Department of Philosophy
320 Bowman Hall
Kent Campus
330-672-2315
philo@kent.edu
www.kent.edu/philosophy
Department of Philosophy Faculty
- Barnbaum, Deborah R. (1997), Professor, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts-Amherst, 1996
- Byron, Michael B. (1997), Professor, Ph.D., University of Notre Dame, 1996
- Coate, Matthew B. (2015), Assistant Professor, Ph.D., Stony Brook University, 2015
- Garchar, Kimberly K. (2008), Associate Professor, Ph.D., University of Oregon, 2006
- Palmer, Daniel E. (2001), Associate Professor, Ph.D., Purdue University, 2000
- Pereplyotchik, David (2013), Associate Professor, Ph.D., City University of New York Graduate Center, 2012
- Ryan, Frank X. (1997), Associate Professor, Ph.D., Emory University, 1996
- Smith, Deborah C. (1997), Professor, Ph.D., University of Washington, 2003
- Zavota, Gina (2003), Professor, Ph.D., State University of New York-Stony Brook, 2003
Philosophy (PHIL)
PHIL 11001 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY (KHUM) 3 Credit Hours
An introduction to the diverse methods and subject matters of philosophy. Possible topics and/or questions may include: the nature of reality, consciousness, existence, agency, knowledge or God. Readings include significant primary source assignments from historical and/or contemporary philosophers.
Prerequisite: None.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Attributes: Kent Core Humanities, TAG Arts and Humanities, Transfer Module Humanities
PHIL 11009 CRITICAL THINKING (KADL) 3 Credit Hours
Critical thinking is essential to all aspects of life. From understanding current events to examining a contract or other legal document to participating in policy debates. This course teaches the strategies of “cognitive self-defense” that allow students to see past false claims and avoid being deceived by misleading rhetorical strategies. The course also examines the role of argument in reasoning, including types of arguments and the ways in which mistakes in reasoning can lead us astray. Examples from everyday life illustrate the sorts of complex reasoning that are a crucial part of practical decision-making.
Prerequisite: None.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Attributes: Kent Core Additional, TAG Arts and Humanities
PHIL 20095 SPECIAL TOPICS 3 Credit Hours
(Repeatable for credit) Sophomore level course with variable content of philosophical interest.
Prerequisite: None.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 21001 INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS (KHUM) 3 Credit Hours
Course is designed to introduce students to questions of value (right/wrong, good/bad) and the systematic analysis of those questions. This course examines minimally three competing ethical theories using primary sources: virtue ethics (Aristotle), deontological ethics (Kant) and utilitarianism (J.S. Mill). The theories are critically assessed and students are asked to think about whether and how each theory is useful when assessing "real world" questions.
Prerequisite: None.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Attributes: Kent Core Humanities, TAG Arts and Humanities, Transfer Module Humanities
PHIL 21002 INTRODUCTION TO FORMAL LOGIC (KMCR) 3 Credit Hours
Course is designed to sharpen students' reasoning skills and to help them better understand the structure of reasoning in general. Students are introduced to some formal languages, including propositional logic and predicate logic, that represent the logical structure of deductive reasoning. Unlike natural languages such as English, these formal languages allow students to focus on the general structure of different types of arguments. The course covers both the construction of formal proofs in these languages, and translation between them and natural language. The study of formal logic contributes to effective and persuasive reasoning, not only in philosophy, but in any discipline or context. It also provides effective tools for evaluating the strength of natural language arguments. The skills that students acquire in this course are thus widely applicable in their personal, professional and academic lives.
Prerequisite: Minimum 35 ALEKS math score; or minimum 22 ACT math score; or minimum 530 SAT math score; or MATH 00022 with a minimum C grade.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Attributes: Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning, TAG Arts and Humanities, Transfer Module Mathematics
PHIL 30015 MEDICINE AND MORALITY 3 Credit Hours
A philosophical exploration of at least three issues related to current medical practices, which may include ethical, religious, legal and clinical aspects. Topics such as the use of genetic technologies, organ donation and transplantation, the use of human research subjects, ethical issues in healthcare delivery or beginning- and end-of-life decision-making may be addressed.
