Philosophy (PHIL)

An introductory exploration of central questions and interpretations of human existence, with special emphasis on epistemology and metaphysics, carried on in light of the Catholic intellectual tradition. University Core fulfilled: Foundations: Philosophical Inquiry.

An introduction to the principles of sound reasoning, with emphasis on the construction and evaluation of deductive and inductive arguments, the identification of logical fallacies, and the development of essential critical thinking skills. Special attention to applications in psychology.

An introduction to the methods and applications of good reasoning, with emphasis on formal methods for testing arguments for deductive validity in propositional logic and predicate logic. The course also aims to develop skills in some aspects of informal logic, which might include the consideration of informal fallacies, classical categorical logic, principles of inductive reasoning, or probability theory. Required for Philosophy majors.

An investigation of the philosophical use of the film medium and an examination of particular philosophical ideas portrayed in films.

Continuation of symbolic logic techniques, with emphasis on modal and multi-value logics; metalogical considerations of syntax, semantics, and proofs; and questions/issues of philosophical logic and the philosophy of logic. Prerequisite: PHIL 2010.

A study of the questions which a person must ask, and the answers one must consider, in forming an intelligent philosophy of moral choice, carried on in the light of the Catholic intellectual tradition. University Core fulfilled: Integrations: Ethics and Justice.

A detailed examination of different ethical theories concerning what is good and how we should live. Questions to be considered include: What sort of life is valuable? What kind of person is it best to be? What am I morally required to do for others? What is the basis of morality? What does a meaningful life consist in? This class is designed for (and restricted to) majors and minors in philosophy, and is a writing-intensive course designed to strengthen philosophical writing skills. University Core: INT: Ethics and Justice.

A careful study of the ethical dimensions of friendship, love, marriage, and commitment. University Core fulfilled: Integrations: Ethics and Justice.

The study of moral and ethical issues as they relate to the environment and nonhuman nature. Specific topics and foci vary from semester to semester. University Core fulfilled: Integrations: Ethics and Justice.

This course is a sustained reflection on the nature of virtue and its role in the flourishing of individual humans, social groups, and the environment. Specific foci may vary, but the course will emphasize the tradition of virtue ethics - including by contrast with other ethical approaches and theories - brought to bear on environmental issues. University Core fulfilled: Integrations: Ethics and Justice; Flags: Oral Skills, Writing.

The course provides students with materials both for their own reflection on and construction of an ethics directing their conduct as professionals engaged in complex organizations and structures. The course examines these topics: -- the systems causing and remedying climate change, -- the historical and social variation in technological development, -- the medical and legal uses of genomic techniques, -- and the design and impact of computer algorithms. Restricted to majors in the Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering. University Core fulfilled: Integrations: Ethics and Justice.

A study of the ethical issues that arise in the field of business. University Core fulfilled: Integrations: Ethics and Justice.

An exploration of the ethical challenges of professionals working in the media and communications industries, providing strategies for students to assess ethical dilemmas in business and creative decisions in film, television, popular music, news, public relations, and advertising professions. University Core fulfilled: Integrations: Ethics and Justice.

Incorporating the study of moral and ethical issues relating to individuals and institutions with an interdisciplinary lens.

A careful study of the ethical issues that arise in the field of medicine, such as abortion, euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, and distribution of medical resources and care.

Introduction to foundational and contemporary treatments of “disability,” with special consideration of the intersections between “disability,” virtue ethics, and natural law. University Core fulfilled: Integrations: Ethics and Justice (IEJT).

An in-depth study of a contemporary ethical issue. University Core fulfilled: Integrations: Ethics and Justice; Flag: Writing.

A study from the perspective of ethical theory of selected moral problems of contemporary interest and significance.

A philosophical investigation into the origin and end--and so the scope and limits--of political life. Course content may vary from historical surveys to focused treatments of specific political thinkers or schools of political theory. University Core fulfilled: Integrations: Ethics and Justice.

A philosophical analysis of the rule of law and the operation of contemporary legal systems. Topics will include the nature of law and legal obligations, the relation between law and morality, and the criteria for ascribing both civil and criminal (legal) liability. University Core Fulfilled: INT: Ethics and Justice.

This course examines the reality of racial, gender, and sexual identities, the intersections and co-determinations of such identities, and the forms of subjectivity created as a result of racism, sexism, and heterosexism. University Core fulfilled: Foundations: Studies in American Diversity.

