Spring 2009 Courses

PH 101-001   Intro. to Philosophy     TU/TH    2:10 - 3:30  PM	3 Credits W. Lewis
PH 101-002  Intro. to Philosophy   TU/TH    12:40 - 2:00 PM	3 Credits M. Ostrow
PH 101-003  Intro. to Philosophy TU/TH  3:40 - 5:00	3 Credits M. Ostrow
PH 101-004  Intro. to Philosophy   TU/TH  11:10 - 12:20	3 Credits B. Doyle
PH 101H  -  Intro. to Philosophy - Honors    TU/TH   9:10 - 11:00 AM	4 Credits  R. Lilly
PH 207  -  Logic TU/TH   12:40 - 2:00	4 Credits S. Stebbins
PH 210  -  Aesthetics  TU/TH    11:10 - 12:30	3 Credits R. Lilly
PH 215  -  Buddhist Philosophy    M/W  2:30 - 3:50	3 Credits J. Smith
PH 230 - 001  History of Analytic W/F   10:10 - 11:30 AM        **See Course Descrpition Below**	3 Credits M. Ostrow
PH 230 -002   Philosophy of Science   T/TH  3:40 - 5:00      **See Course Description Below**	3 Credits B. Doyle
PH 330-001    Hobbes     M/W    2:30 - 4:20 PM      **See Course Description Below**	4 Credits B. Doyle
PH 341   Philosophy of Literature TU/TH    2:10 - 3:30 PM	4 Credits R. Lilly
PH 375    Senior Seminar    TU/TH   9:10 - 11:00 AM	4 Credits W. Lewis
PR 324   Philosophy of Religion TU/TH 3:40 - 5:30	4 Credits J. Smith

What is the philosophy of language? This term can be applied to a number of different areas of inquiry, but in this course it will be understood as more or less synonymous with analytic philosophy. In particular, our focus here will be on the key figures of early analytic philosophy—Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, Carnap, and Quine—for all of whom the concern with language figures quite centrally. Still, these thinkers do not treat the notion of language as an isolated topic, but rather one that is bound up with a larger inquiry into logic, mathematics, ontology, and the nature of rationality itself. Our study of philosophy of language is thus really a study of a set of related attempts—quite arguably the greatest of the 20th century at least—at grappling with the deepest questions of metaphysics

PH 230-002  Philosophy of Science
This course offers an introduction to a variety of ways in which philosophers reflect on the activity of scientific inquiry and its results.  No specialized familiarity with philosophy or the sciences is required.  Several episodes from the history of science will be examined to provide us with some vivid examples.  We will ask general questions about science (e.g., Does the fact that the content of science changes over time undermine its claim to be real knowledge?) as well as some questions about particular sciences (e.g., How is biology different from physics?).  Readings will cover the major themes and thinkers in twentieth-century philosophy of science (logical positivism, Popper, Kuhn and others).  

PH 330-001   Hobbes:
Our main goal in this course is to read Hobbes' Leviathan (1651) with great care from beginning to end.  This is arguably the greatest work of philosophy ever written in English.  Careful attention will be given to the historical context (the English Civil War) and to what Hobbes himself was trying to say and do by publishing this book when he did.  Supplementary readings from other works by Hobbes will help us understand how Leviathan fits into Hobbes' plan for a comprehensive system of knowledge—including the science of bodies in general, the science of human beings in particular and the science of political associations.  We shall also consider a variety of more recent interpretations to understand how Hobbes is used in contemporary debates.