Spring 2009
Course Offerings and Syllabi

118A Making the Modern Mind HWC
T 9:35-11:00, Th 9:30-10:50
Edward Langerak

118B Making the Modern Mind HWC
T 1:20-2:45, Th 2:15-3:35
Edward Langerak
We survey the development of historically significant conceptions of reality, knowledge, and ethics in the West from Socrates to Nietzsche (with some references to recent philosophers).  We study major philosophers in their cultural context, emphasizing how they relate their explanations of the universe to their conceptions of morality and of a meaningful human life.

118C Making the Modern Mind HWC, WRI
MWF 2:00-2:55
Anthony Rudd
(see catalog for course description)

 

231 Philosophy of Mind HBS
MWF 12:55-1:50
Anthony Rudd
The Philosophy of Mind has been central to the discipline of philosophy during the last few decades. It is also an area of philosophy that has developed in close connection with other disciplines, such as psychology, and which has important implications for our moral and social thinking. Its fundamental concern is with the kinds of beings we are, and how our own subjective, personal sense of self relates to the objective, impersonal accounts of human beings given by the sciences.

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The course will start by looking at the question of personal identity. Is there a “real me”, a continuing self which remains the same, despite all the changes we undergo in life? Could the sense of self be in some way an illusion? How does memory, or the sense of being able to experience one’s life as a coherent narrative, contribute to our sense of identity? We will then consider free will. Are we really responsible for our actions? Given our upbringing, our genetics etc, could we have done things other than the ones we actually did do? If we couldn’t, does that undermine the idea of moral responsibility? The questions of free will and personal identity are closely related; some philosophers have argued that my sense of identity is based on my being a free agent, in the sense of having the ability to be in control of my own life, to decide which of my desires and inclinations I want to endorse, and which I want to struggle against. We will examine some accounts of this kind, and the connection between freedom and identity and the having of ideals or values.
In the second half of the course, we will focus on the “mind-body” problem. Many recent thinkers have rejected Descartes’ dualistic view that the mind is a distinct entity from the body, and have attempted to give purely physical, materialist, explanations for our mental capacities. Are we just complex physical machines? Is there anything about us that cannot in principle be understood scientifically? We will look at various theories of mind – dualist, materialist, and attempts at alternatives to both - and consider issues such as whether the mind is a computer, whether the subjective feeling of experience (what it’s like to e.g. feel a particular sensation) can be captured in a materialist account, and whether our minds are even in principle capable of fully understanding their own nature.



236 History of Modern Philosophy HWC, WRI
T 11:45-1:40, Th 12:45-2:05
Jeanine Grenberg
In this course, we will study the development of philosophy from the opening of the 17th century through the dawning of the 19th century, with particular focus on issues in epistemology and metaphysics.  Figures to be studied include:  Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Berkeley, Locke, Hume and Kant.

 

240 Formal Logic & Philosophy
MWF 10:45-11:40
Vicki Harper
(see catalog for course description)

 

244 Philosophy of Science IST
T 8:00-9:25, Th 8:00-9:20
Arthur Cunningham
(see catalog for course description)

 

245 Philosophy and Feminism MCS
MWF 11:50-12:45
Corliss Swain
This course examines feminist perspectives on violence, oppression, justice, and evil. The relations between various forms of oppression and violence are examined in some detail, especially forms of oppression and violence that have been directed primarily against women, such as rape, domestic violence, pornography, and prostitution. The course also examines the relation between the oppression of women and the oppression of other groups on the basis of race or ethnicity. Feminist discussions of the limitations of forgiveness, caring, and justice are explored.

 

250 Biomedical Ethics EIN
M 7:00-10:00pm
Karen Gervais
We will examine the main moral theories, principles, and approaches current in Western bioethics and apply them to such issues as the health care professional/patient relationship, research with human subjects, neuroscience, human embryo use in stem cell research, the definition of death, end of life decision-making, euthanasia and physician assisted suicide, justice, rationing and access to health care.

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We will distinguish the empirical, metaphysical, conceptual, and normative (i.e., religious, cultural, social, and ethical) dimensions of these issues, seeking to refine our capacities for analysis, reflection, and argument; clarify such concepts as person, autonomy, rights, community, health, life, and death. We will relate philosophical and medical discussions central to religious and theological concerns in the Judeo-Christian tradition and discuss how we can combine firm personal commitments on issues in biomedical ethics with appropriate tolerance and respect for the alternative commitments of other members of our pluralistic society.

 

251 Asian Philosophy MSG
T 11:45-1:10, Th 12:45-2:05
Anantanand Rambachan
(see catalog for course description)

 

257A Environmental Ethics EIN, WRI
T 9:35-11:00, Th 9:30-10:50
Charles Taliaferro
(see catalog for course description)

257B Environmental Ethics EIN, WRI
T 11:45-1:10, Th 12:45-2:05
Charles Taliaferro
(see catalog for course description)

 

260 Kant's Moral Theory EIN, WRI
T 9:30-11:00, Th 9:30-10:50
Jeanine Grenberg
(see catalog for course description)

 

374 Sem: Studies in the History of Philosophy: David Hume ORC, WRI
MWF 2:00-2:55
Corliss Swain
 This course examines, in a seminar setting, the philosophy of David Hume, contemporary interpretations of his work, and assessments of its significance. We will read and discuss most of the Treatise and significant portions of Hume’s two Enquiries as well as a number of articles by contemporary philosophers. Our goal is to examine what Hume has to offer to contemporary discussions of metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. Students will lead class discussions, give presentations on their research, and write a research paper.

 

399 Seminar: Philosophy of Religion WRI
T 1:20-2:45, Th 2:15-3:35
Charles Taliaferro
Advanced work in this area will be carried out on two levels. First, there will be core readings that will be the foundation of common dialogue for weekly meetlings. Second, students will develop (with Prof. Taliaferro) a thesis and term paper to be researched and presented to the seminar in May. Topics and methodology will be pluralistic, but include some attention to the concept of God and phenomenology.

 

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GCON 218B Dissenters/Defenders ALS-A, HWC, ORC, WRI
MWF 11:50-12:45
Edward Langerak
(see catalog for course description)

 

GCON 218E Dissenters/Defenders ALS-A, HWC, ORC, WRI
MWF 12:55-1:50
Vicki Harper
(see catalog for course description)

 

GCON 310 Ethical Issues EIN
T 9:35-11:00, Th 9:30-10:50
Jeanine Grenberg
In this course, we will study the three main normative philosophical approaches to ethics (virtue ethics, Kantian ethics and utilitarianism), focusing on both the historical and contemporary renderings of the theories.  We will conclude our discussions by noting the interesting way in which, in contemporary discussions of them, all three of these approaches to morality begin to converge around virtue.