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PHL
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101
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Plato and the Roots of Western Philosophy
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An introduction to Philosophy, using Plato's Republic. Topics include: How ought we to live our lives? What is justice? What is the nature of society and the individual? What social arrangements (educational, political, economic) best serve the ideals of justice and happiness?
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LL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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110
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Philosophy of Religion I
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This course examines religion from a philosophical perspective. What is the nature of the "divine"? Can we give a rational account of religious experience? Can we prove the existence of God? Can the idea of God be reconciled with the presence of evil in the world? Is atheism a viable alternative to faith? These are just some of the questions this course explores. We will consider both western and eastern religions. PHL 110 is not available for credit to students who choose PHL 610.
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LL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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| Antirequisite: PHL 610
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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187
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Ancient Greek Philosophy
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This course explores major themes in Ancient Greek thought. The course covers some of the doctrines Plato and Aristotle developed to answer a wide range of questions, e.g., What is the good life for a human being? What is knowledge? How should we distinguish reality from appearances? What kinds of things exist? What is the soul? Is the soul immortal? In addition, we may examine the ideas of other philosophers of this period.
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LL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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201
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Problems in Philosophy
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This course serves as an introduction to philosophy by focusing on problems and issues which have occupied thinkers down through the centuries. For example, how can we relate talk about the cause and effect relationship governing physical events with talk about people making free choices? How do mind and body relate? What do we really know about the physical world or other people's minds? Can we know whether God exists? Are moral judgements objectively true or false?
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LL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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| Antirequisite: PHC 180
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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214
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Critical Thinking I
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A course designed to develop clarity of thought and method in the construction, analysis and evaluation of both unsupported claims and those supported by arguments. While there will be some exposure to the notion of logical form, the emphasis here is upon informal principles and arguments stated in ordinary language. Topics include the nature and methods of argument, classification and definition, along with some common fallacies and some questions about meaning and language. Restriction: Criminal Justice, Politics and Governance, Psychology, Sociology, Undeclared Arts. PHL 214 is not available for credit to students who choose SSH 105.
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LL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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| Antirequisites: SSH 105, PHC 182, Restriction: AC001, CJ001, PG001, PS001, SO001, AU001, BA001
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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302
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Ethics and Health Care
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This course examines ethical issues arising in the delivery of health care at both the level of the practitioner/client relationship (confidentiality, informed consent, euthanasia, abortion) and at a broader social level (justice and resource allocation, new technologies, professionalisation and power). The course will draw on: a) general philosophical analysis of central concepts (good, right, justice, personhood, autonomy, authority, integrity, health); b) general theoretical perspectives (feminism, "the Biomedical model", Utilitarianism, deontology); and c) student professional education and clinical experience in nursing.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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| Antirequisite: PHL 509
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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306
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Freedom, Equality, Limits of Authority
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In light of our moral concepts and theories, this course critically examines current controversies concerning individual freedom and responsibility, social equality, and the limits of governmental authority. Topics are drawn from issues like the following: censorship of hate literature, pornography, and advertising; prohibition of drugs, gambling, and prostitution; group-differentiated rights concerning aboriginal peoples, cultural sovereignty, affirmative action, and pay equity.
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LL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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| Antirequisite: PHC 181, PHL 181
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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This course examines ethical issues and controversies concerning contemporary business practices and situates them within the broad intellectual framework of a free market society. Discussion will draw from such topics as: the concept of a market society, consumer sovereignty, utilitarian and contract models of business ethics, profit making and social responsibility, self interest and altruism, the concept of business as a practice, mechanistic and organic conceptions of business, advertising, human rights, and conflicts of interest.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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| Antirequisites: ITM 407, ITM 734
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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333
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Philosophy of Human Nature
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This course examines philosophical writings about human nature. Topics may include: 1) What meanings are there for the word 'nature'? 2) How do we differentiate human nature from the nature of other sorts of beings? 3) What makes a response to a problem a human response? The course presumes that there are no unquestioned first principles, such as the existence of God, the inherent goodness of humans, or the objectivity of truth claims and values.
