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Additional Information
Philip T. Grier, Thomas Bowman Professor of Religion and Philosophy, Chair (Fall 2008)Susan M. Feldman, Professor of Philosophy (On leave Spring 2009)Jessica Wahman, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Chair (Spring 2009) (On leave Fall 2008)Thomas Nadelhoffer, Assistant Professor of PhilosophyChauncey Maher, Visiting Assistant Professor of PhilosophyCrispin Sartwell, Associate Professor of Art and Art HistoryTen courses, including 120 or 121, 241, 243, 290, plus three 300-level philosophy seminars, plus three additional philosophy courses. No more than one of the 300-level courses may be taken as independent study. Majors should complete the logic requirement (120 or 121) as soon as possible, and should take 241 (every fall semester) and 243 (every spring semester) early in the major. Majors should attempt to schedule 290 in the spring of their sophomore year. For any given term the department chair may designate courses in other programs which may be counted toward the major in philosophy; express permission of the advisor is required in each case.
Declared majors have the right to participate in Departmental Meetings and to be consulted on significant changes to the academic program and policies.
Six courses chosen with the advice of the department.
First Year: 111 or 112 or 120 or 121
Second Year: 241, 120 or 121 (if not taken previously), 243, and 290
Third Year: a 300-level seminar and two electives
Fourth Year: two 300-level seminars (or independent study/research) and remaining elective(s)
The department supports independent study by its majors, especially as leading to an Honors thesis (see below). Any student interested in independent study in philosophy should see the appropriate instructor to negotiate topics, readings, and logistics.
Students may complete an honors thesis in their senior year. The thesis is an original piece of philosophical writing, the product of student research and reflection, written under the guidance of a member of the department acting as adviser. Usually, students work on the thesis for two semesters senior year, enrolling in Independent Research (PHIL 500) each semester. Honors are awarded upon successful oral defense of the completed thesis.
Many students have found ways to combine their philosophical interests with internships, particularly in areas of applied ethics, law, or public policy. Contact the department chairperson.
Majors are encouraged to study abroad, at the Dickinson program at UEA or elsewhere. In the past majors have studies at universities in several other countries. The program at UEA is particularly well suited to support Dickinson philosophy majors in a year of study abroad. Contact the department chairperson.
111 Introduction to Philosophy An introduction to Western philosophy through an examination of problems arising in primary sources. How major philosophers in the tradition have treated such questions as the scope of human reason, the assumptions of scientific method, the nature of moral action, or the connections between faith and reason.
112 Ethics Major theories in terms of which philosophers have tried to make sense of moral problems. The aims are to expand the student's understanding of ethical alternatives, to provide models and methods for thinking about moral dilemmas, and to help formulate and clarify one's own ethical position.
113 Introductory Topics in Philosophy Introduction to philosophy through the exploration of a specific topic or problem.
120 Critical Reasoning The study and practice of forms and methods of argumentation in English. Students will learn methods of identifying, evaluating, and formulating sound arguments and will learn to distinguish these from faulty reasoning that may nonetheless appear persuasive.
121 Introductory Symbolic Logic An introduction to the basic concepts and techniques of symbolic logic through the study of sentential logic and quantificational logic. Focus on symbolizing sentences and arguments, constructing formal proofs of validity, demonstrating validity and invalidity using semantic techniques.
210 Philosophy of Feminism Critical examination of key issues concerning the status and roles of women and of the developing theories which describe and explain gender-related phenomena and prescribe change for the future.
Prerequisite: WOST 200, one course in philosophy or permission of instructor. This course is cross-listed as WOST 210. 215 Existentialism A study of existentialist thinkers, including Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre, de Beauvoir, and Camus, who treat the human condition as irreducibly individual and yet philosophically communicable, and for whom the experience of the existing individual is of primary importance in issues ranging from one?s relationship to God to the inevitability of death.
Prerequisite: one course in philosophy or permission of instructor. Offered every two years.220 Biomedical Ethics A study of ethical issues arising in the context of medical practice, biomedical research, and health related policy making, with focus on the ethical concepts, theories and reasoning methods developed to clarify and resolve these issues.
Prerequisite: One previous course in philosophy, or LPPM 200, or permission of instructor. This course is cross-listed as PMGT 220.241 Ancient Philosophy The emergence of logos out of and in tension with Greek mythos. Presocratic myth. Plato's myth of Logos. Aristotle's Logos of 'Nature'. Retreat from/retreatment of logos after Aristotle.
Prerequisite: a previous course in philosophy or permission of instructor.242 Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy The problematic of faith and reason. Universals and universities. Neoplatonic and Aristotelian schools. Aquinas, Scotus, Ockham. Paganism, politics, and mysticism in Renaissance thought.
Prerequisite: a previous course in philosophy; or HIST 257; or permission of instructor.243 Philosophy in the 17th and 18th Centuries Origins of the modern tradition in Western philosophy. Particular emphasis on the problems of method in thinking, the nature and scope of knowledge, the quest for certainty, and views on the nature of reality.
