Fall 2009 Course Offerings — Philosophy
Undergraduate Courses
Combined Undergraduate/Graduate Courses
Undergraduate Courses
Philosophy 101 - Introduction to Philosophy
Melissa Norton
In my sections of Introduction to Philosophy we will read works by both ancient and modern authors. From the ancient period, we will read two of Plato’s dialogues and selections from the major writings of Sextus Empiricus. From the modern period, we will read major works of René Descartes and David Hume. The focus of the course will be on theory of knowledge, but each of our texts introduces a selection of other topics as well. Emphasis will be placed on developing and improving critical reading and writing skills.
Philosophy 101 - Introduction to Philosophy
Jim Hardy
Philosophy 101 - Introduction to Philosophy
Russell Wahl
This section of 101 is a survey of some major figures in Western philosophy and some of the philosophical problems which perplexed them. We will look at works of Plato, Descartes, Berkeley, and Russell, focusing primarily on problems in theory of knowledge, and questions concerning the nature of reality. The course is designed to expose the students to conflicting answers to these questions. There will be two examinations plus a final, an in-class writing assignment, and a short paper.
Philosophy 101 - Introduction to Philosophy
Bill McCurdy
Philosophy 101 - Introduction to Philosophy
Mike Pelletti
This course ultimately has three objectives. It is simply part of our education to become familiar with certain highly influential classical authors and texts. Some of these classical authors wrote philosophy. Therefore, among other authors, we will discover, Plato, Descartes, and Leibniz. The second objective is to introduce the student to the nature of philosophical thinking and the way in which it influences human thought and behavior. We will carefully read and discuss classical and more contemporary philosophical texts, addressing questions such as, "What is good?", "What can we truly know?", "Are our beliefs justified?", indeed, "Is there an external world independent of our experience?" The last objective concerns especially people for whom this may be the only philosophy course they ever have. You will learn to think more deeply and critically not only about the nature of the world, but also about more mundane choices such as, ‘What is the best course of action for me to follow?’, ‘What does this really mean?’, ‘How can I go about solving this problem?’ There will be a midterm examination, a final, and two short papers.
Philosophy 103 - Introduction to Ethics
Jim Hardy
Philosophy 103 - Introduction to Ethics
Jim Skidmore
Philosophy 103 – Introduction to Ethics
Bill McCurdy
Philosophy 201-01 – Introduction to Logic
Russell Wahl
MWF 10:00-10:50
This course is a mix of traditional logic and modern symbolic logic. The section on traditional logic includes basic argument analysis and categorical syllogisms and the section on symbolic logic includes a study of truth tables and formal proofs. The focus throughout will be on what constitutes a good argument. Students will learn techniques of analysis which will improve their ability to discern what is and is not entailed from given claims. There will be regular homework assignments, several quizzes, two midterm examinations, and a final.
Philosophy 220-01 – Philosophy Issues in Religion
Melissa Norton
MWF 11:00-11:50
Philosophy 230 - Bioethics
Ralph Baergen
The practice of medicine raises ethical issues unlike those encountered elsewhere. The purpose of this course is to explore a number of these issues, paying particular attention to practical, clinical situations. The course will begin with a brief overview of ethical theories and their application. The issues to be examined include refusing life-sustaining treatment, medical futility, making medical decisions for others, physician-assisted suicide, allocating medical resources, managed care, abortion, and so forth.
Course Goals: Students who successfully complete this course should be able to: (1) Understand and correctly apply basic ethical concepts and theories; (2) Be able to identify the ethical considerations involved in common areas of medical practice; (3) Understand important positions and arguments in medical ethics; and (4) Be able to evaluate and respond to ethical issues.
Course Requirements: Your course grade will be based upon 4 quizzes, a midterm exam, and a final exam. There are also opportunities for extra credit.
Combined Undergraduate/Graduate Courses
Philosophy 410/510 – Philosophy of Language
Mike Pelletti
W 4:00-6:30 pm
This course will study language from a philosophical viewpoint. The philosophy of language was at the core of 20th philosophy and is still one of the most active areas of philosophy today. It is a branch of philosophy that has made considerable progress in the modern era. Much work in other fields of philosophy supposes a solid understanding of contemporary research in philosophy of language. Central to our inquiry will be questions of meaning and reference. How are sounds able to mean anything? How can a word say something about the world? These are fascinating issues to explore. We will also take up several of the main topics that are actively debated in the field at present, such as metaphor, speech acts, proper names, and private language. Language is a pervasive feature of our day-to-day lives; students will come away from this course with a heightened awareness of language. We will be reading primary sources, often contemporary classics, with a special emphasis on Ruth Millikan’s biological model of language.
Philosophy 430/530 – Philosophy of Science
Russell Wahl
M/W 2:30-3:45
This course will introduce the student to a variety of topics in the philosophy of science. The topics will include the demarcation between science and non-science, the nature of scientific explanation, the status of natural laws, reductionism and scientific realism. We will also look at recent work on the development of scientific theories and related questions concerning the rationality and objectivity of science. This part of the course may involve readings from the history of science. There will be one or two take-home examinations, a paper and a presentation, as well as a final examination.
Philosophy 450/550 – Ethical Theory
Jim Skidmore
M/W 1:00-2:15