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LL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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334
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Ethics in Professional Life
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This course examines the many ways that organizations and professions institutionalize values, influence beliefs and attitudes, and guide conduct through prescriptions for professional practices and missions and mandates for organizations. The course focuses on prominent issues such as codes of ethics, conflict of interest, dirty hands, and whistle-blowing. Readings emphasize the complexities of virtue and moral agency for professionals and organizations, while comparing and contrasting selected established and emerging professions.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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| Prerequisite: ACS 105 or SSH 105 or any PHL course.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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365
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Philosophy of Beauty
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This course examines classical and contemporary philosophical discussion of questions surrounding beauty and the aesthetic, such as: Can beauty be defined? Are judgements of beauty fundamentally subjective? Does beauty have value, or is it a harmful and oppressive notion? Are humans 'hard-wired' to pursue the beautiful?
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LL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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366
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Existentialism and Art and Culture
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Through literature, visual art, film, and theory, this course explores existentialist lines of thought and their implications for modern day life. Existentialism is a philosophical and cultural movement critical of social illusions and self-deceptions that thwart genuine freedom. Exploring experiences of anxiety, futility, and isolation, analyzing the nature of the individual's relation to society, morality and religion, and arguing for the irrational nature of reality, existentialist theorists and artists seek to promote freedom, creativity, authenticity.
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LL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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400
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Human Rights and Justice
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This course aims to provide the philosophical background and conceptual tools which would enable students to recognize and handle complex contemporary issues and conflicts involving human rights. Topics include: classic and contemporary theories of rights and justice; equity and affirmative action; children's rights; gender, sexual orientation and equality rights; aboriginal, language and cultural rights: human rights and cultural relativism. The course will combine lectures and discussion of selected philosophical readings and case studies.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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401
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Philosophy and Mass Culture
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This course will explore the phenomenon of popular culture from various philosophical perspectives. Philosophers are divided in their assessment of the aesthetic and moral worth of mass culture. While some thinkers, like Walter Benjamin and, more recently, Noël Carroll, tend toward an optimistic appraisal, others, like Theodor Adorno, adopt a much more critical attitude. Popular culture as a whole will be examined, but special attention will be given to film, photography, and television.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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406
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Issues of Life, Death and Poverty
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In light of our moral concepts and theories, this course critically examines current controversies concerning the sanctity of life, the constraints on ending life, and our obligations to provide the conditions for an acceptable life. Topics are drawn from issues like the following: abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, genetic manipulation, war, torture, global poverty, famine relief, and basic welfare rights.
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LL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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| Antirequisite: PHC 181, PHL 181
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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420
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Philosophy, Diversity and Recognition
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Many are disadvantaged or disvalued because of aboriginality, race, ethnicity, sex, gender, orientation, or such. Usually, problems of marginalization are addressed in terms of equality, equity, and our legal constitution. Critics argue that this framework is insufficient to address the problems. They defend a different political morality variously referred to as the politics of recognition, identity, or difference. This course is a philosophical investigation of the different conceptual frameworks concerning the problems of marginalization.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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| Prerequisite: ACS 403 or PHL 400 or PHL 501 or PHL 503 or PHL 505 or PHL 603
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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444
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Ethics in Health Services Management
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This course translates the principles, theories and practices of ethical decision making into information and applications which will be relevant to healthcare administration. The course builds on the recognition of the influences and factors that impact on health care managers' ethical decision making. Topics and issues which will be addressed in the course include: the role of market forces, integrated medicine, technology, and their impact on quality assurance programs.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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449
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Philosophy of Punishment
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What is the meaning of legal punishment? Why should we punish criminals (including natural and artificial persons, individuals and collectives)? In what ways should they be punished? How important is proportionality of punishment? How significant are expected consequences of punishment? This course critically examines developments in philosophical thinking about the conceptual foundations of punishment, focusing on theories of deterrence, retributivism, and restorative justice. Readings are comprised of classic and contemporary works by philosophers.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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500
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Philosophy of the Natural Environment
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The rise of environmental philosophy challenges the "anthropocentric paradigm" that has dominated Western thought. This course explores the implications of this challenge for our conception of ourselves, the basis for both human and natural values, and our obligations within the human and biotic communities. Topics include: traditional philosophical attitudes towards nature, obligations to future generations, "animal rights", individual versus holistic models of value in relation to ecosystems, species and wilderness, and conflicts between human and natural values.
