PHIL 101. Introduction to Philosophy (3)
Three hours per week. An introduction to the discipline of philosophy. This course will cover a representative selection of texts and problems in the history of philosophy. The course will address the nature of philosophical inquiry and the methods it employs. Topics to be discussed include the foundations of ethics, the sources and limits of knowledge and historical approaches to metaphysical speculation.

PHIL 212. Ethics (3; F)
Three hours per week. A study of historical and/or contemporary philosophical theories about the best way to live. This course will address major philosophical positions regarding the nature of law, justice, rights, duty and morality.

PHIL 214. Biomedical Ethics (3)
Three hours per week. A study of ethical problems that arise in the context of medicine and the life sciences. The course will cover such topics as informed consent, paternalism, assisted suicide, abortion, genetic engineering and the allocation of scarce resources.

PHIL 215. Environmental Ethics (3)
Three hours per week. This course studies the ethical dimensions of the environmental impact of human activities such as development and the disposal of industrial wastes. It also will explore the ethical responsibilities of environmental scientists themselves.

PHIL 221. Philosophy of Art (3)
Three hours per week. A study of both historical and contemporary philosophical theories about art, beauty, the criteria of aesthetic judgment. The course also will examine attempts to describe the nature of the creative process. Examples will be drawn from a variety of art forms.

PHIL 301. Ancient Philosophy (3)
Three hours per week. Prerequisite: PHIL 101 or permission of instructor. A study of the origin of philosophical and scientific thought in the Western world, including the pre-Socratic philosophers, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.

PHIL 303. Modern Philosophy (3)
Three hours per week. Prerequisite: PHIL 101 or permission of instructor. A study of the central philosophical ideas that underlie the emergence of modern scientific thinking in the 17th and 18th centuries. This course will cover figures such as Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Hume and Kant.

PHIL 305. Philosophy of Religion (3)
Three hours per week. Prerequisite: PHIL 101 or permission of instructor. A study of historical and/or contemporary philosophical theories regarding such topics as the existence and nature of God, the nature of our knowledge of God and the relationship between faith and reason.

PHIL 311. Political Philosophy (3)
Three hours per week. Prerequisite: PHIL 101 or permission of instructor. A study of the principal philosophical theories about the nature of political life. This course will address topics such as the concept of natural right, social contract theory, liberalism, communitarianism and the theories of distributive justice. Figures to be studied may include Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Hegel, Marx and Rawls.

PHIL/MATH 330. Symbolic Logic (3)
Three hours per week. A study of modern formal logic, including both sentential logic and predicate logic. This course will improve students' abilities to reason effectively.  Includes a review of topics such as proof, validity and the structure of deductive reasoning.

PHIL 331. Existentialism (3)
Three hours per week. Prerequisite: PHIL 101 or permission of instructor. A study of the major themes and concerns of contemporary existentialist thinkers such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche and Sarte.

PHIL 375. Selected Topics in Philosophy (3; max. 9)
Three hours per week. Prerequisite: PHIL 101 or permission of instructor. May be repeated for credit when topic has changed. A study of topics and/or authors not covered in the standard curriculum. Content will be announced in advance.

PHIL 423WI. Philosophy Seminar (3; max. 9)
Three hours per week. Prerequisite: PHIL 101 or permission of instructor. May be repeated for credit when topic has changed. This course is the capstone course for philosophy students, although non-majors interested in the topic also are welcome. The course will be conducted as a seminar that will address a selected philosophical theme, problem, or thinker to be announced in advance. Strong emphasis will be given to the continuing development of student competency in critical and expository writing.