Philosophy minors may elect to pursue either the general course of study in philosophy or, if they choose, a departmental specialization either in the area of Law and Philosophy or in the area of Ethics. All minors, whether pursuing the general course of study in philosophy or specializing in Law and Philosophy or in Ethics, are required to complete a total of five PHL courses, for a total of five PHL courses:
- PHL 120/Introduction to Logic
- PHL 201/History of Ancient Philosophy or PHL 205/History of Modern Philosophy
- One additional PHL courses at any level
- Two additional PHL course at 300 or 400 level
Philosophy Minor Departmental Specializations:
- Law and Philosophy
- Ethics
Philosophy minors specializing in the departmental options of Law and Philosophy or in Ethics must ensure that, in choosing courses that satisfy the above-listed requirements, they also satisfy certain additional requirements of these specializations In particular, minors specializing in Law and Philosophy must complete PHL 275 and PHL 375 (the fifth course towards the minor must be at the 300 level or above). Minors specializing in Ethics must complete either PHL 135 or PHL 255, PHL 350, and PHL 430. Because the philosophy minor may be tailored to any number of specific needs and interests, students who are considering a minor in philosophy may wish to consult with the department chair before selecting a particular sequence of courses.
COURSES
PHL 100/Introduction to Philosophy (1 course unit)
(every semester)
An introductory-level, problems-based course that includes the fundamentals of philosophical argument, analysis and reasoning, applied to a series of issues in logic, epistemology, metaphysics and ethics. Topics covered may include: logical validity, theories of knowledge and belief, the nature of mind, the nature of reality, arguments for the existence of God, and theories of the nature of right and wrong.
PHL 120/Introduction to Logic (1 course unit)
(every semester)
Instruction in the basic principles and techniques of correct reasoning in ordinary life and the sciences. Study of the formal systems of sentence logic and predicate logic. Translation of the natural language and analysis and evaluation of deductive arguments through the construction of proofs. Focus particularly on the power and precision of the natural language with the aim of helping students increase their ability to think and write with creativity, precision, and rigor.
PHL 135/Contemporary Moral Issues (1 course unit)
(every semester)
This course provides an introduction to ethics, one of the main branches of philosophy. It aims to familiarize students with basic concepts and theories in ethics, and with how they may be applied to a range of contemporary moral issues. Topics addressed may include racism, sexism, the treatment of the handicapped, abortion, euthanasia, cloning, capital punishment, our obligations to the disadvantaged, the treatment of non-human animals, just war, and the like. Students will be encouraged to learn from great thinkers of the past and of the present, to examine their own moral values and beliefs, and to take reasoned and informed stands on the issues treated.
PHL 170/Topics in Philosophy (1 course unit)
(occasionally)
This is a Topics Course with no prerequisites, open to and appropriate for first-year students.
PHL 201/History of Ancient Philosophy (1 course unit)
(fall)
Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or permission of instructor
A course tracing the development of philosophy in the West from its beginnings in 6th century B.C. Greece through the thought of Plato and Aristotle, especially focusing on questions concerning reality, knowledge, human nature, and the good life. Attention is also given to the influence of the Greek philosophers on the Western tradition to the present day.
PHL 205/History of Modern Philosophy (1 course unit)
(spring)
Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or permission of instructor
A course tracing the development of major philosophical ideas in the West from the beginning of the 17th century to the close of the 18th century. Philosophers whose works are examined typically include some or all of: Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant. Special emphasis is placed on the development of epistemology and metaphysics during the Enlightenment.
PHL 215/American Philosophy (1 course unit)
(rarely)
Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or permission of instructor
A course examining the history of American philosophy and influence that American philosophers have had on the development of philosophy throughout the world. Much of the course will focus on the creation of pragmatism by Pierce, James, and Dewey (1870-1938) and the reworking of pragmatic ideas since 1950 by American philosophers such as Quine, Putnam, and Rorty. In addition, selections will be made from other traditions, movements, and thinkers such as Jonathan Edwards, transcendentalists such as Emerson and Thoreau, idealists such as Josiah Royce, and recent work by American philosophers using “lenses” of race and gender.
PHL 220/Metalogic (1 course unit)
(rarely)
Prerequisite: PHL 120 or permission of the instructor.
