This course covers the following topics: an introduction to philosophy; philosophy of religion; epistemology; the philosophy of mind; free-will and determinism; ethics and metaphysics.
Study of basic metaphysical issues concerning existence, the mind-body problem, personal identity, and causation plus its implications for freedom. Classical as well as contemporary readings.
" This course is an examination of philosophical theories of action and motivation in the light of empirical findings from social psychology, sociology, and neuroscience. Topics include belief, desire, and moral motivation; sympathy and empathy; intentions and other committing states; strength of will and weakness of will; free will; addiction and compulsion; guilt, shame and regret; evil; self-knowledge and self-deception; and, virtues and character traits. This course is a CI-M course."
This course provides an in-depth introduction to the philosophical problems surrounding death; it is organized around the lectures of Shelly Kagan, Professor of Philosophy at Yale University, who develops his own philosophy of death over the length of the course. Its major purpose, aside from familiarizing you with the writings of major philosophers on the subject of death, is to teach you how to think about death philosophically to decide for yourself what you believe about death and to provide careful and convincing arguments for those beliefs. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: Discuss the philosophical issues connected with death: what it is, whether it is good or bad, and its significance in terms of the way we choose to live; Explain the inter-relatedness of questions about death and questions about personal identity and the self; Differentiate between dualist and physicalist conceptions of death and specify the particular consequences of each approach; Describe the multiplicity of cultural, religious, and philosophical views about death and the soul; Discuss major philosophical arguments for and against the immortality of the soul; Articulate major theories of personal identity, and provide reasoned criticisms of these major theories of personal identity; Explain and evaluate the view of death presented in literary works such as Leo Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich; Discuss in a philosophical way certain value-theoretic questions about death: whether it is inherently good or bad, whether it presents us with obligations to live our lives in a certain way, and whether it is permissible to end life prematurely; Describe the existentialist view of death and the notion that it gives life meaning by restricting its shape and scope; Explain the various ways in which this limiting feature of death has been interpreted. (Philosophy 201)
In this course, the student will study the poetry of John Milton, focusing on the texts and contexts that are relevant to Milton's oeuvre. Who was John Milton, and how did he manage to write Paradise Lost? By the end of this course, the student will possess a comprehensive understanding of Milton, his times, and his works. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: explain the social and historical context of John Milton's work; define some of the most important ideas related to Milton's life and times, including (but not limited to) Calvinism, Puritanism, Protestantism, Neo-Classicism, and Predestination; provide accounts of the life of Charles I, the significance of the British Commonwealth, and the Restoration of the Monarchy; explain Milton's major philosophies, his politics, and his religious beliefs; describe Milton's chosen literary forms and rhetoric; provide a brief account of Milton's life, his relationship to Cavalier Poetry, his early elegies and eulogies, and his pastoral elegies, sonnets, and odes; list and describe the major plot developments that occur in Paradise Lost as well as Paradise Regained; analyze and describe both Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained in terms of their respective treatments of Biblical versions of Heaven and Hell, the Creation, Predestination, gender relations, representations of human nature, and the Fall of humankind; discuss the formal aspects and structure of both Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained and analyze and describe both of these works in terms of their epic styles and conventions. (English Literature 402)
The course has two goals. First, to give you a sense of what philosophers think about and why. Here we look at a number of perennial philosophical problems, including some or all of: how knowledge differs from "mere opinion," the objectivity (or not) of moral judgment, logical paradoxes, mind/body relations, the nature and possibility of free will, and how a person remains the same over time, as their bodily and psychological traits change. The second goal is to get you thinking philosophically yourself. This will help you develop your critical and argumentative skills more generally. Readings will be from late, great classical authors and influential contemporary figures.
The course has two main goals: First, to give you a sense of what philosophers think about and why. This will be done through consideration of some perennial philosophical problems, e.g., the existence of God, reason and faith, personal identity and immortality, freewill, moral responsibility, and standards for moral conduct. We will draw on readings by important figures in the history of philosophy as well as contemporary authors. The second goal is to develop your philosophical skills, and your critical and argumentative skills more generally.
