PHI105N Philosophic Quest (3 credits, meets MWF 8:00-8:50)

Dr. Eric Snider

Reflect upon knowledge and reality. Reading Plato’s Apology, Euthyphro, Crito, Meno; Rene Descartes’ Meditations; Soren Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling; Bertrand Russell’s The Problems of Philosophy. Topics focus on what is philosophy, what exists, what can we know, and some issues in philosophy of religion. Assignments include in-class discussion activities, quizzes, tests, and two short (2-3 page) papers on assigned topics.

PHI110N Contemporary Moral Issues (3 credits, meets Tu Th 12:35-1:50)

Professor Carrie Peffley

We’ll study some contemporary ethical issues that impact society (such as abortion, euthanasia, poverty, Palestine/Israel conflict), how major philosophical theories might address them, and possible solutions. We’ll also consider how Christians might think and act about these issues. Assignments include reading, quizzes, tests (objective and essay), and a short paper.

PHI 120N Philosophy Through Film (3 credits, meets MWF 1:50-2:40 and M film lab 6-8pm)

Dr. Don Postema

What do Million Dollar Baby, The Matrix, Being John Malkovich, and The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind all have in common? One, they raise intriguing philosophical issues (Is it ethical to knowingly cause someone’s death? Is the seemingly real world only a set of ideas in my mind? What makes a person unique? Does a meaningful life require pleasant and unpleasant memories?). Two, along with ten other films, will be required viewing in this course exploring philosophical issues presented in film and in classical philosophical texts. In addition to three class periods for lecture and discussion each week, there will be a Monday evening showing of the film for discussion that week. The requirements include bi-weekly quizzes on the material covered in class, and three papers in which you critically and reflectively develop your position on an important philosophical issue we consider. Here’s your chance to view and discuss the philosophical issues presented in a range of films and texts, as well as to develop reflective, reasoned responses to some of life’s basic questions.

PHI210L The Modern Mind (3 credits, meets MWF 12:30-1:20)

Dr. Sara Shady

Why is community declining in contemporary culture and individualism is on the rise? How do race, gender, and class affect one’s social status in contemporary culture? In an era when we have a great deal of political liberty, why are so many people politically apathetic? How has the fast food industry changed our lives for better and for worse? In this course we will seek to understand major trends in contemporary American culture, by exploring answers to these (and other) questions. We will study philosophy, social theory, literature, and film to gain a broad overview of what has happened in Western culture during the last 200 years.

PHI225M Introduction to Logic (4 credits, meets MWF 2:50-4:00)

Dr. Dan Yim

A study of standard forms of deductive and inductive logical reasoning, critical thinking, and informal fallacies. Covers rules for evaluating arguments and acquaints students with ways to distinguish good arguments from bad ones, with the goal of problem solving and making reasonable decisions about beliefs and actions.

PHI230U Medieval Islamic Philosophy (3 credits, meets Tu Th 11:10-12:25)

Professor Carrie Peffley

From 800-1200, Arabic civilization was the world’s center of intellectual, cultural, and economic developments. This course is a study of the philosophical and theological thought developed in the Arabic world during the medieval period, and its influence on later intellectual traditions, including contemporary Islam and Western Christianity. Assignments include reading, two exams and two essays.

PHI251 History of Philosophy I: Ancient and Medieval (4 credits, meets MWF 11:10-12:20)

Dr. Eric Snider

Reading primary texts (the philosophers themselves) from an anthology. Survey of philosophers and their thoughts from the ancient Greeks (starting around 600 BC) to the Middle Ages (about 1300 AD). Assignments include quizzes, tests, an article review, a short (4-5 page) essay (topics provided), and an 8-12 page final paper.

PHI252 History of Philosophy II: Modern and Contemporary (4 credits, meets Tu Th 12:35-2:15)

Dr. Dan Yim

This is a survey course that selectively highlights influential ideas from philosophers in the Modern Period through the 20th century. We begin with the scientific revolution — including the Continental rationalists, British empiricists, and Kant—and highlight 19th and 20th century developments in philosophy. Topics will include material versus spiritual substance, the nature of God, the limits of human knowledge, the existence of the soul, moral reasoning, existentialism, and the goals of philosophy as a humanistic inquiry.

