Philosophy Courses -- Fall 2009
Course Descriptions
PHIL 2300/001 BEGINNING PHILOSOPHY 9:00-9:50 MWF ENG/PHIL 160
Darren Hick
This is a general introduction to philosophy, designed to acquaint students with certain significant problems as they are considered by major philosophical figures. These are not esoteric questions but instead ones central to ordinary human experience. Students will be encouraged to formulate and defend their own answers to these questions, using the concepts and methods of inquiry introduced in the course. This process will help improve students’ abilities to think more critically and to communicate with greater clarity and precision.
PHIL 2300/002 BEGINNING PHILOSOPHY 12:00-12:50 MWF ENG/PHIL 301
Staff
This is a general introduction to philosophy, designed to acquaint students with certain significant problems as they are considered by major philosophical figures. These are not esoteric questions but instead ones central to ordinary human experience. Students will be encouraged to formulate and defend their own answers to these questions, using the concepts and methods of inquiry introduced in the course. This process will help improve students’ abilities to think more critically and to communicate with greater clarity and precision.
PHIL 2300/003 BEGINNING PHILOSOPHY 11:00-11:50 MWF ENG/PHIL 153
Darren Hick
This is a general introduction to philosophy, designed to acquaint students with certain significant problems as they are considered by major philosophical figures. These are not esoteric questions but instead ones central to ordinary human experience. Students will be encouraged to formulate and defend their own answers to these questions, using the concepts and methods of inquiry introduced in the course. This process will help improve students’ abilities to think more critically and to communicate with greater clarity and precision.
PHIL 2300/004 BEGINNING PHILOSOPHY 2:00-3:20 TR ENG/PHIL 160
PHIL 2300/005 BEGINNING PHILOSOPHY 3:00-4:20 MW ENG/PHIL 160
Francesca Di Poppa
This is a general introduction to philosophy, designed to acquaint students with certain significant problems as they are considered by major philosophical figures. These are not esoteric questions but instead ones central to ordinary human experience. Students will be encouraged to formulate and defend their own answers to these questions, using the concepts and methods of inquiry introduced in the course. This process will help improve students’ abilities to think more critically and to communicate with greater clarity and precision.
PHIL 2310-001 LOGIC 12:30-1:50 TR ENG/PHIL 160
Sungsu Kim
The development of formal methods for evaluating deductive reasoning. Additional topics may include uses of language, definition, nondeductive inference. Fulfills Core Curriculum mathematics requirement.
PHIL 2310-002 LOGIC 9:30-10:50 TR ENG/PHIL 164
Christopher Hom
A central aspect of cogent reasoning is the ability to form good arguments. Logic is the formal representation of arguments, so mastering logic is essential for good critical thinking. In this course, we will investigate the logical form of sentences and the deductive relations that hold between them, thus giving us deeper insight into the notion of a conclusion. The course will present three logical systems, each in increasing expressive power: sentential logic, monadic quantificational logic, and polyadic quantificational logic. For each system, we will closely examine the syntax of the language, its relation to English language, its particular semantic features, and the general semantic properties of satisfiability, validity and implication. Note: succeeding in this course will make you significantly smarter.
PHIL 2310-003 LOGIC 9:00-9:50 MWF ENG/PHIL 150
Staff
PHIL 2310-004 LOGIC 11:00-11:50 MWF ENG/PHIL 151
PHIL 2310-005 LOGIC 10:00-10:50 MWF ENG/PHIL 164
David Gray
The development of formal methods for evaluating deductive reasoning. Additional topics may include uses of language, definition, nondeductive inference. Fulfills Core Curriculum mathematics requirement.
PHIL 2320-001 INTRO TO ETHICS 9:00-9:50 MWF ENG/PHIL 001
Jeremy Schwartz
Discussion of problems and theories of morality. Includes the application of philosophical techniques to issues of contemporary moral concern.
PHIL 2320-002/003 Intro to Ethics (002)10:00-10:50 MWF ENG/PHIL 164
(003)11:00-11:50 MWF ENG/PHIL 163
Walter Schaller
This course will be centered on the moral theories of John Stuart Mill and Immanuel Kant. We will read selections from Mill’s two most important books, UTILITARIANSIM and ON LIBERTY. We will pay particular attention to Mill’s defense of individuality (and his criticism of social tyranny) in ON LIBERTY and try to figure out how it is consistent with utilitarianism.
