Philosophy Course Offerings Spring 2010

Philosophy and the Human Being, Phil 101

Multiple Sections & Professors.

Required of all Siena students in fulfillment of the Core Disciplinary Requirement.

Required as a pre-requisite for all courses listed below (except Symbolic Logic).

Symbolic Logic, PHIL 155 (MWF 2:35 - 3:30, Alexander)

Why study symbolic logic?  After all, there must be some reason why otherwise sane, intelligent people agree to enter into a study of such abstraction that it includes such things as (p  → (q → p)) and (x)(Fx v ~Fx).  The standard answer is that studying symbolic logic helps people to better understand what makes certain arguments acceptable and others unacceptable, and that by studying the formal semantic and syntactic features of that language we come to better understand how language functions.  The pragmatic answer is that studying symbolic logic is extremely useful for people planning on taking postgraduate standardized exams like the GRE, LSAT, and GMAT.  The academic answer is that studying symbolic logic provides us with insight into one of the most significant accomplishments of our shared intellectual history – the development of symbolic logic provided the tools for sea changes in both mathematics and science, and made computers possible.  And, if you are still not persuaded, just think about how cool it will be to be able to understand (and trust me you will) what (p  → (q → p)) and (x)(Fx v ~Fx) mean!    (ARTS, PLG)

Philosophy and Reality, Phil 202 (T-Th 1-2:20, Davies)

Why is there something rather than nothing?  Is God the answer to that question?  What kinds of things are real, mind, matter, God, all of the above?  Discussion is a significant part of this course, some come prepared to argue.  (Argue is a good word in Philosophy).  We do a lot of History of Philosophy as we study and discuss these questions.   (ARTS, CAP)

Ethics, PHIL 210 (Honors) (W 6-8:50, Muchnik)

What is the role of sentiments in ethical theories? How do sentiments affect the practice of virtue and the knowledge of duty? Is morality a matter of reason or of feeling? We will examine the answers Aristotle, Kant, Spinoza, and Hume gave to these and similar questions. As part of the Honors program, this class will require intense reading, writing, and student participation. (ARTS, CAP, HSMR, ISP)

Philosophy and the Feminine, Phil 285 (MWF 1:30-2:25, Grenchus)

In this course, we will discuss the various ways past and present philosophers approach the concept of the feminine.  We will consider how the concept was traditionally employed to clarify what counts as reason, agency, and morality.  We will also explore contemporary philosophical challenges to these concepts and how they have opened up new ways of understanding the human being.  While evaluating these various approaches to the feminine, we will discuss how we understand the self, the body, sex, gender, desire, family, reproduction, and beauty. (ARTS, WSTU)  

Early Modern Philosophy, PHIL 294 (TTh 11:30-12:50, Muchnik)

This class will study two different faces of modernity, the Cartesian quest for certitude and the Spinozistic quest for virtue. We will read the Descartes’ Meditations and selections from Spinoza’s Ethics. Contrasting these thinkers, our goal will be to reflect on how their views on nature, God, knowledge, the passions, and personal salvation still shape our own understanding of the good life. (ARTS, PHY)

Philosophy of Nature, PHIL 320 (MW 3:35-4:55, Blanchard)

We shall make an inquiry into the meaning of ‘nature’ in the western tradition, beginning with its first discovery (as physis) in early Greek thought and elaboration in Aristotle’s Physics; then considering how 'nature' was re-examined and re-defined in early modern philosophy and science; and finally looking at the notion of 'nature' in modern technology and contemporary ecological theory.  One guiding concern throughout the course will be to identify how specific human interests have shaped the effort to understand the 'natural' world. (ARTS, CAP)

Seminar: Philosophy of Language, PHIL 490 (TTh 1-2:20, McErlean)

Topics to be addressed in this course include standard questions such as ‘How do words and sentences come to have meaning?’, ‘Do nonhumans use language?’, ‘What is the nature of metaphor, translation and interpretation?’.  In addition, parts of the course will focus on questions of language relating to gender, race, and the way we treat the environment.  As a seminar the course will demand intensive study of primary sources, extended research, and sharing of results within the seminar group. (ARTS)

Symposium on Living Philosophers, PHIL 491  (F 2:35, Burkey & Boisvert)

(Open only to students who took the first part of the course in Fall 2009)

The Siena Symposium on Living Philosophers features a 4-credit seminar meeting once a week through the Fall and Spring semesters concentrating on the work of a major contemporary philosopher. This year that philosopher is John D. Caputo, whose work circulates between philosophy and theology. The seminar is team-taught by two Siena professors, and an external scholar, includes a lectures series open to the public, and visitations by the featured philosopher.  Caputo visits once in Fall for a discussion with seminar participants as well as a public lecture, then again in Spring for a second lecture and –the culminating event- a public panel discussion with students based on their research.  Students should be willing to work both independently and collaboratively, give oral presentations and produce a research paper, and generally be eager to draw on and contribute to a sustained community of learning.  Permission of instructor is required.  (ARTS)