Professors Hinlicky, Wisnefske, Zorn; Assistant Professors Adkins, Vilhauer; Lecturers Kelly, M. Larson-Harris
The study of philosophy examines the most basic questions of life. The study of philosophy prepares students for any number of career options by equipping them with a better self understanding, and developing in them the ability to reason clearly and to write convincingly.
A major in philosophy requires the completion of nine units.
These include:
Surveys (none required, and only one may count toward the major)
PHIL 101 Philosophical Inquiry
PHIL 105 Socrates, Jesus, and the Buddha
Logic (at least one)
PHIL 122 Logic
PHIL 215 Symbolic Logic
History of Philosophy (at least two)
PHIL 213 Religions and Philosophies of India or
PHIL 218 Religions and Philosophies of China,
PHIL 251 Early Western Philosophy
PHIL 252 Modern Western Philosophy
Topics (at least two)
PHIL 205 Moral Philosophy
PHIL 206 Social Philosophy
PHIL 211 Philosophical Issues in the Sciences
PHIL 212 Environmental Philosophy
PHIL 221 Faith and Philosophy
PHIL 222 Business Ethics
PHIL 223 Medical Ethics (cross-listed SOCI 223)
PHIL 231 Religion, Philosophy, and Science
PHIL 260 Selected Topics in Philosophy
PHIL 265 American Philosophy
PHIL 266 Contemporary French Philosophy
PHIL 267 Philosophy and Film
Advanced (at least two)
PHIL 301 Plato
PHIL 310 Kant’s Critical Philosophy
PHIL 315 Hegel
PHIL 320 Nietzsche
PHIL 321 Topics in Philosophy of Religion
PHIL 332 Topics in Metaphysics
PHIL 340 Topics in Contemporary European Philosophy
Senior Thesis (one)
PHIL 410, 411, 412 (1/2,) (1), (1/2) or
PHIL 495, 496, 497 (1/2), (1), (1/2)
POLI 342 or 343 may be considered electives with approval of the department, as may some IL courses.
Minor in Philosophy
A minor in philosophy requires the completion of six units.
These include:
Surveys (none required, and only one may count toward the minor)
PHIL 101,105
Logic (at least one)
PHIL 122, 215
History of Philosophy (at least one)
PHIL 213, 218, 251, 252
Topics (at least one)
PHIL 205, 206, 211, 212, 221, 222, 223, 231, 260, 265, 266, 267
Advanced (at least one)
PHIL 301, 310, 315, 320, 321, 330, 332, 340
POLI 342 or 343 may be considered electives with approval of the department, as may some IL courses.
101 Philosophical Inquiry
An examination of philosophers’ answers to the questions: What can I know? What ought I do? What might I hope for? What is it to be a human being? (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
105 Socrates, Jesus, and the Buddha
A survey of the main figures in the philosophical and religious traditions of the Western world, as well as major figures in Eastern philosophy and religion. All members of the department of Religion and Philosophy will contribute lectures. (1) (Cross-listed with Religion 105)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
122 Logic
This course seeks to develop skills in formulating and evaluating arguments. Topics covered include the nature and types of arguments, patterns of fallacious reasoning, inductive logic, and systems of deductive logic. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
205 Moral Philosophy
An investigation of the sources of, and our responses to, human dignity. Readings include slave and internment narratives, research from the social sciences, philosophical analyses, as well as debates on specific moral issues. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
206 Social Philosophy
An introduction to social-political philosophy. Taking the social nature of human life as its basic premise, this course aims to investigate who we are as political animals, what effect the social order in which we live has upon us, and what type of social order would enable us to achieve our highest human potential. The course considers such issues as: the fit ruler and the just state; the social contract; rights, laws, and duties; individual freedom; equality, diversity, and tolerance; representation and participation in political life. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
212 Environmental Philosophy
An introduction to environmental philosophy. It will focus on philosophical questions germane to the relationship between humans and the environment. What is the environment? What is the appropriate relation between humans and the environment? Does technology help or hinder this relationship? What responsibilities do humans have with regard to natural resources? (1)
Lecture: 3hrs/wk.
213 Religions and Philosophies of India
An interdisciplinary examination of the philosophical and religious traditions of South Asia. Topics include the central ideas and practices of these traditions, their historical development, their styles of reasoning, and the relationship between religion and philosophy. (1) (Cross-listed with Religion 213).
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
215 Symbolic Logic
An introduction to truth functional logic including truth tables, and natural deduction in propositional and predicate logic. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
218 Religions and Philosophies of China
An interdisciplinary examination of the philosophical and religious traditions of East Asia. Topics include the central ideas and practices of these traditions, their historical development, their styles of reasoning, and the relationship between religion and philosophy. (1) (Cross-listed with Religion 218).
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
221 Faith and Philosophy
An examination of fundamental questions concerning rationality and religious belief. The course addresses questions such as whether it is rational to believe in God and whether we can know anything about God, along with different ways of answering these questions and the different views of reason and religious faith the answers imply. (1)
Lecture: 3hrs/wk.
222 Business Ethics
An examination of normative questions arising from business practice and decision-making, focusing on the analysis of theories of ethical action and character, and their application to contemporary business issues. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
223 Ethics and Medicine
An examination of ethical issues in medicine and the moral principles that might be employed to resolve ethical dilemmas. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
Prerequisite: Sociology 101.
(Cross-listed as Sociology 223.)