Prerequisite: None.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 30025 ENVIRONMENTAL PHILOSOPHY (ELR) 3 Credit Hours
An examination of philosophical issues in environmental studies, including topics such as animal ethics and the sources of our food; the value of nature and environmental aesthetics; sustainability and biodiversity; ecofeminism, social justice and radical ecology; and the human response to climate change. The course is designed to complement fields of study such as geography, environmental studies and biology.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Attributes: Experiential Learning Requirement
PHIL 31002 MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY 3 Credit Hours
Examination of issues in medieval thought, such as the existence and nature of God, the relationship between faith and reason, the problem of universals and the nature of causality. Selections from philosophers such as Augustine, Boethius, Aquinas, Abelard, Avicenna, Maimonides, Meister Eckhart, Duns Scotus and William of Ockham. Students with junior standing or above, who have not previously taken a Philosophy (PHIL) course, should contact the department for a prerequisite override.
Prerequisite: One course in philosophy.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 31011 ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY 3 Credit Hours
Examination of ancient philosophy, including Plato and Aristotle and those who informed and inherited their philosophy. Ancient philosophers made the move from myth to philosophical exploration and explanation, and are recognized as the founding figures in Western philosophy. Reading assignments include primary source material.
Prerequisite: PHIL 11001 or PHIL 21001; and PHIL 11009 or PHIL 21002 or PHIL 41038.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 31012 EARLY MODERN PHILOSOPHY 3 Credit Hours
Course addresses the work of early modern philosophers such as Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley or Hume, of the early modern philosophical period. Reading assignments include primary source material. The course will identify, develop and present the differences between rationalism and empiricism as it evolved in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Prerequisite: PHIL 11001 or PHIL 21001; and PHIL 11009 or PHIL 21002 or PHIL 41038.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 31013 LATE MODERN PHILOSOPHY 3 Credit Hours
Course explores the development of philosophy in the 18th and 19th centuries, such as Kant, Hegel and Marx. Reading assignments include primary source material. Focal topics include Kant’s critical project before turning to its reception and the various responses to it. The course results in an introduction to the school of thought known as German Idealism.
Prerequisite: PHIL 11001 or PHIL 21001; and PHIL 11009 or PHIL 21002 or PHIL 41038.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 31030 EXISTENTIALISM 3 Credit Hours
Examination of the themes of existentialism, which may include absurdity, freedom, and the individual's relationship to the world. Philosophers studied may include Sartre, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Camus, de Beauvoir, Ortega y Gasset, Marcel or Tillich. Students with junior standing or above, who have not taken a Philosophy (PHIL) course, should contact the department for a prerequisite override.
Prerequisite: One course in philosophy.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 31035 PHILOSOPHY AND JUSTICE 3 Credit Hours
Course examines topics and issues relevant to the concept of justice, as addressed by a range of classical and contemporary philosophers. Philosophical approaches to justice studies may include feminist, libertarian, liberal, socialist, communitarian, egalitarian and social welfare perspectives. The course also considers the application of various perspectives on justice to practical issues such as affirmative action, democracy, equal pay, environmental justice, just war, criminal justice, civil disobedience, tort law and poverty. Students with junior standing or above, who have not taken a Philosophy (PHIL) course, should contact the department for a prerequisite override.
Prerequisite: One course in philosophy.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 31040 FEMINIST PHILOSOPHY 3 Credit Hours
Course introduces feminist philosophy understood as a critical project. As such, the course focuses on issues related to gender, sex, and sexual identity, and may include discussions of gender roles and sexual differences, as well as investigation of social frameworks that reproduce gendered social expectations. The course focuses extensively on contemporary texts and contextualizes those sources historically. Students with junior standing or above, who have not taken a Philosophy (PHIL) course, should contact the department for a prerequisite override.
Prerequisite: One course in philosophy.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 31050 PHILOSOPHY THROUGH LITERATURE 3 Credit Hours
Course introduces several philosophical problems via an examination of those problems and themes in works of literature. The course combines philosophical essays with works of poetry, short novels and short stories, so as to expose students to diverse perspectives on complex philosophical problems. Students with junior standing or above, who have not taken a Philosophy (PHIL) course, should contact the department for a prerequisite override.
Prerequisite: One course in philosophy.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 31060 PHILOSOPHY OF ART AND BEAUTY (ELR) 3 Credit Hours
Course investigates concepts such as the artistic object and creative expression, and examines and critiques a range of theories designed to solve various problems in the field of aesthetics (the study of the nature and principles of art and beauty). Examples drawn from diverse genres such as the visual arts, drama, music and dance provide the context for discussions of topics including what makes something beautiful and what is involved in an act of creativity. Students with junior standing or above, who have not taken a Philosophy (PHIL) course, should contact the department for a prerequisite override.
