Philosophy (Non-Comprehensive)

1. General Education (see General Education section of catalog)

2. Major Requirements*

   1. Logic and Analytical Reasoning: PHI 305(3)

   2. Ethics and Social Thought. Select three hours from Moral Theory: PHI 340(3), 341(3), 345(3) and three hours from Applied Ethics: PHI 302(3), 343(3), 513(3)

   3. History of Philosophy: PHI 306(3) and 310(3)

   4. Theory of Knowledge and Metaphysics. Select three hours from: PHI 318(3), 325(3), 335(3)

   5. Philosophical Perspectives and Area Studies. Select three hours from: PHI 300(3), 312(3), 314(3), 315(3), 319(3), 320(3); PHI 330(3) or PLS 330(3)

   6. Complete an additional 12 hours of Philosophy courses. Major requires a minimum of 33 hours including at least 24 hours of upper division credit in the discipline.
      *PHI 197, PHI 397, and PHI 496 may satisfy a distribution requirement for the major or minor when their topics are deemed suitable by the department.

3. Minor Required

4. Specific Requirements for Bachelor of Arts Degree(see “Academic Programs and Requirements” section of catalog)

5. General Baccalaureate Degree Requirements (see “Academic Programs and Requirements” section of catalog.)

Philosophy (Non-Comprehensive)

1. General Education (see General Education section of catalog)

2. Major Requirements*

   1. Logic and Analytical Reasoning: PHI 305(3)

   2. Ethics and Social Thought. Select three hours from Moral Theory: PHI 340(3), 341(3), 345(3) and three hours from Applied Ethics: PHI 302(3), 343(3), 513(3)

   3. History of Philosophy: PHI 306(3) and 310(3)

   4. Theory of Knowledge and Metaphysics. Select three hours from: PHI 318(3), 325(3), 335(3)

   5. Philosophical Perspectives and Area Studies. Select three hours from: PHI 300(3), 312(3), 314(3), 315(3), 319(3), 320(3); PHI 330(3) or PLS 330(3)

   6. Complete an additional 12 hours of Philosophy courses. Major requires a minimum of 33 hours including at least 24 hours of upper division credit in the discipline.
      *PHI 197, PHI 397, and PHI 496 may satisfy a distribution requirement for the major or minor when their topics are deemed suitable by the department.

3. Minor Required

4. General Baccalaureate Degree Requirements (see “Academic Programs and Requirements” section of catalog.)

Ethics and Social Policy

1. PHI 115(3), 340(3), 341(3), 345(3)
2. Complete at least two courses from among the following courses in Applied Ethics: PHI 302(3), 343(3), 513(3)

Philosophy

1. Select either PHI 105 or PHI 305. Select one course from each of the following two disciplinary areas listed under the requirements for the Philosophy major: Ethics and Social Thought and History of Philosophy. PHI 197, 397, and 496 may satisfy a distribution requirement for the major or minor when their topics are deemed suitable by the department.

2. Complete an additional nine hours of Philosophy courses. Minor requires a minimum of 18 hours including at least 12 hours of upper division credit.

Philosophy Courses

PHI 105 Critical Thinking 3(3-0), F,S

General Education Course (Self-Understanding/Humanities Perspective) This course develops intellectual self-awareness by teaching the canons and skills of critical reasoning. Deductive and inductive reasoning, the application of logic to a variety of significant issues, and the relation between language and argumentation will be studied.

PHI 110 Introduction to Philosophy 3(3-0), F,S

General Education Course (Self-Understanding/Humanities Perspective) This course explores various ways of understanding the human self and its relation to the world. Through a consideration of what can be known, what is worth valuing, what reality is, and how human communities should be composed and regulated, the course deals with central themes that arise from the human quest for deeper self-understanding.

PHI 115 Ethics and Contemporary Issues 3(3-0), F,S

General Education Course (Culture and Society/Humanities Perspective) This course examines ethical principles and theories in relation to contemporary moral issues (e.g. euthanasia, capital punishment, economic justice, environmental issues, world hunger). Through a consideration of ideals of justice and human dignity, as well as concepts of rights and responsibilities, it also explores the moral requirements for community and justified political order.

PHI 197 (180) Perspectives in Philosophy 1-3, D

A variable content course designed to explore the philosophical significance of issues of cultural, social or individual importance. Students should consult the registration schedule to determine the topic to be covered in a given semester. The course may be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours as topics change.

PHI 300 (220) Philosophical Ideas in Literature 3(3-0), D

Prerequisite: 3 hours of philosophy or literature or permission of instructor. Selected works of Western literature in light of their relation to historical trends in philosophy and philosophical speculation in the areas of metaphysics, epistemology, value theory, social and political philosophy.

PHI 302 Environmental Ethics 3(3-0), D

This course critically examines various philosophical viewpoints that bear upon ethical issues concerning the environment. Among the questions examined are the following: Must concern for the environment revolve around human concerns? Do animals have rights? Does nature have intrinsic value that must be respected regardless of effects upon humans? What is the relative importance of aesthetic or economic values to environmental questions? Do we have obligations to protect resources for future generations?

PHI 305 (206) Elements of Symbolic Logic 3(3-0), S

An introduction to the use of symbolic techniques to represent and evaluate arguments from everyday usage. There is an emphasis upon the student's development of an understanding of the methods and concepts of present day logic.

PHI 306 History of Western Philosophy: Ancient 3(3-0), F

Prerequisite: 3 hours of philosophy or permission of instructor. Historical study of ancient philosophy based on the reading of representative writings of major philosophers.

