A first encounter with the nature and methods of philosophical thinking in which a person's view of his/her own nature and of the world becomes challenged, explored and deepened. Students read a diverse range of primary texts, both classical and contemporary, western and non-western. They may also view films and other media that present philosophical arguments.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Fall & Spring Terms

Thematic Thread(s): Citizenship & Social Problems, Cultural Literacy & Community Building, Human Diversity & Well-Being, Institutions & Human Innovations, Transfer Thread Completion Course, United Stated in Global Context

An introduction to the practice of civil discourse through a philosophical study of ethics from theoretical and applied perspectives.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Fall & Spring Terms

Enrollment limited to students with the ROCK STUDIES 2 STUDENT or ROCK STUDIES STUDENT attributes.

An introduction to the standards and methods of inference utilized in formal systems of logic including traditional syllogistic logic and modern propositional logic. Phil 113 is designed to improve students' ability to recognize fallacies in reasoning, to identify and make valid inferences, and to construct sound arguments.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Fall & Spring Terms

Thematic Thread(s): Conservation, Technology & Imagination, Human Diversity & Well-Being, Institutions & Human Innovations, Transfer Thread Completion Course, United Stated in Global Context

An introduction to the study of questions concerning right action, moral obligation, and an examination of various theories of moral judgment. This course introduces students to the many forms of inquiry and analysis conducted in the humanities, especially philosophy, and the perennial questions that philosophy addresses. Students engage a diverse range of primary texts in ethics and ethical theory, both classical and contemporary, western and non-western. They also view and analyze films and other media that present ethical arguments.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Fall & Spring Terms

Thematic Thread(s): Citizenship & Social Problems, Cultural Literacy & Community Building, Conservation, Technology & Imagination, Human Diversity & Well-Being, Institutions & Human Innovations, Transfer Thread Completion Course, United Stated in Global Context

Foundations of Academic Discovery serves as the entry point to the Rock Integrated Studies Program. With its strong faculty-student interaction, the course promotes intellectual inquiry, critical and creative thinking, and academic excellence. Through varied content, the course introduces students to academic discourse and information literacy while exploring topics such as diversity and inclusion and global awareness. This course will set students along the path to becoming engaged with issues and scholarship important to a 21st century education while they learn about themselves and their place in the world.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

Enrollment limited to students with a semester level of Freshman 1 or Freshman 2.
Enrollment limited to students with the ROCK STUDIES 2 STUDENT or ROCK STUDIES STUDENT attributes.

This course is designed to be a survey of religious traditions from across the globe and an exploration of their philosophies and world views. This course introduces students to the many forms of inquiry and analysis conducted in the humanities, especially religious studies and comparative religion. Students engage a range of primary and secondary texts to gain a comparative understanding of the world's religions.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Fall & Spring Terms

Thematic Thread(s): Citizenship & Social Problems, Cultural Literacy & Community Building, Conservation, Technology & Imagination, Institutions & Human Innovations, Transfer Thread Completion Course, United Stated in Global Context

An examination of the philosophical content of poetry, prose, and film of exceptional literary and philosophical merit. This course introduces students to the many forms of inquiry and analysis conducted in the humanities, especially philosophy, and the perennial questions that philosophy addresses. Students engage a diverse range of literary texts, both classical and contemporary, western and non-western. They also view and analyze films and other media that present philosophical arguments.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Fall & Spring Terms

An investigation of the historical genesis of American culture through a reading of the prominent philosophical literature the culture has produced.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Spring Terms

Thematic Thread(s): Cultural Literacy & Community Building, Conservation, Technology & Imagination, Institutions & Human Innovations, Transfer Thread Completion Course

An investigation into and discussion of the central themes of existential philosophy. Philosophers such as Kierkegaard and Nietzsche will be studied in terms of their retrieval of the meaning of human existence.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Fall Terms Even

Thematic Thread(s): Human Diversity & Well-Being, Institutions & Human Innovations, Transfer Thread Completion Course, United Stated in Global Context

This course guides students through the method of philosophical inquiry by exploring philosophical problems and questions in the broader context of humanistic inquiry.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Fall & Spring Terms

Enrollment limited to students with the ROCK STUDIES 2 STUDENT or ROCK STUDIES STUDENT attributes.

