School of Arts
& Sciences

Phil 141S Introduction To Philosophy (4-0) 4

An introduction to the philosophical enterprise through discussion and analysis of representative readings from the history of philosophy. Issues considered include the nature of reality, the relation of mind and body, the possibility of proving that God exists, the nature and origin of morality and beauty, and the relation of knowledge to experience. Fall and winter terms.

Phil 151 Film And Philosophy (4-0) 4

An examination of the ways in which philosophy is manifested in the making and content of film. This course will include the viewing of several films that portray philosophical themes on the nature of humor, drama, and fear in contemporary film and attempt to answer questions regarding the nature of voyeuristic emotional catharsis in the making of the human being. Finally, the course hopes to address issues of cultural diversity by looking at the way various western and non-western cultures address these issues. The course will also include philosophical readings on film and the nature of philosophical problems. Summer terms.

Phil 244R Chinese Philosophy (3-0) 3

A study of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, with consideration of some dissenting views to these dominant schools of Chinese thought, such as Maoism and Legalism. We will investigate the theories of human nature, knowledge, and reality embraced by these philosophies, as well as their conceptions of ethics and politics. This course is the same as RS 244; credit will be given for only one of these courses.

Prerequisites: Comp 150, Lib 150 or consent of instructor.

Phil 251S Moral Philosophy (4-0) 4

A broad review of the history of attempts since classical Greece to identify morality and to establish standards for making and assessing moral judgments. Alternate winter terms.

Phil 252N Environmental Ethics (4-0) 4

This course offers an overview of world environmental problems, focuses on conceptual investigations into their historical, social, political and cultural sources, examines various methods of resource conservation, and finally attempts to envision a philosophy of nature based on a "land ethic." Fall and summer terms.

Phil 261R Philosophy Of Religion (4-0) 4

An examination of different philosophical approaches to problems raised by religion. Readings are selected from sources representing widely differing points of view, e.g., those of phenomenology, feminism, and liberation theology. Alternate fall terms. This course is the same as RS 261; credit will be given for only one of these courses.

Phil 264 Social and Political Philosophy (4-0) 4

This course offers an introductory, selective review of major theories and empirical studies, from classical to contemporary, of social relations and human interactions while exploring the political contexts in which social philosophies emerge. It also provides an overview of how organization of governments has been conceptualized and practiced, how law and policy originate and evolve, and how social and political ideals are formulated, transformed, and institutionalized. Alternate Fall terms. This course is the same as PS 264; credit will only be given for one of these courses.

Phil 271 Logic (4-0) 4

A broad treatment of different methods of assessing the validity of deductive and inductive arguments. The course covers syllogistic logic, elementary truth-functional logic, quantification and brief discussions of informal logic and of inductive logic. Fall and winter terms.

Phil 274R Ancient and Medieval Philosophy (4-0) 4

An examination of the history of philosophy from the origins of scientific thought in Asia Minor through the synthesis of Christianity and Greek philosophy in the thought of St. Augustine and the medieval scholastics. A major emphasis of the course will be the systems of Plato and Aristotle, which provide many of the roots of modern thought. This course is a suitable beginning course in philosophy. Alternate fall terms.

Phil 281 Theory of Knowledge (4-0) 4

This course explores philosophical controversies concerning knowledge and skepticism: What is truth? What is it for a belief to be justified? Do we know anything? Does knowledge represent objective reality or merely a culturally constructed conception of reality? Traditional and current answers to these and related questions are scrutinized. Alternate winter terms.

Phil 297RS Tibetan Buddhism: Philosophy and Situation (0-15) 6

This course is designed to investigate the history, cosmology, and politics of Tibetan Buddhism-as well as some of the challenges it faces in the contemporary world-through readings, discussions, and the experience of visiting sites of significance to these issues. It presents Tibetan Buddhism as a metaphysical system through which a cultural/ethnic group sees and lives the world and the ways in which that metaphysics has come in conflict or has been adopted an adapted. The course looks at the ways Tibetan Buddhism (based on a metaphysics of "emptiness") comes in conflict with the political ideology and philosophy of materialism championed by Marxism and Capitalism, as well as the ways it has had to adapt to the contemporary world, and the ways in which it has been mystified and romanticized. This course is the same as PS 297 and RS 297; credit will be given for only one of these courses.

Phil 305W Writing Philosophy (4-0) 4

An introduction to the techniques, conventions, and styles of philosophical writing through the critical reading and analysis of selected books and journal articles on a topic central to the field, writing analyses of, and responses to, these readings, and presenting and defending a position on this topic in a carefully researched term paper. Offered on demand.

Prerequisites: Phil 141S and Phil 271, Comp 150, Lib 150.

Phil 320 Indigenous Worldviews (4-0) 4

A survey of selected regional belief systems outside the major religious traditions treated in Phil 321. Emphasis is on philosophical foundations of religious cultures native to the Americas, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Old Europe. Special attention is given to the mythic and other symbolic expressions of archaic consciousness in contemporary societies. Alternate fall and summer terms. This course is the same as RS 320; credit will be given for only one of these courses.

Phil 321 World Religions (4-0) 4 A

study of the nature and history of the major contemporary religions of the world. Alternate fall and summer terms. This course is the same as RS 321; credit will be given for only one of these courses.