Prerequisite: One course in philosophy.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Attributes: Experiential Learning Requirement
PHIL 31091 PHILOSOPHERS IN DEPTH (WIC) 3 Credit Hours
(Repeatable for credit) Course introduces students to the work and influence of a single philosopher, either historical or contemporary, in depth. Philosopher of focus varies by semester and according to professor. Reading assignments include primary source material. The course serves as a counterbalance to the broad introduction to the history of philosophy that students receive in the history of philosophy sequence. In this course, students learn to work carefully with primary sources, along with learning the requirements of academic philosophical writing.
Prerequisite: PHIL 11001 or PHIL 21001; and PHIL 11009 or PHIL 21002 or PHIL 41038.
Schedule Type: Seminar
Contact Hours: 3 other
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
PHIL 40005 HEALTH CARE ETHICS 3 Credit Hours
Ethical problems in health care critically assessed, and consideration of how these specific ethical problems illuminate the ethical enterprise. Students with junior standing or above, who have not taken a philosophy course, should contact the department for a prerequisite override.
Prerequisite: One course in philosophy.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 40093 VARIABLE TITLE WORKSHOP IN PHILOSOPHY 1-6 Credit Hours
(Repeatable for credit)
Prerequisite: Permission.
Schedule Type: Workshop
Contact Hours: 1-6 other
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
PHIL 41010 PROBLEMS IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 51010) Philosophical examination of issues and problems presented by various writers in philosophy of religion.
Prerequisite: Any Philosophy (PHIL) 30000-level course.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 41020 SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 51020) Critical examination of classical and contemporary philosophical theories of the nature of society, and the state as political system that best represents a well-organized society. Topics may include the nature, existence, and justification of the state, the issue of political obligation, theories of anarchism, utopia, democracy, liberalism, communitarianism, citizenship, and patriotism, and examination of the nature of the social and political values or notions of rights, equality, and liberty.
Prerequisite: Any Philosophy (PHIL) 30000-level course.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 41025 PHILOSOPHY OF LAW 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 51025) Critical examination of the nature, features, foundation, and function of law. Topics may include the debate between natural law theory and legal positivism, with respect to whether law and moral are necessarily connected, as well as the nature of judicial decision, constitution interpretation, the basis and elements of criminal, civil law (contract, tort) law, the grounds for obeying or disobeying bad laws, and analysis of some supreme court cases which raise philosophical issues about the nature and function of law.
Prerequisite: Any Philosophy (PHIL) 30000-level course.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 41030 ETHICAL THEORY 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 51030) In this course, students will explore developments in the dominant normative theories of 20th and 21st century Anglo-American ethics, including consequentialism, deontology, virtue ethics, ethics of care, and varieties of contract theory.
Prerequisite: Any Philosophy (PHIL) 30000-level course.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 41035 PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 51035) What is science? What are its distinctive aims and methods, and how do they bolster the epistemic authority of scientific theories? Do sociological, historical, and cultural factors play a major role in the advancement of scientific thought? These questions, and others like them, define the philosophy of science - a branch of philosophy that deals with the metaphysical, epistemological, and normative issues that arise in the study of scientific practice.
Prerequisite: Any Philosophy (PHIL) 30000-level course.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 41036 PHILOSOPHY OF COGNITIVE SCIENCE 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 51036) In this course, students focus on issues at the interface of philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, and artificial intelligence. These fields, which comprise contemporary cognitive science, present the philosopher with an opportunity to clarify foundational concepts, such as computation, innateness, language, perception, and learning. Ultimately, the goal of the course is to understand various proposals about how neural computation could amount to human intelligence and consciousness.
Prerequisite: Any Philosophy (PHIL) 30000-level course.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 41038 INTERMEDIATE LOGIC 3 Credit Hours
(Cross-listed with CS 41038 and MATH 41038)(Slashed with MATH 51038 and PHIL 51038) A detailed, systematic study of symbolic logic for philosophy majors, mathematics majors, computer science majors and anyone else interested in advanced study in logic. The aim of the course is twofold: (1) to develop a facility in understanding and using symbolic logic for various purposes, and (2) to understand and appreciate symbolic logic as an area of study in itself. Topics include the distinction between syntactic, object-level proofs and semantic, meta-level proofs; the distinction between axiomatic systems and natural deduction systems of object-level proofs; various systems of modal logic; and some non-classical logics. Students with junior standing or above who have not taken a philosophy course should contact the department for a prerequisite override.
