PHILOSOPHY
Course Descriptions

PHILOSOPHY MINOR

(See also Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. This minor is also available via the Division of Distance Education.)

www.eou.edu/~jjohnson/PHILHOME.htm

Program Faculty

Jeff Johnson jjohnson@eou.edu

Mark Webb mwebb@eou.edu

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

Philosophy is an important component of the liberal arts curriculum. It is not clear that there is any distinctly philosophical subject matter, but all the academic disciplines have questions that can be investigated philosophically. The aim of Philosophy at Eastern is two fold. The first goal is method-ological: to develop a procedure for investi-gating abstract conceptual questions in a clear and productive manner. The second goal more directly concerns the liberal education; every intellectually well-rounded man or woman should have some familiarity with the questions, problems and theories that have preoccupied the great philosophical minds in our Western culture.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

- Students will gain familiarity with classic texts in the western philosophical tradition.

- Students will gain familiarity with the work of contemporary legal, philosophical, and social scientific scholarship, and its application to contemporary legal and policy issues.

- To gain familiarity with the American legal system.

MEANS OF ASSESSMENT

Philosophy minors are evaluated in a variety of ways. They complete with a grade of C- or better a core of at least thirty credits that cover the major areas of contemporary analytic philosophy. They are required to do substantial formal writing in virtually every course in the curriculum. Written work is evaluated in terms of recognized standards of formal academic writing, clarity, mastery of substantive content, and philosophical insight and analysis.

PROGRAMS

The degree that is available with a concentration in philosophy is:

Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.

If you are interested in this degree program, you should consult your advisor.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MINOR IN PHILOSOPHY

1. A minimum of thirty credits in Philosophy, 20 of which must be graded are required for the minor.

2. At least fifteen upper-division credits in Philosophy are required.

3. A grade of "C-" or better for all courses applied toward the minor. Maintain a AC@ (2.00) or better cumulative GPA in courses required for the major.

4. A minimum of ten credits applied toward the minor must be completed at EOU.

PHILOSOPHY COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

PHIL 101 - Self, World & God
Credits: 5.00
Gen Ed-Humanities
New Gen Ed-Aesthetics & Hum
The quest for understanding ourselves, the world, and our possible relation to the divine is as old as philosophy itself. This course will introduce classic questions about the nature of mind and body, free will, and life after death. Of particular importance will be the nature and applicability of human know-ledge to these sorts of questions. The course requires the ability to read, write and think about difficult and important questions, but no special training or background.

PHIL 102 - Ethics, Polit & Law
Credits: 5.00
Gen Ed-Humanities
New Gen Ed-Aesthetics & Hum
The problem of how we ought to live our lives is as old as philosophy itself. We will begin with an investigation of theories of ethics (or morality). We will also explore the question of political legitimacy. Finally we will look at the nature of law, with particular emphasis on philosophical questions concerning the U. S. Constitution. Philosophy 101 is not a prerequisite.

PHIL 110 - PHIL 110
Credits: 1.00 to 6.00

PHIL 203 - Critical Thinking
Credits: 5.00
Gen Ed-Language & Logic
New Gen Ed-Crit Think/Prob Sol
An introduction to critical thinking and argument analysis. The primary goal of this course is to develop a technique for the evaluation of practical arguments in the real world.

PHIL 210 - PHIL 210
Credits: 1.00 to 6.00

PHIL 231 - Symbolic Logic
Credits: 5.00
Gen Ed-Language & Logic
An introduction to formal symbolic logic. The topics covered include the first-order propositional calculus, truth-table analysis and natural deduction proofs. In addition, the course may include an introduction to natural deduction proofs in the first-order predicate calculus. PHIL 203 is not a prerequisite for this course.

PHIL 301 - Hist Philosophy
Credits: 5.00
Gen Ed-Humanities
New Gen Ed-Aesthetics & Hum
(Writing Intensive) This course is a focused examination of major periods, schools, problems and/or figures in the history of western philosophy. Students should expect a good deal of reading from original historical sources.

PHIL 310 - PHIL 310
Credits: 1.00 to 6.00

PHIL 320 - Phil of Religion
Credits: 5.00
Gen Ed-Humanities
New Gen Ed-Aesthetics & Hum
(Writing Intensive) An introduction to some of the main problems, theories, and arguments in the philosophy of religion.

PHIL 340 - Phil of Science
Credits: 5.00
Gen Ed-Humanities
(Writing Intensive) An exploration of some of the main problems underlying scientific theory and investi-gation, including the basic structure, language and methodology of the sciences.

PHIL 405 - PHIL 405
Credits: 1.00 to 15.00
Directed reading experience on topics of student's choice. This course will involve regular consultation and a major written project.
Restrictions:
May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es):
Freshman
Sophomore

PHIL 407 - Seminar
Credits: 5.00
Restrictions:
May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es):
Freshman
Sophomore

PHIL 409 - Field Placement
Credits: 1.00 to 15.00

PHIL 410 - PHIL 410
Credits: 1.00 to 6.00
An in-depth study of a topic of interest to both students and faculty. There will be a great deal of reading for this course and a major written project.
Restrictions:
May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es):
Freshman
Sophomore

PHIL 420 - Philosophy of Law
Credits: 5.00
New Gen Ed-Aesthetics & Hum
(Writing Intensive) A philosophical examination of some of the key concepts, arguments, controversies, and theories within the field of law. Typical topics to be covered may include the nature of law, the nature of legal reasoning, how legal texts should be interpreted, and the relationship between morality and the law.
Restrictions:
May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es):
Freshman
Sophomore

PHIL 440 - Political Philosophy/Theory
Credits: 5.00
Political Philosophy is a topic oriented examination of an issue, major thinker, or historical period in western politcal thought. Recent offerings of the course have included a survey of western political theory from Plato to Locke, a historical and conceptual investigation of the social contract, and an examination of contemporary theories of justice focusing on the work of John Rawls. (Cross-listed: POLS 440)
Restrictions:
May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es):
Freshman
Sophomore

PHIL 470 - Philosophical Psych
Credits: 5.00
Philosophical Psychology reflects the historic overlap between the two disciplines. The course assumes that these academic areas can genuinely learn from each other, both in terms of substantive content, and also methodological perspective. It is hard to imagine respectable research being conducted in the philosophy of mind without it being informed by state of the art empirical work in psychology and cognitive science.
Restrictions:
May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es):
Freshman
Sophomore

PHIL 490 - Ethics & Public Affairs
Credits: 5.00
The first two thirds of the course will focus on contemporary normative theory and decision theory. The remainder of the course will be devoted to directed research in which a significant public policy issue will be analyzed from a normative perspective. Prerequisite: PHIL 102, POLS 350
Restrictions:
May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es):
Freshman
Sophomore