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UL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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501
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Social Thought and the Critique of Power
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What is power, and who really holds it in contemporary society? Is our government's power over us legitimate, and what are its proper limits? Do democracies really succeed in giving power to ordinary people? When is it right for citizens to rebel against the powers that be? Such questions and others will be addressed by way of a study of some of the great social and political philosophers of the modern world.
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UL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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One of the pillars of ancient Greek philosophy, Aristotle produced seminal work in a wide range of fields including logic, epistemology, metaphysics, physics, cosmogony, biology, philosophy of mind and action, ethics, politics, and aesthetics. This course will critically examine selected themes and doctrines in Aristotle's writings, such as his positions on the nature of time, causation, divinity, the human soul, gender differences, the ideal state, and tragic drama.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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503
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Ancient and Modern Ethics
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This course explores seminal works in Western ethics. It analyzes different responses to such questions as: What kind of life is ultimately worth leading? What makes a person good? What makes an action right? Are there moral demands that bind everyone? If so, can we know what they are? Does morality have its foundations in religion? Reason? Emotion? Social practices? Contributions from such thinkers as Aristotle, Aquinas, Hume, Kant, and Mill will be studied.
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UL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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504
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Philosophy of Art
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The objective of this course is to provide students with an overview of a number of different theories concerning the nature of art. It will address such matters as the relationship between art and truth, the appropriate criteria of art criticism, the distinction between art and non-art, and the nature of aesthetic values.
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UL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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Hegel and Marx were influential for introducing the notion that our lives only make sense when understood historically, in relation to our struggle with nature and with each other. We'll see that whereas Hegel saw this struggle as oriented towards greater self-knowledge and the freedom of the human spirit, Marx saw it in materialist terms, arguing that economic exploitation, and in particular capitalism, is the main obstacle to human freedom.
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UL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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This course traces themes in the epistemology and metaphysics of leading thinkers of the rationalist movement of the 17th and 18th century. Rationalists thought reason alone could discover significant metaphysical principles and truths. This course examines their various answers to questions such as: What can we know about the world?; What roles do reason and sensation play in knowledge?; How is the mind related to the body?; How are thought and perception related?
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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507
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Ethics and Disability
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The life circumstances of disabled people are shaped by powerful ideological forces rooted in moral and political philosophy. This course introduces important intellectual traditions underpinning the human quest for justice. From this base, students 'test out' various ethical approaches, grappling with fundamental questions: How shall we be guided in approaching new reproductive technology, end-of-life decisions and asymmetrical relations of care? Are there limits to individual autonomy? How shall we distribute health care and social resources?
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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This course traces themes in the epistemology and metaphysics of influential philosophers of the empiricist movement of the 17th and 18th Centuries. Rejecting tenets of Rationalism and spurred by the success of the new empirical sciences, these thinkers sought to ground factual and metaphysical knowledge in sensory experience. Topics will include the nature and scope of knowledge, realism, idealism, naturalism, and skepticism. Other topics may include the nature of causation, personal identity, and free will.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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Recent advances in biomedical sciences have raised a host of ethical concerns involving the sanctity and quality of life, fairness, equality, and autonomy. New and revolutionary developments call for legislative reform and policies designed to keep research and its applications within appropriate boundaries. This course examines issues such as cloning, assisted reproduction, genetic screening, gene therapy, organ donation, and resource allocation within a framework of moral principles and contemporary debate. PHL 509 is not available for credit to students who choose PHL 302.