Prerequisite: CS 23022 or MATH 12003 or MATH 23022 or PHIL 21002.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 41040 EPISTEMOLOGY 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 51040) What is the difference between merely believing something to be the case and knowing it to be the case? In this course students examine various theories designed to answer this question and evaluate their respective strengths and weaknesses. The course will cover the Gettier problem that questions the traditional definition of knowledge as justified true belief, the debate between foundationalism and coherentism, the debate between internalism and externalism about justification, naturalized epistemology, and virtue epistemology.
Prerequisite: Any Philosophy (PHIL) 30000-level course.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 41042 METAPHYSICS 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 51042) Covers several topics in contemporary analytic metaphysics. Topics may include existence, identity, things and their persistence over time, the nature of modalities and possible worlds, and the relationship between material parts and wholes.
Prerequisite: Any Philosophy (PHIL) 30000-level course.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 41048 METAETHICS 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 51048) Metaethics is the study of the nature and justification of moral judgments, as distinct from ethics, which aims to articulate principles, criteria, or alternative approaches to understanding and achieving goodness and right action. Metaethics examines the concepts, ontology, psychology, and modes of justification employed within ethics. This course will explore recent developments about such questions as: which, if any, ethical judgments can be true or false; whether we can know true ethical statements; and to what kinds of properties, if any, ethical judgments and beliefs refer.
Prerequisite: Any Philosophy (PHIL) 30000-level course.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 41052 PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 51052) Critical examination of nature and function of language especially in relation to mental function and development.
Prerequisite: One 30000-level Philosophy (PHIL) course.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 41055 PHENOMENOLOGY 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 51055) In-depth study of the phenomenological movement in twentieth-century philosophy, from its origin in the thought of Edmund Husserl and his contemporaries, through such canonical thinkers as Martin Heidegger and Maurice Merleau-Ponty, to various contemporary developments. Substantial time is also devoted to considering applications of phenomenology to various disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, and arts. This is in keeping with the overall focus in this seminar on phenomenology not only as a philosophical school, but also as a methodology with broad and diverse applications.
Prerequisite: Any Philosophy (PHIL) 30000-level course.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 41060 PRAGMATISM 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 51060) As America’s distinctive “home-grown” philosophy, pragmatism embodies the values of action, problem-solving, and consensus-building within a pluralistic society. The core of this course examines the seminal works of the classical American pragmatists: Peirce, James, and Dewey. Special attention will be devoted to a phenomenology of experience that undercuts the dualisms of mind and matter, subject and object, self and world.
Prerequisite: Any Philosophy (PHIL) 30000-level course.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 41076 CONTINENTAL PHILOSOPHY 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 51076) Investigation of some figure, issue or theme in continental philosophy from Descartes to present.
Prerequisite: Any Philosophy (PHIL) 30000-level course.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 41080 PHILOSOPHY AND ART: 1890 - PRESENT 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 51080) Exploring, with emphasis on the modern age, philosophical conceptions of art in their interplays with, especially, practicing artists' attitudes toward theory.
Prerequisite: None.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 41491 SEMINAR IN ASIAN PHILOSOPHY 3 Credit Hours
(Repeatable for credit) (Slashed with PHIL 51491) Intensive primary-source reading and critical appreciation of the significant works of one or more philosophical figures or one or more philosophical issues from traditions in Asian philosophy.
Prerequisite: Any Philosophy (PHIL) 30000-level course.
Schedule Type: Seminar
Contact Hours: 3 other
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 41591 SEMINAR IN THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 51591)(Repeatable for credit) Intensive primary source reading and critical appreciation of the significant works of one or more philosophical figures or issues from various traditions in philosophy.
Prerequisite: One 30000-level Philosophy (PHIL) course.
Schedule Type: Seminar
Contact Hours: 3 other
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 49995 SPECIAL TOPICS 2,3 Credit Hours
(Repeatable for credit when topic varies)
Prerequisite: Special approval.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 2-3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 49996 INDIVIDUAL INVESTIGATION 1-3 Credit Hours
(Repeatable for Credit) Individual investigation allowing students to conduct a detailed investigation of a topic not covered in a regularly scheduled course.
