3000 Level Courses

Courses may not be available during a specific term.

AP/PHIL3020 3.0A ETHICS

An advanced course in theoretical ethics, understood as covering both normative ethical theory and metaethics.

PREREQUISITE: At least one of the following: AP/PHIL 2050 6.00, AP/PHIL 2060 3.00, AP/PHIL 2070 3.00 or AP/PHIL 2075 3.00.

AP/PHIL3020 3.0M ETHICS

(This is a Winter Course)

An advanced course in theoretical ethics, understood as covering both normative ethical theory and metaethics.

PREREQUISITE: At least one of the following: AP/PHIL 2050 6.0, AP/PHIL 2060 3.0, AP/PHIL 2070 3.0 or AP/PHIL 2075 3.0

AP/PHIL3030 3.0A METAPHYSICS

Metaphysics concerns such issues as the nature of reality, the existence of contingent and necessary truths, universals, perception and the nature of the external world.

PREREQUISITE: AP/PHIL 2080 3.00 or at least six credits in philosophy.

AP/PHIL3030 3.0M METAPHYSICS

Metaphysics concerns such issues as the nature of reality, the existence of contingent and necessary truths, universals, perception and the nature of the external world.

PREREQUISITE: AP/PHIL 2080 3.00 or at least six credits in philosophy.

AP/PHIL3035 3.0A EPISTEMOLOGY

Theories of knowledge are examined in relation to theories of reality. How does our perception of reality relate to our understanding of it? How can we come to know something is true or false?

PREREQUISITE: AP/PHIL 2080 3.00 or at least six credits in philosophy.

AP/PHIL3035 3.0M EPISTEMOLOGY

(This is a Winter Course)

Theories of knowledge are examined in relation to theories of reality. How does our perception of reality relate to our understanding of it? How can we come to know something is true or false?

PREREQUISITE: AP/PHIL 2080 3.00 or at least six credits in philosophy.

AP/PHIL3080 3.0A KANT

"For the chief question is always simply this: what and how much can the understanding and reason know apart from all experience?" Kant's answer revolutionized philosophy. It is given in the Critique of Pure Reason, which will be studied in detail.

Prerequisites: AP/PHIL 2020 3.00 and AP/PHIL 2025 3.00.

PRIOR TO FALL 2009: Course credit exclusions: AK/PHIL 3080 3.00 (prior to Summer 2007), AS/PHIL 3080 3.00.

AP/PHIL3081 3.0M Hegel

Prerequisites: AP/PHIL 2020 3.00 and AP/PHIL 2025 3.00.

PRIOR TO FALL 2009: Course credit exclusions: AK/PHIL 3080 3.00 (prior to Summer 2007), AS/PHIL 3080 3.00.

AP/PHIL3095 3.0M PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION

How do theistic philosophies deal with the fact of evil? Are religious language and forms of knowing distinct from other forms? What are the moral and ethical issues inherent in religious propagation?

PREREQUISITE: AP/PHIL 2090 3.0 or at least six credits in philosophy.

AP/PHIL3101 3.0A PHILOSOPHY OF LOGIC

A study of issues relating to the study of symbolic logic to ordinary language, including the nature of truth, the nature of sentences versus propositions, semantics for natural language (the Liar paradox, descriptions, reference, demonstratives) and syntactical versus semantic conceptions of inference.

PREREQUISITE: AP/PHIL 2100 3.0.

AP/PHIL3110 3.0A POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

An examination of both historical and contemporary theories of the nature and function of the state, the relation between individual and community, and the necessary virtues of the good society and theories. This course will pay particular attention to liberal and socialist conceptions of liberty, equality, and justice.

PREREQUISITE: At least one of the following: AP/PHIL 2050 6.0, AP/PHIL 2060 3.0, AP/PHIL 2070 3.0 or AP/PHIL 2075 3.0.

AP/PHIL3110 3.0M POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

An exploration of major topics in political philosophy, such as the authority of the state, the justification of private property, the nature of rights, theories of justice, and political equality.

