Philosophy programs

An introduction to formal logic. The aim is to enable the student to become skilled in the examination of everyday language for validity, soundness, and cogency, to acquire a basic knowledge of classical sentential and categorical logic, and to master proof techniques in propositional logic and the first-order predicate calculus.Prerequisite: C- or better in MAT090, an ACT math score of 20 or above (SAT 480 or above), or a passing score on the MAT090 placement exam.(4 credits, alternate years, consult department)

An investigation of some of the main philosophical questions about ethics, such as the following: Does morality depend on religion? Is morality relative to culture? Why should I be moral? How do we go about answering moral questions? Is there a "theory" of morality? If so, what does that theory look like?(4 credits, alternate years, consult department)

A philosophical exploration of contemporary moral issues. Possible topics include abortion, euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, cloning and stem-cell research, war and terrorism, capital punishment, famine relief, factory farming and experimenting on animals, and so on.(4 credits)

An introduction to the ancient Greek philosophical tradition, ranging from the Presocratics to the Hellenists but focusing on Plato and Aristotle.(4 credits, alternate years, consult department)

An introduction to medieval philosophy, beginning with Neoplatonists and Patristics and focusing on figures such as Augustine, Boethius, Anselm and Aquinas.(4 credits, alternate years, consult department)

An introduction to the central figures in the philosophical milieu of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, focusing on thinkers such as Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Kant, Mill, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche.(4 credits, alternate years, consult department)

An introduction to some of the dominant philosophers and philosophical movements of the 20th century. (4 credits; non-yearly, consult department)