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Spring
2005 
Fall
2004
Spring
2004 Fall
2003
Spring 2003 Fall
2002
PHIL 105/105G Western Philosophy
.001 TF 11:20-12:35PM Feder, E
.003H TF 8:30-9:45AM Feder, E
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 TF 3:35-4:50PM Fleming, L
This course provides a historical introduction to the Western philosophical
traditions spanning 2500 years. The focus of the course is to examine whether
there is a connection between what I know and how I act. The readings will
involve us in a variety of discussions about what constitutes knowledge, what
can be known, and finally, what role knowledge plays in ethics.
.004 TTh 5:20-6:35PM Erfani, F.
A historical introduction to the Western philosophical tradition. Students
closely examine classic and contemporary texts on the nature of reality, truth,
morality, goodness, and justice; the possibility of knowledge; faith, reason,
and the existence of God; and the issue of freedom and determinism.
This course is a foundation-level course in the General Education Program, Area 2, Cluster 2: "Traditions that Shape the Western World".
PHIL 200 Introduction to Logic
.001 TF 2:10-3:25PM Stam, J
Basic principles of inductive and deductive reasoning. Text and exercises
supplemented by readings and discussions in history, philosophy, and applications
of logic.
PHIL 220/220G Moral Philosophy
.001 TF 12:45-2:00PM Carr
The theories concerning the nature of goodness found in Western philosophy.
The major discussion issues are traditional principles for evaluating goodness
and telling right from wrong; the difference between fact and value; the justification
of normative judgments; objectivity in ethics; and the relationship between
moral and nonmoral goodness.
This course is a second-level course in the General Education Program, Curricular Area 2, Cluster 2: Traditions that Shape the Western World.
Prerequisites for General Education credit: Individual Freedom vs. Authority, Work and Community, Western Legal Tradition, Western Philosophy, or Religious Heritage of the West.
PHIL 230/230G Meaning & Purpose in the Arts
.001 TTh 6:45-8:00PM Erfani, F.
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.
This course is a second-level course in the General Education Program, Curricular Area 1, Cluster 2: The Creative Arts.
Prerequisites for General Education credit: Art: The Historical Experience, Visual Literacy, Interpreting Literature, or Critical Approach to the Cinema.
PHIL 235/235G Theories of Democracy & Human Rights
.001 MTh 3:35-4:50PM Peach, L
This course analyzes traditional western theories of democracy and of rights
(both separately and in relationship to one another) as well as contemporary
approaches, such as Habermasian, post-modern, feminist and critical race theory.
It also considers the East-West debate on Human Rights.
This course is a second-level course in the General Education Program, Curricular Area 2, Cluster 2: Traditions that Shape the Western World.
Prerequisites for General Education credit: Individual Freedom vs. Authority, Work and Community, Western Legal Tradition, Western Philosophy, or Religious Heritage of the West.
PHIL 240/240G Ethics in the Professions
.001 MTh 2:10-3:25PM Peach, L
This course provides a framework for thinking generally about ethics, and
more specifically about professional ethics. In addition, it addresses ethical
dilemmas that arise in the professions of government, law, business, medicine,
the media, and the academy.
This course is a second-level course in the General Education Program, Curricular Area 4, Cluster 1: Social Institutions and Behavior.
Prerequisites for General Education credit: Understanding Mass Media, Macroeconomics, Politics in the United States, or Global Sociology.
PHIL 302/602 Nineteenth Century Philosophy
.001 MTh 12:45-2:00PM Carr, R
The nineteenth century was rich with philosophical thought and many thinkers
wrote voluminous works. We will carve out a space toward understanding the
significance of German Idealism and its consequences. We will begin by familiarizing
ourselves with some of the fundamental questions and problems Kant left for
his successors to solve and then examine the solution offered by thinkers
such as Hegel, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche. We will pay particular attention
to those thinkers’ responses to art, science, and religion and, most
importantly, to the role history comes to play for philosophy.
PHIL 310/610 The Classical Period: Plotinus & Augustine
.001 MTh 3:35-4:50PM Rodier, D
This course is a study of the major texts from Plotinus and Augustine. Plotinus,
the last major Classical philosopher, created a synthesis of Classical Greek
philosophy that provided the framework for Jewish, Christian, and Islamic
mediaeval philosophy. Augustine’s concerns with the consciousness and
free-will shaped the entire European philosophical tradition.
PHIL 312/612 Recent and Contemporary Philosophers
.001 Derrida and Buddhism
M 5:30-8:00PM Park, J
Derridean deconstruction is arguably one of the most influential continental
philosophies of the late 20th century. The class will do a close reading of
major works by Jacques Derrida, compare Derridean deconstruction with Buddhist
philosophy, and consider the influence of the deconstructive mode of thinking
in our understanding of identity, society and ethics.
