Undergraduate Courses

110. Introduction to Philosophy. (3:3:0) Honors also.

Articulating, assessing, and defending fundamental positions on topics such as reason, knowledge, science, education, ethics, politics, and religion.

150. Reasoning and Writing. (3:3:0) F, W, Sp, Su Honors also.

Informal grammar, logic, and rhetoric as tools for reading and writing. Library research. Recommended for philosophy majors and minors. Fulfills GE First-Year Writing requirement. No course challenges accepted.

201. History of Philosophy 1. (3:3:0) Honors also.

Western civilization from Greek antiquity to Renaissance, primarily from perspective of philosophy; exploring fundamental questions in human experience; examining formative events in history; understanding value of important texts.

202. History of Philosophy 2. (3:3:0) Honors also. Prerequisite: Phil 201.

Western civilization from Renaissance to present, primarily from perspective of philosophy; exploring fundamental questions in human experience; examining formative events in history; understanding value of important texts.

205. Deductive Logic. (3:3:0) F, W, Sp, Su

History and use of syllogistic and propositional logic; evaluating arguments with Venn diagrams, truth tables, and Copi-style proofs and proof strategies.

210. Science and Civilization 1. (3:3:0) Honors also.

History of Civilization from Greek antiquity to scientific revolution; methods in early science and their philosophical significance; exploring fundamental questions in human experience; examining formative events in history; understanding value of important texts.

211. Science and Civilization 2. (3:3:0) Honors also. Prerequisite: Phil 210.

History of Civilization from scientific revolution to present; concepts and methods in modern science and their philosophical significance; exploring fundamental questions in human experience; examining formative events in history; understanding value of important texts.

213. Introduction to Ethics. (3:3:0)

Nature and justification of moral standards, beliefs, and decisions.

214. Introduction to the Philosophy of Art. (3:3:0)

The experience of beauty in nature, in literature, and in the arts.

215. Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion. (3:3:0)

Existence and nature of God, God's foreknowledge and man's free will, faith, immortality, and religious experience and language.

218. Science and Religion. (3:3:0) Prerequisite: one philosophy course.

Epistemological and metaphysical similarities and differences undergirding historical problems in science and religion. Nature and effects of past reconciliations; possibility and desirability of current reconciliations.

300. Philosophical Writing. (3:3:0) F, W Honors also. Prerequisite: Phil 150, 205; or equivalents.

Writing philosophical papers about philosophical texts or problems. Research methods in philosophy. Library research paper. Fulfills GE Advanced Written and Oral Communication requirement. No course challenges accepted.

305. Predicate Logic. (3:3:0) W, Su Prerequisite: Phil 205.

History and use of predicate logic; evaluating arguments with counterexamples and proofs; informal mathematical proofs. Fulfills GE Language/Mathematics requirement.

320R. Studies in Ancient Philosophy. (3:3:0 ea.) Prerequisite: Phil 201.

Selected figures or topics.

330R. Studies in Medieval Philosophy. (3:3:0 ea.) Prerequisite: Phil 201.

Selected figures or topics.

340R. Studies in Modern Philosophy. (3:3:0 ea.) Prerequisite: Phil 202.

Selected figures or topics.

350R. Studies in Contemporary Philosophy. (3:3:0 ea.) Prerequisite: one philosophy course.

Selected figures or topics.

405. Metalogic. (3:3:0) Alt. yr. Prerequisite: Phil 305.

Completeness and undecidability of predicate logic; incompleteness of arithmetic and set theory; treatment of related philosophical topics and of nonclassical topics as time permits.

413. Ethics. (3:3:0) Alt. yr. Prerequisite: one philosophy course.

Selected figures or problems.

414R. Philosophy of Art. (3:3:0) Alt. yr. Prerequisite: one philosophy course.

Selected figures or topics in aesthetics.

415. Philosophy of Religion. (3:3:0) Alt. yr. Prerequisite: one philosophy course.

Selected figures or problems.

416. Philosophy of Law. (3:3:0) Prerequisite: one philosophy course.

The relation between natural and enacted law; theories of punishment; utilitarian and nonutilitarian theories of law; liberty.

420. Philosophy of Language. (3:3:0) Prerequisite: one philosophy course.

Meaning and reference, synonymy, metaphor, exemplification, translation; linguistic, artistic, and perceptual symbol systems.

421. Metaphysics. (3:3:0) Prerequisite: one philosophy course.

Basic categories of being: appearance and reality, law, causality, space, time, eternity, deity.

422. Epistemology. (3:3:0) Prerequisite: one philosophy course.

Meaning, limits, and justification of knowledge.

423. (Phil 423–Phscs 314) History and Philosophy of Science. (3:3:0) Honors also. Prerequisite: Phy S 100 or instructor's consent.

Scientific explanation, concepts, and models. Philosophical assumptions and criteria for theory selection, as exemplified by historical development of basic ideas in science.

449R. Philosophical Lecture Series. (1:1:0 ea.) F, W

Lectures on philosophical topics by faculty and advanced students.

490. Senior Seminar. (1:1:0) F, W, Prerequisite: senior status.

Review of philosophical principles and advanced writing experiences culminating in a publishable paper.

499R. Honors Thesis. (1–6:Arr.:Arr. ea.) Prerequisite: instructor's consent.

Selected topic or figure in philosophy.

Graduate Courses

501R. Graduate Seminar. (2–5:5:0 ea.) Prerequisite: instructor's consent.

Selected topic, figure, or movement in philosophy, as announced in current class schedule.