Philosophy Courses [051-144]

[051-144] [145-166] [167-210]

PHIL 051. Principles of Reasoning. 3 crs. Presents the basic principles and criteria of critical analysis and elementary logic.

PHIL 053. Introduction to Philosophy of Science. 3 crs. Introduces the structure, process, and scope of scientific inquiry and discusses its application in the world.

PHIL 055. Introduction to Philosophy. 3 crs. Examination of the basic concepts and principles of philosophy concerning being, nature, knowledge, freedom, and God.

PHIL 057. Introduction to Ethics. 3 crs. Critical analysis of some representative standards of moral conduct, with special consideration of their practical application.

PHIL 059. Knowledge and Value. 3 crs. Examination of the procedures used in supporting knowledge claims and value judgments.

PHIL 082, 083. Representative Thinkers. 3 crs. Systematic inquiry into the philosophy of nature and man based on the outstanding works of selected thinkers who have influenced Western thought and civilization.

PHIL 084, 085. Directed Readings for Sophomores. 1 cr. ea.

PHIL 088, 089. Directed Readings for Juniors. 1 cr. ea.

PHIL 092, 093. Senior Departmental Honors. 3 crs. ea.

PHIL 102. Philosophy of Life. 3 crs. An examination of the meaning of life from various perspectives.

PHIL 106. Problems of Philosophy. 3 crs. Examination and application of the methods of analysis to problems of philosophy.

PHIL 110. Classical Ethics. 3 crs. Analysis of the nature of moral conduct, good and evil, vice and virtue, and other topics in ethics as they are treated by such classical moralists as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Bentham, Mill, and Kant.

PHIL 112. Introduction to Social and Political Philosophy. 3 crs. An introduction to the traditional themes of political philosophy concerning justice, the individual and society, and the best and worst regimes. Readings from Plato to Habermas.

PHIL 113. Philosophy of Literature. 3 crs. Considers three questions through close study of great writers of literature, such as Euripides, Plato, Aristotle, Shakespeare, Kafka, Camus, Heidegger, Nietzsche, Sartre, Derrida and Harris. The three questions: “What do philosophers have to learn from literature? In what sense does literature convey “truth?” How does one go about interpreting a text?”

 PHIL 114. Feminist Philosophy. 3 crs. An exploration of the various approaches to the philosophical study and analysis of the experience and perspectives of women. These include the liberal, marxist, socialist and post-modernist approaches to feminism. The course will focus especially on the perspectives of African-American women.

PHIL 120. Introduction to Existentialism. 3 crs. Study of the primary themes in existentialism, with special emphasis on the differences between its humanistic and theistic branches.

PHIL 140. Contemporary Moral Issues. 3 crs. A philosophical analysis of moral issues confronting contemporary society: violence, welfare, abortion, assisted suicide, war, affirmative action.

PHIL 141. Topics in Philosophy of Language. 3 crs. This course is an investigation of specific topics in philosophy of language with specific focus on African-American issues. Topics will vary from time to time.

PHIL 142. Topics in African Philosophy. 3 crs. An investigation of specific topics in contemporary African Philosophy. Topics vary from time to time.

PHIL 143. Topics in African-American Philosophy. 3 crs. An investigation of specific topics in contemporary African-American Philosophy. Topics vary from time to time.

PHIL 144. Philosophy of Religion. 3 crs. Considers the conceptions of God and the religious life in relation to problems of knowledge and value.