.002 Rawls
W 5:30-8:00PM Reiman, J
John Rawls is considered by many to be the most important contemporary moral
philosopher writing in English. This course assesses the usefulness of Rawl’s
theory as a platform for American political reform, considers whether Rawl’s
theory is guilty of ethnocentrism, and evaluates its ability to provide a
global foundation for human rights
PHIL 315/615 Topics in Jewish Philosophy:
Modern Jewish Philosophers
.001 W 11:20-2:00PM Berner
What do some of the greatest modern and contemporary Jewish philosophers think
about God, the Jewish People, the Land of Israel, Social Responsibility, Prayer,
Gender, Spirituality and Religious Life? Together we will explore the writings
of Judaism1s greatest modern thinkers and the implications of their thought
for the present and future of the Jewish people.
PHIL 386/686 Selected Topics in Philosophy
.001 Latin American Thought
T 5:30-8:00PM 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.
.002 Senior Seminar: Aspects of Punishment (PHIL386
only)
CANCELLED AS OF 8/22/05
W 2:10-4:50PM Tschemplik, A
This class is open only to senior philosophy majors. The topic this semester
involves philosophical aspects of punishment. We will read a selection of
texts from ancient, modern, and contemporary philosophy, such as Plato's Gorgias,
Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morality, Foucault's Discipline and Punish, and Reiman's
Capital Punishment
Prerequisite: one course in philosophy.
PHIL 390/590 Independent Reading Course in Philosophy
Prerequisite: permission of instructor and department chair.
PHIL 391/691 Internship in Philosophy
.001 T 8:10-9:25PM Feder, E
An internship provides the opportunity to test the claim that philosophy is
the kind of discipline that teaches transferable skills such as critical reading,
analytical problem-solving and clear and careful writing. These skills are
desirable since many research institutes, non-profit organizations, think
tanks and legal and business organizations--all of which Washington supports
in abundance--are in search of individuals with such skills. Students enrolled
in the internship will design, in consultation with the internship coordinator,
a reading list and individual syllabus appropriate to their internships. Students
will meet together throughout the semester, beginning the second week of classes.
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: Philosophy of Film
.001 M 8:10-10:40PM Oliver, A
(September 19– October 24, 2005)
In "Philosophy of Film" we will consider how to go to the movies
AND do philosophy. We will read Andrew Light's Reel Arguments along
with selected articles. Philosophical consideration of film, foreign and domestic.
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 Seminar on Ethical Theory
.001 Th 5:30-8:00PM Peach, L
Survey of the development of ethical theory in Western philosophy by analysis
of major works in classical and contemporary moral philosophy. Issues investigated
include the nature of the good and the right, the possibility of moral knowledge,
the principles of individual virtue and social justice, the problems of ethical
relativism and absolutism, and the foundations of modern conceptions of human
rights.
Prerequisite: one introductory course in philosophy.
PHIL 797 Master's Thesis Seminar
Prerequisite: permission of department chair.
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.
This course is a foundation-level course in the
General Education Program, Curricular Area 2, Cluster 2: Traditions that Shape
the Western World.
RELG 185/185G Forms of the Sacred
.001 MTh 9:55-11:10AM Rodier, D
Religious beliefs and acts are fundamental to self-identity and since we live
both in a multi-cultural society and in a global village an understanding
of various religious traditions is crucial to understanding our contemporary
world. This course will provide an overview of three major religious traditions:
those which developed in South Asia and form Hinduism; Buddhism as it developed
in India and interacted with the indigenous traditions of Central and East
Asia; and the religious traditions of China, Japan and Korea. Throughout the
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 8:30-9:45AM LaMacchia, L
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 MTh 2:10-3:25PM Greenberg,
G
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 the General Education Program, Curricular Area 3, Cluster 2: Global and Multicultural Perspectives.
RELG 210/210G Nonwestern Religion
.001 MTh 2:10-3:25PM Park, J
This course offers an in-depth study of Buddhism. The class will investigate
major Buddhist doctrines including Buddhist concepts of self and society,
discuss Buddhist modes of religious practice, and explore their relevance
to contemporary issues through reading of both primary and secondary sources
in Buddhist tradition.
This course is a second-level course in the General Education Program, Curricular Area 3, Cluster 2: Global and Multicultural Perspectives.
Prerequisites for General Education credit: Culture: The Human Mirror, Third-World Literature, Forms of the Sacred, Cross-Cultural Communication, Views from the Third World.
RELG 386/686 Selected Topics in Religion: Religion & Violence
.001 Th 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 Germany, Lithuania, 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.
SUMMER 2005
PHIL 105/105G Western Philosophy
TTh 9:00-12:10PM Greenberg, G
May 16-June 23, 2005
PHIL-220/220G Moral Philosophy
MTWTh 1:00-4:10PM Lovering, R
May 16-June 2, 2005
PHIL-230/230G Meaning & Purpose in the Arts
TTh 5:30-8:40PM Greenberg, G
June 27-August 4, 2005
RELG-185/1850G Forms of the Sacred
Hostetter, E
May 12-July 7, 2005
Distance education course taught entirely online.
RELG-210/210G Non-Western Religious Traditions
MW 1:00-4:10PM Rodier, D
June 27-August 4, 2005