An examination of the nature of science and scientific knowledge, with attention to the history of science and applications to contemporary issues. Satisfies the Contemporary Philosophy requirement for Philosophy majors. University Core fulfilled: Explorations: Nature of Science, Technology, and Mathematics.

A study of the fundamental issues associated with the human relationship to the natural world. Specific topics will vary from semester to semester.

A study of the meaning of art and what it can tell us about human beings, the nature of artistic intuition, and the creative process.

An investigation of the philosophical use of literature and an examination of philosophical ideas portrayed in a variety of literary works, which may include plays, novels, autobiographies, and short stories. Fulfills Integrations: Interdisciplinary Connections.

This course brings two distinctive disciplines, philosophy and film theory together into a coherent discourse. The focus of the class is on the philosophical question most often posed as the mind-body problem and the various ways that media texts have addressed and articulated this issue, specifically through the adoption of a meditative gaze as a philosophically charged stylistic approach. University Core fulfilled: Integrations: Interdisciplinary Connections; Flag: Writing.

A philosophical investigation of the issues surrounding religion and religious beliefs. Possible topics will include: religious language, problem of evil, immortality, theism, and atheism. University Core fulfilled: Integrations: Faith and Reason.

An exploration of the debate regarding concepts of God and the arguments for and against God's existence. This course examines the contributions of both classical and contemporary schools of thought to the debate.

An exploration of central philosophical issues that arise in Christian life--understood as pilgrimage. What is happiness? How does one integrate the immanent and the transcendent? How does Christian praxis relate to the political sphere? University Core fulfilled: Integrations: Faith and Reason.

A philosophical exploration of the relationship between faith and reason, especially with regard to their common object, carried on in the light of the Catholic intellectual tradition. University Core fulfilled: Integrations: Faith and Reason.

A study of pre-Socratic thought, Plato, and Aristotle. Part of the history sequence for majors. Offered Fall semester only.

A study of the major philosophical movements from Augustine to Ockham. Part of the history sequence for majors. University Core fulfilled: Integrations: Faith and Reason. Offered Spring semester only.

A study of 17th and 18th century philosophy, from Descartes to Hume. Part of the history sequence for majors. Offered Fall semester only.

A study of Kant and post-Kantian developments, including 19th century German Idealism. Part of the history sequence for majors. Offered Spring semester only.

An introduction to Chinese Philosophy, its subject matter and methodologies, with special attention to the six philosophical schools and some fundamental philosophical concepts and persistent issues that arise in the development of the Chinese philosophical tradition.

Students in this course will draw upon diverse traditions to think through the concept of selfhood. Working within the two disciplines of Anthropology and Philosophy, we will pursue understanding of the self as conceived by different cultures and engage in self-understanding as we reflect on our own ideals of a good life. The course proceeds through comparison among cultural traditions, putting modern Euro-American liberalism in dialog with some combination of Greek, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, African, and Latin American thinkers. Ultimately, this course asks students to explore their own culture and self-conception, and the ethical ideals that are available to such a self in the world today. University Core: IINC: INT: Interdisciplinary Connections.

Close reading of Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics in conversation with selected literary texts. University Core fulfilled: IINC Interdisciplinary Connections

Careful examination of central philosophical and theological themes in the thought of St. Augustine of Hippo, including truth; beauty; unity and number; interiority; divine illumination; lust, pride, and curiosity; free will; eternity and time; and the problem of evil. The focus of the course will be primarily but not exclusively on the earlier, more strictly philosophical phases of Augustine's thought. University Core fulfilled: Integrations: Faith and Reason.

This seminar explores topics within and at the intersection of Philosophy, Political Science, and Economics. Course activities may include guest lectures, faculty-led discussions, interactive seminars, workshops, discussion groups, research projects, presentations, and participation in local or regional events.

A survey of the political, epistemological, and metaphysical questions raised for philosophy as traditionally conceived by the claim that sex and/or gender should play a significant role in its self-understanding. Satisfies the Contemporary Philosophy requirement for Philosophy majors.

A philosophical examination of the relationship(s) between science and religion, with special attention to historical and contemporary developments. Satisfies the Contemporary Philosophy requirement for Philosophy majors.

A philosophical investigation of the metaphysical and anthropological foundations of human nature, ability, and disability. In this course, students will consider both foundational and contemporary treatments of these concepts. Satisfies the Contemporary Philosophy requirement for Philosophy majors.

