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PHL
|
10A/B
|
|
Knowledge, Reality and Value-A/B
|
|
|
This course serves as an introduction to the Western outlook and to the principles of philosophical inquiry. The course will begin with classical Greek philosophy and will deal with such topics as the just society, human nature, education, problems as to the nature of knowledge, meanings of the term "reality", the body-soul distinction, birth and death, deductive and inductive methods of reasoning, and the limits of human inquiry.
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|
Lect: 3 hrs.
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Course Weight: 2.00
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| back to top | |
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PHL
|
100
|
|
Philosophy of Design
|
|
|
This course considers the concept of design as both scientific and aesthetic. The first part of the course focuses on design in relation to concepts of form, function, and beauty. It raises questions about orders, ontologies, and aesthetics. The second part examines what it means for there to be a design theory. The concept of self and place are explored in relation to different design theories. The role of culture as a factor of the design process will be explored throughout the course.
|
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LL
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
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|
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Course Weight: 1.00
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| back to top | |
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PHL
|
101
|
|
Plato and the Roots of Western Philosophy
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|
|
An introduction to Philosophy, using Plato's Republic. Topics include: How ought we to live our lives? What is justice? What is the nature of society and the individual? What social arrangements (education, political, economic) best serve the ideals of justice and happiness?
|
|
LL
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
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|
|
|
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|
Course Weight: 1.00
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| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
104
|
|
Hindu Philosophies and Ethics of Modernity
|
|
|
This course is an introduction to Hindu philosophies and ethics of modernity. It begins with an overview of the socio-religious situation in India under British rule in 1800 and the impact of Christian theology and ethics upon Indian intellectuals, especially in the Calcutta area. The course will proceed to a systematic and a comparative study of the philosophies and ethico-religious movements begun by such thinkers as: Rammohun Roy, Keshub Chunder Sen, Svami Vivekananda, and former President of India, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. It will conclude with a brief reference to contemporary thinkers such as Jiddu Krishnamurti, Svami Chinmayananda and Anandamayi Ma.
|
|
LL
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
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Course Weight: 1.00
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| back to top | |
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PHL
|
110
|
|
Philosophy of Religion
|
|
|
This course examines religion from a philosophical perspective. What is the nature of the "divine"? Can we give a rational account of religious experience? Can we prove the existence of God? Can the idea of God be reconciled with the presence of evil in the world? Is atheism a viable alternative to faith? These are just some of the questions this course explores. We will consider both western and eastern religions.
|
|
LL
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
| Antirequisite: PHL 610
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|
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|
Course Weight: 1.00
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| back to top | |
|
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PHL
|
201
|
|
Problems in Philosophy
|
|
|
This course serves as an introduction to philosophy by focusing on problems and issues which have occupied thinkers down through the centuries. For example, how can we relate talk about the cause and effect relationship governing physical events with talk about people making free choices? How do mind and body relate? What do we really know about the physical world or other people's minds? Can we know whether God exists? Are moral judgements objectively true or false?
|
|
LL
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
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|
|
|
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|
Course Weight: 1.00
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| back to top | |
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PHL
|
214
|
|
Critical Thinking
|
|
|
A course designed to develop clarity of thought and method in the construction, analysis and evaluation of both unsupported claims and those supported by arguments. While there will be some exposure to the notion of logical form, the emphasis here is upon informal principles and arguments stated in ordinary language. Topics include the nature and methods of argument, classification and definition, along with some common fallacies and some questions about meaning and language.
|
|
LL
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
| Restriction: AC001, CJ001, PG001, PS001, SO001, AU001, Antirequisite: ACS105
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
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| back to top | |
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PHL
|
283
|
|
Introduction to Philosophy
|
|
|
An introduction to some of the main areas of philosophy, including the theory of knowledge, metaphysics, ethics, and political philosophy. The course examines key texts and arguments by some of the central figures in the history of Western philosophy, as well as by contemporary philosophers. Questions to be considered may include: What can we know? What is ultimately real? Is morality rational? Do we have free will? Does God exist?
