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COURSE DESCRIPTIONS


SAMPLE COURSE DESCRIPTION

COURSE NUMBERING SYSTEM

GENERAL EDUCATION DESIGNATION

DEPARTMENTS OFFERING DIVERSIFICATION COURSES

Philosophy (PHIL)

College of Arts and Humanities

PHIL 100 Introduction to Philosophy: Survey of Problems (3) Great philosophical issues, theories, and controversies. DH

PHIL 101 Introduction to Philosophy: Morals and Society (3) Social and individual values, obligations, rights, responsibilities. DH

PHIL 102 Asian Traditions (3) Universal themes and problems from Asian perspective. DH

PHIL 103 Introduction to Philosophy: Environmental Philosophy (3) A critical examination of environmental issues; analyzing the nature of the human being, the nature of nature, and the relationship of the human being to nature. DH

PHIL 110 Introduction to Deductive Logic (3) Principles of modern deductive logic. FS

PHIL 111 Introduction to Inductive Logic (3) Introduction to the theory of arguments based on probabilities and to the theory of decision-making in the context of uncertainty. A-F only. FS

PHIL 211 Ancient Philosophy (3) An introduction to the history of philosophy based on translations of texts originally written in classical Greek or Latin. DH

PHIL 212 Between Ancient and Modern Philosophy (3) Introduction to the history of philosophy based on translations of texts originally written in post-classical Latin or Arabic. DH

PHIL 213 Modern Philosophy (3) Introduction to the history of philosophy based on texts or translations of “modern” works, that is works originally written in a modern European language. DH

PHIL 300 Business Ethics (3) Case studies and critical analyses of ethical issues in business. Readings from business, philosophy, law, etc. Pre: any course 100 or above in PHIL or BUS or BLAW, or consent. DH

PHIL 301 Ethical Theory (3) Problems and methods in theory of moral conduct and decision. Pre: any course 101 or above in PHIL or above 100 in POLS or SOC; or consent. DH

PHIL 302 Political Philosophy (3) Problems and methods in modern theories of the state. Comparison of anarchism, liberalism, and Marxism. Pre: any course 101 or above in PHIL or above 100 in POLS or SOC, or consent. DH

PHIL 303 Social Philosophy (3) Problems and methods in examination of contemporary American life, values, and institutions in light of traditional philosophical problems of freedom, justice, authority, equality. Pre: any course 101 or above in PHIL or above 100 in POLS or SOC, or consent. DH

PHIL 304 Metaphysics (3) Problems and methods arising from attempts to understand rationally what is, what appears to be, and what is not. Pre: any course 100 or above in PHIL, or consent. DH

PHIL 305 Philosophy of Religion (3) Problems and methods. Nature of religious experience, alternatives to theism, existence of god, relation between faith and reason, nature of religious language. Pre: any course 100 or above in PHIL or REL; or consent. DH

PHIL 306 Philosophy of Art (3) Problems and methods in aesthetic valuation and in appreciation, creation, and criticism of artworks. Pre: any course 100 or above in PHIL or ARCH or ART or MUS or any DL course 100 or above; or consent. DH

PHIL 307 Theory of Knowledge (3) Problems and methods in epistemology. Nature of knowledge, its varieties, possibilities, and limitations. Pre: any course 100 or above in PHIL, or 200 or above with either DB or DP or DS designation; or consent. DH

PHIL 308 Philosophy of Science (3) Problems and methods. Domains of inquiry, methods of validation, and attendant moral concerns. Pre: any course 100 or above in PHIL, or 200 or above with either DB or DP designation; or consent. DH

PHIL 310 Ethics in Health Care (3) Ethical issues in application and organization of biomedical resources; professional responsibility, confidentiality, euthanasia, experimentation on human subjects, etc. Pre: any course 100 or above in philosophy, a biological science, medicine, or nursing; or consent. DH

PHIL 311 Philosophy and Aesthetics of Film (3) Aesthetics and ontology of film and video, based on readings in the philosophy of film and the viewing of a number of films per semester. Pre: one course in PHIL or THEA, drama or film; or consent. See department for list of approved courses.

PHIL 313 Philosophy and Evolution (3) Explores the ethical and epistemological implications of the theory of evolution. Pre: one course in biology or philosophy; or consent. (Alt. years)

PHIL 314 Critical Thinking: Pre-Medicine (3) Scientific and social perspectives on the nature of disease and their impact on medical practice. Exploration of these topics through reading, writing and critical inquiry. Pre: one of 100, 101, 102, 103, 110, 211, 212, or 213; or any two BIOL, CHEM or PHYS courses; or consent.

