Philosophy (PHIL)

PHIL 1000: The Big Questions: An Introduction to Philosophy

Introduction to traditional philosophical problems and methods of philosophical inquiry. Consideration given to different philosophical theories on the nature of reality, human beings, nature and God; knowledge and how it is acquired; values and social issues.

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 1000H: The Big Questions: An Introduction to Philosophy - Honors

PHIL 1100: The Difference Between Right and Wrong: An Introduction to Ethics

Introduction to different philosophical theories regarding when acts are morally right rather than wrong; when things are good rather than bad; nature of the "good life", nature of ethical reasoning and justification.

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 1100H: The Difference Between Right and Wrong: An Introduction to Ethics - Honors

PHIL 1150: Introductory Bioethics

This course approaches moral problems in biomedical and scientific research from a philosophical perspective. First, we'll familiarize ourselves with ethics and political philosophy. Then we'll study the ethical issues that arise in connection with a series of issues, including research involving human and animal subjects, eugenics, the human genome project, cloning and stem cell research. By thinking about these issues, we learn how to think critically about particular moral quandaries, as well as to uncover and examine some of our deepest moral commitments.

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 1150H: Introductory Bioethics - Honors

PHIL 1159: Blind Spots

The human mind is systematically biased towards illusion, distortion, and error. Failing to recognize one's own biases, moreover, is a bias in itself - the so-called Blind Spot Bias. PHIL 1159 is an online philosophy course that will provide a comprehensive introduction to cognitive biases, and to the skills that can be used to identify and negotiate their influences on patterns of cognition and behavior. The course will be structured around case studies of particular biases, such as confirmation bias, probability neglect, and overconfidence. The course will employ a variety of instructional materials including popular science articles, essays written by philosophers and psychologists, and video lectures by the instructors and by other researchers. Assignments include discussion board posts, a few short essays, and the creation of argument maps using MindMup, a free, web-based platform developed by researchers at Princeton University. Graded on A-F basis only.

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 1200: How to Think: Logic and Reasoning for Everyday Life

Methods of analyzing and evaluating arguments of all types. Uses both informal and formal techniques. Identifies informal fallacies and introduces elementary symbolic logic.

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 1200H: How to Think: Logic and Reasoning for Everyday Life - Honors

Methods of analyzing and evaluating arguments of all types. Uses both informal and formal techniques. Identifies informal fallacies and introduces elementary symbolic logic.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: Honors eligibility required

PHIL 2005: Topics in Philosophy-Humanities

Organized study of philosophical issues to which no regular course in devoted. Subjects and earnable credit may vary from semester to semester.

Credit Hour: 1-3

PHIL 2010: The Philosophy of Film

(same as FILMS_VS 2010). Philosophical problems having to do with film. Topic may include the nature of films, the differences between fiction and documentary film, ethical issues with film and filmmaking.

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 2100: Philosophy: East and West

(same as S_A_ST 2100). Compares the interpretation and role of philosophical concepts such as experience, reason, permanence, change, immortality, soul, God, etc., in Indian, Chinese and European traditions.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing

PHIL 2150: Philosophy of Race

This course surveys developments in the philosophy of race. We will examine the ordinary conception of race and consider criticisms of it. Theorists in the field generally hold the ordinary notion of race in disrepute. The line of inquiry then becomes "What does 'race' denote?" and "Why"? In response, we will disambiguate race from closely associated concepts such as ethnicity, culture, nation, and class as part of a sustained investigation into the relationship between race and racism. Toward the end of the course, we will more directly reflect on implications of the inequality that race seems to track with a focus on mass incarceration and reparations. Graded on A-F basis only.

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: PHIL 1000, PHIL 1100, or PHIL 1200

PHIL 2200: Philosophy and Intellectual Revolution

Examines such revolutions as the Copernican, Darwinian, Marxian and Freudian. What are the new views? How is our place in the universe affected? What puzzles arise in replacing old by new views?

