PHIL- Philosophy

Pathways

Courses

PHIL& 101: Introduction to Philosophy

Credits 5
H- In this course, students will engage in the study and practice of philosophy. Students will learn to read and evaluate classic and contemporary philosophical texts and will develop the background and understanding to formulate their own answers to questions that have intrigued philosophers through the ages, for example, 'What is truth?' 'What is knowledge?' 'Does God exist?' and 'What is the meaning of life?' Other issues will be examined as well, such as the nature of reality, freedom of the will, the nature of morality, and the best way to organize society. This course emphasizes the role of reason and argument in a community of inquiry; the goal is for students to emerge from the class with an understanding of how philosophy is done, a familiarity with key historical texts and themes, and a foundation for further study both within and beyond the discipline.

PHIL& 115: Critical Thinking

Credits 5
H- This philosophy course is designed to help students decide whether to accept or reject claims and arguments found in academia, media, business, advertising, or other walks of life. At the conclusion of this non-symbolic approach to logic and critical thinking, students will have the skills necessary to critically evaluate arguments, to distinguish good reasoning from bad, and to recognize illegitimate or fallacious attempts to manipulate them into accepting ideas or information. Additionally, students will learn to counter real-life examples of faulty reasoning with logical, well-organized arguments that are sensitive to intended audience and purpose.

PHIL& 120: Symbolic Logic

Credits 5
H,Q- This philosophy course enables students to symbolize and analyze the structural basis of arguments encountered every day, for example, in college lectures and texts, in advertisements and the media, and at work. By focusing on core content of symbolic logic--namely sentence logic with proofs and predicate logic with quantifiers and proofs--students will learn to describe the structure of arguments, translate passages in ordinary language into symbolic notation, and by doing so, determine whether or not the arguments are valid.

PHIL 102: Ethics and Social Problems

Credits 5
EDP, H- This is a course in learning to disagree constructively in a diverse and pluralistic global society. To that end, students will examine a range of contentious social issues and the reasons individuals and groups have for their positions on those issues. Students will be encouraged to think independently and engage in dialogue about ethics in a variety of contexts and settings, including local, national, and global communities. Students will leave the course better equipped to understand why people differ in their moral judgments, more skilled in reflecting upon their own underlying assumptions and better able to consider alternative views of power and inequality, and in fuller possession of the tools to continue engaging in the practice of moral reasoning.

PHIL 220: Global Philosophy

Credits 5
EDP, GS, H- This course introduces students to philosophical ideas and systems emerging from outside the Western analytic philosophical perspective. Students can expect to explore and assess perennial questions about such topics as the nature of reality, truth, value, knowledge, and religion as they have been engaged with by such traditions as Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and other historical and cultural perspectives emerging from non-Western cultures. The goal of this course is to help students see the similarities and differences in how these topics have been and are dealt with by philosophers around the globe and outside the Western canon, and in so doing, better understand their own views and how they are informed by familiar and unfamiliar cultural and philosophical influences.

PHIL 238: Introduction to the Philosophy of Human Rights

Credits 5
EDP, GS, H- This course will provide students with an introduction to the philosophy of human rights as a foundation for the exploration of applied human rights issues in a global context. Students will develop an understanding of how human rights are conceptualized and justified and consider a variety of questions, such as: What is a human right and what is its source? Should human rights be universal or are they culturally relative? What sorts of public and/or governmental policies are justified in the name of protecting or securing human rights? Can a human right be forfeited and if so by whom? Could human rights apply to non-humans? Do future generations have human rights? Students will come out of this class with a solid understanding of the main philosophical and conceptual themes in the study of human rights, better prepared to undertake further study and practice of human rights both in academia and the world at-large.

PHIL 240: Introduction to Philosophical Ethics

Credits 5

H- This philosophy course is designed to help students better understand, develop, and evaluate moral claims through an examination of the theoretical criteria upon which those claims are based. Students will be introduced to classic and contemporary works in philosophy that examine issues like: why be moral, what makes right acts right, the role of character in ethical behavior, whether pleasure is the only ultimate good, the nature of justice, and whether there are moral facts. Influential ethical theories such as utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics, and contractarianism will be surveyed. Students will come away from the course with a deeper understanding of the basis of morality and be better equipped to think critically about ethical issues they face in their own lives.

PHIL 242: Biomedical Ethics

Credits 5
H- In this philosophy course students will develop skills needed to create and defend culturally sensitive and logically sound responses to ethical issues that arise in the practice of medicine in a diverse society. Students will sharpen the theoretical background needed to apply moral reasoning to issues they would likely face as healthcare providers and/or consumers, through an emphasis on philosophical thinking, writing, and dialogue. The course explores ethical concerns related to such topics as reproductive rights, end of life care, healthcare rationing, physician responsibilities, genetic technology, human and animal experimentation, disability and the rights of people with disabilities, and other emerging issues in medical and medical-related fields. Students will come out of this class with a greater understanding of how to think and act as medical professionals and consumers in ways that respect the inherent dignity of all people.

PHIL 243: Environmental Ethics and Sustainability

Credits 5
H, SU - This philosophy course is intended to give students the theoretical background for applying moral reasoning to issues related to environmental use, protection, and sustainability. The class will undertake an examination of philosophical perspectives on the environment and engage in practical application of proposed solutions to environmental problems. Throughout the course, connections between individual and societal, as well as between local and global impacts on the environment will be emphasized. Students will come out of this class with a deeper sense of our ethical obligations to the environment and with a greater understanding of how to make choices that support environmental sustainability.

PHIL 260: Business Ethics

Credits 5

H- This philosophy course highlights the deep moral foundations that systems of business serve and the ethical values that shape the daily practices of business professionals.  This course is intended to help students develop the skills needed to create and defend culturally sensitive and logically sound responses to ethical issues that arise in a contemporary global business setting. It helps students develop a vision of what it means to be an honorable businessperson working in an honorable profession. Along the way, the course will explore ethical concerns such as the role of business in society, employer-employee relationships, just and unjust discrimination, pricing and pay practices, marketing and sales tactics, engineering technology, and privacy. Students will come out of this class with a greater understanding of how to do business in a manner that creates value and respects the inherent dignity of all people.

PHIL 267: Philosophy of Religion

Credits 5
H- This course is a philosophical exploration of questions related to and inspired by religion and religious belief. Students will examine arguments for and against the existence of God, the afterlife, the status of miracles, the relation between morality and religion, the problem of evil, whether atheism better explains reality, and other issues that emerge from human beings' drive to understand some of life's deepest concerns and puzzles. Rather than focusing on any specific faiths, the course takes religious concepts and beliefs in general as the primary material for philosophical study. That said, the material tends towards philosophical issues in western, analytic philosophy as it has engaged the Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition. Students can expect to come out of this course with a clearer sense of how philosophy and religion interact and a better understanding of their own philosophical and spiritual beliefs.