Phil-P 105: Thinking and Reasoning (3 credits)

MW 4671 1:00-2:15P Matthew Shockey
MW 4776 4:00-5:15P ELK Matthew Shockey
(Not open to students who have taken P150)
(Campuswide Gen Ed Fundamental Literacies: Critical Thinking)
This course aims to help students learn how to identify and assess arguments and to improve their reasoning skills in a variety of areas. Students will study the art of precise expression and will learn how to recognize arguments, to analyze their structure, and to detect hidden assumptions or flaws they might contain. We will study a number of common fallacies (mistakes) in reasoning, along with various techniques for detecting them.

MW 4376 6:00-7:15P Lyle Zynda
(Not open to students who have taken P150)
(Campuswide Gen Ed Fundamental Literacies: Critical Thinking)
This course aims to help students learn how to identify and assess arguments and to improve their reasoning skills in a variety of areas. Students will study the art of precise expression and will learn how to recognize arguments, to analyze their structure, and to detect hidden assumptions or flaws they might contain. We will study a number of common fallacies (mistakes) in reasoning, along with various techniques for detecting them. We will discuss basic deductive reasoning (categorical arguments and elementary propositional logic) and several types of inductive reasoning, such as generalization from samples, reasoning about causes, analogies, and elementary statistical reasoning.

Phil-P 110: Introduction to Philosophy (3 credits)

MW 4377 2:30-3:45P JR Shrader
TR 4378 11:30A-12:45P JR Shrader
(Campuswide Gen Ed Fundamental Literacies: Critical Thinking)
This course is an introduction to the methods of philosophy and several persistent philosophical problems, with a heavy emphasis on critical thinking and analysis of philosophical texts. In the first half of the course, students will study in-depth the principles of good reasoning and critical thinking. These include distinguishing the various roles words and concepts play within a language, analyzing words and concepts to discover their essential meanings, identifying arguments within a text, and critically evaluating arguments. In concert with learning these basic skills, students will read some classic philosophical texts both to gain an appreciation for the history of philosophy and to see how philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Descartes practiced critical thinking. In the second half of the course, students will be introduced to some of the central problems that have concerned philosophers throughout the ages (and that remain relevant today). Topics that will be covered include some of the following: (1) The problem of knowledge. Is there an absolute truth to be found, and if so, what can we really know about the world?, (2) The existence of God. What reasons support theism (belief in God)? What reasons support atheism (denial of belief in God)? (3) The mind/body problem. Are humans just material, or do we have a nonphysical part (a soul) responsible for our thoughts? What is the essential part of each of us? (4) The existential problem. What is life all about? Is there an objective standard for living a good life, or are we on our own in defining our purpose? Students should expect not to be given answers to these questions, but to apply the critical thinking skills they have acquired to reach their own conclusions. Students will be evaluated on the basis of homework assignments, short papers, and two exams.

Phil-P 140: Introduction to Ethics (3 credits)

TR 4300 10:00-11:15A Mahesh Ananth
This course is designed to introduce students to some of the standard ethical theories (ethical relativism, rights, utilitarianism, deontology, and pluralism), including the strengths and weaknesses of these theories. In addition, special attention is given to applying these theories to specific contemporary moral problems (e.g., torture, euthanasia, capital punishment).

TR 3792 1:00-2:15P Louise Collins
In our everyday lives, we face many moral questions, small and large: Should I tell my boss about my co-worker’s pilfering? What should I think about my friends who use illegal drugs in private? What moral values should I teach my kids? In this class, we’ll learn about different approaches to resolving moral problems. We’ll apply the views of classical and contemporary philosophers to several case studies, to see what insights they offer us.

MW 3791 8:30-9:45A Staff
This course has three main aims: 1. To improve individual thinking and reasoning about moral issues; 2. To participate constructively in moral debate together; and 3. To learn about the discipline of ethics or moral philosophy. To achieve these aims, we will read and discuss the ideas of classic and contemporary moral philosophers.

Phil-P 214: Modern Philosophy (3 credits)

MW 3793 10:00-11:15A Matthew Shockey
(LAS: Science and Culture)
(LAS: Western Culture 2)
The sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in Europe were a period of intense creativity and massive change—it was the period of the Scientific Revolution, the Protestant Reformation, the Counter-Reformation by the Roman Catholic church, a broad shift towards more secular and representative forms of government, and widespread exploration and exploitation of the lands and peoples around the globe. Philosophers during this time not only reflected on and tried to make sense of the many changes taking place; in many cases they played an active role in bringing the changes about. The resulting body of thought remains the source for many of our own world-views and continues to shape our thinking about some of the most important questions we as humans face: what are the human mind, soul, and body? Do we have freewill? Does God exist? If so, what can we know about God through reason alone and what requires revelation? How does what science teaches about the world relate to our common-sense experience? Does morality require God, or is it grounded in human reason or emotion? What is the source of the authority of the state? In this class we will tackle these questions by reading four groundbreaking works from this period—Rene Descartes' Meditations (1642), David Hume’s Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (1748), John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government (1690), and Immanuel Kant’s Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals (1785)—along with short supplementary selections from other philosophers to provide context.

Hpsc-X220: Issues in Science: Humanistic
European Science 1500-1700: The Scientific Revolution (3 credits)

TR 4610 11:30A-12:45P Lyle Zynda
This course is a historical survey of the various changes in European science that occurred roughly from 1500 to 1700, commonly called the Scientific Revolution, which affected astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology, and medicine. During this period, scientists and philosophers such as Copernicus, Galileo, Bacon, Hobbes, Descartes, Boyle, Hooke, Huygens, and Newton slowly developed a new approach to studying nature, which ultimately left behind the medieval emphasis on final causes, teleological explanation, qualitative description, and abstract a priori reasoning as a guide to truth about nature, adopting in its place efficient causation, mechanical explanation, quantitative description, and experimentation and observation as the basis for scientific truth. Science began to separate itself from religion and philosophy, becoming an autonomous branch of human activity. We will discuss the various methodological and philosophical shifts that underlay these various changes in science, and the relationship between these changes and the larger society, in particular, the changing social role of scientists, the increasing importance of technology, and the shifting relationship between religion and science.