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing

PHIL 2300: Philosophy and Human Nature

Philosophical exploration and examination of theories of human nature with reference to relevant developments in such sciences as biology, psychology, and economics.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing

PHIL 2350: The Meaning of Life

Does life have meaning, or is it essentially meaningless, absurd? This course will examine some of answers philosophers have given to this and related questions.

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 2400: Ethics and the Professions

Examination of ethical issues confronted by members of different professions such as medicine, law, business, journalism and engineering.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing

PHIL 2410: Philosophies of War and Peace

(same as PEA_ST 2410). Moral issues about the recourse to war by the nation and the individual's obligations to participate. The nature of peace, social and personal. Special attention to the Vietnam War and the nuclear age.

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 2410W: Philosophies of War and Peace - Writing Intensive

(same as PEA_ST 2410W). Moral issues about the recourse to war by the nation and the individual's obligations to participate. The nature of peace, social and personal. Special attention to the Vietnam War and the nuclear age.

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 2420: Ethical Issues in Business

Major theories of moral obligation and justice and their application to business practices. Corporate responsibility, government regulation, investment and production, advertisement, the environment, preferential hiring, etc. through case studies, legal opinions and philosophical analysis.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing

PHIL 2430: Contemporary Moral Issues

Review of the major contemporary ethical theories and their contribution to the resolution of major social issues such as euthanasia, suicide, abortion, capital punishment, violence and war. Emphasis on nature, interests, and rights of persons. Graded on A-F basis only.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing

PHIL 2440: Medical Ethics

Considers moral issues posed by developments in biological sciences and medical technology. Topics may include: genetic engineering, abortion and euthanasia, distribution of health care.

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 2500: Philosophy and Gender

(same as WGST 2500). A critical examination of central ideas and themes in feminist philosophical thought. Topics may include: sex, marriage, parenthood, reproduction, body image, pornography, prostitution.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing

PHIL 2500H: Philosophy and Gender - Honors

A critical examination of central ideas and themes in feminist philosophical thought. Topics may include: sex, marriage, parenthood, reproduction, body image, pornography, prostitution.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: Honors eligibility required

PHIL 2600: Rational Decisions

Principles for making decisions in a rational way. Special attention to principles that use probabilities and utilities. Some discussion of decisions made in conjunction with other people, and decisions made for other people.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing and grade of C or better in MATH 1050, MATH 1100, MATH 1160, MATH 1400, or MATH 1500

PHIL 2700: Elementary Logic

(same as LINGST 2700). Introduces a symbolic language for representing the structure of arguments. Presents precise rules for demonstrating the validity of arguments. Covers natural deduction for sentence and predicate logic. Develops skill in constructing derivations.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing and grade of C or better in MATH 1050, MATH 1100, MATH 1160, MATH 1400, or MATH 1500

PHIL 2820: Minds, Brains, and Machines

(same as PSYCH 2820 and LINGST 2820). Cognitive science is a many-splendored thing. It draws on a variety of disciplines, including psychology, neuroscience, computer science, linguistics, anthropology, and philosophy. The purpose of this course is to introduce the central questions of cognitive science, the conceptual and empirical tools used to investigate those questions, and some of the answers that have emerged so far. After an initial overview of the foundations of the cognitive-scientific enterprise as a whole, we will see what particular sectors of it have to say about mental capacities such as language, categorization, reasoning, social cognition, and consciousness.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing
Recommended: PSYCH 1000

PHIL 2850: Minds and Morals: An Introduction to Moral Psychology

Moral psychology is the interdisciplinary study of how we reason and act morally. This course is a systematic introduction to the field, drawing on research from both psychology and philosophy. Topics include competing theories of moral judgment, the situationist challenge to virtue ethics, and the role of deliberation in moral agency.

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: PHIL 1100, PHIL 2820

PHIL 2900: Environmental Ethics

Environmental Ethics explores the ethical, ecological, and policy dimensions of a range of issues such as climate change, land and natural resource management, sustainability, animal rights, hunting and fishing, ecofeminism, property rights, and environmental justice. Graded on A-F basis only.

