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Department of Philosophy   Northern Illinois University

Graduate Courses

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.

501. Advanced Symbolic Logic (3)
Topics vary, but will be selected from characteristic issues: for example, foundations of quantification theory, including Herbrand's theorem, Lowenheim-Skolem theorem, Godel's completeness theorem; basic proof theory, including Godel's incompleteness theorem; elements of recursive function theory and undecidability theorems; and axiomatic set theory. The relevance of symbolic logic to the analysis of philosophical problems will be considered.

511. Epistemology (3)
Topics in the theory of knowledge. A consideration of such problems as what kinds of knowledge there are, what constitutes knowing that something is true, the difference and relationship between knowing and believing, the nature of truth, the nature of perception, and methods of verification.

512. Metaphysics (3)
Topics such as the nature of space, time, cause, matter, mind, and self.

520. Topics in the History of Philosophy (3)
A. Major Philosophers
B. Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
C. 17th and 18th Century Philosophy
D. 19th and 20th Century Philosophy
E. Philosophical Movements
Each topic may be repeated to a maximum of 6 semester hours provided no repetition of subject matter occurs.

531. Advanced Ethical Theory (3)
Special topics in advanced ethical theory. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 semester hours as the subject matter changes.

533. Aesthetics (3)
A detailed study of one or more classical or modern works on aesthetics or a study of selected topics in aesthetics such as art and the individual, the nature of aesthetic judgment, the existence of an aesthetic attitude, or the nature of aesthetic experience.

540. Philosophy of Mind (3)
Some recent developments in philosophy having a bearing on such concepts as perception, thought, intentionality, belief, and the role of these concepts in such philosophical problems as the relation of mind and body, the veridicality of perception, and the nature of personal identity.

550. Political and Social Philosophy (3)
A critical study of selected political and social concepts such as justice, equality, freedom, and related issues with reference to the views of representative contemporary thinkers.

552. Philosophy of Science (3)
Topics in the philosophy of science. A consideration of such problems as confirmation, the ontological status of theoretical entities, the role of conventions in science, the logic of discovery, and the nature of scientific progress.

570. Philosophy of Religion (3)
Detailed analysis of one or more key issues in contemporary analytic philosophy of religion, or in important recent theories of the nature and function of religion.

591. Special Topics in Recent Philosophy (3)
May be repeated to a maximum of 6 semester hours as topic changes.

595. Special Studies and Research (1-4)
Guided research for students wishing to do special studies of an advanced nature. Students will be expected to write a number of short papers and will select their research topics in consultation with the instructor. May be repeated to a maximum of 12 semester hours, providing no repetition of subject matter occurs.

599. Thesis (1-6)
Guidance in the writing of the master's thesis. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 semester hours.

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