|
|
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
| Prerequisite: ACS 105
|
|
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|
Course Weight: 1.00
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| back to top | |
|
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PHL
|
302
|
|
Ethics and Health Care
|
|
|
This course examines ethical issues arising in the delivery of health care at both the level of the practitioner/client relationship (confidentiality, informed consent, euthanasia, abortion) and at a broader social level (justice and resource allocation, new technologies, professionalisation and power). The course will draw on: a) general philosophical analysis of central concepts (good, right, justice, personhood, autonomy, authority, integrity, health); b) general theoretical perspectives (feminism, "the Biomedical model", Utilitarianism, deontology); and c) student professional education and clinical experience in nursing.
|
|
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
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|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
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| back to top | |
|
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PHL
|
306
|
|
Contemporary Moral Issues I
|
|
|
This course examines the ethical principles, concepts, and theories that lie at the heart of some important and controversial social issues. The practical and contemporary focus of the course will be determined by selection of issues from such topics as: Censorship (e.g., hate literature, pornography, advertising), Prohibition (e.g., drugs, gambling, prostitution), Multiculturalism (e.g., aboriginal rights, racism, freedom and cultural sovereignty), and Equality of Opportunity (e.g., affirmative action, pay equity, access to education).
|
|
LL
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
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|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
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| back to top | |
|
|
|
|
This course examines ethical issues and controversies concerning contemporary business practices and situates them within the broad intellectual framework of a free market society. Discussion will draw from such topics as: the concept of a market society, consumer sovereignty, utilitarian and contract models of business ethics, profit making and social responsibility, self interest and altruism, the concept of business as a practice, mechanistic and organic conceptions of business, advertising, human rights, and conflicts of interest.
|
|
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
| Antirequisite: ITM 407
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
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| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
333
|
|
Philosophy of Human Nature
|
|
|
This course examines philosophical writings about human nature. Topics may include: 1) What meanings are there for the word 'nature'? 2) How do we differentiate human nature from the nature of other sorts of beings? 3) What makes a response to a problem a human response? The course presumes that there are no unquestioned first principles, such as the existence of God, the inherent goodness of humans, or the objectivity of truth claims and values.
|
|
LL
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
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| back to top | |
|
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PHL
|
400
|
|
Human Rights and Justice
|
|
|
This course aims to provide the philosophical background and conceptual tools which would enable students to recognize and handle complex contemporary issues and conflicts involving human rights. Topics include: classic and contemporary theories of rights and justice; equity and affirmative action; children's rights; gender, sexual orientation and equality rights; aboriginal, language and cultural rights: human rights and cultural relativism. The course will combine lectures and discussion of selected philosophical readings and case studies.
|
|
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
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|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
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| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
401
|
|
Philosophy and Mass Culture
|
|
|
This course will explore the phenomenon of popular culture from various philosophical perspectives. Philosophers are divided in their assessment of the aesthetic and moral worth of mass culture. While some thinkers, like Walter Benjamin and, more recently, Noel Carroll, tend toward an optimistic appraisal, others, like Theodor Adorno, adopt a much more critical attitude. Popular culture as a whole will be examined, but special attention will be given to film, photography, and television.
|
|
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
406
|
|
Contemporary Moral Issues II
|
|
|
This course examines the ethical principles, concepts, and theories that lie at the heart of some important and controversial social issues. The practical and contemporary focus of the course will be determined by a selection of issues from such topics as: Sanctity of life and the Limits to Choice or Research (e.g., abortion, genetic engineering), Crime and Punishment (e.g., capital punishment, moral accountability), Welfare and Distributive Justice (e.g., poverty, wealth distribution, family support, right to work).
|
|
LL
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
449
|
|
Issues in the Philosophy of Punishment
|
|
|
The criminal justice system operates on the basis of two sets of ethical objectives: the maintenance of public order and safety on the one hand, and the requirement that the guilty and only the guilty should be punished on the other. This course examines the way in which these aims can conflict both practically and philosophically, and points to some of the ethical dilemmas that can arise for criminal justice practitioners as a result.
