HUMN 220-04: Western Humanities I Carlo Filice 1. Demonstrate knowledge of the contributions of significant Western thinkers to ongoing intellectual debate about moral, social, and political alternatives. 2. Demonstrate knowledge of the major trends and movements that have shaped and responded to this debate: e.g., monotheism, humanism, etc. 3. Demonstrate the ability to think critically about moral, social, and political arguments in the Western intellectual tradition, evaluating the logic of these arguments and relating them to the historical and cultural context. 4. Consider moral, social, and political issues from an interdisciplinary perspective. In addition to the course s content, particular attention is paid to developing students ability to evaluate and assess that content from a critical perspective. Special attention is also paid to the contemporary relevance of the works studied. HUMN 220-05/09: Western Humanities I Charles Hertrick 1. Demonstrate knowledge of the contributions of significant Western thinkers to ongoing intellectual debate about moral, social, and political alternatives. 2. Demonstrate knowledge of the major trends and movements that have shaped and responded to this debate: e.g., monotheism, humanism, etc. 3. Demonstrate the ability to think critically about moral, social, and political arguments in the Western intellectual tradition, evaluating the logic of these arguments and relating them to the historical and cultural context. 4. Consider moral, social, and political issues from an interdisciplinary perspective. Aeschylus, Oresteia Machiavelli, The Prince Shakespeare, The Tempest Plato, Apology and Crito Dante, Inferno Cicero, On Friendship In addition to the course s content, particular attention is paid to developing students ability to evaluate and assess that content from a critical perspective. Special attention is also paid to the contemporary relevance of the works studied. This course provides an intensive introduction to important literary, historical, and philosophical works of the Western tradition. Beginning with the rise of Greek and Hebrew civilizations,
through the Age of Faith, and ending with the Renaissance and Reformation, we will read some of the crucial works that shaped Western culture. Several major themes will run throughout the course, including: the relationship between the individual and the state; the relationship between the human and the divine; rationality and spirituality; the nature and sources of evil; the role of the artist in society; the narrative stance chosen by authors; the expansion of empires; the role of leaders; and the position of women in Western culture. HUMN 220-10: Western Humanities I Elias Savellos 1. Demonstrate knowledge of the contributions of significant Western thinkers to ongoing intellectual debate about moral, social, and political alternatives. 2. Demonstrate knowledge of the major trends and movements that have shaped and responded to this debate: e.g., monotheism, humanism, etc. 3. Demonstrate the ability to think critically about moral, social, and political arguments in the Western Intellectual tradition, evaluating the logic of these arguments in the Western intellectual tradition, evaluating the logic of these arguments and relating them to the historical and cultural context. 4. Consider moral, social, and political issues from an interdisciplinary perspective. In addition to the course s content, particular attention is paid to developing students ability to evaluate and assess that content from a critical perspective. Special attention is also paid to the contemporary relevance of the works studied. HUMN 221-02/04: Western Humanities II James Bennett 1. Demonstrate knowledge of the contributions of significant Western thinkers to ongoing intellectual debate about moral, social, and political alternatives. 2. Demonstrate knowledge of the major trends and movements that have shaped and responded to this debate: e.g., monotheism, humanism, etc. 3. Demonstrate the ability to think critically about moral, social, and political arguments in the Western intellectual tradition, evaluating the logic of these arguments and relating them to the historical and cultural context. 4. Consider moral, social, and political issues from an interdisciplinary perspective.
