Department of Philosophy

Business: Philosophy 312, 322, and 325L.

Communications: Philosophy 311, 312, 313, 332, and 336K.

Computer sciences: Philosophy 313K, 344K, 358, 363, and 363L.

Law: Philosophy 311, 312, 313, 318, 324C, 325K, 342, and 347.

Linguistics: Philosophy 313K, 332, 344K, and 358.

Literature: Philosophy 346, 348, 349, 356, 361K, and 366K; and, for American literature, Philosophy 351 and 352.

Mathematics: Philosophy 313K, 344K, and 358.

Natural sciences: Philosophy 322, 363, and 363L.

Premedicine and predentistry: Philosophy 312, 318, 322, 325M, and 363.

Social sciences: Philosophy 322, 363, and 363L.

Unless otherwise stated in the description below, each class meets for three lecture hours a week for one semester.

Philosophy: PHL

Lower-Division Courses

301. Introduction to Philosophy.

Primarily for lower-division students. A survey of principal topics and problems in areas such as ethics, theory of knowledge, and philosophy of religion. Three lecture hours or two lecture hours and one laboratory/discussion hour a week for one semester. Philosophy 301 and 610QA may not both be counted.

302. World Philosophy.

Primarily for lower-division students. Basic issues of philosophy in Western and non-Western traditions, such as the nature of philosophy, its relation to religion and science, the self, knowledge, and virtue.

303. Human Nature.

Primarily for lower-division students. Theories of human nature, such as those of Plato, Christianity, Marxism, and existentialism. Modern psychological and biological theories are included, as the interplay of nature and nurture in determining human conduct is explored.

303M. Mind and Body.

Primarily for lower-division students. Introduction to philosophical issues about the nature of mind and its relation to body: What is mind? Do people have free will? How does psychology relate to neuroscience?

304. Contemporary Moral Problems.

Primarily for lower-division students. Philosophical examination of selected moral problems arising out of contemporary society and culture. Three lecture hours or two lecture hours and one laboratory/discussion hour a week for one semester.

305. Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion.

Primarily for lower-division students. Same as Religious Studies 311 (Topic 2: Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion). A critical examination of various conceptions of God and of the relationship of the human and the divine. Three lecture hours or two lecture hours and one laboratory/discussion hour a week for one semester.

310. Knowledge and Reality.

An introduction to basic issues in epistemology and metaphysics. Three lecture hours or two lecture hours and one laboratory/discussion hour a week for one semester. Philosophy 310 and 610QA may not both be counted. Prerequisite: Some sections are restricted to philosophy majors, some to students with a University grade point average of at least 3.00 or consent of instructor; these sections are identified in the Course Schedule.

610Q. Problems of Knowledge and Valuation.

Restricted to students in the Plan II Honors Program. Methods and aims of selected sciences, arts, and philosophy in the attainment of knowledge and in providing the basis for valuation. Three lecture hours and one discussion hour a week for two semesters. Philosophy 301 and 610QA may not both be counted; Philosophy 310 and 610QA may not both be counted; Philosophy 610QB and 318 may not both be counted. Prerequisite: For 610QA, admission to the Plan II Honors Program; for 610QB, Philosophy 610QA.

311. Argument.

Argument as a kind of discourse: deductive and inductive arguments; principles of reasoning; fallacies; practical applications. Three lecture hours or two lecture hours and one laboratory/discussion hour a week for one semester.

312. Introduction to Logic.

Logical structure of sentences and arguments; elementary symbolic methods; applications. Three lecture hours or two lecture hours and one laboratory/discussion hour a week for one semester. May not be counted by students with prior credit for Philosophy 313, 313K, 313Q, or 344K.

313. Introductory Symbolic Logic.

Introduction to symbolic logic (through first-order predicate logic); interpretations; formal proofs, consistency; some practical applications. Three lecture hours and one discussion hour a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Philosophy 313, 313K, 313Q.

313K. Logic, Sets, and Functions.

Sets, relations, functions, sentential and predicate logic, proof techniques, algorithms, and elementary metatheory. Mathematically oriented. Three lecture hours and one laboratory hour a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Philosophy 313, 313K, 313Q. Required of computer sciences majors. Prerequisite: Three years of high school mathematics.

313Q. Logic and Scientific Reasoning.

Introduction to formal proofs, semantics, quantifiers, inductive methods, decision theory, and scientific reasoning. Three lecture hours and one laboratory hour a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Philosophy 313, 313K, 313Q. Prerequisite: Admission to the Plan II Honors Program.