PREREQUISITE: At least one of the following: AP/PHIL 2050 6.0, AP/PHIL 2060 3.0, AP/PHIL 2070 3.0 or AP/PHIL 2075 3.0.

AP/PHIL3120 3.0M Political Philosophy

A detailed study of the early existentialist thinkers such as Pascal and Kierkegaard. Emphasis will be on their views concerning knowledge and faith, God and humankind, freedom and self-deception.

PREREQUISITE: AP/PHIL 2120 3.0

AP/PHIL3125 3.0M CONTEMPORARY EXISTENTIALISM

The course concentrates on the most important and famous contemporary existentialist, Martin Heidegger. It studies his main work, Being and Time, a book that most continental philosophers would agree is the most significant work of the Twentieth Century. Since this book is basic for contemporary existentialism, the course is able to refer to its impact on such thinkers as Sartre and MerleauPonty, its existentialist precursors such as Nietzsche and Kierkegaard, and its close relatives like the postmodernists.

Nonetheless, the main purpose of the course is to do a 'systematic' treatment rather than 'historical' study of the key concepts in order to show their relevance to current issues in philosophy.

Frequent reference will be made to Husserl as well, the founder of the phenomenological method, because Being and Time is a model of phenomenological analysis, especially of what is called hermeneutic or existentialist phenomenology, and we shall follow its style of thinking and writing in order to begin to learn to apply this method in the assignments and class discussions.

PREREQUISITE: AP/PHIL 2120 3.0.

PRIOR TO FALL 2009:PREREQUISITE: AK/PHIL 2120 3.0, AS/PHIL 2120 3.0 or permission of the instructor.

AP/PHIL3140 3.0F RUSSEL & LOGICAL POSITIVISM

An examination of Bertrand Russell's extensive contribution to philosophy along with that of the early Wittgenstein and the Vienna Circle Positivists such as Carnap, Schlick and Ayer.

PREREQUISITE: At least six credits in philosophy. AP/PHIL 210 3.00 is recommended.

AP/PHIL3145 3.0M WITTGENSTEIN

A critical examination of the philosophic writings of the later Wittgenstein focusing on his most crucial work, The Philosophical Investigations.

PREREQUISITE: At least six credits in philosophy.

PRIOR TO FALL 2009: PREREQUISITE: At least six credits in philosophy. Course credit exclusions: AK/PHIL 3145 3.00 (prior to Summer 2007), AS/PHIL 3145 3.00.

AP/PHIL3170 3.0A PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE

An examination and critique of the history, fundamental assumptions and methodologies of science. Topics to be discussed may include the nature of scientific theories, the problem of induction, theories of probability, and the demarcation and growth of scientific knowledge.

PREREQUISITE: At least six credits in philosophy.

CROSSLISTED:
SC/STS 3170 3.0

AP/PHIL3200 3.0M PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE

Of all human affairs, Dewey wrote, linguistic communication is the most wonderful. It is wonderful because it enables people to get things done, by expressing their wishes, fears, hopes, beliefs, requests, etc., and because it enables them to get informed about the world around them and about each other. Now people can achieve all of this by means of language because the sounds and marks they produce are endowed with meaning. Meaning is thus the central concept to be studied in this course, which will address issues that fall into two broad categories, one having to do with the nature of linguistic meaning and its relation to language users, the other having to do with the relation between meaning and reference, i.e., the ability of words to hook on to extra-linguistic reality. meaningful? What is truth?

PREREQUISITE: At least six credits in philosophy. AP/PHIL 2100 3.0 is recommended.

AP/PHIL3220 3.0A ARGUMENTATION THEORY

Arguments play a crucial role in all our lives, and we spend a great deal of time involved in them. We are regularly in contexts where we want to persuade others of some point of view, or show them they are mistaken in challenging our view. While these disputes vary from mild discussions to outright brawls, we can still ask if they have a common core or structure. What is an argument? What is the role in argumentation of logic, emotion, intuition? Can we separate emotion and reason as Descartes did? Or should we turn to the concepts of process and interaction in order to understand the dynamics of dispute? Is argument something that can be modeled? What must we learn in order to argue better?

