Content

Department of Philosophy   Northern Illinois University

Undergraduate Courses

101. Introduction to Philosophy (3)
Study of some major philosophical issues, for example, the sources and limits of human knowledge, the meaning of human existence, the nature of morality, the existence of God, the relation of mind and body, and freedom of the will. Emphasis is on understanding philosophical theories and using the techniques of philosophical reasoning. Readings may be taken from traditional as well as contemporary sources.

102. Introduction to Philosophy: Problems Of Morality, Art, And Religion (3)
Reading and discussion of classical and modern texts addressing philosophical issues concerning morality, art, and religion. Topics may include the nature and value of morality, art, and religion as well as their relationship to one another, for example, whether morality depends on religion, and the role of art and religion in living worthwhile and meaningful lives. Readings may include works by Plato, Aristotle, Collingwood, Tolstoy, Nietzsche, Hume, and Kant.

105. Critical Reasoning (3)
An introduction to the basic principles of rational argument evaluation in everyday life. Potential topics include: deductive reasoning; informal fallacies; statistical and probabilistic reasoning; causal inference; rational decision making; scientific reasoning; and the nature of evidence and proof. Emphasis on sharpening students' abilities to evaluate arguments. Students may not receive credit for both PHIL103 and PHIL105.

170. World Religions (3)
A survey of the philosophical and theological foundations of the major religions of the world. Such religions as Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, and Hinduism will be considered in the light of their own religious writings as well as critical and comparative examinations of their meaning and significance. (May not be taken for credit toward the major.)

205. Symbolic Logic (3)
An introduction to formal logic, including propositional and quantificational logic. Emphasis on formal and semantic proof techniques and their applications to deductive reasoning in natural language. Students may not receive credit for both PHIL302 and PHIL205.

231. Contemporary Moral Issues (3)
Consideration of a number of major moral issues such as abortion, animal ethics, capital punishment, civil disobedience, economic justice, environmental ethics, euthanasia, human rights, nationalism, racial or sexual discrimination, sexual conduct, terrorism, and war.

311. Problems of Knowledge (3)
An investigation into the nature, scope, and limits of human knowledge. Topics to be discussed will include different sources of knowledge, skepticism, and the relationship between truth, belief, and justification.

312. Theories and Problems of Reality (3)
A study of various issues concerning the fundamental structure of reality. These may include the nature of time and space, change, causation, modality, matter and mind, action and free will, and the self. Readings may be taken from traditional as well as contemporary sources.

321. Ancient Philosophy (3)
An examination of selected writings in Ancient Philosophy, drawing especially on the work of the pre-Socratics, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, the Epicureans, and the Skeptics.

322. Modern Philosophy (3)
An examination of selected writings of major philosophers from the 16th to the 18th Century, drawing especially on the work of Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant.

331. Classical Ethical Theories (3)
An examination of the major theories of morality. Analysis of the ethical theories of such philosophers as Plato, Hume, and Kant, and such ethical positions as hedonism, stoicism, and utilitarianism.

335. Environmental Ethics (3)
Investigation of moral issues involving the environment. Topics may include: the nature and extent of our duties regarding the environment, conservationism vs. preservationism, duties to future generations, biocentric ethics, ecofeminism, ethical individualism vs. ethical holism, the value of ecosystems, the moral status of animals, and animal experimentation.

336. Biomedical Ethics (3)
Examination of moral problems which arise in the context of health care practice and research. Both issues of individual conduct and public policy will be considered. General problems in ethical theory which have a direct bearing on these specific issues may also be discussed.

337. Business Ethics (3)
A consideration of moral problems arising in business. Both issues of individual conduct and public policy will be considered. General problems in ethical theory which have a direct bearing on these specific issues may also be discussed.

341. Philosophy of Mind (3)
Survey of traditional and contemporary philosophical problems concerning the mind and the cognitive sciences. Topics may include the mind-body problem, the problem of other minds, personal identity, intentionality, mental causation, consciousness and self-awareness, reductionism, the possibility of artificial intelligence, and the nature of psychological explanation. Designed for students interested in psychology and cognitive science as well as for students interested in problems in the philosophy of mind.

342. Philosophy of the Arts (3)
A critical study of theories of art and related problems. Consideration will be given to such topics as the structure of aesthetic experience, the meaning of works of art, the forms and elements of expression in the various arts, and the principles of art and literary criticism.

352. Philosophy of Science (3)
Study of the central philosophical problems raised by science, such as those concerning the nature of explanation, concept formation, realism and instrumentalism, and the nature of scientific progress. Designed for students interested in the sciences as well as for students interested in problems in the philosophy of science.

361. Social and Political Philosophy (3)
An examination of the nature and justification of social practices and political institutions. Topics may include: the philosophical bases of democracy and alternative political systems; social justice and political autonomy in an age of globalization; war and terrorism; forms of multiculturalism, environmentalism, communitarianism, and fundamentalism.

362. Philosophy of Law (3)
A study of the philosophical problems created by law. Typical problems to be examined are the relevance of custom to law, the logical structure of legal systems, the justification of law, natural law and social justice, and the relationship between international law and lesser bodies of law. Designed to be of interest to students in political and social science.

364. Philosophical Ideas in Literature (3)
The relationships between literature and philosophy, accompanied by analysis of selected classics of world literature having philosophical importance. Emphasis on the various means whereby philosophical ideas are embodied in literary compositions.

365. Feminism and Philosophy (3)
Examination of feminist critiques of traditional philosophical problems, methods, and theories, and critical examination of the philosophical foundations of various feminist theories.

