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PHILOSOPHY
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University Professor P.J. Caws
Professors W.B. Griffith, R.P. Churchill, D. DeGrazia (Chair), G. Weiss
Assistant Professors M. Friend, E.J. Saidel, J.C. Brand-Ballard, T. Zawidzki, G. Van Cleemput
Assistant Professorial Lecturer R. Carr Two options are offered for the major in philosophy, both designed to give a broad background in philosophy but with somewhat different emphases. The first option reflects the traditional structure of the discipline and its subfields; it is especially recommended for those considering the possibility of graduate study in philosophy. The second option is designed for those primarily interested in philosophy in its relationship to public affairs.
Bachelor of Arts with a major in philosophy (traditional option)—The following requirements must be fulfilled:
1. The general requirements stated under Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.
2. Prerequisite course—Phil 51; Phil 45 recommended.
3. Required courses in related areas—3 hours of non-Western religious philosophy selected from Rel 152, 157, 158, 160, 161, 164.
4. Required courses in the major—a minimum of 30 credit hours, including as foundational courses Phil 111, 112, 131; one course selected from Group A (value theory)—Phil 125, 132, 133, 142, 162; one course from Group B (epistemological)—Phil 121, 151, 152, 153; one course from Group C (later history)—Phil 113, 172, 192, 193; the proseminar—Phil 198; plus three electives chosen from 100-, 200-, or 700-level courses, selected in consultation with a departmental advisor.
Phil 121, 151, 153, 192, and 193 are recommended for students considering graduate-level study of philosophy; French or German language study is recommended as well.
Bachelor of Arts with a major in philosophy (public affairs option)—The following requirements must be fulfilled:
1. The general requirements stated under Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.
2. Prerequisite course—Phil 51; Phil 45 recommended
3. Required courses in related areas—6 credit hours selected from Hist 39–40, 71–72; PSc 105, 106, 107, 110, 114, 115; Econ 11–12, 101–2, 104.
4. Required courses in the major—a minimum of 30 credit hours, including as foundational courses Phil 111, 112, 131, 132; two courses selected from Group A (value theory)—Phil 125, 133, 135, 142, 162; one course from Group B (epistemological)—Phil 121, 151, 152, 153; the proseminar—Phil 198; two electives selected in consultation with the advisor from 100-, 200-, or 700-level courses.
Five-Year Bachelor of Arts with a major in philosophy (public affairs option)/Master of Arts in the field of public policy with a concentration in philosophy and social policy—Students interested in this program should consult a departmental advisor as soon as possible.
Special Honors—In addition to the general requirements stated under University Regulations, in order to be considered for graduation with Special Honors, a student must (1) have attained a 3.7 grade-point average in the major and at least a 3.25 average overall; (2) submit an honors paper prepared under the supervision of a faculty advisor in the department. Only if a committee of three faculty members in the department approves the honors paper will Special Honors be recommended.
Minor in philosophy—Required: a minimum of 18 credit hours of philosophy courses, including two courses chosen from Phil 51, 111, 112, 113, 172; one course from Phil 125, 131, 132, 133, 135, 142, 162; and one course from Phil 121, 151, 152, 153.
Minor in logic—Required: 18 credit hours of logic-focused courses, of which 12 credits must be at the 100 level, with at least one course in philosophy and one course in mathematics. Courses are chosen with approval of the advisor from lists of designated courses in philosophy, mathematics, computer science, and linguistics. No more than two courses may count toward both the student's major and the minor in logic.
Minor in applied ethics—Required: 18 credit hours of philosophy courses, including Phil 51, 131, and 132, plus Phil 133, 135, 142, or with permission of the instructor, seniors may select from Phil 230, 231, 238, 242, 250, 262, which are listed in the Graduate Programs Bulletin.
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| 45 |
Introduction to Logic (3) |
Friend, Saidel, and Staff |
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Introduction to informal logic, scientific argument, and formal logic. The informal logic component focuses on fallacies of reasoning and practical applications of logic. The formal logic component focuses on translation from English into propositional logic, truth tables, and proofs in propositional logic. (Fall, spring, and summer) |
| 51 |
Introduction to Philosophy (3) |
Griffith and Staff |
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Readings from major philosophers and study of their positions on the most basic questions of human life. Topics include such issues as: What is justice? What is knowledge? What is reality? Does God exist? What is the mind? Do humans have free will? (Fall, spring, and summer) |
| 62 |
Philosophy and Film (3) |
Caws |
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Philosophical problems and theories of perception, meaning, personal identity, and moral agency and their illustration in the context of cinema. Cinema and its derivatives (TV, video) as prime routes to experience of the natural and social worlds in an age of communication. Readings in classical and contemporary philosophy and in film theory; screening of a series of films. (Spring) |
| 111 |
History of Ancient Philosophy (3) |
Staff |
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History of Western philosophy from the Pre-Socratics to the Stoics (6th century BCE to 1st century CE). Major emphasis on the writings of Plato and Aristotle. Among themes to be covered: knowledge and reality, political and moral philosophy. (Fall and spring) |
| 112 |
History of Modern Philosophy (3) |
Churchill |
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History of Western philosophy of the 16th through 18th centuries; Continental Rationalism and British Empiricism from the scientific revolution through the Enlightenment; major emphasis on Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant. Prerequisite: Phil 51 or equivalent. (Spring) |
| 113 |
19th-Century Philosophy (3) |
Carr and Staff |
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European philosophy of the 19th century, with major emphasis on Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche. Prerequisite: Phil 51 or equivalent. (Fall) |