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UL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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| Antirequisite: PHL 302, Restriction: NU004, NU008
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), sought to bridge the Enlightenment and the Rationalist movements. This course will focus on Kant's account of the mind as not being a blank slate, and its implications for human knowledge and self- understanding. Kant's distinctions between phenomena/noumena and analytic/synthetic profoundly influenced later thought in Europe, Britain, and North-America. Different texts and/or passages from Kant's works will be read at the discretion of the instructor.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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512
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Philosophy of the Emotions
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This course will ask ?what are emotions?? and explore how answers to this question might challenge longstanding ideas about the nature of selfhood, what it means to be free, how we are ethically, existentially and ontologically related to others, how the mind is related to the body, how emotions are related to other feelings, beliefs, and desires, or to expressive acts, as well as to reason and how we acquire truths.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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This course introduces students to the methods and central theses of phenomenology, one of the most important philosophical movements of the 20th Century. Some of the typical issues to be studied include: the distinction between reflective and lived experience, the nature of perception and embodied experience, the intersubjective construction of meaning, the breakdown of the subject/object dualism, and the temporal structure of human reality. Authors studied may include Husserl, Bergson, Heidegger, Sartre and Merleau-Ponty.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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This course will examine philosophical attempts to understand the nature of human agency. It will consider traditional accounts of freedom of the will, of the relations between theoretical and practical reason, of what it is to do something intentionally or on purpose, and of whether human freedom is possible in a physical world governed by deterministic natural laws. The readings may include both historical and contemporary works in both the analytic and continental traditions.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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515
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Topics in Metaphysics and Epistemology
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This course will consider special topics concerning the nature of reality and our knowledge of it. Topics will vary, but may include: Realism and alternatives; skepticism; causation; causal accounts of knowledge; the possibility of truth in ethics; modal knowledge claims; reliabilism and justified true belief accounts of knowledge; new conceptions of experience. Readings may be drawn from both continental and analytic traditions.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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516
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Foundations of Analytic Philosophy
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The development of formal logic at the turn of the 20th Century promoted a certain philosophical style and method known as ?analytic philosophy?. Its proponents sought greater clarity and rigour than they found in traditional metaphysics, and brought to philosophy a new focus on language. The course examines works by such major figures as Frege, Russell, G.E. Moore, Wittgenstein, and the logical positivists, as well as their critics.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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This course provides an opportunity for in-depth study of a particular topic, concept, book or the work of particular author (whether historical or contemporary) that is not addressed in the same depth elsewhere in the Philosophy program. Course content will vary each time the course is offered, and will be posted the term prior to the course running.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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525
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Environmental Ethics
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Do animals have rights? Should trees have standing? Do ecosystems have interests? What ethical obligations do present generations owe to future generations? How should distributive justice implications of environmental decision making be addressed? The course will discuss a variety of ethical perspectives on human-environment relationships, including distinctly environmental philosophies such as deep ecology, social ecology, and ecofeminism. Readings will discuss the applications of theories to local and global environmental problems.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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This course examines the rights, freedoms, and obligations of the media and practising journalists. Issues may vary somewhat from year to year, but the following are typical: the grounds and limits of freedom of expression; moral responsibilities respecting truth, balance, and objectivity; media ethics and business pressures; obligations to the public, to the audience, to source, to colleagues, to the employer, and to oneself. The course includes case studies as well as regular discussion of ongoing media activity.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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| Antirequisite: CC 8969
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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550
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Knowledge, Truth and Belief
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Do we know anything? If so, what do we know, and how do we know it? What is the difference between knowledge and mere belief or opinion? How can we tell if our beliefs are justified? What makes some beliefs true, and others false? Epistemology - the study of knowledge - is the branch of philosophy concerned with such questions. This course explores these issues by examining some important contributions to the field, both historical and contemporary.
