Fall 2016
PHIL 1300 — Critical Thinking
This class will investigate what it is to think critically. Strong emphasis will be placed on the following: reading critically, analyzing texts, identifying and systematically representing arguments, recognizing formal and informal fallacies, and rationally evaluating what is heard and read. Enrollment cap: 40 students.
3 Credit hours
3 Lecture hours
PHIL 1301 — Intro to Philosophy
An introduction to some of the major philosophical questions that have intrigued humankind over the centuries. This will be done through an examination of the thought of some of the most important figures in the history of philosophy from the early Greeks to modern times. Credit may be received in only one of PHIL 1301 or PHIL 1302. Enrollment cap: 40 students.
3 Credit hours
3 Lecture hours
PHIL 1306 — Intro to Asian Philosophy
An analysis of the major movements in Eastern philosophy and religion and their relationship to basic philosophical developments in the West. This course will examine systems of thought and culture such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism and Shinto. Enrollment cap: 40 students.
3 Credit hours
3 Lecture hours
PHIL 1310 — Ethics, Happiness, & Good Life
This course will be concerned with human values: our own and those of other people. It will ask where these values come from, how we can know them, and how they relate to human happiness. It will also examine several related questions such as personal freedom and the meaningfulness of human life. Enrollment cap: 40 students.
3 Credit hours
3 Lecture hours
PHIL 1330 — Philosophy, Art, & Film
This course addresses philosophical issues in film and in art. Possible topics include questions of the meaning and the value of film, the nature and importance of beauty in art, the role of the artist’s intention in evaluating a work of art, and the roles of the director and viewer in film. As part of the course, some films will be screened and students may be expected to attend artistic performances or visit local museums and galleries. Enrollment cap: 30 students.
3 Credit hours
3 Lecture hours
PHIL 1340 — Intro to Logic
This class is an introduction to the formal techniques available for evaluating the correctness or incorrectness of arguments. Techniques likely to be discussed include: symbolization in propositional logic, parsing trees, truth tables or truth trees, natural deduction in propositional logic, Venn diagrams, and the probability calculus. Enrollment cap: 30 students.
3 Credit hours
3 Lecture hours
PHIL 3303 — Modern Philosophy (1600-1800)
A study of the history of philosophy from the Renaissance through the 18th century, with particular emphasis on Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Hobbes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume and Kant. Enrollment cap: 30 students.
3 Credit hours
3 Lecture hours
PHIL 3310 — Existentialism & Phenomenology
This course will address major figures and issues in existentialism and phenomenology. Potential topics to be covered are the historicity of values, the nature of the subject/object distinctions, life, death, meaning, and authenticity. Some possible figures for study are Husserl, Bataille, Nietzsche, Sartre, Heidegger, and Merleau-Ponty. Enrollment cap: 30 students.
3 Credit hours
3 Lecture hours
PHIL 3317 — Perspectives on Science & Math
This course examines a selection of notable episodes in the history of science and mathematics. Episodes examined may include mathematics and science in Antiquity, Medieval medicine, alchemy, Galileo's conflict with the Catholic Church, Isaac Newton's formulation of the laws of motion, Charles Darwin's proposal of the theory of evolution by natural selection, the development of the atomic bomb, the development of modern logic, the development of non-Euclidian geometry, and the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA. This is a required UTeach content course. Prerequisites: UTCH 1101, UTCH 1102. Enrollment cap: 30 students.
3 Credit hours
3 Lecture hours
PHIL 3330 — Aesthetics/Philosophy of Art
This course will address classic issues in the philosophy of art and beauty and the philosophy of art and art criticism. These issues will be illustrated from the fine arts and contemporary media: literature, drama, music, painting, film, and television. Enrollment cap: 30 students.
3 Credit hours
3 Lecture hours
PHIL 3380 — Philosophy of Education
This course examines the nature and meaning of education as well as its role in shaping individuals and society. Topics considered may include the fundamental goals of education, the differences between teaching and indoctrination, and the economic, political, and cultural implications of various educational theories and practices. Enrollment cap: 30 students.
3 Credit hours
3 Lecture hours
PHIL 4300 - 01 — Special Topics (Ethics Bowl)
A study of selected issues or figures in philosophy; content will vary. May be repeated for up to 9 hours credit as content changes. Enrollment cap: 30 students.
3 Credit hours
3 Lecture hours
PHIL 4300 - 02 — Special Topics (Philosophy of Food)
A study of selected issues or figures in philosophy; content will vary. May be repeated for up to 9 hours credit as content changes. Enrollment cap: 30 students.
3 Credit hours
3 Lecture hours
PHIL 4380 — Senior Seminar
This course will provide the opportunity for students to bring together the research methods, writing abilities, and sophisticated critical thinking skills developed throughout the course of their philosophical training. Enrollment cap: 30 students.
3 Credit hours
3 Lecture hours