Fall and Summer 2003 Course Offerings

Fall 2003: Philosophy or Religion
Summer 2003: All courses

FALL 2003
Philosophy
PHIL 100 Introduction to Logic
.001 TF 11:20-12:35 Redding
This beginning course introduces students to the study of formal logic and its relation to critical thinking and ordinary language. Logic has been an important part of the Western philosophical tradition at least since the time of Aristotle, and developments in the Twentieth Century gave us more powerful logical tools than were ever available before. We will learn to recognize “arguments” in ordinary language, to distinguish between inductive and deductive reasoning, to identify informal fallacies, and to determine the validity of deductive arguments through the use of truth tables, Venn diagrams, and the construction of formal proofs using both truth-functional and quantificational notation. The study of logic improves reasoning and analytical abilities, and provides intellectual skills that are helpful both in the conduct of daily affairs and as preparation for further study.

PHIL 105/105G Western Philosophy
.001 TF 2:10-3:25PM Lovering, R
.005 TF 8:30-9:45AM Lovering, R
The history of philosophy, like that of humanity, may be read as a history of love and desire. From the famous “Platonic love” that seeks wisdom to the historical desires that make up human consciousness for Hegel, from the medieval passion for God to the postmodern desire for Otherness, love and desire have been central to the philosophical constructions of human identity, moral meaning, and the very project of understanding. In this course we undertake a survey of Western philosophy from the perspective of love and desire, exploring the ways in which these terms have been understood and have in turn formed our philosophical understanding.

.002 TTh 5:20-6:35PM Greenberg, G
.003H MTH 11:20-12:35PM Ford, R
.004 MTh 3:35-4:50PM Tschemplik, A
This course provides a historical introduction to the Western philosophical traditions. Students will be introduced to the three major branches of philosophy - metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. The course invites students to address some of the philosophical problems, which have seized the attention of great thinkers throughout history: What is the nature of Reality? What is the good life? How should one live? What is justice? How do human beings achieve knowledge? Does God exist? Do human beings have free will? The objectives of the course are: (1) to familiarize students with some of the great philosophers' answers to these questions and (2) to provide a background for students as they begin to formulate their own answers to these major philosophical problems. The format of the course will be lecture and discussion.

This course is a foundation course in the General Education Program, Area II: "Traditions that Shape the Western World".

PHIL 220/220G Moral Philosophy
.001 TF 12:45-2:00PM Lovering, R
Over the course of the semester, we will critically analyze the major classical and contemporary approaches to moral philosophy and their application to a number of contemporary moral problems, including human rights, homosexual rights, war and peace, environmental protection, abortion and euthanasia, AIDS, racial and gender justice, and hunger and poverty.

Moral Philosophy is a second-level course in General Education Curricular Area II: “Traditions that Shape the Western World”.
Prerequisites for General Education credit: Western Philosophy or Western Legal Traditions.

PHIL 230/230G Meaning & Purpose in the Arts
.001 MTH 9:55-11:10AM Ford, R
This course includes leading theories of the nature, purpose, and meaning of artistic activities and objects examined through writings of philosophers, artists, and critics of ancient and modern times. Both Western and non-Western viewpoints are considered. Student projects apply critical ideas to particular works in an art form familiar to them.

Prerequisites for General Education credit: ARTS-100G or LIT-105G or LIT-135G or PERF-110G.

PHIL 300/600 Ancient & Medieval Philosophy
.001
W 2:10-4:50PM Rodier, D
During this course, students will learn about the history of Western philosophy from the earliest period through the sixteenth century, about philosophers and their general cultural milieu, and about the formation of the classical world view and accommodation of this world picture to requirements of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

PHIL 302/602 Nineteenth Century Philosophy
.001 T 5:30-8:00PM Feder, E
Human history comes to occupy a significant place in the work of nineteenth century Western philosophy. In this course we will trace the development of a prominent thread of nineteenth century philosophy through its most celebrated thinkers: Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud. We will attend to the position of "history" in their texts, and explore the development of the relationship between philosophy and history beginning with its distinctively eighteenth century articulation in the work of Kant, and ending with the work of Foucault, the 20th century philosopher most identified with nineteenth century thought.

