Philosophy (PHIL)

PHIL 101. Introduction to Philosophy. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. An introduction to some of the main branches of philosophy. Some of the issues that might be addressed are: What is knowledge? Is reason or experience the basis for all knowledge? Can we have knowledge of the past or of the future? What is truth? Does God exist? Is there a mental realm separate from the material realm? Are the laws of nature deterministic? Do we have free will? What makes an action morally permissible? What is the proper role of the state in regulating our lives? This course is directed primarily at first- and second-year students.

PHIL 103. Ancient Greek and Medieval Western Philosophy. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. A survey of Western philosophy from the ancient Greeks (e.g., Socrates, Plato and Aristotle) through the medieval period (e.g., Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas).

PHIL 104. Modern Western Philosophy. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. A survey of Western philosophy from the Renaissance to the 19th century ( e.g., Hobbes, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Kant, Hegel and Marx).

PHIL 201. Introduction to Ethics. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. An introduction to the main topics in moral philosophy. Includes a discussion of contemporary moral issues. Possible topics include the morality of abortion, animal rights, world hunger, pornography, capital punishment, sexual behavior, environmental ethics and reverse discrimination.

PHIL 202. Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. An exploration of the nature of artificial intelligence and the ethical questions raised by its use and creation. Possible topics include the moral status of AI, the nature of consciousness, whether AI is capable of thought and reason, the value alignment problem, algorithmic bias, responsibility for actions chosen by AI, transparency in AI decision-making, data privacy and existential risks to humanity posed by AI.

PHIL 213. Ethics and Health Care. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. A philosophical investigation of the main concepts and theories of ethics, with applications to fundamental moral questions as they arise in health care. The following issues may be used as illustrations: abortion, euthanasia and the right to die, human experimentation, treating mental illness, genetic technologies, the concepts of health and disease, and the funding of health care.

PHIL 221. Critical Thinking. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. An introduction to inductive and deductive reasoning, with emphasis on common errors and fallacies.

PHIL 222. Logic. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. An evaluation of deductive arguments utilizing the methods of symbolic logic.

PHIL 291. Topics in Philosophy. 1-4 Hours.

Semester course; variable hours. 1-4 credits. Prerequisite: as specified in the Schedule of Classes or written permission of instructor. An introductory study of an individual philosopher, a particular philosophical problem or a narrowly defined period or school. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics to be offered each semester.

PHIL 300. Philosophical Concepts. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: PHIL 101, PHIL 103 or PHIL 104; and PHIL 221 or PHIL 222; and one more PHIL course; or permission of instructor. An introduction to basic philosophical concepts and distinctions to be used throughout various areas of philosophy. These concepts and distinctions include universals/particulars, realism/anti-realism, intension/extension, modality, possible worlds, analytic/synthetic, a priori/a posteriori, linguistic/mental content and internalism/externalism.

PHIL 301. Metaphysics. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: PHIL 101, PHIL 103 or PHIL 104; and PHIL 221 or PHIL 222; and one more PHIL course; or permission of instructor. An examination of central metaphysical issues. Topics may include free will and determinism, identity, time, causation, personhood, and universals and particulars.

PHIL 302. Epistemology. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: PHIL 101, PHIL 103 or PHIL 104; and PHIL 221 or PHIL 222; and one more PHIL course; or permission of instructor. An examination of central epistemological issues, for example, the problem of justification, empirical knowledge, perception, rationality and truth.

PHIL 303. Philosophy of Language. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: 9 credits in philosophy including PHIL 222 and 6 additional credits, at least 3 of which must be from PHIL 101, PHIL 103 or PHIL 104, or permission of the instructor. An examination of central issues in the philosophy of language; for example, the nature of meaning and reference, reductionism, properties of languages and the character of artificial symbols systems.

PHIL 304. Philosophy of Mind. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: PHIL 101, PHIL 103 or PHIL 104; and PHIL 221 or PHIL 222; and one more PHIL course; or permission of instructor. An examination of central issues in the philosophy of mind. Topics may include the mind-body problem, consciousness, the self, artificial intelligence and the language of thought.

PHIL 320. Philosophy of Law. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: 9 credits in philosophy, which must include PHIL 221 or PHIL 222; and PHIL 201, PHIL 202, PHIL 211, PHIL 212, PHIL 213 or PHIL 214. A critical examination of the nature of law and criminal justice in the light of important human values. The following topics will be considered: the nature of law and legal reasoning, the legal enforcement of morality, and such controversies as punishment versus rehabilitation and the right to due process versus the need for public safety.

PHIL 321. Meaning of Life. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: PHIL 221 or 222; one of PHIL 201, 222, 211, 212, 213, or 214; and one more PHIL course. A survey of theories of the meaning of life and a study of arguments about what makes a life meaningful.

PHIL 326. Existentialism. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: PHIL 101, PHIL 103, PHIL 104, PHIL 201, PHIL 211, PHIL 212, PHIL 213, PHIL 214, PHIL 221 or PHIL 222. An examination of the nature of truth, freedom, responsibility, individuality and interpersonal relations as found in some principal writings of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Jaspers, Sartre, Heidegger, Camus, Buber and Marcel. Crosslisted as: RELS 326.

PHIL 327. Normative Ethics. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: PHIL 221 or PHIL 222; PHIL 201, PHIL 202, PHIL 211, PHIL 212, PHIL 213 or PHIL 214; and three additional credits of philosophy; or permission of instructor. A study of issues in systematic normative ethics, including such topics as egoism, consequentialism, utilitarianism, deontology and the theory of the virtues.