Prerequisite: a previous course in philosophy (241 recommended) or permission of instructor.246 Asian Philosophies Characteristics and problems of thought outside the West. Methods of comparative philosophy. Close examination of works and movements within a major tradition (in different semesters: China, India, Japan, Buddhist schools).
Prerequisite: a previous course in philosophy or permission of instructor.251 Philosophy of Religion What it means to examine the phenomenon of religion philosophically. Problems which come to light from such an examination, such as the nature of religious experience, the relationship of reason and religion, and the meaning of religious language. Emphasis on the variety of forms in which the phenomenon of religion manifests itself.
Prerequisite: a previous course in philosophy; or major standing in anthropology, sociology, or religion; or permission of instructor.252 Philosophy of Art What is a work of art? Inquiries into the nature of art and aesthetic experience and of the meaning of literature and the arts in one's own life and the life of a culture. Conversations with local and visiting artists on special problems.
Prerequisite: a previous course in philosophy; or major standing in a literature, music, or art; or permission of instructor.253 Philosophy of Society Ways in which one's view of human nature, the human good, and the nature of justice interact in any coherent vision of the structure of a just society.
Prerequisite: a previous course in philosophy or major standing in any of the social sciences.254 Philosophy of Science Logic and methods of scientific thinking. The impact of science on the contemporary world. Conceptions of theories and of observable facts. The rationality of science and of choice among theories. General questions about knowledge, values, and ultimate beliefs as they relate to the scientific enterprise.
Prerequisite: a previous course in philosophy or major standing in mathematics or any of the natural sciences.255 Philosophy of Law Fundamental problems such as the nature of law, the justification of legal authority, the relationship between legality and morality, the nature of judicial decision-making, theories of punishment, and issues involved in civil disobedience.
Prerequisite: a previous course in philosophy or major standing in political science. This course is cross-listed as LAWP 255.256 Philosophy of Mind This course investigates the nature of the mind and its relation to the brain, body, and the surrounding world. Analyses of these topics will draw on information from fields such as psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science, or computer science.
Prerequisite: one course in philosophy, or permission of instructor.261 Intermediate Topics in Philosophy Examination of specific problem, author, text, or movement.
Prerequisite: a previous course in philosophy, major standing in a field relevant to the subject matter, or permission of the instructor.290 Contemporary Philosophy Workshop Hands-on work in contemporary methods and issues in philosophy through immersion in a controversy in current philosophical journals, with emphasis on close analytical reading of philosophical texts and arguments, constructing clear and precise arguments, and philosophical writing.
Prerequisite: a previous course in philosophy.364 Major Texts in 19th Century Philosophy A seminar centered on a major text or texts of significant 19th century philosophers such as Hegel, Kierkegaard, Marx or Nietzsche.
Prerequisite: two courses in philosophy or permission of instructor.365 American Philosophy A seminar that focuses on the emergence and influence of major philosophical texts and themes originating in the United States. It will cover such thinkers as James, Peirce, Royce, Dewey, and Santayana and such themes as naturalism, transcendentalism, and, in particular, pragmatism. Contemporary developments in the American philosophical tradition may also be included.
Prerequisites: two courses in philosophy, or permission of instructor.373 Major Texts of Twentieth Century Continental Philosophy A seminar concentrating on a single major text or a series of texts representing significant movements in continental European thought since 1900, such as phenomenology, existentialism, structuralism, or deconstruction. Typical foci: Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, or Derrida.
Prerequisite: 243 and at least one other course in the department, or permission of instructor.374 Major Themes of Twentieth Century Analytic Philosophy A seminar critically examining selected key themes in twentieth century Anglo-American philosophy; e.g., the primacy of logic and science, naturalism vs. Anti-naturalism in ethics and epistemology, the distinctions between language and fact, and facts and values, the Cartesian model of the mind, in the texts of such authors as Wittgenstein, Russell, Carnap, Quine.
Prerequisite: 243 and at least one other course in the department, or permission of instructor.382 Theories of Knowledge Conceptions of knowledge and its limits, and of the nature and possibility of truth.
Prerequisite: two previous courses in philosophy or permission of instructor. Offered every other year.383 Theories of the Real Conceptions of what is ultimately real, together with discussions of the nature and limitations of such conceptions.
Prerequisite: two previous courses in philosophy or permission of instructor. Offered every other year.384 Theories of Value Examination of the nature and logic of values and evaluations. Sources, scope, and rationality of values. Connections between values and facts.
Prerequisite: two previous courses in philosophy or permission of instructor. Offered every other year.385 Theories of History Speculative philosophies of history which have significantly influenced the shape of Western thought; history of the idea of history. Other topics include the problem of historical explanation, and the notions of historical cause and progress.
Prerequisite: two previous courses in philosophy or permission of instructor. Offered every other year.391 Seminar Ordinarily limited to majors or others with a strong background in philosophy. Recent topics have included: Kant's First Critique, Hegel's Phenomenology, Postmodern Feminism, Philosophy and Film.
Prerequisite: Two prior courses in philosophy or permission of instructor.Philosophy Colloquium. Informal colloquium bringing the department faculty and students together for discussions of contemporary issues in the field, usually based on selections from recent work or on presentations by visiting speakers.