| 121 |
Symbolic Logic (3) |
Friend and Staff |
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Analysis and assessment of deductive arguments, using propositional, predicate, and other logics; philosophical basis and implications of logical analysis; metatheory of logic; modal and non-standard logics. Prerequisite: Phil 45 or permission of instructor. (Fall and spring) |
| 125 |
Philosophy of Race and Gender (3) |
Weiss and Staff |
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A theoretical examination of the bodily, social, discursive, and political effects of patriarchy, racism, and classism. (Fall and spring) |
| 131 |
Ethics: Theory and Applications (3) |
DeGrazia, Griffith, and Staff |
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Examination of leading ethical theories (e.g., utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics), and methodology in ethics. Engagement with contemporary problems. (Fall and spring) |
| 132 |
Social and Political Philosophy (3) |
Brand-Ballard, Churchill |
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Philosophical theories about how economic, political, legal, and cultural institutions should be arranged. Topics include the meaning and significance of liberty, the legitimate functions of government, the nature of rights, the moral significance of social inequality, and the meaning of democracy. (Fall and spring) |
| 133 |
Philosophy and Nonviolence (3) |
Churchill |
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Violence and nonviolence in the personal and social struggle for meaningful, just, and peaceful existence; philosophical foundations of pacifism and nonviolent resistance in the thought of Tolstoy, Gandhi, King, and others; philosophical inquiry into war, terrorism, genocide and ethnic conflict, as well as human rights, humanitarian intervention, and just war theory. (Fall) |
| 135 |
Ethics in Business and the Professions (3) |
Griffith and Staff |
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Ethical theories and basic concepts for analysis of moral issues arising in business and in professional practice. (Fall and spring) |
| 142 |
Philosophy of Law (3) |
Brand-Ballard |
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Systematic examination of fundamental concepts of law and jurisprudence; special emphasis on the relationship between law and morality. (Fall) |
| 151 |
Philosophy and Science (3) |
Zawidzki |
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Analysis of the structure and meaning of science, including scientific progress and theory change, objectivity in science, the drive for a unified science, and ways science relates to everyday understandings of the world. Attention given to various sciences, including physics, biology, and neuroscience. Prerequisite: Phil 51 or two semesters of college-level science. (Fall) |
| 152 |
Theory of Knowledge (3) |
Zawidzki |
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Inquiry into the basis and structure of knowledge, the problems of skepticism and justification, the relations between subjectivity and objectivity, and the contributions of reason, sense, experience, and language. Prerequisite: Phil 51 or equivalent; Phil 112 also recommended. (Spring) |
| 153 |
Mind, Brain, and Artificial Intelligence (3) |
Zawidzki, Saidel |
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Investigation of the nature of mind from a variety of perspectives, including neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and artificial intelligence, as well as traditional philosophy of mind. Possible additional topics include consciousness, mental disorders, animal minds, and the nature and meaning of dreams. (Spring) |
| 161 |
Philosophy and Literature (3) |
Weiss |
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Critical investigation of the sociopolitical commitments that inform the practices of reading and writing as discussed by Sartre, Barthes, Foucault, Baudrillard, and others. Focus on the development of existentialist themes, including authenticity, freedom, temporality, and death in the work of Kafka, Tolstoy, Mann, Woolf, Sexton, and Stein. (Spring, alternate years) |
| 162 |
Aesthetics (3) |
Weiss |
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The problem of artistic representation and the nature of aesthetic experience as related to the creation, appreciation, and criticism of art. Special emphasis on nonrepresentational works of art and their interpretation. Prerequisite: Phil 51, 111, 112, 113. (Fall) |
| 172 |
American Philosophy (3) |
Caws, Carr |
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A survey of American philosophical thought, focusing on the late 19th through mid-20th centuries. Covers American Pragmatism (Peirce, James, Dewey) in depth; other authors may include Thoreau, Emerson, Royce, Santayana, Mead, Quine, and Rorty. (Spring) |
| 192 |
Analytic Philosophy (3) |
Saidel, DeGrazia |
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The dominant movements of 20th-century Anglo-American philosophy, including logical positivism, British ordinary language philosophy, and neopragmatism, as represented by Russell, G.E. Moore, Wittgenstein, Ayer, Quine, Kripke et al. Prerequisite: one other 100-level philosophy course (Phil 112, 121 recommended). (Fall) |
| 193 |
Phenomenology and Existentialism (3) |
Weiss, Caws |
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An intensive exploration of the ontological and existential philosophies of Kierkegaard, Bergson, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, de Beauvoir, and Camus. Prerequisite: One other 100-level philosophy course. (Spring) |
| 195 |
Topics in Value Theory (3) |
Staff |
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Variable topics in ethics, political philosophy, aesthetics, and other subfields in normative philosophy. Prerequisite: one 100-level course on related subject matter or permission of the instructor. |
| 196 |
Topics in Theory of Knowledge (3) |
Staff |
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Variable topics in epistemology, philosophy of science and mathematics, philosophy of mind, and similar subfields. Prerequisite: one 100-level course on related subject matter or permission of the instructor. |
| 198 |
Proseminar (3) |
Staff |
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Variable topics; preparation and presentation of a major research paper. Open only to philosophy majors in the senior year as approved by major advisor. (Fall and spring) |
| 199 |
Readings and Research (3) |
Staff |
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(Fall and spring) |
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