316K. Science and Philosophy.

Introduction to scientific method, including discussion of the nature and goals of science. May not be counted by students with credit for Philosophy 363.

317K. Introduction to the Philosophy of the Arts.

Classic issues in the philosophy of art and beauty, illustrated from the fine arts and contemporary media: literature, drama, music, painting, film, and television.

318. Introduction to Ethics.

Study of basic principles of the moral life, with critical examination of traditional and contemporary theories of the nature of goodness, happiness, duty, and freedom. Three lecture hours or two lecture hours and one laboratory/discussion hour a week for one semester. Philosophy 610QB and 318 may not both be counted. Prerequisite: Some sections are restricted to philosophy majors, some to students with a University grade point average of at least 3.00 or consent of instructor; these sections are identified in the Course Schedule.

318K. Introduction to Political Philosophy.

Views of major political philosophers on humanity, nature, and society; discussions of contemporary political ideologies. Three lecture hours or two lecture hours and one laboratory/discussion hour a week for one semester.

319K. Introduction to the Philosophy of Education.

Same as Curriculum and Instruction 350 (Topic 1: Introduction to the Philosophy of Education). Introduction to some main philosophical theories of education, such as those of Plato, Rousseau, and Dewey; topics include learning, teaching, freedom, equality, and reason.

119S, 219S, 319S, 419S, 519S, 619S, 719S, 819S, 919S. Topics in Philosophy.

This course is used to record credit the student earns while enrolled at another institution in a program administered by the University's Study Abroad Office. Credit is recorded as assigned by the study abroad adviser in the Department of Philosophy. University credit is awarded for work in an exchange program; it may be counted as coursework taken in residence. Transfer credit is awarded for work in an affiliated studies program. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary.

Upper-Division Courses

321K. Theory of Knowledge.

Systematic and detailed study of major issues in the theory of knowledge, such as the distinction between knowledge and belief, the criteria of knowledge, the justification of knowledge-claims, and perception. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor or the undergraduate adviser.

322. Science and the Modern World.

The historical development and impact of scientific ideas through the modern period to the present. May be used to fulfill the Area C requirement for the Bachelor of Arts, Plan I, only if preceded by six semester hours of biological or physical science. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor or the undergraduate adviser.

322K. History of Ethics.

Survey of ethical theories from ancient times through the nineteenth century. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor or the undergraduate adviser.

323K. Metaphysics.

Problems of substance, change, categories of being, mind, body, space and time, approached either systematically or historically. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor or the undergraduate adviser.

324C. Applied Logic.

Extensions and revisions of classical logic, with applications to other fields. Typical topics are moral, legal, and common sense reasoning, probability and decision theory. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing and Philosophy 313, 313K, or 313Q; or consent of instructor.

325C. Environmental Ethics.

Moral issues concerning the relation of human beings to the environment, including biodiversity, resource depletion, and animal rights. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor or the undergraduate adviser.

325K. Ethical Theories.

Major traditional and contemporary ethical theories discussed and critically examined. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor or the undergraduate adviser.

325L. Business, Ethics, and Public Policy.

Issues in ethics and politics that are relevant to the organization of business and industry and the distribution of power in society; topics include the role of industry; concepts of profit, property, and moral responsibility. Three lecture hours or two lecture hours and one laboratory/discussion hour a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor or the undergraduate adviser.

325M. Medicine, Ethics, and Society.

Moral, legal, religious, and political implications of developments in medicine; topics include abortion, euthanasia, sterilization, psychosurgery, genetic engineering; concepts of health, cure, insanity, and death. Three lecture hours or two lecture hours and one laboratory/discussion hour a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor or the undergraduate adviser.

327. Contemporary Philosophy.

Currents of contemporary thought; past topics include feminism, philosophy, and science; ideas of the twentieth century; twentieth-century philosophy of mind. Three lecture hours or two lecture hours and one laboratory/discussion hour a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor or the undergraduate adviser.

328. Nineteenth-Century Philosophy.

Major figures in nineteenth-century European philosophy, including Hegel, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Mill. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor or the undergraduate adviser.

329K. History of Ancient Philosophy.

Same as Classical Civilization 348 (Topic 4: History of Ancient Philosophy). Development of Western philosophy from the pre-Socratics to the early Christian era; emphasis on Plato and Aristotle. Three lecture hours and one discussion hour a week for one semester. Classical Civilization 342 (Topic: History of Ancient Philosophy) and Philosophy 329K may not both be counted. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor or the undergraduate adviser.

