21:730:103
Introduction to Philosophy (3)
Introduction, for beginners, to central philosophical problems, primarily in the Western tradition, including such topics as morality, truth, knowledge, the nature of the mind, reality, and the existence of God.
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21:730:107
Critical Thinking (3)
Develops and improves fundamental skills of clear, coherent, and
critical thinking, speaking, and writing. Aims to foster confidence in
the student's ability to solve problems by reasoning. Emphasizes rules
of critical reasoning and techniques for applying them to real-world
problems in science, management, law, aesthetics, and politics.
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21:730:201
Introduction to Logic (3)
Introduction to the concepts of valid reasoning and proof in modern logic. Approaches may include diagramming and pictorial representation.
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21:730:203
Human Nature (3)
A study of human nature through the double lens of philosophy and psychology, and especially recent findings in cognitive science.
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21:730:205
Current Moral and Social Issues (3)
Examines such issues as sexual morality and abortion, capital punishment, sexism, racism and affirmative action, censorship, privacy, drug abuse and drug laws, economic distribution and justice, and consumption and scarcity of natural resources.
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21:730:212
Introduction to Ethics (3)
Theories about the definition of right and wrong, the nature of moral
knowledge, and virtue and vice, primarily in the Western philosophical
tradition, as explored by philosophers from Plato to the present.
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21:730:306
Greek Philosophy (3)
Origins and development of Western philosophy among the ancient Greeks; study of the pre-Socratics, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and later Greek and Roman philosophers.
Prerequisite: 21:730:103 or permission of instructor/chair.
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21:730:308
Existentialism and Continental Philosophy (3)
The philosophical roots and dimensions of existentialism and its relations with phenomenology and the contemporary continental tradition; works by Kierkegaard, Nietzche, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Habermas, and Derrida.
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21:730:307
Modern Philosophy (3)
The formative period of modern Western philosophy from its emergence out of medieval thought; emphasis on works of major philosophers of the 16th to 18th centuries from Montaigne to Kant.
Prerequisite: 21:730:103 or permission of instructor/chair.
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21:730:327
Philosophy of Religion (3)
Major controversies over the nature of religious belief, the "logic" of religious language, and the justification of religious claims; contemporary and traditional positions considered, but primary emphasis given to those aspects of religion open to rational argument.
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21:730:328
Philosophy and the Arts (3)
The nature of aesthetic experience as a significant form of human activity; aesthetic analysis, meaning and truth in the arts, the foundation of value judgment, and criticism in the arts.
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21:730:345
Philosophy of Law (3)
An
examination of the relationship between morality and the law, including
the nature of the law, the moral obligation to obey the law, the nature
and morality of legal punishment, and the nature and scope of legal
rights, such as the right to free speech and the right to privacy.
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21:730:351
Business and Professional Ethics (3)
Ways of thinking about moral issues that arise in business and the professions: conflicts of interest and obligation, professional responsibility, whistle-blowing and loyalty, corporate social responsibility, dealing with local practices overseas, corporate culture, employees' rights, and the moral status of capitalism and other economic systems.
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21:730:358
Philosophy and the Black Experience (3)
An analysis of what constitutes the black experience; issues in the black experience, e.g., racial integration, racial separatism, racism, and black values. Philosophical analysis of experiences of the African diaspora, e.g., freedom and slavery, racial integration, racial separatism, racism, and the philosophies and values of cultures of the African diaspora.
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21:730:360
Philosophical Ideas in Literature (3)
Philosophical issues in literary works, primarily in the Western tradition; freedom and determinism, conceptions and reality of the self, the quest for meaning, the existence of evil.
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21:730:362
Eastern Philosophy (3)
A comparative analysis of Eastern, mainly Indian, and Western perspectives on key issues, e.g., God, self, and the universe; explores the role of reason vis-à-vis contemplation; study of philosophies, including Vedanta, Buddhism, Jainism, and others.
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21:730:380
Philosophy of Psychology (3)
The philosophy of psychology is concerned with areas at the intersection of the philosophy of mind and the science of psychology, and its primary aim is to explore how the mind works. The course addresses issues such as the nature and function of intentionality, consciousness, intelligence, and creativity; what free will consists of and whether it exists; what persons are, and whether our understanding of mind and personhood is psychologically significant; what is the nature of happiness and morality, etc.
Prerequisites: 21:730:103 and any psychology course or permission of instructor/chair.
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21:730:381
Philosophy of Neuroscience (3)
An examination of selected topics from the philosophy of neuroscience. Possible topics include: What does neuroscience tell us about consciousness? The emotions? Free will? Memory? Perception? How do neuroscientists learn about the brain and its structures? Does psychology reduce to neuroscience?
