| PHIL 102R Introduction to Philosophy (4 credits) (Two sections) | Staff | |
| An introductory examination, based primarily on writings of major philosophers, of such central philosophical problems as religious belief, the mind and its place in nature, freedom and determinism, standards of moral judgement, and the nature and kinds of human knowledge. | ||
| PHIL 103R Introduction to Ethics (4 credits) | McHugh | |
| Ethics attempts to answer one of the basic questions in philosophy: What kind of person should I be? Central to this question are issues of personal responsibility, the kinds of choices one should make, how one should treat others, the rights one is entitled to, an individual's relationship to community, my responsibilities to that community (if we construe community in the broadest sense, this includes the world community, the environment and other living beings).
Our text will be a group of readings entitled Thirteen Questions in Ethics and Social Philosophy, by G. Lee Bowie, Kathleen M. Higgins and Meredith W. Michaels, along with a few pieces of literature and some film. Topise to be discussed are: How Should I Treat My Family and Friends?, How Can I Make Sense of Sex?, What is Reproductive Freedom?, Is it Ever Right to Lie?, How Should I Make Money?, What Are My Rights?, How Does Racism Affect My Life?, Can There Be Equality Between Men and Women?, Can We Control Violence?, What Should We Sacrifice for Animals and the Environment?, How Should I Respond to Poverty?, Who Should Decide When I Die? You should come to class having read the material for the day and prepared to write on and discuss the material. This will not be a lecture oriented class. I expect your full participation so that we can engage in dialogue together. This will make the course much more interesting for all of us. The course is a writing-based course, requiring several shorter papers and one longer paper. (Cross listed with Women's Studies.) | PHIL 103R Introduction to Ethics (4 credits) | Reed |
| In this section, we will examine the relations between evolution, theology, psychology, and morality. What is the basis of your moral values? Biology, God, your culture and upbringing, your gender, and/or other things? We will discuss, among other things, whether non-human primate social groups exhibit morality, whether morality is the same universally across cultures, and whether divine commands are right because God commands them or are commanded by God because they are right on independent grounds. Students will write papers on ethical issues discussed in class. Issues will include medical intervention in birth and death, human sexuality, the distribution of wealth and privilege, and differences of race and ethnicity. Mid-semester and final exams will be comprehensive. The course is writing intensive. It is for people who relish an intellectual challenge. | ||
| PHIL 210R Ancient and Medieval Philosophy (4 credits) | Reed | |
| This course is an introduction to the historical method of philosophical reflection, an introduction to the philosophers of a particular period and a particular tradition (ancient Greek to medieval European), and a preparation for advanced work in philosophy. As part of the first goal, we will observe the historical nature of philosophical thinking, i.e., the way it develops historically, not by accident but by its very nature. We will trace one tradition of answers to questions variously answered by four particular notions (which themselves are reformulated over and over again): (1) the notion that abstractions (like geometrical figures and the periodic table of elements) are the true objects of knowledge, (2) the notion that it is sometimes very difficult if not impossible to do what you know is good and not to do what you know is bad, (3) the notion that to be real and to be excellent are the same, i.e., that being and goodness are identical, and (4) the notion that the soul is immortal and lives on after the body decays and ceases. Students will take a mid-term and a final exam. | ||
| PHIL 240R Philosophy of Science (4 credits) | McHugh | |
| This course will focus on the nature/nurture debates that frequently arise in the human sciences. Our two main areas of study will be the Human Genome Project and human gender. We will discuss the historical roots of the HGP, its affects on medical technology and on questions in medical ethics. We will also talk about the way that DNA has become part of popular culture and discourse. Tentative texts for this section are: The Perfect Baby, by Glenn McGee and The DNA Mystique, by Dorothy Nelkin and Susan Lindee, as well as several articles. The second half of the course will focus on human gender. We will question whether gender is a cultural construct or a biological phenomenon (or perhaps both). We will read articles by and about John Money, the founder of the gender identity clinic at Johns Hopkins, Mickey Diamond, Money's intellectual (and, at times, physical) rival, and the famous twins case, which some argue has totally refuted the position that gender is only a social construct.
You should come to class having read the material for the day and prepared to write on and discuss the material. This will not be a lecture oriented class. I expect your full participation so that we can engage in dialogue together. This will make the course much more interesting for all of us. The course is a writing-based course, requiring several shorter papers and one longer paper. (Cross listed with Women's Studies.) | ||
| PHIL 312 Twentieth Century Philosophy (4 credits) | Staff | |
| A survey of the main currents of twentieth century western philosophy, including key ideas of major figures in both the continental and Anglo-American traditions. Philosophers whose work is likely to be studied include Frege, Russell, Moore, Wittgenstein, Quine, Strawson, Rorty, Searle, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, Gadamer, and Habermas. Prerequisites: PHIL 211R or permission of instructor. | ||
| PHIL 400 Senior Seminar: Philosophy of the Body (4 credits) | McHugh | |
| The body has come to be examined as a discursive space that is inscribed with culture. In other words, the body is something that is formed by culture, reflected by culture, and interpreted by culture. The body, though once was perceived to be something not worthy of philosophical reflection, has become a site of intense philosophical discussion. This course will examine philosophical and cultural perceptions of the body from the Greeks to the Postmodernists. We will also discuss bodily practices such as bodybuilding, yoga, the Alexander Technique, cosmetic surgery, piercing, tattooing, and scarification. Because this is a senior seminar you will be expected to write a scholarly paper that is geared toward publication, an annotated bibliography that will lead toward the writing of the scholarly paper, and give a presentation of the final version of the paper.
Prerequisites: Junior standing, PHIL 210 and 211, and a logic course (PHIL 110), or permission of instructor. | ||
| Wittenberg’s official curriculum and academic policies are contained in the Academic Catalog. The latest edition of the Catalog is available online. | ||
