Course Descriptions

PHI 110 Introduction to Philosophy
This course introduces students to typical philosophical questions (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. The Christian tradition will inform the considerations. Students who receive credit for PHI 120 may not receive credit for PHI 125. (Prereq.: Pass CT assessment of GST 100)

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. We begin by asking what the end or purpose of human life is, and students then learn about 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
The nature and history of romantic love. The ethics of sex in relation to love, marriage, the institution of monogamy, and homosexuality are considered.

PHI 230 Logic
Students learn to distinguish arguments from exposition. Then they learn the rules that govern valid arguments and develop their ability to recognize and construct sound arguments. The last part of the course focuses on informal logic and inductive reasoning. (Prereq.: MPG3 and pass CT assessment or GST 100)

PHI 241 History of Philosophy I: Ancient Greek Philosophy
Central philosophical questions that concerned the Greek philosophers from Thales to Plotinus 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. (Prereq.: ENL 111 or 112 or HON 111. 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. (Prereq.: Pass CT assessment or GST 100)

PHI 315 Philosophy of Human Nature and Human Culture
This course concerns the philosophical study of human nature and its relation to human culture. Students will read a selection of texts by eminent philosophers on the subject. Topics studied in the course include the knowledge and nature of the self, the definition of the human being in terms of culture, myth and religion in human culture, human nature and the culture of language, and the culture of art.

PHI 343 History of Philosophy III: Early Modern and 19th-Century Philosophy
We study the major rationalists of the 17th century (Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz), the major empiricists of the 18th century (Locke, Berkeley, Hume), Kant’s synthesis of rationalism and empiricism, and 19th-century idealism and the reaction to it (Marx, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche and Mill). (Suggested prior course: PHI 241)

PHI 344 History of Philosophy IV: 20th-21st Century Philosophy
The course surveys the major philosophical schools in the 20th and 21st centuries: analytic philosophy, phenomenology, existentialism, pragmatism, and postmodern philosophy. Focus of study is on major texts of these movements. Students are strongly encouraged to take PHI 343 before taking PHI 344.

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? (Prereq.: Pass CT assessment or GST 100)

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, ways of knowing, 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 explores 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 discusses 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 including finite state automata, pushdown automata, and Turing machines. Incompleteness and uncomputability. (1.5-hour lab for PHI 385. Prereq. for PHI 285: None. Prereq. for PHI385: CSC 210 and one of MAT 122 or MAT 145 or MAT 171)

PHI 388 Seminar in Philosophy
This course focuses on an individual philosopher, an individual text, or a specific topic in philosophy. Students work on preparing an in-depth thesis paper on some aspect of the course through discussion of the course material. Short lectures are used to introduce students to the material followed by discussion and debate to move students into the depths of the material.

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, and ENL 111 or 112 or HON 111. Offered annually)

PHI 490 Keystone
This course integrates the student’s general education experience with an overview of specific philosophical ideas or philosophers.

Internships and Independent Study Courses

PHI 199 Internship

PHI 299 Directed Study PHI 399 Internship

PHI 499 Independent Study/Research