In addition to studying those two theories, we will consider some practical questions. Is torture ever justified? Can it be justified in order to prevent thousands of deaths from a ‘ticking time bomb.’ Or is it wrong even in that case? When, if ever, is terrorism justified? Was the Allied bombing of German cities (firebombing, area bombing) in WWII morally justified, or was it terrorism (or was it justified terrorism)? In discussing these questions we will have to consider some important theoretical questions about the moral relevance of the distinction between killing and letting die, and between intending and merely foreseeing harm. THIS COURSE FULFILLS THE CORE CURRICULUM HUMANITIES REQUIREMENT.
PHIL 2320-004/005 Intro to Ethics (004) 10:00-10:50 MWF ENG/PHIL 153
(005) 11:00-11:50 MWF ENG/PHIL 150
Staff
Discussion of moral problems and theories of morality. Includes the application of philosophical techniques to issues of contemporary moral concern. Fulfills Core Humanities requirement.
PHIL 2320-H01 INTRO TO ETHICS 12:30-1:50 TR ENG/PHIL 264
Daniel Nathan
LIMITED TO ENTERING FRESHMEN ENROLLED IN THE HONORS COLLEGE. Introduction to Ethics (3:3:0). Discussion of moral problems and theories of morality. Includes the application of philosophical techniques to issues of contemporary moral concern. Fulfills Core Humanities requirement. (Writing Intensive)
PHIL 3301/001 CLASSICAL GREEK PHILOSOPHY 9:30-10:50 ENG/PHIL 163
Howard Curzer
Love and friendship were important concepts in the ancient world, and of course they still are. In this class we will examine what Homer the poet, Empedocles the scientist, Euripides the playwright, Socrates the sage, Plato the dialectician, Cicero the essayist, and Aristotle the philosopher all thought about love and friendship. Their ideas about love and friendship will prove to be both intrinsically interesting and applicable to our own day. These ideas will also provide an intriguing route into epistemology and ethics. For love is a way of knowing, and friendship is a moral problem.
PHIL 3341-001 PHILOSOPHY & LITERATURE 2:00-2:50 MWF ENG/PHL 163
Darren Hick
Philosophical ideas in literature, including the nature of evil, free will, personal identity, the mind-body problem, and the philosophical status of literature. Fulfills Core Humanities Requirement.
PHIL 4320-001 ETHICS 1:00-1:50 MWF ENG/PHL 163
Jeremy Schwartz
Prerequisite: PHIL 2320 or consent of instructor. Advanced topics in ethical theory, with special emphasis on the meaning and justification of moral judgments, the possibility of ethical knowledge and the nature of moral standards.
PHIL 4323-001 AESTHETICS 12:30-1:50 TR ENG/PHL 164
Darren Hick
Prerequisite: Previous coursework in philosophy or consent of instructor. Discussion of the nature of art and the principles of aesthetic judgment. Emphasis on philosophical problems arising in interpretation and evaluation within the arts.
PHIL 4331-001 PHIL. OF LANGUAGE 11:00-12:20 TR ENG/PHL 151
Christopher Hom
How does language relate to the world? How do we manage to use words to talk about things?
What is the relationship between the words we use and the thoughts that they express? These are the central questions for this course. Along the way, we will explore the concepts of meaning, truth, and belief. We will begin by investigating the work of Frege and Russell on the meaning of proper names. According to them, the relationship between a name and the object it picks out is mediated by descriptive information. The differences between these two competing approaches will be brought out in our discussion of propositions and belief reports. We will go on to examine further implications of direct reference theories for meaning and thought. Other related topics in the course include: truth and meaning, the role of contemporary linguistics, pragmatics and context, metaphor, and pejorative words.
PHIL 4340-001 METAPHYSICS. 2.00-3:20 TR ENG/PHL 163
Sungsu Kim
In everyday life and in the sciences, we use causal language incessantly: “Mary’s home run broke the window,” “Smoking causes cancer,” etc. We explain an effect by citing a cause (“The litmus paper turned red because there was acid in the beaker”) and attempt to produce an effect by manipulating a cause (“To lower your cholesterol, reduce the amount of fat in your diet”). Yet, philosophers disagree about virtually everything concerning the nature of causation. We will examine several accounts of causation: regularity, counterfactual, probabilistic, interventionist, and physical process accounts of causation. Investigation of causal relations seems crucial to our attempt to understand the world including ourselves, but is causation a part of fundamental features of our world? Does it have any implication for the idea of human agency and free will? We will examine these and other related issues.
