The Department of Philosophy

Philosophy Courses


ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY PHIL 315 PHIL (3.00 credits)
The Western intellectual tradition has its roots in Ancient Greek Philosophy. This course will explore those roots through the philosophical themes that arose at the time and that provide the foundation for contemporary inquiry. Themes to be explored would include: metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, politics, and logic.
ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY PHIL 315 PU PHIL (3.00 credits)
The Western intellectual tradition has its roots in Ancient Greek Philosophy. This course will explore those roots through the philosophical themes that arose at the time and that provide the foundation for contemporary inquiry. Themes to be explored would include: metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, politics, and logic. Cross-listed: None. Offered: No Information Provided. Prerequisite: None.
ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS PHIL 110 EPU PHIL (3.00 credits)
What ways of thinking help us participate responsibly in the web of life on Earth? This course will help us recognize the interdependence of human society and the natural environment and the ways in which principles of ecological sustainability are essential to building a just and compassionate world. Our course will begin with developing an understanding of the multidisciplinary context of environmental ethics, and then we will explore fundamental worldviews of our relationship with and responsibility to the natural world. We will then look at specific areas of concern and case studies where you will be given the chance to examine an issue from different philosophical perspectives. This course will develop your ability to think philosophically; to understand several philosophical traditions in ethics; and to apply your abilities and understandings to environmental issues. Prerequisites: None.
ETHICS PHIL 104 P PHIL (3.00 credits)
This class examines various ethical theories and issues from multiple perspectives with the goal of discerning guidelines for individual human action and for the attainment of the good in human life. Cross-listed: None. Prerequisite: None.
ETHICS PHIL 104 PHIL (3.00 credits)
This class examines various ethical theories and issues from multiple perspectives with the goal of discerning guidelines for individual human action and for the attainment of the good in human life.
ETHICS FOR HEALTH LEADERS PHIL 642 PHIL (3.00 credits)
This course focuses on ethical issues in professions related to health care while exploring some philosophical approaches to moral responsibility. It is aimed at students pursuing a graduate degree in health systems leadership as well as other health care professions. Major areas of exploration include ethics in clinical medicine, public health, and the intersection of health ethics with global justice. Course goals include familiarizing students with some important ethical issues in health care, enhancing students' abilities to analyze and evaluate ethical issues, and fostering critical thinking and communication skills.
ETHICS OF SEX LOVE AND MARRIAGE PHIL 104A PQU PHIL (4.00 credits)
This class examines various ethical theories about sex, love and marriage, with the goal of understanding and evaluating feminist and GLBT arguments about the worth of marriage as an institution. Prerequisites: None
FOUNDATIONS IN PHILOSOPHY PHIL 102 PU PHIL (3.00 credits)
In this course, students will gain a greater awareness of the conversation that surrounds some of the most important questions of fact and value that have puzzled and continue to puzzle humankind, questions like: Is there a god, do we survive death, and does morality have a basis in fact? Students will also be asked to contribute something to this conversation: something that is well thought out, reasonably coherent, responsive to what others have said, and reflective of their most authentic selves. Students will be given the tools to do this through an extended discussion of the principles of critical thinking and the philosophical method that they were first exposed to in PHIL 101.
HEALTH CARE ETHICS PHIL 442 PU PHIL (4.00 credits)
This course examines various important ethical issues in medical practice and health care while exploring some philosophical approaches to moral responsibility. Major areas of focus include ethics in clinical medicine, public health, and the intersection of health ethics with global justice. This course has the goals of familiarizing students with some important issues in health care ethics as well as fostering independent critical thinking and writing on these topics. Prerequisites: Completion of COMMS 100, ENG 110  and at least sophomore status.
HISTORY & PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE PHIL 250 PV PHIL (3.00 credits)
History and Philosophy of Science is an introduction to the nature of scientific knowledge, the philosophical implications of science, and the development of science as we know it today, along with some of the processes and products of scientific inquiry. In addition, the course addresses the history of science through the study of notable scientific revolutions and the exploration of the natural world as a human activity. The goals of the course include: introducing students to philosophical ways of thinking and arguing within the natural sciences and student development of an appreciation of the scientific enterprise.
INDEPENDENT STUDY - PHILOSOPHY PHIL 479 PHIL (1.00 - 4.00 credits)
Research into a philosophical theme related to a students' major field. Required of philosophy minors. Prerequisites:  Consent of instructor.
METAPHYSICS PHIL 400 PHIL (3.00 credits)
Consideration of questions concerning ultimate reality and the purpose of existence. Perspectives from various eras, cultures and philosophical traditions will be examined. Prerequisites: Completion of a Philosophy General Education offering
MODERN PHILOSOPHY PHIL 265 PU PHIL (3.00 credits)
This course explores issues that arise in Modern Philosophy such as empiricism and rationalism, the rise of scientific method, and political beliefs founded on reason and individual freedom.
PHILOSOPHICAL THEMES PHIL 305 PHIL (3.00 credits)
Exploration of various philosophical topics. Topics have included the human use of leisure and work, technology, mass media and the arts, as well as cross-cultural philosophical issues.
