Apr 18, 2024  
2018-2019 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
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2018-2019 Undergraduate Catalog [NOTE!!!! THIS IS AN ARCHIVED CATALOG. FOR THE CURRENT CATALOG, GO TO CATALOG.NIU.EDU]

Course Descriptions

 

Philosophy
  

  • PHIL 101 - Introduction to Philosophy

    Investigation of enduring and fundamental questions about ourselves, the world, and our place in the world, such as: What am I? Do I have a mind or soul that is somehow separate from my body? How should I live? Do I have free will? Does God exist? What is knowledge? What is truth? What is beauty?

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 103 - Contemporary Issues in Ethics

    Consideration of problems of value and conduct, related to questions such as: Is capital punishment justified? Is abortion permissible? Is there a duty to help the poor? Do animals have rights? Should physician-assisted dying be allowed?

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 105 - Logic and Critical Reasoning

    Introduction to basic principles of reasoning, designed to help students evaluate arguments in everyday life. Topics include deductive reasoning, informal fallacies, inductive reasoning, causal inference, and the nature of evidence and proof.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 205 - Symbolic Logic

    Introduction to formal logic, including propositional and quantificational logic. Emphasis on formal and semantic proof techniques and their applications to deductive reasoning in natural language.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 251 - Philosophy of Race

    Investigation of fundamental questions about race and racism, such as: What is race? How do racial stereotypes affect reasoning? What is racism? How is racism related to sexism? What is the ethical response to racism?

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 301 - Junior Writing Seminar

    Study of one major philosophical problem in a seminar setting. Includes intensive instruction in writing in the discipline, which aims to develop skill in presenting and critically evaluating arguments.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    PRQ: Philosophy major and consent of department.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 311 - Knowledge and Justification

    Introduction to epistemology, addressing such questions as: What is knowledge? What is justified belief? How are the two related? What is evidence, and how should it inform our beliefs? What are the scope and limits of human knowledge? Can we know anything at all? If so, how should we respond to skeptical arguments intended to show that we cannot?

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 312 - Introduction to Metaphysics

    Introduction to philosophical problems about the nature of reality, addressing such questions as: Do human beings possess immaterial minds, or are they purely physical beings? Do human beings have free will? Is everything fated to occur exactly as it does? What is it for one event to cause another? Does anything ever happen by chance? Are wholes anything more than the sum of their parts? What are the fundamental constituents of reality?

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 321 - Ancient Philosophy

    Examination of selected writings in Ancient Philosophy, drawing especially on the work of the pre-Socratics, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, the Epicureans, and the Skeptics.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 322 - Modern Philosophy

    Examination of selected writings of major philosophers from the 16th to the 18th century, drawing especially on the work of Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 331 - Ethics

    Introduction to philosophical ethics focusing on theories of morality and virtue and addressing such questions as the following: Are there objective moral truths? If so, how can we know them? How can we evaluate competing moral theories? Why should we be moral?

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 334 - Animal Ethics

    Examination of ethical issues concerning animals, addressing such questions as: Is it wrong to kill animals for fun? Is it wrong to wear animals? Is vegetarianism morally obligatory for people living in modern societies? Is it wrong to display animals in zoos? Is animal experimentation morally permissible?

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 335 - Environmental Ethics

    Examination of ethical issues involving human interaction with the environment, addressing such questions as: Why should we preserve natural environments and protect biodiversity? Are some attitudes towards the environment morally preferable to others? How should we respond to global environmental challenges, such as population growth and climate change?

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 336 - Biomedical Ethics

    Examination of ethical issues in health care, addressing such questions as: Is it ever appropriate for doctors to help patients die? Should there be limits on genetic manipulation or cloning? Should society provide health care for its citizens? What guidelines should govern animal and human medical research? Should doctors ever deceive patients to protect them from harm? Under what conditions is consent to medical treatment valid?

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 337 - Business Ethics

    Investigation of moral and ethical issues that arise in the context of business practices, addressing questions such as: To what extent should considerations other than profits determine business decisions? Who should be held responsible when corporations act immorally or break the law? What rights and obligations do employees and employers have with respect to one another? What obligations, if any, do businesses have to their consumers or to the general public?