A philosophical investigation of beauty. Course content may vary from historical surveys to focused treatments of specific thinkers or schools of aesthetic theory.

A study of 19th and 20th century pragmatism. Individual courses may focus on figures such as Charles Sanders Peirce, William James, John Dewey, Richard Rorty, and Cornel West. Satisfies the Contemporary Philosophy requirement for Philosophy majors.

An introduction to major themes in phenomenology. This course will focus on such topics as intentionality, the natural and transcendental attitudes, categorial intuition, temporality, and intersubjectivity. It will draw out the classical character of phenomenology and yet show how the method responds to and overcomes particular problems of modernity. Satisfies the Contemporary Philosophy requirement for Philosophy majors.

An introduction to the phenomenological treatment of subjectivity and intersubjectivity, focusing on various aspects of Husserlian egology and the use of language, especially the first-person pronoun. Satisfies the Contemporary Philosophy requirement for Philosophy majors.

A study of 20th and 21st century existential philosophy and its 19th century forerunners. Satisfies the Contemporary Philosophy requirement for Philosophy majors.

A study of philosophical accounts of interpretation and the role it plays in understanding. The course may approach the field through emphasis on a particular figure (e.g., Martin Heidegger, Hans-Georg Gadamer, or Paul Ricoeur) or through a particular theme or topic (e.g., narrative identity, religion, or politics). Satisfies the Contemporary Philosophy requirement for Philosophy majors.

An exploration of Spanish (Iberian) philosophical figures and themes, including one or more of the following thinkers: Seneca, Averroes, Maimonides, Llull, Ibn Al'Arabi, Vives, St. Teresa of Jesus, St. John of the Cross, Suarez, Unamuno, Ortega y Gasset, Zubiri, Mora, Marias, and/or Trias.

An advanced study of patterns of philosophical thinking in Chinese intellectual tradition. The topics will focus in depth on a particular theory, problem, or text. May be repeated twice for degree credit.

Concentrated study of a single, major philosopher. Repeatable for degree credit.

Close study of the thought of Plato.

Close study of the thought of Aristotle. University Core fulfilled: Integrations: Interdisciplinary Connections; Flags: Engaged Learning, Writing.

Close study of the thought of Thomas Aquinas.

Close study of the thought of Immanuel Kant.

Close study of the thought of G. W. F. Hegel.

Close study of the thought of Martin Heidegger. Satisfies the Contemporary Philosophy requirement for Philosophy majors.

An introduction to classical and contemporary metaphysics, the general theory of being. Topics often include analogy, essence and existence, matter and form, potency and act, causality, and the transcendentals.

An introduction to the principal problems of epistemology as they appear in both classical and contemporary theories.

A philosophical examination of the nature of minds, with attention to scientific and historically significant perspectives. Satisfies the Contemporary Philosophy requirement for Philosophy majors.

A seminar course which aims to expose students to the current research and special philosophical interests of departmental faculty. Topics vary from semester to semester.

Assessment of student learning outcomes in the field of philosophy. Includes completion of survey instruments, senior exit interview, or other forms of end-of-program evaluation. Prerequisites: All required courses for the major in Philosophy completed or currently in progress. Senior Philosophy majors only. Credit/No Credit only.

A research and writing project completed under the guidance and direction of a faculty supervisor.

Prerequisite for undergraduates: Six PHIL courses. None of the six can be taken concurrently with PHIL 5998. Instructor permission required.

An introduction to the reading and writing skills necessary for successful philosophical scholarship. Required of all graduate students the first fall of their studies.

This seminar is a rigorous exploration of the fundamental theories and practices of teaching philosophy.

A study of the nature of the good and the right, encompassing questions such as: What sort of life is best? What kind of person is it best to be? What does morality require of us? Is there universal moral truth, and how can we know what's right or good?

A study of the interrelation of the person and community, focusing on such questions as: Is the human person, at the deepest level, a whole rather than a part? How can we best evaluate contractarian, utilitarian, and natural law views of the common good? Does liberal individualism do justice to either the person or the common good?

A study of virtue ethics as a distinctive ethical theory, along with questions about the nature of virtues and vices.

A study of the nature of science and scientific knowledge, with attention to the history of science and contemporary debates.

A study of selected topics in the philosophy of religion, such as God, faith, and reason, including an examination of both historical and contemporary discussions of these topics.

