PHILOSOPHY

CRN

92001

Distribution

A

Course No.

PHIL 103

Title

History of Philosophy

Professor

Garry Hagberg

Schedule

Tu Th 3:00 pm - 4:20 pm OLIN 201

Cross-listed: Classical Studies

A critical examination of the work of some major figures in the history of philosophy, emphasizing historical continuities and developments in the subject. Authors include Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Nietzsche, and Russell.

CRN

92002

Distribution

A

Course No.

PHIL 105

Title

Reason, Language, and Argumentation

Professor

Paula Droege

Schedule

Mon Wed 1:30 pm - 2:50 pm OLIN 201


This is a course in informal logic and critical reasoning. Beginning with an overview of some of the main functions and structures of deductive and inductive reasoning, the course turns to an examination of a wide variety of informal fallacies, and finally to the application of a method of "deep analysis" to extended arguments on controversial issues (possible topics include abortion, capital punishment, global warming, campaign finance reform and discrimination).

CRN

92003

Distribution

A

Course No.

PHIL 108 A

Title

Introduction to Philosophy: Philosophical Questions

Professor

Mary Coleman

Schedule

Mon Wed 11:30 am - 12:50 pm OLIN 201


Western philosophers address questions that most of us naturally find puzzling, such as: do we have free will?; do we know what the world around us is really like?; does God exist?; how should we treat one another? We will critically examine historical and contemporary texts which address these and other central themes of the philosophical tradition.

CRN

92762

Distribution

A

Course No.

PHIL 108 B

Title

Introduction to Philosophy: Philosophical Questions

Professor

Mary Coleman

Schedule

Tu Th 1:30 pm - 2:50 pm OLIN 310


See description above.

CRN

92004

Distribution

A

Course No.

PHIL 209

Title

History of Modern Philosophy

Professor

Robert Martin

Schedule

Wed Fr 11:30 am - 12:50 pm OLIN 308


We will study the development of philosophical thought in 17th and 18th century Europe through close reading of key works of Descartes, Locke, Berkeley and Hume, with emphasis on their epistemological and metaphysical views.

CRN

92005

Distribution

A

Course No.

PHIL 215

Title

Existentialism

Professor

Daniel Berthold-Bond

Schedule

Tu Th 10:00 am - 11:20 am OLIN 201


Existentialism is a philosophic, literary, artistic, and social movement emerging during the second World War in France, but with roots tracing back to the Danish Christian philosopher Søren Kierkegaard and the German atheist philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche in the nineteen century. We will engage in a close study of selected writings of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre, Camus, and Heidegger. We will focus both on themes which have come to be regarded as common existentialist preoccupations such as the rebellion against rationalism; the corresponding emphasis on subjectivity and perspectivism; the perception of the human predicament as absurd; the revaluation of values; and the necessity of anxiety and suffering for authentic existence ¾ as well as emphasizing important differences of perspective and style between these five writers.

CRN

92006

Distribution

A

Course No.

PHIL 251

Title

Ethical Theory

Professor

William Griffith

Schedule

Mon Wed 10:00 am - 11:20 am ASP 302


What is it to be a "moral" being, i.e., what is the "moral dimension" of our lives? What are its key elements? Is there such a thing as "happiness," "the good life," "virtue," "wisdom?" Are there "rights," "duties?" If so, how do we recognize them? We will critically examine the primary texts of four philosophers whose thoughts on these fundamental questions have had a permanent influence on western philosophical thought: Aristotle, Epictetus, Immanuel Kant, John Stuart Mill. (No prerequisites. Open to First Year students.)

CRN

92007

Distribution

A

Course No.

PHIL 260

Title

Feminist Philosophy: Approaches to WF 130-250

Cultural Constructions of Sexuality and Gender

Professor

Daniel Berthold-Bond

Schedule

Wed Fr 1:30 pm - 2:50 pm OLIN 202

Cross-listed: Gender Studies

The course will examine a variety of feminist philosophical approaches to issues surrounding modern culture's production of images of sexuality and gender. Some background readings will provide a sketch of a diverse range of feminist theoretical frameworks -- liberal, socialist, radical, psychoanalytic, and postmodern -- with readings from Alison Jaggar, Simone de Beauvoir, Annie Leclerc, Christine Delphy, Julia Kristeva, Luce Irigaray, Sarah Kofman, and Hélène Cixous. However, this is primarily an "applied" philosophy course rather than a course focusing on theory. We will explore such issues as the cultural enforcement of both feminine and masculine gender identities, the mass-marketing of popular cultural images of sexuality, gender, and race, the urban environment and women's sense of space, the intersection of feminism and environmentalism, the logic of subjection governing cultural ideals of women's bodies (dieting, exercise, clothing, bodily comportment), issues of rape, sexual violence and harassment, pornography, and feminist perspectives of different ethnic groups. We will also screen a number of films and videos, including the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas hearings, Madonna's "Truth or Dare," and documentaries on the pre-Stonewall femme-butch bar-scene culture of the 1950s and 60s, anorexia, rape on campus, the pornographic film industry, and several others.

CRN

92008

Distribution

A

Course No.

PHIL 373

Title

The Philosophy of Hegel

Professor

Daniel Berthold-Bond

Schedule

Tu 1:30 pm - 3:50 pm ASP 302

Cross-listed: German Studies

Readings from two of the four works Hegel saw to publication, The Phenomenology of Spirit and The Encyclopaedia of the Philosophical Sciences, and from two of his four posthumously published lecture cycles, Lectures on the Philosophy of History and Lectures on Aesthetics.

CRN

92009

Distribution

A

Course No.

PHIL 381

Title

Philosophy of William James

Professor

William Griffith

Schedule

Mon 1:30 pm - 3:50 pm HEG 300


Selected readings from the major works of one of America's greatest philosophers, including The Principles of Psychology, The Varieties of Religious Experience, Pragmatism, The Will to Believe and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy, and Essays in Radical Empiricism. Topics include religious experience, the subject matter and nature of psychology, various ethical issues, the nature of philosophy, and the pragmatic theory of truth. (Prerequisite: At least sophomore status. Enrollment limited to 15.)

CRN

92011

Distribution

A

Course No.

PHIL 403

Title

Philosophy Research Seminar

Professor

Garry Hagberg

Schedule

Wed 1:30 pm - 3:50 pm ASP 302


An intensive advanced seminar primarily for senior majors in philosophy. The fundamental purposes of the seminar are to: (1) carefully select, exactingly define, and thoroughly research a problem in contemporary philosophy (including the contemporary interpretation of historical authors), mastering selected recent writing directly relevant to that problem; (2) write an essay or article on that problem, going through numerous revisions and refinements as a result of class responses, faculty guidance, and further research; (3) formally present the article to the seminar, followed by detailed discussion and philosophical debate; and finally (4) submit the article in its most complete form to an undergraduate or professional journal of philosophy or to an undergraduate conference in philosophy. In addition to working on the article throughout the semester, each participant will be expected to read and comment on all of the other articles produced in the seminar and to prepare for the discussions following each presentation. All the standard and relevant specialized research tools, bibliographies, and reference works in philosophy will be introduced and used as needed in the course of developing the papers. In addition, students will gain familiarity with the various aspects of journal editing and publishing in connection with Philosophy and Literature, edited in Bard's philosophy program. May be of particular interest to those contemplating graduate work in the field.