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|
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
500
|
|
Philosophy of the Natural Environment
|
|
|
The rise of environmental philosophy challenges the "anthropocentric paradigm" that has dominated Western thought. This course explores the implications of this challenge for our conception of ourselves, the basis for both human and natural values, and our obligations within the human and biotic communities. Topics include: traditional philosophical attitudes towards nature, obligations to future generations, "animal rights", individual versus holistic models of value in relation to ecosystems, species and wilderness, and conflicts between human and natural values.
|
|
UL
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
501
|
|
Contemporary Political Philosophy
|
|
|
This course examines contemporary attempts to answer such questions as: What is the basis and extent of the legitimate authority of a state over its citizens? What distributions of resources, rights, and opportunities are just? What does it mean to treat citizens equally? Do nations have obligations to those who are not citizens? Do all rights belong to individuals? Do groups have rights? How should past injustices be corrected? Are there principles governing international relations?
|
|
UL
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
503
|
|
Moral Philosophy: Classical and Modern
|
|
|
This course explores seminal works in Western ethics. It analyzes different responses to such questions as: What kind of life is ultimately worth leading? What makes a person good? What makes an action right? Are there moral demands that bind everyone? If so, can we know what they are? Does morality have its foundations in religion? Reason? Emotion? Social practices? Contributions from such thinkers as Aristotle, Aquinas, Hume, Kant, and Mill will be studied.
|
|
UL
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
504
|
|
Philosophy of Art I
|
|
|
The objective of this course is to provide students with an overview of a number of different theories concerning the nature of art. It will address such matters as the relationship between art and truth, the appropriate criteria of art criticism, the distinction between art and non-art, and the nature of aesthetic values.
|
|
UL
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
|
|
Are people essentially individual or social? How is their moral, cultural and economic, and political life to be understood? How do people fit into nature and, more broadly, into the cosmos as a whole? In addressing these and related questions, the course examines the religious idealism of Hegel and the atheistic materialism of Engels and Marx.
|
|
UL
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
507
|
|
Ethics and Disability
|
|
|
What moral judgments are built into definitions of "disability?" Are they coherent and justifiable? How do such definitions and judgments affect discussions of public policy issues like resource allocation and the support of self determination? What moral principles can we apply? Questions like these, along with some current "mainstream" issues such as abortion, genetic screening, psychiatric incarcerations, euthanasia, etc., - always with people with disabilities in mind - constitute the subject matter of the course.
|
|
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
509
|
|
Bioethics in the New Millennium
|
|
|
Recent advances in biomedical sciences have raised a host of ethical concerns involving the sanctity and quality of life, fairness, equality, and autonomy. New and revolutionary developments call for legislative reform and policies designed to keep research and its applications within appropriate boundaries. This course examines issues such as cloning, assisted reproduction, genetic screening, gene therapy, organ donation, and resource allocation within a framework of moral principles and contemporary debate.
|
|
UL
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
| Antirequisite: PHL 302, Restriction: NU004, NU008
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
510
|
|
Philosophy of Science
|
|
|
Empirical science stands as our culture's paradigm of rationality and truth. This course subjects this conception of science to philosophical scrutiny, focusing on two related issues: Is science really done according to a rational, objective "scientific method" "and do accepted scientific theories provide us with a true account of reality". Specific topics may include the nature of scientific theories, the process of theory confirmation, scientific explanation, and the relation between observation and theory.
|
|
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
|
|
This course examines the rights, freedoms, and obligations of the media and practising journalists. Issues may vary somewhat from year to year, but the following are typical: the grounds and limits of freedom of expression; moral responsibilities respecting truth, balance, and objectivity; media ethics and business pressures; obligations to the public, to the audience, to source, to colleagues, to the employer, and to oneself. The course includes case studies as well as regular discussion of ongoing media activity.
