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Study in Philosophy is an essential ingredient of a liberal arts education. The Department of Philosophy offers a full curriculum on three levels: introductory courses (100 level), intermediate and advanced courses with concentration on particular sub-fields of philosophy (200 level), and topical and historical seminars (300 level). The Philosophy major meets the needs and interests of the following students: a) those who plan graduate study and teaching in the field; b) those who intend to go to law school; c) those who seek preparation for work in government, business, social service, journalism, or any field in which critical thinking is valued; and d) those who wish to approach a liberal arts education through a concentrated study of philosophy. The major also combines easily with other majors. Introductory Courses. Courses at the 100 level offer the student a choice of emphases in an initial study of methods, problems, and theories in philosophy. None of these courses duplicates courses of higher number. Some 200 level courses are also open to students with no previous work in philosophy. These courses are not intended to serve as introductory courses in philosophy, but they may still be taken by students without previous philosophical training who have a special interest in their topics. Any 200 level course with no stated prerequisite falls into this category. Entry-Level Course Sequence Suggestions. The department suggests any of its introductory courses as an appropriate first course in philosophy. (Other philosophy courses that are open without prerequisite may also serve this purpose, though they are not intended as introductory courses.) From any of these first courses, students may, with occasional exceptions, proceed to any of the department's advanced offerings. For purposes of the major it is desirable, though not mandatory, that the course in Deductive Logic, 200, or that in Reason and Argument, 201, should be completed early in one's philosophical studies. Students interested in majoring in philosophy should consult with the chairperson, or any member of the department, concerning course sequence planning. It is possible to complete the philosophy major even if it is not started until the junior year. Major. When declaring a major in philosophy a student may approach any faculty member in the department to serve as major advisor. The selection of courses for the major is to be made in consultation with the major advisor. The major consists of at least 30 credit hours of course work in the Department of Philosophy, satisfying the following course requirements: 1. History of Philosophy. Two courses designated with an "H" as satisfying this requirement (see course descriptions). Possible courses include Ancient and Medieval Philosophy, Modern Philosophy, Existentialism, Nineteenth-Century Philosophy, Twentieth-Century Continental Philosophy, or Twentieth-Century Analytic Philosophy. 2. Mind and World. Two of the following courses: Metaphysics, Epistemology, Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Mind, or Philosophy of Language. 3. Value Inquiry. One course designated with a "V" as satisfying this requirement (see course descriptions). Possible courses include Ethics, Philosophy of Art, Bioethics, Environmental Ethics, Social, Legal, or Political Philosophy. 4. Logic. One of the following courses: Deductive Logic, Reason and Argument. 5. At least one course must be a 300-level course. 6. The balance of the 30 credit hours of work in the Department of Philosophy consists of electives chosen by the student in consultation with the major advisor. No more than one 100-level course will count toward the major. Note also that no student may use any course to satisfy more than one of the foregoing requirements. Minor. Students may earn a minor in philosophy upon completion of 15 credit hours of work in philosophy chosen in consultation with a minor advisor. No more than one of these courses may be from the 100 level. Students majoring in philosophy may not minor in philosophy. Courses in philosophy also count toward the Cognitive Sciences Concentration. Honors. The department offers an Honors Program to qualified senior majors. The Program involves intensive study and writing under faculty supervision for an academic year. It culminates in the preparation of a lengthy written thesis, and a defense of the thesis before departmental faculty and, typically, an external examiner from another college or university. Questions should be directed to the department's Director of the Honors Program. Winter Term. The following faculty are willing to sponsor Winter Term projects as indicated. Mr. Ganson: history of philosophy, history and philosophy of psychology, metaphysics, theory of knowledge. Ms. Ganson: theory of knowledge, philosophy of science, philosophy of language, logic. Mr. MacKay: history of modern philosophy, ethical theory, philosophy of language, analytic philosophy.
