Courses and Syllabi
The University Catalog is the authoritative source for information on courses. The Schedule of Classes is the authoritative source for information on classes scheduled for this semester. See the Schedule for the most up-to-date information and see Patriot web to register for classes.
Philosophy Spring 2019
Undergraduate
100-Level Courses in PHIL
Introduction to the nature of philosophical reasoning and some of the main problems of philosophy. May not be repeated for credit.
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3 Sections Currently Scheduled
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Section 001
— Davis Kuykendall — 10:30 AM to 11:45 AM MW —
Robinson B228
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Section 004
— Christopher Lee Venner — 04:30 PM to 05:45 PM MW —
Buchanan Hall (formerly Mason Hall) D003
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Section 002
— Davis Kuykendall — 01:30 PM to 02:45 PM MW —
Music Theater Building (formerly Fine Arts Building) 1007
Examines ethical issues associated with new developments in information technology, including privacy rights, intellectual property rights, and the effect of information technology on society. May not be repeated for credit.
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3 Sections Currently Scheduled
Introduction to philosophical reflection on the arts by looking at the critical issues in the history of aesthetics. Applies considerations to specific works and exploring these works in terms of their historical contexts and influences. Concentrates on one form of art or one period and always emphasizes questions of critical evaluation and art historical analysis. May not be repeated for credit.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Basic concepts and techniques of deduction, emphasizing the modern treatment of such topics as quantification and rules of inference, with study of the classical treatment. Basic principles of induction, informal fallacies, and uses of logic in everyday life. May not be repeated for credit.
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2 Sections Currently Scheduled
200-Level Courses in PHIL
Examines the global dimensions of environmental problems. Although environmental problems are global in reach, because different societies make different philosophical and ethical assumptions, they are understood in different ways. Examines several environmental problems, including climate change, population growth, and resource depletion, from a variety of scientific, policy, and cross-cultural perspectives. May not be repeated for credit.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
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Section 001
— James C Olsen — 05:55 PM to 07:10 PM TR —
Robinson B203
Examines differences and relations between literary and philosophical texts. Examines texts from a given period in the history of literature and philosophy. Topics include the presence of common issues in literary and philosophical writings, the influence of philosophical ideas on the production of literary texts and literary theory, and the development in literary texts of issues that are possible objects of philosophical inquiry. May not be repeated for credit.
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7 Sections Currently Scheduled »
300-Level Courses in PHIL
Figures and problems of modern philosophy. Study of philosophers such as Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Kant, and Hegel. May not be repeated for credit.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Examines some major moral issues involved in practice and research in medicine and health care. Topics to be chosen from medical experimentation, definition of death, physician-assisted dying, genetics and human reproduction, distribution of scarce resources, fertility, and organ transplants. May not be repeated for credit.
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5 Sections Currently Scheduled »
Investigation of theories of natural law, legal positivism, and legal realism as they pertain to some of the central philosophical questions about law. May not be repeated for credit.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
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Section 001
— Shannon Fyfe — 12:00 PM to 01:15 PM TR —
Innovation Hall 133
Study and evaluation of Marx's social and political ideas based on writings selected from several phases of his career. Examination of relation of Marx's thought to post-Marxian socialist theory and practice. May not be repeated for credit.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Exploration through lecture and discussion of recent developments in the Western tradition of political thought from the middle of the 19th century to today. Different sections focus on one or another of the various political theories that have been influential during this period such as liberal, libertarian, conservative, communitarian, Marxist, feminist, and postmodern thought. Notes: May be repeated for credit when topic is different. Equivalent to GOVT 327.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Examines the philosophical questions that arise in the wake of the Nazi concentration camps concerning genocide, political modernity, and conceptions of the human. Investigates how the logic of the camp made possible systematic genocidal violence against the Jews and other groups, and the ways in which that logic manifests in other forms and on other bodies before and after Auschwitz. Draws on writers and philosophers such as Primo Levi, Giorgio Agamben, Hannah Arendt, Maurice Blanchot, and/or Adriana Cavarero to analyze the ethical and political questions posed by the camps, and uses literature, film and art to engage with the complexities of bearing witness to horror and the unrepresentable. May not be repeated for credit.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
