Philosophy and Ethics Core Undergraduate Course Descriptions 2011-2012
This interdisciplinary course based in philosophy is a study of classic sources of ideas on the nature of humankind as found in Western religion, in the ancient world, and in modern philosophy. The course will examine contemporary theories of human nature that reflect upon the human being as a psychological or as a genetic mechanism, as a maker of tools, a speaker of language, as dominated by its animal nature, and as a being abandoned in a godless world.
Prerequisite Course(s): Take one course in each group: Group 1 (FCWR-101 or WRIT-101 or WRIT-111) and Group 2 (FCWR-151 or WRIT-151 or WRIT-161)
Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3
A seminar in philosophy focusing on the contributions and legacy of Socrates that examines the nature and significance of the Socratic method as the fundamental mode of logical inquiry. In its study of Socrates the seminar will follow an integrated and interdisciplinary approach that will touch on historical issues, dramatic and literary evidence, logical reasoning, and ethical and political matters.
Prerequisite Course(s): Take one course in each group: Group 1 (FCWR-101 or WRIT-101 or WRIT-111) and Group 2 (FCWR-151 or WRIT-151 or WRIT-161)
Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3
An interdisciplinary philosophy seminar that will introduce the students to the origins and basic ideas of the earliest Greek philosophers. The course will deal with their contributions to philosophical thought and the scientific understanding of the universe. The seminar will address a variety of disciplines that include philosophy, history, astronomy, cosmology, mathematics, and physics, disciplines that can be abundantly found in the writings and theories of the Presocratics. From Thales of Miletus in the early sixth century BCE to Democritus in the fifth century the course will present the students their attempts to understand the nature of reality and the universe. The course will require active participation on the part of the students and a series of written reports.
Prerequisite Course(s): Take one course in each group: Group 1 (FCWR-101 or WRIT-101 or WRIT-111) and Group 2 (FCWR-151 or WRIT-151 or WRIT-161)
Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3
The aims of this seminar in ethics are threefold: to explore and analyze critically the chief historical and contemporary theories of morality and the good life; to study the philosophical underpinnings of these theories in the works of the great philosophers; to discover the relevance of ethical theories to the understanding and adjudication of social and personal moral conflicts, and to the conduct of life.
Prerequisite Course(s): Take one course in each group: Group 1 (FCWR-101 or WRIT-101 or WRIT-111) and Group 2 (FCWR-151 or WRIT-151 or WRIT-161)
Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3
This interdisciplinary philosophy course will study the impact of philosophy, art history, belief systems, social movements, and critical theory on the development of Western art and culture from beginning of written history to the present. In addition, comparable art practices from non-Western cultures will be studied.
Prerequisite Course(s): Take one course in each group: Group 1 (FCWR-101 or WRIT-101 or WRIT-111) and Group 2 (FCWR-151 or WRIT-151 or WRIT-161) Group 3 (FCSP-105 or SPCH-105) (P) FCIQ-101, FCSC-101
Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3
An interdisciplinary philosophy seminar that introduces students to the field of bioethics- the study of ethical issues involving the biomedical and life sciences. The course includes readings of moral theories in philosophy and uses these concepts as a framework to examine key issues in bioethics. Topics covered in the course may include classic cases in bioethics as well as contemporary debates prompted by emerging technologies.
Prerequisite Course(s): Take one course in each group: Group 1 (FCWR-101 or WRIT-101 or WRIT-111) and Group 2 (FCWR-151 or WRIT-151 or WRIT-161) Group 3 (FCSP-105 or SPCH-105) (P) FCIQ-101, FCSC-101
Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3
An introduction to philosophy by way of selected problems from various areas of philosophy. Topics include: the nature of a priori knowledge and of scientific explanation, the existence of God, whether or not there can be moral knowledge, and the problem of free will. The course objective is to acquaint students with these philosophical issues, and through detailed discussion, to teach them how to analyze ideas critically.
Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3
This course acquaints the student with major elements associated with the development of religion as examined by psychologists, anthropologists, sociologists, and historians, as well as by selected theologians. Special attention is paid to the philosophical analysis of religious phenomena, clarifying issues, such as the existence of God and gods, the nature of religious experience, the belief in the soul, and other typically religious subjects.
Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3
An examination of some of the most critical issues of moral and social philosophy. These include subjects such as the linguistic analysis of terms such as good, evil, duty, right, and others. The basis of different moral systems will be studied, and selections from ethical and social philosophers will be read.
Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3
An examination of models and case studies concerned with the impact of machines on man, of technological systems on social structures, and modes of production on value systems. Special attention is paid to the ethical problems connected with newly emerging technologies.
Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3
An introduction to the valid forms of reasoning and the methods of inquiry practiced by the natural, social, and behavioral sciences.
Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3
An examination of the principal moments in the development of scientific thought, with special emphasis on the analysis of the principles of scientific methodology. The contributions of individuals like Aristotle, Ptolemy, Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton, Kant, Darwin, and Einstein will be carefully explored. Notions such as induction, deduction, proof, explanation, and truth will be subjected to extensive criticism.
Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3
Selected topics in philosophy.
Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 3-0-3