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: PHIL 1100

PHIL 2900H: Environmental Ethics - Honors

PHIL 3000: Ancient Western Philosophy

(same as AMS 3025). Philosophical thought on nature, knowledge, the gods, human life and society, from Thales to Augustine. Emphasis on Plato and Aristotle. The relevance of the ancients to contemporary life.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing
Recommended: one course in Philosophy

PHIL 3000W: Ancient Western Philosophy - Writing Intensive

PHIL 3100: Medieval Philosophy

Major thinkers from St. Augustine through 14th century Ockhamists.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing
Recommended: one course in Philosophy

PHIL 3200: Modern Philosophy

Surveys critical and speculative thinking of modern period from Descartes to Kant in relation to scientific, religious and social movements.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing
Recommended: one course in Philosophy

PHIL 3200W: Modern Philosophy - Writing Intensive

PHIL 3400: 19th Century Philosophy

A careful and sympathetic study of some of the major thinkers of this period, notably Kierkegaard and Nietzsche.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing
Recommended: one course in Philosophy

PHIL 3500: Existentialism

The nature of human existence, the meaning of life, the relation of the individual to nature, society, and any gods that may be, according to Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, de Beauvoir, Camus and others. Students are encouraged to come to grips with the issues in relation to their own lives.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing
Recommended: one course in Philosophy

PHIL 3600: 20th Century Philosophy

The course will be a survey of some of the notable philosophers/thinkers whose contributions have been made in the twentieth century.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing
Recommended: one course in Philosophy

PHIL 3700: Selected Modern Philosophers

Advanced study of a particular philosopher or a number of philosophers from the same school in the modern period. May be taken twice for credit with permission of the department.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing
Recommended: one course in Philosophy

PHIL 3800: Selected Contemporary Philosophers

Advanced study of a particular contemporary philosopher or philosophers. May be taken twice for credit with permission of the department.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing
Recommended: one course in Philosophy

PHIL 4001: Topics in Philosophy-General

Organized study of selected topics. Subjects and earnable credit may vary from semester to semester.

Credit Hour: 1-3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing and two courses in Philosophy, or instructor's consent; departmental consent for repetition

PHIL 4005: Topics in Philosophy-Humanities

Organized study of selected topics. Subjects and earnable credit may vary from semester to semester. Departmental consent for repetition.

Credit Hour: 1-3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing
Recommended: two courses in Philosophy, or instructor's consent

PHIL 4100: Language, Meaning, and Reality

(same as LINGST 4100; cross-leveled with PHIL 7100, LINGST 7100). Examination of contemporary views of the relationship between language, minds, and the world.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing
Recommended: one other course in Philosophy

PHIL 4100W: Language, Meaning, and Reality - Writing Intensive

PHIL 4110: Advanced Logic

(same as LINGST 4110; cross-leveled with PHIL 7110, LINGST 7110). Presents the method of truth trees for sentence and predicate logic. Examines proofs concerning the decidability, soundness, and completeness of formal systems. Emphasizes the theory of formal systems.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing and PHIL 2700

PHIL 4120: Selected Topics in Logic

(cross-leveled with PHIL 7120). Possible topics include elementary set theory and modal logic, the logic of possibility and necessity.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing and either PHIL 2700 or PHIL 4110

PHIL 4130: Living with Uncertainty: An Introduction to Probability and Inductive Logic

(cross-leveled with PHIL 7130). This course studies probability, its various interpretations, and its basic principles. It identifies forms of reasoning that establish the probability of a conclusion. The methods of reasoning it treats are at the heart of science and practical affairs.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing and PHIL 2700

PHIL 4150: Formal Semantics

(cross-leveled with PHIL 7150). The course provides a systematic introduction to the semantics of natural languages, using the tools of formal logic. Prerequisites: Sophomore standing and one of the following classes: PHIL 2700, PHIL 4110, or ENGLSH 4640.