A unique and specifically focused course within the general purview of a department which intends to offer it on a "one time only" basis and not as a permanent part of the department's curriculum.

Credits: 1-3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

A workshop is a program which is usually of short duration, narrow in scope, often non-traditional in content and format, and on a timely topic.

Credits: 1-6

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

A Selected Topics course is a normal, departmental offering which is directly related to the discipline, but because of its specialized nature, may not be able to be offered on a yearly basis by the department.

Credits: 1-3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

Exploration of basic issues and philosophical views of the experience of the arts. This course aims at the understanding and enhancement of the experience of the arts, and at a thoughtful appraisal of the role of art in life.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Spring Terms Odd

Thematic Thread(s): Conservation, Technology & Imagination, Institutions & Human Innovations, Transfer Thread Completion Course

A unique and specifically focused course within the general purview of a department which intends to offer it on a "one time only" basis and not as a permanent part of the department's curriculum.

Credits: 1-3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

A workshop is a program which is usually of short duration, narrow in scope, often non-traditional in content and format, and on a timely topic.

Credits: 1-6

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

A Selected Topics course is a normal, departmental offering which is directly related to the discipline, but because of its specialized nature, may not be able to be offered on a yearly basis by the department.

Credits: 1-3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

An advanced investigation of logical thought through the use of special techniques of symbolization, the logic of unquantified and quantified propositions, the nature and limits of logical systems and the foundation of mathematics are some of the important topics considered.

Prerequisites: PHIL 113^D or MATH 120^D or MATH 199^D
D Requires minimum grade of D.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Fall Terms Even

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

An analysis of environmental issues using a philosophical understanding of nature, with a consideration of the ethical responsibilities in the use of the earth's resources, behavior toward non-human species, and obligations toward future generations.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Spring Terms

Thematic Thread(s): Citizenship & Social Problems, Cultural Literacy & Community Building, Conservation, Technology & Imagination, Institutions & Human Innovations, Transfer Thread Completion Course, United Stated in Global Context

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

A course in applied ethics about conceptual, ethical, and legal dilemmas in the institutional rights of patients, in the responsibilities of practitioners, in technological challenges to values in the modern age in caring for the seriously ill and the dying, and in rationing health care in a large society.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Every Term

Thematic Thread(s): Human Diversity & Well-Being, Institutions & Human Innovations, Transfer Thread Completion Course, United Stated in Global Context

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

A study of applied ethics about the conceptual and ethical dilemmas in the business professions. An examination of cultural challenges of social and moral responsibility in a technically sophisticated economic climate.

Credits: 3

Thematic Thread(s): Cultural Literacy & Community Building, Conservation, Technology & Imagination, Transfer Thread Completion Course, United Stated in Global Context

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

An in-depth study of central concepts and issues in social and political thought from multiple, diverse perspectives.  Issues may include just and fair societies, theories of political obligation, and theories of citizenship and civic engagement with regard to diverse, heterogeneous communities.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Spring Terms Odd

Thematic Thread(s): Citizenship & Social Problems, Institutions & Human Innovations, Transfer Thread Completion Course

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

A study of multiple theories of law and the nature of law's relation to justice with special emphasis on a notion of justice for institutions.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Spring Terms Even

Thematic Thread(s): Citizenship & Social Problems, Human Diversity & Well-Being, Institutions & Human Innovations, Transfer Thread Completion Course, United Stated in Global Context

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

This course will examine concepts, values and assumptions relevant to gender and sex in our diverse society. topics to be explored may include the ontological status of gender and sex; the cultural representations of masculinity, femininity and sexuality; or the relationship between gender, society and power, and its epistemological and ethical consequences.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Fall Terms

Thematic Thread(s): Human Diversity & Well-Being, Institutions & Human Innovations, Transfer Thread Completion Course

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

This course considers ethical, sociopolitical, epistemological, and metaphysical issues arising from the design and use of emerging technologies, including information technologies, robots and autonomous machines, neurological and implantable technologies, genetic engineering, and artificial intelligence, as well as the more speculative technologies of science fiction.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Spring Terms Even

Thematic Thread(s): Conservation, Technology & Imagination, Transfer Thread Completion Course, United Stated in Global Context

A critical inquiry into the nature and validity of religious belief and experience, its relation to other human interests, its diversity,  and  its contemporary significance.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Spring Terms Odd

Thematic Thread(s): Citizenship & Social Problems, Human Diversity & Well-Being, Transfer Thread Completion Course

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

An investigation of the central religions and philosophical ideas of Oriental cultures, focusing primarily on the cultures of India, China, Japan and Southeast Asia.

Credits: 3

Thematic Thread(s): Conservation, Technology & Imagination, Institutions & Human Innovations, Transfer Thread Completion Course

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

An in-depth examination of the nature of natural science, including its aims, methods, central concepts, and limits and a thoughtful appraisal of its significance for the modern age.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Spring Terms Odd

Thematic Thread(s): Conservation, Technology & Imagination, Institutions & Human Innovations, Transfer Thread Completion Course

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

This course considers philosophical perspectives on the nature of mind and its relation to the world. Topics covered include the mind-body problem, the nature of consciousness, personal identity and the nature of the self, free will and moral responsibility, and the implications of technology for the future of human consciousness.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Fall Terms Even

Thematic Thread(s): Conservation, Technology & Imagination, Human Diversity & Well-Being, Transfer Thread Completion Course

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

A study of the major philosophers and schools of philosophy in the ancient Western world and their influence on the medieval period. The course examines basic questions and concepts in theory of knowledge, logic, ethics, politics, aesthetics, and metaphysics as found in the works of thinkers like Plato, Aristotle, the Presocratics, the Stoics, and the Epicureans. Students will consider how ancient philosophy continues to provide insight and inspiration in the contemporary world.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Fall Terms Odd

Thematic Thread(s): Institutions & Human Innovations, Transfer Thread Completion Course, United Stated in Global Context

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

A study of Western philosophy from the Renaissance through the Age of Enlightenment and into the early nineteenth century, this course traces the basic concepts and problems of the period, especially problems of knowledge, ethics, and metaphysics. Students will consider the contribution of modern philosophers to the Scientific Revolution and to the development of the scientific method, as well as how modern philosophy continues to provide insight and inspiration in the contemporary world.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Spring Terms Even

Thematic Thread(s): Citizenship & Social Problems, Institutions & Human Innovations, Transfer Thread Completion Course

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

Variable content within the modern contemporary period of philosophical thinking. Repeatable to 6 credits.

Credits: 3

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

A study of important twentieth century philosophers in terms of their attempt to establish a new approach to philosophy and their reaction and attempt to overcome Western metaphysics.

Credits: 3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered Spring Terms Odd

Thematic Thread(s): Citizenship & Social Problems, Conservation, Technology & Imagination, Transfer Thread Completion Course

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

A unique and specifically focused course within the general purview of a department which intends to offer it on a "one time only" basis and not as a permanent part of the department's curriculum.

Credits: 1-3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

A workshop is a program which is usually of short duration, narrow in scope, often non-traditional in content and format, and on a timely topic.

Credits: 1-6

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

A Selected Topics course is a normal, departmental offering which is directly related to the discipline, but because of its specialized nature, may not be able to be offered on a yearly basis by the department.

Credits: 1-3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

A special course designed primarily for students seeking knowledge in philosophy beyond course offerings. The student's interests, in consultation with department members, determines the topics covered. Independent Study courses give students the opportunity to pursue research and/or studies that are not part of the university's traditional course offerings. Students work one on one or in small groups with faculty guidance and are typically required to submit a final paper or project as determined by the supervising professor.

Credits: 1-3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

A workshop is a program which is usually of short duration, narrow in scope, often non-traditional in content and format, and on a timely topic.

Credits: 1-6

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.

A Selected Topics course is a normal, departmental offering which is directly related to the discipline, but because of its specialized nature, may not be able to be offered on a yearly basis by the department.

Credits: 1-3

Term(s) Typically Offered: Offered as Needed

Students with a semester level of Freshman 1, Freshman 2 or Sophomore 1 may not enroll.