Philosophy (PHIL)

PHIL 1000. Intro to Philosophy (HU, GC). 3 Hours.

Fulfills a General Education Humanities requirement and is an approved Global and Cultural Perspectives course. Covers the general nature of philosophy, its origins, and its influences on human experience. Offers an introduction to philosophical theories of knowledge, truth, reality, being, science, politics, aesthetics, ethics, values, and religion. Includes examinations requiring essay and objective responses, quizzes, formal essays and informal written responses, participation in class discussions, and group presentations. **COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES (CLOs) At the successful conclusion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Analyze the various speculative traditions and prominent thinkers in the Western and world philosophy, including epistemology, human nature, metaphysics, reality and being, ethics, and religion in both discussion and in writing. 2. Evaluate how and why philosophical traditions helped form contemporary worldviews and perspectives. 3. Apply philosophical methods of analysis to everyday experiences. FA, SP.

PHIL 1120. Social Ethics (HU, GC). 3 Hours.

Fulfills a General Education Humanities requirement and is an approved Global and Cultural Perspectives course. For all students interested in philosophy, moral values, and the application of ethics to social issues. Covers the historical development of Western value systems, including the contribution of classical and Hebraic traditions to current personal and political values. Students are also asked to apply ethical theories such as utilitarianism and Kantian formalism to social issues of our day, such as genetic engineering, business practices, world hunger, euthanasia, and war. **COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES (CLOs) At the successful conclusion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Discuss the big questions found in the creative works in the history of philosophy. 2. Analyze claims, definitions, and concepts presented by important historical figures, both in discussion and in formal writing. 3. Examine their own personal value systems in relation to important historical claims. SP.

PHIL 1250. Reasoning and Rational Decision-Making (HU, GC). 3 Hours.

Fulfills a General Education Humanities requirement and is an approved Global and Cultural Perspectives course. Strengthens critical thinking skills through analyzing and evaluating arguments, a basic logical framework, Aristotelian logic, the principles of Charity and Socratic Humility, beginning logic of sentences, fallacies, probability, statistical reasoning, and other forms of inductive argument in order to train students to recognize, evaluate, and construct arguments. **COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES (CLOs) At the successful conclusion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Gain understanding of big questions of Epistemology found in the history of philosophy. 2. Analyze claims, definitions, and concepts presented by important historical figures concerning the nature and purpose of knowledge, and discuss their efforts, both in discussion and in formal writing. 3. Construct a well-reasoned, well-articulated argument about the subject of their choosing.

PHIL 2600. World Religions (HU, GC). 3 Hours.

This course fulfills the General Education requirement for Literature/Humanities and is an approved Global and Cultural Perspectives course. Comparative study of the tenets of the world's major living religions. Introductory course that will survey the beliefs and practices of at least three of the following traditions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Daoism, Shinto, Confucianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The focus will be on developing an understanding and appreciation of the beliefs and practices of each tradition. Course topics will vary according to instructor emphasis. Repeatable up to 9 credits subject to graduation restrictions. **COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES (CLOs) At the successful conclusion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Identify the historical foundations for at least three of the nine living traditions cited in the course description. 2. Describe the nature and diversity of world religions, including points of commonality and difference. 3. Articulate questions presented by these traditions, including how other academic disciplines interact with these traditions. 4. Analyze these traditions, becoming aware of one's own biases when approaching primary texts. FA, SP.

PHIL 3100. Aesthetics: Art and the Beautiful. 3 Hours.

A survey of the major historical sources in aesthetics. Questions surrounding the definition of art and beauty, the interpretation of art, art criticism, the nature of metaphor, and the connection between art and knowledge will be addressed. Through this course students will come to understand the complexity surrounding issues of art and beauty, and gain skill necessary to apply theoretical concepts to personal evaluation of art. **COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES (CLOs) At the successful conclusion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Describe the substance of the discipline of aesthetics, including primary 'big' questions (definition of 'art', nature/purpose of metaphor, art's relation to knowledge), methodology, and major viewpoints in the history of the study. 2. Investigate the concept of beauty and the significance of the aesthetic experience as a fundamental characteristic and of human experience by gaining an appreciation for the task of aesthetic reflection on the artistic realm in the western philosophic traditions. 3. Articulate connections between the study of aesthetics and other academic disciplines, and express those connections through a semester long research project.

PHIL 3200. Philosophy in Literature: Historical Perspectives. 3 Hours.

A critical study of philosophical material found in works of literature. Or, to put it another way, philosophy presented through the medium of novels, poems, plays, and graphic novels. Authors likely to be studied include Plato, Nietzsche, Dostoyevsky, Sartre, Iris Murdoch, and Voltaire, as well as other contemporary authors. **COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES (CLOs) At the successful conclusion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Articulate a deeper understanding of literature through the distinctive tools of philosophic inquiry, analysis, and argumentation. 2. Analyze major philosophical issues (definition/question of personal identity, author/reader interplay, possibility of objective knowledge) often found in works of literature. 3. Compose a semester long paper project utilizing the critical thinking, analytic, and writing skills that were developed in the course.

