PHILOSOPHY COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
PHILOSOPHY (PHIL)
100: Introduction to Philosophy Seminar (0)
This course will be an elective. This course is a general introduction to the study of philosophy. It introduces newly declared philosophy majors to the program, courses, and the faculty in the philosophy department at Coastal Carolina.
101: Introduction to Philosophy (3)
This course is an introduction to the most central problems of philosophy. Topics
include logic, God, mind, justice, personal identity, freedom and determinism, knowledge,
skepticism, morality and responsibility. The course provides an introduction to
argumentation, critical thinking conceptual analysis, and problem solving skills.
102: Introduction to Ethics (3)
This course introduces students to the hree main areas of philosophical ethics,metaethics,normative ethics and applied ethics. Students will explore metaethical issues such as ethical subjectivism and objectivism, moral skepticism, free will and responsibility, major normative theories such as consequto the most central problems of philosophy. Topics
include logic, God, mind, justice, personal identity, freedom and determinism, knowledge,
skepticism, morality and responsibility. The course provides an introduction to
argumentation, critical thinking conceptual analysis, and problem solving skills.
110: Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking (3)
This course provides an introduction to the essential elements in critical
thinking, including the role of arguments and definitions, recognition
of linguistic fallacies, and syllogistic and prepositional techniques
of deductive inferences. Extensive practical application will be examined,
including specific examples for professional and graduate school admissions
tests.
271: Philosophical Writing (3)
A first course in philosophical methods, the aim of this course is to introduce students to the skills necessary to communicate in philosophy. The course will focus on techniques of active reading; summarizing arguments both in writing and orally; preparing abstracts, summaries, and responses to readings; writing argumentative and critical essays; presenting philosophical arguments, positions, problems and papers; thinking critically and creatively about philosophical problems, formulating original philosophical responses to problems, and using appropriate reference materials and methods. Classroom time will be organized around small and large group discussion, peer review sessions, and minimal lecture. The content employed to convey these essentials of philosophical discourse will vary by instructor.
300: Ancient Philosophy (3) (= Classical Studies 300)
This course is a survey of the history of ancient Greek philosophy from
the Milesians through Aristotle. It traces the development of philosophical
themes among the Pre-Socratics and proceeds to their development in the
works of Plato and Aristotle. The emphasis throughout will be on understanding,
analyzing, and evaluating the arguments of the philosophers.
301: Modern Philosophy (3)
This course is a survey of Western philosophical thought from the early
Renaissance through Hume. The chief emphasis is on the 17th and 18th century
including Bacon, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Hobbes, Locke, Berkely and
Hume. This course may be taken prior to Philosophy 300.
302: 18th and 19th Century Philosophy (3)
This course centers upon philosophical developments
after the Enlightenment period. The critical philosophy of Immanuel Kant
(especially his The Critique of Pure Reason), the dialectical thought
of G.W.F. Hegel and his anti-systemic critics are the focus of the course.
303:Continental and American Philosophy (3)
The principal movements of philosophical thought from Colonial times to
the present, with special emphasis on the 18th and 19th centuries.
305: Contemporary Moral Issues (3)
This is a course in the application of ethical theory through the examination
of moral issues confronting people in contemporary society. Topics vary
but may include discussion of ethical problems related to abortion, drug
use and laws, euthanasia, war and terrorism, homosexuality,
violence, animal rights, the environment, and punishment.
309: Philosophy of Mind (3)
This course is an introduction to the fundamental questions, concepts
and problems of contemporary philosophy of mind including those concerning
the nature of mind, the relationship between mind and world, and understanding
consciousness. Readings from Ryle, Armstrong, Lewis, Block, Churchland, Dennett,
Jackson, Shoemaker,Tye, Dretske, et al.
310: Philosophical Themes in Literature (3)
Selected philosophical problems as they are presented in imaginative and
theoretical literature. Works of fiction and philosophical treatments
of issues involved in them are read and discussed.
311: Ethical Theory (3)
A study of moral principles and the basic concepts underlying these principles,
such as good, evil, right, wrong, justice, value, duty, and obligation.
Using the original source readings from both classical and contemporary
moral philosophy, this course develops an understanding of the philosophical
foundations of various ethical theories.
313: Philosophy of Art (3)
Philosophical problems relating to the arts, with emphasis on questions
pertaining to aesthetic experience.
314: Social and Political Philosophy (3)
An examination of modern political philosophers, their responses to political,
social, economic and legal concepts and issues concerning liberties and
rights in the authority-individual relationship.
315: Technology and Human Values (3)
Technology has come to play an increasingly dominant role in human life.