HUMN 221-03: Western Humanities II Stacey Edgar 1. Demonstrate knowledge of the contributions of significant Western thinkers to ongoing intellectual debate about moral, social, and political alternatives. 2. Demonstrate knowledge of the major trends and movements that have shaped and responded to this debate: e.g., monotheism, humanism, etc. 3. Demonstrate the ability to think critically about moral, social, and political arguments in the Western intellectual tradition, evaluating the logic of these arguments and relating them to the historical and cultural context. 4. 4. Consider moral, social, and political issues from an interdisciplinary perspective. Locke, Second Treatise of Government (Harlan Davidson/Crofts) Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels (Houghton-Mifflin) Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America (Mentor-NAL) Marx & Engels, Communist Manifesto Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment (Norton) Sigmund Freud, Civilization and its Discontents (Norton) J. W. von Goethe, Faust: Part One (Penguin) American History Documents The formal requirements in this course are two papers and three examinations. Each of the requirements in the course counts the same--20% of your final grade. HUMN 221-05: Western Humanities II Ted Everett 1. Demonstrate knowledge of the contributions of significant Western thinkers to ongoing intellectual debate about moral, social, and political alternatives. 2. Demonstrate knowledge of the major trends and movements that have shaped and responded to this debate: e.g., monotheism, humanism, etc. 3. Demonstrate the ability to think critically about moral, social, and political arguments in the Western intellectual tradition, evaluating the logic of these arguments and relating them to the historical and cultural context. 4. Consider moral, social, and political issues from an Interdisciplinary perspective.
Locke, Second Treatise of Government (Harlan Davidson) Swift, Gulliver's Travels (Houghton Mifflin) American Historical Documents Rousseau, Discourse on the Origin of Inequality (Hackett) Melville, Billy Budd, Sailor and Other Stories (Penguin) Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem (Penguin) Marx and Engels, Communist Manifesto (International) Mill, Utilitarianism and On Liberty (New American Library) Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents (Norton) Solzhenitsyn, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (Bantam) NA HUMN 221-10: Western Humanities II Walt Soffer 1. Demonstrate knowledge of the contributions of significant Western thinkers to ongoing intellectual debate about moral, social, and political alternatives. 2. Demonstrate knowledge of the major trends and movements that have shaped and responded to this debate: e.g., monotheism, humanism, etc. 3. Demonstrate the ability to think critically about moral, social, and political arguments in the Western intellectual tradition, evaluating the logic of these arguments and relating them to the historical and cultural context. 4. Consider moral, social, and political issues from an interdisciplinary perspective. Descartes, Discourse on the Method Locke, Second Treatise of Government American History Documents Swift, Gulliver s Travels Rousseau, The Basic Political Writings The Marx-Engels Reader Mill, On Liberty Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents Rawls, A Theory of Justice INTD 105-02:WrSm:Philosophy of Nonviolence Brian Barnett 1. The ability to read significant texts carefully and critically, recognizing and responding to argumentative positions. 2. The ability to write sustained, coherent, and persuasive arguments on significant issues that arise from the content at hand. 3. The ability to write clearly, following the conventions of Standard English. 4. The ability to incorporate information gleaned through library
research into written arguments. 5. A deeper understanding of nonviolence in both theory and practice, including political, ethical, and spiritual dimensions. Nonviolence in Theory and Practice, 3 rd edition, edited by Holmes and Gan (Waveland 2012) Being Peace, Thich Nhat Hanh They Say/I Say : The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, 4th edition, Graff and Birkenstein (W.W. Norton 2018) Additional articles to be made freely available online Course requirements include participation in discussion and other inclass activities, homework exercises, a plagiarism workshop, a library orientation, one visit to the Writing Learning Center, three 3-5 page (double spaced) essays, and one 6-8 page (double spaced) research paper. INTD 105-04/07 WrSm: Sci-Fi Minds James Otis 1. The ability to read significant tests carefully and critically, recognizing and responding to argumentative positions. 2. The ability to write sustained, coherent, and persuasive arguments on significant issues that arise from the content at hand. 3. The ability to write clearly, following the conventions of Standard English. 4. The ability to incorporate information gleaned through library research into written arguments. 5. Gain a familiarity with various moral debates related to science and technology. INTD 105-05: WrSm: Stacey Edgar 1. Discovering relationships between love and beauty, love and friendship, love and sex, and writing well about them. Plato, Symposium Plato, Phaedrus Shakespeare, A Midsummer Nights Dream Course material will be supplemented by poetry, art, music, and film clips related to the theme of romantic love. Essays will require a careful reading of the course texts, a developing skill in writing, and a critical ability to construct and evaluate arguments.
