PHIL-ELEC PHIL (3 Credits)
PHIL-102 INTRO TO PHILOSOPHY (3 Credits)
The aim of this course is to initiate a self-awakening in the student through a confrontation with the perennial problem of the nature of human existence. Students will be guided in the confrontation by the development and exercise of their capacity for critical reflection. Within the context of this aim, specific issues in epistemology, metaphysics and ethics will be considered.
PHIL-102H INTRO. TO PHILOSOPHY (HONORS) (3 Credits)
Restrictions: RG.HON
PHIL-104 INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS (3 Credits)
Ethics enquires into the fundamental perspectives and principles that bear on the evaluation of human conduct. It examines prominent theories about what constitutes a good life, articulates relevant principles of right action, poses basic questions about the nature of morality and engages with various moral problems that confront the individual and society. This course endeavors to acquaint students with traditions of moral inquiry and to equip them with key concepts
PHIL-104H ETHICS HONORS (3 Credits)
Ethics enquires into the fundamental perspectives and principles that bear on the evaluation of human conduct. It examines prominent theories about what constitutes a good life, articulates relevant principles of right action, poses basic questions about the nature of morality and engages with various moral problems that confront the individual and society. This course endeavors to acquaint students with traditions of moral inquiry and to euqip them with key concepts by which to exercise their own moral reflection.
PHIL-105 HONORS INTRO TO ETHICS (3 Credits)
PHIL-111 INTRODUCTION TO CRITICAL THINKING (3 Credits)
Introduction to Critical Thinking introduces the student to the concepts and techniques of critical thinking, focusing on the analysis and evaluation of arguments, creating cogent and sound arguments, recognizing errors in reasoning, evaluating definitions, determining the credibility of sources, and testing claims by means of seeking disconfirming evidence.
PHIL-203 SOURCES OF TRUTH (3 Credits)
PHIL-204 STRUCT & MEAN OF REAL. (3 Credits)
PHIL-210 METAPHYSICS (3 Credits)
This course focuses on the three traditional objects of metaphysical inquiry: God, Person and World. At least two metaphysical traditions are compared: the Christian metaphysical tradition and a modern (contemporary) non-Christian tradition. The overall objective is to challenge students' cultural presuppositions and to guide their attempt to develop a consistent account of the relation between God, Person and World.
PHIL-221 GOOD SOCIETY (3 Credits)
This course introduces students to the major theories of social and political organization in the western philosophical tradition. Special attention is paid to the principles which inform our evaluation of societies and their practices. Such principles include peace, justice, liberty, human rights, the public interest and the idea of a common good. The aim of this course is to give students an opportunity to develop a critical understanding of such theories and values, and to encourage an enlightened and principal participation in the public discourse of a democratic society.
PHIL-222 OPPRESSION AND PRIVILEGE (3 Credits)
This course is an introduction to the topics of oppression and privilege. We will look at U.S. history through "a different mirror" - from a multicultural perspective. We will explore how oppression and privilege operate on an individual, group, institutional and societal level. This approach should provide students with new cultural competencies and insights into the nature of American racism and white privilege.
PHIL-301 ETHICS (3 Credits)
The aim of this course is to give students a deeper understanding of some of the fundamental issues and perspectives regarding morality that were introduced in Clare 304 (The Good Life). Topics include the source, range, and truth-value of moral claims, the existence of moral facts, classic and contemporary normative moral theory, value theory, moral reasoning, and descriptive studies of moral decision-making and action.
PHIL-301A PHILOSOPHY OF NONVIOLENCE (3 Credits)
PHIL-310 SPECIAL STUDIES IN PHIL. (3 Credits)
An intensive study of a special philosopher, a philosophical movement or a philosophical issue. The content of the course will be announced prior to the semester at which it is offered. The course may be retaken provided the content of the course has changed.