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 4200: The Nature of Things: An Introduction to Metaphysics

(cross-leveled with PHIL 7200) Metaphysics studies what there is and how things are, most generally speaking. Topics may include realism versus nominalism, substance and attribute, facts, modality, identity and causality.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing
Recommended: Previous work in PHIL 1000, PHIL 3000 or PHIL 3200

PHIL 4200H: The Nature of Things: An Introduction to Metaphysics- Honors

(cross-leveled with PHIL 7200). Metaphysics studies what there is and how things are, most generally speaking. Topics may include realism versus nominalism, substance and attribute, facts, modality, identity and causality. Prerequisites: Honors Eligibility required.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing
Recommended: Previous work in PHIL 1000, PHIL 3000 or PHIL 3200

PHIL 4210: Consciousness, Thought, and the Brain

(cross-leveled with PHIL 7210). Considers theories and arguments in contemporary philosophy of mind, focusing on the nature of mental states, their relation to brain states and the plausibility of various materialist theories of the mind.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing
Recommended: two Philosophy courses

PHIL 4210W: Consciousness, Thought, and the Brain - Writing Intensive

PHIL 4220: God, Belief, and Evidence

(cross-leveled with PHIL 7220). Considers basis for and nature of religious beliefs.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing
Recommended: One course in Philosophy

PHIL 4220H: God, Belief, and Evidence - Honors

(cross-leveled with PHIL 7220). Considers basis for and nature of religious beliefs.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing; Honors eligibility required
Recommended: One course in Philosophy

PHIL 4220HW: God, Belief, and Evidence - Honors/Writing Intensive

PHIL 4220W: God, Belief, and Evidence - Writing Intensive

(cross-leveled with PHIL 7220) . Considers basis for and nature of religious beliefs.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing
Recommended: One course in Philosophy

PHIL 4300: Knowledge, Belief, and Justification

(cross-leveled with PHIL 7300). An examination of contemporary philosophical theories concerning the nature, sources and limits of knowledge and justified belief.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing
Recommended: Previous work in PHIL 1000, PHIL 3000, PHIL 3200

PHIL 4400: The Nature of Scientific Inquiry

(cross-leveled with PHIL 7400). Why believe the scientific world-view? What, if anything, is the scientific method? Are today's theories really superior to past theories? Examines contemporary philosophical answers to such questions.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing
Recommended: two courses in Philosophy

PHIL 4400W: The Nature of Scientific Inquiry - Writing Intensive

PHIL 4410: Philosophy of History

(cross-leveled with PHIL 7210). Readings from classic and contemporary philosophers of history. Problems about nature and limits of historical knowledge; relation between history and other disciplines; the existence, nature, and kinds of historical laws.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing
Recommended: two courses in Philosophy

PHIL 4420: Life and Evolution: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Biology

(cross-leveled with PHIL 7420). A survey of philosophical problems arising from consideration of evolutionary theory and the biological sciences. Topics may include reductionism, sociobiology, biological laws, and epistemic problems relating to evolutionary theory.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing
Recommended: two courses in Philosophy

PHIL 4500: Theories of Ethics

(cross-leveled with PHIL 7500). Normative and meta-ethical theories. Topics may include the rationality and objectivity of morality, the meaning of moral language, the differences between deontological, utilitarian and virtue theories. Prerequisites: sophomore standing; at least six credits hours from the following: PHIL 1000, PHIL 1100, PHIL 1150, PHIL 1200, PHIL 2410, PHIL 2430, PHIL 2440, PHIL 2700, PHIL 2900, PHIL 3000 or PHIL 3200.

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 4500W: Theories of Ethics - Writing Intensive

PHIL 4600: Justice, Rights, and the State

(same as PEA_ST 4600; cross-leveled with PHIL 7600). Contemporary and/or historical theories of justice and the state. Utilitarianism, Liberalism, Libertarianism, Marxism, Communitarianism and Feminism may be among the views covered.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing
Recommended: two courses in Philosophy

PHIL 4610: Law, Liberty, and Justice: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Law

(cross-leveled with PHIL 7610). What is law? Are there pre- or trans-legal rights? Is punishment justifiable? How can judicial decisions be justified? What are the relations between law and morality?