Phil 328 Philosophy Of Science (4-0) 4

An examination of the scope, structure, methodology, and spirit of science with special attention to such topics as the relation between the presuppositions and the conclusions of science, the nature of scientific revolutions and the social responsibilities of the scientist. Alternate fall terms.

Prerequisites: 4 credits in philosophy other than Phil 271 or consent of instructor.

Phil 352 Ecology And Morality (4-0) 4

An in-depth focus on contemporary theories and practices, including myth and ritual, which integrate moral, social, political, and cultural philosophies with scientific ecologies. Recent academic efforts by regional thinkers and scholar/activists of color will also be reviewed. Alternate winter terms and summer.

Prerequisites: Phil 252N or consent of instructor.

Phil 361 Philosophy Of Art (4-0) 4

An examination of nature and purposes of art through the study of several traditional and contemporary philosophies of art such as those of Plato, Aristotle, Marx, Tolstoy, Collingwood, and Merleau-Ponty. Topics include the nature of the art object, the distinction between art and craft, the role of imitation, representation, expression and creativity, the social function and responsibility of the artist, and the nature of aesthetic experience. Alternate winter terms.

Phil 363 Philosophy Of History And Culture (4-0) 4

An examination of the nature and methodology of historical knowledge and various conceptions of culture through the study of several traditional and contemporary philosophies of history and culture. Readings will include recent work from Africa and the Americas as well as traditional European perspectives. Alternate winter terms.

Prerequisites: 4 credits of philosophy other than Phil 271 or consent of instructor.

Phil 365 Philosophy And Feminism (4-0) 4

An examination of gender bias in its various guises, such as androcentrism, gender polarization, and biological essentialism. Explanations of the source and maintenance of sexism are explored through feminist theories: liberal, radical, Marxist, existential, psychoanalytic, and postmodern. Feminist theory itself is critically evaluated.

Prerequisites: Comp 150 and Lib 150 or consent of instructor.

Phil 377 Contemporary European Philosophy (4-0) 4

An examination of trends and issues in 20th century continental philosophy. Readings will focus on the development of phenomenology and existentialism, and on their contributions to existential Marxism, structuralism, and deconstructionism. Winter term.

Prerequisites: 4 credits in philosophy other than Phil 271 or consent of instructor.

Phil 379 Modern Philosophy: 17th and 18th Centuries (4-0) 4

An examination of the roots of the Enlightenment, including studies of rationalism, the origins of scientific thought, ethical modes of thought grounded in reason and empiricism, and social and individual notions of self-identity. This course examines the origins of enlightenment as a rebirth of the Renaissance and as the beginnings of contemporary Western notions of metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. Thinkers to be discussed will included Descartes, Spinoza, Hume, Locke, Berkeley, Kant, Rousseau, and others of the period. Alternate winter terms.

Prerequisites: 4 credits in Philosophy or consent of instructor.

Phil 380 Nineteenth Century Philosophy (4-0) 4

In this course students will examine the major movements in nineteenth century European and American philosophy. The course will focus on the work of Hegel and its influence on Marx, Nietzsche, and Kierkegaard. In addition, some attention will be given to the developments of American pragmatist philosophy.

Prerequisite: Phil 274.

Phil 381 Metaphysics (4-0) 4

An examination of traditional and contemporary attempts to understand the nature of reality. Alternate fall terms.

Prerequisites: 4 credits in philosophy other than Phil 271 or consent of instructor.

Phil 382 Philosophies Of The Southwest (3-0) 3

An examination of the various philosophical underpinnings of the three dominant cultures of the Southwest. This course will move beyond examining the kinds of differences found amongst the cultures of the Southwest to examine the philosophical assumptions that inform and contribute to the emergence of these differences. The course will also examine the kinds of misunderstandings which can emerge from the interactions of these cultures when cultural philosophical assumptions go unexamined. Summer term.

Phil 384 Philosophy of Mind and Language (4-0) 4

This course explores puzzles raised by the existence of minds, making special use of contemporary theories of meaning in order to address them. What is a mind? How are minds related to bodies? What is it to have thoughts? Is language necessary for thinking? How does language represent reality? How do we know what others mean by their words? Alternate winter terms.

Prerequisites: Four credits in philosophy other than Phil 271 or consent of instructor.

Phil 451 Studies In Great Philosophers (4-0) 4

An examination in depth of the writings of a major philosopher such as Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Marx, Heidegger, or Sartre. This course may be repeated as long as the topics are different.

Prerequisites: 4 credits in philosophy other than Phil 271 or consent of instructor.

Phil 480W Contemporary Political Thought (4-0) 4

An examination of the philosophical and political origins of the political formation of the self, interactions between dominant and minority cultures, and legitimation and consensus in a post-Marxist, post-Capitalist, and post-Colonial world. Focuses on 20th century thinkers such as Foucault, Deleuze and Guattari, Said, Lyotard, Braidotti, and others. PS 387 recommended. This course is the same as PS 480W; credit will be given for only one of these courses.

Phil 496 Senior Seminar (4-0) 4

Advanced study and research in selected topics. Alternate winter terms, even years.

Prerequisites: Senior standing and consent of instructor.

Phil 499 Independent Study 1-6

Individual research is conducted under the supervision of a faculty member. Offered on demand.

Prerequisites: 12 credits in philosophy and approval of instructor.