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UL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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This course is an introduction to philosophical accounts of the fundamental structure and organization of reality. Questions to be considered may include: Why does the universe exist? What are space and time? Is the past as real as the present? Are future events fated to happen? How is change possible? Are there other universes besides the one we live in? Criticisms of philosophical attempts to answer these questions will also be discussed.
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UL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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552
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Philosophy of Science
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Science is a cornerstone of modern civilization, a method of inquiry with tremendous prestige and far-reaching effects. This course examines philosophical attempts to understand the fundamental nature of science. Topics may include: Is there a scientific method? Is science essentially rational? Does science reveal the truth about nature? What role do values play in science? Are there things that science cannot explain? Is science an expression of one particular culture, or is it somehow universal?
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UL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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553
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Contemporary Continental Philosophy
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This course explores some of the major figures and movements in contemporary continental philosophy, which can include developments in phenomenology, hermeneutics, structuralism, post-structuralism, French feminism, psychoanalytic theory, and critical theory. Topics covered may include the critique of scientific worldviews, technology and our place in the world, embodiment and subjectivity, religion and secularism, challenges to humanism, the dependence of truth on language and historical context, and possible limits of philosophy and conceptual thought.
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UL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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600
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Seminar in Analytic Philosophy
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This seminar provides students an opportunity for an in-depth study of a traditional topic or debate in analytic philosophy. Students will be required to write a major paper. Course content varies according to the instructor's research interests and expertise, but could include: epistemology, metaphysics, moral and political philosophy, philosophy of mind, aesthetics, etc. To enroll, students must have taken at least six PHL courses.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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| Prerequisite: Minimum of six PHL/CPHL courses
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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601
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Seminar in Continental Philosophy
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This seminar provides students an opportunity for an in-depth study of a specific topic or figure in continental philosophy. Students will be required to write a major paper. Course content varies according to the instructor's research interests and expertise, but could include: philosophy of difference, biopolitics, religion and secularization, embodiment, dialectics, the nature of temporality and historicity, the role of the aesthetic, etc. To enroll, students must have taken at least six PHL courses.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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602
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Health Policy: Ethics and Justice
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This course is concerned with implications of diverse theories of justice for the design and operation of health care. Topics covered may include: What might distinguish health care from other goods distributed by society? Who should have access to health care? What makes health care systems more or less fair? What are implications of social inequality for access to, and quality of, health care? How might health policy contribute to addressing problems of global injustice?
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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603
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Modern and Contemporary Ethics
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This course explores modern and recent answers to ethical questions such as: What makes an action right? What makes a person good? Are there moral demands that bind everyone? If so, can we know what they are? Does morality have its foundations in reason? Emotion? Social practices? Contributions from such thinkers as Hegel and Bradley, Moore, Ross, Foot, Williams, Gilligan, and MacIntyre will be studied.
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UL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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For existentialists, freedom is not a given, but something to achieve. Reading authors like Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre, Beauvoir and Heidegger, we'll ask what aspects of the human condition tend to thwart true freedom: Self-deception? Social norms or religious codes? Anxiety in confronting death? Longing for absolute justification for life's meaning? Alienation arising from an overestimation of reason or technology? We'll also consider what is required for authenticity, responsibility, freedom, and, possibly, the meaning of faith.
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UL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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606
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Philosophy of Love and Sex
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This course examines historical and contemporary philosophical perspectives on love and sex. Questions considered may include: What is romantic love? What are the relations between love, monogamy and marriage? Is adultery always morally wrong? What are the relations between love/sex and personal identity, gender and biology? What are sexual perversions? What is the moral status of prostitution and the commodification of sex? How should we define the concept of sexual harassment?