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Section 001
— Kurt Brandhorst — 12:00 PM to 01:15 PM MW —
Innovation Hall 133
Philosophical issues relating to competing methodologies for the social sciences. Analysis and critique of mainstream positivism and behaviorism; paradigm theory and scientific revolutions; interpretive understanding and hermeneutical science; phenomenology and the social construction of reality; ethnomethodology and situational meaning; analytic philosophy and action theory; the "idea" of a social science; sociology of knowledge and theory of ideology; and Western Marxism and critical theory. May not be repeated for credit.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Examines issues at the intersection of ethics and economics. Looks at the different ways in which ethics and economics impact each other. May not be repeated for credit.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
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Section 001
— Derek William Boyd — 01:30 PM to 02:45 PM MW —
Innovation Hall 131
Study of predicate calculi by means of a step-by-step construction of artificial languages. Topics include procedures for constructing a calculus, proof techniques, significant properties of predicate calculi, and procedures for recognizing phrases. May not be repeated for credit.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
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Section 001
— Dimiter Kirilov — 03:00 PM to 04:15 PM MW —
Robinson B360
Focuses on career choices and effective self-presentation for soon-to-be graduating students with majors in the humanities. Explores how skills typically learned In humanities majors can be leveraged for a successful transition to post-graduation employment. Equivalent to ENGH 303, FRLN 309, HIST 385, UNIV 420.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
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Section 001
— Lisa Koch — 10:30 AM to 11:45 AM R —
Innovation Hall 323
400-Level Courses in PHIL
Examines from a philosophical perspective descriptive and normative theories of individual decision, with particular focus on the strengths and weaknesses of theories of rational choice, and attempts to incorporate insights from psychology into theories of decision. Explores theoretical developments and a variety of applications. May not be repeated for credit.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
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Section 001
— Thomas Wilk — 03:00 PM to 04:15 PM TR —
Planetary Hall (formerly Science & Tech I) 124
Explores topics in current philosophical research in a seminar format. Topics vary. Notes: May be repeated for credit when topic is different. May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 18 credits.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Seminar for students enrolled in the honors program in philosophy. Notes: May be repeated for credit when topic is different. May be repeated within the term for a maximum 18 credits.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Covers issues in the philosophy, economics, and political science of institutions, information, and collective action. Through case studies of existing legal and political institutions, applies the insights to problems in politics, policy making, social-choice theory, and social, moral, and political philosophy. (Specific content varies). Notes: Serves as the capstone course for the PPE program. Equivalent to ECON 460, GOVT 469.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Topics in PHIL
Exploration through lecture and discussion of recent developments in the Western tradition of political thought from the middle of the 19th century to today. Different sections focus on one or another of the various political theories that have been influential during this period such as liberal, libertarian, conservative, communitarian, Marxist, feminist, and postmodern thought. Notes: May be repeated for credit when topic is different. Equivalent to GOVT 327.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Seminar for students enrolled in the honors program in philosophy. Notes: May be repeated for credit when topic is different. May be repeated within the term for a maximum 18 credits.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Graduate
600-Level Courses in PHIL
Examines major recent philosophical authors, texts, and topics, and their influence on philosophical thought. Notes: May be repeated for credit when topic is different. May be repeated within the term for a maximum 6 credits.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Topics vary. Notes: May be repeated for credit when topic is different. May be repeated within the term for a maximum 9 credits.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
700-Level Courses in PHIL
Close study of selected topics in current philosophical discourse. Notes: May be repeated for credit when topic is different. May be repeated within the term.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
PHIL 799:
Thesis
(1-6 Credits)
Develop research and write an original thesis under the direction of their thesis director. May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 6 credits.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Topics in PHIL
Examines major recent philosophical authors, texts, and topics, and their influence on philosophical thought. Notes: May be repeated for credit when topic is different. May be repeated within the term for a maximum 6 credits.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Topics vary. Notes: May be repeated for credit when topic is different. May be repeated within the term for a maximum 9 credits.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Close study of selected topics in current philosophical discourse. Notes: May be repeated for credit when topic is different. May be repeated within the term.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