101. Introduction to Philosophy 3 hours 3HU First and Second Semester. An introduction to philosophy through the study of some important philosophical works. Examples of such works are: Plato's Republic, Descartes' Meditations, Hume's Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding and Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, and Kant's Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics and Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals. Exams and papers required. Enrollment Limit: 33. Mr. MacKay 120. Knowledge and Reality 3 hours 3HU First Semester. An introductory course to questions philosophers have asked about the nature of reality and the possibility of our knowledge of reality. These questions include: What are the basic constituents of reality? What is the relation between physical nature and the mind? Is freedom of the will possible? What makes an object (or a person) the same over time? How do reason and our senses provide us with knowledge about the world? Enrollment Limit: 30. Mr. Bell 121. Philosophy and Morality 3 hours 3HU Second Semester. An introduction to the central topics of moral philosophy. We will explore challenges to the possibility of ethics, classical theories of morality, and applications of these theories to familiar controversies, such as the extent of the duties of the affluent to assist the poor. Enrollment Limit: 30. Mr. Ganson 122. The Nature of Value 3 hours 3HU First Semester. What makes an action right or wrong? What makes a state just? What makes a painting or landscape beautiful? Each of these questions is central to a branch of value theory: ethics, political philosophy, and aesthetics. Answering questions like these requires an understanding of what it is for things to be valuable in different ways. This course aims to bring us to such an understanding by comparing forms of judgment and critically engaging with value problems. Enrollment Limit: 30. Ms. Thomson-Jones FYSP 190. Rationality, Objectivity, and Truth in Science 3 hours 3HU, WR First Semester. For description, please see "First-Year Seminar Program" in the catalog. Enrollment Limit: 14. Ms. Ganson
200. Deductive Logic 3 hours 3HU First Semester. What makes an argument a good or a bad one? We will explore the idea that the answer depends on the underlying structure of the argument, and develop a formal language which allows us to bring out that structure. Students will thus acquire an increased ability to critically evaluate arguments in any sphere. A grasp of the essential elements of symbolic logic is also vital for anyone wishing to grapple seriously with contemporary Anglophone philosophy. Note: Strongly recommended for students considering graduate work in philosophy. Enrollment Limit: 30. Mr. Thomson-Jones 201. Reason and Argument 3 hours 3HU Next offered 2005-2006. 204. Ethics 3 hours 3HU First Semester. A study of some of the main issues in moral philosophy, emphasizing ethical theory rather than applied ethics. Writings from among the following thinkers will be included: Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Butler, Hume, Kant, Sidgwick, G.E. Moore, and Charles Stevenson. Papers required. (V) Prerequisite: Three hours in philosophy. Enrollment Limit: 33. Mr. MacKay 206. Epistemology 3 hours 3HU, WR Next offered 2005-2006. 208. Metaphysics 3 hours 3HU, WR Next offered 2005-2006. 210. Existentialism 3 hours 3HU, WR Next offered 2005-2006. 215. Ancient Philosophy 3 hours 3HU First Semester. An introduction to the central problems of Ancient Greek and Medieval philosophy. The course begins with an examination of how Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, and the Stoics respond to Socrates' paradoxical claims about morality and human nature, and ends with Medieval discussions of the nature and existence of God. Other topics include: fate, the distinction between appearance and reality, and feminism. (H) Enrollment Limit: 30. Mr. Ganson 216. Modern Philosophy 3 hours 3HU Second Semester. A study of philosophy in the 17th and 18th centuries, concentrating on Descartes, Hobbes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant. Texts include primary sources, with translations as required. This course is not an introductory course, but may be taken by students without previous study in philosophy with a special interest in the topic. Exams and papers required. (H) Enrollment Limit: 33. Mr. MacKay 220. Philosophy of Language 3 hours 3HU, WR Second Semester. In this course we shall explore central contributions to the philosophy of language by major classic and contemporary philosophers of the 20th century, including Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, Quine, Davidson, and Putnam. In addition we shall examine how some of these influential views on meaning, reference, truth, and the content of belief have been applied to address key issues in metaphysics and epistemology, such as the problem of skepticism and moral realism. Prerequisite: Three hours in philosophy. Note: Previous work in formal logic strongly recommended. Enrollment Limit: 30. Ms. Ganson 222. Philosophy of Science 3 hours 3HU, WR First Semester. Our best scientific theories seemingly posit an array of entities which we are unable to detect with the unaided senses, but which nonetheless underlie the world of everyday experience—things such as genes, electrons, and magnetic fields. Do we have good reason to believe in such entities? And do we arrive at the theories in question by employing a "scientific method" which guarantees truth and objectivity? Prerequisite: Three hours in philosophy. Enrollment Limit: 30. Mr. Thomson-Jones 225. Environmental Ethics 3 hours 3HU, WR Next offered 2005-2006. 