This page contains the official descriptions of courses in the philosophy department. For more detailed descriptions see the list of courses offered for the current year, here.
Introductory Philosophy Courses
101 Introduction to Philosophy (4 Hours)
An introduction to some of the basic issues and areas of
philosophy: metaphysics and theories of reality, epistemology and theories of
knowledge, ethics, social and political philosophy, theories of human nature and
existence. Historical and contemporary texts are studied, such as Plato,
Descartes, Kant,Mill, Nietzsche, Freud, Sartre. (Generally offered every other year. Last taught Anderson 2004)
118 Introduction to Ethics (3 Hours)
An inquiry and introduction to the texts and theories of
traditional and contemporary ethics, including virtue ethics, utilitarianism,
deontological ethics, and ethics of care. (Offered every other year in 3 week. Last taught Anderson 2003)
121
Introduction to Logic (3 Hours)
Informal and formal logic. Attention to informal fallacies, propositions, formal argument structures and their classification. Deductive and inductive arguments. (Taught every other fall 3 week: Last taught Anderson 2004)
History of Philosophy Courses
210 Ancient Philosophy (4 Hours)
A study of classical Greek and Roman philosophy. Readings in the pre-Socratics, Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics, giving attention to the influence of these thinkers in shapingthe character of philosophy.Fall 12 Week: Anderson211 Medieval Philosophy (4 Hours)
Christian, Jewish and Islamic thinkers who shaped philosophy from the fourth to the 14th century. Questions regarding the nature of the will, philosophical method, thecharacter of language and universals, and the chain of revelation.Spring 2003: Anderson212 Early Modern Philosophy (4 Hours)
An examination of European philosophy from 1600-1800, including the Rationalists (Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz), the British empiricists (Locke, Berkeley, Hume), and the critical philosophy of Kant.Spring 12 Week: Braver213 19th Century Philosophy (4 Hours)
An overview of the development of German idealism from Kant to Hegel, the collapse of idealism and the post-Hegelian philosophy of Marx, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche.Fall 2002: Braver214 20th Century Philosophy (4 Hours)
An examination of one or more of the major movements of philosophy, including analytic philosophy, positivism, ordinary language analysis, existentialism and phenomenology, pragmatism, post-structuralism and deconstruction, and feminism.215 Introduction to Phenomenology (3 Hours)
An introduction to the movement of phenomenology, its methods and theories, through the writings of Husserl, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, and Sartre. Topics include the phenomenological reduction, lived experience, embodiment, intersubjectivity and the other, and existential psychology. Spring 2004: Braverxxx Existentialism (4 Hours)
An examination of existential thought through the texts of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche,Camus, Sartre, Beauvoir, and others; a study of the existential concepts of dread, freedom, subjective truth, bad faith, and authenticity.Electives
202 Philosophy of Education (3 Hours)
A comparative and critical examination of classical philosophies of education and contemporary alternatives. Texts from Plato, Aristotle, Kant,Dewey, and others. Also listed asEducation 202.219 Contemporary Moral Problems (3 Hours)
Examination of topics and issues in moral problems, drawn from one or more of the following: biomedical ethics, business ethics, environmental ethics, social ethics, sexual/gender issues.221 Symbolic Logic (4 Hours)
Development of general principles of inference, using symbolic notation to represent everyday discourse.225 Philosophy and Feminism (4 Hours)
This course is an exploration of the central concerns, issues, and theories of modern and contemporary feminism, including the sex/gender distinction, essentialism, feminist critiques of knowledge and disciplines, ecological feminism, women's spirituality,feminist ethics, and the connections of feminism to issues of class, race, and sexuality. Fall 2003: Braver228 Theories of Human Nature (3 Hours)
A comparative-critical examination of contrasting and divergent views of human nature.Theories to be examined will include one or more of the following: Christianity, Buddhism, Evolutionary theory, Classical conceptions of humanity, Psychoanalysis, Marxism, Existentialism, Feminism, non-Western and native culture conceptions of humanity .265 History and Philosophy of Science (4 Hours)
An examination of the rise of modern science and the intellectual revolution in the attitude and orientation towards the universe. The displacement of the older world view and the new hypothesis that nature is inherently mathematical in structure. Galileo's project of the mathematization of nature, and its signficance for the experimental methods, and understanding of human nature and culture.270 Environmental Philosophy (4 Hours)
Anexamination of the ethical, social, political, historical, and spiritualdimensionsof human relations with nature. Course will explore recentdevelopments in environmental theory, including deep ecology, ecologicalfeminism, social ecology, bioregionalism, aswell as alternative conceptions ofnature in native and primary peoples. The history of American environmentalismand activism will also be addressed.271 Animals and Ethics (4 Hours)
This course will consider the relationship between ethical theories and our treatment of other animals. We will examine relevant ethical theories probably including, at least, Utilitarianism, rights-based and contract-based ethical theories. These theories will be examined in their applications to problems surrounding our treatment of non-human animals including consuming animals as food, using animals for experimentation, and the recreational use of animals. In addition, this course will consider issues surrounding our ascription of various mental states or capacities to animals including the ability to feel pain, possessions of interests and desires, and the ascription of awareness, self-awareness, and language to animals Spring 2004: Anderson280 Seminar (1-4 Hours)