This course analyzes modern technology from several perspectives including:
the ethical implications of employing information systems, the neutrality
or non-neutrality of technology, the individual, social, and cultural
impact of technology transfer, and the impact of technology upon the environment.
The works of both critics and proponents of technology are explored.
316: Crime and Justice (3)
The fundamental concepts of a criminal justice system, and their philosophical
bases. Rights, privacy, responsibility, and the problem of justification
of state control of private behavior through punishment and theory.
317: Bio-Medical Ethics (3)
Ethical problems in medicine and biological research and the application
of ethical principles to real-life situations involving patient autonomy,
health care professionals, the beginning of life, the end of life, and
human genetic experimentation.
318: Business Ethics (3)
Ethical theory is presented and applied to business cases involving individual,
corporate, and governmental rights and responsibilities.
319: Environmental Ethics (3)
Ethical problems concerning the environment and the application of ethical
principles to real-life situations involving development vs. preservation,
human and nature, animals, bio-diversity, bio- and eco-centrism, deep
ecology, and social and public policy.
320: Existentialism (3)
An introduction to existential themes in contemporary philosophy, literature,
psychology and religion. The writings of existentialists such as Kierkegaard,
Nietzsche, Camus, Sartre, Buber, May and Binswanger will be read and discussed.
321: Symbolic Logic (3)
This course explains the development, application, and theoretical properties
of an artificial symbolic language designed to provide a clear representation
of the logical structure of deductive arguments. The course might also
explore first order calculus with identity and function symbols and some
meta theorems about consistency, soundness, completeness and compactness.
322: Philosophical Issues in Feminism (3)
This course explores and critically examines philosophical topics in feminist thought, with a particular emphasis on one or more of the following: feminist ethics, feminist epistemology, feminist political philosophy, and feminist philosophy of science. Issues may include the nature of feminist theorizing and varieties of feminist theories; feminist perspectives on the self and the social world; moral agency, knowledge and reason, the family, motherhood and sexuality; liberty, justice and the state.
323: Philosophy of Law (3)
This course is an introduction to philosophical problems in the law. Topics may include the nature of law (including legal positivism, natural law theory, and legal realism), the relationship between law and morality, the aims and limits of law, judicial reasoning, and issues in the constitutional law, criminal law, and tort law. Readings include Supreme Court cases, as well as variety of classical and contemporary texts.
325: Philosophy of Religion (3)
This course focuses on some central questions
in philosophy of religion. Is religious faith rational? Can God's existence
be proved or disapproved? Can religious experience provide knowledge?
Is there life after death? Philosophy of religion subjects the claims
of religious faith to rational scrutiny and critical evaluation.
340: Philosophy of Science (3)
A critical examination of methods and concepts of the sciences. Topics
include scientific revolutions, the unity of science, experimentation,
explanation, and evidence.
398: Special Topics (3)
This course is designed as a seminar that will focus on a broad ranging philosophical
topic that involves other disciplines as well as philosophy. Topics will be announced
in the master schedule of classes. Current topics include:
A. Attitude Awareness. B. Philosophy of Mysticism. C. Morality of Ethical Leadership.
399: Independent Study (3)
For more information, see Academic Regulations section. May be repeated
for credit under different topics.
399H: Interdisciplinary Independent Study (3-9)
Directed independent study at the honors level in two or more departments. For
more information, see Academic Regulations section in the master catalog. May
be repeated for credit under different topics.
419: Epistemology (3)
This course is an introduction to the problems
and methods of modern epistemology. It explores central questions such
as "What is it to know something?" and "What is it about
some beliefs that make them more highly justified than others?"
The central focus of the course is the study of the relationship between
justification and knowledge. It pays careful attention to the skeptics
who claim curiously that no one ever knows anything and that no one is
ever justified in believing anything.
420: Metaphysics (3)
This course focuses on issues that center around such notions as substance, causality,
essential properties, individuation, time, possible but nonactual states of affairs,
and identity. Among the questions considered are: "Do any of the things there are endure
through time?" "How should we understand possible but nonactual states of affairs?" "Are
subjects of consciousness just complexes of subatomic particles?" "Are material objects
like tables and chairs ultimately made up of things that have no parts?"
490: Capstone Seminar (3)
This seminar engages philosophy majors in advanced
research and discussion involving ethical theories, their philosophical
foundations, and their application. Based upon the philosophy
major's choice, the seminar will result in a written product either suited
for submission to a scholarly journal or as a comprehensive final report
for an applied ethics project.
495: Internship for Philosophy (3)
Students will receive instruction and gain professional experience in
an internship while working 10 hours per week for 12 weeks with a local
business. Course contract must be approved prior to registration.
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