PHIL 4341-001 GREAT FIGURES IN PHIL 3:30-5:00 TR ENG/PHIL 163
David Gray
Prerequisite: Previous coursework in philosophy or consent of instructor.In this course, we will devote our attention to two philosophers who have created seminal works in the fields of self-knowledge and introspection. Through studying the works of Sydney Shoemaker, and Crispin Wright, we will attempt to deepen our knowledge of a variety of issues central to these topics: What is self-knowledge? What justifies our beliefs about our own thoughts? What is the relationship between our thoughts and our thoughts about them?
PHIL 5301-001 STUDIES IN GREEK PHIL. 6:00-8:50 T ENG/PHL 264
Howard Curzer
Love and friendship were important concepts in the ancient world, and of course they still are. In this class we will examine what Homer the poet, Empedocles the scientist, Euripides the playwright, Socrates the sage, Plato the dialectician, Cicero the essayist, and Aristotle the philosopher all thought about love and friendship. Their ideas about love and friendship will prove to be both intrinsically interesting and applicable to our own day. These ideas will also provide an intriguing route into epistemology and ethics. For love is a way of knowing, and friendship is a moral problem.
PHIL 5321-001 SOCIAL & POLITICAL PHIL. 2:00-3:20 MW ENG/PHIL 264
Walter Schaller
1) Nationalism and Cosmopolitanism: Is it morally justified to favor one’s own compatriots, or is that incompatible with the equality of all human beings? Does the fact that two people belong to different nationalities have any moral significance? Is there a right to national self-determination? Is patriotism a vice or a virtue?
(2) Terrorism: What is terrorism, and is it ever morally permissible? Is there, as Michael Walzer has argued, a “Supreme Emergency Exemption” against the principle of Non-Combatant Immunity? We shall consider whether the Allied fire-bombing of German cities (and dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki) in World War II was morally justified, or was it terrorism (or was it justified terrorism)?
(3) Torture: Is torture ever morally justified? We will discuss ‘ticking time bomb’ cases and what they tell us. Is it possible that anything could be morally justified in extreme circumstances (e.g., to prevent thousands of innocent deaths), or are there moral absolutes? In discussing both torture and terrorism, we shall also look at Walzer’s famous defense of ‘dirty hands’ and ask whether it is coherent.
(4) Global Economic Justice: What do affluent peoples owe the global poor? Does the fact that over one billion people live in ‘absolute poverty’ impose any obligations on the one billion affluent people? Is there a universal, human right to a minimally adequate standard of living? If so, who has the correlative obligation to fulfill it, and how? Am I justified in spending some of my money on a new iPod instead of sending it to UNICEF?
Time permitting; we will try to find a little time to discuss just war theory, genocide, and war crimes.
PHIL 5331-001 PHILOSOPHICAL PSYCH. 12:30-1:50 TR ENG/PHIL151
David Gray
In this course, we will attempt to further our understanding of non-metaphysical issues in the philosophy of mind. In particular, we will focus on the nature of the intentional and the phenomenal and their relations to our cognitive lives (consciousness, perception, etc.). Part I of the course will focus on clarifying the notion of the intentional and its centrality to cognition. Part II of the course will discuss consciousness as well as potential ways to distinguish types of consciousness. Part III will focus on the nature of experience and how the phenomenal is at least partially constitutive of experience. Part IV of the course focuses on different ways philosophers have attempted to account for pain sensation and visual perception in terms of the phenomenal and intentional.
PHIL 5341-001 GREAT FIGURES IN PHIL 3:30-5:00 TR ENG/PHIL 163
David Gray
In this course, we will devote our attention to two philosophers who have created seminal works in the fields of self-knowledge and introspection. Through studying the works of Sydney Shoemaker, and Crispin Wright, we will attempt to deepen our knowledge of a variety of issues central to these topics: What is self-knowledge? What justifies our beliefs about our own thoughts? What is the relationship between our thoughts and our thoughts about them?
PHIL 5350-SEMINAR IN TEACHING PHIL. TBA TBA
Theory, practice, and problems of teaching philosophy for beginning instructors. Development of course objectives, syllabi, and teaching techniques. Practical pedagogical and associated philosophical issues. Required of all teaching assistants.