PHI 110 Introduction to Philosophy
This course introduces students to typical philosophical questions (like
how we know, if we can have certain knowledge, if there are universal moral
principles whether God exists, the nature of the mind, etc.), to philosophical
vocabulary, and to critical thinking and what it means to view the world
philosophically.
PHI 120 Ethics
By studying our moral beliefs, ethics helps students consider the bases
they use to make moral judgments. The course explores major philosophical
approaches to evaluating moral actions and then applies them to contemporary
issues. Christian ethics will inform the considerations. Students who receive
credit for PHI 120 may not receive credit for PHI 125.
PHI 125 Ethics and Human Identity
A philosophical study of the role of human understanding, emotions, and
action with respect to the pursuit of happiness. Beginning by asking what
the end or purpose of human life is, students decide on the moral and intellectual
virtues required to reach the end. Topics of friendship and human love are
followed by an analysis of human happiness. Students who receive credit for
PHI 125 may not receive credit for PHI 120.
PHI 175 Philosophy of Love and Sex Issues such as the
ethics of sex in relation to marriage, pornography, and homosexuality are
considered. Then consideration is given to the nature and history of romantic
love and its relationship to sex.
PHI 241 History of Philosophy I: Ancient Greek Philosophy
Central philosophical questions that concerned the Greek philosophers from
Thales to Plotinus and still concern us today: the nature of reality and its relationship
to language and reason, the immortality of the soul, the nature of
truth and human knowledge, and the nature of the good life.
PHI 242 History of Philosophy II: Medieval and Renaissance
Philosophy
Students will read writings by various medieval and Renaissance philosophers
in order to understand the process of philosophical assimilation involved
in constructing a Christian philosophy. Topics include: the nature of being,
human understanding in relation to faith, and the place of the image of
God in the human condition. (Suggested prior course: PHI 241. Spring)
PHI 260 Philosophy and the Arts
Philosophical issues raised and illustrated by painting, sculpture, literature,
music, architecture, and film: the truth and falsehood of aesthetic judgment,
the definition of art; the nature of aesthetic experience, the evaluation of art,
creativity, the relation between the artist’s intention, the work of art, and its
relation to the rest of the artistic tradition. For arts majors and students with a
strong background in the arts.
PHI 343 History of Philosophy III: Early Modern and 19th-Century
Philosophy
The major rationalists of the 17’ century (Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz),
the major empiricists of the 18’ century (Locke, Berkeley, Hume), Kant’s
synthesis of rationalism and empiricism, and 19’ century Idealism and
the reaction to it (Marx, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche).
PHI 344 History of Philosophy IV: Twentieth-Century Philosophy
A survey of major philosophical schools in the 20th-century: analytic philosophy,
phenomenology, existentialism, pragmatism, and post-modern philosophy.
Focus of study is on major texts of these movements.
PHI 350 Philosophy of Religion
We systematically investigate a series of philosophical questions about
religion. What is the relation between faith and reason? Does God exist,
and if so, what can be said about God? Can God’s goodness be reconciled
with human suffering? Are miracles and life after death possible?
PHI 355 Asian Philosophy
A study of the basic concepts and philosophies that underlie Hinduism,
Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. We focus on analyzing diverse views
of reality, the self, and recommendations on how to live.
PHI 365 Philosophy of Science
The course explores what scientific knowledge is, whether the scientist’s
knowledge of the world is profoundly different and better than that of the
non-scientist, and what degrees of certainty are yielded by scientific methods.
(Suggested prior course: one course in natural science)
PHI 370 Existentialism
Studies in the writings—both philosophical and literary—of prominent
existentialist authors. The course examines what it means to be a being-in-the-world
and explore such themes as absurdity, freedom, guilt, despair, and paradox.
(Suggested: one prior course in philosophy. Alternate years)
PHI 380 Ethics of Medicine and Health Care
The course lays out some fundamental ethical theories, which it then carefully
applies to problems that arise in the areas of health care and delivery,
allocation of scarce resources, human experimentation, genetic engineering,
abortion, care for the dying, and euthanasia.
PHI 385 Introduction to Formal Logic and Computation
Theory
An introduction to sentential and first-order logic including logical connectives,
proof theory, and quantification. Formal models of computation inclueding
finite state automata, pushdown automata, and Turing machines. Incompleteness
and uncomputability. (1.5-hour lab for PHI 385.
Prereq. for PHI 385: CSC 210 and one of MAT 122 or MAT 145 or MAT 171)
PHI 410 Topics in Philosophy
Advanced studies covering either an individual philosopher or a specific
topic in philosophy, such as philosophical movements, the history of an
idea or specific problems. Seminar format. May be taken more than once for
credit. (Suggested prior courses: any course from PHI 241, 242, 343, 344,
or consent of instructor. Offered annually)
Internships and Independent Study Courses:
PHI 499 Independent Study/Research
