200

PHL 200 Introduction to Philosophy

A study of philosophical methods and concepts via selected philosophical systems and problems.

Credit Hours: 4

PHL 201 Logic

Studies principles of correct reasoning: formal and informal arguments.

Credit Hours: 4

PHL 202 Ethics

Examines major systems of thought regarding problems of moral value and the good life.

Credit Hours: 4

PHL 203 Contemporary Philosophy

Examines major concepts and methods of 20th- and 21st- century philosophy.

Credit Hours: 4

PHL 204 Aesthetics

An examination of selected topics in the philosophy of art and critical appreciation such as the nature of art, aesthetic experience and aesthetic objects.

Credit Hours: 4
(A)

PHL 206 Philosophy of Religion

Examines the nature and validity of religious beliefs.

Credit Hours: 4

PHL 208 Business Ethics

An examination by case study of moral problems in the business world. Topics include the obligation of industry to the natural environment, governmental regulation of private enterprise, employee rights and truth in advertising. Develops a number of ethical theories to assist the analysis.

Credit Hours: 4

PHL 209 Biomedical Ethics

An investigation of selected moral problems that arise in the contemporary biomedical setting. Issues include abortion, euthanasia, patient rights, animal experimentation, in-vitro fertilization, surrogate motherhood and genetic engineering.

Credit Hours: 4

PHL 210 Environmental Ethics

An examination of issues that arise from human beings interacting with their natural environment. Initial discussion involves selected ethical problems that arise from human use of "common systems" (e.g., the atmosphere, oceans, wilderness). Further discussions consider whether ecological systems, natural features and non-human animals have moral worth independent of their utility for human commerce.

Credit Hours: 4
(IG) (NW)

PHL 212 Critical Thinking

Designed to strengthen students' skills in reasoning about problems and issues of everyday life by helping them to distinguish between good and bad arguments. Students work to achieve these goals through reading and discussion of course materials, written analyses of others' arguments or development of their own arguments, and class debates for practice in persuasive argument.

Credit Hours: 4

PHL 215 Ancient Philosophy: Plato and Aristotle

An examination of ancient philosophy in the Western world with a concentration on the philosophical views of Plato and Aristotle.

Credit Hours: 4

PHL 217 Social and Political Philosophy

A study of major social and political systems and issues from Plato to the present.

Credit Hours: 4

PHL 218 Minds, Brains, and Metaphysics

What is the mind? How is it related to the brain and body? How is it connected to the world? What exactly is consciousness? This course is an introduction to the philosophy of mind, with a focus on issues of metaphysics. Topics covered may include mind-brain dualism, logical behaviorism, mind-brain identity theory, functionalism, connectionism, artificial intelligence, philosophical questions about mental representation and the nature of consciousness, embodied cognition, and other current trends in philosophy of mind.

Credit Hours: 4

PHL 220 Problems of Philosophy

An in-depth study of selected philosophers or philosophical problems. May be repeated if content varies.

Credit Hours: 4
(IG) (NW)

PHL 225 Modern Philosophy: Descartes to Kant

A study of the views of selected modern philosophers from Descartes to Kant.

Credit Hours: 4

PHL 237 Indian and Asian Philosophy

An introduction to Indian and East Asian philosophy. Surveys the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, early Indian Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism (a.k.a. Taoism) and East Asian Buddhism.

Please note: This course was cross-listed as REL 217 prior to the 2013-2014 academic year. Students who took the course as REL 217 may not repeat it.

Credit Hours: 4
(IG) (NW)