PHIL 315 The Role of Models in Environmental Science(3) Introduction to philosophy of science for those with some background in the natural sciences. Special emphasis on issues arising from the construction and use of models. Pre: any course 200 or above in PHIL or any course 200 or above with either DB or DP designation, or consent. (Cross-listed as OCN 315)

PHIL 316 Science, Technology, and Society (3) Investigation of some of the complex interconnections between science, technology, and society. Pre: any course 100 or above in PHIL or in a course with either DB or DP or DS designation, or consent. DH

PHIL 317 Critical Thinking: Pre-Law (3) Introduction to concepts and techniques for evaluating arguments with special emphasis on their application both to questions of law and to issues in jurisprudence. Pre: any course 100 or above in PHIL or POLS or SOC, or consent. DH

PHIL 318 Philosophy of Law (3) Historical and contemporary issues in law and legal theory. Law and morality; legal responsibility, justice, rights, punishment, judicial reasoning. Pre: any course 101 or above in PHIL or above 100 in BLAW or POLS or SOC, or consent. DH

PHIL 319 Ethical Issues in the Law (3) Exploration of ethical issues that have come before (mainly U.S.) courts, including but not confined to, medical and criminal justice ethics. Repeatable one time. A-F only. Pre: 101 or a course numbered 200 or above in PHIL or HIST or ENG or with a DS designation; or consent.

PHIL 320 American Philosophy (3) Survey of major philosophers and schools in development of American thought up to modern times. Pre: any course 100 or above in PHIL, or consent. DH

PHIL 330 Islamic Philosophy (3) Survey of major philosophers and schools: Kindi, Razi, Avicenna, Ghazali, Ibn Tufayl, Averroes, etc. Pre: any course 100 or above in PHIL or ARAB, or consent. DH

PHIL 340 Africana Philosophy (3) Survey of important thinkers and schools in Africana thought. Repeatable one time. Pre: any course 100 or above in PHIL, or consent.

PHIL 350 Indian Philosophy (3) Survey of major orthodox and heterodox systems: Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavadgita, Vedanta, Jainism, Buddhism. Pre: any course 100 or above in PHIL or PALI or SNSK; or consent. DH

PHIL 360 Buddhist Philosophy (3) Survey of central thinkers and schools. Pre: any course 100 or above in PHIL, CHN, JPN, PALI, SNSK, or TIB; or consent. DH

PHIL 370 Chinese Philosophy (3) Survey of important schools and thinkers in classical Chinese traditions: Confucianism, Taoism, Mohism, Legalism. Pre: any course 100 or above in PHIL or CHN; or consent. DH

PHIL 380 Japanese Philosophy (3) Survey of central thinkers and schools from ancient to modern. Pre: any course 100 or above in PHIL or JPN, or consent. DH

PHIL 399 Directed Research (V) Repeatable up to a maximum of 6 credits. Pre: consent.

PHIL 400 Introduction to Analytical Philosophy (3) Major themes in logical atomism, logical positivism, and linguistic analysis. Readings from G. E. Moore to present. Pre: any course 100 or above in PHIL, or consent. DH

PHIL 401 Introduction to Existential Philosophy (3) Major themes from contemporary investigations into meaning of human existence. Readings from Kierkegaard to Sartre. Pre: any course 200 or above in PHIL, or consent. DH

PHIL 402 Introduction to Phenomenology (3) Methods of analyzing the structures of experience, as developed by Husserl, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Sartre, etc. Pre: any course 200 or above in PHIL, or consent. DH

PHIL 406 Introduction to Zen (Ch’an) Buddhist Philosophy (3) Development and philosophical significance of basic precepts, explored through translations of Chinese and Japanese sources. Pre: any course 200 or above in PHIL or CHN or JPN, or consent. DH

PHIL 414 (Alpha) Western Movements and Periods (3) (B) Greek; (C) late antiquity; (D) medieval; (E) continental rationalism; (F) British empiricism; (G) German idealism; (H) 19th century; (I) 20th century. Repeatable two times in different alphas, not in same alpha. Pre: any course 200 or above in PHIL, or consent. DH

PHIL 415 Philosophy of History (3) Introduction to theories of history. Continuity and change; cyclical and linear views, “meaning” in history; social, political, and religious perspectives. Pre: any course 200 or above in PHIL or HIST, or consent. DH

PHIL 417 Philosophy in Literature (3) Philosophical themes in the literary mode in world literature. Pre: any course 200 or above in PHIL or any DL course in 200 or above, or consent. DL

PHIL 418 Feminist Issues in Philosophy (3) Examination of a number of basic feminist issues in philosophy within the areas of ethics, philosophy of religion, and epistemology/methodology. Pre: any course 200 or above in PHIL or WS, or consent. (Cross-listed as WS 419) DH