PHIL-310A PHILOSOPHY & LITERATURE (3 Credits)
PHIL-310AA WOMEN AND THE LAW (3 Credits)
PHIL-310AB "THE WAY OF UNKNOWING" (3 Credits)
PHIL-310AC THE BILL OF RIGHTS (3 Credits)
PHIL-310AD THE DEATH PENALTY (3 Credits)
PHIL-310AE PHILOSOPHY OF AGING (3 Credits)
PHIL-310AF MODERN ART AND THEORY (3 Credits)
PHIL-310AG SP STUDIES: ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS (3 Credits)
PHIL-310AH SP TOP:EVIL IN MODERN THOUGHT (3 Credits)
PHIL-310AK SP TOP:EVIL IN MODERN THOUGHT (3 Credits)
PHIL-310AL Sp Top: Existence & Being (3 Credits)
PHIL-310AM Sp Top: Social and Political Philosophy (3 Credits)
PHIL-310AN SP TOP: CJ THEORY/PRACTICE (3 Credits)
PHIL-310B PHILOSOPHY OF FILM (3 Credits)
PHIL-310C PHILOSOPHY AND CULTURE (3 Credits)
PHIL-310D THE SIXTIES (3 Credits)
PHIL-310E 20TH CENTURY ETHICS (3 Credits)
PHIL-310F FRANCISCAN PHILOSOPHY (3 Credits)
PHIL-310G CONTEMP. ETHICAL & POL. ISSUES (3 Credits)
PHIL-310I CONTEMPORARY EUROPEAN (3 Credits)
PHIL-310J PHILOSOPHY OF ST. BONA (3 Credits)
PHIL-310K NIETZSCHE (3 Credits)
PHIL-310L CONTEMPORARY METAETHICS (3 Credits)
PHIL-310M PHIL OF JOHN DUNS SCOTUS (3 Credits)
PHIL-310ME MEDICINE, ETHICS & LAW (3 Credits)
PHIL-310MEH MEDICINE, ETHICS & LAW HONORS (3 Credits)
PHIL-310N FEMINIST PHILOSOPHY (3 Credits)
PHIL-310P ENVIRONMENTAL PHILOSOPHY (3 Credits)
Prerequisite(s): Take PHIL-101
PHIL-310PW SP TOP: FICTION & POSSIBLE WORLDS (3 Credits)
PHIL-310Q GANDHI & KING (3 Credits)
PHIL-310QQ SP TOP: OPPRESSION & PRIVILEGE (3 Credits)
PHIL-310R EPISTEMOLOGY:SELECTED TOPICS (3 Credits)
PHIL-310S PHIL OF ST. THOMAS AQUINAS (3 Credits)
PHIL-310T PHILOSOPHY OF ECONOMICS (1-4 Credits)
PHIL-310U ETHICS (3 Credits)
PHIL-310V ETHICAL THEORY (3 Credits)
PHIL-310W METAPOLITICS (3 Credits)
PHIL-310X MORAL THEORY (3 Credits)
PHIL-310Y THE CONTEMPLATIVE LIFE (3 Credits)
PHIL-312 SYMBOLIC LOGIC (3 Credits)
This course is designed to introduce students to formal languages and to the relation between logic and language. Topics covered include: symbolization, validity, soundness, truth-tables, truth-connectives, formal proof, sentential logic, quantifiers, and predicate logic.
PHIL-316 PHILOSOPHY OF MIND (3 Credits)
An examination of various views of the nature of a person and the philosophical issues and problems which arise within these views. Includes such topics as the mind/body problem, freedom versus determination, the self and personal identity, action theory and the concepts of philosophical psychology.
PHIL-317 PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION (3 Credits)
An intensive investigation of the nature and foundations of religion, taking into consideration such ideas as God, human destiny, worship, faith and revelation. Considering the mainstream of religious thought, particularly the Judeo-Christian tradition, this course examines contemporary approaches to religion and theology, existentialism, naturalism and analysis.