PHIL 328. Metaethics. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: PHIL 222; PHIL 201, PHIL 202, PHIL 211, PHIL 212, PHIL 213 or PHIL 214; and three additional credits of philosophy; or permission of instructor. A study of issues in the semantics and metaphysics of ethics. Such topics as the following will be discussed: the objectivity of ethical judgements, the semantic value of ethical judgements and the possibility of ethical knowledge.

PHIL 331. Philosophy of Science. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: 3 credits of philosophy and 6 credits of natural sciences courses. An examination of the bases of scientific inquiry in both the natural and social sciences; including a study of such topics as hypothesis formation and testing, and the nature of scientific laws, theories and explanations.

PHIL 332. Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. Prerequisite: PHIL 201 or PHIL 202. An in-depth exploration of some of the philosophical foundations and consequences of artificial intelligence. Possible topics include relevant history of philosophy, standard philosophical criticisms of AI and different explanations for its success, whether AI can offer explanations, adversarial examples, the transparency/interpretability problem, the legal philosophy surrounding automated agents, concerns about bias in AI, and the use of AI in aesthetics, art and scientific data analysis.

PHIL 333. Philosophy of Medicine. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. Prerequisite: PHIL 201 or PHIL 213. The aims of medicine and public health are practical. Yet both of these sciences rest on contentious philosophical assumptions about the nature of causation, causal inference, study design and the relative authority of different types of evidence. This class investigates contemporary debates about these assumptions, with an eye towards understanding how medical research and practice is affected by their resolution.

PHIL 335. Social and Political Philosophy. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: 9 credits in philosophy, which must include PHIL 221 or PHIL 222, and one of PHIL 201, PHIL 202, PHIL 211, PHIL 212, PHIL 213 or PHIL 214; or permission of instructor. A critical examination of political power and of the relationship between the individual and society. Possible topics include: anarchism and the justification of having a state at all; political views about what sort of state is justified (e.g., conservatism, liberalism, communitarianism, feminism, Marxism); private vs. collective property; market vs. planned economies; democracy vs. totalitarianism; and civil disobedience and revolution.

PHIL 391. Topics in Philosophy. 1-4 Hours.

Semester course; variable hours. 1-4 credits. Prerequisite: as specified in the Schedule of Classes or permission of instructor. A study of an individual philosopher, a particular philosophical problem or a narrowly defined period or school. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics to be offered each semester.

PHIL 412. Zen Buddhism. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: UNIV 200 or HONR 200. A study of Zen Buddhism, including backgrounds in Indian philosophy and practice, development in China and Korea, and present-day Zen theory and practice in Japan and in Western countries. Crosslisted as: RELS 412/INTL 412.

PHIL 421. Aesthetics. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: PHIL 101, 103, 104, 201, 211, 212, 213, 214, 221 or 222. A critical survey of philosophies of art from antiquity to the 20th century. Topics include: the nature of art, creativity, aesthetic experience and aesthetic judgments.

PHIL 430. Philosophy of Religion. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: PHIL 101, PHIL 103, PHIL 104, PHIL 201, PHIL 211, PHIL 212, PHIL 213, PHIL 214, PHIL 221 or PHIL 222. An introduction to the major problems and questions of religion and reason. Special reference will be made to the nature of God, the nature of man, the problem of evil, the source of good, immortality and the basis of authority. Crosslisted as: RELS 430.

PHIL 440. Mysticism. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: UNIV 200 or HONR 200. A critical analysis of the varieties of mysticism in world religions. Arguments for and against mysticism will be emphasized. Mysticism will be related to art, psychology, science, philosophy, theology and magic. Crosslisted as: RELS 440.

PHIL 490. Seminar in Philosophy. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. May be repeated with different topics for maximum of six credits. Prerequisite: PHIL 300, PHIL 301, PHIL 302, PHIL 303, PHIL 304, PHIL 320, PHIL 327, PHIL 328 or PHIL 335 (or permission of instructor in exceptional cases). Research and analysis of selected philosophical topic in a seminar setting. Must be taken at least once as a senior (i.e., after the completion of at least 85 credit hours toward the degree) to satisfy the capstone requirement.

PHIL 492. Independent Study. 1-4 Hours.

Semester course; variable hours. Variable credit. Maximum of 6 credits per semester; maximum total of 12 credits for all independent study courses. Open generally to students of only junior or senior standing who have acquired at least 12 credits in the departmental discipline. Determination of the amount of credit and permission of instructor and department chair must be procured prior to registration of the course. An independent study course to allow interested majors in philosophy to do research, under the direction of a professor qualified in that field, in an area of major interest.

PHIL 496. Senior Research Project. 1-4 Hours.

Semester course; 1-4 credits. Prerequisites: Senior status; two courses from PHIL 301, 302, 303, 320, 327, 335, 391; and written approval by faculty supervisor. An individual research project to develop a polished journal-length research paper. This course is intended primarily for students who wish to develop a dossier paper for submission to a philosophy graduate program.

PHIL 600. Artificial Intelligence and Ethical Problem Solving. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online). 3 credits. The course offers a rigorous, graduate-level introduction to ethical issues associated with artificial intelligence. Students will use both the traditional methods of philosophical analysis and cutting-edge AI tools to analyze, and to propose solutions for, practical problems. Candidate topics include algorithmic bias, environmental harm, responsibility gaps, data privacy and technological unemployment.

PHIL 683. Administrative Ethics. 2,3 Hours.

Semester course; 2 or 3 lecture hours. 2 or 3 credits. A philosophical investigation into the problems of making ethical decisions, focusing on issues likely to confront the public administrator. Examples of such issues are equity in social services delivery, affirmative action, loyalty to the bureaucracy vs. "whistle blowing," and conflicts of interest between personal and public interest. Crosslisted as: PADM 683/GVPA 683.