231 Religion, Philosophy, and Science
An examination of the confrontations, compatibilities, and cooperation among religious thought, philosophy, and scientific inquiry. Topics will include philosophical analyses of science, the debates between the natural sciences and Western religion, recent developments in the social sciences, and insights from Eastern religions. (1) (Cross-listed with Religion 231).
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
251 Early Western Philosophy
An analysis of the history of Western thought from the rise of classical philosophy with the pre-Socratic philosophers and the pivotal figures of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, through the evolution of classical thought in Hellenistic philosophies and medieval thinkers such as St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
252 Modern Western Philosophy
A study of the attempts of thinkers such as Bacon, Hobbes, Descartes, Leibniz, Spinoza, Locke, Hume, and Kant to come to terms with the scientific, political, and religious changes in the modern world. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
260 Selected Topics in Philosophy
The study of a particular issue, theme, or philosopher of current interest. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
265 American Philosophy
The development of American philosophy from the colonial period to contemporary thinkers. Particular emphasis will be placed on the pragmatist tradition, including 19th-century thinkers such as Peirce, James, and Dewey, and contemporary figures such as Quine, Davidson, and Rorty. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
266 Contemporary French Philosophy
An examination of contemporary French thinkers, such as Michel Foucault, Gilles Deleuze, and Jacques Derrida. Each of these thinkers represents an important aspect in the development of what has been variously called post-structuralist and postmodernist discourse as it has developed in France since the May 1968 student riots. The purpose of this course is to introduce the student to some important trends in French thought since 1968. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
267 Philosophy and Film
An introduction to the interaction between philosophy and film. Whether implicitly or explicitly every film makes claims about the nature of reality, human nature, society, politics, ethics, and aesthetics. This makes film an excellent place to explore philosophical questions. The course will focus on a director, theme, or genre of film with the goal that film and philosophy mutually explicate one another. (1)
Lecture: 3hrs/wk.
301 Plato
An introduction to Plato. Through an examination of key texts in Plato’s corpus, students will be exposed to major issues in Plato’s thought. These include Socratic method and education, dialogue and dialectic, philosophy and rhetoric, the Forms, recollection, justice and the good life, love and friendship, art and images, myth and reason. As Plato’s corpus is quite large, the particular selection of texts and the thematic lens through which these major issues in Plato are examined may vary. (1)
Lecture: 3hrs/wk.
Prerequisite: Previous Philosophy course or permission.
310 Kant’s Critical Philosophy
A consideration of the philosophical questions Kant addressed his answers to them, and their impact on existentialism, pragmatism and language philosophy. Focusing on his major works it considers the viability of Kant’s philosophy today. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
Prerequisite: Previous philosophy course or permission.
315 Hegel
An introduction to the thought of G.W.F. Hegel. Through examination of his central writings, students will encounter the major questions of his thought: Where does philosophy begin? Does it have any presuppositions? What is the method appropriate to philosophy? What is the purpose of philosophy? (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
Prerequisite: Previous philosophy course or permission.
320 Nietzsche
An introduction to the thought of Friedrich Nietzsche. Through an examination of key texts in Nietzsche’s corpus students will be exposed to the major questions of Nietzsche’s thought. What is life? What is the relationship between art and life? Where do values come from? What is power? What is interpretation? (1)
Lecture: 3hrs/wk.
Prerequisite: Previous philosophy course or permission.
321 Topics in Philosophy of Religion
A detailed examination of a topic in the philosophy of religion. Topics for any given semester will be chosen from among such issues as the problem of suffering, the epistemology of religious belief, religious language, and philosophical theology. May be repeated for credit. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
Prerequisite: Previous philosophy course or permission.
325 Heidegger
An introduction to the thought of Martin Heidegger. Through an examination of key texts in Heidegger’s corpus students will be exposed to the major questions of Heidegger’s thought. What is existence? What is time? What is death? What is truth? What is interpretation? (1)
Lecture: 3hrs/wk.
Prerequisite: Previous philosophy course or permission.
332 Topics in Metaphysics
A detailed examination of a topic in metaphysics. Topics for any given semester will be chosen by the instructor from among such issues as idealism and realism, language, the philosophy of mind, substance, and time. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
Prerequisite: Previous philosophy course or permission.
340 Topics in Contemporary European Philosophy
A detailed examination of a topic or single thinker in 20th and 21st Century European Philosophy. Depending on the focus of the professor, topics or thinkers might include (but are not limited to): Hermeneutics; Critical Theory; Deconstruction; Gadamer; Habermas; Derrida. May be repeated for credit. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
Prerequisite: Previous philosophy course or permission.
405, 406, 407 Independent Study and Research
Selected topics in philosophy carried out under the direction of a member of the departmental staff. Enrollment with the approval of the department. (1/2, 1, 1/2)
410, 411, 412 Senior Thesis
At the end of the junior year every major will register with a member of the department to study and write a major paper in the final year. Guidelines, requirements and dates are explained in “The Senior Thesis.” (1/2, 1, 1/2)
495, 496, 497 Honors Project
A program of independent study culminating in a paper.
Prerequisite: To qualify for consideration to receive honors in the major, a student in his/her senior year or in the Summer prior to the senior year, must work under the guidance of his/her committee .A written proposal and application must be approved by the committee and department. A minimum GPA of 3.4 in the major is required. 495 Honors Project is prerequisite for 497 Honors Project. (1/2, 1, 1/2)