Philosophy
30482 PHIL 100 – C01 Robert Piercey
Introduction to Philosophy MWF 0930 – 1020
Philosophy 100 is an introduction to the study of philosophy. It is intended to introduce you to philosophical questions, to give you an idea of what some of history’s greatest philosophers have said about them, and to help you learn how to articulate philosophical concerns of your own. The branches of philosophy we’ll study include ethics, aesthetics, and the theory of knowledge.
31071 PHIL 100 – C02 Anna Mudde
Introduction to Philosophy T/TH 1130 – 1245
Introduction to the theories of morality, knowledge, and metaphysics through a critical examination of such historically significant philosophical problems as the nature and justification of value judgments, the possibility of knowledge, the existence of God, the possibility of immortality.
32151 PHIL 150 – C01 George Marshall
Critical Thinking MWF 0830 – 0920
Critical Thinking is a practical course whose aim is the development of thinking skills; that is, to teach the specific skills necessary for selecting and using information to solve problems and make decisions, in short, to make one a more rational human being. To achieve this end, this course will weave materials from many disciplines into a unified set of procedures for recognizing and defining problems, gathering relevant information, devising and testing solutions to problems, and making decisions. Since critical thinking alone is not enough to produce this skill, the course will also emphasize creative thinking and the subjective factors that effect our decision making and problem solving.
32152 PHIL 150 – C02 TBA
Critical Thinking MWF 0930 – 1020
(See description above)
33447 PHIL 211 – C01 TBA
Later Greek Philosophy MWF 1230 – 1320
This course explores the main philosophical ideas and concepts developed by Aristotle and later Greek thinkers, including Epicurus, the Stoics, the Sceptics and Plotinus. We will address a wide variety of issues concerning knowledge, morality, pleasure, beauty, matter and evil. These themes will be approached in their interconnectedness. We will constantly want to see what kind of view about the ultimate nature of reality underlies specific answers given to the more particular questions, and how, a specific view about knowledge, for instance, determines a specific outlook of one’s moral beliefs.
33444 PHIL 212 – C01 Robert Piercey
Medieval Philosophy MWF 1130 – 1220
This course is a serious introduction to medieval philosophy. It will consist of a wide-ranging survey of European philosophy from the fall of the Roman empire to the end of the fourteenth century. Particular attention will be paid to the metaphysical and epistemological questions raised during this period, though we’ll look at other areas of philosophy as well. While most of the figures we’ll read belong to various Christian traditions, we’ll also pay some attention to medieval Islamic and Jewish thinkers. The recurring themes of the course will include the relation between reason and religious faith, the problem of universals, the nature of human knowledge, and the philosophical consequences of the doctrine of creation.
33448 PHIL 310AC – C01 George Marshall
33449 PHIL 410AC – C01
Hegel MWF 1230 – 1320
This introduction to the philosophy of Hegel will be developed through a critical textual analysis of one of the truly great philosophical works of the modern era: The Phenomenology of Spirit. In addition to learning how to approach and understand a major philosophical work, a concern of the class will be to give the student some idea of why Hegel has had such an enormous impact on contemporary philosophy.
33445 PHIL 310AJ – C01 Ann Ward
33446 PHIL 410AJ – C01
Socrates MWF 1130 – 1220
Socrates is widely regarded as the first political philosopher, the first philosopher not simply to investigate the natural world but to make political questions concerning the best form of rule, justice, virtue, and the good life for human beings central to philosophic inquiry. His political thought, which we know primarily through Plato's Socratic dialogues, takes its bearings from the good, or from the human soul. But what is the basis or justification for such an enterprise? This course explores Plato's Socrates, as well as ancient and modern critiques of Socrates, from Aristophanes' CLOUDS to Socrates' place in the philosophies of Hegel, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche. We will conclude with Kierkegaard's contrast between Socrates and Christ, and with Nietzsche's contrast between Socrates and Dionysus. Can Socratic philosophizing sustain the powerful attacks made in the name of history, faith and tragedy? And does Socratic philosophizing adequately sustain political life, especially in the face of such attacks? Alternatively, do the positions of these later thinkers offer superior ways to understand and develop political communities.