Phil-P 325: Social Philosophy (3 credits)

TR 28611 4:00-5:15P Louise Collins
Philosophy of Personal Relationships
(LAS: Second Level Writing)
Commonsense and many philosophers agree that our personal relationships with friends, lovers and family are among the components of a worthwhile life. But what is friendship, exactly, and are there better and worse kinds? What about romantic love: Is it an inspiration to seek the best or just an invitation for self-delusion and trouble? And how do sexual relations complicate these matters? We face questions, too, about how our personal relationships play out in a broader legal and social context. If love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage, does that mean same-sex lovers should marry, too? What if you love more than one person: Is polygamy justified? What standards, if any, can we use to address these questions, beyond our individual feelings or cultural traditions? This class will involve reading, discussion and writing about the insights of classic and contemporary philosophers on several aspects of personal relationships.

Phil-P 383 Topics in Philosophy: Evolution (3 credits)

TR 4736 1:00-2:15P Mahesh Ananth
Ever since Darwin’s account of making sense of biological systems, evolutionary theory has spread to influence a great many areas of inquiry. In the years since Darwin’s ruminations, biology has emerged as an independent discipline with a rich experimental and theoretical foundation. Still, there are many conceptual issues with which biologists and philosophers grapple. This course will introduce students to some central topics in the philosophy of biology, beginning with an historical debt that needs to be paid to Aristotle, Descartes and Darwin. Beyond the historical material, the course will pay special attention to the following hotly debated issues that intersect biology and philosophy: (1) biological function, (2) species, (3) unit(s) of selection, (4) evolutionary ethics, (5) intelligent design, (6) evolutionary psychology, and (7) meme theory and culture.

Phil-T 390 Literary & Intellectual Traditions: God, Space, and Time (3 credits)

TR 27167 5:30-6:45P JR Shrader
(Campuswide Gen Ed Common Core: Literary and Intellectual Traditions)
This course offers an interdisciplinary investigation into metaphysical questions that arise around the concepts of God, space, and time. We will be investigating these topics through readings from philosophers, scientists, theologians, and writers of literature. The first part of the course will involve getting clear on the concepts of God, space, and time (how they are different and how they are interrelated), and then reviewing some of the best arguments for and against the existence of each (yes, there are arguments—some very good ones at that—against the existence of both space and time!). The second part of the course will look into some specific questions about the nature of each. These questions will include: 1. Does God (if God exists) exist in space? Does God exist in time? 2. Are space and time separate, or do they exist as one unified entity? 3. Are there only three dimensions of space, or might there be more? Are there good reasons for thinking there are more? 4. Is time extended, or instantaneous? Do the past and future exist? Does just the present exist? Is time travel possible? 5. How do objects persist through time? Do they “move through” time like a spotlight traveling along a wall, or are they “extended” through time?

Students will write several short papers as well as a longer paper where they attempt to integrate one or more of the courses themes (e.g., God and time, space and time, God and space). There will also be two exams.

Phil-P 393: Biomedical Ethics (3 credits)

R 3794 4:00-6:30P Mahesh Ananth
(Applied Health Care Ethics)
(Prerequisite: P100, P105, P110, P140 or P150)
(Contact Philosophy Department for permission to register)
This course is designed to introduce students to some of the standard ethical theories (ethical relativism, rights, utilitarianism, deontology, and pluralism), including the strengths and weaknesses of these theories. In addition, special attention is given to applying these theories to specific issues (e.g., abortion, euthanasia, nursing care ethics, treatment of animals, informed consent, cloning) related to medicine and the clinical setting.

Phil-P 490: Readings in Philosophy (1-3 credits)

ARR 3795 ARR Louise Collins
(Consent of instructor required)

Phil-P 495: Senior Proseminar in Philosophy (1-4 credits)

ARR 3796 ARR Louise Collins
(LAS: Second Level Writing)
(Consent of instructor required)

Religious Studies Courses

Rel-R 152: Religions of the West (3 credits)

MW 3856 11:30A-12:45P Staff
(LAS: Western Culture 1)
(LAS: Western Culture Before 1800)
Patterns of religious life and thought in the West: continuities, changes, and contemporary issues.

Rel-R 160: Religion and American Culture (3 credits)

TR 27169 2:30-3:45P Lyle Zynda
(Campuswide Gen Ed Contemporary Social values: Diversity in US Society)
This class will examine the varied religious traditions represented in today's United States of America, with attention given to each religion's basic beliefs, practices, and history in the American context. Since all of the major world religions are present in today's America, all of the major world religions will be examined. We will study the way in which religion has influenced American society and vice versa, and the changing relationship between politics and religion over time. Special emphasis will be given to the diversity of religious traditions, and the contribution of women and minorities (African and Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and traditions outside the Judaeo-Christian mainstream) to American religious life and history.

Rel-R 335: Religion in the US, 1600-1850: Religion in Early America (3 credits)

MW 25813 2:30-3:45P Linford Fisher
(LAS: American Culture 1)
Was religion important in early American history? If so, in what ways? In this course we will investigate the ways in which religion influenced individual actions and collective ideas about warfare, slavery, colonization, immigration, commerce, revolutions, rebellion, and reform. Course format is a combination of lecture and discussion with some short papers, a midterm and final exam.