PHIL-318 AESTHETICS (3 Credits)
An introduction to the problems of aesthetics and the philosophy of art as treated by traditional and contemporary authors; the nature and structure of art, the aesthetic experience, the evaluation and criticism of works of art.
PHIL-319 HUMAN IMAGES (3 Credits)
A literary and philosophical study of diverse views of man and the human situation, principally as reflected in western literary classics.
PHIL-320 EXISTENTIALISM (3 Credits)
A critical study of philosophical and literary representatives of the existentialist movement. The origins of existentialism in the 19th century as well as its formulations in the 20th century are considered. Authors covered include Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre, Camus, Kafka, Hesse and others.
PHIL-324 MOCK TRIAL (3 Credits)
A course for students interested in participating in the annual National Intercollegiate Mock Trial Competition and for those who simply want to know more about the American trial process. The overall objective of the course is to acquaint students with the fundamental process of the adversarial system of justice, including the basic rules of trial procedure and evidence.
PHIL-325 PHILOSOPHY OF LAW (3 Credits)
A critical analysis of the basic theories of law and of the philosophical systems upon which they are based. Special attention will be paid to particular problems in the philosophy of law which are relevant to the contemporary social and political situation.
Prerequisite(s): take PHIL-104, PHIL-104H, PHIL-105 or CLAR-104
PHIL-326 LEGAL REASONING (3 Credits)
An examination of the principles and maxims that govern judicial reasoning through intensive analysis of selected statutes, judicial opinions and leading articles on the topic of legal reasoning. Students will be taught how to brief cases and will be exposed to the Socratic question-answer method of teaching frequently used in law school.
PHIL-327 LEGAL ETHICS (3 Credits)
An exploration of moral issues inherent in the practice of law, such as the limits of the duty of loyalty to one's client, confidentiality, lawyer advertising, the duty to make legal services available to all citizens, plea-bargaining, the use of unfair tactics, conflicts of interest and the extent to which the lawyer is subject to different moral norms than the average citizen. Students will learn basic legal research skills which can be employed to research and evaluate major issues of legal ethics.
Prerequisite(s): PHIL-104
PHIL-328 PARALEGAL INTERNSHIP (3-6 Credits)
The internship is designed to provide familiarity with aspects of the American legal system that will in turn form a practical basis for philosophical evaluations of that system. Each intern will be expected to serve 12 hours per week, usually for two consecutive semesters. Interns will be introduced to key legal concepts, principles and issues operating in various areas of law, and will be taught basic research skills. The particular areas of training will be a function of the interest and expertise of supervising attorneys.
PHIL-329 PARALEGAL INTERNSHIP (3 Credits)
PHIL-330 BUSINESS ETHICS (3 Credits)
This course is designed as a critique of the business enterprise. It teaches recognition of ethical problems in the business and proposes methods toward their solution. Topics discussed include whistle-blowing, issues in marketing and advertising, consumer rights, ecological issues and employee and management issues.
PHIL-331 PHILOSOPHY OF ECONOMICS (3 Credits)
A philosophical investigation of the concepts, methods and implications of economic theory. Special attention will be paid to conflicting assumptions concerning social organization, individual rationality and values in alternative economic theories. The course will also consider the evaluation of economic policies and economic system from an ethical perspective.
PHIL-332 SOC. & ECON. JUSTICE (3 Credits)
This course will begin an examination of various theories of justice. A liberal view like that of John Rawls, a libertarian view like that of Robert Nozick and a socialist view like that of Karl Marx will be carefully examined. The second part ofthe course will be spent examining and discussing various case studies. We will consider how our understanding of different theories of justice can help us resolve the conflicts and disputes that arise in these case studies. Also, some attention will be paid to contemporary critiques of American society.
PHIL-332A SOCIAL & ECONOMIC JUSTICE (3 Credits)
PHIL-333 NEWS MEDIA ETHICS (3 Credits)
A practical analysis of the ethical problems of the news media. Teaches recognition of ethical problems of the press and approaches to their solution. Designed to meet the concerns and interests of students planning a career in any branch of the news media.