Prerequisite: Departmental special approval prior to registration.
Schedule Type: Individual Investigation
Contact Hours: 1-3 other
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 49999 SENIOR HONORS PROJECT (ELR) 2,3 Credit Hours
(Repeatable for credit) Thesis or other independent study or creative project. Repeated registration permitted with departmental approval prior to registration.
Prerequisite: Special approval.
Schedule Type: Project or Capstone
Contact Hours: 2-3 other
Grade Mode: Standard Letter-IP
Attributes: Experiential Learning Requirement
PHIL 50005 HEALTH CARE ETHICS 3 Credit Hours
Ethical problems in health care critically assessed and consideration of how these specific ethical problems illuminate the ethical enterprise.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 50093 VARIABLE TITLE WORKSHOP IN PHILOSOPHY 1-6 Credit Hours
(Repeatable for credit)
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Workshop
Contact Hours: 3 other
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
PHIL 51010 PROBLEMS IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 41010) Philosophical examination of issues and problems presented by various writers in philosophy of religion.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 51020 SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 41020) Critical examination of classical and contemporary philosophical theories of the nature of society, and the state as political system that best represents a well-organized society. Topics may include the nature, existence, and justification of the state, the issue of political obligation, theories of anarchism, utopia, democracy, liberalism, communitarianism, citizenship, and patriotism, and examination of the nature of the social and political values or notions of rights, equality, and liberty.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 51025 PHILOSOPHY OF LAW 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 41025) Critical examination of the nature, features, foundation, and function of law. Topics may include the debate between natural law theory and legal positivism, with respect to whether law and moral are necessarily connected, as well as the nature of judicial decision, constitution interpretation, the basis and elements of criminal, civil law (contract, tort) law, the grounds for obeying or disobeying bad laws, and analysis of some supreme court cases which raise philosophical issues about the nature and function of law.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 51030 ETHICAL THEORY 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 41030) In this course, students will explore developments in the dominant normative theories of 20th and 21st century Anglo-American ethics, including consequentialism, deontology, virtue ethics, ethics of care, and varieties of contract theory.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 51035 PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 41035) What is science? What are its distinctive aims and methods, and how do they bolster the epistemic authority of scientific theories? Do sociological, historical, and cultural factors play a major role in the advancement of scientific thought? These questions, and others like them, define the philosophy of science - a branch of philosophy that deals with the metaphysical, epistemological, and normative issues that arise in the study of scientific practice.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 51036 PHILOSOPHY OF COGNITIVE SCIENCE 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 41036) In this course, students focus on issues at the interface of philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, and artificial intelligence. These fields, which comprise contemporary cognitive science, present the philosopher with an opportunity to clarify foundational concepts, such as computation, innateness, language, perception, and learning. Ultimately, the goal of the course is to understand various proposals about how neural computation could amount to human intelligence and consciousness.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 51038 INTERMEDIATE LOGIC 3 Credit Hours
(Cross-listed with MATH 51038)(Slashed with CS 41038, MATH 41038 and PHIL 41038) A detailed, systematic study of symbolic logic for philosophy majors, mathematics majors, computer science majors and anyone else interested in advanced study in logic. The aim of the course is twofold: (1) to develop a facility in understanding and using symbolic logic for various purposes, and (2) to understand and appreciate symbolic logic as an area of study in itself. Topics include the distinction between syntactic, object-level proofs and semantic, meta-level proofs; the distinction between axiomatic systems and natural deduction systems of object-level proofs; various systems of modal logic; and some non-classical logics.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 51040 EPISTEMOLOGY 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 41040) What is the difference between merely believing something to be the case and knowing it to be the case? In this course students examine various theories designed to answer this question and evaluate their respective strengths and weaknesses. The course will cover the Gettier problem that questions the traditional definition of knowledge as justified true belief, the debate between foundationalism and coherentism, the debate between internalism and externalism about justification, naturalized epistemology, and virtue epistemology.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 51042 METAPHYSICS 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 41042) Covers several topics in contemporary analytic metaphysics. Topics may include existence, identity, things and their persistence over time, the nature of modalities and possible worlds, and the relationship between material parts and wholes.