PHIL 311/611 Modern European Movements: Descartes & His Critics
.001
Th 5:30-8:00PM Tschemplik, A
We will read Descartes’ philosophical writings during the first half of the semester and then consider the immediate response to his writings by reading the objections to his Meditations as well as Spinoza’s, Pascal’s and Locke’s critiques. In addition we will look at his reception by recent philosophers.

PHIL 386/686 Selected Topics in Philosophy
.001 Women & Asian Philosophy M 5:30-8:00PM Park, J

The coupling of these topics is not only to explore women “in” Asian philosophy but to consider women “and” Asian philosophy as both have been marginalized by dominant philosophical discourses. The course investigates the role of femininity in the construction of Asian thought, its distortion in the history of Asian philosophy and revalorization of women and/in Asian thought by examining different powers working in the philosophy-ing process.

.002 Aesthetics T 8:10-10:40PM Ford, R
An analysis of aesthetic experience and aesthetic values, and a study of representative types of philosophy of art. Topics may include: Is there truth in a work of art? What makes an object an aesthetic object? Are there aesthetic standards?

.003 Latin American Thought T 2:10-4:50PM Oliver, A
Presentation of a range of Latin American thinkers chosen to demonstrate
the power, vitality, and usefulness of Latin American intellectual life for
North American social and cultural issues. Among the topics to be explored
are identity, marginality, latinidad, argentinidad, mexicanidad, mestizaje,
critiques of power, role of ideology, feminism, Third World identity,
social justice, liberation, culture in human psychology, and indigenous
peoples. Taught in English.

PHIL 390/590 Independent Reading Course in Philosophy
Prerequisite: permission of instructor and department chair.

PHIL 391/691 Internship in Philosophy
Park, J
Prerequisite: permission of instructor.

PHIL 392/692 Cooperative Education Field Experience
Prerequisite: permission of department chair and Cooperative Education office.

PHIL 486 Colloquium of Philosophy
.001 Reading Daode jing (Tao-te Ching)
Th 8:10-10:40PM Park, J
(October 2 – October 30, 2003)
One of the most well known and most frequently quoted Asian texts in the West, the Daode jing is also the most misunderstood. We will do a close reading of the text – word by word, line by line – and explore modes of thinking conveyed in the book.

PHIL 490/690 Independent Study Project in Philosophy
Prerequisite: permission of instructor and department chair.

PHIL 498 Honors Project in Philosophy
Prerequisite: permission of department and University Honors Director.

PHIL 520 Ethical Theory: Recent Contributions
.001 W 5:30-8:00PM Reiman, J
In this course we will focus on recent contributions to ethical theory, looking at a series of books published since 1990. Final selections have not been made, but the following is a list of the type of books that will be considered: Jean Bethke Elshtain, Democracy on Trial (1995), a "classical liberal" consideration of the perils and fading possibilities of American democracy; Jurgen Habermas, Justification and Application: Remarks on Discourse Ethics (1993), a new defense of discourse ethics that responds to the major conflicting positions, such as those of John Rawls, Alasdair MacIntyre, and others; Lawrence Hatab, Ethics and Finitude (2000), an attempt to develop a Heideggerian ethics; Rosalind Hursthouse, On Virtue Ethics (1999), in which Hursthouse tries to develop a comprehensive neo-Aristotelian theory of virtue ethics; Eva Kittay & Ellen Feder, eds., The Subject of Care: Feminist Perspectives on Dependency (2003), a collection of recent articles exploring how the fact of human dependency challenges contemporary ethical theories and calls for modifications in those theories; John Rawls, Justice as Fairness: A Restatement (2001), Rawls's final statement of his overall theory of justice; Amartya Sen, Development as Freedom (1999), in which Sen develops his "capabilities" approach to issues of justice and applies it to problems in the developing world; and Susan Wolf, Freedom within Reason (1990), an attempt to develop a theory of freedom and its relationship to reason and to moral responsibility.