PHIL-334 WAR AND MORALITY (3 Credits)
A philosophical investigation of many of the issues surrounding modern war. Topics for analysis and discussion include the justice of war (jus ad bellum), the justice of the conduct of war(jus in bello), the principles of double effect and military necessity, obedience to superior orders, justice of nuclear war, concept of nuclear deterrence and pacifism.
PHIL-335 PHIL. OF SCIENCE & MEDICINE (3 Credits)
The aim of this course is to introduce the student to the conceptual and methodological aspects of modern science and medicine. Special emphasis will be given to the relation between science, ethics, and medicine and to the analysis of such medical concepts as "health" and "disease."
PHIL-336 PHILOSOPHY OF PSYCHOLOGY (3 Credits)
A critical reflection on the methods, principles and basic concepts of contemporary psychology. Particular attention is given to the special problems involved with a specific study of human action.
PHIL-337 DEATH AND DYING (3 Credits)
A study of the philosophical aspects of death and dying, as they rise out of a personal confrontation with one's own feelings and attitudes toward death.
PHIL-338 HEALTH CARE ETHICS (3 Credits)
An exploration of the ethical and value issues inherent in modern medicine with particular emphasis on the issues of euthanasia, suicide, informed consent, abortion, truth-telling and confidentiality, allocation of scarce resources and care of the dying.
PHIL-339 PHILOSOPHY OF LOVE & SEX (3 Credits)
A critical examination of various problems in the areas of sexual language, monogamous marriage and its alternatives, pre-marital and extra-marital sex, the logic of deviation, feminism, pornography, abortion and the concept of love.
PHIL-340 APPLIED ETHICS INTERNSHIP (1-3 Credits)
The course allows qualified students to gain supervised experience in an area where ethical questions are faced on a daily basis. The internship currently includes work as a para-medical intern and as an assistant to a newspaper editor.
PHIL-341 ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS (3 Credits)
An advanced, applied ethics seminar which examines three particular moral issues directly implied in our use (and abuse) of the natural environment: Distributive justice with reference to distant people intergenerational justice with reference to future generations and the rights of animals. A basic ethics course is presupposed. Students will be expected to participate in seminar discussions, to prepare brief papers summarizing articles in the philosophy journals such as Philosophy Today and Environmental Ethics and to present and defend, in the seminar, a position paper on some aspect of one of the three issues noted above.
PHIL-342 ETHICAL DIMENSIONS OF FRANCISCAN ECON (3 Credits)
In the liberal arts educational tradition of the Middle Ages, economics and economic theory was treated as a subset of ethics. This course aims to explore the unique contribution to economic thought made by the Franciscan movement in the High and Late Middle Ages. Emerging at the same time that Europe was undergoing a profound transformation from a gift to a mercantile economy (that is, at the dawn of modern capitalism), the Franciscan tradition proposed an alternative (evangelical) vision of how human beings can live justly and ethically in a complex world in which money and the ownership of property play such critical roles in human social relations. In short, this course will examine the various aspects of the medieval Franciscan notion of poverty and its meaning and relevance for medieval as well as contemporary society.
PHIL-344 PHILOSOPHY OF AGING (3 Credits)
This course teaches students to identify and analyze the fundamental concepts used by people in thinking about aging - concepts such as health, disease, autonomy and dependence, dignity, wisdom, natural and artificial, well-being and meaning - and to critically assess the normative roles of, and presuppositions underlying, such concepts.
PHIL-345 VALUES AT THE END OF LIFE (3 Credits)
This course deals with the fundamental value issues faced by dying people and those who care for them. After a brief overview of physical and medical aspects of dying, the focus of the course is on the psychosocial and philosophical factors that can contribute to dying well. Those factors include autonomy, relatedness and paternalism, communication and connection, and meaning and transcendence.