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 338 - Philosophy of Food

    A service-learning course that explores the philosophical, ethical, and environmental issues surrounding food and food production, while also teaching students how to grow food, share food, and produce food sustainably.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 342 - Philosophy of the Arts

    Critical study of theories of art and related problems. Consideration of such topics as the structure of aesthetic experience, the meaning of works of art, the forms and elements of expression in the various arts, and the principles of art and literary criticism.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 351 - Social and Political Philosophy

    Introduction to some of the central debates in social and political philosophy, addressing such questions as: What, if anything, justifies state authority? Should the state attempt to promote equality among its citizens? Do rights of individuals or minority groups restrict the legitimate activity of the state? Can the welfare state be justified? What standards of justice ought to govern interactions between states?

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 353 - Philosophy of Law

    Survey of philosophical problems in the law, addressing such questions as: What is the relationship between law and morality? What makes a particular law valid or authoritative? What sorts of behavior can the state legitimately regulate? What standards should judges use when interpreting or applying the law? What, if anything, justifies punishing those who break the law, and what forms of punishment are most appropriate?

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 355 - Feminism and Philosophy

    Introduction to feminist challenges to traditional philosophy, addressing such questions as: Do women approach philosophical problems differently than men? What, if anything, is the philosophical significance of the centuries-long exclusion of women from philosophical scholarship? Do women bring a unique perspective to philosophical questions? What difference can women make to the practice of philosophy?

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 360 - Philosophy of Science

    Introduction to the philosophy of science, addressing such questions as: What are the methods distinctive of science? Are scientific methods more likely to lead to true theories than, say, crystal-ball-gazing? When scientists choose between rival theories, is the choice wholly rational or partly a matter of subjective taste? Are our best scientific theories approximately true descriptions of reality or merely instruments for making predictions?

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 363 - Philosophy of Mind

    Introduction to philosophical problems about the mind, addressing such questions as: What is the relation between the mind and the brain? Is the mind-brain relation perhaps incomprehensible by the human mind? What can neuroscience and psychology tell us about the nature of mind? Is there a subjective quality to our experience that cannot be explained by objective scientific theories? Designed for students interested in psychology and cognitive science as well as for students interested in philosophy.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 370 - Philosophy of Religion

    Philosophical examination of religion, addressing such questions as: Does God exist? Is the world’s order and regularity a reason to think so? Is the amount and variety of evil in the world a reason to think not? What is religion? Can it be reconciled with science? Are faith and reason compatible?

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 380 - Philosophical Ideas in Literature

    Relationships between literature and philosophy, accompanied by analysis of selected classics of world literature having philosophical importance. Emphasis on the various means whereby philosophical ideas are embodied in literary compositions.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 385 - Philosophy and Science Fiction

    Examination of philosophical problems raised in science fiction literature and films, addressing such questions as: Are parallel universes real? Is time travel possible? How can you know that the world of your experience is not a computer simulation? Do androids have conscious experience? Do you retain your identity through teleportation?

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 390 - Topics in Philosophy

    Study of one major philosophical problem, position, or movement. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 semester hours provided no repetition of subject matter occurs.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 402 - Philosophy of Logic

    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.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    PRQ: PHIL 205 or consent of department.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 403 - Philosophy of Mathematics

    Study of the nature of mathematics based on a philosophical examination of its fundamental subject-matter, concepts and methods.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    PRQ: 6 semester hours of philosophy at the 300 level or consent of department.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 404 - Philosophy of Language

    Study of philosophical problems concerning language, including issues of syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and hermeneutics. Topics may include meaning, communication, reference, logical form, modalities, tenses, metaphor, indexical terms, indirect discourse, anaphora, theories of truth, and semantic paradoxes.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    PRQ: PHIL 205 and 3 semester hours of philosophy at the 300 level, or consent of department.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 405 - Intermediate Logic

    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.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    PRQ: PHIL 205 or consent of department.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 406 - Advanced Logic

