Ezra A. Hale Chair
in Applied Ethics
Φ Major NEW!
Course Descriptions
Some External
Philosophy Sites
Dept mailing address:
Department of Philosophy
College of Liberal Arts
Rochester Institute of
Technology
92 Lomb Memorial Drive
Rochester NY 14623-5604
Dept email:
philosophy@mail.rit.edu
Webmaster:
dbsgsh@rit.edu
Copyright ©2008
Department of Philosophy,
Rochester Institute of Technology
Philosophy Courses
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Core Courses |
0509-210 Introduction to Philosophy. An introduction to some of the major problems, methods and insights of philosophy with readings from both classical and contemporary sources. Satisfies a Liberal Arts core requirement. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered several times annually.
0509-211 Introduction to Ethics. This course is an introduction to central questions of ethics. Some of the questions that are examined are these: What are the grounds for moral obligations like keeping promises or obeying the law? Is there a place for moral values in a world of facts? How is human nature related to morality? How do we reason about what to do? Can reason determine how we ought to live? What are moral judgments? Is there an ultimate moral principle? Are there universal goods? What constitutes a morally worthwhile life? Can morality itself be challenged? Satisfies a Liberal Arts core requirement. Satisfies a Liberal Arts core requirement. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered several times annually.
0509-213 Critical Thinking. An introduction to philosophical analysis, especially as it may be applied in contexts other than professional philosophy. Satisfies a Liberal Arts core requirement. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered several times annually.
This course is usually reserved for CS and IT students:
0509-217 Ethics in the Information Age. Technological advances in creating, storing, sending, and monitoring information have created new ways in which ethical problems can arise. We explore ethical issues such as privacy, the commodification of data, hacking, ownership of images and Web pages, and the status of the Web as a public good or corporate creation. A wide variety of ethical issues is introduced, and students begin to learn how to fashion solutions both for private ethical problems and matters of public interest. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered regularly.
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Upper Division Courses |
0509-440 Philosophy of Religion. This course will critically examine definitions, assumptions, and arguments central to religion. Topics may include interpreting the nature of religion, arguments for and against the existence of God, the relation between theology and philosophy, the relation between God and the world, paganism, the problem of evil, and the nature of religious language and experience. Part of the Philosophy concentration, the Religion Studies concentration, and the Philosophy minor. May also be taken as an elective. No prerequisite. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-441 Logic. An introduction to the basic principles of logic. The main emphasis is on symbolic, or formal, logic but some attention may be paid to informal logic as well. Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Philosophy minor. May also be taken as an elective. No prerequisite. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-442 Philosophy of Art/Aesthetics. Introduces students to thinking philosophically about the nature of art and its relation to other human experiences. Among the topics considered are the aesthetic experience, the relation between morality and art, ugliness in art and truth in art. Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Philosophy minor. May also be taken as an elective. Prerequisite: one Philosophy course (or consent of the instructor) is strongly encouraged. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-443 Philosophy of Science. An examination of the nature of the scientific enterprise; possible discussion topics include the presuppositions of science, its logic, its claims to reliability, and its relationships to society and to problems of human values. Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Science and Technology Studies concentration, and part of the Philosophy minor and the Science, Technology, and Environmental Studies minor. May also be taken as an elective. Prerequisite: at least one prior course in either philosophy or one of the natural sciences (physics, chemistry, or biology). Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-444 The Great Thinkers. An examination of the thought of some of those philosophers who have been most influential in the history of ideas. An attempt is made to cover in some depth the works of one or more of these “great thinkers”. The student will begin to recognize the enduring nature of some of our most pressing problems, as well as the intellectual foundation of proposed solutions. Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Philosophy minor. May also be taken as an elective. No prerequisite. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-445 Social and Political Philosophy. An examination of some of the main problems of social and political philosophy through an analysis, comparison and critical examination of various views concerning the natures of individuality and society and the relations between them. Part of the Philosophy concentration, the Peace Studies Concentration, and the Philosophy minor. May also be taken as an elective. Prerequisite: at least one prior course in philosophy, political science or sociology. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-446 Philosophy of Law. An introduction to philosophical analysis centering on the nature, extent and justification of law, the nature of legal thought, and the problems and theories of justice. Part of the Philosophy concentration, the Peace Studies concentration, and the Philosophy minor. May also be taken as an elective. No prerequisite. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-447 Contemporary Moral Problems. This course examines ethical questions that arise in the course of day-to-day individual and social life. While some consideration will be given to ethical theory and its application to such questions, emphasis will be on the practical issues. Examples of typical issues to be examined are capital punishment, euthanasia, abortion, the treatment of animals, corporate responsibility, and so forth. Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Philosophy minor. May also be taken as an elective. No prerequisite. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-448 Philosophy of Peace. An introduction to some of the philosophical dimensions of the search for world peace, including the elements that would constitute a just and lasting peace, nations as moral entities, justice and national self-interest, force and violence, the morality of the use of force, peace-making and peace-keeping groups. Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Peace Studies concentration, and part of the Philosophy minor. May also be taken as an elective. No prerequisite. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-449 Special Topics. A critical examination of issues in some area of philosophy not covered in other philosophy courses. Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Philosophy minor. May also be taken as an elective. No prerequisite. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-450 Seminar in Philosophy. Examines some area of philosophy at an advanced undergraduate level. The area examined may vary from quarter to quarter. The seminar is designed especially for those whose interest in philosophy goes beyond the requirements of the Liberal Arts curriculum. Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Philosophy minor. May also be taken as an elective. Prerequisite: two prior courses in philosophy or permission of the instructor. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered annually.
