PHIL 101-1 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY
----MWF 9:00-9:50----Dr. Manson
Students will confront four sets of key philosophical
questions: (1) What is the nature of God? Can God's
existence be proved or disproved? (2) What is the nature of
human freedom? Is human freedom even possible? (3) What can
we know of reality outside of our minds? Can we know that
there is an external material world? (4) What is the nature
of the human mind? Is it immaterial or material? In the
course of addressing these questions students will develop
their abilities to think critically, reason analytically,
and write clearly.
PHIL 101-2 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY----MWF
11:00-11:50----Dr. Manson
(See the course description for PHIL 101-1.)
PHIL 101-2 INTRODUCTION TO
PHILOSOPHY----TTH 8:00-9:15----Dr. Westmoreland
This course will introduce students to basic issues in philosophy: Is
belief in God rational? Are rationality and religious faith consistent?
What is knowledge, and are we capable of it? What is the relationship of
mind to body? What is free will, and do we have it? The class will include
lecture and discussion. Several in-class tests as well as a final exam.
PHIL 103-1 LOGIC: CRITICAL THINKING
(Same as LING 103-1)----MWF 9:00-9:50----Dr. Lawhead
The goal of this course is to help you evaluate arguments and to improve your own reasoning abilities. Hence, we
will practice techniques for detecting sleazy rhetoric, leaky arguments, rotten reasoning, and questionable truth
claims. Furthermore, we will help you in the process of cleaning out messy reasoning, clearing up fuzzy reasoning,
and constructing coherent reasoning. Evaluation will be based upon tests and practical exercises.
PHIL 103-2 LOGIC: CRITICAL THINKING
(Same as LING 103-2)----MWF 11:00-11:50----Dr. Lawhead
(See the course description for Phil 103-1.)
PHIL 103-3 (H) LOGIC: CRITICAL THINKING
(Same as LING 103-3 [H])----TTH 9:30-10:45----Dr.
Barnard
(Open only to students in the Honors College.) This course will
introduce the student to various techniques for representing and
evaluating arguments and reasoning. We will learn to recognize common
mistakes in reasoning, and try to understand why poor reasoning can seem
so convincing. Course evaluation will be based upon in class examinations
and exercises, as well as regular homework.
PHIL 302 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY II----TTH
1:00-2:15----Dr. Lawhead
This course will examine the historical development of important philosophical ideas as they appear in major thinkers
from the Renaissance to the early twentieth century. Consideration will be given to the interaction between philosophy,
science, religion, political theory, and the arts. Evaluation will be based on tests and a research paper. No prerequisites
required.
PHIL 308 BUDDHISM (Same as REL
308)----MWF 11:00-11:50----Dr.
Cozad
(See the course description for REL 308.)
PHIL 326-1 BIOETHICS----MW 9:00-9:50----Dr.
Harrington
(Note: this course is required of pharmacy majors and restricted to pharmacy majors only. Non-pharmacy majors
should take PHIL 328 below.) In this one semester hour course, you will learn: why an understanding of bioethics
is necessary for future health care professionals; the major ethical theories operative in health care today, their
strengths and weaknesses. You will show through case studies how these theories influence pharmacy codes of ethics
and ethical health care practice. Requirements: Attendance; Midcourse and Final Exams (35% each); Case Studies
(3 x 10% or 30%).
PHIL 326-2 BIOETHICS----MW 10:00-10:50----Dr.
Harrington
(Course content the same as PHIL 326-1)
Note: this course is required of pharmacy majors and restricted to pharmacy majors only. Non-pharmacy majors
should take PHIL 328 below.
PHIL 328 BIOMEDICAL ETHICS----TTH
11:00-12:15----Dr. Westmoreland
This course will explore ethical issues in contemporary medicine such as abortion, euthanasia, the patient's "right
to know" about his or her condition and treatment, moral issues in the allocation of scarce medical resources,
the issues surrounding "socialized medicine" including the question whether each person has a right to
a certain level of medical care, the trend toward treating conditions that used to be considered manifestations
of moral flaws as diseases (e.g., alcoholism). Evaluation will be based on two papers, a mid-term, final exam,
and class discussion.
PHIL 353 PHILOSOPHY OF WAR----TTH
8:00-9:15----Dr. Harrington
A focus on the role of terrorism in war will be included in each part of this course. Goals: To help students
reflect critically and imaginatively on the nature and the experience of war and the philosophical problems it
raises, to prepare them for future wars and rumors of wars, so that it might not be said of them, that they fought
their next war in the same way as the last war. Strategy: To analyze the experience of war, especially in
the killing zone, through texts and novels and films; to examine the concept of war and warfare, both in the West
and in the East, focusing on Clausewitz and Sun Tzu; and finally to evaluate "battlefield ethics," the
philosophical problems which war and warfare produce. Requirements: daily preparation, three mid-course
exams and an open-book final, as well as book and film reviews. No prior experience with either war or philosophy
required.
PHIL 360 PHILOSOPHICAL ISSUES IN SCIENCE AND
RELIGION (Same as REL 360)----TTH 2:30-3:45----
Dr.
Manson
Students will consider the natures of both science and
religion and the relationships between them, both
historically and philosophically. Special emphasis will be
placed on the compatibility of Darwinism with belief in God
and on the contemporary revival of the teleological
argument.
PHIL 497 CAPSTONE COURSE----TTH
11:00-12:15----Dr.
Barnard
Restricted to senior philosophy majors. This course will give philosophy majors
the
chance to interact together concerning topics of mutual interest and will help you to
hone your skills at communication, philosophical argument, and critical thinking. This
course will have three components: (a) readings in argument theory, informal logic,
and philosophical methodology, (b) verbal presentation of papers followed by
free-for-all discussion of the papers, (c) a writing workshop. Each student will be
required to write several (2-4) short (5 pp.) original argumentative papers on a
philosophical topic. All class members will be required to edit the work of all other
students, and each student will be required to revise and expand one of their
presented and critiqued papers as a final paper (10-12 pp.).
REL 101-1 INTRODUCTION TO RELIGION----MWF
8:00-8:50----Dr. Thurlkill
This course provides a survey of major world religions originating in
India, Asia, and the Middle East. It emphasizes aspects of myth (sacred
stories within religious tradition) and ritual (sacred actions related to
myth). Students are required to complete one group project
(create-a-ritual) and three exams.
REL 101-2 INTRODUCTION TO RELIGION----TTH
9:30-10:45----Dr. Thurlkill
(See the course description for REL 101-1.)
REL 308 BUDDHISM----MWF 11:00-11:50----Dr. Cozad
This course operates as a historical and cross-cultural survey of the
Buddhist traditions as they are found in India, Sri Lanka, China, Tibet,
and Japan. Particular attention will be paid to the following. First,
the three gems of Buddhism, the Buddha, the Buddha's teachings (dharma),
and the Buddhist community (sangha); second, the ideological shift between
the early Nikaya tradition
and the later Mahayana tradition; third, the historical role of women in
Buddhism; fourth, the merging of Buddhism with indigenous traditions,
particularly in India and Tibet; and fifth, the relationship between
Buddhism and politics, particularly in Sri Lanka and Tibet. Class periods
will be devoted to discussions based on the assigned readings, and will be
supplemented by videos, recordings, and various forms of interactive
learning.
REL 323 ISLAM----MWF 12:00-12:50----Dr.
Thurlkill
This course examines the history of Islam as a 'world of
meaning' beginning with the Arabian milieu before Muhammad's prophetic
call. It then continues to sketch the development of Muslim thought and
practice over the fourteen centuries of the ensuing Islamic era in which
the "House of Islam" (dar al-Islam) expands over three continents
and beyond. Topics of focus will include the career of the Prophet and
his
function in shaping Muslim piety; Qur'an and hadith; Islamic ritual and
the pillars of Muslim praxis; Sunni/Shi'i division within the Muslim
community; and mysticism and devotional piety. We will conclude with a
look at the modern political landscape of the Middle East, and an
examination of the origins and nature of modern Muslim reform and renewal
movements.
REL 360 PHILOSOPHICAL ISSUES IN SCIENCE AND
RELIGION
(Same as PHIL 360)----TTH 2:30-3:45----
Dr. Manson
(See the course description for PHIL 360.)
(Graduate students should consult with Dr. Westmoreland for other graduate courses that will be available.)
PHIL 611 PROBLEMS OF METAPHYSICS:
CONTEMPORARY METAPHYSICS----W 2:30-4:45----Dr.
Barnard
This course will focus on recent thinking in metaphysics and ontology with
an emphasis on discussions of naturalism and physicalism. The course will
be built around three recent texts: Frank Jackson's From Metaphysics to
Ethics (1998), Colin McGinn's Logical Properties (2000), and
Michael
Rea's World Without Design (2002). These will be supplemented with
readings from philosophers such as Russell, Moore, Quine, Chalmers, and
Horgan. Students will write short critical reviews and a final seminar
paper.
PHIL 616 RESEARCH----TBA----Dr. Westmoreland
PHIL 619 VALUE THEORY----TTH
11:00-12:15----Dr.
Westmoreland
Advanced topics in biomedical ethics.
PHIL 697 THESIS----TBA----Dr. Westmoreland