    Topics selected from major results of metalogic, including basic proof theory and model theory, soundness, completeness, the Löwenheim-Skolem theorem, computability, Gödel’s incompleteness theorem, and Church’s theorem.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    PRQ: PHIL 405 or consent of department.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 410 - Topics in Metaphysics or Epistemology

    Intensive study of a major theory or issue in metaphysics or epistemology. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 semester hours provided no repetition of subject matter occurs.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    PRQ: 6 semester hours of philosophy at the 300 level or consent of department.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 420 - Topics in the History of Philosophy

    May be repeated to a maximum of 6 semester hours provided no repetition of subject matter occurs.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    PRQ: 6 semester hours of philosophy at the 300 level or consent of department.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 421 - Major Philosophers

    Intensive study of a single figure in the history of philosophy such as Plato, Aristotle, Hume, or Kant. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 semester hours provided no repetition of subject matter occurs.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    PRQ: 6 semester hours of philosophy at the 300 level or consent of department.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 423 - Medieval Philosophy

    Prerequisites & Notes
    PRQ: 6 semester hours of philosophy at the 300 level including PHIL 321 or consent of department.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 426 - American Philosophy

    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.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    PRQ: 6 semester hours of philosophy at the 300 level or consent of department.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 427 - 19th Century Philosophy

    Examination of selected writings by 19th century philosophers, such as Hegel, Schopenhauer, Marx, Kierkegaard, Mill, and Nietzsche. 

    Prerequisites & Notes
    PRQ: 6 semester hours of philosophy at the 300 level including PHIL 322 or consent of department.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 428 - 20th Century Phenomenology

    Examination of selected writings by philosophers in the phenomenological tradition, such as Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, and Merleau-Ponty.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    PRQ: 6 semester hours of philosophy at the 300 level including PHIL 322 or consent of department.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 429 - 20th Century Analytic Philosophy

    Examination of selected writings by philosophers in the analytic tradition, such as Moore, Russell, Wittgenstein, Carnap, Ryle, and Quine.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    PRQ: 6 semester hours of philosophy at the 300 level including PHIL 322 or consent of department.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 430 - Topics in Ethics

    Intensive study of a major theory, issue, or movement in ethics. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 semester hours provided no repetition of subject matter occurs.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    PRQ: 6 semester hours of philosophy at the 300 level or consent of department.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 450 - Topics in Social and Political Philosophy

    Intensive study of a major theory, issue, or movement in social and political philosophy. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 semester hours provided no repetition of subject matter occurs.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    PRQ: 6 semester hours of philosophy at the 300 level or consent of department.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 461 - Metaphysics of Science

    Examination of ontological issues within the sciences. Topics may include properties and other ontological categories, reduction and emergence, laws of nature, essentialism, and realism.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    PRQ: 6 semester hours of philosophy at the 300 level or consent of department.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 464 - Philosophy of Physics

    Survey of philosophical problems specific to physics. Topics may include the nature of space and time in relativity theories; probability and irreversibility in thermodynamics and statistical mechanics; locality, causality, and objectivity in quantum theory; ontology, and attitudes toward infinities in quantum field theory. Presupposes neither technical knowledge of physical theories nor advanced competence in mathematics.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    PRQ: 6 semester hours of philosophy at the 300 level or consent of department.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 470 - Topics in Philosophy of Religion

    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. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 semester hours provided no repetition of subject matter occurs.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    PRQ: 6 semester hours of philosophy at the 300 level or consent of department.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 490 - Topics in Philosophy

    Intensive study of one major philosophical problem or position. May be repeated to a maximum of 9 semester hours provided no repetition of subject matter occurs.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    PRQ: 6 semester hours of philosophy at the 300 level or consent of department.

    Credits: 3
  

  • PHIL 491 - Directed Readings

    Enrollment contingent on 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.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    PRQ: Consent of department.

    Credits: 1-4
  

  • PHIL 495 - Senior Capstone

    Completion of additional advanced work, including a substantial philosophical essay, in a concurrent 400-level course of the student’s choice.

    Prerequisites & Notes
    PRQ: Philosophy major, senior standing, PHIL 301 with a grade of C or better, and consent of department. CRQ: A 400-level philosophy course other than PHIL 405 and PHIL 406.

    Credits: 1