329L. Early Modern Philosophy: Descartes to Kant.

Three lecture hours and one discussion hour a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor or the undergraduate adviser.

129S, 229S, 329S, 429S, 529S, 629S, 729S, 829S, 929S. Topics in Philosophy.

This course is used to record credit the student earns while enrolled at another institution in a program administered by the University's Study Abroad Office. Credit is recorded as assigned by the study abroad adviser in the Department of Philosophy. University credit is awarded for work in an exchange program; it may be counted as coursework taken in residence. Transfer credit is awarded for work in an affiliated studies program. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary.

330K. Ancient Philosophy after Aristotle.

Same as Classical Civilization 330K. Epicureans, Stoics, Skeptics, Plotinus and the Neoplatonist tradition. Three class hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Philosophy 329K or consent of instructor or the undergraduate adviser.

332. Philosophy of Language.

Contemporary theories of meaning and linguistic structure, and their relationships to epistemology, metaphysics, and ethics. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor or the undergraduate adviser.

334K. Modern Thinkers.

Critical study of the philosophical implications of the works of selected modern thinkers; for example, Nietzsche, Sartre, Camus, and Freud. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor or the undergraduate adviser.

Topic 1: Modernity and Postmodernity. Philosophy 334K (Topic 1) and Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies 325 (Topic 2: Modernity and Postmodernity) may not both be counted.

336K. Communication and Culture.

Philosophical inquiry into the role of communication in everyday life; examination of various forms of popular culture like film, music, newspapers, and television. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor or the undergraduate adviser.

342. Political Philosophy.

Critical examination of leading theories of the state, including analysis of such concepts as sovereignty, obligation, rights, and freedom. Three lecture hours or two lecture hours and one laboratory/discussion hour a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor or the undergraduate adviser.

344K. Intermediate Symbolic Logic.

A second-semester course in symbolic logic: formal syntax and semantics, basic metatheory (soundness, completeness, compactness, and Loewenheim-Skolem theorems), and further topics in logic. Prerequisite: Philosophy 313, 313K, 313Q, or consent of instructor.

346. Aesthetics.

Study of selected topics in the philosophy of art; may be restricted to one or several specific art forms or media: literature, painting, music, film, television, or theatre. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor or the undergraduate adviser.

347. Philosophy of Law.

The significance and function of law in political and ethical contexts; comparison of common and statutory to scientific and moral law; readings from among Plato, Kant, Hegel, Bentham, Austin, Hart, Dworkin, Feinberg, and others. Three lecture hours or two lecture hours and one laboratory/discussion hour a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor or the undergraduate adviser.

348. Oriental Philosophy.

Comparative and historical studies in the philosophical and religious traditions of the East, with emphasis on India and China. Three lecture hours or two lecture hours and one laboratory/discussion hour a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor or the undergraduate adviser.

Topic 2: Indian Philosophies. Same as Asian Studies 372 (Topic 2: Indian Philosophies) and Religious Studies 361 (Topic 6: Indian Philosophies).

Topic 3: Indian Realism. Same as Asian Studies 372 (Topic 10: Indian Realism) and Religious Studies 361 (Topic 4: Indian Realism).

349. History of Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy.

Philosophical thought from Augustine through Cusanus and Vico, with emphasis on its cultural bearing. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing and Philosophy 329K, or consent of instructor or the undergraduate adviser.

351. American Philosophy: Puritans through Transcendentalists.

Same as American Studies 327 (Topic 2: American Philosophy: Puritans through Transcendentalists) and Religious Studies 361 (Topic 1: American Philosophy: Puritans through Transcendentalists). Main currents of American thought in its first two centuries, with readings in Edwards, Adams, Jefferson, Emerson, and others. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor.

352. American Philosophy: The Pragmatist Movement.

Same as American Studies 327 (Topic 3: American Philosophy: The Pragmatist Movement). Late nineteenth century to the present, with emphasis on Peirce, James, and Dewey. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor.

354. Philosophy in Context.

Philosophical texts and arguments in a broad intellectual and cultural context, or other texts studied for their philosophical content. Typical topics include Locke and the Glorious Revolution; materialism and modern science; Thucydides on power and justice. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor.

356. Philosophy of Religion.

Meaning and function of religion; religious belief and its validity; religious values in the modern world. Three lecture hours or two lecture hours and one laboratory/discussion hour a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor.

Topic 1: Major Works on Religion and Interpretation. Same as American Studies 327 (Topic 1: Major Works on Religion and Interpretation), History 366N (Topic 2: Major Works on Religion and Interpretation), and Religious Studies 356.

358. Philosophical Logic.

Issues in philosophical logic and its applications, such as theories of meaning, logical paradoxes, epistemic logic, deontic logic, modal logic, existence, and identity. Prerequisite: Philosophy 313, 313K, 313Q, or consent of instructor.

360K. Marxist Philosophy.

Study of the origin and development of Marxist philosophy from Hegel to the present. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor or the undergraduate adviser.

361K. Philosophy in Literature.

Formulation, analysis, and criticism of philosophical ideas in selected literary works. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor or the undergraduate adviser.

363. Scientific Method.

History, exposition, and analysis of such fundamental concepts in the natural and social sciences as explanation, prediction, discovery, confirmation, laws, hypotheses, theories. May be used to fulfill the Area C requirement for the Bachelor of Arts, Plan I, degree only if preceded by six semester hours of biological or physical science. May be counted as psychology if preceded by six semester hours of upper-division psychology. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor or the undergraduate adviser.

363L. Philosophy of Science.

Past topics include philosophy of biology; scientific hypotheses and evidence; philosophical consequences of quantum mechanics. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. May be used to fulfill the Area C requirement for the Bachelor of Arts, Plan I, degree only if preceded by six semester hours of biological or physical science. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor or the undergraduate adviser.

365. Selected Problems in Philosophy.

Past topics include Jewish ethics; change, truth, and justice. The equivalent of three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Varies with the topic and is given in the Course Schedule.

Topic 1: Freudians and Feminisms. Same as English 322 (Topic 4: Freudians and Feminisms), Germanic Civilization 362E (Topic 1: Freudians and Feminisms), Psychology 341K (Topic 2: Freudians and Feminisms), and Women's Studies 345 (Topic 10: Freudians and Feminisms). Only one of the following may be counted: English 323M (Topic 4: Freudians and Feminisms), Philosophy 327 (Topic: Freudians and Feminisms), 365 (Topic 1). Prerequisite: For English majors, nine semester hours of lower-division English, including English 316K or the equivalent; for others, upper-division standing.

Topic 2: Introduction to Cognitive Science. Same as Cognitive Science 360 (Topic 1: Introduction to Cognitive Science) and Linguistics 373 (Topic 7: Introduction to Cognitive Science). Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

Topic 3: Cultural Politics of Kant and Hegel. Same as English 322 (Topic 5: Cultural Politics of Kant and Hegel) and Germanic Civilization 360E (Topic 2: Cultural Politics of Kant and Hegel). Only one of the following may be counted: English 323M (Topic: Cultural Politics of Kant and Hegel), Philosophy 320K (Topic: Cultural Politics of Kant and Hegel), 365 (Topic 3). Prerequisite: For English majors, nine semester hours of lower-division English, including English 316K or the equivalent; for others, upper-division standing.

366K. Existentialism.

Existentialism and its relationship to literature, psychoanalysis, and Marxism. Three lecture hours or two lecture hours and one laboratory/discussion hour a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor or the undergraduate adviser.

371H. Philosophy Honors.

Close study of major works of philosophy. Three lecture hours and one discussion hour a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing, a Plan I major in the College of Liberal Arts, and consent of instructor.

371K. History of Philosophy.

A detailed, critical study of one or more works of great importance in the history of philosophy. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or consent of instructor or the undergraduate adviser.

375M. Major Seminar.

May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Philosophy 375M and 379L may not both be counted unless the topics vary. Prerequisite: A major in philosophy or humanities or admission to the Plan II Honors Program, Philosophy 313, 313K, or 313Q, and Philosophy 329K and 329L; or consent of the undergraduate adviser.

679H. Honors Tutorial Course.

Supervised individual reading for one semester, followed by research and writing to produce a substantial paper on a special topic in philosophy, to be completed during the second semester. Conference course for two semesters. Prerequisite: For 679HA, admission to the Philosophy Honors Program; for 679HB, Philosophy 679HA.

379K. Conference Course.

Intensive tutorial study of selected problems in philosophy. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Nine semester hours of upper-division philosophy and consent of instructor and the undergraduate adviser in philosophy.

379W. Conference Course.

Intensive tutorial study of selected problems in philosophy. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Nine semester hours of upper-division philosophy and consent of instructor and the undergraduate adviser in philosophy.

28 August 1996. Registrar's Web Team
Comments to rgcat@utxdp.dp.utexas.edu