XII. Course Descriptions
Philosophy
Department of Philosophy
Note:
Specific descriptions of all courses to be offered in a given semester will be available from the Department of Philosophy in each preceding semester. Students are advised to consult these descriptions. Different sections of a course often emphasize different aspects of that course.
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All 2000 level philosophy courses are open to students who have completed 5.00 credits or who have completed one of PHIL*1000, PHIL*1010, PHIL*1050.
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Unless otherwise noted, 3000 level philosophy courses are open to students who have completed at least 1.50 credits in philosophy or 7.50 credits.
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For most 4000 level courses, students are expected to have completed at least 1.00 credits in philosophy at the 3000 level. Some 4000 level credits have specific prerequisites, e.g. PHIL*4320, PHIL*4360 (see course descriptions in the following pages). If a student is taking several credits with such prerequisites, then the number of other philosophy credits which need to be completed may exceed the general requirement of 1.00 credits at the 3000 level. PHIL*4310 is designed to be open to seventh and eighth semester students who have no previous philosophy credit. If in doubt about being well prepared for a particular course, the student should consult with either the instructor or the chair of the department.
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Students may receive credit for PHIL*1000, PHIL*1010 and PHIL*1050, but only one may be counted towards the minimum number of philosophy credits required for a degree in philosophy. Students intending to proceed in the discipline at the 2000 level are advised to take only 0.50 credits at the 1000 level.
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PHIL*1000 Introductory Philosophy: Major Texts F,W (3-0) [0.50]
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| An introduction to philosophy through primary texts in the history of philosophy, with emphasis upon traditional topics such as the nature of knowledge and the different types of knowledge, the relationship between the mind and the body, the nature of good and evil, and the nature of sound argument. |
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PHIL*1050 Introductory Philosophy: Basic Problems F,W (3-0) [0.50]
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| An introduction to philosophy through the exploration of basic perennial philosophical problems and questions, such as whether there is free will, a God, objective right and wrong, genuine knowledge of the world, and other topics. The readings for the course will consist primarily of 20th century philosophical writing. Some consideration of the elements of argumentation will also occur. |
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PHIL*2030 Philosophy of Medicine F,W (3-0) [0.50]
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| An examination of philosophical and ethical issues that arise in human and veterinary medicine, including such topics as the definitions of disease and health, the status of medicine as a science, the role of values in medical research and medical practice, the doctor-patient relationship, psychiatry and the control of human behaviour, and the ethics of genetic counselling. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
5.00 credits or 1 of PHIL*1000, PHIL*1010, PHIL*1050
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PHIL*2060 Philosophy of Feminism I W (3-0) [0.50]
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| An examination of metaphysical, epistemological and ethical issues in feminist philosophy, including such topics as the nature and consequences of patriarchy, human nature, sexual divisions of labour, women's studies, rationalizations of inequalities and explorations into a contemporary feminist agenda for social, political and economic changes. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
5.00 credits or 1 of PHIL*1000, PHIL*1010, PHIL*1050
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PHIL*2100 Critical Thinking F,W (3-0) [0.50]
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| A course designed to develop clarity of thought and method in the analysis and construction of arguments. By contrast to PHIL*2110, the emphasis here is upon informal principles of critical thinking and arguments stated in terms of ordinary language. Topics include the nature and methods of arguing, classification, definition and fallacies. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
5.00 credits or 1 of PHIL*1000, PHIL*1010, PHIL*1050
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PHIL*2120 Ethics F,W (3-0) [0.50]
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| An examination of competing ethical theories (subjectivism, intuitionism, relativism, utilitarianism, egoism, deontologism) with a view to assessing their theoretical value as well as their ability to provide practical guidance and to resolve moral dilemmas. (Also offered through distance education format.) |
| Prerequisite(s): |
5.00 credits or 1 of PHIL*1000, PHIL*1010, PHIL*1050
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PHIL*2130 Philosophy of Religion F (3-0) [0.50]
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| A consideration of various philosophical questions concerning religion, such as arguments for the existence of God, the problem of evil, the meaning of religious language, the significance of mystical experience, human immortality. (Offered in odd-numbered years.) |
| Prerequisite(s): |
5.00 credits or 1 of PHIL*1000, PHIL*1010, PHIL*1050
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PHIL*2170 Existentialism W (3-0) [0.50]
