy, paternalism, responsibilities in conflict with other institutions and responsibilities across national boundaries.
UG 455 Issues in Economics and Philosophy Variable cr. (R-6) Prereq., consent of instr. Same as Econ 455. Topics vary. May include private property and the public interest, methodological issues in economics, justice and efficiency, public choice theory.
UG 461 Plato 3 cr. Prereq., Phil 251H. Offered alternate years. General introduction to the philosophy of Plato emphasizing dialogues of the Early and Middle periods.
UG 463 Aristotle 3 cr. Prereq., Phil 251H. Offered alternate years. 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) Prereq., Phil 252H. Offered alternate years. Selection to be announced in the class schedule.
UG 467 20th Century Continental Philosophy 3 cr. 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. Prereq., upper-division standing. Offered alternate years. Readings in analytic philosophy, contemporary empiricism, and contemporary pragmatism.
UG 471 Philosophy of Language 3 cr. Prereq., upper-division standing. Same as Ling 471. Offered alternate years. Structure and functions of natural and ideal languages; the relation of language to thought and reality.
UG 480 Senior Seminar 3 cr. (R-9) Prereq., senior standing. Research in problems in philosophy.
U 493 Omnibus Variable cr. (R-9) Prereq., consent of instr. Independent work under the University omnibus option. See index.
UG 494 Seminar Variable cr. (R-9) Prereq., consent of instr.
UG 495 Special Topics Variable cr. (R-9) 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) Prereq., consent of instr.
U 497 Research Variable cr.(R-9) 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 Social, Political, and Legal Philosophy 3 cr. (R-6) Offered every year.
G 503 Topics in the Philosophy of Art and Religion 3 cr. (R-6) Offered every year.
G 504 Colloquium in the Philosophy of Ecology 3 cr. (R-6) 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 510 Philosophy Forum Colloquium 1 cr. (R-3) Prereq., graduate standing. Discussion and further exploration of issues presented at the weekly Philosophy Forum.
G 593 Professional Paper Variable cr. (R-9)
G 594 Seminar Variable cr.(R-9)
G 595 Special Topics Variable cr. (R-9) 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) Prereq., consent of instr.
G 597 Research Variable cr. (R-9) Directed individual research and study appropriate to the background and objectives of the student.
G 599 Thesis Variable cr. (R-6)
Professors
Associate Professors