Narrative Curriculum
Narrative Curriculum
At the completion of my master’s degree I would like to have the necessary skills
and credentials to teach philosophy at the post secondary level. As noted above, the
areas of philosophy that I am most interested in are:
Moral Philosophy
Political Philosophy
Critical Thinking and Argumentation
Philosophy of Mind
As I have discussed already in the goals statement, my graduate work should be
focused on developing a deeper knowledge of moral and political philosophy. To
ensure that I am well rounded and prepared to teach philosophy at most post secondary
institutions, I would also like to add courses in logic, critical thinking, argumentation, and
philosophy of mind.
The title of my degree, Moral and Political Philosophy is fairly straightforward, but
the reason that I am interested in combining these two areas of philosophy instead of
concentrating on one or the other, is that I believe that moral philosophy informs, or at
least it should inform, political philosophy. Political philosophy uses concepts such as
“moral worth”, “moral equality” and justice which are concepts developed in moral
philosophy. Therefore, it is my desire to build a degree that combines these two areas
of philosophy.
Moral Philosophy: Develop a deeper understanding of the three main branches of
moral philosophy; meta ethics, normative ethics and applied ethics.
Courses:
PHI 440 - Ethics (2 credits)
• This class gives students the background in analytical moral theory, covering
issues as the sources of moral obligation, objectivism and relativism, intuitionism,
utilitarianism, deontology and virtue.
• A woman is walking down a street and a man assaults her causing her to lose
her baby, did the man kill a person (the baby)? What if she was on her way to an
abortion? I am deeply interested in questions of justice, morality and ethics.
• This course is foundational to moral philosophy
2. PHI 453 - Person, Identity and Dignity (4 credits)
• Focuses on such questions as: What makes people different from other things in
the world? What makes people identical with themselves over time? Do any
moral considerations (questions of value) depend on our status as people? No
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•
•
prior familiarity with philosophy required. Combines elements of philosophical
anthropology, moral philosophy, and philosophy of mind
These questions occupy much of my mind’s free cycles. I have a deep
connection to nature and I wonder about these things often.
This course covers many areas that are instrumental to meta ethics.
3. LNT 599 Independent Study (4 credits) - Possibly in Applied Ethics
Political Philosophy: Develop a more complete understanding of the main branches of
political philosophy. Note, that I have already completed the last two courses at UIS for
graduate credit.
Courses:
PHI 411 - Feminist Theories (4 credits)
• What would a good society be like? We will discuss a range of feminist theories
with different views on the good society, including liberal, radical, socialist, post
modern, and global feminisms. These theories offer different solutions to such
social issues as the division of labor in the home and beyond, reproductive rights,
and sexuality. Through the experience of the course, each student will work to
develop his or her own view of a good society.
2. PHI 436 - Contemporary American Political Philosophy (4 credits)
• Focuses on four late 20th century political philosophies: liberalism, libertarianism,
communitarianism, and conservatism. Considers left-wing vs right-wing
approaches to social redistribution and individualistic vs. communitarian views of
the person as the basis for political theories. Readings include selections from
Rawls, Nozick, Walzer, Guttman, and Taylor.
3. PHI 448 - Moral Values in Political Philosophy (4 credits)
• An advanced inquiry into the connections between ethics and political
philosophy, the structure of political theories, and various attempts to justify
political principles through moral principles
Lastly, since my goal is to be able to teach philosophy, I feel that I need to be as well
rounded as possible while maintaining my concentration in Moral and Political
Philosophy. With the idea of being well rounded I think the following three courses
would be helpful, and in the case of Philosophy of Mind and Consciousness, fun.
Courses:
PHI 401 - Logic (4 credits)
• An introduction to the use of symbolic methods in the evaluation and analysis of
arguments. Topics covered will include Boolean logic, quantification, truth tables
and formal proofs.
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2. PHI 473 - Philosophy of Mind (4 credits)
• What is the mind, and how does it relate to the body? This course surveys the
major philosophical issues and perspectives on the mind and its place in the
natural world, with special focus on subjective experience (consciousness) and
mental representation (intentionality)
3. PHI 495 - Senior Seminar in Philosophy; Consciousness (4 credits)
• The seminar covers an advanced issue in analytic philosophy (selected by the
program each semester). The overview for majors involves senior assessment.
Those who write on a non-seminar topic complete a seminar examination. Nonmajors take the seminar only, with examination. Graduate students will also write
a seminar related paper.
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Narrative Curriculum
Degree Plan
I would to keep my degree plan somewhat flexible and depending on which courses are
offered from the philosophy program I may substitute or add one of the alternative
courses listed below.
Already Completed: Total 2 courses for 8 credits
PHI 436 - Contemporary American Political Philosophy (4 credits)*
PHI 448 - Moral Values in Political Philosophy (4 credits)*
Spring 2012:. Total 1 course for 4 credits.
LNT 501 Self-Directed Learning (4 credits).
Summer 2012: Total 1 course for 4 credits.
PHI 453 - Person, Identity and Dignity (4 credits)
Fall 2012: Total 2 course for 8 credits.