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing
Recommended: one course in Philosophy

PHIL 4620: Marxism

(cross-leveled with PHIL 7620). A philosophical examination of (a) the notion of critique as seen in Marx's early and middle writings, and (b) specific topics by such authors as Lenin, Lukacs and Plekhanov.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: Sophomore standing
Recommended: two courses in Philosophy

PHIL 4700: Art, Beauty, and the Brain: An Introduction to Aesthetics

(cross-leveled with PHIL 7700). An introduction to aesthetics focusing on issues in the philosophy and psychology of art. Topics include theories of aesthetic appreciation and interpretation, the objectivity of aesthetic judgment, the nature of beauty and the sublime, and the neural basis of aesthetic experience.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing

PHIL 4700W: Art, Beauty, and the Brain: An Introduction to Aesthetics - Writing Intensive

(cross-leveled with PHIL 7700). An introduction to aesthetics focusing on issues in the philosophy and psychology of art. Topics include theories of aesthetic appreciation and interpretation, the objectivity of aesthetic judgment, the nature of beauty and the sublime, and the neural basis of aesthetic experience..

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing
Recommended: one course in Philosophy

PHIL 4800: From Karma to Tao: Philosophies of Asia

(same as S_A_ST 4800; cross-leveled with PHIL 7800). This course traces the origins of Indian and Chinese philosophical world views. Included are the major ideas in Hindu, Jaina, and Buddhist thought in India, and Taoism and Confucianism in China. Emphasis is placed on the diverse, assimilative, and pragmatic nature of Indian thought and its impact on contemporary Asian philosophy.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing
Recommended: one course in Philosophy

PHIL 4810: Consciousness, Knowledge, and Ignorance: Philosophies of India

(same as S_A_ST 4810; cross-leveled with PHIL 7810). General development of Indian philosophy.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing
Recommended: one course in Philosophy

PHIL 4850: Special Readings in Philosophy

Regular individual meetings with an instructor as part of studying a sequence of readings, comparable in difficulty and number to readings assigned in a regularly-offered 4000-level course. Only by special arrangement with an instructor.

Credit Hour: 1-3
Prerequisites: junior standing

PHIL 4950: Senior Seminar in Philosophy

A capstone course required of and only open to senior Philosophy majors. Course content will vary, depending on the professor teaching the course.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: senior Philosophy major

PHIL 4950W: Senior Seminar in Philosophy - Writing Intensive

PHIL 4998: Honors I in Philosophy

Special work for Honors candidates.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: junior standing

PHIL 4999: Honors II in Philosophy

Special work for Honors candidates.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: junior standing

PHIL 7100: Language, Meaning, and Reality

(same as LINGST 7100; cross-leveled with PHIL 4100, LINGST 4100). Examination of contemporary views of the relationship between language, minds, and the world.

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: one other course in Philosophy

PHIL 7110: Advanced Logic

(same as LINGST 7110; cross-leveled with PHIL 4110, LINGST 4110). Presents the method of truth trees for sentence and predicate logic. Examines proofs concerning the decidability, soundness, and completeness of formal systems. Emphasizes the theory of formal systems.

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 7120: Selected Topics in Logic

(cross-leveled with PHIL 4120). Possible topics include elementary set theory and modal logic, the logic of possibility and necessity.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: PHIL 2700 or PHIL 7110

PHIL 7130: Living with Uncertainty: An Introduction to Probability and Inductive Logic

(cross-leveled with PHIL 4130). This course studies probability, its various interpretations, and its basic principles. It identifies forms of reasoning that establish the probability of a conclusion. The methods of reasoning it treats are at the heart of science and practical affairs. Prerequisites: PHIL 2700

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 7150: Formal Semantics

(cross-leveled with PHIL 4150). The course provides a systematic introduction to the semantics of natural languages, using the tools of formal logic.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: Basic proficiency in first order logic

PHIL 7210: Consciousness, Thought, and the Brain

(cross-leveled with PHIL 4210). Considers theories and arguments in contemporary philosophy of mind, focusing on the nature of mental states, their relation to brain states and the plausibility of various materialist theories of the mind.

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 7220: God, Belief, and Evidence

(cross-leveled with PHIL 4220). Considers basis for and nature of religious beliefs. Philosophical approaches to religion, cultural implications of religion, psychoanalysis and religion, mysticism and myth.