Prerequisite: 21:730:103 or 21:830:101.
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21:730:382
The Self: East and West (3)
An investigation into how we do, and we should, conceive of ourselves as persons. Of particular interest for this course is the Buddhist insistence that these misconceptions about the self lie at the heart of human suffering.
Prerequisite: 21:730:103.
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21:730:385
Special Topics in Philosophy (3)
A midlevel course on a philosophy topic not covered by an existing course listing. Please consult department for details.
Prerequisite: 21:730:103 or permission of instructor/chair.
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21:730:407
Advanced Modern Philosophy (3)
A continuation of Modern Philosophy (Philosophy 307), with a closer critical analysis of selected epistemological, psychological, and metaphysical issues in the work of 17th- and 18th-century European philosophers such as Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Malebranche, Locke, Hume, and Berkeley.
Prerequisite: 21:730:307 or permission of instructor/chair.
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21:730:409
Contemporary Analytical Philosophy (3)
Introduction to the origins and directions of present-day philosophy and its recent accomplishments, especially in the English-speaking world: the giants of the early 20th century; positivism and ordinary language philosophy; major postwar figures; and the present generation (Rorty, Putnam, Davidson). Emphasis on understanding what philosophers are doing now and why.
Prerequisites: 21:730:103 and one additional philosophy course.
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21:730:423
Advanced Topics in Applied Ethics (3)
In-depth exploration of an area of applied ethics, with an emphasis on using philosophical thinking to frame and analyze important real-world moral problems.
Prerequisites: 21:730:205 or 212; or permission of instructor/chair.
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21:730:425
Philosophy of Science (3)
Classical problems of induction and interpretation. The idealized picture of scientific method as fallible but self-correcting, converging to truth in the long run, is examined in the light of elementary probability theory. The problem of interpretation is introduced in the context of the theoretician's dilemma and illustrated by the case of geometric theory. The realist and instrumentalist interpretations are contrasted in the light of elementary concepts of logical theory.
Prerequisites: 21:730:103 and 201; or permission of instructor/chair.
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21:730:427
Philosophical Issues of Feminism (3)
Examines different theories of nature and source of women's oppression;
liberal, radical, Marxist, and socialist feminism; the concept of
oppression, woman's nature, individual rights, and social justice; the
meaning of equality; the role of the family (actually and ideally); and
the importance of biological, social, and economic categories.
Prerequisites: 21:730:205 or 212; or one course in women's studies (988).
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21:730:428
Social and Political Philosophy (3)
The interrelationship of the state, law, and morality; examination of the interdependence of ideology and political obligation; the equivocal meanings of liberty, rights, and justice; and major approaches such as Social Contract Theory and Marxism.
Prerequisites: 21:730:205 or 212; or one course in political science (790).
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21:730:432
Formal Logic (3)
Completeness and consistency of classical sentential and predicate logic; the problem of decidability and elementary model theory.
Prerequisite: 21:730:201 or 21:640:238.
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21:730:441,442
Individual Study in Philosophy (3)
Prerequisite: Enrollment only by permission of department.
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21:730:446
Theories of Knowledge (3)
The nature and limits of knowledge; the problems of rationalism and empiricism, realism and idealism, and meaning and truth.
Prerequisites: 21:730:103 or one 300-level philosophy course.
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21:730:448
Philosophy of Language (3)
Currently disputed issues arising from the philosophical study of language: its use, structure, and limitation; contemporary theories of meaning, speech acts; the relevance of transformational grammar; and exploratory consideration of the role of analogies; readings from Frege, Chomsky, Austin, and Davidson.
Prerequisites: 21:730:201 or permission of instructor/chair.
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21:730:450
Decision Theory and Ethics (3)
Introduction to Bayesian decision theory and two-person game theory, with applications to ethical, ecological, and economic problems. Alternative foundations for the theory of utility and subjective probability are studied, and their philosophical significance examined. Alternative solutions to the cooperative game are studied, and their philosophical foundations examined.
Prerequisite: 21:730:205 or 212, and one additional philosophy course.
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21:730:472
Metaphysics and Philosophy of Mind (3)
Analyzes such topics as time, universals, identity, causation and freedom, mind and body, and the relation of thought and reality in classical and contemporary texts primarily in the Western philosophical tradition.
Prerequisites: 21:730:103 or one 300-level philosophy course or permission of instructor/chair.
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21:730:485
Advanced Seminar in Philosophy (3)
An advanced course on a philosophy topic not covered by an existing course listing. Please consult department for details.
Prerequisites: Two prior courses in philosophy (specific prior courses may be required depending on topic).
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