INTD 105-19: WrSm: Greek Tragedy, Comedy & Philosophy David Levy 1. Demonstrate the ability to read significant texts carefully and critically, recognizing and responding to argumentative positions. 2. Demonstrate the ability to write and revise sustained, coherent and persuasive arguments on significant issues that arise from the content at hand. 3. Demonstrate the ability to write clearly, following the conventions of Standard English. 4. Demonstrate the ability to incorporate informed gleaned through library research into written arguments. All primary readings will be good quality, inexpensive translations of the Greek texts, such as those produced by Hackett Publications. Texts are likely to include Antigone (Sophocles), the Clouds (Aristophanes), and Apology (Plato). Students will also use a writing guide. As is the case for all sections of INTD 105, students will write three essays, revising each of these essays, along with a fourth essay that will incorporate some research. Students will also co-register for INTD 106. INTD 105: Skepticism, Conspiracy Theories, and Critical Thinking David Hahn 1. Demonstrate the ability to read significant texts carefully and critically, recognizing and responding to argumentative positions. 2. Demonstrate the ability to write and revise sustained, coherent and persuasive arguments on significant issues that arise from content at hand. 3. Demonstrate the ability to write clearly, following the conventions of Standard English. 4. Demonstrate the ability to incorporate information gleaned through library research into written arguments. When the first section of this course was taught, I picked the subject because I thought it would be fun way to teach persuasive writing, now it seems it s actually important to know this subject. The course concentrates on teaching skeptical reasoning, using philosophical tools such as: how to formulate an argument, evaluation of evidence, and reasoned conclusions from evidence. Using these basic ideas, we can easily take apart conspiracy theories to show the flaws in their reasoning and outright falsity of them.
PHIL 100-01: Introduction to Philosophy Walt Soffer 1. Be able to identify and analyze arguments in accordance with the primary methodology of philosophy; 2. Be able to distinguish between epistemological, metaphysical, 3. and axiological problems in philosophy; 4. Have a basic understanding of how the philosophical tradition has shaped contemporary discussions of major philosophical problems. Pojman and Vaughn, Philosophy: The Quest for Truth, 9 th Edition, Eds. An introduction to the nature of philosophy, philosophic reasoning, and the following philosophic areas; Philosophy of Religion (Proofs of God, Problem of Evil), Theory of Knowledge (Nature of Truth and Rationality, Cognitive Relativism), Philosophy of Mind (Mind-Body Problem, Artificial Intelligence), Ethics (Moral Absolutism vs. Relativism, Egoism vs. Altruism, Ethics and Religion), The Meaning of Life (Religion vs. The Absurd). PHIL 111-01: Introduction to Logic Stacey Edgar 1. The ability to convert a problem into a setting using symbolic notation. 2. The ability to connect and find relationships among symbolic quantities. 3. The ability to construct an appropriate symbolic framework. 4. The ability to carry out algorithmic and logical procedures to resolution. 5. The ability to draw valid conclusions from numeric/symbolic evidence. Edgar, Edgar, and Daly, Introduction to Logic Doing logic well requires practice (as do sports, music, etc.), so there are homeworks which get detailed feedback (and help from skilled TAs) as well as four exams that measure your understanding. The course establishes standards and tests for valid reasoning, requires students to engage in creative problem solving, and familiarizes them with rational foundations in a wide range of areas. PHIL 130-01: Ethics Walt Soffer 1. Gain an introductory level understanding of questions and debates within moral philosophy (including normative ethics, moral psychology, and applied ethics) 2. Learn to properly recognize and employ arguments in others and one s own writing 3. Apply philosophical methods of analysis and argumentation to contemporary social and political controversies Pojman and Tramel, Moral Philosophy: A Reader, 4 th Edition, Eds.