PHIL 422 Philosophical Psychology (3) Classical and modern theories of mind and action; various analyses of motivation, intention, rationality, self-deception. Pre: any course 200 or above in PHIL or PSY, or consent. DH

PHIL 436 Philosophy of Language (3) Contemporary theories in semantics and syntax; problems of meaning, reference, speech acts, etc. Pre: any course 200 or above in PHIL or LING, or consent. DH

PHIL 438 Gender and Environmental Philosophy (3) Interdisciplinary approach to women’s perspectives and roles on ecological and environmental issues; critical analysis of eco-feminism as a social and political movement; cross-cultural comparison of women’s roles in human ecology. Pre: any course 200 or above in PHIL or WS or any course 200 or above with a DB or DP designation, or consent. (Cross-listed as WS 438) DH

PHIL 445 Symbolic Logic (3) Intermediate-level course on techniques; propositional calculus and first-order predicate calculus. Pre: 110 or any course 200 or above in ICS or MATH. DH

PHIL 449 Philosophical Topics (3) Concentration on a topic of current philosophic concern. Repeatable one time with consent. Pre: declared major in PHIL, or consent. DH

PHIL 492 Philosophy with Children (3) Enhancing critical thinking and oral communications skills through consideration of how to teach philosophy to elementary school children (grades K–6). Pre: any course 200 or above in PHIL or EDUC, or consent.

PHIL 493 Teaching Philosophy (3) For philosophy students who, under supervision, will be facilitating philosophical inquiries in the pre-college classroom. Repeatable one time. Pre: 492 or consent.

PHIL 500 Master’s Plan B/C Studies (1) Enrollment for degree completion. Pre: master’s Plan B or C candidate and consent.

PHIL 501 Metaphilosopy: Philosophy in Schools (V) Theory and practice, content and methodology of doing philosophy with children, grades K-8. Repeatable one time.

PHIL 609 Advanced Symbolic Logic (3) Basic course in theory of logistic systems covering the sentential and first-order functional calculus. Pre: 445, graduate standing, or consent.

PHIL 610 Studies in Social Philosophy (3) Key issues in social philosophy, including the nature of community, the family, and other social institutions. Repeatable one time with consent. Pre: graduate standing or consent. Recommended: 303.

PHIL 611 Studies in Ethics (3) Key issues in ethical and metaethical theory. Repeatable one time with consent. Pre: graduate standing or consent. Recommended: 301.

PHIL 612 Studies in Political Philosophy (3) Key issues in political philosophy including the nature and justification of political authority. Repeatable one time with consent. Pre: graduate standing or consent. Recommended: 302.

PHIL 613 Studies in Philosophy of Law (3) Key issues in legal theory and reasoning. Repeatable one time with consent. Pre: graduate standing or consent. Recommended: 318.

PHIL 614 Studies in Metaphysics (3) Key issues in ontological and cosmological theory. Problems of materialism, idealism, phenomenalism, etc. Repeatable one time with consent. Pre: graduate standing or consent. Recommended: 304.

PHIL 615 Studies in Philosophy of Religion (3) Key issues in theory of religious experience, language, reasoning. Pre: graduate standing or consent. Recommended: 305.

PHIL 616 Studies in Aesthetics (3) Key issues in contemporary aesthetics, against background of traditional Western and Eastern theories. Repeatable one time with consent. Pre: graduate standing or consent. Recommended: 306.

PHIL 617 Studies in Epistemology (3) Key issues in theory of knowledge. Nature of truth. A priori knowledge, problems of induction, perception, and knowledge of material world. Repeatable one time with consent. Pre: graduate standing or consent. Recommended: 307.

PHIL 619 Studies in Philosophy of Language (3) Key issues in theory of meaning, truth, reference, predication, etc. Pre: graduate standing or consent. Recommended: 445.

PHIL 620 Studies in Philosophy of Mathematics (3) Key issues in foundations of mathematics: mathematical truths, axioms, proofs, etc. Pre: graduate standing or consent. Recommended: 400 or 445.

PHIL 621 Studies in Philosophy of Science (3) Key issues in the theory of scientific truth and knowledge. Repeatable one time with consent. Pre: one of 308 or 316 and graduate standing; or consent.

PHIL 622 Studies in Hermeneutics (3) Important debates concerning the methodology of textual interpretation. Pre: graduate standing or consent.

PHIL 625 Philosophical Movements and Schools (3) Study of a collection of texts by different authors who constitute a recognized movement or philosophical school. Repeatable three times with consent. Pre: graduate standing or consent.

PHIL 630 History and Theory of Science (3) An exploration of problems at the intersection of historical studies of science as a process and philosophical analysis of basic concepts of the sciences. Pre: one of 308 or 316 and graduate standing; or consent.