PHIL-358 THE PHILOSOPHY OF GANDHI (3 Credits)
The philosophy of Gandhi course introduces students to Gandhi's metaphysical views about the nature of truth and reality as well as to his views on ethics and his political philosophy, on how human beings should conduct themselves as individuals and as a community. The course will critically examine the various vows required of members of Gandhi's community and the philosophical arguments Gandhi offered for requiring such vows. Finally, the course will examine critically the connection between the personal and political aspects of Gandhi's thought.
PHIL-361 Evil and Modern Thought (3 Credits)
PHIL-404 HIST.OF ANCIENT& MEDIEVAL HIST (3 Credits)
A course designed to trace a number of the basic ideas and problems from their beginnings in Ancient Greece to their development in the Middle Ages. A special effort will be made to display a continuity with respect to the philosophical enterprise considered by major philosophers and schools from 585 B.C. to 1600 A.D.
PHIL-405 FRANCISCAN PHILOSOPHY (3 Credits)
This course offers students the opportunity to study the broad range of metaphysical, epistemological, ethical and political ideas found in the chief Franciscan philosophers of the High Middle Ages: St. Bonaventure, John Duns Scotus and William of Ockham. Which Franciscan philosopher is studied varies from semester to semester; course may be taken repeatedly provided that the topic of study differs.
PHIL-405A SP.TOP:SCOTUS AND OCKHAM (3 Credits)
PHIL-405B SP: GOD, CREATION AND PERSON (3 Credits)
This introductory course in Franciscan Philosophy establish a foundational approach to the fundamental characteristics of the Franciscan School in both its wisdom and scientific dimensions. It will serve as an introduction to the academic discipline of philosophy in general, especially the role of argument, and in particular to issues of epistemology, metaphysics, natural theology, the nature and limits of religious language, the problem of evil, and philosophic anthropology. Where possible, the Franciscan approach to these philosophical issues will be presented and contrasted with the Dominican tradition.
PHIL-405C Franciscan Philosophy: Theory of Values (3 Credits)
PHIL-406 PHIL.OF ST.THOMAS AQUINAS (3 Credits)
This course is a general course on the philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) and will treat as many of the general areas of Aquinas' thought as possible. Among the topics to be considered are the metaphysics of being; God and His Nature; the human person; intellect and will; the end of the human person; happiness; the virtues; law and the political community.
PHIL-407 HISTORY OF MODERN PHILOSOPHY (3 Credits)
An investigation of the leading trends in 17th and 18th century philosophy from Descartes to Kant.
PHIL-409 NIETZSCHE (3 Credits)
This course will examine Nietzsche's seminal writings with an eye to their influence on contemporary philosophy. Such central topics in Nietzsche as "the death of God," "the will to power," "the Overman," and "nihilism" will be addressed as well as the appropriation of Nietzsche in "post-modern" thought.
PHIL-413 AMERICAN PHILOSOPHY (3 Credits)
An introduction to the chief American philosophers: Emerson, Thoreau, Pierce, Royce, James and Dewey.
PHIL-450 INDEPENDENT STUDY (1-6 Credits)
Independent Study Directed reading and research.
PHIL-450A INDEPENDENT STUDY (3-6 Credits)
PHIL-450B INDEPENDENT STUDY (1-6 Credits)
PHIL-450C IND STY: ANCIENT & MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY (1-6 Credits)
PHIL-450D IND STY:ETHICAL EVALULATION OF ROBOTICS W MENTAL & PHYSICAL CARE OF THE ELDERLY (3 Credits)
PHIL-450E SP.STY IN ENVIRONM'L JUSTICE (3 Credits)
PHIL-450F TRANSCENDENTALISM: EMERSON & THOREAU (3 Credits)
PHIL-498 SENIOR RESEARCH SEMINAR (3 Credits)
This course covers research methodologies and skills, and provides the philosophy major with both structural support and mentoring for developing a successful "senior essay" in order to satisfy the department's comprehensive requirement for graduation.