PHI 310 History of Western Philosophy: Modern 3(3-0), D

Prerequisite: 3 hours of philosophy or permission of instructor. A survey of the major philosophies of the modern period in the Western World, 1550 to 1850, including the work of philosophers who stand in the traditions of Continental rationalism, British empiricism, and German idealism.

PHI 312 Contemporary Philosophy 3(3-0), D

Prerequisite: 3 hours of philosophy or permission of instructor. Contemporary philosophical thought including Philosophical Analysis, Phenomenalism, Existentialism, Vitalism, and important individual philosophers. Major writings of the period studied from both the historical and critical standpoints; influences on contemporary philosophy; major tendencies in contemporary thinking on traditional philosophical problems.

PHI 314 Asian Philosophy 3(3-0), D

Prerequisite: 3 hours of philosophy or permission of instructor. This course compares and evaluates the major philosophies of the Eastern world. It treats selected topics from Indian, Chinese, and Japanese philosophies and examines the basic ideas that underlie the religious and moral viewpoints of these traditions.

PHI 315 Philosophy of Religion 3(3-0), F

Prerequisite: 3 hours of philosophy or permission of instructor. Religious experience and the problem of man's knowledge of God; currently-held views concerning such issues as the relation between religion and other aspects of human culture.

PHI 318 Knowledge and Reality 3(3-0), D

Prerequisite: 3 hours of philosophy or permission of instructor. Examination of some leading accounts of different ways of knowing, and of some of the different theories about the nature of reality. An additional goal is to clarify the interrelations between knowing and reality.

PHI 319 Feminist Philosophy 3(3-0), D

Prerequisite: 3 hours of philosophy or GST 170 or permission of instructor. This course examines the major strands of feminist philosophy. It focuses in particular on how issues of gender affect ethical theories and theories of knowledge.

PHI 320 Aesthetics 3(3-0), F

Prerequisite: 3 hours of philosophy or permission of instructor. Representative philosophical theories concerning the nature of aesthetic value; the bases of judgments in the arts and literature. Primarily intended for upper division students concentrating in the fine arts, literature or philosophy.

PHI 325 Philosophy of Science 3(3-0), D

Prerequisite: 3 hours of philosophy or permission of instructor. This course investigates the nature and scope of scientific inquiry. It explores the aims and methods of both natural and social sciences as well as the place of science and scientists in society.

PHI 330 Introduction to Political Theory 3(3-0), F

Prerequisite: PLS 101. An introduction to the study of political theory by examining the central questions that animate our attempt to understand and secure the "good life." These concerns include: the nature and significance of politics; the origin and character of legitimate authority; and the meaning of freedom, the value of citizenship, and the education in virtue and in rights that are necessary to both individual liberty and civic greatness. Bringing insights from classical and modern texts to bear on these fundamental questions of public life, we aim to articulate and defend our own understanding of the ethical obligations and responsibilities that citizens owe to one another.  Identical with PLS 330. Cannot receive credit for both PHI 330 and PLS 330.

PHI 335 Philosophy of Mind 3(3-0), D

Prerequisite: 3 hours of philosophy or permission of instructor. The course examines representative philosophical views about the nature of mind, with special attention to the issues of the self, consciousness, personal identity and the relation between mind and body.

PHI 340 Philosophy of Law 3(3-0), D

Prerequisite: 3 hours in philosophy or permission of instructor. A critical introduction to classical philosophical positions concerning the nature and functions of law, followed by a more detailed study of their contemporary successors. Analysis of rival positions will focus both on questions of theoretical justification and on implications for current legal controversies.

PHI 341 Social Philosophy 3(3-0), D

This course examines foundational social, political and economic issues under the guidance of contemporary ethical and social theories and against the background of evolving constitutionally-governed democratic culture. It addresses both (i) theoretical issues concerning aims, scope and justification for political frameworks and social institutions, and (ii) substantive issues in relation to ideals of equality, liberty and justice raised by competing policy alternatives. Readings will include works from influential contemporary philosophers, and principled arguments from landmark USSC rulings.

PHI 343 Business Ethics 3(3-0), D

The course investigates fundamental ethical issues that arise within a business environment. The responsibilities of business to consumers, employees and society are examined. Special attention is given to the tensions between moral ideals and business pressures.

PHI 345 Theories of Ethics 3(3-0), D

Prerequisite: 3 hours of philosophy or permission of instructor. This course examines the nature of ethics and the principles of moral actions and decisions.

PHI 397 (480) Seminar in Philosophy 1-4, D

Prerequisite: 3 hours of philosophy or permission of instructor. Research in selected topics in philosophy. May focus on ideas of one or more thinkers, a philosophic issue or a branch of philosophy. May be repeated for credit.

PHI 496 (490) Philosophy Tutorial 2-4, D

Prerequisite: permission of department head. Individual conference course for students with specialized interests in particular areas of philosophy not covered in regular courses. Includes independent research, progress reports and term papers. Enrollment requires advance agreement on topic.

PHI 513 Bioethics 3(3-0), D

Prerequisite: 60 hours or permission of instructor. An introduction to central ethical questions that arise in the area of bioethics, and to the resources various ethical theories offer for resolving those questions. In addition to a brief overview of contemporary moral theory, the course will discuss issues such as euthanasia, informed consent, proxy decision making, experimental research on humans and health care allocation. Specific cases will be discussed and analyzed throughout the semester.

PHI 596 Selected Topics in Philosophy 2-4, D

Prerequisite: permission of department head. Individual conference course for graduate students with specialized interests in particular areas of philosophy not covered in regular courses. May include independent research, progress reports and term papers. Enrollment requires advance agreement on topic.