PHI305G Philosophy of Religion (3 credits, meets MWF 1:50-2:40)

Dr. Ray VanArragon

In this course we shall investigate issues that have probably occurred to most students already. What is the relation of faith and reason? Can we prove that God exists? Why does God allow evil? How should we think about other religions? Does God know the future? We’ll consider different philosophical systems and approaches to these questions, and students will be encouraged to try to come up with and defend their own answers as well.

PHI 320 Ethics: Theory and Practice (4 credits, meets MWF 2:50-4:00)

Dr. Don Postema

Are moral judgments objective? What is the role of reason in ethics? Is there a common sense of the good for all? This advanced philosophy course builds on the work you have done in at least one other philosophy course by reading and discussing a variety of ethical theories including utilitarianism, Kantian ethics, natural law ethics, virtue ethics, feminist ethics, and social contract theories. Each of these theories will be evaluated in the light of important contemporary ethical issues such as physician assisted suicide, moral obligations and world hunger, animal rights, the moral status of human embryos, the ethics of sexual practices, what family members owe to each other, the connection between morality and power, and social justice and access to health care. The final text in the course will be a recent work in philosophical ethics, evaluating the state of contemporary ethical theory and practice.

PHI340K Philosophy of Science (3 credits, meets MWF 9:00-9:50)

Dr. Paul Reasoner

Why is scientific knowledge so privileged in our society? What sort of knowledge claims are made in science? What justification is there for those claims? What are the fundamental assumptions of science? Do accounts of discovery and change in science match the theories about change in science? Some of the topics include induction, confirmation, empiricism, scientific research programs, scientific revolutions, realism and anti-realism, and the nature of scientific explanation. A section of the course focuses on the nature of technology and its place in society. Can technology always solve the problems other technology creates? How do technological advances alter our notion of human persons? How much are you willing to be altered? This course is for those who want to study this important area of philosophy. It is also for others who want to examine the foundations of the particular field of science they are already studying. Prerequisites: Laboratory Science (D) course; Mathematics (M) course; one philosophy course recommended (or approval of instructor).

PHI401 Epistemology and Metaphysics (4 credits, meets MWF 12:30-1:40)

Dr. Ray VanArragon

Here’s something to think about. Imagine that you are just a brain-in-a-vat. Your brain has been removed and is bobbing around in a vat of chemicals. Super-scientists have attached wires to your brain and are stimulating it in such a way that you have a full mental life and believe that you are right now reading a course description . . . when in fact all these things are false, and you’re just a deluded brain-in-a-vat. But here’s the big question. How do you know that’s not happening to you right now? How can you know anything at all? We’ll consider questions like that as well as other perennial puzzlers: Can Christian belief amount to knowledge? Do you have free will? Is time travel possible? Are you the same person today as the person who had your name yesterday, or ten years ago? Prerequisites: two courses in philosophy.

GES420P Bioethics (3 credits, meets MWF 11:10-12:00)

Dr. Don Postema

Though this course meets a general education requirement (Contemporary Christian Issues), it is taught from a philosophical perspective. After a review of ethical frameworks and principles, the rest of the course is structured around issues in bioethics chosen by the students. This includes ethical issues arising in the context of health care provider-patient relations, end-of-life ethics, the ethics of reproductive technologies, ethical issues raised by recent advances in human genetics, the ethics of using human subjects in research, the allocation of scarce health care resources, and justice and the social determinants of the health of communities. This course offers maximum student involvement through reading responses, case discussions, a group presentation, two papers developing your position on a challenging case in bioethics, and a final paper in which you develop your response to a pressing contemporary policy issue in bioethics. If you haven’t had to face these issues yet, be assured you will – and this course will help you deal with them in a reflective, reasoned manner as a person of faith.