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 7300: Knowledge, Belief, and Justification

(cross-leveled with PHIL 4300). An examination of contemporary philosophical theories concerning the nature, sources and limits of knowledge and justified belief.

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: Previous work in PHIL 1000, PHIL 3000, or PHIL 3200

PHIL 7400: The Nature of Scientific Inquiry

(cross-leveled with PHIL 4400). Why believe the scientific world-view? What, if anything, is the scientific method? Are today's theories really superior to the past theories? Examines contemporary philosophical answers to such questions.

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 7410: Philosophy of History

(cross-leveled with PHIL 4410). Readings from classic and contemporary philosophers of history. Problems about nature and limits of historical knowledge; relation between history and other disciplines; the existence, nature, and kinds of historical laws.

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 7500: Theories of Ethics

(cross-leveled with PHIL 4500). Normative and meta-ethical theories. Topics may include the rationality and objectivity of morality, the meaning of moral language, the differences between deontological, utilitarian and virtue theories. Prerequisites: at least six credits hours from the following: PHIL 1000, PHIL 1100, PHIL 1150, PHIL 1200, PHIL 2410, PHIL 2430, PHIL 2440, PHIL 2700, PHIL 2900, PHIL 3000 or PHIL 3200.

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 7600: Justice, Rights, and the State

(cross-leveled with PHIL 4600, PEA_ST 4600). Contemporary and/or historical theories of justice and the state. Utilitarianism, Liberalism, Libertarianism, Marxism, Communitarianism and Feminism may be among the views covered.

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 7610: Law, Liberty, and Justice: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Law

(cross-leveled with PHIL 4610). What is law? Are there pre- or trans-legal rights? Is punishment justifiable? How can judicial decisions be justified? What are the relations between law and morality?

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 7620: Marxism

(cross-leveled with PHIL 4620). A philosophical examination of (a) the notion of critique as seen in Marx's early and middle writings, and (b) specific topics by such authors as Lenin, Lukacs and Plekhanov.

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 7700: Art, Beauty, and the Brain: An Introduction to Aesthetics

(cross-leveled with PHIL 4700). An introduction to aesthetics focusing on issues in the philosophy and psychology of art. Topics include theories of aesthetic appreciation and interpretation, the objectivity of aesthetic judgment, the nature of beauty and the sublime, and the neural basis of aesthetic experience.

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 7810: Philosophy of India

(cross-leveled with PHIL 4810, S_A_ST 4810). General development of Indian philosophy.

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 7850: Special Readings in Philosophy

Special Readings in Philosophy.

Credit Hour: 1-3

PHIL 8090: Research in Philosophy

Research not leading to thesis. Graded S/U only.

Credit Hour: 1-99

PHIL 8100: Protoseminar in Philosophy

Introduction to graduate level work in philosophy. Required of all students entering the program, in the first year. An intensive workshop focused on skills rather than any particular philosophical content.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: restricted to first year graduate students

PHIL 8210: Teaching of Philosophy I

Seminar meetings on course design, teaching methods, the evaluation of teaching, grading, instructor obligations, and teaching aids. Some individualized instruction, including help preparing for and assessing the effectiveness of practice teaching.

Credit Hour: 1
Prerequisites: graduate philosophy students

PHIL 8300: Dissertation Seminar

The course will address writing and time management for Ph.D. students writing a dissertation. Also discussed will be preparation for the academic job market in philosophy, especially the development of an application dossier. Graded on S/U basis only.

Credit Hour: 1
Prerequisites: Philosophy Ph.D. student

PHIL 8510: Metaphysics: A Survey

A graduate-level survey of central issues in metaphysics. May be repeated up to 6 hours of credit.

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 8520: Philosophy of Mind: A Survey

A graduate-level survey of central issues in the philosophy of mind.

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 8530: Epistemology: A Survey

A graduate-level survey of central issues is epistemology.

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 8540: Philosophy of Language: A Survey

A graduate-level survey of central issues in philosophy of language.

