Spring 2020
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 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 1312 — Intro to Social & Political Philosophy
A critical introduction to the current and historical relationships that define contemporary society and politics. Topics may include democracy, capitalism, communism, anarchism, political authority, norms, justices, pluralism, and rights. 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: 40 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: 35 students.
3 Credit hours
3 Lecture hours
PHIL 2326 — Professional Ethics: Engineering
In this course, we will focus on developing strategies that you, as an individual, can use to recognize and deal with conflicts of roles and standards in an ethical manner We begin by discussing the basic kinds of conflict that you might encounter in your professional life Next, we attempt to determine what guidance can be taken from ethical theories This involves coming to some understanding of what a good ethical theory will encourage Finally, we practice applying ethical theories to actual and imagined cases of role and standard conflicts within professional life. Enrollment cap: 50 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 3304 — 19th Century Philosophy
The story of 19th century philosophy can be told in many ways. In this course we will be going in chronological order through 6 major philosophers of the 19th century—five Germans, Hegel, Feuerbach, Marx, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, and one lone Dane, Kierkegaard. Their thought was in some sense a reaction to 18th century philosopher Immanuel Kant.
We will read Kant first to get a sense of what the big six are responding to. The main questions this course will ask are: what is progress? Is progress inevitable? What is optimism? Pessimism? Is it positivity or negativity that pushes us through life? How should we think about the future in relation to the past? Is reason a good thing? Is philosophy a good thing? Can philosophy save us from impending doom? How should we live—through reason alone? What about passion? Love? What about religion? Why did Marx call it the “opium of the people?” What is the meaning of human existence?
Through carefully reading these works you will gain a deeper understanding of how the philosophers of the 19th century were thinking—what preoccupied them and what questions they considered important. Your own thoughts about reason, religion, and existence will likely change in the process. You will certainly finish the semester with an understanding of why you believe what you believe. Enrollment cap: 30 students.
3 Credit hours
3 Lecture hours
PHIL 3317 - 01R — 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. This is a reduced seat time course.
3 Credit hours
3 Lecture hours
PHIL 3331 — Philosophy and Film
Examines philosophical issues through the lens of film. Possible topics include image and reality, representation, and culture, beauty, politics, morality, and aesthetic theory. Equivalent Course: FILM 3331; may be counted as Philosophy or Film Studies course in satisfying degree requirements. Credit may be received for only one course. Enrollment cap: 30 students.
3 Credit hours
3 Lecture hours
PHIL 3350 — Philosophy of Religion
Our course begins by examining classical arguments (ontological, cosmological, and teleological) for the existence of God in the works of Anselm, Aquinas, and Paley. As we read Hume’s critical response to these arguments, we will focus on the problem of evil, which is frequently taken to be the most powerful argument against God’s existence.
The second part of the course carefully considers three 20th-century responses to Freud’s claim that religion will eventually disappear based on his further hypothesis that believing in God is an elaborate psychological projection or illusion: 1) the Christian apologist C.S. Lewis argues that it is Freud who is guilty of wishful thinking and full of desire to escape from a universe full of meaning and moral responsibility; 2) the U.S.-American pragmatists James and Dewey argue that a vigorously ethical way of life requires faith and that we may reasonably postulate God as the final goal of the universe if not its first cause; and 3) the contemporary continental philosopher John Caputo—inspired by Augustine, Kierkegaard, Derrida, and others—argues that religious faith and love may be found with or without dogmatic Religion.
Throughout the second part of the course, we will continue to consider the various positions as they relate to questions of God’s existence and the problem of evil, with special attention given to the proposition that the problem of evil might be fruitfully reconceived as a fundamentally practical problem to be “solved” by human faith, love, intelligence, and effort (as opposed to being a fundamentally theoretical problem to be solved by theologians or maintained by atheists). Enrollment cap: 30 students.
3 Credit hours
3 Lecture hours
PHIL 4300 - 01 — Special Topics (Propaganda, Freedom & Government)
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 4302 — Special Topics in Applied Ethics
This course focuses on skill development rather than acquiring knowledge of theoretical content Using case studies from the Association of Practical and Professional Ethics’ “Ethics Bowl” competition, we will practice identifying the primary moral issues that arise in each case, developing a structured and theory-informed position on each case, and presenting those positions both in writing and aloud. Enrollment cap: 30 students.
3 Credit hours
3 Lecture hours
PHIL 4305 — Special Topics in Latin American Philosophy
A study of selected issues or figures in Latin American philosophy; content will vary. 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