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UL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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611
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Philosophy of Mind
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This course will examine, through both classical and contemporary texts, selected issues regarding human (and other) minds such as: How are mind and brain related? What is consciousness? Are thoughts prior to the acquisition of language? Can/could computers think? Do non-human animals think? Can the mind be 'naturalized' (understood as a product of evolution) or must it remain beyond our understanding?
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UL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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612
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Philosophy of Law
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What is law? What makes something a legal norm? Should citizens always obey the law? What is the relationship between law and morality? This course will explore competing theories of law, such as natural law and positivism, and touch on crucial debates over civil disobedience, purposes of punishment, and interpretation of legal texts. It will deal with contemporary controversies over the legal regulation of human behaviour, for instance in matters of sexual morality.
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UL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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614
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Philosophy of Human Rights
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Are human rights universal? Are they absolute? Have civil and political rights been privileged in relation to social and economic rights? Should some human rights be understood as collective or group rights to address issues of cultural identity? This course critically examines the works of contemporary philosophers articulating diverse accounts of human rights, alongside objections which have been raised by Feminists, Cultural Relativists, and advocates of The Full Belly Thesis, and other perspectives.
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UL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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621
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Beyond the Western Academic Tradition
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This course is an introduction to some major world religions and philosophies, systems which continue to inform the actions of cultures outside mainstream Euro-American tradition. Theoretical concerns can include such subjects as cultural relativism, differing cultural views on the nature of decisions and their justification, and the difficulties of adequately describing what is going on in a different cultural setting. More practical concerns can include such subjects as the problems of exporting political and economic systems across cultural boundaries, or of getting notions such as those of individual rights to make sense in a radically different conceptual milieu.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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The course will involve comparing and contrasting philosophical approaches, traditions, styles, and methods, from different periods and cultures, in order to isolate and understand the skills employed. This course will also explore how philosophical skills are applied in a variety of non-academic activities, professions and occupations. Guest lecturers who work outside the academic sector will explain and discuss how their philosophical skills helped them in their lives, and how they use them in their professions.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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708
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Introduction to Modern Philosophy
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This course examines the foundations of contemporary conceptions of knowledge through a study of the two dominant philosophical traditions of the 17th and 18th centuries - Rationalism and Empiricism. The philosophers studied will include Descartes, Hume, and Kant. The themes examined may include the nature of knowledge, the origin and formation of beliefs about the external world, the threat of scepticism, theories of perception, contemporary relevance, and the relation between mind and body.
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UL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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709
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Religion, Science and Philosophy
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The physical sciences have contributed to philosophical debates regarding the apparent conflict between religious and scientific outlooks. In particular, religion and science seem to suggest different accounts of human nature, the universe, and our place in it. This course is concerned with issues such as: the basis for religious and scientific claims, nature and intelligent design, causality and free-will, and the emergence of mind.
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UL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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710
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Philosophy and Film
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This course examines the medium of film from several philosophical perspectives. Questions to be considered may include: What distinguishes film from other mass media and art forms? Do technical developments alter the definition of film? Is there a language of film? What can film teach us about the nature of perception? Does film contain an inherent gender bias? Has film created a captive audience, or is it the truly democratic art form?
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UL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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802
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Project in Applied Philosophy
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Students will complete an independent project involving the application of the philosophical methods/conclusions they have learned in their program to a contemporary social issue or problem. In the seminar, students will plan and execute their project under the guidance of the instructor and in dialogue with other students. At the end of the course they will present their work in a public forum.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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803
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Philosophy Engaging Communities
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Philosophical questions appeal to children, youth and adults from all walks of life. In this course, students will develop the skills and philosophical insights required for engaging communities beyond the university in philosophical learning. Students will learn by examining texts on the nature, means and ends of philosophical education; participating in workshops on facilitating philosophical learning; and engaging various communities (including at-risk children and youth ages 5-17, homeless youth, prisoners, and seniors) in philosophical discussion.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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808
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Language and Philosophy
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This course will examine philosophical issues regarding both the nature of language and the relation of language to other matters. The first group includes topics such as: What distinguishes linguistic communication from other types of communication? How do metaphors work? In what ways is language rule-governed? The latter group might include: How are thought and language related? How is language related to gender? To personal identity? To rationality or reason?
