PHILOSOPHY COURSES
PHIL 101: INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY
#8420 (3 credits)
1:00 – 1:50 p.m..
M/W/F Dr. Poochigian
An introductory survey of the discipline of
philosophy. Because of popular unfamiliarity with
contemporary philosophy in the United States, special
emphasis is on Twentieth and Twenty First Century
developments. Focus concerns the problems of
reasoning (logic), of being (metaphysics), of knowledge
(epistemology), of science (philosophy of science), and
other fundamental questions as time allows.
PHIL 101: INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY
#8430 (3 credits) Beltz
ON-LINE Course
This course is designed to provide students with a
rich understanding of the ideas and issues that have
guided human inquiry for the last six thousand years.
Philosophy is an intellectual endeavor designed to ask
significant questions about ourselves, the world around
us, and the foundation of everyday existence. This
course will provide a survey of the major themes and
problems that generations of philosophers have
struggled to find solutions to. How do I know what is
right to do? How do I know that there is anything out in
the world? How do I know what is beautiful? What does
it mean to know something? This course will take a
thematic approach to philosophy, focusing on the
various areas of philosophic inquiry.
PHIL 110: INTRODUCTION TO LOGIC
#8427 (3 credits)
10:00-10:50 a.m.
M/W/F
Beltz
This course provides an examination of principles of
logical reasoning. Students will study a variety of
theories underlying critical thinking. This theoretical
understanding will be applied to practical reasoning;
giving students tools to evaluate arguments, determine
soundness and consistency, and helping students
understand their own reasoning processes. This course will
explore multiple forms of logic, including formal and
informal logic, deductive and inductive logic.
include sustainability, animal rights, energy consumption,
habitat loss, biodiversity, land conservation, and
pollution. Class members will explore such issues
through case studies in a context of relevant ethical
history and theory.
PHIL 120 – Introduction to Ethics
#8436 (3 credits)
12:30 – 1:45 p.m.
T/TH
Dr. Stone
PHIL 301: MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY
This course is an introduction to philosophical ethics.
Students who enroll will study the ethical theories of
Aristotle (Nicomachean Ethics), Kant (Groundwork of the
Metaphysics of Morals), Mill (Utilitarianism), Nietzsche
(Genealogy of Morals), and Hannah Arendt (Responsibility and
Judgment).
PHIL 250: ETHICS IN ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE
# 8429 (3 credits)
11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
T/TH
Beltz
This course provides an in depth investigation into the
ethical concerns involved in engineering and scientific
decision-making. Contemporary society places a significant
amount of prestige in scientific and engineering experts.
Professionals within these fields of expertise often lose
sight of their role in protecting public safety and the public
good. This course focuses on understanding the ethical
responsibilities of professionals, the nature of moral
decision making, and applying ethical frameworks to
concrete situations. Drawing on case studies, ethical
dilemmas, and real-world scenarios, this course examines
the significance of honesty, competence, safety, teamwork,
whistleblowing, confidentiality, consent, integrity, and
imaginations in the professional lives of engineers and
scientists. This course seeks to understand and apply the
professional codes relevant to contemporary engineering
and scientific practices
PHIL 253: ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
# 8437 (3 credits)
9:00 – 9:50 a.m.
M/W/F
Beltz
This course centers on the way that ethics helps us to
understand environmental issues. We examine a broad
cross-section of environmental issues from a variety of
traditional and contemporary ethical frameworks. Issues
#8438 (3 credits)
11:00 – 12:15 p.m.
T/TH
Dr. Stone
In this course students will be introduced to medieval
philosophical thinking through philosophical-literary
tales. Students will examine philosophical arguments for
the existence of God, eschatology (death, judgment, and
‘the end times’), free-will/pre-destination, the nature of
sin and morality, the function of prayer and philosophy,
etc. Particular philosophers and works that will be
studied include: Plotinus’s Enneads (selections);
Augustine’s Confessions; Boethius’s The Consolation of
Philosophy; Ibn Tufayl’s Hayy Ibn Yaqzan: A Philosophical
Tale; Dante’s Divine Comedy (selections); and the sermons
and treatises of Meister Eckhart.
PHIL 399: PHILOSOPHIC THEMES: ADAM SMITH
#8433 (3 credits)
12:30 – 1:45 p.m.
T/TH
Dr. Weinstein
We live in the world Adam Smith created. He invented
modern capitalism, founded English as an academic
discipline, was one of the first sociologists, and inspired
romantic literature. He prepared the way for Kant and
Marx, Darwin and Freud, Foucault and Kuhn. He was an
early feminist, workers’ advocate, a philosopher of
education, and a public policy wonk. He foreshadowed
the assembly line and the professional academic. He is
the patron saint of the Republican Party and a shining
beacon for liberals who oppose them. The phrase “the
invisible hand” is famous because he used it. In this class,
we will read his two major works, The Theory of Moral
Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations, and ask questions
such as “What is the relationship between ethics and
economics?”, “Can you understand another person’s
perspective?” “Are emotion and reason incompatible?”,
“Should there be public education?”, “Can science help
identify what is morally right?”, “How do we balance
religious liberty with pluralism?”, “How do we deal with
religious fanatics?” “Is globalization worth pursuing?”
and, of course, “Is capitalism a moral system?”
PHIL 420: EPISTEMOLOGY: WHAT IS
KNOWLEDGE?
#8439 (3 credits)
2:00 – 3:15 p.m.
T/R
Dr. Poochigian
Inquiry into the nature and limits of knowledge as
distinguished from belief: types of knowledge; the role
of reason and sense experience in empirical
knowledge.
PHIL 442: PHENOMENOLOGY
#8440 (3 credits)
9:30 – 10:45 a.m.
