SPRING 2019 COURSE OFFERING

PH 101 Intro to Philosophy

An historical and topical survey, this course will introduce the student to the discipline of philosophy through the close reading of representative texts, both historical and contemporary. Through analysis of the texts, lecture, and discussion the student will gain an understanding of philosophy both as a unique discipline and as a way of asking and attempting to answer the most profound questions about ourselves and our world that we may pose.

Open to first- and second-year students or by permission of instructor.
Fulfills humanities requirement.

Section-001  M/W
2:30 – 3:50 p.m.

Section-002  T/R
8:10 – 9:30 a.m.

Section-003 T/R
11:10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

L. Jorgensen

L. Jorgensen

S. Carli

PH 110W Introduction to Political Philosophy

An examination of who should have power over others, of the forms that this power should take, and of the possibility of resisting and reconfiguring these power relations. Students will engage with classical and contemporary texts in social and political philosophy to answer these questions and will pose related questions about justice, equality, freedom, citizenship, and social organization.

M
10:10 – 11:00 a.m.

T/TH
9:40 – 11:00 a.m.

PH 203 Ancient Greek Philosophy

PH 204 Modern Philosophy from Descartes to Kant

An introduction to major thinkers and themes of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe. The dynamics of the Scientific Revolution-the collection of new discoveries and inventions and the evolving experimental methods in the early modern period led philosophers to a profound reappraisal of fundamental issues such as the sources and limits of knowledge, the relation between mind and body, theories of human freedom and personal identity, and the apparently competing desires to explain the surrounding world in both natural and religious terms. Students will investigate how these philosophical developments led to distinctively modern ways of thinking about nature and the self. Primary documents will be read throughout.

Fulfills humanities requirement.

M  12:20 – 1:15 p.m.

T/R  12:40 – 2:00 p.m.

PH 207 Logic

An introduction to the basic concepts and methods of modern symbolic logic, with a focus on their application to proper reasoning. Students learn how to represent sentences in logical notation, to reconstruct arguments in that notation, to assess arguments for validity and soundness, and to prove conclusions from premises using a system of natural deduction. Students also learn to recognize common argument forms and common mistakes in reasoning (fallacies), are introduced to philosophical issues related to logic, and learn how symbolic logic is the basis for the digital computer.

Note: Fulfills QR2 requirement.

PH 210 Aesthetics

PH 230C Love and Friendship

What are love and friendship? Why do we love and who are our friends? What is the relation between self-love and love for others? Is there something that love for a partner, for the divine, for art and knowledge, and for one’s country share? Can a political message centered on love be effective?

This course explores a number of philosophical approaches—from ancient Greece to the contemporary world—to these questions. Particular attention will be paid to the implications of the theories we will analyze for issues such as human nature, happiness, and moral and political relations.

PH 306 19th C Philosophy

PH 330D Personal Identity

PH 375 Senior Seminar

Note: Fulfills the writing requirement in the major.
Prerequisite: Senior Philosophy major or permission of the instructor.

PR 324 Philosophy of Religion (AB)