Philosophy Minor

PHIL1101 Principles of correct reasoning for understanding, analyzing and criticizing a variety of deductive and inductive arguments.(This course cannot be substituted for the core requirement in philosophy).

PHIL1102 Problems of metaphysics such as the nature of reality, the natural of self, relation of mind and body, and problems of epistemology such as the sources, nature and limits of knowledge, the nature of truth.

PHIL1103 Principles and methods used to evaluate actions as right or wrong; attempts to give justifications for the decision that one should or should not do something; treatment of ideas such as reponsibility, freedom and character.

PHIL1106 Clarification of personal values and decisions by looking at important ideas of happiness. Authors include Aristotle, Marcus Aurelius, Nietzsche, Camus and Hesse.

PHIL1107 Study of a number of theories about dreaming using Freud's dreams as specimens. Discussion of broader functions of the imagination, its role in human knowledge and in the formation of culture.

PHIL1112 This course focuses on skills and methods for developing and evaluating arguments in writing and everyday life. It affords in an introductory way keys to analytical thinking.

PHIL1114 This course draws philosophical issues and positions from a carefully chosen selection of films.

PHIL1119 This course examines philosophical issues underpinning current legal controversies. Understanding the philosophy behind the issues helps plan effective strategies in supporting a side of the issue. Of special interest for pre-law students and those interested in social policy.

PHIL1120 The course examines some of the philosophical issues surrounding language with an eye to helping the student communicate more clearly and effectively.

PHIL1440 Great advances in biology have brought new and important ethical questions. This course examines the moral aspects of questions about the beginning and ending of life, genetic engineering, and stem cell research. The course is required for biology majors but is open to non-majors as well.

PHIL2005 Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzche undertook a monumental critique of civilization. This course plumbs the fascinating analysis of the human mind he offers.

PHIL2008 We will watch and discuss films with a view to becoming acquainted, in depth, with several topics in ethical theory and with specific moral theories We will examine ethical theories, including subjectivism, moral egoism, moral relativism, utilitarianism, Kant's moral philosophy, social contract and natural rights, virtue ethics, and feminist ethics.

PHIL2102 Have you ever wondered about the meaning of the word "time"? Or about what we mean by "space"? These concepts are elusive and mysterious: some of the most famous thinkers, artists, & scientists have written about the meaning of space and time. In this course we study a few fundamental theories about space & time. In this course we study a few fundamental theories about space & time. WEe read the work of philosophers, scientists, & science fiction writers. No advance knowledge of math or physics is required.

PHIL2201 The principal philosophers and schools of philosophy from Thales to William of Ockham.

PHIL2202 Philosophy from the Renaissance to the end of the 19th century, with emphasis on the influence of science and politics on philosophy.

PHIL2203 Pragmatism, realism, logical positivism, philosophical analysis, phenomenology, existentialism, Bergson, Whitehead.

PHIL2205 Philosophical theories of the state and society from Plato to present.

PHIL2207 God's existence and attributes, problems of evil, religious truth, religious views of history, myth and language systems, meaning in religion.

PHIL2208 In this course, we read Crime and Punishment and selected texts as we pay attention to both the fundamental themes of the work and the background issues and philosophies against which the novel's characters, action, and ideas are conceived. The following is a partial list of themes to which we shall be paying attention: Dostoevsky's Critique of Modernity; Dostoevsky's Critique of Capitalism; Theories of Justice and Punishment.

PHIL2210 Examination of the philosophical underpinnings of recurrent radical political ideologies; defining the concept of radicalism and reconizing its historical shifts; the connection between metaphysical and conceptual systems and ideological movements; comparison and contrast to moderate or non-radical ideologies; comparison and contrast of radicalisms both of the left and the right. Philosophical texts studied include Plato, Rosseau, Marx, and Nietzsche Locke, Kant, Mill and Rawls.

PHIL2828 In this course we examine arguments in support of and against claims that existence can and does continue after death. Relevant texts range from ancient religions and philosophical works to contemporary evaluations of paraphysiology. We will read and discuss representative texts on both sides of the debate on the soul, immortality, and reincarnation.

PHIL3005 We classical and contemporary philosophic texts to study and discuss definitions, causes and theories of war, views about how war is to be explained and justified; moral reasoning applied to the imitation and conduct of war (including just war theories); issues of moral responsibility in waging (and in not waging) war, and the rhetorical and logical structure of arguments used by advocates and opponents of war as in institution and of specific wars.

PHIL3306 One of the oldest problems to have perplexed human beings everywhere is the problem of evil: Is evil a real thing? What does it mean and how does it become possible? How is evil to be understood or explained? How can we reconcile the existence of evil and unnecessary and undeservd suffering with the notion of an all-powerful, all-knowing and benevolant God? How does the existence of evil affect the human quest for the meaning of life? In this course we study philosophical responses to the above and related questions offered by thinkers throught the ages. Will read texts by Plato, the Stoics, Epicurus, Voltaire, Rosseau, Leibniz, Kant and 20th-century American philosophers.