PHL 170 Philosophy of Love and Sex (3 Credits)
Provides an overview of the primary historical and contemporary Western views on the nature and meaning of romantic love. Students will analyze the links philosophers have found among beauty, friendship, passion, loyalty and transcendence and will also create their own philosophies of romantic love.
PHL 199 Selected Topics: Philosophy (1-4 Credits)
Provides a learning experience in philosophy not currently available; this course is in development to be proposed as a permanent course.
PHL 200 Fundamentals of Philosophy (4 Credits)
Explores some of the major questions and philosophical subject areas of the Western World. Includes questions such as the existence of God, or not; how we know what we think we know; social and political philosophy; ethics; free will and determinism; the existence of other minds; questions concerning the existence of a mind-independent external world; and philosophical underpinnings of science.
PHL 201 Epistemology - Knowledge, Science, and the History of Reason (4 Credits)
Epistemology in the analytic tradition boils down to the "science of knowledge:" what does it mean to "know?" How do we know the things we supposedly know? What makes up the objects of possible knowledge? This course explores basic problems and different theories of knowledge along with related issues in metaphysics, for example: how to define the nature and limits of knowledge; rationalist vs. empiricist perspectives; assumptions about reality and existence; and arguments for and against the existence of God.
PHL 202 Problems of Philosophy - Ethics (3 Credits)
Explores basic problems in moral and social philosophy along with issues related to human nature, for example: how to define a good life or a good society; what is the nature of happiness, pleasure, virtue and justice; consequence vs. duty-based theories; the role of reason and/or passion; and arguments for and against natural law.
PHL 203 Problems of Philosophy - Logic (3 Credits)
Introduction to the study of reasoning and critical thinking. This involves identifying and evaluating deductive and inductive forms, distinguishing validity from truth/soundness, examining informal fallacies and the limits of language, constructing different types of arguments and applying these tools to issues in science, politics, morality and everyday life.
PHL 298 Independent Study: Philosophy (1-4 Credits)
Individualized, advanced study to focus on outcomes not addressed in existing courses or of special interest to a student. P/NP grading.
PHL 299 Selected Topics: Philosophy (1-4 Credits)
Provides a learning experience in philosophy not currently available; this course is in development to be proposed as a permanent course.
