COURSES

PHIL 111 Freshman Seminar in Philosophy (3) Develops and enhances critical thinking skills through the analysis and discussion of perennial philosophical problems. Emphasis on developing critical reading and discussion skills, writing expository and evaluative analysis of extended argument prose and constructing argumentative essays.  Prerequisite: Freshman or sophomore standing (closed to junior and senior students).

PHIL 121 Introductory Ethics (3) Presents a systematic and historical discussion of moral and social values through classical and contemporary readings. Emphasis is on applying moral theories to concrete moral problems.

PHIL 211 Ancient Greek Philosophy (3) Develops and analyzes philosophical theories from the Pre-Socrates through the Hellenistic Period. Emphasis is primarily on the thought of Plato and Aristotle.

PHIL 221 Modern European Philosophy (3) Develops and analyzes philosophical theories from the 16^th through the 18th centuries. Emphasis is on the works of Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hobbes, Hume and Kant.

PHIL 231 Symbolic Logic (3) Introduces the fundamental principles and techniques of modern symbolic or mathematical logic including truth functional logic, quantification theory and the logic of relations. This course is especially suited for students with interests in mathematics and computing science.

PHIL 301 Selected Topics in Philosophy (3) Studies selected topics of current interest. Specific topic will vary each time this course is taught. Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or religion, or permission of the instructor.

PHIL 311 Phenomenology and Existentialism (3) Studies themes in phenomenology and existential philosophy from Kant to the present day. Specific thinkers include Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre and Merleau-Ponty. Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing or permission of the instructor.

PHIL 316 Environmental Ethics (3) Examines some of the main ethical choices required in making environmental policy choices from an individual, social and historical perspective. The course critically examines the ethical attitudes towards such issues as land use, biodiversity, population control and wilderness preservation that have influenced modern society.

PHIL 324 What Is There, and How Do We Know? (3) Focuses on the philosophical problems in determining (a) what, if anything, should be regarded as real and (b) when we are entitled to claim to know something to be true.  The emphasis will be on 20^th century writings.  Prerequisite:  Junior or Senior standing or permission of the instructor.

PHIL 340 Philosophy of Religion (3) Examines the nature of religious experience, religious language, claims to religious knowledge and the relation between faith and reason.  Prerequisite:  Junior or senior standing or permission of the instructor.

PHIL 359 Philosophical Classics Studies selected philosophical classics or texts destined to become classics in a seminar setting. May be repeated for credit as the selection of texts changes. Required of all majors.  Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or religion, or permission of instructor.

PHIL 416 Bioethics (3) Considers selected problems in medical and environmental ethics from biological, philosophical and religious perspectives. Topics include abortion, euthanasia, genetic engineering, etc. Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing, or permission of the instructor.

PHIL 445 Philosophy of Science (3) Studies methodological problems of the natural and social sciences from a historical point of view. Also examines the logic of explanation and theory construction. Prerequisite: One course in philosophy, or junior or senior standing in natural or social science.

PHIL 446 Philosophy of Law (3) Presents a treatment of different theories of the nature of law (e.g., legal positivism, legal realism, natural law, analytical jurisprudence), the justification of punishment and the relation between morality and law. Prerequisite: One course in philosophy, political science or legal studies.

PHIL 447 Philosophy of Mind (3) Analyzes the relationship between mental and bodily phenomena and the nature of cognitive activity. Explores whether a strictly physicalist approach to mind is feasible.  Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or permission of the instructor.

PHIL 448 Artificial Intelligence and Human Cognition (3) Examines computational models of intelligence and artificial neural nets in the context of recent developments in cognitive sciences to ascertain what we can learn about human intelligence by the attempt to model it with machines.  Prerequisites:  Junior or senior standing.  At least one course in formal reasoning (logic, mathematics or computer programming) strongly recommended.

PHIL 491 Directed Study in Philosophy (1-3) Offers research in special problems or persons under the direction of a member of the philosophy faculty. May be repeated for up to nine hours. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.

PHIL 499 Senior Seminar in Philosophy (3) Required of all senior philosophy majors, this seminar affords the student the opportunity to work independently in the preparation of an extended paper and to present this paper in a seminar to other majors in philosophy, religion and pretheology. Prerequisite: Senior standing.