PHILOSOPHY AND GENDER PHIL 106 PQU PHIL (4.00 credits)
This course will introduce students to the main theoretical paradigms within feminist and gender theory. The course is centered on the following questions: What is gender? What constitutes gender oppression? Is gender oppression related to oppression based on race, sexuality and class? If so, how? What is gender identity? Are gender differences natural, psychological, social, or some combination of these? How, if at all, is it possible to combat and perhaps overcome oppression? Prerequisites: None
PHILOSOPHY AND MASS INCARCERATION PHIL 200 DP PHIL (4.00 credits)
This course examines the philosophical questions raised by criminal law. This course will examine how various philosophers and social theorists have justified criminal punishment. We will pay special attention to how liberal democratic societies reconcile commitments to individual liberty with practices of confinement. We will connect this study to moral, political, and experiential reflections on mass incarceration, especially as they relate to racial, sexual, and class hierarchies in the US. This course will include a community learning project. Prerequisites: None.
PHILOSOPHY AND RACE PHIL 230 DPU PHIL (4.00 credits)
This course will examine philosophical analyses of race, considering a range of views from race as a biological feature of individuals to race as a social construction and hence a political issue. We will consider whether (and how) notions of race relate to practices of racism, asking both ethical questions (how should people of different races be viewed and treated?) and metaphysical questions (what IS race?). Would a just world be one which has gotten "beyond" race, or would that ideal perpetuate a dangerous desire for sameness? Prerequisites: None
PHILOSOPHY OF MIND PHIL 311 P PHIL (3.00 credits)
The main objective of this course is to explore the central philosophical issues associated with understanding the phenomena of conscious thought and experience. Debates in the areas of metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of science, and philosophy of mind will be covered, as well as the relation of those debates to contemporary research in the area of neuroscience. Students will learn to navigate these debates and their implications for such matters as freedom and responsibility, personal identity, and the relationship between psychology and the physical sciences. In doing so, they will also become familiar with the methodology of philosophy, the academic discipline that uses dialogue, debate, thought-experiments, and close, careful reasoning in an attempt to provide a range of plausible answers to questions that are not presently resolvable within the confines of the empirical sciences. 
PHILOSOPHY OF THE PERSON PHIL 103 P PHIL (3.00 credits)
Who am I and what could I become? What is a person? Are we more than biological organisms behaving according to laws of evolution? Are we born persons or do we become persons? What is soul? What is meaning in life, and where can we find (or create) it? And finally, what does it mean to seek "happiness"? This course has as its purpose the philosophical exploration of these and other questions on the nature of personhood.
PROFESSIONAL ETHICS PHIL 604 PHIL (3.00 credits)
The goal of this course is to deepen critical thinking about ethical issues that arise in the context of professional practice. The course explores a wide variety of ethical issues relevant across professions. It aims to enhance students' abilities to identify central ethical considerations, accurately and respectfully explain others' views, thoughtfully examine one's own views, critically evaluate the strength of reasoning, and present well-reasoned positions.
SCIENCE, RELIGION & PHILOSOPHY PHIL 108 PU PHIL (3.00 credits)
An exploration into the historical, cultural, ethical and philosophical relationships between religious traditions and the rise of Modern science. We will investigate these relationships as they have impacted: culturally shaped ways of knowing; changing worldviews about God, humanity and nature; methods of scientific, religious and philosophical inquiry; views on authority; and particular issues such as creation, evolution and intelligent design, the mind-brain problem, and life after death.
SELECTED PHILOSOPHERS PHIL 401 PHIL (2.00 credits)
In-depth concentration on one, two, or several philosophers, selected in response to student interest. Prerequisites: Completion of any PHIL course
SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY PHIL 105 PU PHIL (3.00 credits)
In this course, students will gain a basic understanding of some of the major social and political philosophies, including liberalism, conservatism, communitarianism, feminism, environmentalism, and cosmopolitanism. Students will also be asked to make some tentative steps towards developing their own social and political philosophy: a philosophy that is well thought out, reasonably coherent, consistent with the facts, responsive to what others have said, and reflective of their genuine points of view. Students will be given the tools to do this through an extended discussion of the principles of critical thinking and the philosophical method that they were first exposed to in PHIL 101.
SPC TPC: COSMOPOLITANISM PHIL 305A GP PHIL (4.00 credits)
Cosmopolitanism is the belief that all human beings are members of one, big global community. The idea is that if we are united based on our common humanity, we will be able to rise above the differences that often divide us. In this class, we will ask whether cosmopolitanism can in practice offer the solutions that it hopes to offer: can we human beings be united in something like a global community? Should we want to be? What would we gain and potentially lose if we did so? In order to address these questions, we will consider issues with global import, which might include cultural difference, the war on terror and the notion of universal human rights. Prerequisites: None.
THE PHIL OF MARTIIN LUTHER KING JR PHIL 307 2DP PHIL (4.00 credits)
This course is a shared inquiry into the nonviolent philosophy of M.L. King and its relevance both in the Civil Rights movement and in diverse communities in the U.S. and beyond. Students will study and discuss Dr. King's writings, reflect on their own potential for helping build the "Beloved Community," and engage in relevant service learning projects such as Amnesty International, the United Nations Association, and Fair Trade Advocacy. If funds are available, we may travel to the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. Prerequisites: Completion of COR 1 or COR 199 or COR 199 in progress; two full-time semesters of college credit, excluding retro credits, AP credits, and college credit earned while in high school.