Courses
Philosophy
Check back on December 15th for Summer 2010 courses.
College of Arts and Sciences
Introduction to Philosophy
CAS PH 100
Introduction to philosophy centering on such perennial issues as the rationality of belief in God; the relationship of mind and body; free will and determinism; the foundations and limits of human knowledge; the nature and structure of morality. 4 cr.
Great Philosophers
CAS PH 110
A comparative introduction to the life and thoughts of six preeminent philosophers from classical times in both the Western and Eastern traditions. 4 cr.
Introduction to Ethics
CAS PH 150
How do we decide what is right or wrong? How do we know what we ought to do? What is the place of reason, feeling, virtue, character, in our choice of what we ought to do? Such questions are addressed with attention to contemporary issues. 4 cr.
Politics and Philosophy
CAS PH 155
An introduction to political philosophy through a reading of several classic and contemporary works. Selections from Hobbes' Leviathan, Locke's Second Treatise on Government, Rousseau's Discourse on Inequality and The Social Contract, and Rawl's Theory of Justice. 4 cr.
Reasoning and Argumentation
CAS PH 160
A systematic study of the principles of both deductive and informal reasoning, with an emphasis on reasoning and argumentation in ordinary discourse and their strategies. 4 cr.
Introduction to Chinese Philosophy
CAS PH 247
An introduction to the Chinese philosophical tradition, including a study of classical Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Mohism, Legalism, and modern developments. 4 cr.
Medical Ethics
CAS PH 251
Examination of a number of value problems arising within the context of medicine and health care. Particular ethical problems of euthanasia, abortion, human experimentation, reproduction, and allocation of scarce resources; critiques of contemporary medicine as an institution. 4 cr.
Philosophy of Science
CAS PH 270
Main features of the scientific enterprise are illustrated by examples in the study of physics, biology, and mind: the aims of scientific activities, the nature of scientific understanding and procedures, the structure and interpretation of scientific theories, and the development of science. 4 cr.
History of Ancient Philosophy
CAS PH 300
The history of ancient Greek philosophy from its beginnings through Aristotle: the cosmos, human nature, Socrates and Plato, metaphysics, music, atomic theories, immortality, friendship, love, being and nonbeing, civil disobedience, form and formlessness, definitions, and the hierarchy of reality. 4 cr.
History of Modern Philosophy
CAS PH 310
An examination of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century philosophy from Descartes to Kant, with emphasis on the nature and extent of knowledge. Readings include Descartes, Locke, Spinoza, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant. 4 cr.
Gender, Race, and Science
CAS PH 436/GRS PH 636
Examination of issues arising at the intersection of feminist philosophy, philosophy of race, and the history and philosophy of science. Is "race" a genuine scientific category or a social construct? How have views about gender and race changed throughout the history of science and the history of philosophy? Why are there still so few women and minority scientists? 4 cr. Undergraduate