281 Independent Study (1-4 Hours)
Upper Level Seminars
470 Heidegger's Being and Time (4 Hours)
This class will be a slow reading of one of philosophy's masterpieces: Martin Heidegger?s Being and Time. Considered by many to be the greatest work of twentieth-century philosophy, it has also influenced religious studies, psychology, literary criticism, cognitive science, and many other fields. Heidegger explores in fascinating detail what it is like to experience life as a human being, in such a way as to be at once both astonishing and profoundly familiar.Fall 2001: Braver475 Foucault: The Politics of Identity (4 Hours)
Michel Foucault is an important and intriguing figure in late 20th century philosophy. His claim that power affects all human relations has influenced gender studies, literary criticism, religious studies, and traditional views of the medical and psychological professions. Foucault shows how all features of reality and human nature are fundamentally historical, which undermines our traditional pursuits of truth and liberates us at the same time. We will examine books from each of the three phases of his work, focusing on his "genealogical" period in which he describes the historical origin and transformations of punishment and sexuality. Fall 2003: Braver490 Wittgenstein's Critique of Language (4 Hours)
This class will be an extended analysis of one of the 20th century's greatest philosophers: Ludwig Wittgenstein. The single most important figure in Analytic Philosophy, Wittgenstein?s entire body of work pursues the question of language. What is language? How does it work? What are its limitations? Our study of his work will examine both early and later Wittgenstein to trace out the continuities as well as the breaks between the periods (at one point, he wanted his two great works, the Tractatus and Philosophical Investigations, to be published together in one tome), and we will examine his impact on analytic philosophy by reading a representative from each of the two movements he influenced. Fall 2002: Braver420 Major Philosophical Problems (4 Hours)
An investigation of a major problem, issues, concept in philosophy, or a study ofaparticular text.440 Major Philosophers (4 Hours)
An investigation of the writings of a major philosopher, such as Plato, Kant,Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Heidegger.380 Seminar (3 Hours)
480Senior Seminar (4 Hours)
481 Independent Research (1-4 Hours)
Old Courses
The following courses are listed in the Hiram Course Catalogue, but are not scheduled in the foreseeable future. They may, however, be offered depending upon interests and resources.
203 Film and Philosophy (3 hours): An examination ofthe aesthetic and philosophical questions posed by film as an art medium andsocial discourse. Among the topics considered will be film as representation of the world, film as perceptual duplication, the impact of film on theories of art, and the function of meaning in the interpretation of film
204 Philosophy of Art (4 hours): An examination of major issues and concepts in traditional and contemporary aesthetic theory, including the role of representation in art, the relation of art to morality,Marxist and Freudian theories of art, interpretation and aesthetic response, creativity in art. The course will also focus on specific art media, such as film, literature, and painting.
220 Understanding Arguments (3 hours):An examination and analysis of different types and specimens of arguments in ordinary language, and in various special applications and contexts. Specimens of arguments will be drawn from environmental controversies, political debates (capital punishment, abortion), legal reasoning (court cases), ethical arguments, scientific arguments, theological arguments, and philosophical issues.
230 Persons, Other Minds and Machines (3 hours): An examination of issues concerning the nature of human identity, the concept of personhood, knowledge of other minds, and artificial intelligence.
300 Philosophy of Religion (3 hours): Focus on a topic such as the nature of god, arguments for divine existence, the problem of evil, religious language, or religious experience. Also listed as Religion 300.
111 Eastern and Western Philosophies of Religion (4hours) Philosophical issues raised by religion, religious language, religious knowledge, the existence of God, freedom, evil, immorality.
119 Truth and Reality (3 hours): An introduction to philosophy through the study of the relationships of knowledge and reality.
217 Critics of Western Culture (4 hours): An examination of one or more of the critiques of the Western tradition, itsideologies, beliefs, and practices. Texts and figures will be selected from a variety of sources, including Marxism, psychoanalysis, feminism, civil rights, environmentalism, native cultures, or postmodern critiques.
250 Philosophy and Literature (3 hours): An exploration of the relationships between philosophical ideas and literary texts. Readings in literature may focus on a specific period, genre, or topics, e.g., existential literature, literature of the absurd, nature literature, conceptions of the self in poetry and drama. Theoretical works treating the aesthetics and interpretation of literary works may also be examined.
260 Social and Political Philosophy (4 hours): An inquiry into one or more issues in social philosophy and political theory.Topics may include classical texts of Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Rousseau, Marx as well as recent discussions on intersubjectivity, contract theory, existentialism, critical theory, or psychoanalysis.