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 9001: Topics in Philosophy

Organized study of selected topics. Need departmental consent for repetition.

Credit Hour: 1-99
Prerequisites: instructor's consent

PHIL 9030: Topics in Modern Philosophy: 17th-19th Centuries

Interpretation and evaluation of philosophical debates from the 17th to the 19th centuries. These will be addressed in relation to their historical context and current philosophical problems.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: Graduate Philosophy Student

PHIL 9050: Plato

Advanced studies in Plato; emphasis on recent scholarship.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: graduate Philosophy student

PHIL 9060: Aristotle

Advanced studies in Aristotle; emphasis on recent scholarship.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: graduate Philosophy student

PHIL 9090: Research in Philosophy

Work toward preparation of thesis or dissertation. Graded on a S/U basis only.

Credit Hour: 1-99
Prerequisites: graduate Philosophy students

PHIL 9110: The Rationalists

Interpretation and evaluation of major works of Descartes, Leibniz, and/or Spinoza in relation to their historical context and current philosophical problems.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: graduate Philosophy student

PHIL 9120: The Empiricists

Epistemological and metaphysical doctrines of Locke, Berkeley and Hume.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: graduate Philosophy student

PHIL 9130: Kant

Critique of Pure Reason: historical context, meaning and cohesion of its claims, critical assessment of them.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: graduate Philosophy student

PHIL 9240: Russell and Wittgenstein

Each initially defends, but then rejects logical atomism. Metaphysical and epistemological themes of such intellectual phases and shifts of one or both philosophers.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: graduate Philosophy student

PHIL 9320: Social and Political Philosophy

Topics of current interest in social and political philosophy. generally one of the following: social contract theory, utiltarianism, voting procedures, or convention.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: PHIL 4600 or instructor's consent and graduate Philosophy student

PHIL 9350: History of Eastern Ethics

Historical survey of major eastern ethical theories. Explores broad range of ethical theories developed in Asia: Hindu and Buddhist in India; Toaism and Confucianism in China; and Zen in Japan.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: graduate Philosophy student

PHIL 9510: Decision Theory

Principles for making rational decisions, including principles of expected utility theory, game theory, and social choice theory. A survey of basic ideas and an introduction to selected research topics.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: PHIL 4110; graduate Philosophy student

PHIL 9520: Ethical Theory

Contemporary theories of the right and the good. Metaethical topics such as moral language, reasoning, and justification.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: graduate Philosophy student

PHIL 9610: Metaphysics

Theories of the categories and structures of reality, e.g., appearance and reality, causality, space and time, God, Nature, the human being.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: graduate Philosophy student

PHIL 9710: Philosophy of Mind and Psychology

Survey of important recent work in contemporary philosophy of mind and psychology. Graduate seminar.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: graduate Philosophy student

PHIL 9720: Foundations of Cognitive Science

Examination of philosophical questions arising in cognitive science concerning, for instance, the nature of computation and representation, inter-disciplinary relations, the nature of cognitive scientific explanation, and its relation to folk psychological explanation.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: graduate Philosophy student

PHIL 9820: Epistemology

Knowledge and opinion, the types, sources, and extent of knowledge, according to a variety of views.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: graduate Philosophy student

PHIL 9830: Philosophy of Science

Examines central issues in general philosophy of science concerning the scientific method and the role in it of observation, the nature of rational theory-choice, progress, and the status of theories postulating unobservables.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: graduate Philosophy student

PHIL 9840: Philosophy of Language

Topics of current interest in the philosophy of language.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: Graduate Philosophy student

PHIL 9850: Philosophy of Biology

Philosophical problems relating to the life sciences, with attention given especially to explanation and reductionism in biology.

Credit Hours: 3

PHIL 9887: Seminar in Logic

Topics of current interest in logic. Generally one of the following: inductive logic, set theory, conditionals, epistemic logic, or formal semantics.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: PHIL 4110 graduate Philosophy student

PHIL 9901: Seminar in Philosophy

Special topics. May be repeated for credit.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: graduate Philosophy student

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2024-25 Catalogs

Philosophy (PHIL)

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