A course exploring selected topics in logical theory and the philosophy of logic, including soundness and complete theorems for sentence and predicate logic and related proof techniques. Depending on student interest and time, we may also cover aspects of probability theory, modal logic and set theory.
PHL 240/Political Philosophy (1 course unit)
(annually)
Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or permission of instructor
A course providing a systematic historical survey of the main issues in political philosophy. The main topics to be discussed include: the justification of political authority, modern social contract theories of the state, conceptions of distributive justice, and contemporary liberal, communitarian, and cosmopolitan theories of political organizations. Significant attention will be given to contemporary debates in political philosophy such as social justice and duties beyond borders.
PHL 245/Existentialism (1 course unit)
(same as HON 245)
(alternate years)
Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or permission of instructor
A course examining existentialism and the work of philosophers and writers associated with existentialism. Since the name “existentialism” is a covering term for a diverse group of post-Hegelian, European philosophers, this course emphasizes the distinctive views of individual figures. Among the figures considered are Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Sartre, Beauvoir, and Camus.
PHL 246/Aesthetics (1 course unit)
(alternate years)
Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or permission of instructor
A course examining the principal issues and theories in the philosophy of art and beauty. Readings include works by philosophers of historical importance such as Plato and Aristotle as well as the writings of contemporary aestheticians. Consideration is also given to selected issues associated with particular arts such as meaning in music and the interpretation of poetry, and the cinematic in film.
PHL 250/Philosophy of Religion (1 course unit)
(same as HON 272)
(annually)
Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or permission of instructor
This course critically examines major issues, views, and positions in the philosophy of religion. Topics treated include the nature of religion and divinity, religious diversity, the problem of evil, philosophical arguments for the existence of God, religious experience, ethics and religion, and science and religion. Students will be encouraged to learn from great thinkers of the past and of the present, to examine their own religious values and beliefs, and to take reasoned and informed stands on the issues treated.
PHL 255/Biomedical Ethics (1 course unit)
(same as HON 355)
(alternate years)
Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or permission of instructor
A course dealing with questions concerning the ethical and social policy dimensions of medicine, nursing and other health care professions. Topics examined include: the professional-patient relationship, abortion, euthanasia, research involving human subjects, justice in health care, and the ethical implications of possibilities such as eugenics, genetic engineering, and markets in transplant organs.
PHL 265/Environmental Ethics (1 course unit)
(same as HON 265)
(alternate years)
Prerequisite: One course in philosopy or permission of instructor
A course providing a comprehensive overview of the key issues and arguments within the field of environmental ethics. The course includes an examination of some basic issues in metaethics and normative ethical theory, and several kinds of ethical arguments for animal rights and environmental protection. We will also study major environmental movements, such as deep ecology, social ecology, ecofeminism and the environmental justice movement, and will consider selected public policy issues such as habitat preservation, land-use management, or pollution abatement.
PHL 270/Topics in Philosophy (1 course unit)
(occasionally)
This is a Topics Course with no prerequisites, offered primarily for sophomores, juniors and seniors. It may not be appropriate for freshmen.
PHL 275/Philosophy of Law (1 course unit)
(fall)
Prerequisite: One philosophy course or sophomore standing or permission of instructor
This course presents leading theories of the nature of law and the relation between human law and moral law, including classical natural law theory, positivism, formalism, legal realism, the “new naturalism” and legal skepticism. A focus of the course is the problem of indeterminacy in the law: how should judges go about deciding cases when the law itself is indeterminate as to meaning and application?
PHL 306/20th-Century Philosophy (1 course unit)
(occasionally)
Prerequisite: One 200-level or higher philosophy course or permission of instructor
A seminar providing both conceptual and historical consideration of issues and problems characteristic of 20th-century analytic philosophy, with an emphasis on the evolution from its 19th century roots in psychology and neo-Hegelianism through the work of Frege, Russell Moore and Wittgenstein in the early part of the century. The course may include tracing the consequences of those early views through the work of, among others, Fodor, Quine, Putnam and Kripke. Topics include anti-psychologism in logic and psychology, sense and reference, logicism, theories of the nature of the proposition, theories of description, Wittgensteinian theories, causal theories of content, analyticity, and necessity.
