CATALOG OF COURSES: PHILOSOPHY

PH 102 Introduction to Philosophy (3)
Examines the major branches of philosophy; the questions in the discipline as raised and answered by various schools of thought.

PH 202 Logic (3)
Considers the rules of correct thinking in
traditional logic. An examination of the Aristotelian syllogism. What is true? What is valid? Later contributions to logic including Venn diagram and Mills canons.

PH 205 Thomistic Philosophy (3)
Studies the natural theology and philosophical synthesis of St. Thomas Aquinas in the context of his ancient and medieval predecessors: Jewish,Muslim, and Christian; his philosophical psychology and ethics, treatise on law, and social and political theory. The influence of Thomas’s thought on contemporary philosophy and current ethical issues, such as war and peace, medical ethics, and the nature of the human person will also be examined.

PH 207 Reality as Existential (3)
Surveys major approaches to the problem of existential reality through selections from Dostoyevsky, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Kafka, Camus and Sartre.

PH 210 Philosophy of the Human Person (3)
Investigates the question “What is the human person?” from an interdisciplinary viewpoint; the mind-body problem, the uniqueness of the human person and the question of freedom.

PH 212 Twentieth Century Philosophy (3)
Presents major philosophical movements of the twentieth century time: phenomenology, existentialism, pragmatism, vitalism, philosophy of sciences and Marxism.

PH 214 American Philosophy (3)
Evaluates the trends in American philosophy, including the major writings of the Transcendenttalists and the Pragmatists.

PH 216 Business Ethics (3)
Inquires into and evaluates major ethical problems faced by the business person. Includes conflicts between personal, professional, and larger social values and the difficulties of doing business in a culture where the values are different from the individual person.

PH 230 Ethics (3)
This course considers different questions about the nature of moral “right” and “wrong” such as what ethics are, the importance of moral character, the nature of justice and virtue, and how the good of the individual compares to the good of society. Different conceptions of the human person in relation to certain ethical theories such as virtue ethics, Natural Law, utilitarianism, and relativism may be discussed. The connection of these ethical theories to historical thinkers such as Aristotle, St. Thomas Aquinas, Hobbes, Kant, and Mill may also be addressed. Finally, the class may consider the application of these theories to contemporary moral issues such as abortion, euthanasia, war, environmental concerns, capital punishment, and others.

PH 240 Metaphysics (3)
Studies the nature of reality from a historical perspective through selected readings from classical thinkers of East and West, Medieval Jewish, Muslim, and Christian sources, and modern and contemporary critiques. Theoretical and practical implications of such systems on our view of nature, self, society, and the issue of evil receive special attention.

PH 303 Theory of Knowledge (3)
This course considers different philosophical accounts of how the mind, senses, the physical world, and perhaps even culture interact in the experience of “knowing.” Questions such as “What is knowledge?” “How do we know that we know something?” and the difference between belief, knowledge, and opinion will be addressed. The class will consider this question both from the perspective of different epistemological theories (e.g. rationalism and empiricism), as well from the standpoint of different individual philosophers (e.g., Plato, Aristotle, St. Thomas Aquinas, Descartes, Kant, and others), as well as from one or more historical periods (e.g., ancient Greece, medieval Scholastic period, 17-18th century Enlightenment, 20th century, and so on).

PH 315 Philosophy of God (3)
Introduces the student to the major philosophical responses to God. Topics include the nature of religious experience, the use of reason in questions of God’s existence, the problems of language about God, and the problems of God and evil.

PH 318 Philosophy of Law and Society (3)
Inquires into the classic positions on the philosophy of law and the specific relationship to morality. It also considers questions relating to the structure of society and justice.

PH 320 Philosophy of Psychology and Social Sciences (3)
Inquires into the philosophical bases of psychology and the social sciences and current controversial questions in the field.

PH 322 Philosophy of Science (3)
What are the limits of the scientific method? How far can the scientific model be used as a model of proof in other areas? What are the conceptual foundations of competing theories of natural science? Is physics “more” of a science than biology?

PH 324 Philosophy of Art (3)
This course explores the philosophical questions: of What is beauty? Are there universal aesthetic standards? What are the connections of Art to truth? These questions are explored in light of the writings of Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Nietzsche, Tolstoy, and various contemporary writers.

PH 479 Cooperative Education (3)
Offers qualified students the opportunity to do supervised paid work related to a career goal.

PH 499 Independent Study (3)
Offers qualified students the opportunity to pursue independent study in select areas under the guidance of individual teachers. By permission only.