A study of selected thinkers and themes in 17th and 18th century European philosophy, focusing on the major works of seminal philosophers such as Descartes, Spinoza, Malebranche, Pascal, Locke, Leibniz, Berkeley, and Hume. Topics may include reality, knowledge, perception, reason, causation, identity, substance, mind, and God.

A study of the classic texts of the Confucian and Daoist traditions, including the Analects, Mencius, Doctrine of the Mean, The Great Learning, Daodejing, Zhuangzi, and The Art of War.

A study of issues and movements in American Philosophy, such as Transcendentalism, Pragmatism, and Neo-Pragmatism.

The study of one or more topics in phenomenology, drawing from the works of such thinkers as Husserl, Scheler, Stein, Heidegger, Sartre, and Merleau-Ponty. May be repeated for degree credit.

A study of prominent themes in the continental tradition of philosophy. Topics vary each semester and may include figures from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. May be repeated for degree credit.

A study focusing on twentieth and/or twenty-first century figures in French philosophy. This seminar may be devoted to one or more of the following figures: Bergson, Marcel, Ricoeur, Levinas, Foucault, Derrida, Marion, Nancy, or other similar thinkers.

A consideration of the philosophical questions raised by the interpretation of historically and culturally distant texts, artifacts, and experiences. Course may focus on one or more exponents of philosophical hermeneutics (e.g., Heidegger, Gadamer, Ricoeur, et al.) or on a particular issue (e.g., history, art, narrative, etc.).

A look at contemporary "critical theorists," scholars who - inspired by Kant, Hegel, Marx, and Freud - share two apparently incompatible convictions: first, that philosophy must acknowledge the historical, economic, political, psychological, and sociological factors that constrain and distort our thinking; and second, that this discipline of radical self-criticism can lead to insight, change, and growth.

An exploration of selected dialogues, informed by a study of the various interpretations of the dialogues from Aristotle to the present.

A close study of Aristotelian texts. Aristotle's psychology, metaphysics, or ethics and politics may be emphasized in a given semester.

A study of a wide range of Plotinus' works, aimed at articulating his understanding of the fundamental structures of reality, of thought, and of human life in relation to their transcendent source. The main emphasis will be on metaphysical and gnoseological themes, but the ethical, aesthetic, and spiritual dimensions of Plotinus' thought will also be considered.

A study of central philosophical topics in Augustine's thought, focusing primarily but not exclusively on the earlier phases of his work. Issues to be thematized include truth, beauty, unity and number, interiority, divine illumination, eternity and time, and the problem of evil.

An exploration of major themes in the thought of the 13th-century Dominican Thomas Aquinas through seminal works such as the Summa Theologiae and the Summa contra Gentiles.

A study of philosophical themes in the thought of Blaise Pascal, with special attention to the Pensées.

A study of selected themes in the philosophy of David Hume.

An in-depth study of selections from the three critiques and other writings, with attention to the relevant secondary literature.

A close reading of Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit with the aid of the major commentators.

A study of Kierkegaard's philosophical psychology through an examination of his pseudonymous works, including Either/Or, Fear and Trembling, Repetition, The Concept of Anxiety, Concluding Unscientific Postscript, and The Sickness Unto Death.

A study of the phenomenological method of Husserl through readings from one or more of his texts.

A study of major themes in Heidegger's philosophy, beginning with Being and Time and including other major texts from the later periods of his thought.

A close study of the Philosophical Investigations along with the Tractatus and On Certainty. Topics include the nature of mind, language, and the relation between language and the world in the philosophy of Wittgenstein.

A study of major metaphysical theories including those of Plato, Aristotle, and Aquinas.

A study of the philosophical dimensions of the cognitive life. It explores questions about the nature and sources of knowledge - and even its very possibility. Such questions lead to further considerations about, for example, skepticism and the problem of epistemic regress; the foundationalism vs. coherentism and internalism vs. externalism debates; the classical debates between rationalism and empiricism and, too, realism and idealism. The course might also investigate fresh developments in virtue epistemology, social epistemology, and feminist epistemology.

A study of classic or contemporary treatments of the nature of intellectual virtue, its role in the life of the mind, and its relevance to perennial or current issues in the philosophical study of knowledge.

An examination of the nature of mind and its relation to the physical world. Topics might include consciousness, subjectivity, the self, personal identity, neuroscience, cognitive psychology, artificial intelligence, and cognitive ethology.

Credit/No Credit only.

Credit/No Credit only.