This is not a course in critical thinking. Instead it is a survey of the main theories concerning the philosophy and structure of arguments as they occur in everyday conversational settings. Readings are drawn from Philosophy, Communication Theory, and allied areas. The student should leave the course with a deeper understanding of the history, dynamics, and process we call "argumentation."

PREREQUISITE: At least six credits in philosophy.

AP/PHIL3260 3.0F PHILOSOPHY OF PSYCHOLOGY

An examination of whether psychological research can help to answer traditional philosophical questions. Case studies may include: psychiatric and mental disorders, rational thought, animal cognition, the placebo effect, the nature of concepts, attribution theory, moral psychology, or consciousness.

Prerequisites: At least six credits in philosophy including one of AP/PHIL 2160 3.0 or AP/PHIL 2240 3.0.

AP/PHIL3265 3.0M PHILOSOPHY OF MIND

If you can read this, you have a mind. But what is mind, and what is the relationship between mind and body? Is the mind physical, and if so, are mental states identical to brain states? How do we know that others have minds? Do we really have beliefs and desires, or will we discover that minds as we think of them don't actually exist? Perhaps the mind is extended past the brain and the body and into the external world. What is the nature of consciousness, and what sorts of things are conscious? Do animals have minds? We will address these questions in a way that is informed by contemporary philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience.

PREREQUISITE: At least six credits in philosophy including one of: AS/PHIL2160 3.0 or AS/PHIL2240 3.0

AP/PHIL3280 3.0A MIND & NATURE: PHILOSOPHY OF BIOLOGY

Nature or nurture? Genes or development? Is it possible to be truly selfless? Are species or races real? Did religion evolve? How about morality? Does appeal to biology shed light on current social issues, such as the tension between social conservatives and liberals, or popular uprisingings? Can we understand more mundane aspects of contemporary life, like how to interview for a job or get a date in terms of evolutionary biology? How are humans different from other animals? In the philosophy of biology, we address questions such as these in a way that will be fully accessible to students without a background in biology.

PREREQUISITE: At least 6 credits in Philosophy. AS/PHIL2160 3.0 or AS/PHIL2240 3.0 is recommended.

AP/PHIL3510 3.0M FEMINIST APPROACHES TO ETHICS & POLITICS

This course examines recent feminist writings in ethics and political philosophy. We will discuss criteria for what qualifies as a "feminist" ethical theory, and will examine several candidates, including the ethics of care, feminist contract arianism, feminist virtue ethics, and lesbian ethics. Topics include the (potentially) gendered nature of value, the relationship between justice and care, reproductive autonomy, sexual violence, and global injustice.

Prerequisites: 6 credits in Philosophy (must include PHIL 2500 3.0 or PHIL 2070 3.0) or 3 credits in Philosophy and WMST 2500 6.0.

AP/PHIL3576 3.0M ETHICAL ISSUES IN BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH with Human Subjects

Biomedical research involving human subjects is a thriving industry. It generates data from an estimated 20 million research subjects in the U.S. alone as well as billions of dollars in drug sales. This course explores the ethical tensions in biomedical research with human subjects. The main goals of biomedical research are to advance scientific knowledge and to develop new therapies that will hopefully benefit certain classes of patients. Although patients who become research subjects may benefit from treatments provided in clinical trials, the promotion of their well-being is not the primary responsibility of the physician/investigator who conducts the research.

The physician/investigator may thus experience an ethical tension between the therapeutic responsibility to promote the research subjects' wellbeing and the scientific responsibility to advance biomedical research for the public good. As we will see, the history of abuse in biomedical research illustrates how often the wellbeing of research subjects has been sacrificed for the advancement of science. Some advocacy groups stress paternalism and are calling for the strong legislative protection of research subjects. Other groups see science as offering salvation to patients in search of a cure.

They stress autonomy and advocate for the right of research subjects to assume greater risks in the search for effective treatments. To what extent, if at all, should we compromise the welfare of human research subjects in the scientific pursuit of greater medical benefits for larger patient populations across society? The central question we will address is how ethics, law and policy should respond to the tensions in biomedical research between paternalism, autonomy and justice.