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 51048 METAETHICS 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 41048) Metaethics is the study of the nature and justification of moral judgments, as distinct from ethics, which aims to articulate principles, criteria, or alternative approaches to understanding and achieving goodness and right action. Metaethics examines the concepts, ontology, psychology, and modes of justification employed within ethics. This course will explore recent developments about such questions as: which, if any, ethical judgments can be true or false; whether we can know true ethical statements; and to what kinds of properties, if any, ethical judgments and beliefs refer.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 51052 PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 41052) Critical examination of nature and function of language especially in relation to mental function and development.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 51055 PHENOMENOLOGY 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 41055) In-depth study of the phenomenological movement in twentieth-century philosophy, from its origin in the thought of Edmund Husserl and his contemporaries, through such canonical thinkers as Martin Heidegger and Maurice Merleau-Ponty, to various contemporary developments. Substantial time is also devoted to considering applications of phenomenology to various disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, and arts. This is in keeping with the overall focus in this seminar on phenomenology not only as a philosophical school, but also as a methodology with broad and diverse applications.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 51060 PRAGMATISM 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 41060) As America’ s distinctive “home-grown” philosophy, pragmatism embodies the values of action, problem-solving, and consensus-building within a pluralistic society. The core of this course examines the seminal works of the classical American pragmatists: Peirce, James, and Dewey. Special attention will be devoted to a phenomenology of experience that undercuts the dualisms of mind and matter, subject and object, self and world.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 51076 CONTINENTAL PHILOSOPHY 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 41076) Investigation of some figure, issue or theme in continental philosophy from Descartes to present.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 51080 PHILOSOPHY AND ART: 1890 - PRESENT 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 41080) Exploring, with emphasis, on the modern age philosophical conceptions of art in their interplays with, especially, practicing artists' attitudes toward theory.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 51491 SEMINAR IN ASIAN PHILOSOPHY 3 Credit Hours
(Repeatable for credit) (Slashed with PHIL 41491) Intensive primary-source reading and critical appreciation of the significant works of one or more philosophical figures or one or more philosophical issues from traditions in Asian philosophy.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Seminar
Contact Hours: 3 other
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 51591 SEMINAR IN THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY 3 Credit Hours
(Slashed with PHIL 41591)(Repeatable for credit) Intensive primary source reading and critical appreciation of the significant works of one or more philosophical figures or issues from various traditions in philosophy.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Seminar
Contact Hours: 3 other
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 59995 SPECIAL TOPICS 3 Credit Hours
(Repeatable for credit) When content varies, may be repeated for credit.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 60191 GRADUATE SEMINAR 3 Credit Hours
(Repeatable for credit) Intensive primary-source reading and critical appreciation of the significant works of one or more philosophical figures or one or more philosophical issues.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Seminar
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 69101 PROSEMINAR: PROFESSIONAL AND PEDAGOGICAL TRAINING 3 Credit Hours
(Repeatable for credit) Students participate in the preparation and planning of the annual Graduate Student Conference, receive professional training and mentoring, and work closely with faculty to write and revise a philosophical essay suitable for use as a writing sample or conference presentation.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Seminar
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
PHIL 69199 THESIS I 2-6 Credit Hours
Thesis students must register for a total of 6 hours, 2 to 6 hours in a single semester distributed over several semesters if desired.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing; and departmental special approval before registration.
Schedule Type: Masters Thesis
Contact Hours: 2-6 other
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory-IP
PHIL 69299 THESIS II 2 Credit Hours
Thesis students must continue registration each semester until all degree requirements are met.
Prerequisite: PHIL 69199; and graduate standing.
Schedule Type: Masters Thesis
Contact Hours: 3 other
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory-IP
PHIL 69995 SPECIAL TOPICS 3 Credit Hours
(Repeatable for credit) Selected topics in Philosophy.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing; and special approval.
Schedule Type: Lecture
Contact Hours: 3 lecture
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
PHIL 69996 INDIVIDUAL INVESTIGATION 1-3 Credit Hours
(Repeatable for Credit) Individual investigation allowing students to complete the culminating experience option in the Master of Arts in Philosophy program.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing; and special approval by instructor.
Schedule Type: Individual Investigation
Contact Hours: 3-9 other
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory-IP
PHIL 69998 RESEARCH 1-15 Credit Hours
(Repeatable for credit) Research or individual investigation for master's level graduate students. Credits earned may be applied toward meeting degree requirements.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing; and special approval.
Schedule Type: Research
Contact Hours: 1-15 other
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory-IP