PHL 311/Philosophy of Science (1 course unit)
(alternate years)
Prerequisite: One philosophy course and one natural or social science course or permission of instructor
A seminar examining the epistemological, metaphysical, and ethical issues raised by science. Issues addressed may include: scientific realism vs. anti-realism, scientific explanation, the historical development of science, induction, scientific observation, confirmation theory, and the ethical responsibility of scientists. Students will be encouraged to learn from great thinkers of the past and of the present, to reflect on their own values and beliefs concerning science, and to take reasoned and informed stands on the issues treated.
PHL 347/Philosophy and Literature (1 course unit)
(same as HON 346)
(alternate years)
Prerequisites: One 200-level course in philosophy and one course in literature or literary theory, or permission of instructor
A seminar studying literary works and the nature of literature from the vantage point of philosophy. Using a variety of literary, critical, and philosophical texts, this course examines similarities and differences between belletristic literary works and other forms of verbal expression.
PHL 350/Ethical Theory (1 course unit)
(annually)
Prerequisite: One 200-level or higher philosophy course or permission of instructor
A seminar examining major theories in ethics and metaethics such as: utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics, relativism, intuitionism, emotivism, natural law, and theories of justice, rights and duties. Concentrated study of works of major historical and contemporary thinkers.
PHL 370/Special Topics in Philosophy (1 course unit)
(occasionally)
Prerequisite: One 200-level or higher philosophy course or permission of instructor
An advanced course examining a problem, text, philosopher, historical period, or other philosophical topic not covered in depth in regular courses. Topics will vary. May be repeated for credit with permission of the department.
PHL 375/Law and Ethics (1 course unit)
(annually)
Prerequisites: Two courses in philosophy or permission of instructor
A seminar on the moral foundations of the law and the relation between law and ethics. In that connection, we explore utilitarianism and objections to that theory grounded in considerations of equality and in privacy. Readings for the course will come from both traditional and contemporary sources in moral philosophy and from Supreme Court and other court opinions.
PHL 391/Independent Study in Philosophy (1 course unit)
(every semester)
Prerequisite: Two 200-level or higher philosophy courses or permission of instructor
Independent study of a particular philosophical topic, in close consultation with a member of the department.
PHL 410/Theory of Knowledge (1 course unit)
(alternate years)
Prerequisite: Two 200-level or higher philosophy courses or permission of instructor
A seminar examining the central topics of epistemology including truth, belief, epistemic justification, knowledge, perception, skepticism and the responses thereto. Students will be encouraged to learn from great thinkers of the past and of the present, to reflect on their own epistemic values and beliefs, and to take reasoned and informed stands on the issues treated.
PHL 420/Metaphysics (1 course unit)
(alternate years)
Prerequisite: PHL 120 and two 200-level or higher philosophy courses or permission of instructor
A seminar promoting deeper understanding of core issues in contemporary metaphysics. Readings cover both classical and contemporary/inclusive perspectives on reality, virtual reality, ontology, necessity, time, change, identity, causation, and space.
PHL 421/Philosophy of Language (1 course unit)
(alternate years)
Prerequisite: PHL 120 and two 200- level or higher philosophy courses or permission of instructor
A seminar promoting deeper understanding of core issues in philosophy of language, language acquisition, and linguistics. Readings cover both classical and contemporary/inclusive perspectives on the nature of language, the nature of language acquisition, the connection between language and power, and the effect of language in the intersection of social systems.
PHL 422/Philosophy of Mind (1 course unit)
(alternate years)
Prerequisite: PHL 120 and two 200- level or higher philosophy courses or permission of instructor
A seminar promoting deeper understanding of core issues in contemporary theories of consciousness and identity. Readings cover both classical and contemporary/inclusive perspectives on dualist theories, the logic of identity, personal identity, collective identity, theories of mental representation, artificial intelligence and zombies.
PHL 430/Advanced Ethics (1 course unit)
(annually)
Prerequisite: Two 200-level or higher philosophy courses and PHL 350 or PHL 375 or permission of instructor
A seminar on contemporary issues in ethical theory, applied ethics or the philosophy of law. Topics treated will vary depending on the instructor, but will always involve concentrated study at the advanced level.
PHL 470/Advanced Topics in Philosophy ( 1 course unit)
(occasionally)
Prerequisite: Two 200-level or higher philosophy courses or permission of instructor
A seminar on a problem, text, philosopher, historical period or other philosophical topic not covered in depth in regular courses. Topics will vary depending on the instructor but will always involve concentrated study at the advanced level.