PHIL 797 Master's Thesis Seminar
Prerequisite: permission of department chair.

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FALL 2003
Religion
RELG 105/105G Religious Heritage of the West
.001
MTh 3:35-4:50PM Greenberg, G
This course explores the contribution of religion to Western civilization, the eastern Mediterranean roots of Western religions, the emergence of Christianity in the Greco-Roman world, the rise of Islam, the mature religious synthesis of Medieval Europe, and modern secularism’s challenge to this tradition.

RELG 185/185G Forms of the Sacred
.001 MTH 9:55-11:10AM Rodier, D
Religious beliefs and acts are fundamental to self identity, since we live in a global village and, in our own multicultural society, a knowledge of other religious traditions is crucial to understanding our world. This course will provide an overview of three major religious traditions: the traditions which developed in South Asia and form Hinduism; Buddhism as it developed in India and as it interacted with the indigenous traditions of China and Japan; and Islam both in its earliest Arab phase and as it spread and developed in South Asia and Indonesia. Throughout this course we shall pay careful attention both to the expressions of these religious traditions in high culture and to their popular forms and manifestations.

.002 MTh 2:10-3:25PM Park, J
The course covers five major religious traditions in Asia: Hinduism, Buddhism (its development in India and its transformation in East Asia), Confucianism and Taoism (two indigenous religious traditions of China), and Shinto (an indigenous religion of Japan). We will examine basic doctrines of each religion and discuss different ways of understanding the relationship between life and death, god and human beings, and the secular and the sacred. Also addressed is religion's influence on the construction of gender, national and individual identity, and social consciousness.

.003 W 2:10-4:50PM Hostetter, E
Since we live in both the global village and in our own national, but multicultural, universe, some knowledge of Eastern religions can be a real asset. The course covers three major religious traditions: the traditions developed in South Asia which form Hinduism, Buddhism as it developed in India and is transformed in East Asia, and the indigenous religious traditions of China and Japan. Throughout the course the manifestations of religion in both high and popular culture and religion’s influence on issues of gender, social structure and personal behaviors will be addressed.

This course is a foundation level course in Area III “International and Intercultural Experience.”

RELG 210/210G Nonwestern Religion: Hinduism
.001 MTH 2:10-3:25PM Rodier, D
Hinduism has a very rich tradition of religious stories and symbols which is over three thousand years old. In this course we shall explore the complex cosmologies of the Puranas, the main narratives of two of the greatest epic poems ever written - the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, and we shall develop a visual vocabulary which will help in understanding the rich iconography of Hindu visual arts and Hindu dance traditions. In all of our work we shall attempt to fathom the profound religious vision being presented and understand its relationship to the social and political issues of the present day.

RELG 386/686 Selected Topics in Religion: Religion & Violence
.001 M 8:10-10:40PM Greenberg, G
This course explores the religious dimensions, both ideological and cultural, to political and military conflict. Themes include sacred geography and literature as grounds for bloodshed, the sanctity of race, martyrdom/terrorism, and pacifism. Empirical data is drawn from the Middle East and the Balkans.

RELG 390/590 Independent Reading Course in Religion
Prerequisite: permission of department chair.

RELG 490/690 Independent Study Project in Religion
Prerequisite: permission of department chair.

RELG 498 Honors Project in Religion
Open only to students in the University Honors Program.
Prerequisite: permission of department chair and university honors director.

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SUMMER 2003
PHIL-105/105G Western Philosophy

TTH 9:00-12:10PM Greenberg, G
May 19-June 26, 2003

PHIL-230/230G Meaning & Purpose in the Arts
TTH 5:30-8:40PM Greenberg, G
June 30-August 7, 2003

PHIL-392/692 Cooperative Education Field Experience
Prerequisite: permission of department chair and Cooperative Education

PHIL-797 Master’s Thesis Seminar

RELG-210/210G Asian & African Religious Traditions
MW 1:00-4:10PM Rodier, D
June 30-August 7, 2003

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