An introduction to the nature of ethics and ethical reasoning. Utilizing readings from ancient philosophy to the present, the following topics will be covered: Moral Relativism vs. Objectivism, Ethics and Egoism, Nature of the Good, Deontological Ethics, Utilitarianism, Virtue Ethics, Morality and Religion. PHIL 202-01: M/World Religions & Contemporary Issues Carlo Filice 1. To improve one s skills in critically assessing claims and beliefs. 2. To become more familiar with some of the world s major religious texts and belief-systems. 3. To become better at judging religious belief-systems with fairness and impartiality. This course will explore the central texts and ideas of some of the world s most influential religions. The stress will be on understanding the basic vision and beliefs as expressed in their more cherished texts. We will attempt to critically assess the vision and the beliefs of each religion. Part of our inquiry will target the ethical vision and value commitments of each religious view. Thus, we will look at some current practical implications of different religious views regarding, for example, war and peace, the environment, the status of women, social justice, etc. PHIL 204-01: Philosophy of Woman Amanda Roth 1. Become aware of feminist interventions in philosophy and various feminist approaches to issues in philosophy 2. Recognize contrasting feminist points of view related to conceptualizing and overcoming inequality and oppression 3. Enter into these debates orally and in writing 4. Evaluate feminist critiques of philosophy as a disciplinary field Okin: Is Multiculturalism Bad for Women Mill: The Subjection of Women Other texts will include contemporary feminist philosophy
This is an intermediate level course in feminist philosophy. It assumes no background in either philosophy or feminist theory. We will focus on introducing contemporary work in feminist philosophy and will apply philosophical methods of reasoning to a variety of topics of feminist concern. Throughout the course we will stress the diversity of feminist theories and approaches. We will also emphasize the ways in which feminist work has intervened in various subfields of analytic philosophy as well as taking up and evaluating feminist criticism of philosophy as a discipline. PHIL 207-01: Modern Philosophy David Levy 1. Be able to characterize general thematic features of the Early Modern period in contradistinction to the Ancient and Medieval periods. 2. Be able to characterize general thematic features of the Early Modern rationalists, while noting specific differences between individual rationalists. 3. Be able to characterize general thematic features of the Early Modern empiricists, while noting specific differences between individual empiricists. 4. Be able to identify and analyze arguments presented in primary readings. 5. Write concise essays that engage with and analyze arguments contained within the primary texts. An anthology of primary texts, along with a text that provides an analytical overview of the major arguments contained within the primary texts. Course requirements will include two exams and two essays. There is some chance that a small number of brief writing assignments will also be required. PHIL 214-01 M/Chinese Philosophy Brian Barnett Introduction to ical Chinese Philosophy by Van Norden (Hackett 2011) Readings in ical Chinese Philosophy, 2 nd edition, edited by Ivanhoe and Van Norden (Hackett 2005) The Path: What Chinese Philosophers Can Teach Us About the Good Life, by Puett and Gross-Loh (Simon & Schuster 2016) Additional articles to be made freely available online. Course requirements include participation in discussion and other inclass activities, homework exercises, three essays, short reading/lecture quizzes, and two exams.
PHIL 217-01: Problems in the Philosophy of Law Elias Savellos This course will concern philosophical issues which are generated in legal contexts, and how these issues relate to the concerns of modern society. We will examine what law is and what it is supposed to be, what its relationship is to justice, to what extent it reflects morality, and whether it connects with fundamental social needs. The stress throughout will be analytical and critical rather than historical and descriptive. PHIL 219-01: Social & Political Philosophy Carly Herold 1. Gain familiarity with the major debates from classical to contemporary political philosophy. 2. Critically read and comprehend original philosophical texts. 3. Analyze and evaluate various approaches to questions of justice. 4. Enter into those debates using philosophical argumentation in class discussion and writing. May include selections from Aristotle, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Karl Marx, John Stuart Mill, John Rawls, Richard Rorty, Stanley Fish and others. This course will examine key issues in social and political philosophy as they ve been reflected upon from the ancient world to the modern day. We ll consider both the ways in which these reflections differ from each other and the ways in which they may show enduring concerns across historical eras and cultures. Some of the major themes we will consider include (but are not limited to): the meaning of justice; democratic theory; the rights and duties of citizens; what gives governments legitimacy; the political values of liberty and equality; and the relationship of private life and public life.