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| Existentialism is a philosophy built around the experience of human freedom. This course focuses on the character of the subject who makes choices, and on the personal and political responsibilities that attach to the making of decisions. The course will examine this and other themes associated with Existentialism through nineteenth and twentieth century representatives, which may include Kierkegaard, Sartre, de Beauvoir, Camus and others. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
5.00 credits or 1 of PHIL*1000, PHIL*1010, PHIL*1050
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PHIL*2180 Philosophy of Science F (3-0) [0.50]
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| An examination of competing theories concerning the nature of science and its modes of inquiry, and the relationship between theories and data and between scientific knowledge and reality. The central problem of the course is the rational basis of scientific knowledge. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
5.00 credits or 1 of PHIL*1000, PHIL*1010, PHIL*1050
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PHIL*2220 Philosophy and Literary Art F (3-0) [0.50]
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| The course will engage with literary art forms (fiction, drama, poetry, and film) for philosophical goals. Possible emphases include the use of literary works to express philosophical topics; philosophical investigations of the nature of literary art forms; and philosophies of interpretation of such art forms (e.g., classical poetics, hermeneutics, deconstruction, analytical aesthetics). |
| Prerequisite(s): |
5.00 credits or 1 of PHIL*1000, PHIL*1010, PHIL*1050
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PHIL*2370 Introduction to Metaphysics W (3-0) [0.50]
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| A study of major theories of the nature of reality, and of issues and problems that arise in the investigation of fundamental features of the world. Texts read may be either historical or contemporary. Among possible topics explored in the course are materialism, free will, and determinism, the nature of time, and the position of consciousness in the world. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
5.00 credits or 1 of PHIL*1000, PHIL*1010, PHIL*1050
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PHIL*2600 Business and Professional Ethics W (3-0) [0.50]
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| An examination of ethical and evaluative issues relating to business and professional practices. Topics to be explored include the nature of values and ethical systems, duties and rights, private and public goods, the consumer movement, social marketing, corporate social accounting, private right and professional responsibility. Intended for students registered in a science or professional program, but without a background in philosophy. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
5.00 credits or 1 of PHIL*1000, PHIL*1010, PHIL*1050
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PHIL*3040 Philosophy of Law F (3-0) [0.50]
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| An examination of philosophical theories concerning the nature of law and morality. The course may also include an examination of the way in which controversial ethical and social issues are treated under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
1.50 credits in philosophy or 7.50 credits or PHIL*2120
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PHIL*3050 Philosophy of Art W (3-0) [0.50]
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| A consideration of various philosophical questions concerning art such as the nature of a work of art, the nature of beauty, the relationship between the artist and the audience, the task of the art critic, the social function of art. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
1.50 credits in philosophy or 7.50 credits |
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PHIL*3060 Medieval Philosophy W (3-0) [0.50]
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| A study of philosophy from the Patristic period (3rd century A.D.) to the early Renaissance (14th-century). The ideas of the central figures will be examined through original sources. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
1.50 credits in philosophy |
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PHIL*3090 Philosophy of Kant W (3-0) [0.50]
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| Kant revolutionized the philosophical tradition of investigating objectivity (asking what the nature of reality is, in itself) by investigating subjectivity (asking how knowledge is possible for us). This course will typically examine one of Kant's Critiques and/or a central philosophical theme that appears in Kant's works. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
1.50 credits in philosophy |
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PHIL*3230 Issues in Social and Political Philosophy W (3-0) [0.50]
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| A detailed examination of one or more historical or contemporary treatments of specific issues in social or political philosophy, such as: war and peace, justice, rights, social science, culture, education. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
1.50 credits in philosophy or 7.50 credits |
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PHIL*3240 Philosophy of Technology F (3-0) [0.50]
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| This course examines the philosophical problems associated with technology. Topics may include the nature of technology, the relation between technology and science, and the various critiques of technology - religious, political, ethical and existentialist - in contemporary society. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
1.50 credits in philosophy or 7.50 credits. |
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PHIL*3250 Philosophy of Language F (3-0) [0.50]