0509-451 Professional Ethics. This course critically examines ethical issues that arise in professional life. The course will examine not only the general relationship between ethics and professional life but the particular consequences of ethical considerations within the student’s own profession and the professions of others with whom the student must live and work. Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Philosophy minor. May also be taken as an elective. No prerequisite. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-452 Philosophy of Technology. Technology is a ubiquitous and defining force in our world. This course investigates how our conceptions of technology have emerged within philosophy, as well as the role technology plays in shaping how we live and how we reflect upon questions of meaning and value in life. Technological modes of understanding, organizing and transforming the world shape our relationships with others, with ourselves and with nature at fundamental levels. We will explore how these modes have emerged and why they emerged so predominantly within a western social and intellectual context. Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Philosophy minor, and part of the Public Policy major. May also be taken as an elective. No prerequisite. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.>
0509-453 Environmental Philosophy. A variety of decision procedures may be and have been used to determine what to do regarding various environmental issues. We might make the choice that has the least worst alternatives, or the best alternatives, or is approved by the majority of those who vote or of those who are affected, etc. Each alternative can determine what is reasonable and moral, and assessing them presents theoretical problems. We examine each in terms of morality, examine their presuppositions and consequences, determine whether we can assess them, and if so, how. Students begin to learn to be conscious of and assess the decision procedures that are often buried in policy recommendations regarding particular environmental problems. Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Philosophy minor, and part of the Public Policy major. May also be taken as an elective. No prerequisite. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-454 Feminist Theory. This course examines the main currents in contemporary feminist thought. Feminist theory explores the nature and effects of categories of sex and gender upon our ways of living, thinking and doing, while also challenging how gendered assumptions might shape our conceptions of identity and inquiry more generally. Different conceptions of sex and gender will be discussed, and the course will investigate how these concepts affect our lives in both concrete and symbolic ways. Special attention will be paid to how gendered assumptions color our understanding of knowledge production, experiences of embodiment and emotion, public and private activities, and the nature of ethical decision making. Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Philosophy minor. May also be taken as an elective. No prerequisite, but one prior course in philosophy is recommended. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-455 Theories of Knowledge. Epistemology, or the theory of knowledge, examines how we come to know what we know. This course covers historical and contemporary approaches to the question of what knowledge is, what makes a belief true, and how beliefs are justified. Philosophical skepticism, the position that we actually know nothing at all, will also be discussed, as will possible responses. Other topics may include feminist epistemology, naturalism, the internalism/externalism debate, and the application of epistemology to other fields. Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Philosophy minor. May also be taken as an elective. No prerequisite. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-456 Ancient Philosophy. This course examines the origin and development of Western philosophy in ancient Greece from Thales in the sixth century down to at least the fourth century B.C.E., concentrating on the central ideas of the pre-Socratics, the Sophists, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Some attention might also be given to the Hellenistic philosophers (Epicureans, Stoics, and Sceptics). This was a period of remarkable intellectual creativity in philosophy, mathematics, medicine, rhetorical theory, aesthetics and cosmology. Questions to be considered in this course will include: What are the nature and limits of knowledge? Is knowledge even possible? What is the nature of language? How reliable is perception? What is the true nature of reality? What is the origin and nature of the material world? Is moral knowledge possible? What is the nature of happiness, and what sort of life would make people happy? Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Philosophy minor. May also be taken as an elective. No prerequisite. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-457 Modern Philosophy. This course examines the history of modern philosophy, from Descartes through Kant. It concentrates on the development of modern thought, examining the concepts of mind, body, and causation among others. This period marked the beginning of modern science, with a rich ferment of ideas, and the philosophy of the period is essential to understanding modern science as well as contemporary problems about consciousness, mind/body interaction, causation, and so on. Questions to be considered in this course include the following: What can we know? How do we come to know what we can know? What is the scope and what are the limits of our knowledge? What is the nature of reality? Do we have access to reality? How is causal interaction possible, if at all? Does God exist, and if so, how do we know and what relation does God have to the world? Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Philosophy minor. May also be taken as an elective. No prerequisite. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-458 Philosophy of Mind. The Philosophy of Mind is a fairly large category. It includes issues of metaphysics, epistemology, logic, psychology, aesthetics, linguistics, cognitive science, artificial intelligence, and biology, to name a few. Here are some typical questions which writers in the philosophy of mind often find interesting: Is there an ontological difference between minds and bodies? Could there be minds without bodies? Can I know that I have a mind? Are there other minds in the universe? Can I be conscious of my own consciousness? Can other things have the kinds of experiences which I have? Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Philosophy minor. May also be taken as an elective. No prerequisite. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-459 Philosophy of the Social Sciences. This course examines the methods, foundations, assumptions and purposes of the social sciences. In particular, it will examine the ways in which “science” and “non-science” are distinguished as well as the similarities and differences between the social and natural sciences. Special attention will be paid to the ways in which both Anglo-American and European philosophical traditions approach the social sciences. Other topics may include the role of values in social scientific inquiry, the processes of explanation and theory confirmation in the social sciences, and various conceptions of interpretation and meaning in the social sciences. The course will also examine how the tensions between claims of universality and claims of relativism, claims of objectivity and claims of partiality should be understood within the social sciences. Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Philosophy minor. May also be taken as an elective. No prerequisite. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-460 East Asian Philosophy. This course is an introduction to the origin and development of the philosophical traditions of primarily China and Japan through a consideration of selected thinkers, schools, and classic texts of Daoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Zen. Questions of metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics are emphasized with reference to the nature of reality and the person, social harmony and self-realization, causality, right action, and enlightenment. Comparisons may also be made with Western philosophers, both contemporary and classical. Part of the Philosophy concentration, the Religious Studies concentration, and the Philosophy minor. May also be taken as an elective. No prerequisite. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-461 American Philosophy. This course examines the contributions of American philosophers from the colonial era to the present day. From the New England Transcendentalists of the nineteenth century, to the Pragmatism and Neo-Pragmatism of the twentieth and twenty first, American philosophy has responded to the demands of a pluralistic, ever-changing society. Because American philosophy is a reflection of American culture, it has also offered a unique perspective on perennial philosophical problems in ways that have differed sharply from dominant forms of European philosophy. Authors may include Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, C.S. Peirce, Jane Addams, William James, Black Elk, John Dewey, and Richard Rorty. Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Philosophy minor. May also be taken as an elective. No prerequisite. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at leat once every two years.