Prior TO FALL 2009: Course credit exclusion: AK/PHIL 3576 3.00.

AP/PHIL3600 3.0A ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY

Plato’s Republic is the first known systematic account of a utopian society in western literature. It is arguably the most influential and famous philosophical and political treatise ever written. The Republic expounds Plato’s conception of the perfectly just state (the standard against which all other states, in his eyes, can be judged to be just or unjust). In this course we will examine the background, structure and arguments of the Republic from both an ancient and contemporary perspective. Themes to be discussed will include: ideas of justice, natural aptitudes, the division of labour, competition, role of wealth, religion, notions of God, life after death, reincarnation and choice, degrees of reality, truth, body and soul, imitation, kinds of desire, censorship, music, multiculturalism, virtue ethics, education, friendship, love, equality of the sexes, marriage, philosopher-kings, degeneration of the state, corruption in politics, lying, myth, notions of the self, inspiration, happiness and the meaning of life.

Required Readings: Plato’s Republic (C.D.C. Reeve translation), Indianapolis: Hackett, 2004; recommended reading: Kenneth Dorter, The Transformation of Plato’s Republic, Landam: Lexington Books, 2006.

PREREQUISITE: At least one of: AS/PHIL 2010 3.0 or AS/PHIL 2015 3.0.

AP/PHIL3620 3.0M EMPIRICISM & RATIONALISM

The empiricists and rationalists include such eminent philosophers as Hume, Descartes, Berkeley and Locke (among others). This course examines selected readings from one or more representatives of each tradition.

PREREQUISITE: At least 6 credits in Philosophy.

AP/PHIL3640 3.0M PHENOMENOLOGY & HERMENUTICS

How does meaningful experience arise for individual consciousness? How do we understand and interpret different objects, artworks and cultures?

This course examines what are the methodologies of phenomenology and hermeneutics and how to practice them. Students will be expected to use both the theory and practice of this methodology in their presentations and final essay. The style of doing current "existential phenomenology" that will be stressed is what I call "body hermeneutics&. We shall thus attempt to understand what is the phenomenological body and world and how to hermeneutically analyze them further by using these methods.

The texts that will aid our study will be chosen from Nietzsche [primarily from Will to Power], Husserl [The Crisis of European Sciences], Heidegger [Being and Time and Nietzsche: Volume 1] and MerleauPonty [Phenomenology of Perception].

These methods will be applied both to artworks and life situations with the aim of dealing with current philosophical problems. Examples of such problems are environmental issues about how humans are related to nature; social and ethical issues implied by the way we relate phenomenologically to one another; and general ontological and epistemological problems concerning what it is to be human cognitively, linguistically, emotionally, perceptually and practically.

Requirements

Two written presentations will be required with accompanying reports on the two classes preceding their presentations, of which only the written part will be marked. Attendance is important in such a course, as students will be expected to write their essays and presentations using this particular class as their audience and thereby the particular issues, concepts, and discussions that it has stressed.

In order to encourage attendance, marks will be deducted for nonattendance. The final essay will be worth approximately 50% with its topic proposed in writing by the student and requiring the approval of the course director.

PREREQUISITE: At least 6 credits in Philosophy.

PRIOR TO FALL 2009: PREREQUISITE: At least 6 credits in Philosophy. Course credit exclusion: AS/PHIL 3640 3.00.

AP/PHIL3750 3.0M PHILOSOPHY OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

This course is designed to introduce Cognitive Science students to Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a framework for modeling and analyzing fundamental ideas about the nature of intelligence and cognition. The computer models which AI has proposed may or may not be suitable for explaining human capabilities; perhaps we do things quite differently. But AI serves as a sort of baseline for Cognitive Science. If we do not know of any way to implement some cognitive function in the form of a computer program, then we are not likely to be able to construct a theory within the framework of Cognitive Science to explain how humans do it either. The course will give an overview of some AI techniques for building intelligent systems and discuss various philosophical issues associated with AI.

PREREQUISITE: At least six credits in philosophy, AP/PHIL2100 and AP/PHIL 2160 or AP/PHIL 2240. AP/PHIL4011 3.0A