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    Philosophy
     

    113 Hudspeth Hall
    Phone: (915) 747-6617
    E-mail: philos@utep.edu

    PROGRAM DIRECTOR: William Springer
    PROFESSORS: Haddox, Hall
    ASSOCIATE PROFESSORS: Best, Robinson, Springer
    LECTURER: Simon

    BA Degree
    The requirements for a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy are 30 semester hours of philosophy courses, 24 hours of which are advanced (3300-4300). The following courses are required: PHIL 3314, PHIL 3315, PHIL 3317, PHIL 3318, PHIL 3335, PHIL 4351, and PHIL 4352.

    The requirements for a minor in Philosophy are 18 semester hours of Philosophy of which 12 are advanced (3300-4300). The following courses are required: PHIL 3314, PHIL 3317, PHIL 3335, and either PHIL 4351 or PHIL 4352.

    Philosophy (PHIL)

    1301 Introduction to Philosophy (3-0)
    (Common Course Number PHIL 1301)

    This course introduces students to some of the major issues in philosophy. The ideas, eras, and important philosophers will be examined. The traditional categories of reality, knowledge, values, and meaning will be the focus, though recent and comparative areas may be included. The further development of the student's discriminative thinking will be the major objective of this course.

    1304 Logic (3-0)
    (Common Course Number PHIL 2303)

    A survey of modern logic including traditional logic, fallacies, sentential logic, and predicate logic.

    2306 Ethics: Philosophical Perspective on Human Conduct and Values (3-0)
    (Common Course Number PHIL 2306)

    An introduction to topics and core problems relating to the moral evaluation of human motivation and action. The course examines the positions of classical philosophers such as Aristotle, Hume, Kant, Mill, and Sartre, as well as contemporary moral problems, such as human rights (e.g., euthanasia, capital punishment, abortion, etc.); animal rights (e.g., genetic engineering, cloning); and environmental ethics.

    2313 Chicanos and American Thought (3-0)
    After an analysis of the intellectual heritage (Pre-Hispanic, Spanish, and Mexican) of the present-day Chicano, contemporary Chicano value orientations are compared and contrasted with such orientations in American society.

    General Prerequisite: Junior standing for all 3300 and 4300-level courses.

    3302 Reasoning About Ethical Values (3-0)
    After a presentation of the principles of semantics and formal logic, and the rules of evidence and inquiry, critical analyses of selected articles on contemporary moral issues will be undertaken. This course is designed to improve a student's ability to think critically about the ethical dimensions of human conduct.

    3308 Aesthetics: Philosophy of Art (3-0)
    An overview of the principal philosophical theories regarding the nature of art and aesthetic sensibility. Examines attempts to define art, explores the foundational ideas of art criticism, examines art and the aesthetic as autonomous realms of human engagement, and also attempts to relate them to religion, science, ethics, politics, and everyday life.

    3311 Philosophy of Science (3-0)
    An analysis of the concepts and methods of both the natural and social sciences with consideration of their historical development and philosophical significance.

    3312 Latin American Thought (3-0)
    After a survey of philosophical developments in Latin America during the colonial period, during the struggles for independence, and in the nineteenth century, the thought of major twentieth century intellectual leaders in Latin America is examined. These include professional philosophers but also certain literary and political figures who expressed significant and influential philosophical positions.

    3313 American Philosophy (3-0)
    A consideration of principal figures who have shaped the American philosophical sensibility. Such individuals may include Edwards, Jefferson, Franklin, Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman, Dickinson, Melville, Pierce, James, Dewey, and Rorty.

    3314 Ancient Philosophy: The Origins of Western Thought (3-0)
    Studies the origin and development of those ideas and problems which have come to characterize the philosophic tradition in the West as reflected in the thought of the Pre-Socratics, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics.

    3315 Medieval Philosophy: The Scholastic Synthesis (3-0)
    Studies the philosophies of the medieval Western and Eastern Mediterranean cultures. Philosophers to be examined include Augustine, Boethius, Ibn-Cina, Ibn-Rushd, Ibn-Gabirol, Maimonides, Aquinas, Scotus, Bonaventure, and Occam.

    3317 Modern Philosophy (3-0)
    This course focuses on the classical philosophical traditions of Rationalism (Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz), Empiricism (Locke, Berkeley, Hume), and the critical, ethical philosophy of Kant. Other topics could also include examination of the emergence of the scientific method, and Enlightenment figures such as Mendelssohn and Lessing.

    3318 Nineteenth Century Philosophy (3-0)
    Examines the reaction to Kant's critiques by Positivism (Comte and followers) on the one hand, and Idealism (Fichte, Schelling, Hegel) on the other. Also looks at the assault on Idealism by Kierkegaard and Marx. The course also examines the impact of Darwinism and Nietzsche on philosophy.

    3322 Philosophy of Religion (3-0)
    This course is not a comparative study of religion, but rather provides an opportunity to examine the phenomena of western and non-western religions philosophically. The content of this course will vary according to the instructor but could examine such issues as belief and knowledge in God, goddess, gods, or goddesses; religious myth, experience and ritual; religious community; and religious ethics.

    3325 Social Philosophy (3-0)
    This course examines the philosophical and political issues of social existence. It considers topics such as justice, freedom, rights, authority, social contract theory, political legitimacy, civil disobedience, feminism, postmodern theory, environmental theory, distributive justice, as well as various socio-political ideologies such as liberalism, capitalism, socialism, fascism, and anarchism.

    3335 Twentieth Century Philosophy (3-0)
    This course will consider the principal forms of contemporary philosophy, logical-positivism, linguistic analysis, existentialism, phenomenology, and speculative philosophy. (Any one or several of these traditions will be stressed depending on the instructor. Consult the philosophy bulletin board for current offering.) May be repeated when course content varies.

    3340 Asian Philosophies (3-0)
    A consideration of classical Asian philosophical texts and traditions. Topics are normally selected from either the Chinese or Indian traditions. A course on classical Chinese philosophy would focus upon the principal texts of Confucianism and Daoism. A focus upon Indian philosophy would lead to a consideration of schools such as Advaita Vedanta, Upanishadic Theism, and Nyaya.

    4302 Metaphysics (3-0)
    Often called ontology or speculative philosophy, metaphysics studies the attempts to develop coherent sets of principles by which to understand comprehensive notions such as being and change, appearance and reality, God, freedom, mind, and the universe.

    4311 Epistemology: Belief, Perception and Truth (3-0)
    Analysis of the philosophical problems regarding the sources, criteria, and limits of knowledge.

    4351 Great Philosophers (3-0)
    The life and work of one or more of the most influential thinkers in world philosophy will be the focus of this course. Such thinkers include Confucius, Plato, Aristotle, Nagarjuna, Avicenna, Dogen, Kant, Hegel, and Dewey. May be repeated when the course content varies.

    4352 Problems in Philosophy Seminar (3-0)
    A course with issues of current interest to contemporary philosophers. Recent topics have included postmodernism, literature and philosophy, technological society, movies and the making of the American mind, and the emergence of world philosophy.

    4353 Independent Study (0-0-3)
    Student research under supervision of the staff. Prerequisite: Instructor approval.

    See the Graduate Studies Catalog for graduate courses.

     

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