0509-462 Contemporary Philosophy. This course examines developments in philosophy since 1900. During this time philosophy evolved along with science, politics, and the arts. In some cases philosophy responded to new discoveries and theories while at other times it precipitated movements that had far-reaching effects. A range of philosophical approaches may be discussed, including postmodernism, positivism, critical theory, existentialism, feminist theory, neo-pragmatism, and phenomenology. The connections among different approaches will also be addressed. Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Philosophy minor. May also be taken as an elective. No prerequisite. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-464 Philosophy of Action. This course explores the three central philosophical issues of action theory: what is an action, what is an agent, and what is metaphysical freedom. The first part of the course examines the most significant theories of action and the different ways in which they characterize intentional behavior. The second part of this course explores the nature of agency. The third part of this course focuses on the classical problem of free will. Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Philosophy minor. May also be taken as an elective. No prerequisite. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-465 Critical Theory. Introduces students to models of cultural critique that arose in pre-war Germany and that have burgeoned in our contemporary aesthetic and philosophical practices. These models combine philosophical, aesthetic, economic and psychoanalytic methods of analysis. Among the topics considered are alienation and reification, hegemony or false consciousness, trauma, fetishism, the authoritarian personality and state, advertising and modern technology, and the relative autonomy of art. Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Philosophy minor. May also be taken as an elective. No prerequisite, but one previous course in Philosophy (or consent of the instructor) is strongly encouraged. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-466 Existentialism. Existentialism is distinguished by its emphasis on human existence and the way its meaning is created through actions and choices. Existentialism focuses on the concept of individual freedom in an effort to respond authentically to the possibilities which life presents, emphasizing the importance of certain psychological states (e.g., anxiety, anticipation of death, fear, care, responsibility, and hope) and extreme situations in bringing us to an awareness of our radical freedom. This course will consider such philosophers and writers as Dostoevski, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Berdyaev, Heidegger, Jaspers, Camus, Sartre, Kafka, Beauvoir, Marcel, Buber, Ortega, and Unamuno. Part of the Philosophy concentration and minor. May also be taken as an elective. May be included as part of the Religious Studies Concentration on approval of the coordinator. No prerequisite. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-467 Medieval Philosophy. This course is an introduction to the philosophical thought during the medieval period (approximately 300 C.E. to 1500 C.E.). It will consider the thought of various major figures from the Christian, Jewish, and Islamic traditions, and will take up this period’s two principal areas of concern: the philosophy of religion and theology, on the one hand, and metaphysics and epistemology, on the other. Part of the Philosophy concentration and minor, the Religious Studies concentration, and may also be taken as an elective. No prerequisite. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-468 Metaphysics. Metaphysics is the study of the general features of existence or reality. This course focuses on the fundamental concepts of being as developed in several major philosophers from the Greeks to the present. Discussion will focus on such topics as God, time, space, substance, essence, existence, process, causality, possibility, necessity, chance, and value. Part of the Philosophy concentration and minor, the Religious Studies concentration, and may also be taken as an elective. Prerequisite: one prior Philosophy course or permission of instructor. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-469 Nineteenth Century Philosophy. The nineteenth century marks a radical shift in the history of philosophy and culture and stands in its own right as a distinct period of thought between the modern era and the contemporary era. This course will consider such philosophical positions as idealism, empiricism, existentialistic romanticism, Marxism, evolution, nihilism, positivism, pragmatism, and the role of the arts and aesthetics. Philosophers considered include Schelling, Fichte, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Mill, Marx, Darwin, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Comte, Bradley, Green, Peirce, and James. Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Philosophy minor. May be taken for the religious studies concentration with permission of the coordinator. May also be taken as an elective. Prerequisite: one prior course in philosophy, or consent of the instructor. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once very two years.
0509-470 Philosophy and Literary Theory. Introduces students to models of literary theory from the mid-twentieth century to the present and familiarizes them with the key works of literature to be analyzed. Prepares students to practice questioning and critiquing texts using the philosophical, aesthetic, economic and psychoanalytic methods of analysis which have come to form the foundation of contemporary literary theory. Among the topics considered are culture and imperialism, performativity, the encounter of modern literature and modern technology, structuralism and semiotics, the role of psychoanalysis, the role of the academy, and the relative autonomy of art. Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Philosophy minor. May also be taken as an elective. No prerequisite, but one course in Philosophy (or consent of the instructor) is strongly encouraged. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-471 Philosophy of Film. Introduces students to models of film interpretation and critique that arose in pre-war Europe and that have burgeoned since; these models combine philosophical, aesthetic, economic and psychoanalytic methods of analysis. Among the topics considered are the nature of the image, ideology and alienation, trauma, fetishism, magical realism, realism and anti-realism in film. Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Philosophy minor. May also be taken as an elective. No prerequisite, but one course in Philosophy (or consent of instructor) is strongly encouraged. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-472 Minds and Machines. Present and potential technological developments in artificial intelligence and artificial life pose a variety of challenges to traditional accounts of intelligence, life, and personhood. Is the mind a machine? Can machines think? Could artifacts deserve moral consideration? What would happen if machines evolved into the most intelligent and capable beings on the planet? Is it possible for “life” and “mind” to emerge out of a wholly material evolutionary process? This course will address these issues drawing from resources in the philosophy of mind and the philosophy of technology. Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Philosophy minor. May also be taken as an elective. No prerequisite. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-473 Technology and Embodiment. This course investigates how technological practices and inventions can suggest new ideas for conceptualizing how the body works, what the body is fundamentally, and what the body can (as well as should) become. By critically examining different conceptions of embodiment as well as different technologies that mediate our embodied relation to the world, we will enrich our understanding of the nature and scope of agency and identity. Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Philosophy minor. May also be taken as an elective. No prerequisite. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-474 Philosophy of Language. This course examines how philosophers and others have understood the nature of language. It explores the classical philosophical contexts in metaphysics, epistemology, aesthetics and rhetoric in which concerns about the nature of language arose. In addition, the course focuses on recent debates, within both contemporary analytic and continental traditions of philosophy. Some likely areas of inquiry will be: theories of reference, description and naming; theories of meaning, metaphor and narrative; functionalist, pragmatist and naturalist accounts; structuralist, post-structuralist, and hermeneutic accounts, among others. The prominence of one or the other of these debates and approaches will vary. Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Philosophy minor. May also be taken as an elective. No prerequisite, but at least one prior course in Philosophy strongly recommended. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-475 Philosophy of Vision and Imaging. This course examines how philosophers and others have understood the nature and primacy of sight. It explores how technologies of seeing and imaging have influenced theories of sight and our most dominant and authoritative practices of seeing and representing—in the humanities and the arts, as well as in the natural and social sciences. The course will focus on the impact these theories and practices of seeing and representing—both analogue and digital—have on the nature of knowing, as well as on how they shape and mediate our experiences of personal and social identity and agency more generally. Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Philosophy minor. No prerequisite, but one prior course in Philosophy strongly recommended. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-476 Ethical Theory. This course examines the theoretical basis of ethics and morality, namely the theoretical commitments that enter into any judgment that a particular action is right or wrong. Possible topics may include: different ways of understanding the concepts of right and wrong; the existence or non-existence of moral facts; different criteria of moral actions; different conceptions of the good life. Part of the Philosophy concentration and the Philosophy minor. May also be taken as an elective. Class 4, Credit 4. Offered at least once every two years.
0509-xxx Senior Thesis. This course is required of philosophy majors during their senior year. A student will choose a faculty member to serve as a primary advisor. With the advisor’s guidance, a student will research and write a substantial paper on a specific philosophical topic. Students will be encouraged to investigate a particular question in depth, likely building on earlier coursework. The finished thesis will be discussed and examined by a committee including two other faculty members. Prerequisite: 0509-450 Seminar in Philosophy, senior standing. Offered F,W,S in consultation with faculty advisor.
Graduate Electives |
0509-705 Seminar in Art/Aesthetics. The four-hour meetings of this seminar are discussion-driven, and participation of all students is required. Since the theories and examples discussed are mostly from the Western canon, familiarity with the history of Western art is recommended. The questions discussed are philosophical questions about art and aesthetic experience: What is the relationship between art and beauty, art and truth, art and knowledge, art and judgment, art and politics, art and interpretation, art and contemporary philosophical theory? What makes an interpretation of an artwork valid or invalid? How is aesthetic value related to other values? Graduate level elective. Offered annually.>
0509-706 Philosophy of Mind. Philosophy of mind is the philosophical discipline that explores what a mind is and how it fits in the natural world. In doing this, philosophy of mind raises further questions such as: What do we mean by mind? How do we attribute mentality? How are mental and physical properties related? What is consciousness? Can computers think? How is rationality connected to mental states like beliefs and desires? In this course we discuss and critically assess answers to these and related philosophical questions. Graduate level elective. Offered occasionally.>
0509-707 Philosophy of Vision and Imaging. Appeals to sight, to the rhetoric of seeing, and to various media and technologies of imaging have had an enormous impact on philosophy and on human culture generally. This course will introduce students to the philosophy of vision and imaging by critically investigating four interrelated sets of concerns: (1) The relation between appeals to vision and the imaging technologies that mediate what and how we see; (2) the relation between imaging technologies and the acquisition and representation of knowledge; (3) the relations between imaging technologies and human identity and agency; and (4) the relations between imaging theories/practices and ethical, political, ideological, and social contexts. No prerequisite. Offered occasionally.
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