Philosophy
PHL201 Philosophical Problems: Metaphysics
3 credit hours, 3 Lecture hours
Offers a general survey of one of the central areas in philosophy - metaphysics, the study of the ultimate nature of reality. Emphasizes understanding terms and theories. Analyzes arguments in metaphysics. Focuses on the scope and nature of knowledge, inasmuch as what is real is measured by what we can know. Prepares students for other classes in philosophy, specifically Theory of Knowledge, Elementary Ethics, Logic, Philosophy of Religion, and Biomedical Ethics . F, W, Sp,
PHL202 Philosophical Problems: Theory of Knowledge
3 credit hours, 3 Lecture hours
Focuses on the Theory of Knowledge (Epistemology). Emphasizes understanding terms and theories, and analyzes arguments in epistemology. Covers the three areas implied by the traditional account of knowledge as justified true belief. Devotes attention to the natures of truth, belief, and justification. Explores problems in other fields of philosophy generated by epistemic considerations. W, Sp
PHL203 Elementary Ethics
3 credit hours, 3 Lecture hours
Introduces ancient and modern theories of ethics. Includes explanations and paradigmatic illustrations of the central theories of ethics and close scrutiny of standard arguments supporting and attaching these theories. Applies theories to various contemporary moral problems and personal dilemmas. W, Sp
PHL204 Critical Thinking & Logic
3 credit hours, 3 Lecture hours
Studies principles for assessing the cogency of arguments and argument-forms. Provides techniques for testing the validity of arguments and constructing proofs for arguments that are valid. Offered as needed.
PHL205 Biomedical Ethics
3 credit hours, 3 Lecture hours
Covers ethical decision-making in Western, Eastern, and non-traditional settings. Explores real-world health problems in light of historical and contemporary ethical theories. Canvasses professional ethical codes and explicitly-stated obligations in order to identify the health care professional's special responsibilities in arriving at decisions which often have profound consequences. Offered as needed.
PHL206 Faith and Reason: Philosophy of Religion
3 credit hours, 3 Lecture hours
Explores the complex relationship between faith and reason. Analyzes classical and contemporary texts that address the uneasy relationship between the two phenomena. Focuses on both rational attacks against, and rational defenses of, reason, and thereby, on the nature and the scope - the limits - of rational thought. Also examines the character of religious belief, and the ways in which reason has been used both to attack and to defend religious faith. Offered as needed.
Updated October 28, 2007 by Marketing and Student Recruitment.