|
|
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
| Antirequisite: CC 8969
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
602
|
|
Health Care and Distributive Justice
|
|
|
This course examines ethical issues relating to the allocation of resources in health care contexts. The course will begin with an introduction to various philosophical accounts of distributive justice. Some of the questions examined include: What distinguishes health care from other goods distributed by society? Should market forces determine the allocation of health care? How should we balance the rights of care providers with the claims that clients make to receive health care?
|
|
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
603
|
|
Moral Philosophy: Modern and Contemporary
|
|
|
This course explores modern and recent answers to ethical questions such as: What makes an action right? What makes a person good? Are there moral demands that bind everyone? If so, can we know what they are? Does morality have its foundations in reason? Emotion? Social practices? Contributions from such thinkers as Hegel and Bradley, Moore, Ross, Foot, Williams, Gilligan, and MacIntyre will be studied.
|
|
UL
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
604
|
|
Philosophy of Art II
|
|
|
This course will consider individual art forms and aesthetic theory in relation to other social and political theories.
|
|
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
|
|
What sense can be made of human existence? Are people essentially individual or social? How is their moral, cultural, and political life to be understood? How do people fit into nature and, more broadly, into the cosmos as a whole? In addressing these and related questions the course examines the thought of both religious and atheistic existentialists: Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Camus or Sartre.
|
|
UL
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
606
|
|
Philosophy of Love and Sex
|
|
|
This course examines historical and contemporary philosophical perspectives on love and sex. Questions considered may include: What is romantic love? What are the relations between love, monogamy and marriage? Is adultery always morally wrong? What are the relations between love/sex and personal identity, gender and biology? What are sexual perversions? What is the moral status of prostitution and the commodification of sex? How should we define the concept of sexual harassment?
|
|
UL
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
611
|
|
Philosophy of Mind
|
|
|
This course will examine, through both classical and contemporary texts, selected issues regarding human (and other) minds such as: What is a person and what makes you the same person over time? How are mind and brain related? What is consciousness? Are thoughts prior to the acquisition of language? Can/could computers think? Do non-human animals think? Can the mind be "naturalized" (understood as a product of evolution) or must it remain beyond our understanding?
|
|
UL
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
612
|
|
Philosophy of Law
|
|
|
This course deals with several key themes concerning the concept of law, the source of legal norms and the relationship between law and morality. It will explore competing theories of law (such as natural law, positivism, and legal realism), and debates concerning civil disobedience. The course will also provide a brief overview and summary of the conceptual underpinnings of difference areas of law, such as contract, tort, property and intellectual property.
|
|
UL
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
621
|
|
Beyond the Western Academic Tradition
|
|
|
This course is an introduction to some major world religions and philosophies, systems which continue to inform the actions of cultures outside mainstream Euro-American tradition. Theoretical concerns can include such subjects as cultural relativism, differing cultural views on the nature of decisions and their justification, and the difficulties of adequately describing what is going on in a different cultural setting. More practical concerns can include such subjects as the problems of exporting political and economic systems across cultural boundaries, or of getting notions such as those of individual rights to make sense in a radically different conceptual milieu.
|
|
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
708
|
|
Introduction to Modern Philosophy
|
|
|
This course examines the foundations of contemporary conceptions of knowledge through a study of the two dominant philosophical traditions of the 17th and 18th centuries - Rationalism and Empiricism. The philosophers studied will include Descartes, Hume, and Kant. The themes examined may include the nature of knowledge, the origin and formation of beliefs about the external world, the threat of scepticism, theories of perception, contemporary relevance, and the relation between mind and body.
|
|
UL
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
709
|
|
Religion, Science and Philosophy I
|
|
|
It has long been held, but not without controversy, that the study of science (including mathematics) opens the door to certain philosophical reflections which in turn lead to considerations of God and religion. In the present course we carefully examine this view and the controversy surrounding it. We shall focus on some of the more basic and historically significant of these philosophical concerns, making clear their relevance for both scientific and religious thought.