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| This course will explore the relationship between human beings and language, and between language and the world. In particular, it may address such fundamental questions as: What is it about the way in which we use words that gives them the meanings they have? And what is the relationship between words and objects to which they refer? Authors studied may include representatives from the analytic and/or continental traditions in philosophy. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
1.50 credits in philosophy or 7.50 credits |
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PHIL*3350 Selected Topics in Philosophy II U (3-0) [0.50]
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| The topics for this course will vary from one offering to the next, and will deal with material, such as Philosophy of History, Philosophy of Social Science and advanced Philosophy of Religion. Students are encouraged to consult the departmental website for course content. Students are advised to consult a faculty advisor before registering. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
1.50 credits in philosophy or 7.50 credits |
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PHIL*3410 Major Texts in the History of Philosophy W (3-0) [0.50]
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| A study of central primary sources in ancient, medieval, early modern or nineteenth-century philosophy. The readings and periods stressed will vary from year to year. Students should consult with the department as to topics to be dealt with in each offering. Specific topics offered will be announced prior to the course selection period. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
1.50 credits in philosophy or 7.50 credits |
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PHIL*3910 Indian Philosophy F (3-0) [0.50]
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| An analysis of selected primary sources of Indian philosophy in translation, from the Vedic Upanishads to the "integral yoga" of Sri Aurobindo. Emphasis will be on the basic inspirational works of Hinduism and Buddhism, and their respective views on the ultimate nature of reality, the self, suffering, freedom, ignorance and enlightenment. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
1.50 credits in philosophy or 7.50 credits |
| Restriction(s): |
PHIL*2910
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PHIL*3920 Chinese Philosophy W (3-0) [0.50]
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| An analysis of selected primary sources of Chinese philosophy, in translation, from the I Ching to Mao Tse-tung. Emphasis will be on the foundational works of Confucianism, Taoism, Ch'an (or Zen) Buddhism, and Neo-Confucianism, concerning such issues as the ultimate nature of being, non-being and human destiny, proper government of the self, the family and society, and the principles and practice of enlightenment. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
1.50 credits in philosophy or 7.50 credits |
| Restriction(s): |
PHIL*2920
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PHIL*3930 African Philosophy F (3-0) [0.50]
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| An introduction to the philosophical traditions of Africa, part historical and part contemporary. The shorter historical section will cover some themes from the thought of ancient Egypt, early Christian and Islamic philosophy in North Africa and precolonial traditions from West Africa. The greater section of the course will deal with philosophical movements in Africa since the 1960's, as well as their implications for African American thought and philosophy generally. (Offered in even-numbered years.) |
| Prerequisite(s): |
1.50 credits in philosophy or 7.50 credits |
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PHIL*4060 Philosophy of Feminism II U (3-0) [0.50]
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| This course is an advanced study of problems in feminist philosophy. The course may cover specific topics or the work of one or more feminist philosophers. Topics may be drawn from feminist ethics, epistemology, and/or postmodernism. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
1.00 credits in philosophy at the 3000 level or PHIL*2060
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PHIL*4110 Symbolic Logic U (3-0) [0.50]
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| A study of issues and techniques beyond the level of elementary sentential logic and quantification. A consideration of some topics in logical theory. An extension of material explored in PHIL*2110, with special focus on philosophical aspects or implications of formal logic. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
PHIL*2110, 1.00 credits in philosophy at the 3000 level |
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PHIL*4270 Current Philosophical Issues U (3-0) [0.50]
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| A study of primary philosophical texts since 1965. The focus of the course will alternate between analytic texts and issues and continental texts and issues. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
2.00 credits in philosophy including 1.00 at the 3000 level |
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PHIL*4310 Applied Ethics U (3-0) [0.50]
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| An advanced study of specific problems in applied ethics. This is an intensive course designed for philosophy majors as well as for seventh and eighth semester students who have had no previous philosophy course. |
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PHIL*4800 Honours Philosophy Research Paper I U (3-0) [0.50]
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| The preparation of a major research paper under the supervision of a faculty member. Normally open only to 7th semester honours philosophy students. |
| Prerequisite(s): |
1.00 credits in philosophy at the 3000 level |
| Restriction(s): |
Instructor consent required. |
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