Philosophy

for transition to professional practice through regular practice with NCLEX style questions and standardized NCLEX preparatory products. Activities will assist the student in analyzing individual strengths and areas for development. Engagement through class discussions and case presentations required. Spring semester. 4 credits Prerequisite: NURS3700 and NURS3800

NURS4500 Nursing Synthesis & Capstone (Clinical) This course is designed to facilitate professional development and/or transition into practice. Experiences provide for continued clinical exposure that will assist the student in further development of the nursing generalist role and build upon previously attained nursing knowledge and skills. Opportunities for leadership and management development, as well as decision making are encouraged through participation in the delivery of health services and nursing care. Spring semester. 8 credits Prerequisite: NURS3700 and NURS3800 $300 lab fee

PHIL1101 Introduction to Philosophy

Moral Reasoning (M) Ethical Reasoning (ER)

This general introduction to philosophy is divided into two parts. First is an historical survey, which considers central ideas from leading philosophers throughout its history. Next is a topical part, which considers philosophical problems in areas such as epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, philosophy of mind and political philosophy Fall and spring semesters. 4 credits.

PHIL1103 Philosophy of Religion

Religious Thought (R) Religious Inquiry (RI)

An introduction to some of the central philosophical concepts and problems found in a religious context with an emphasis on the Abrahamic tradition (i.e. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). This includes discussions of some traditional arguments for the existence of God, ‘the problem of evil,’ the possibility of miracles, the reasonableness of a belief in life after death, and, finally, the relationship that exists (if any) between God and morality. Fall semester. 4 credits

PHIL1112 Aesthetics

Aesthetic Inquiry Literature (AI-L)

The philosophical field of aesthetics has a long history that includes contributions from some of the most prominent philosophers of Western history. The class will explore a variety of key areas regarding aesthetics, including the nature of beauty, the grounds of aesthetic judgment, and the various functions of art in society, with reference to some of the most important texts of aesthetic philosophy. The course takes a historical approach, beginning with classical ideas of aesthetics in antiquity, through the early-modern period, and concluding with aesthetics theory in the modern era. Controversial questions also

will be examined, such as whether artistic evaluations can possibly be objective, or whether determinations of beauty and artistic merit are culturally determined. Spring semester. 4 credits

PHIL1115 Recent Moral Issues

Moral Reasoning (M) Ethical Reasoning (ER)

The nature of ethical decision making is first discussed. Skills of moral reasoning are then applied to various issues such as capital punishment, euthanasia, abortion, world hunger, preferential treatment and discrimination, pornography and censorship, environmental ethics, war and terrorism, reproductive technology, genetic engineering, animal rights, and the legalization of drugs. Fall and spring semesters. 4 credits

PHIL1116 Ethics in Science

Moral Reasoning (M) Ethical Reasoning (ER)

Scientific advancements are pushing humanity rapidly into new frontiers, but with those advancements come questions that have no easy answers. In this course, students will consider some of the ethical dilemmas that researchers, policy-makers, and individuals will face in the wake of scientific advancements that make what has hitherto been the stuff of science fiction possible. Throughout this course, we will investigate the role values may (or may not) play in scientific research and consider a variety of ethical issues including but not limited the moral permissibility of human and animal experimentation, algorithmic bias, and research misconduct. Spring semester. 4 credits

PHIL1201 Global Ethics

Moral Reasoning (M) Ethical Reasoning (ER) Diversity & Multiculturalism (DM)

This course engages with a variety of philosophical traditions in order to come to greater understanding of what ethics is and how conversations about the ethical life have evolved across time and space. Students can expect to engage with texts from a variety of traditions including but not limited to Buddhist, ancient Greek, contemporary African, Aztec, Medieval Islamic, contemporary Feminist, and contemporary Indigenous American philosophy. Students can expect to encounter questions including but not limited to the following: “Is ‘ethics’ purely subjective and a matter of cultural relativism?”; and, “What is the relationship between the ethical life and the good life?” and “How can our study of ethics help us to solve contemporary ethical issues facing the global community today?” Fall semester. 4 credits

PHIL1205 Health Care Ethics

Moral Reasoning (M) Ethical Reasoning (ER)