T/TH
Dr. RozelleStone
Phenomenology is a method of discovering the world
that we have ceased to notice because of calcified
assumptions. That is, phenomenology disrupts us
from our habitual and inattentive ways of sensing and
interpreting the world and promises to restore its
richness, surprise, and complexity. It attempts to
describe not just the “objects” that we encounter
(whether that be people, animals, tools, etc.), but also
and more importantly, the perceiving and experiencing
itself—i.e., how our subjectivities shape the reception
of those phenomena. In this seminar, we will not only
read works from contemporary phenomenologists,
but we will also do phenomenological experiments
throughout the semester. For example, we will visit an
art museum and employ phenomenology in learning
how to see with “fresh eyes.” We will think about
experiences of loving, listening to music, waiting,
encountering “wildness” in nature, dying, and more.
As Dermot Moran wrote, “phenomenology wants to
be present at the birth of the world for us,” and this
seminar aims to be a midwife in that delivery.
PHIL 460: PHILOSOPHY OF LAW
#8421 (3 credits)
2:00 – 2:50 p.m.
M/W/F
Dr. Poochigian
An investigation of the nature of both law and legal
reasoning. Study of the nature of law focuses on
theories of natural law, legal positivism, and legal
realism.
Legal reasoning concerns justified
interpretation of precedent and statute within the
common law tradition. Additional topics dealt with as
time allow encompass such issues as the justification
of punishment and enforcement of morality.
A & S 599: ADAM SMITH-GRADUATE SECTION
#18049 (3 credits)
12:30 – 1:45 p.m.
T/TH
Dr. Weinstein
This is the graduate section of PHIL 399 and the two
groups will be together in the classroom. See the
description above. Graduate students will read more of
Smith’s work than the undergrads, including his Lectures
on Rhetoric and Belle Lettres and His History of Astronomy
(which is very cool!). Graduate students will be able to
develop papers that align Smith’s work with their own
interests, regardless of their department of origin.
Because of Smith’s interdisciplinary focus, the course is
recommended for students in graduate programs in
English, History, Sociology, Psychology, Applied
Economics,
Public
Administration,
Social
Entrepreneurship, and Education (especially Education
Leadership, Higher Education, Foundations and
Research).
RELIGION COURSES
RELS 100: INTRODUCTION TO RELIGIOUS
INQUIRY
#8395 (3 credits)
11:00 – 11:50 a.m.
M/W/F
Dr. Miller
Religion is an important and powerful force in our
world today. Regardless of whether or not we consider
ourselves to be religious, we live in a global community
where religion and ideas about religion affect the lives of
most people on a regular basis. But what is this thing
called “religion” and how might we approach a study of
the topic from an academic perspective? In this course,
you will be introduced to the key concepts and methods
used in religious studies, so that you might be equipped
to investigate “religion” and to understand better how it
functions within our contemporary world.
RELS 102: RELIGIONS OF ASIA
#8398 (3 credits)
9:30 – 10:45 a.m.
T/TH
Dr. Lawrence
An introduction to the characteristic beliefs and
practices of selected religions that developed in Asia:
Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism and
Shinto. We will devote special attention to scriptures and
other classic literature of the traditions. Students will gain
an appreciation of the vitality and enduring significance of
each of the religions as a way of life for large numbers of
people. There are no prerequisites for this class, and it
satisfies the UND Essential Studies Requirement for
Global Diversity.
RELS 120: RELIGION IN AMERICA
#8408 (3 credits)
9:00 – 9:50 a.m.
M/W/F
Dr. Miller
A study of contemporary religious life in America and its
historical origins. Emphasis is placed on the unique
features of American religions and the interaction of
various religious groups.
RELS 300: JESUS IN GOSPEL AND HISTORY
#8410 (3 credits)
3:00 – 5:30 p.m.
W
Dr. Miller
What is the relationship of the cultural icon “Jesus” – as
represented in contemporary movies, popular music, action
figures, trendy fiction, and other artifacts from our society
– with the “Jesus” depicted in the ancient gospels – those
found in the Bible, as well as the many non-canonical
texts? In this course, we will reflect on this question, by
focusing critical attention on several contemporary “Jesus”
movies and novels drawn from American popular culture.
Our goal will be to understand better the ways individuals
and interpretive communities create meanings for texts
that both reflect and create the cultural worlds they inhabit.
RELS 355: ISLAM
#8417 (3 credits)
9:30 – 10:45 a.m.
T/TH
RELS 380: BUDDHISM
#8411 (3 credits)
2:00 – 3:15 p.m.
T/TH
Dr. Lawrence
This class begins with the study of Buddhist beliefs and
practices documented in the earliest scriptures, and
proceeds to examine how they were transformed and
developed in later traditions of Theravada and Mahayana
Buddhism that flourished throughout Asia. We will also
consider the recent spread of Buddhism to the West and
the challenges Buddhism has faced in the contemporary
period. The goal is to leave the students with a greater
appreciation for the enduring importance of Buddhist
religion and philosophy in world civilization. There are
no prerequisites for this class, and it satisfies the UND
Essential Studies Requirement for Global Diversity.
NO PREREQUISITES
MOST COURSES FULFILL
ESSENTIAL STUDIES
REQUIREMENTS
Philosophy
and
Religion
Course Offerings
FALL
2016
Dr. Stone
This course will provide a scholarly introduction to the
Islamic religious tradition. Students who enroll will study:
the formative historical background of the tradition;
foundational texts such as the Qur’an and Hadith;
theological and philosophical developments; Islamic
pluralism; contemporary Islamic experience; and
methodological considerations in the study of Islam.
Merrifield Hall, Room 201
777236
www.und.nodak.edu/dept/philrel/