291
PHILOSOPHY COURSE OFFERINGS
2012-2013
Philosophy
PHL 105. Introduction to Philosophy 3 credits A survey of central philosophical issues and problems. Consideration will be given to such topics as the nature, sources, and validity of knowledge; the relationship of philosophy to science; the nature of the mind and its place in the universe; and the meaning of moral and aesthetic values. A survey of representative schools of philosophy is included. PHL 106. Logic 3 credits A study of the principles of correct reasoning in ordinary language, in deductive logic, and in the inductive methods of science. PHL 107. History of Philosophy 3 credits A study of basic ideas and trends in the history of Western philosophy. Readings from important works of major philosophers from Plato to Hegel. (Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit) PHL 205. Ethics 3 credits A study of moral values, moral reasoning, and ethical choice. PHL 206. Contemporary Philosophy 3 credits A study of present philosophical thought, with emphasis on contemporary forms of pragmatism, Marxism, analytic philosophy, phenomenology, and existentialism. Attention is given to such thinkers as Dewey, Lukacs, Marcuse, Russell, Wittgenstein, Husserl, Heidegger, and Sartre. Prerequisite: PHL 105 or 107, or permission of the instructor. (Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit) PHL 207. Philosophy in the Nineteenth Century 3 credits A study of some of the theme in the philosophy of the last century: Hegel and romantic idealism, materialism and positivism, Kierkegaard, Marx, and Nietzsche. The relevance of nineteenth-century thought to our present-day situation will be emphasized. Prerequisite: PHL 105 or 107, or permission of the instructor. (Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit) PHL 208. Aesthetics 3 credits A philosophical analysis of art, aesthetic values, and criticism; a study of significant theories of art; and an examination of the relationship of art to truth and morality. (Spring 2013 and alternate years) PHL 209. Philosophy of Religion (Cross-listed as REL 209) 3 credits A philosophical reflection on religious experience and conceptions of the divine. Topics to be discussed include: the existence of God, faith and reason, religious language and symbolism, the human condition, and the religious situation in our time. Readings from both classical and contemporary authors. (Spring 2014 and alternate years) PHL 215. Science and Faith (Cross-listed as BMS 215) 3 credits This course will consider many of the important issues in the relation of science to faith. The central issue will be the implications of Darwinian evolution for faith but will also consider some of the wider implications for faith from this touchstone. For example: Are science and faith compatible? If God is God then why is there such apparent waste and cruelty in nature? Students will develop a coherent theology of nature in response to Darwin’s challenge. Fall PHL 217. Environmental Ethics (Cross-listed as BIO 217) 1 credit A survey of human perspectives on nature and the environment from a historical perspective. Various philosophers will be studied to explore their ideas on stewardship and environmental ethics. One hour of lecture per week. Spring PHL 295. Special Topics 3 credits Special topics courses for the study of philosophy. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. (Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit)