FALL 2006

1. Problems of Philosophy
A study of selected problems in philosophy, from such areas as ethics, philosophy of religion, theory of knowledge, and metaphysics. Classical and contemporary readings. Lecture and discussion.

» Green» Mo/We/Fr 10–10:50 » PR 202

2. Questions of Philosophy
A study of the major philosophers in the Western tradition. Original source readers are organized according to the central questions with which philosophers traditionally deal. Discussions focus on the solutions offered to these questions and the student's present response.

» Sontag » Tu/Th 9:35–11 » PR 202

3. Philosophy Through Its History

Study of the development of philosophy in the West. Plato, Descartes, Hume, Kant, and Nietzsche will be considered. Lecture and discussion.

Letter grade only.
» Erickson » Mo/We 11–12:15 » PR 202

4. Philosophy in Literature

Discussion of various aspects of the human condition, personal and social, as presented in various works of literature.

Letter grade only.
» Erickson » Mo 7–9:50 » PR 202

30. Knowledge, Mind and Existence
Introduction to some of the central issues regarding the nature of knowledge, the mind and reality. Topics include skepticism, the analysis of knowledge, mental causation, dualism, reductive and nonreductive physicalism, proofs for the existence of God, and free will.

» Keeley & Kung » Tu/Th 2:45–4 » CR 10

website from Spring '06

32. Ethical Theory

Introduction to the central problems of philosophical ethics, including the nature of value, the justification of moral principles, and the psychology of moral choice. Classical and modern readings.

» Birondo» Mo/We 11–12:15 » PR 101

33. Social and Political Philosophy

This course will cover two broad questions about political philosophy, drawing on contemporary and classical readings. First, what is the nature and value of liberty? In what sense, if any, is liberty compatible with the state's authority and use of force? Second, how do the questions of political philosophy reflect their times? Does the apparent historical contingency of our political values undermine our confidence in them? This is an especially pressing question as we think about our values during an era of globalization.

The central readings will be from Thomas Hobbes, Jean Jacques Rousseau, John Stuart Mill, and John Rawls. Other authors will include: Aristotle, John Locke, Benjamin Constant, John Stuart Mill, Robert Nozick, H.L.A. Hart, Thomas Pogge, R. G. Collingwood, and Bernard Williams.

Please see course website for more details.

» Green» Mo/We 2:45–4 » PR 202

38. Bioethics

Focuses on issues and themes that arise in our reflections about the conduct of scientific research and the application of its results, and about the nature and practice of medicine. Specific issues will vary from year to year. One year we may explore the conceptual underpinnings that help us understand and assess the efficacy and morality of medical treatment. Another year, the orientation of the course may be a more policy-centered one.

» Davis » Tu/Th 1:15–2:30 » PR 102

40. Ancient Philosophy

Origins of Western philosophy through reading and discussion of its classical sources, including the Presocratics, Stoics, Epicureans, Sceptics, Plato, and Aristotle. Lecture and discussion.

» McKirahan » Mo/We 1:15–2:30 » CR 10

71. History of Aesthetics
A survey of various aesthetic theories, from antiquity to the 19 th Century. Topics will include the nature of beauty, the epistemological status of aesthetic judgments, and the connection between art and morality. Readings from Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche, among others.

» Thielke » Mo/We 1:15–2:30 » PR 202

49. Science and Values
This course addresses issues at the intersection of science and policy. We will focus on different specific issues in different years, including such things as: the "junk science" wars, debates about teaching "Intelligent Design," pharmaceutical companies' marketing practices and FDA regulations, eugenics, "Frankenfoods" etc.

» Davis » Tu/Th 9:35–10:50 » PR 203

185P. Topics: Value Theory
Contemporary treatments of current topics in political philosophy.

» Birondo» Mo 7:00 p.m.–9:50 p.m. » CA 110

185M. Topics: Mind and Language
Introduction to contemporary theories of language, cognition, truth, meaning, mind/body and intentionality. Prerequisite: PHIL 42 or 60, or permission of instructor. Same as LGCS 185M.

» Atlas » Tu/Th 1:15–2:30 » HN 216

186H. Topics in History of Modern.
An examination of issues central to 17th- to 19th-century philosophy. Topics might include the debate between rationalism and empiricism, the limits of reason, the nature of substance and mind, and the nature of human experience. Reading to be drawn from authors from Descartes to Nietzsche. Letter grade only. Prerequisite: PHIL 42.

» Thielke » Mo/We 11–12:15 » PR 003

191. Senior Thesis
Senior exercise for the Philosophy major. A year-long sequence leading to the completion of a thesis supervised by faculty members. Students must enroll in 191 both in the fall and spring semester. A prospectus of the project as well as a substantial annotated bibliography will be due in early December; the final thesis must be submitted to the department in late April. Each semester.

» Birondo » by arrangement

senior project webpage

198. Summer Research Projects
Summer reading and research on a topic agreed to by the student and the instructor. Normally, such study involves a set of short papers and/or culminates in a research paper of substantial length. Course or half-course.

Independent Study
Independent reading and research on a topic agreed to by the student and the instructor. Normally, such study involves a set of short papers and/or culminates in a research paper of substantial length. Course or half-course. Each semester.