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Undergraduate - Upper Division Courses
Undergrad Courses | Upper Division | Graduate Courses
SPRING 2010
UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, THE PREREQUISITE FOR COURSES NUMBERED 3000-3900 IS SIX HOURS OF PHILOSOPHY OR JUNIOR STANDING.
3023/001 Aesthetics & Philosophy of Art MWF, 12:30-1:20 Irvin
In this course, we’ll consider a variety of questions about art: What is art’s purpose? What makes one artwork better than another? How do we decide which is better, and do some people’s judgments carry more authority than others’? Do artworks have an overriding value for society? What’s the right way to interpret an artwork? We will look at some particular art forms, including photography, fashion and popular music. To keep the texture of real art in mind, we will look at images, listen to music, etc. We will consider aesthetics (traditionally, the study of beauty) in relation to our understanding of nature and of everyday experience. Text: photocopied course pack including a mixture of historical and contemporary works by philosophers and art theorists. [IV-WC]
3113/001 Reason, Judgment & Decision Making MWF, 1:30-2:20 Ellis
This course is concerned with several facets of good decision making. We begin by considering what makes a good decision. We will then look at various inputs into decision making (Beliefs about the world, values, understandings, etc.), common impediments to good decision making, and the relation between good decision making and morality. In order to examine these topics, we will be drawing on suggestions from both philosophers and social sciences. Book: David Welch, Decisions, Decisions: The Art of Effective Decision Making, Prometheus Books, 2002. [ IV-NWC ]
3273/001 Ethics and Business MWF, 11:30–12:20 Ellis
This course looks at more than how businesses can “play nice.” We will start with the ethical presuppositions of business behavior in a capitalist system. After examining issues involving the justification of markets systems (e.g., the moral importance of economic efficiency, liberty interests in commerce) we will draw some lessons about the general rights and responsibilities of businesses. Time permitting, we will then consider some specific topics in light of those lessons: government intervention in markets, labor relations, environmental concerns, etc. Book: D. Hausman & M. McPherson, Economic Analysis, Moral Philosophy, and Public Policy, Cambridge UP, 2006. [IV-WC]
3313 & 3813/001 History of Ancient Phil MWF, 2:30–3:20 Purinton
Prerequisite: 1013 + one of the following (1103, 1113, 1203, 1213, 2023, 2403)
“Target course” for PHIL 3811/001 (Philosophy Writing Workshop)
In this course we will study the history of ancient philosophy from its beginnings through the Hellenistic era, with readings from the pre-Socratics, Plato, Aristotle, and Epicurus, and from Cynics, Stoics, and Skeptics, among others. Grading will be based on three tests, a paper on Socrates, and short quizzes given at the start of each class. Text(s): Plato, Five Dialogues: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Meno, Phaedo (2nd edn.; Grube, trans.); Plato, The Republic (2nd edn.; Grube, trans.); Aristophanes, Clouds (Meineck, trans.); Plato, Gorgias (Zeyl, trans.); Aristotle, Introductory Readings (Irwin and Fine, trans.); Epicurus, The Epicurus Reader: Selected Writings and Testimonia (Inwood and Gerson, trans.). [IV-WC]
3333 & 3833/001 History of Modern Phil TR, 12:00-1:15 Judisch
Prerequisite: Six hours of philosophy or junior standing.
