Philosphy courses for Fall 2008

PHIL 1105. Introduction to Philosophy (3-0-3)

An introduction to the ideas of several philosophers on topics such as human reason, knowledge, justice, happiness, religion, and morality examined in their historical settings and for their impact on western civilization.

May satisfy an Area C core requirement. Required for the philosophy minor.

PHIL 2106. Critical Thinking (3-0-3)

A systematic introduction to the discipline of correct reasoning. Emphasis is on the structure and criteria of good inductive and deductive argument, problem solving, and an analysis of relevant and irrelevant techniques of persuasion.

PHIL 2115. Formal Logic (3-0-3)

An introduction to contemporary techniques in logic with special attention given to deductive models and decision methods. Emphasis is placed on the application of logic to argument analysis, problem solving, foundations of mathematics, science, and computer science.

The course tries to develop a form language (similar to mathematics) to allow us to look at the logical structure of arguments separately from the content of the arguments.

May satisfy an Area D requirement (depending on your degree program). Required for the philosophy minor.

PHIL 2135. Moral Philosophy (3-0-3)

An examination of the main theories of moral obligation and evaluation with application to current moral issues. Includes discussion of the ideas and procedures in analysis and judgment of moral problems.

May satisfy an Area E requirement (depending on your degree program)

PHIL 3117. Philosophy of Religion (3-0-3)

An examination of important aspects of religious belief: arguments about the existence of God, the relations between faith and reason, revelation, miracle, ethical values, and immortality.

PHIL 3575. Selected Topics in Philosophy: Philosophy of the Social Sciences.

A look at some of the philosophical issues generated by work in the social sciences. We will look at whether the social sciences are properly regarded as sciences, or whether the project of the social sciences might be something else. We will also look at standards for explanations, the legitimacy of functional explanations among other issues.

PHIL. 3575. Selected topics in Philosophy:  The Western European Philosophy of Language during the 20th century.

 The seminar offers a critical introduction to the central issues of the philosophy of language such as theory of meaning, relationships between language and thought and between language and world. Its aims are to present both the way the Continental philosophy of language approaching the central topics and the various traditions of dealing with them. The basic authors are Ernst Cassirer (Germany) and Michail Bakhtin (Russia). By all differences, both philosophers have elaborated on a radical critique of traditional metaphysics and of the conceptions of consciousness and representation. They have shared a common interest in the related problems of intersubjectivity and of a post-Kantian return to fundamental questions of ontology and logic. Cassirer's philosophy of symbolic forms and Bakhtin's dialogic philosophy of language are two paradigms providing the modern view on language as the fundamental basis of all philosophical problems.

Philosophy Courses for Spring 2009

PHIL 1105. Introduction to Philosophy (3-0-3)

An introduction to the ideas of several philosophers on topics such as human reason, knowledge, justice, happiness, religion, and morality examined in their historical settings and for their impact on western civilization.

May satisfy an Area C core requirement. Required for the philosophy minor.

PHIL 2106. Critical Thinking (3-0-3)

A systematic introduction to the discipline of correct reasoning. Emphasis is on the structure and criteria of good inductive and deductive argument, problem solving, and an analysis of relevant and irrelevant techniques of persuasion.

PHIL 2115. Formal Logic (3-0-3)

An introduction to contemporary techniques in logic with special attention given to deductive models and decision methods. Emphasis is placed on the application of logic to argument analysis, problem solving, foundations of mathematics, science, and computer science.

The course tries to develop a form language (similar to mathematics) to allow us to look at the logical structure of arguments separately from the content of the arguments.

May satisfy an Area D requirement (depending on your degree program). Required for the philosophy minor.

PHIL 2135. Moral Philosophy (3-0-3)

An examination of the main theories of moral obligation and evaluation with application to current moral issues. Includes discussion of the ideas and procedures in analysis and judgment of moral problems.

May satisfy an Area E requirement (depending on your degree program)

PHIL 3145. Philosophy of Science (3-0-3)

PHIL 3145. Philosophy of Science (3-0-3) A study of recent issues in the philosophy of science such as the nature of explanation, observation and theory, debates concerning scientific rationality as well as the debate concerning science versus pseudo-science.

PHIL. 3575. Selected topics in Philosophy: 

PHIL. 3575. Selected topics in Philosophy: