Fall 2002 course offerings
Introductory Courses in Philosophy |
|
| 736-101: Introduction to Philosophy Lec 002: God, Metaphysics and Value 3 credits, U, HU T 6:30-9:10 pm CRT 309 Professor Hawi tel 414-229-4395/4719 email hawi@uwm.edu |
This course is a general orientation in the basic issues of philosophy. We discuss certain highlights in the philosophic tradition from Plato to John Stuart Mill. Such topics as: The proofs for God's existence, His nature, His relationship to man, the origin and scope of knowledge, the mind-body problem, evaluation of the scientific procedure, and the various standards of right and wrong behavior are examined and studied in detail. |
| 736-101: Introduction to Philosophy Lc 401: Selected Topics and Issues 3 credits, U, HU MW 10:30-11:20 am BUS S151 Lc 402: Selected Topics and Issues 3 credits, U, HU MW 1:30-2:20 pm PHY 137 Dist. Professor Koethe tel 414-229-5216/4719 email koethe@uwm.edu |
We will
look at a representative selection of topics from the history of
philosophy and current philosophical debates:
ethics, social and political philosophy, the scope and nature of
our knowledge of the world, the nature of the self and mind. |
| 736-111: Informal Logic-Critical Reasoning Lec 001 3 credits, U, HU MWF 9:30 am-10:20 am CRT 309 Professor Steldt tel 414-229-5217/4719 email karlsteldt@hotmail.com |
This course involves the study of arguments on social issues and on issues in various academic fields. The basic goal is to learn how to construct and evaluate such arguments. Some of the particular topics considered are the structure of arguments, definition, vagueness and ambiguity, informal fallacies, and sufficiency of evidence. |
| 736-192: Freshman Seminar Sem 001: The Idea of the University 3 credits, U, HU T R 3:30-4:45 pm CRT 221 Professor Atherton tel 414-229-5904/4719 email atherton@uwm.edu |
What is a university? Why is a university? What should students and professors do there? What is learning and what is knowledge? Who should study at a university and why? We will be coming up with answers to these and other questions by looking at a range of different kinds of answers about different kinds of universities, past and present, and at home and abroad. The most important question, however, that we will bring to this project is that we ask ourselves why we are here. |
| 736-192: Freshman Seminar Sem 002: The Platonic Realm 3 credits, U, HU R 4:30-7:10 pm CRT 607 Dist. Professor Koethe tel 414-229-5216/4719 email koethe@uwm.edu |
It has been said that all of Western philosophy is a series of footnotes to Plato, the ancient Greek philosopher born in the fifth century B.C. Plato wrote in a form called the dialogue, in which different people confront and engage one another in conversations and arguments, about issues important to all human beings. We will use some of these dialogues - some of the earlier, shorter ones, as well as one of his major works, The Republic - as vehicles to explore both Plato's and our own views of right and wrong, the good life, human knowledge, the proper role of art, and the nature of ideal society. |
| 736-204: Introduction to Asian Religions Lec 001 3 credits, U, HU TR 11:05 am-12:20 pm CRT 309 Professor Neevel tel 414-229-5215/4719 email wgneevel@uwm.edu |
This course will be a historical and comparative introduction to Hindu and Buddhist religious life and thought. Special emphasis will be placed upon the development of the classical forms of these traditions within India. The Buddhist tradition will also be stressed as a missionary movement linking the various cultures of Asia and interacting with the indigenous traditions of East Asia. |
| 736-204: Introduction to Asian Religions Lc 401 3 credits, U, HU MW 11:30am-12:20 pm PHY 133 Dist. Professor Wainwright tel 414-229-4395/4719 email wjwain@uwm.edu |
Emphasis in this course will be upon the central doctrines and values of several forms of Hinduism and Buddhism, the arguments used to support them, and their relation to religious experience. |
| 736-211: Elementary Logic Lec 401 3 credits, U, HU MW 10:30 - 11:20 am PHY 137 Lec 402 3 credits, U, HU MW 12:30 - 1:20 pm PHY 137 Professor Tierney tel 414-229-5217/4719 email rtierney@uwm.edu |
The Island of Knights and Knaves is
a place where only Knights and Knaves live.
A Knight is a person who always tells the truth.
Knaves, on the other hand, never tell the truth.
Harry, who lives on the island, says: "If I am a Knight, then
I'll eat my hat." Did
you know that you can prove from the above information that Harry will eat
his hat? Did you know: 1)
Given that Sarah loves either Jim or Tom and that if she loves Jim then
she loves Tom, you can prove that she loves Tom?
2) that if everyone loves a lover and there is even one lover in
the world, then everyone loves everyone?
Learn how to solve these and other puzzles in Philosophy 211, where
we will study formal deductive logic – the science of what follows from
what.
The concepts and techniques encountered in the study of deductive logic are of central importance to any analysis of argument and inference. They reflect fundamental patterns of proof found in science and mathematics, they underlie the programs that enable computers to "reason" logically, and they provide tools for characterizing the formal structures of language. This is an introductory course intended for students who have had no previous work in logic. |
Intermediate and Advanced Courses |
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| 736-212: Modern Deductive Logic Lec 001 3 credits, U, HU TR 9:30-10:45 am CRT 309 Prof. Leeds tel 414-229-4669/4719 email sleeds@uwm.edu |
The
task of the first logic course – Philosophy 211 – was to develop a
means for evaluating deductive arguments.
This task involved the use of a formal language for expressing the
logical structure of English sentences and the use of various formal
techniques, including truth tables and deductions, for evaluating
arguments. Once an English argument was translated into the formal
language, formal techniques were used to solve an apparently informal
problem, i.e., the problem of finding out whether it is possible for the
conclusion of the argument to be false while all its premises are true. In Philosophy 212 we will continue this inquiry into the evaluation of deductive arguments. We will concentrate on two central areas. First, we will deal with statements and arguments that are more quantificationally complex than those studied in Philosophy 211. Second, we will address the issue of the adequacy of the formal system. Explicit definitions of validity of arguments and formal systems will be used for the investigation, via informal reasoning and proof, of what can be achieved by a deductive system. Philosophy 211 with a grade of ‘C’ or better is a prerequisite for this class. |
| 736-232:Topics in Philosophy Lec 001: Personal Identity & the Self 3 credits, U, HU TR 11:05 am-12:20 pm MER G47 Professor Ferrero tel 414-229-5903/4719 email ferrero@uwm.edu http://www.uwm.edu/~ferrero |
In this course we
will investigate what philosophy can tell us about our distinctive nature
as persons. What makes us the particular persons that we are and how is
this identity preserved in time? Is
the biological death of the body also the death of the person?
Does each of us have something as a unique and unified `self'?
Is this self the object of introspection?
Does our existence amount to the existence of the self? In the first part of the
course, we will discuss what makes a person the same individual as time
goes by. Does personal identity depend on the continuity of memories,
beliefs and psychological traits? Or
does it rather depend on the continuity of the body?
Or is it a matter of the persistence of an immortal and immaterial
soul? In discussing these
questions, particular attention will be devoted to the treatment of cases
where continued personhood is uncertain (like brain bisection experiments,
amnesia, multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia, and science fiction
cases like "Star Trek" style teletransporter or body exchanges).
We will then consider the implications of theories of personal identity
for understanding what counts as the death of a person. In the second part of the course, we will look at the
implications of theories of personal identity for the idea of the
‘self’. We will discuss issues about the unity of the self,
self-deception and the nature of |
| 736-237:Technology, Values and Society Lec 001 3 credits, U, HU MWF 10:30 -11:20 am CRT 309 Professor Mink tel 414-229-5217/4719 email kmink@uwm.edu |
In this introductory course, we will examine the works of contemporary thinkers who have addressed the modern "problem of technology." Through the writings of thinkers as diverse as Marshall McLuhan, Heidegger, Roseanne Stone, Donna Haraway, and Deleuze and Guattari, we will especially focus on the way the new media - film, television, video, and the Internet - have changed the routines of everyday life, the patterns of perception, and even raised new issues and introduced new concepts into philosophy. We will also take the opportunity to view and discuss relevant films, videos, and artwork on the Internet. |
| 736-241: Introductory Ethics Lc 401 3 credits, U, HU MW 11:30am-12:20pm BOL B56 Professor Sensat tel 414-229-4669/4719 email sensat@uwm.edu http://www.uwm.edu/~sensat |
We shall study three basic approaches in moral philosophy: ethical rationalism, which takes moral principles to describe an independent order of values fixed in the nature of things, the ideal-spectator approach, which takes morally wrong actions to be those an impartial, sympathetic observer would disapprove of, and contractualism, according to which the correct moral principles are those which would be agreed to by all reasonable beings as a basis for their community. We shall see how the second approach leads naturally to utilitarianism, while contractualism has important sources in Immanuel Kant's moral philosophy. We shall see how the three basic approaches get reflected in theories of social and economic justice. |
| 736-244: Ethical Issues in Health Care Lec 101: Contemporary Problems 3 credits, U, HU M 6:30-9:10 pm off-campus Professor Tym tel 456-4299/229-4719 email ktym@execpc.com |
This course will provide a general overview of
some of the ethical issues in health care. We will begin the course
with an introduction to the basic ethical theories and approaches to moral
decision making. These theories and approaches will then be applied
to ethical problems currently confronting health care providers, patients
and their families, and society at large. Issues we will consider
include informed consent, decision-making capacity, confidentiality,
futility and withdrawal of life sustaining treatment, euthanasia and
assisted suicide, assisted reproduction, genetics, and research ethics.
This
course is taught off-campus at Whitefish Bay HS, 1200 E. Fairmont, Rm. 256. |
| 736-245: Critical Thinking and the Law Lec 101: Law of Torts 3 credits, U, HU W 6:15-8:55 pm off-campus Professor Santilli tel 414-229-4719 email santilli@execpc.com |
The goals of critical thinking are to instill in
the student an understanding of the fundamental principles of analysis,
problem solving and construction of an argument. In order to convey these
principles, students are taught how to use tort law using legal materials,
including but not limited to, the language used by the legal profession
and legal resources. It is through the study of law that teachers hope to
impart to their students a system for analytical thinking which they may
use in their every-day lives.
This course is taught off-campus at U.C.C.E., 161 W. Wisconsin Ave., Room 6000. |
| 736-250: Philosophy of Religion Lec 001 3 credits, U, HU TR 4:30-5:45 pm BOL 294 Professor Mondadori tel 414-229-5904/4719 email mondadf@uwm.edu |
We shall analyze and discuss (a) some of the traditional arguments for the existence of God (especially St. Thomas' Five Ways, and the ontological argument), (b) the so-called problem of Evil (we shall read texts by Leibniz and Hume), (c) the question whether or not God's omniscience and human freedom are mutually consistent, and (d) the problem of miracles. |
| 736-271: Philosophical Traditions Se 001: Western Great Lakes American Indian Philosophy Women's Studies Course. 3 credits, U, (HU) MWF 11:30am-12:20pm MER 131 Professor Boatman tel 414-229-6686/4719 email boatman@uwm.edu |
A study of selected aspects of Western Great
Lakes American Indian Philosophy from the perspective of some traditional
Elders. Ontological and cosmological facets of the Metaphysics, including
selected perceptions of the essential nature of "Being," will be
focused upon. Throughout the course particular emphasis will be placed on
the important and very special role of Female Beings in the universe.
Note: instructor retires in February; this is the last chance to take this course. |
| 736-275: Introduction to Middle Eastern and Western Religions Lec 001 3 credits, U, HU TR 6:00 – 7:15pm HLT 190 Prof Crain tel * email * |
See
http://www.uwm.edu/schedule/Fall2002/HIST.html#275 |
| 736-351: Philosophy of Mind Lec 001 3 credits, U/G TR 5:00-6:15 pm CRT 309 Professor Ferrero tel 414-229-5903/4719 email ferrero@uwm.edu http://www.uwm.edu/~ferrero |
What is a mind? What is distinctive of mental phenomena? In this course we will discuss and assess some of the traditional philosophical answers to these questions and the impact of cognitive science in the understanding and the explanation of mental phenomena. At the beginning of the course we will look at the standard philosophical theories of the mind (dualism, behaviorism and functionalism). We will then concentrate on the philosophical import of recent developments in the cognitive science. We will discuss the criticisms of the representational theory of mind, the role of computation in the modeling of the mental, Artificial Intelligence, Connectionism and Artificial Neural Networks, Robotics, Dynamics and Artificial Life. We will discuss both the standard problems in the philosophy of mind (levels of descriptions, types of explanation, mental causation, the nature and status of folk psychology) and the novel issues raised by cognitive science (in particular, the nature of emergence, the interplay between life and mind, the idea of mind as intrinsically embodied and environmentally embedded). |
| 736-355: Political Philosophy Lec 001 3 credits, U/G, HU MW 3:30-4:45 pm CRT 309 Dist. Professor Wainwright tel 414-229-4395/4719 email wjwain@uwm.edu |
An examination of the political thought of Plato, Hobbes, Locke, Burke, Rousseau and Mill. Special emphasis will be placed on the problem of elitism, the question of natural rights, the question of political participation, and the importance of "moral factors" (sentiment, custom, shared values, etc.) in constructing and maintaining a good society. |
| 736-430: History of Ancient Philosophy Lec 001 3 credits, U/G TR 2:05-3:20 pm CRT 309 Professor Mondadori tel 414-229-5904/4719 email mondadf@uwm.edu |
In the thought of Ancient Greece we uncover a remarkable phenomenon. The Ancient Greeks, starting from an essentially myth-making way of understanding the world and the human place in it, as found in the work of Homer and Hesiod, developed their ideas to a culmination in a theory of the natural world and of human nature and human contact put forward by Aristotle, which dominated human thinking for many hundreds of years and is still said to capture human "common sense" beliefs about the world. How did this transition come about? We will look at the changing questions asked by the Pre-Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, as well as the reflections of these questions in Greek literature and history, in order to understand how their ideas and theories about the natural world and human nature resulted in the development of natural science, ethics and political theory. |
| 736-453: Special Topics in the History of
Modern Philosophy Lec 001: Hegel 3 credits, U/G MW 12:30-1:45 pm CRT 607 Professor Sensat tel 414-229-4669/4719 email sensat@uwm.edu http://www.uwm.edu/~sensat |
The celebration of Hegel's 56th birthday received more play in the Berlin press than a party for the King of Prussia. Hegel was that notable because of the widespread belief that philosophy – indeed, his philosophy – was the quintessential intellectual discipline of modernity. On this view, modern philosophy does not merely articulate the rational elements of a historical movement realizing human freedom. It is the rational self-consciousness of that movement as well, and it is thereby essential to that movement, completing it as well as comprehending it. Hegel first articulates this vision in his masterful Phenomenology of Spirit. It is hard to overestimate the significance of this work for nineteenth and twentieth century philosophy. It will be our major focus. But as time permits we shall pay some attention to other works, particularly those that bring out his critique of Kant and his mature social and political philosophy. There will be a heavy discussion component. |
| 736-475: Special Topics in Indian
Religious Thought Lec 001: Buddhist Wisdom 3 credits, U/G TR 3:30-4:45 pm CRT 309 Professor Neevel tel 414-229-5215/4719 email wgneevel@uwm.edu |
A study of the historical development of Buddhist Wisdom as a special, liberating mode of viewing and analyzing the person and the world. Emphasis upon the Buddha's Wisdom as presented in the earliest canonical sources and upon the "Perfection of Wisdom" as developed within Mahayana and by the great dialectician Nagarjuna in his teaching of "Emptiness." Consideration of relation to Buddhist meditation practices, the Bodhisattva ideal, etc. |
| 736-532: Philosophical Problems Lec 001: Philosophy of Human Nature 3 credits, U/G TR 11:05am-12:20pm MER G42 Professor Hawi tel 414-229-4395/4719 email hawi@uwm.edu |
This is a
course on philosophical anthropology.
The main focus is the study of Human Nature.
"What is man so thou are mindful of him?"
The answer to this question gives rise to the multiple forms that
philosophical anthropology has taken.
The course will concentrate on the highlights of both the
philosophic and scientific traditions in their attempts to delineate and
explain human nature. Also,
it includes an examination of the three basic aspects of the concept of
man: the Classical, the
Christian-Islamic, and Modern. The
psychological, moral and legal implications of human cloning will be given
some attention. |
| 736-681: Seminar in Advanced Topics Sem 001: Berkeley 3 credits, U/G M 2:30-5:10 pm CRT 607 Professor Atherton tel 414-229-5904/4719 email atherton@uwm.edu |
George Berkeley, the 18th Century Anglo-Irish Philosopher, has had a long standing but ambiguous reputation. The Irish Poet, William Butler Yeats, said that Berkeley expressed the Irish temperament when he “proved all things a dream” but the Irish Philosopher, A.A. Luce said that Berkeley aligned “we Irish” with sturdy common sense. Many have supposed that Berkeley’s central claims, that there is no matter and that the only things that exist are ideas and minds that have them, must be totally ludicrous. But others have agreed with Berkeley himself that on Berkeley’s principles, it is possible to preserve common sense and permit the development of the physical sciences. Which is the real Berkeley, the dreamer or the man of science? We will be pursuing Berkeley through his two major works, Principles of Human Knowledge and Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous, together with some of his more scientific works, such as New Theory of Vision and De Motu. |
| 736-712: Fundamentals of Formal Logic Lec 001 3 credits, G TR 9:30-10:45 am CRT 309 Prof. Leeds tel 414-229-4669/4719 email sleeds@uwm.edu |
The
task of the first logic course – Philosophy 211 – was to develop a
means for evaluating deductive arguments.
This task involved the use of a formal language for expressing the
logical structure of English sentences and the use of various formal
techniques, including truth tables and deductions, for evaluating
arguments. Once an English argument was translated into the formal
language, formal techniques were used to solve an apparently informal
problem, i.e., the problem of finding out whether it is possible for the
conclusion of the argument to be false while all its premises are true.
See Description for 736-212. Philosophy 712 provides a more in-depth investigation designed for graduate students. |
| 736-758: Seminar in Major Philosophers Sem 001: Quine & Goodman 3 credits, G W 2:30-5:10 pm CRT 607 Professor Schwartz tel 414-229-5216/4719 email schwartz@uwm.edu |
The ideas of W.V. Quine and Nelson Goodman have had a profound influence in shaping the course and nature of contemporary philosophy. We will examine a range of issues developed in their writings. Among the topics to be considered will be: ontological commitment, meaning, reference and modality, propositional attitudes, counterfactuals, the New Riddle of Induction, and realism vs. worldmaking. |
For a complete list of
classes, please refer to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Fall 2002
Schedule of Classes available online at http://www.uwm.edu/schedule/Fall2002/PHILOS.html
or at Enrollment Services (MEL 274). For
more information about the department see the UWM Department of Philosophy
home page at http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/Philosophy/.
Information in this booklet can be viewed on the web at http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/Philosophy/blurbpage.html.
If you have any questions
concerning the above philosophy courses, call the UWM Department of Philosophy
at 414-229-4719 or e-mail the department at philosophy@uwm.edu.
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