The goal of this course is to examine the thought of some of the major figures of the modern period. We will focus upon the philosophical views of the Rationalists (René Descartes (1596-1650), Benedict de Spinoza (1632-1677) and Gottfried W. Leibniz (1646-1716)), and those of the Empiricists (John Locke (1632-1704), Bishop George Berkeley (1685-1753) and David Hume (1711-1776)), among other noteworthy modern figures. We will want to get clear on the competing outlooks of the two camps generally, but our emphasis throughout will be upon the particular metaphysical and epistemological disagreements between the philosophers within those camps. Although some historical stage-setting will be of use to us in understanding the aims and motivations of the Rationalists and the Empiricists, our interest will be in the philosophical positions and arguments of these thinkers and not primarily in biographical or historical issues. Required Text: Ariew and Watkins (eds.), Modern Philosophy: Anthology of Primary Sources. [IV-WC]
3393/001 20th-Century Anglo-American Phil MWF, 12:30-1:20 Cook
We will survey some of the highlights of 20th Century Anglo-American philosophy by discussing some of its key movements and some of its key essays. We will examine movements that tried to solve or dissolve philosophical problems by examining language and meaning: logical atomism, logical positivism, Oxford ordinary language philosophy, Wittgensteinianism, and the late 20th century appeal to possible worlds. And we will examine such key essays as Moore’s “A Defence of Common Sense,” Austin’s “A Plea for Excuses,” Gettier’s “Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?,” Frankfurt’s “Alternate Possibilities and Moral Responsibility,” Nagel’s “What is it like to be a bat?,” and Putnam’s “Brains in a Vat.” [IV-WC]
3433/001 Mod Phil of Religion TR, 3:00-4:15 Zagzebski
This course will investigate the revolution in attitudes about the rationality of religious belief that was produced by the Enlightenment, and the responses to it. The historical period covered is roughly from the seventeenth century up to the end of the twentieth. The philosophers we will read and discuss fall roughly into three categories: (1) Those giving the rationalist attack on religion (Hume, Kant (in part), Clifford); (2) those giving the rationalist defense of religion (Descartes, Locke, Clarke, Paley); and (3) those giving an anti-rationalist defense of religion (Pascal, Kierkegaard, James, Wittgenstein). We will not study these philosophers in exact chronological order, but rather in an order intended to illustrate the alternative positions on the rationality of religion still considered major options. [IV-WC]
3443/001 Contemp Issues in Phil of Religion TR, 1:30-2:45 Judisch
This is a survey course covering some of the major topics of interest in contemporary philosophy of religion. Our focus will be on the writings of philosophers concerning religious subjects that have been produced within the last 100 years or so. Topics to be covered include religious epistemology (whether and how we can have any religious knowledge), contemporary arguments for the existence and the non-existence of God, and recent examples of philosophical theology. Our goal will be to get a “fix” on the state of the art in these subdivisions of philosophy of religion. [IV-WC]
3503/001 Self & Identity MWF, 11:30–12:20 Elugardo
This is a course about the self. In it we will explore the concept of the self and various problems which arise in connection with it, including the question of what personhood is how persons retain their individual identity over time and through change (if, indeed, they do), what the characteristic powers of selves are – with particular attention paid to the concept of free will – and how we know and sometimes fail to know things about ourselves. We begin with an examination of the “unity of consciousness” – the feature of human consciousness which presents our experience as consisting in a unified “field,” and which leads to considerations about our own self-unity. The second unit of the course focuses on theories of personal identity and the problem of identity through time. In the third unit we will study free will; we’ll want to get straight on what free will is supposed to be, the conditions under which we act freely (if indeed we do) and what sorts of beings we must be like assuming we do in fact possess free will. We will finish by discussing the issues of self-knowledge and self-deception. Required Texts: TBA [IV-WC]
3811/001 Philosophy Writing Workshop R, 1:30–2:45 Riggs
Prerequisite: co-requisite with Phil 3813 OR Phil 3833
This course aims to improve your philosophical writing. In it, we will discuss principles and habits of good writing, complete writing exercises, and work together on essay drafts for your target course. We will aim to develop the following skills: 1) stating clearly a relevant thesis and constructing a well-organized, extended argument to defend it; 2) critically examining arguments, by explaining their significance, and framing and evaluating objections to them; 3) using primary texts, and finding and using secondary texts; 4) expressing ideas in clear, correct, and well-formulated prose. In sum, we will both discuss and practice good philosophical writing. Students enrolling in this class must also be in enrolled in Phil 3813 (History of Ancient Philosophy) OR Phil 3833 (History of Modern Phil for Majors). [IV-WC]
3900/001 Philosophy and Race MWF, 1:30–2:20 Irvin
What is race? Is there such a thing? Should we use racial categories in social and political thinking, or would it be better to eliminate them? Are people sometimes in a better position to understand aspects of the world because of their race? Should members of some races receive compensation for injustices that were perpetrated against their ancestors by members of other races? Is it wrong to appropriate cultural products that were produced by members of another race? How does racial identity intersect with other aspects of identity, including sex and gender? This course will introduce students to philosophical thinking about race.