PHI 495 - Senior Seminar in Philosophy Consciousness (4 credits)
PHI 401 - Logic (4 credits)
Spring 2013: Total 2 courses for 8 credits.
PHI 411 - Feminist Theories (4 credits)
PHI 473 - Philosophy of Mind (4 credits)
Summer 2013: Total 1 course for 4 credits.
LNT 599 Independent Study (4 credits)
Fall 2013: Total 1 course for 2 credits
LNT 521 Liberal & Integrative Studies (2 credits)
(I will consider taking a two courses in fall of 2013)
Spring 2014: Total 2 course for 6 credits
LNT 560 Masters Thesis (4 credits)
PHI 440 - Ethics (2 credits)
Total Credits: 44
Alternative Courses:
PHI 441 - Moral Theory (2 credits)
PHI 447 - Rationality and Moral Choices
PHI 452 - Perspectives on Human Nature
PHI 474 - Feminism Informing Philosophy
PHI 485 - Social Philosophy
PHI 537 - Social Capital and Values
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Narrative Curriculum
Appendix
Below is a list of undergraduate courses that I’ve taken that are related to my degree
and goal of teaching at the post-secondary level.
Philosophy Courses at UCCS
PHIL 112 - Critical Thinking
PHIL 320 - Politics and Law
PHIL 356 - History of Philosophy: Modern Classical
Teaching Certification Courses at UW Stout and UW Madison
199-605 - Methods of Teaching Vocational Education at UW Stout
199-640 - Instructional Evaluation in Vocational Education at UW Stout
199-502 - Principles of Vocational Technical Adult Education at UW Stout
199-638 - Course Construction for Vocational Education at UW Stout
Educ 465 - Human Relations in the Educational Community at UW Madison
Self Study Philosophy, Political Theory, & Economics Courses
Knowledge Products Courses
Giants of Philosophy
Plato
Aristotle
ST. Augustine
ST. Thomas Aquinas
Baruch Spinoza
David Hume
Immanuel Kant
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
Arthur Schopenhauer
Soren Kierkegaard
Friedrich Nietzsche
John Dewey
Jean-Paul Sartre
The World of Philosophy
Socrates
Stoicism and Epicureanism
Confucius, Lao Tzu and Chinese Philosophy
Maimonides & Medieval Jewish Philosophy
Avicenna & Medieval Muslim Philosophy
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Duns Scotus & Medieval Christian Philosophy
Descartres, Bacon, & Modern Philosophy
Voltaire & Rousseau
The Philosophies of India
William James, Charles Peirce & American Pragmatism
Bertrand Russell & A.N. Whitehead
Simone De Beauvoir
20TH Century European Philosophy
Political Thought
Common Sense by Thomas Paine
The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson
Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau
The liberator by William Loyd Garrison
Wealth of Nations, Part I & Part II by Adam Smith on sale
On Liberty by John Stuart Mill
Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft
The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
Discourse on the Voluntary Servitude by Etienne De La Boetie
The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
The Social Contract by Jean Jacques Rousseau
Reflections of the Revolution in France by Edmund Burke
Rights of Man by Thomas Paine
The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay
Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes
Two Treaties of Government by John Locke
Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville
The Great Economic Thinkers
The Classical Economists
Karl Marx: Das Kapital
Early Austrian Economics
Alfred Marshall & Neoclassicism
The German Historical School of Economics
The Vision of Leon Walras
Thorstein Veblen & Institutionalism
Joseph Schumpeter & Dynamic Economic Change
Frank Knight & The Chicago School
The Austrian Case for the Free Market Process
The Keynesian Revolution
Struggle Over the Keynesian Heritage
Monetarism & Supply Side Economics
The Great Courses
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Conservative Tradition
Great Philosophical Debates: Free Will and Determinism
Questions of Value
Philosophy of Mind
Consciousness and its Implications
Explaining Social Deviance
Great Debate: Advocates and Opponents of the America Constitution
Thinking like an Economist: A Guide to Rational Decision Making
Legacies of the Great Economists
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My LNT Committee
LNT Advisor.
Dr. William Kline: Assistant Professor of Liberal Studies and Liberal and Integrative
Studies
E-mail: wklin2@uis.edu
Phone: 217-206-7418
Office: UHB 3031
Academic Advisors.
Dr. Peter Boltuc: Associate Professor of Philosophy, Director of Graduate Studies
Email: boltuc.peter@uis.edu
Phone: (217) 206-7422
Office: UHB 3030
Dr. Roxanne Kurtz: Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Director of Placement
Email: rkurt3@uis.edu
Phone: (217) 206-8218
Office: UHB 3039
At this point I am not considering having an outside expert or peer advisor.
I don't feel that I need a peer advisor as I am a highly motivated and dedicated student
(I've already taken two graduate level philosophy courses at UIS and I had no problem
staying on scheduled and completing the courses on time). If later I decide to have an
outside expert, I will ask Dr. Mary Cutter, Chair of the Philosophy Department at UCCS
to be on my committee.
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