226. Social, Political, Legal Philosophy 3 hours 3HU, WR Next offered 2005-2006. 228. Philosophy of Mind 3 hours 3HU, WR Second Semester. An examination of central topics in contemporary philosophy of mind, including the mind-body problem, the hard problem of consciousness, mental causation, and the problem of intentionality. Special emphasis will be placed on the question of how psychology, as a science of the mind, is possible. Prerequisite: Three hours in philosophy. Enrollment Limit: 30. Mr. Ganson 230. Philosophy of Art 3 hours 3HU, WR First Semester. This course is an introduction to some of the main theories in the philosophy of art, which have to do with the nature, function and value of art. The best way to understand these theories is in relation to historical developments in the art world. The aims of the course are to give students an understanding of a number of central issues in the philosophy of art and to encourage them to think philosophically about the arts. (V) Prerequisite: Three hours in philosophy, or consent of instructor. Enrollment Limit: 30. Ms. Thomson-Jones 231. Philosophy of Music 3 hours 3HU Second Semester. This course invites you consider why we value absolute music as we do, whether for its beauty, expressiveness or as a kind of language. The aim of the course is to make explicit views which are already implicit in musical practice, and subject them to philosophical examination. (V) Prerequisite: Three hours in philosophy or consent of instructor. Enrollment Limit: 30. Ms. Thomson-Jones 232. Philosophy of Film 3 hours 3HU Second Semester. This course examines the philosophical assumptions behind classical and contemporary film theory. Topics include the uniqueness of film as an art form, the nature of expression in film, realism, film authorship, whether there is a language of film, and the nature of film narrative. The aim of the course is to bring us to understand the nature of film and our engagement with it. Prerequisite: Three hours in philosophy or consent of instructor. Enrollment Limit: 30. Ms. Thomson-Jones 234. Topics In Applied Ethics 3 hours 3HU, WR Next offered 2005-2006. 235. Biomedical Ethics 3 hours 3HU,WR Second Semester. This course will examine ethical problems arising in the practice of medicine and biomedical research. Topics will include death and dying, medical paternalism, physician assisted suicide, eugenics, cloning, research ethics, and more. Our readings will be drawn primarily from contemporary philosophers. (V) Prerequisite: Three hours in philosophy. Enrollment Limit: 30 Mr. Hall 245. Nineteenth-Century Philosophy 3 hours 3HU, WR Next offered 2005-2006. 250. Twentieth-Century Continental Philosophy 3 hours 3HU, WR Next offered 2005-2006.
308. Seminar: British Empiricism 3 hours 3HU, WR First Semester. In the 18th century prominent students of the human mind did not yet draw a distinction between psychology and philosophy. The attempts of Berkeley, Hume, and Reid to provide a new foundation for the science of the human mind were deeply intertwined with efforts to confront traditional philosophical questions concerning knowledge and reality. In this course we shall explore the views of these and other historical figures working at the intersection of philosophy and psychology. (H) Prerequisite: One 200-level course in philosophy or consent of instructor. Enrollment Limit: 15. Mr. Ganson 345. Seminar: Liberty, Law and Property 3 hours 3HU,WR Second Semester. This seminar will discuss libertarian political philosophy and its socialist critics. We will read in political philosophy, economics, and political science, including Nozick, Rawls, Cohen, Marx, Hayek, Friedman, and others. (V) Prerequisite: Three hours in philosophy. Enrollment Limit 15. Mr. Hall 360. Seminar: Philosophy of Literature 3 hours 3HU, WR Second Semester. In addition to its value as works of art, literature can teach us something about ourselves. In this seminar, we'll pursue philosophical questions about how engagement with literature can lead to moral knowledge. Of special concern will be the roles of imagination and empathy in this engagement. We'll also look at the bearing of these issues on traditional philosophical theories of morality. Readings will include works of literature. (V) Prerequisite: Three hours in philosophy. Consent of instructor required. Enrollment Limit: 15. Mr. Bell Private Reading and Independent Research Any student who is interested in undertaking a Private Reading course or an Independent Research course (401) with a member of the department should make arrangements with the departmental member prior to registering for the course. 401. Independent Research 2-5 hours 2-5HU Consent of instructor required. Projects sponsored by Ms. Ganson, Mr. Ganson, Mr. Hall (spring), Mr. MacKay, Ms. Thomson-Jones, and Mr. Thomson-Jones (fall). 411. Honors Research 3-6 hours 3-6HU Consent of instructor required. Projects sponsored by Ms. Ganson, Mr. Ganson, Mr. Hall (spring), Mr. MacKay, Ms. Thomson-Jones, and Mr. Thomson-Jones (fall). 995. Private Reading 1-3 hours 1-3HU Consent of instructor required. Projects sponsored by Ms. Ganson, Mr. Ganson, Mr. Hall (spring), Mr. MacKay, Ms. Thomson-Jones, and Mr. Thomson-Jones (fall). |
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