PHIL 3300. Symbolic Logic: The Study of Formal Reasoning. 3 Hours.

An introduction to the study of formal reasoning, with an emphasis placed on discussions of validity and deductive arguments. Besides preparing students for advanced studies (like law school) the study of argument construction also improves critical thinking, research, and writing skills. The study of logic aids in both qualitative and quantitative thought, which can prove an aid for the college experience. **COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES (CLOs) At the successful conclusion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Identify argument forms in 'statement logic' and utilize tests such as truth tables and proofs to determine the validity of the argument. 2. Describe the structure and purpose behind categorical arguments, including the historical significance of such arguments. 3. Categorize informal fallacies found from various media sources and respond to such fallacies in articulate, constructive ways.

PHIL 3400. Topics in the History of Philosophy. 3 Hours.

Study of the major philosophical ideas developed in a specific time and the major thinkers responsible for the development of those ideas. These times and locations will vary depending on the topic, and could include (but are not limited to): Ancient Greece, Modern Europe, Ancient India, The Medieval Middle East, or Contemporary South America. **COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES (CLOs)** At the succesful conclusion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Describe the major philosophic ideas developed during the period focused on during the course. This includes the primary questions leading to the ideas, the methodology developing the ideas, the individual(s) primarily responsible for the ideas, and the historical ramifications of those ideas. 2. Assess the major philosophic ideas developed during the period focused on during the course. This process includes evaluation, criticism/critique, and possible application of the ideas to contemporary issues. 3. Demonstrate the development of critical thinking, analytic, and writing skills through a semester long paper project.

PHIL 3500. Applied Ethics. 3 Hours.

Applied ethics investigates how we ought to live. To do this, this course explores the theoretical foundations of ethics and applies those theories to professional, political, and personal decision-making processes. Theories engaged by the course could include, but are not limited to the following: Utilitarianism, Deontology, Virtue Theory, Ethics of Care, and Social Theory. **COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES (CLOs)** At the succesful conclusion of the course, the student will be able to: 1. Analyze the various ethical perspectives found in the discipline of philosophy. This could include, but is not limited to, theories such as Utilitarianism, Deontology, Virtue Theory, Ethics of Care, and Social Theory. 2. Apply the ethical perspectives described above to professional, personal, and social goals and situations. 3. Compose a semester long paper project that utilizes at least one of the ethical theories detailed in the course to address a contemporary problem in professional, personal, and/or social spheres.

PHIL 3900. Topics in Philosophy. 3 Hours.

Explores advanced topics in the field of philosophy. Examples include Epistemology, Metaphysics, Empiricism, Free Will, Philosophy of Mind, Medieval Philosophy, Philosophy of War, or the work of a specific philosopher. **COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES (CLOs) At the successful conclusion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Articulate a deeper understanding of philosophy through the distinctive tools of philosophic inquiry, analysis, and argumentation. 2. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of major philosophical fields of study. (Topics could include Metaphysics, Epistemology, History of Philosophy, and the like). 3. Compose a semester long paper project that demonstrates the development of critical thinking, analytic, and writing skills.

PHIL 4800R. Independent Study. 1-3 Hours.

Designed to meet the individual needs of advanced students in the Humanities/Philosophy Program who wish to pursue a specific focus of special interest not available in the existing scheduled offerings. Students work under close supervision by appropriate faculty in the design and successful completion of the course. Students are expected to meet with the faculty mentor each week and to provide the faculty member with progress reports and assignment development for feedback and grading purposes on an ongoing basis. Repeatable up to 6 credits subject to graduation restrictions. Offered by arrangement. **COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES (CLOs) At the successful conclusion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Demonstrate an enriched application of philosophy through the distinctive tools of philosophic inquiry, analysis, and argumentation. 2. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of major philosophical fields of study. (Topics could include Metaphysics, Epistemology, History of Philosophy, and the like). 3. Demonstrate the development of critical thinking, analytic, and writing skills through a semester long paper project.

PHIL 4900. Philosophy Senior Seminar. 3 Hours.

A comprehensive review of the issues in philosophy (Epistemology, Metaphysics, Ethics, History of Philosophy) that produces a substantial thesis project. This course encourages students to explore the intersection of philosophy with their desired personal, professional, and/or graduate goals. **COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES (CLO's)** At the succesful conclusion of this course, students will be able to: 1. Apply what they have learned in previous upper division philosophy courses to produce a research project that addressed at least one element in the discipline of philosophy (Epistemology, Metaphysics, Ethics, History of Philosophy). 2. Analyze important arguments and the writings of relevant thinkers that pertain to the capstone research project. 3. Articulate the results of the research project in writing and orally. Prerequisites: PHIL 3400 (Grade C or higher).