|
|
UL
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
710
|
|
Philosophy and Film
|
|
|
This course examines the medium of film from several philosophical perspectives. Questions to be considered may include: What distinguishes film from other mass media and art forms? Do technical developments alter the definition of film? Is there a language of film? What can film teach us about the nature of perception? Does film contain an inherent gender bias? Has film created a captive audience, or is it the truly democratic art form?
|
|
UL
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
| Restriction: IM001, IM002, IM003
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
800
|
|
Media Ethics and the Law
|
|
|
This course examines the rights, freedoms, obligations, and legal responsibilities of the media and journalists. Philosophical issues may include: the grounds and limits of freedom of expression; moral responsibilities respecting truth, balance and objectivity; media ethics and business pressures; obligations to the public, to sources, to colleagues, to the employer and to oneself. Legal discussion may include: laws of libel, contempt and privacy, the Charter of Rights, and reporters' rights when dealing with police and courts.
|
|
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
808
|
|
Language and Philosophy
|
|
|
This course examines some main themes of contemporary philosophy, focusing on issues concerning the philosophy of mind and action, knowledge and language, science, culture and gender, relativism and rationality. Texts will consist of readings from representative twentieth century philosophers such as Wittgenstein, Kuhn, Davidson, Dennett, Rorty, Taylor, Midgley and Foucault. (formerly PHL 308).
|
|
UL
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
809
|
|
Religion, Science and Philosophy II
|
|
|
Modern science and technology have transformed our physical and social environment and challenged some deeply help conceptions of ourselves and our place in the world. This course examines some philosophical implications of developments in both biology and computer technology in relation to religious beliefs and classic conceptions of life and mind. Specific topics include: evolutionary biology and the design argument for the existence of God, the creationism controversy, reductionism and teleology, and machines and intelligence.
|
|
UL
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
900
|
|
Senior Philosophy Seminar
|
|
|
The senior seminar provides ACS students following a Philosophy Option the opportunity to develop advanced research, presentation and writing skills in a specialized field of Philosophy. Students will normally be required to write a major paper. Course content varies according to the instructor's research interests and expertise. Students must have taken at least six PHL courses, including PHL 283, and have a minimum of CGPA of 3.0 in their four best courses.
|
|
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
Departmental consent required
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
|
|
What is faith? What is reason? What is - or ought to be - the relationship between the two? Do these terms have one meaning, or several? This course will examine how influential philosophers, theologians, and scientists have answered these, and related, questions. Their various proposals will be examined and assessed; and, where appropriate, applied to contemporary issues in religion, politics, philosophy, science, and society.
|
|
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
902
|
|
The Philosophy of Religious Diversity
|
|
|
Contemporary society has been formed - and continues to be shaped - in large measure by the religious commitments of individuals and institutions, both past and present. In this pluralistic age, how are we to understand the differences between the religious traditions of the world? What are we to do when the rights or interests of one religious group or individual conflict with those of another? This course will explore the many philosophical issues surrounding religious diversity.
|
|
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
920
|
|
Biotechnology and Bioethics
|
|
|
The course provides an overview of contemporary approaches to central issues in biotechnology and bioethics. Developments in biotechnology, such as the mapping of the human genome and new reproductive technologies, raise difficult ethical and legal concerns. The course will begin with an introduction to the current state of these, and related, technologies. A close study of the ethical/legal issues that they provoke will be the focus of the remainder of the course.
|
|
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Course Weight: 1.00
|
| back to top | |
|
|
PHL
|
921
|
|
Intellectual Property and Technology
|
|
|
This course examines the multifaceted aspects of developments in intellectual property policy. Students will explore the diverse ethical norms, social practices, and legal doctrines which are used to both justify and to critique existing policies. The course will introduce students to the basic types of intellectual property rights - copyright, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets. It will survey various ethical theories or perspectives which are brought to bear on the topic.
|
|
|
|
Lect: 3 hrs.
|
|
|
|
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Course Weight: 1.00
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COURSES