Scientific advancements are pushing medicine rapidly into new frontiers, but with those advancements come questions that have no easy answers. In this course, students will consider some of the ethical dilemmas that scientists, researchers, healthcare practitioners, policy-makers, and individuals will face in the wake of scientific advancements that make what has hitherto been the stuff of science fiction possible. Questions addressed in this course include but are not limited to: Are there limits to patient autonomy? Ought people be able to sell non-life-sustaining organs or reproductive services? Should parents be allowed to choose children’s genetic makeup? What is the relationship between society, politics, science, and medicine? Students should expect to engage in a dialogue with not only academic articles, but also contemporary and reputable news sources, films, and first-hand testimony from experts throughout this course. Fall and spring semesters. 4 credits

PHIL1207 Ethics at Work

Moral Reasoning (M) Ethical Reasoning (ER)

After a brief introduction to moral theory and moral reasoning the course will examine some typical ethical issues that arise in managing organizations. Case studies will help students develop their skills in deliberation and ethical decision making. Fall semester. 4 credits

PHIL2104 Theories of Human Nature

Moral Reasoning (M) Ethical Reasoning (ER)

This course is an introduction to a wide variety of views on how human beings understand human nature. It will consider the accounts of Confucianism, Hinduism, the Bible, the early Greeks (Plato and Aristotle), Darwin, Descartes, Kant, Marx, Nietzsche, Freud, Hume and Skinner. The course will conclude with an overview of some contemporary issues and topics: gender, sociobiology, evolutionary psychology and cognitive science. Fall and spring semesters. 4 credits

PHIL2106 Ethics

Moral Reasoning (M) Ethical Reasoning (ER)

This course addresses some fundamental questions about the “Good Life” and what makes life worth living. Students will explore questions about what makes an action “right” or “wrong,” what makes us happy, what kinds of qualities a person should have, and how we should treat other people. The course will begin with an examination of various conceptions of the good life and what it means to be virtuous. This will be followed by a discussion of the central moral theories that continue to influence contemporary discussions about ethics: Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics, Utilitarianism, and Immanuel Kant’s Deontology. Throughout the semester, we will also consider the ways in which feminist and non-Western perspectives both parallel and challenge some of the ideals of Western moral philosophy. Fall semester, even years. 4 credits

PHIL2107 Philosophy of Justice & Equality

Moral Reasoning (M) Ethical Reasoning (ER)

This course examines some of the most pressing issues in political philosophy of our time. It begins with a brief overview of contemporary theories of justice. A variety of current problems within political philosophy are then addressed from varied perspectives. These include (1) inquiries into the nature of and justifications given for human rights, (2) competing conceptions of liberty, (3) just what is meant (or what should be meant) by equality, and, finally, (4) the nature and injustice of oppression. The class periods will involve a mixture of lecture and small group discussions including case studies Fall semester. 4 credits

PHIL2108 Critical Thinking

Moral Reasoning (M)

The goal of this course is to improve skills of critical thinking. Students learn to define concepts accurately, to examine assumptions of their thinking, to be aware of various points of view, to reason correctly and evaluate the reasoning of others, and to examine the logical consequences and interconnections of their beliefs. Students practice various techniques to improve problem-solving skills and their ability to think creatively. Spring semester. 4 credits

PHIL2119 Symbolic Logic

Quantitative Analysis (QA) Quantitative Reasoning (QR)

The study of logic can make a deep and lasting contribution to the intellectual life of every student. Knowledge of the principles of clear and accurate thinking are required to evaluate information and judge between competing cognitive claims. The study of

symbolic logic is an especially effective way to develop the higher order reasoning skills which such abilities require. Both categorical logic and propositional logic are examined in this course, which will focus on how to symbolize arguments and construct proofs of their validity. Topics discussed include syllogisms, sentential connectives, truth tables, quantification, rules of inference, formal and informal proofs, and criteria for proper definitions. Fall semester. 4 credits

PHIL2201 Existentialism and the Meaning of Life

Moral Reasoning (M)

Existentialism, unlike many technical and academic philosophical movements, is a philosophy of life. It begins with the recognition that we are inescapably responsible—responsible for our outlook on life, responsible for what we do and do not do, responsible for the kind of person we are, and responsible for what we become in life. It’s up to us, no matter what the circumstances, to find meaning and value in our lives. This course will examine major themes of existentialism in the writings of Kierkegaard, Dostoevsky, Nietzsche, Jaspers, Sartre, Camus, Marcel, and Frankl. Spring semester. 4 credits