PHIL 237-01: Ethical Issues in Business Elias Savellos 1. Students will demonstrate an understanding of major types of foundational ethical theories, including, but not limited to, consequentialist and deontological theories. 2. Students will recognize that the environment of business is rife with ethical issues, both at the level of the overall economic system and within specific business areas. 3. Students will use the language of ethics when discussing business decisions. 4. Students will consider how ethical standards are related to law, religion, and social custom. 5. Students will develop their moral reasoning and, more generally, critical thinking skills. PHIL 237-02: Ethical Issues in Business Heidi Savage 1. Students will demonstrate an understanding of major types of foundational ethical theories, including, but not limited to, consequentialist and deontological theories. 2. Students will recognize that the environment of business is rife with ethical issues, both at the level of the overall economic system and within specific business areas. 3. Students will use the language of ethics when discussing business decisions. 4. Students will consider how ethical standards are related to law, religion, and social custom. 5. Students will develop their moral reasoning and, more generally, critical thinking skills. Not available at this time
PHIL 237-03: Ethical Issues in Business David Hahn 1. Students will demonstrate an understanding of major types of foundational ethical theories, including, but not limited to, consequentialist and deontological theories. 2. Students will recognize that the environment of business is rife with ethical issues, both at the level of the overall economic system and within specific business areas. 3. Students will use the language of ethics when discussing business decisions. 4. Students will consider how ethical standards are related to law, religion, and social custom. 5. Students will develop their moral reasoning and, more generally, critical thinking skills. Not available at this time PHIL 240-01: Philosophy of Science Ted Everett PHIL 311: Philosophical Logic Heidi Savage 1. Understand various types of logics distinct from classical logic. 2. Develop competence in completing proofs within those logics. 3. Understand the philosophical significance of distinct logics for different fields of philosophy. 4. Understand various philosophical issues within theories of various logics themselves. Priest, An Introduction to Non-ical Logic: From If to Is Haack, Philosophy of Logics This course is for students who are interested in exploring logic at a deeper level than it is at the introductory level. The course covers different types of logic, such as intuitionism, relevance logic, modal logic, many valued logic, free logic, and dialethic logic. These logics are then applied to various philosophical issues, such as necessity and possibility, time, morality, knowledge, and conditionals. The issue of which, if any, logic is correct is also addressed.
PHIL 330-01: Ethical Theory Amanda Roth 1. Become familiar with and/or deepen one s understanding of the classical families of normative ethical theories 2. Engage with ongoing philosophical problems, questions, and debates raised in recent work in moral theory 3. Put forth sophisticated philosophical analyses and evaluations of contemporary issues in moral theory orally and in writing 4. Engage in independent research on topics related to the course material Required texts: course materials that you are required to purchase will be determined soon (texts we will study will include a combination of classical normative ethical theories along with contemporary philosophical problems and developments in normative ethics). This course will focus contemporary work in ethical theory, specifically normative ethics--the area of ethics that focuses on what makes actions right or wrong, good or bad. There are no official prerequisites, but it will be helpful if students have some familiarity with philosophy generally, and with reading philosophical texts (classic and contemporary) specifically. PHIL 340-01: Theory of Knowledge Ted Everett 1. Be able to explain and analyze the traditional account of knowledge, as well as the primary challenges to it; 2. Be able to explain and analyze the concept of epistemic justification; 3. Be able to explain and analyze the internalism/externalism dispute; 4. Be able to explain and analyze the naturalistic approach to epistemology; 5. Be able to explain and analyze arguments concerning skeptical possibilities; 6. Produce written work that involves offering sustained arguments 7. that respond to ongoing discussions in the epistemological literature.
PHIL 397-01: Seminar: Theories of Justice Carlo Filice 1. To acquire a better understanding of the main schools of thought within classical and contemporary visions of a just society/system. 2. To become better at judging socio-economic-political systems with fairness and impartiality. 3. To improve one s oral skills in critical presentation/discussion. This course will examine some of the most prominent theories of distributive justice. That is, it will explore answers to the question(s): How should a group organize/distribute the desirable goods that can be distributed? The group-setting could be a classroom, a society, a cosmic arrangement. The goods could be resources, opportunities, capabilities Among the philosophers studied will be Plato, Locke, Rawls, Nozick, Nussbaum.