3900/002 Philosophy of Perception MWF, 1:30-2:20 Elugardo
This course will focus on philosophical questions about the nature of perception. Here is a sample: what happens when I see a tree? Do I see the tree directly or do I see it indirectly by virtue of the tree’s causing there to be an image or ‘sense-datum’ of a tree in my mind? If no image is produced, then how does the tree manage to look to me the way it does? What is the relation between the way the tree looks to me and what I believe about the tree? How do my senses give me knowledge about the tree? Core readings will be a mixture of scientific and philosophical writings the latter of which will include the writings of historical and contemporary philosophers. Course Texts and Course Requirements: TBA.
4293/001 Ethical Theory M, 3:00-6:00 Sankowski
This course aims primarily to foster critical thinking, dialogue, and intelligent choice and action about ethics. The course will be useful to both philosophy and other graduate students, especially those in the humanities and social sciences, but also natural science and professional areas students. The course encourages the student to examine one’s own moral ideas (and those of others) with an appreciation of history and the contemporary cultural contexts in which they have figured and now do figure. The course includes older, classical and more contemporary authors. The emphasis here is much more on contemporary theory and practice. The ethical concepts the course emphasizes are individual freedom, responsibility, and ideas about the best politics and ethics education (in light of one’s conceptions of freedom and responsibility). The course takes an interdisciplinary and pragmatic approach to ethical theory, including references to empirical matters such as cultural context, globalization, etc. Authors and works examined will include some subset of the following: Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics (selections); Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (selections); J.S. Mill, Utilitarianism (selections) and/or Mill, On Liberty (selections); C. Taylor, The Ethics of Authenticity (selections); P. Singer, One World-The Ethics of Globalization, Second Edition (selections); A. Sen, Identity and Violence-The Illusion of Destiny (selections). Adjustments in the readings may be necessary, especially depending on prior courses taken by students in the class. There will be a midterm and a final, both primarily essay-focused exams. There will be a paper required of all students in the class; this will be ten pages minimum for undergraduates and fifteen pages minimum for graduate students. The class will proceed by lectures constantly supplemented by Socratic questions and discussion to the extent possible given class size. Some supplementary readings will be used if available through legally acceptable copying and if the resulting cost of readings is within legally acceptable limits.
4523/001 Epistemology T, 3:00–6:00 Riggs
Epistemology is the branch of philosophy concerned with determining the nature, structure, and extent of human knowledge. This course will serve as a survey of the most serious problems faced by both classical and contemporary epistemologists. With respect to knowledge, there are two fundamental questions that we will attempt to answer: What is knowledge? How much can we know? Contemporary debates over the nature (internalism/externalism) and structure (coherentism/ foundationalism) of epistemic justification will be examined along with the debate over the connection between epistemic and ethical normativity (the ethics of belief).
4543/001 Philosophy of Mind M, 7:00–10:00 p.m. Montminy
This course provides an overview of traditional and contemporary debates in the philosophy of mind. We will examine different accounts of what the mind is, and how it fits into a physical universe. We will also consider issues such as how the mental can causally interact with the physical, whether computers can think, how much our thoughts depend on the nature of our social and physical environments, and what consciousness is.
4893/001 Capstone TR, 12:00-1:15 Montminy
The main point of this course is the composition of a substantive, quality paper on a philosophical topic of the student’s choice. This term paper will be preceded by at least two drafts and a class presentation. Readings will consist of a selection of influential papers that have wide-ranging philosophical impact.