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UL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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810
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Philosophy of Cinema
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This course is a philosophical exploration of the art of cinema. It focuses on a range of auteurs (directors) and styles, as well as debates within film aesthetics. Topics may include the following: forms, genre theory, cinematic techniques, memory, world cinema, concern with modernity, visuality and temporality, reflexivity, criminality, and gender. Directors may include Murnau, Lang, Dreyer, Renoir, Kurosawa, Welles, Tarkovsky, Kiarostami, Haneke, and Breillat. Theorists may include: Arnheim, Bazin, Kracauer, Cavell, Rothman, and Carroll.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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| Prerequisite: ACS 302 or PHL 710
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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900
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Senior Philosophy Seminar
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The senior seminar provides ACS students following a Philosophy Option the opportunity to develop advanced research, presentation and writing skills in a specialized field of Philosophy. Students will normally be required to write a major paper. Course content varies according to the instructor's research interests and expertise. To enroll, students must have approval of the chair of the Philosophy Department and the director of the ACS Program and have taken at least six PHL courses.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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Departmental consent required
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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910
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Senior Philosophy Seminar
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This course provides ACS students following a Philosophy Option the opportunity to develop advanced research, presentation and writing skills in a specialized field of Philosophy. Students will normally be required to write a major paper. Course content varies according to the instructor's research interests and expertise. To enroll, students must have approval of the chair of the Philosophy Department and the director of the ACS Program and have taken at least six PHL courses.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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Departmental consent required
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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921
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Intellectual Property and Technology
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This course examines the multifaceted aspects of developments in intellectual property policy. Students will explore the diverse ethical norms, social practices, and legal doctrines which are used to both justify and to critique existing policies. The course will introduce students to the basic types of intellectual property rights - copyright, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets. It will survey various ethical theories or perspectives which are brought to bear on the topic.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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922
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Religious Belief, Diversity, and Truth
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Contemporary society has been - and continues to be - formed in large measure by the religious commitments of individuals and institutions, both past and present. In this pluralistic age, how are we to understand the differences between the religious traditions of the world? What are we to do when the rights or interests of one religious group or individual conflict with those of another? This course explores the many philosophical issues surrounding religious diversity.
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UL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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| Prerequisite: PHL 110 or PHL 709
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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923
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Philosophy of Religion II
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This course offers students an opportunity for advanced study of what philosophers have had to say about religion. Readings will be drawn from influential historical philosophers, and from contemporary philosophers. Some topics will pertain to theistic religions, some to non-theistic religions, and others to both. Topics may include: religious language; ethics and the meaning of life; the concept of the Sacred; the relationship between religious beliefs and evidence; and puzzles about the characteristics of God.
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UL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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| Prerequisite: PHL 110 or PHL 709
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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924
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Critical Thinking II
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This course cultivates the critical thinking skills acquired in introductory critical thinking: clarity of thought, reasoning systematically, and the construction, analysis and evaluation of claims and arguments. The course will examine fundamental principles and standards governing good reasoning, as well as their application to specific philosophical issues. Topics will include deductive arguments and logical form, inductive and causal arguments, and some of the ensuing philosophical controversies and paradoxes, such as Hume's problem of induction.
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UL
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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| Prerequisite: PHL 214 or SSH 105 or ACS 105
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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PHL
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950
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Directed Research Course
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This course offers ACS students the opportunity for advanced and independent study with a member of the Philosophy Department. Topics are determined jointly by the student and the professor. Students must have completed at least 25 courses before taking PHL 950, at least 6 of which must be PHL courses, with a CGPA of at least 3.33.
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Lect: 3 hrs.
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Departmental consent required
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GPA Weight: 1.00
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Billing Units: 1
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