Department of Philosophy
Fall Courses 2014
GREAT BOOKS: PHILOSOPHY
Donovan Miyasaki
PHL 2040-01
11:00-12:20 T,Th
Historical introduction to philosophy and critical and argumentative writing. Key readings from Plato,
Descartes, and Nietzsche, representing the ancient, early modern, and late modern eras. Additional
readings by contemporary philosophers Mary Midgley and Susan Wolf. Topics include moral
relativism, justice, knowledge, free will, moral responsibility, the existence of God, and meaningful
living.
PHILOSOPHY: THE BIG QUESTIONS
PHL 2050-01
Scott Wilson
11:15-12:10 MWF
PHL 2050-02
Scott Wilson
1:25-2:20 MWF
PHL 2050-03
Linda Farmer
9:30-10:50 T,Th
Like philosophers through the ages, students in this class will pursue the “big questions” of life. We
will discuss such perennially fascinating topics as: Can you survive the death of your body, and if not,
can it be bad for you to die? Is there a God? Is it rational to be moral? Are there “right answers” to
ethical questions, or is ethics just subjective? What is the meaning of life? We will examine these
questions by reading selections from classic philosophical texts, and put our own beliefs about them
under critical scrutiny. Our goal in these discussions will be to appreciate the complexities and
difficulties such questions raise for our most fundamental and deeply held beliefs.
PHILOSOPHY OF STATE & SOCIETY
William Irvine
PHL 2100-01
1:25-2:20 MWF
Many people equate politics with the battle between MSNBC and Fox, between Democrats and
Republicans, or between liberals and conservatives. Politics is far more than this, though. In
Philosophy of State & Society, we will undertake a novel analysis of the political debates of our time
by asking and attempting to answer a series of basic questions, including the following: What is
fairness? What is poverty? What are rights? What is diversity? Do humans have a nature, and if so,
what is it? What is happiness, and what is the best way to attain it? Which is more important, our
motives for acting or the consequences of our actions? Students might not change their political
views as a result of taking this course, but they will likely emerge far more knowledgeable about
whatever views they hold.
SYMBOLIC LOGIC 1
Jacob Bauer [new adjunct]
PHL 2230-01
10:10-11:05 MWF
If you are a functioning adult, you are logical. In this course, we will delve deeper into logic by
developing a symbolic language that captures the logic of English sentences. We will then learn how
to logically manipulate those sentences.
MODERN PHILOSOPHY
Linda Farmer
PHL 3030/5030-01
12:30-1:50 T,Th
Introduction to modern philosophy through the reading of primary texts and selections from the works of four
of the most important philosophers of this period: Descartes, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant. We will be paying
particular attention to the epistemological issues that dominated much of the philosophical discourse of the
modern period. While there are no prerequisites for this course, prior exposure to philosophy and the writing
of argument papers is strongly encouraged.
As of 3/31/2014 2:50 PM
HISTORY OF ETHICS
Scott Wilson
PHL 3120/5120-01
11:00-12:20 T,Th
This course is designed to introduce students to some of the most important ethical works in the
history of philosophy. By studying the history of ethical philosophy, students will be able to gain a
deeper understanding of their own views, of what the possible alternatives to their views are, & to
assess the relative strengths & weaknesses of both.
GERMAN PHILOSOPHY & LITERATURE
Donovan Miyasaki
PHL 3990/5990-01, ML 3990/5990-05
2:00-3:20 T,Th
A study of German philosophy through the lens of literature. We’ll examine philosophers who were
inspired by literature and art: Schiller’s Kantian view of beauty as the synthesis of morality and
passion, Hegel and Nietzsche’s analyses of Romanticism, and Heidegger’s philosophical readings of
Hölderlin and Rilke’s poems. We’ll also see how literature conveys philosophical ideas: the critique of
reason in Goethe’s Faust, Benjamin’s analysis of Marxism in the plays of Brecht, and Nietzschean
themes in the novels of Mann and Hesse. Along the way, we’ll question and clarify the line between
artistic and philosophical method: is philosophy a form of literature? Readings in English translation,
with reference to the original German texts.
PHILOSOPHY OF PHYSICAL SCIENCE
William Irvine
PHL 4710-01
2:30-3:25 MWF
In the Philosophy of Physical Science we explore the scientific method and its philosophical
implications. Early in the course, we examine the difference between science and religion by taking a
look at the debate between evolution, creationism, and intelligent design. Then we consider the “deep
ancestry” of modern human beings, exploring not just our family trees but our position in the tree of
life. We trace this tree back to its root—the origin of life on earth. We also examine the history of the
genes in our DNA as well as the history of the individual atoms that comprise us. In this last
examination, we consider scientific theories about the origin of the universe and the reasons scientists
have for proposing those theories.
PHILOSOPHY OF SOCIAL SCIENCE
Keith Sims
PHL 4720-01
3:30-4:50 T,Th
PHL 4720-02
2:00-3:20 T,Th
This course will be a generalized introduction to the philosophical analysis of the assumptions,
presuppositions, and conceptual problems that are inherent within the specific disciplines that make
up the social sciences, namely, economics, psychology, political science, and sociology.
As of 3/31/2014 2:50 PM