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Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)* |
The following are the
philosophy
courses
being offered in the Spring 2008 semester. For general descriptions of
all the courses offered by the department, see the UL Lafayette course
catalog.
Please note that PHIL 231,
234 and 235 are courses in Religious
Studies
rather than Philosophy, despite having the 'PHIL' prefix.
SPRING 2008:
We will discuss questions in the three main branches of philosophy – moral philosophy, metaphysics and epistemology – with an eye to providing a general overview of the subject. The questions we will discuss include: Is there really a difference between right and wrong and if there is how should we explain it? Are minds immaterial things? Do we know how things really are, or only how they seem to us?
PHIL 101 Sec 002 ID#: 202974 Dr Istvan Berkeley MWF 11:00 – 11:50 HLG 505
This course will provide students with an introduction to the discipline of philosophy. A brief overview of philosophical methodology and useful research skills will be offered. Students will also have the opportunity to study one major philosophical work in detail. The class will then consider philosophical reflections on a range of topics. These topics will include, the existence of God, the philosophy of science, the relationship between mind and body, and how society should be correctly structured. Other topics may also be considered, dependent upon student interest
Contemporary
Moral Dilemmas
PHIL 111 Sec 001
ID#: 202975 Dr Keith Korcz MWF 11:00 –
11:50 HLG 504
In the first quarter of the course, we'll discuss reasons for thinking that morality is not merely a matter of opinion as well as problems and
prospects for some religious and non-religious, philosophical accounts of ethics. The remainder of the course will be devoted to discussion of both sides of current moral issues such as the death penalty, homosexuality, legalizing hallucinogenic drugs, abortion and animal rights. No prerequisites. Visit the course home page at: http://www.ucs.louisiana.edu/~kak7409/111Home.html
Honors:
Introduction to Philosophy
PHIL 151 Sec 001
ID#: 202976 Dr. Jon Trigg TR 9:30
– 10:45 HLG 501
An introduction to the major problems of philosophy through a critical reading of selections from great philosophers.
Critical
Thinking
PHIL 202 Sec 001
ID#: 202977 Dr Steve Giambrone
TR 9:30 – 10:45 HLG 505
PHIL 202 Sec 002
ID#: 202978 Dr Steve Giambrone
TR 11:00 – 12:15 HLG505
An introduction to critical thinking, inductive logic, logical fallacies, and basic forms of valid reasoning.
Coreq: Eligibility for ENGL 101.
PHIL 202 Sec 003 ID#: 202979 Dr. Barbara Conner MWF 10:00 – 10:50 HLG 505
Introduction to logic, based in language not symbols, that asks: "What are errors in reasoning?" and "How do we recognize deceptive or false reasoning?"
Professional Ethics
PHIL 316 Sec 001 ID#:
202983 Dr Brooke Hamilton
TR 9:30-10:45 FGM 215
PHIL 316 Sec 002 ID#:
202984 Dr Brooke Hamilton
TR 11:00-12:15 FGM 215
PHIL 316 Sec 003 ID#:
202985 Dr Richard Baggett
MWF 10:00-10:50 HLG 522
PHIL 316 Sec 004 ID#:
202986 Dr Richard Baggett
MWF 11:00-11:50 HLG 522
PHIL 316 Sec U01 ID#:
202987 Dr Richard Baggett
MW 4:00-5:15 HLG 505
PHIL 316 Sec U02 ID#:
202988 Dr Richard Baggett
W 5:30-8:30 HLG 505
History of
Modern Philosophy
PHIL 322 Sec 001
ID#: 202989 Dr. Jon Trigg TR
11:00 –
12:15 HLG 504
We will be studying the extraordinary explosion of philosophical activity which began in the early seventeenth century with Rene Descartes. The modern period can be divided into two phases – a pre-Kantian and a post-Kantian phase. We will focus on the pre-Kantian phase focusing on the works of Descartes, Spinoza and Leibniz (the continental rationalists) and Locke, Berkeley and Hume (the British empiricists). Rationalists believe that our most basic way of acquiring knowledge is through judgment and reasoning, and empiricists believe it is through perception and observation. These views embody very different assumptions not only about the nature of knowledge but also about the nature of the objects of knowledge (the world). We will be studying these views not only in order to find out about the history of our civilization, but also because we want to work out the best way to handle the relevant philosophical problems.
Philosophy
of Religion
PHIL 331 Sec 001
ID#: 202990 Dr Keith Korcz
MW 1:00 – 2:15 HLG 504
What is God said to be like? Does God exist? How can we know? Is faith enough? Is there life after death? Do miracles occur? Is the Bible historically or scientifically accurate? We'll look at a variety of answers to these questions as well as the reasons philosophers have
given for those answers. No prerequisites. Visit the course home page at: http://www.ucs.louisiana.edu/~kak7409/331PhiofReligionHome.html
Introduction to
Symbolic Logic
PHIL 361 Sec 001
ID#: 202991 Dr Steve Giambrone
TR 12:30 – 1:45 HLG 505
The course will cover classical sentential and first order logic with identity and functions. The student will be introduced to the important logical concepts and techniques, including truth tables, semantic tableaux, and natural deduction. The student will also get a basic introduction to tree structures, recursive definitions, and proof by induction. Can be used for credit toward a Cognitive Science minor or concentration.
Experience and
Judgment
PHIL 448 Sec 001 ID#:
202992 Dr. Jon Trigg
TR 2:00-3:15 HLG 501
It is a very deeply rooted assumption that our most basic or fundamental kind of access to objective reality is perception or experience (seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting, touching). But many philosophers have argued that perception is wholly subjective, giving us access only to our own ideas, impressions or experiences. If that is right it is hard to see how our assumptions about the role of perception can be justified. Other philosophers explicitly repudiate a subjectivist account of perception, but it is not clear that they are any better placed to defend common sense assumptions about the role of perception plays in connecting us to the world. The question we will pursue in this course is: what must perception be like if it is to provide the foundation for our judgments about objective reality?
Philosophy of
Mind
PHIL 541 ID#: 202993
Dr
Istvan Berkeley M 2:00 –
4:50 CLR
This course involves an examination of the major positions that have been taken in the philosophy of mind, by considering the crucial arguments offered both for and against these views. Positions to be covered include dualism, behaviorism, identity theory, eliminative materialism and functionalism. The latter portion of the course will examine some of the important recent developments in the philosophy of mind. Topics will include antirepresentationalism, dynamical systems theory and embedded cognition. This course is designed for students enrolled in the doctoral program in cognitive science and does not assume an extensive background in philosophy.
Religious
Studies Courses:
Topics in World Religions: Cults
PHIL 231 Sec 002 ID#:
202981 Dr Richard Baggett
MWF 12:00-12:50 HLG 504
A penetrating look at the phenomena of alternative and fringe religions that are appearing on the American landscape. This study will examine Christian cults, as well as Islamic, Buddhist and Jewish cults. No prerequisite.
Intro. to the New Testament
PHIL 235 Sec 001 ID#:
202982 Mr. Rusty Chastant
MWF 10:00-10:50 HLG 504
This course is designed to help students gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the New Testament, that portion of the Sacred Scriptures that records the life, faith, and teachings of Jesus Christ, arguably the most influential person on civilization in the history of the world. The course will use several interpretive methods which collectively enhance the reading of the text.
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* Photo courtesy of The Bertrand Russell Archives at McMaster University.
© Copyright 2001 by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Philosophy Department, P.O. Box 43770, Lafayette, LA 70504-3770 Telephone: 337-482-5401