PHIL 665 Zen (Ch’an) Buddhist Philosophy (3) Analysis of epistemological, metaphysical, and ethical theories. Pre: graduate standing or consent. Recommended: 406.

PHIL 670 Confucianism (3) Ethical, social, institutional problems in classical theory. Repeatable one time with consent. Pre: graduate standing or consent. Recommended: 370.

PHIL 671 Neo-Confucianism (3) Logic, epistemology, metaphysics, and ethics of major Chinese Neo-Confucian philosophers, 11th–16th century. Repeatable one time with consent. Pre: graduate standing or consent. Recommended: 370.

PHIL 672 Taoism (3) Critical examination and evaluation of major philosophical ideas in Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu, and the Neo-Taoists. Repeatable one time with consent. Pre: graduate standing or consent. Recommended: 370.

PHIL 699 Directed Research (V) Repeatable up to nine credits. Pre: graduate standing and consent.

PHIL 700 Thesis Research (V) Repeatable up to 6 credits. Pre: Master’s Plan A candidate and consent.

PHIL 711 Seminar on Nagarjuna (3) Close examination of the most significant of Nagarjuna’s philosophical writings. Pre: graduate standing or consent.

PHIL 712 Seminar on Aristotle (3) Close examination of the most significant of Aristotle’s philosophic writings. Pre: graduate standing or consent.

PHIL 713 Seminar on Kant (3) Close examination of the most significant of Kant’s philosophical writings. Repeatable one time with consent. Pre: graduate standing or consent.

PHIL 714 Seminar on Plato (3) Close examination of the most significant of Plato’s philosophical writings. Pre: graduate standing or consent.

PHIL 715 Seminar on Nietzsche (3) Close examination of the most significant of Nietzsche’s philosophical writings. Pre: graduate standing or consent.

PHIL 716 Seminar on Spinoza (3) Close examination of the most significant of Spinoza’s philosophical writings. Pre: graduate standing or consent.

PHIL 717 Seminar on Whitehead (3) Whitehead’s revolutionary process philosophy and process theology through his major texts. Pre: graduate standing or consent.

PHIL 720 Seminar on Individual Philosophers (3) The most significant texts of an important philosopher. A different philosopher will be chosen each semester. Consult department for further information. Repeatable three times with consent. Pre: graduate standing or consent.

PHIL 725 Seminar in Philosophical Topics (3) Close study of a topic of important philosophical controversy such as “killing and dying” or “deconstruction.” Repeatable two times with consent. Pre: graduate standing or consent.

PHIL 735 Seminar on Philosophical Periods (3) Close study of a period of significant and connected philosophical activity within a philosophic tradition. Repeatable two times with consent. Pre: graduate standing or consent.

PHIL 740 Seminar in Philosophical Texts (3) Reading, analysis, and critical discussion of one (or of several closely related) philosophical text in its original language (sometimes in conjunction with established translation). Repeatable two times with consent. Pre: graduate standing or consent.

PHIL 745 Seminar in African Philosophy (3) Major philosophical problems in Africana thought, including problems in African American philosophy, African philosophy, and post-colonial African philosophy. Pre: graduate standing or consent.

PHIL 750 Seminar in Indian Philosophy (3) Major philosophical problems in the development of Indian thought during its formative period. Repeatable one time with consent. Pre: graduate standing or consent. Recommended: 350.

PHIL 760 Seminar in Buddhist Philosophy (3) Major philosophical problems in the development of Buddhist thought during its formative period. Repeatable one time with consent. Pre: graduate standing or consent. Recommended: 360.

PHIL 770 Seminar in Chinese Philosophy (3) Fundamental issues, problems, movements, and schools of Chinese philosophy, such as classical Confucianism, Daoism, Legalism, Chinese logic, and Neo-Confucianism. Repeatable one time with consent. Pre: graduate standing or consent. Recommended: 370.

PHIL 771 Seminar in I-Ching (3) Metaphysical, epistemological, ethical, and axiological views of I-Ching and its claim as foundational work for classical Confucianism, Taoism, and Neo-Confucianism. Pre: graduate standing or consent.

PHIL 780 Seminar in Japanese Philosophy (3) Various periods, movements, and thinkers in Japanese philosophy. Topic changes each semester. Consult department for more information. Repeatable one time with consent. Pre: graduate standing or consent. Recommended: 380.

PHIL 790 Seminar in Comparative Philosophy (3) Comparison of widely differing philosophical traditions. Specific topic changes each semester. Consult department for more information. Repeatable two times with consent. Pre: graduate standing or consent.

PHIL 800 Dissertation Research (V)