Philosophy Courses

20 Introduction to Philosophy (4)
Some of the classic problems of philosophy, with emphasis on understanding the nature of philosophic reflection and reasoning. Includes epistemology, ethics, metaphysics and other major branches of philosophy.

21 Logic (4)
Rhetorical and formal analysis of arguments with emphasis on symbolic logic.

22 Philosophy of Art (4)
Prerequisite: PHL-20 or instructor's permission
A study of the nature of art and the possibility of standards of judgment. Readings include Aristotle, Plato, Kant, Dickie, Danto.

23 Ethics (4)
Prerequisite: PHL-20 or instructor's permission
The nature of morality, the grounds of moral obligation, and the principles of moral decision-making according to classical and contemporary moral philosophers.

28 Medical Ethics (4)
Prerequisite: PHL-20 or instructor's permission
Focuses on major moral issues in our health care delivery system. Some issues treated are doctor/patient relationships, truth-telling, refusal of life-saving treatment, euthanasia, and allocation of scarce medical resources. This course requires extensive field work at a Greenville hospital. Entry is by application only. Course must be enrolled with SOC-44.

29 Environmental Ethics (4)
Prerequisite: PHL-20 or instructor's permission
This course will examine and evaluate various approaches to moral problem solving with reference to environmental and ecological issues. Topics addressed will include: Animal Liberation, the Land Ethic, Biocentrism or Reverence for Life, Ecofeminism, Deep Ecology, and Local Ecology.

30 Philosophers, Movements and Problems (4)
Prerequisite: PHL-20 or instructor's permission
Designed to meet the needs and interests of students who would like to do further work in philosophy by investigating a particular philosopher, movement or problem.

31 Historical Foundations of Philosophy I (4)
Prerequisite: PHL-20 or instructor's permission
The growth and development of philosophical thought from Thales to Aquinas.

32 Historical Foundations of Philosophy II (4)
Prerequisite: PHL-20 or instructor's permission
The growth and development of philosophical thought from Descartes through Kant.

33 Nineteenth Century Philosophy (4)
Prerequisite: PHL-20 or instructor's permission
A survey of Continental philosophy, with a special emphasis on the structure and impact of the Darwinian Revolution. Readings include Hegel, Schopenhauer, Marx, Kierkegaard, Whewell, Darwin, Huxley and Spencer.

34 Law, Justice and the State (4)
Prerequisite: PHL-20 or instructor's permission
Examination of classical and contemporary issues in political philosophy, with particular attention to the philosophical foundations of the state and the political and moral relationship of the individual to the state.

35 Philosophy of Mind (4)
Prerequisite: PHL-20 or instructor's permission
Examination of the traditional philosophical questions concerning mind, especially focusing on the questions: What constitutes mind? What is the mind/body problem? How can we know other minds?

36 Philosophy of Science (4)
Prerequisite: PHL-20 or instructor's permission
Understanding the scope, structure, and limits of the scientific method. Special attention is given to biology, psychology, and the implications of evolutionary theory.

37 Philosophy of Religion (4)
Prerequisite: PHL-20 or instructor's permission
The central philosophical issues in religious concerns, including the problem of evil, religious knowledge, and the nature and significance of religious experience.

38 Philosophy of Law (4)
Prerequisite: PHL-20 or instructor's permission
Investigation of philosophical questions relating to law, such as the question of what law is, the responsibility of the individual faced with unjust law, and the relation between philosophical understandings of the law and the resolution of legal issues. Readings include philosophical treatments of law and texts of legal opinions from courts.

39 Philosophy of Literature (4)
Prerequisite: PHL-20 or instructor's permission
Examination of the relationships generally between philosophy and literature. Focuses on the philosophical aspects of form and introduces aspects of narratology.

41 American Philosophy (4)
Prerequisite: PHL-20 or instructor's permission
A history of American philosophy organized around the theme of the search for authority. Readings include James, Peirce, Santayana, and Dewey.

42 Twentieth Century Philosophy (4)
Prerequisite: PHL-20 or instructor's permission
Introduction to the important figures and themes of twentieth century philosophy. Attention given to material from both the analytic and phenomenological traditions. Postmodern responses to these traditions are also examined.

A43 Indian Philosophy (4)
Prerequisite: PHL-20 or instructor's permission
Survey of six orthodox and three heterodox schools including Advaita Vedanta, Yoga, Samkhya, Mimamsa, Nyaya, Vaisesika, Early Buddhism, Jainism and Ajivika Materialism. Comparative (East/West) analyses are also explored.

A44 Chinese Philosophy (4)
Prerequisite: PHL-20 or instructor's permission
Survey of traditional problems and history with emphasis on the classical Chinese philosophical tradition including Confucius (Kung Tzu), Mo Tzu, Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu, HsŸn Tzu and Han Fei Tzu.

A45 Japanese Philosophy (4)
Prerequisite: PHL-20 or instructor's permission
Survey of development of Japanese philosophical thought from the Heian period to modern times. Analysis includes early Buddhism, Kukai's Shingon Buddhism, Dogen's Soto Zen philosophy, its encounter with the West and development of the Kyoto school.

46 Philosophy of Gender (4)
Prerequisite: PHL-20 or instructor's permission
Examination of competing feminist theories; for example, liberal feminism, socialist or Marxist feminism, radical feminism and others. The goal of the course is to analyze the philosophical assumptions concerning women and women's situations that underlie each view, to examine the philosophical traditions from which each theory is developed and the philosophical theories in opposition.

47 Ethics of Globalization (4)
Prerequisite: PHL-20 or instructor's permission
Equips students to make an ethical assessment of globalization's economic, environmental, political aspects. Cost/benefits of globalization, impact on world populations, and possibilities for alternative globalizations will be addressed. May satisfy the general education requirement in upperlevel humanities.

A49 Africana Philosophies(4)
Prerequisite: PHL-20 or instructor's permission
Survey of philosophical themes in sub-Saharan Africa and the African Diaspora in the Caribbean and the United States. Topics include what constitutes Africana philosophy; race; colonialism; gender; and slavery. Ontological, ethical and socio-political questions will be addressed. Satisfies the asian-african requirement and may satisfy the general education requirement in upper-level humanities.

75 Seminar in Philosophy (4)
Prerequisite: PHL-20 or instructor's permission
Intensive treatment of one or two major issues or areas of philosophic debate.

80 Independent Study (2) Requires permission of the department. Either a research project or a reading program. To be considered for a research project, a student must have a 3.00 grade point average in philosophy courses (a minimum of three) and an overall average of 2.70.

95 Special Topics in Philosophy (4)
Course on a special topic in philosophy, offered on a one-time or limited basis.