370. Philosophy of Religion (3)
A critical examination of the various aspects of religious experience and of related theological concepts and theories. Such topics as the relationship between myth and religion, the structure of worship, the significance of God's existence, and the relevance of modern science to religious belief will be discussed.

381. Indian Philosophy (3)
A general survey of the philosophical tradition of India through the critical study of major Indian classics in English translation. Special attention will be given to important works such as the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Bhagavad-Gita, and the teachings of the Buddha.

382. Chinese Philosophy (3)
A general survey of the philosophical tradition of China through the critical study of major Chinese classics in English translation. Special attention will be given to important works such as the Confucian Analects, the Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu, the literature of Zen, and the major texts of neo-Confucianism.

390. Contemporary Topics in Philosophy (3)
Philosophical dimensions of selected current topics are studied in a variety of settings. Topics will vary each semester and will include science fiction and philosophy, philosophical aspects of emerging technologies, bio-ethics, and business ethics. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 semester hours.

402. Philosophy of Logic (3)
A consideration of various philosophical issues concerning logic and its applications, for example, the nature of validity, theories of truth, paradoxes of reasoning, and classical versus non-standard logics.

403. Philosophy of Mathematics (3)
A study of the nature of mathematics based on a philosophical examination of its fundamental subject-matter, concepts and methods.

404. Philosophy of Language (3)
A study of philosophical problems concerning language, including issues of syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and hermeneutics. Topics include meaning, reference, logical form, modalities, tenses, metaphor indexical terms, indirect discourse, anaphora, theories of truth, and semantic paradoxes.

405. Intermediate Logic (3)
A review of symbolic logic including propositional logic, quantification theory, relations, and identity. Additional topics in formal logic and the philosophy of logic selected by the instructor such as proof theory, modal logic, theory of types, formal semantics, and the relation between the formal and the informal understanding of validity.

410. Topics in Metaphysics or Epistemology (3)
Intensive study of a major theory or issue in metaphysics or epistemology. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 semester hours toward any one degree provided no repetition of subject matter occurs.

411. Epistemology (3)
A survey of some main issues in contemporary epistemology, such as skepticism, epistemic justification, and the analysis of knowledge.

412. Metaphysics (3)
A survey of some main issues concerning the fundamental structures of reality, such as the contrast between abstract and concrete; identity and difference; necessity, possibility and essence; causation; space and time; change and persistence.

420. Topics in the History of Philosophy (3)
A. Major Philosophers
B. 19th and 20th Century History of Philosophy
C. Philosophical Movements
Each topic may be repeated to a maximum of 6 semester hours toward any one degree provided no repetition of subject matter occurs.

421. Plato (3)

422. Aristotle (3)

423. Medieval Philosophy (3)

424. 17th and 18th Century Empiricism (3)
An examination of selected writings by philosophers in the empiricist tradition, including Locke, Berkeley, and Hume.

425. 17th and 18th Century Rationalism (3)
An examination of selected writings by philosophers in the rationalist tradition, including Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz.

426. Kant (3)

427. 19th Century Philosophy (3)
An examination of selected writings by 19th century philosophers, such as Hegel, Schopenhauer, Marx, Kierkegaard, Mill, and Nietzsche.

428. 20th Century Phenomenology (3)
An examination of selected writings by philosophers in the phenomenological tradition, such as Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, and Merleau-Ponty.

429. 20th Century Analytic Philosophy (3)
An examination of selected writings by philosophers in the analytic tradition, such as Moore, Russell, Wittgenstein, Carnap, Ryle, and Quine.

430T. Topics in Ethics (3)
Intensive study of a major theory, issue, or movement in historical or contemporary ethics. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 semester hours toward any one degree provided no repetition of subject matter occurs.

431. Contemporary Ethical Theory (3)
A study of some recent developments in normative theory and metaethics. Topics may include consequentialism, deontology, moral relativism, moral epistemology, and theories of moral motivation. Readings selected from recent work in the field and earlier work as relevant.

442. Theories of Value (3)
Study of the major theories of value, of kinds of values, and of the relations between value and such related notions as desire, practical reason, experience, and moral obligation.

452. Topics in Philosophy of Science (3)
Intensive study of some major issues in general philosophy of science or in the philosophy of one of the special sciences, such as physics or biology.

462. Philosophy of Culture (3)
Various philosophical theories of culture and the areas of cultural life such as myth, religion, language, art, history, and sciences. Consideration of the works of such philosophers as Collingwood, Cassirer, Dewey, Whitehead, and Ortega y Gasset. Emphasis is placed on the relevance of an analysis of culture for philosophical understanding. Designed to be of interest to advanced students in the humanities.

471. Classical Theories in the Philosophy of Religion (3)
An analysis of some of the views which have achieved major importance in this field. Texts will be selected from such key works as Hume's Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, Kant's Religion Within the Limits of Reason Alone, Schleiermacher's On Religion, and Feuerbach's Essence of Christianity.

482. American Philosophy (3)
A study of some of the major traditions and thinkers in American philosophy. Readings may include selections from Edwards, Jefferson, Emerson, Peirce, James, Royce, Dewey, and more recent figures.

490. Seminar in Philosophy (3)
An intensive study of one major problem or position in historical or contemporary philosophy. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 semester hours toward any one degree provided no repetition of subject matter occurs.

491. Directed Readings (1-4)
Enrollment is contingent upon a student's proposed course of study and the approval of it by the faculty member selected to supervise the student's reading. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 semester hours toward any one degree provided no repetition of subject matter occurs.

(Many of the above courses have prerequisites. Please check the Undergraduate Catalog for details.)