PHIL2203 Philosophy of Law

Moral Reasoning (M) Ethical Reasoning (ER)

This course begins with a general introduction to the central concepts found within the philosophy of law. Particular attention is given to the nature of the law and issues which arise within jurisprudence (i.e. ‘the science of the law’). Next, more particular topics (e.g. the nature of judicial decision making, various justifications for civil disobedience, competing theories of punishment, and the limits of free speech) will be discussed and debated at length. The central thread of the course is an inquiry into the presumed relationship that exists between ethics and the law. Fall semester. 4 credits

PHIL3020 Nursing Ethics in Practice The modern nurse must juggle a variety of different obligations: How would becoming more civically engaged make one a better nurse? How would both knowledge of public health policy debates and a concern for social justice usefully inform one’s views regarding the typical conundrums nurses face? How would knowledge of institutionalized forms of oppression inform the way a nurse approaches their job? Oftentimes, good nursing is wrongly treated as if it can be abstracted from one’s sociopolitical milieu. This course aims to expose and correct that error. As a conceptual foundation for doing so, we shall briefly examine and evaluate various possible meta-normative frameworks for resolving and/or otherwise addressing the aforementioned tensions (consequentialist, deontological, virtue ethics approaches, etc.). By developing and (through the discussion of case studies) implementing their own framework, the student can thereby shape their own identity as a nurse, moral agent and citizen. Fall semester. 4 credits. Prerequisite: NURS2400

PHIL3106 Twentieth Century Analytic Philosophy Analytic Philosophy is a name for a method of doing philosophy that was developed in the early 20th century, especially in Britain and America, where it remains the predominant approach today. While there are many different approaches, they are united in the belief that philosophy should not be about creating grand theories about reality, but that they should concentrate on more narrow problems. Moreover, these problems are especially problems about how we do or should use language. This course traces the development of analytic

philosophy through the 20th century and discusses its contemporary influence. Fall semester, even years. 4 credits. Prerequisite: Junior status or permission of instructor

PHIL3109 Philosophy of Mind This course will begin by discussing the problem of how mental phenomena fit into a physical universe. The past century’s most influential responses to the problem will be discussed: behaviorism, the identity theory, and functionalism. Next, topics such as whether computers could ever have thoughts or consciousness, the extent to which our thoughts and experiences depend on the nature of our environment, and how it is that the mental causally interacts with the physical, will be discussed. Additional questions to be explored include: What is consciousness? What is the mind-body problem? Are mental states identical with neural states? Is there something it is like to be in a mental state? What is the problem of mental causation? We will consider some of the most important historical answers offered to the topics and questions above, as well as some of the views philosophers have developed in response to the contemporary sciences of the mind. Spring semester, even years. 4 credits Prerequisite: Junior status or permission of instructor

PHIL3110 Philosophy of Psychiatry This course will examine philosophical questions raised by mental disorder and our attempts to understand and treat it. Topics explored include the mind/body problem, self-consciousness, the unity of the mind, and diagnostic practice. Fall semester, odd years. 4 credits. Prerequisites: Junior status or permission of instructor PHIL3115 Ancient and Medieval Philosophy This course is a textual analysis of ancient philosophy, including the pre-Socratic philosophers, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics. Medieval philosophers studied include Augustine, Anselm, Bonaventure and Aquinas. Spring semester, odd years. 4 credits Prerequisite: Junior status or permission of instructor

PHIL3215 Modern Philosophy This course is an examination of some central ideas of major modern philosophers, including Descartes, Leibniz, Spinoza, Locke, Berkeley, Hume and Kant, as well as associated authors. These philosophers greatly influenced the development of the contemporary mind. Emphasis is on epistemology and metaphysics, especially the rationalist and empiricist traditions, with some discussion of political philosophy. Students will read original texts and, with the help of background readings, interpret their meaning and significance. Fall semester, odd years. 4 credits Prerequisite: Junior status or permission of instructor

PHIL4178-4179 Directed Study Fall and spring semesters. 4 credits Prerequisite: Permission of instructor

PHIL4999 Senior Seminar in Philosophy Topics in major areas of philosophy will be discussed. A major paper and presentation are required. This course fulfills the capstone requirement in philosophy. Spring semester. 4 credits Prerequisite: Open only to senior philosophy majors