Course Catalog - 2006-2007

     

PHIL 100 - PROBLEMS OF PHILOSOPHY

Long Title: PROBLEMS OF PHILOSOPHY
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: An introduction to philosophy through such fundamental problems as the basis of morality, the foundation of state authority, determinism and freedom, and the possibility of knowledge.
 

PHIL 101 - CONTEMPORARY MORAL ISSUES

Long Title: CONTEMPORARY MORAL ISSUES
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Examination of moral issues surrounding such topics as abortion, euthanasia, war, capital punishment, justice, and equality.
 

PHIL 103 - PHIL ASPECT COGNITIVE SCIENCE

Long Title: PHILOSOPHICAL ASPECTS OF COGNITIVE SCIENCE
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: An examination of current research in cognitive science and its philosophical implications. Topics include whether the mind is a computational system, how the mind is organized, whether certain components of the mind are innate.
 

PHIL 104 - PHIL PERSPECTIVES ON SCIENCE

Long Title: PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES ON SCIENCE
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: The nature, origins, and impact of scientific knowledge will be examined from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. In addition to works by some of the most relevant philosophers of the past, including Descartes and Hume, readings will include writings of scientists such as Newton, and from 20th-century philosophers, and historians. Normally offered every year.
 

PHIL 105 - HIST INTRO TO PHILOSOPHY

Long Title: HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Study and discussion of central issues of Western philosophy as developed by its original thinkers from the ancient Greeks to the twentieth century. Enrollment will be limited in order to focus special attention on student writing.
 

PHIL 106 - LOGIC

Long Title: LOGIC
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group III
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Introduction to the formal theory of reasoning, which will be used to assess the validity of arguments in natural languages. Study of general properties of logical implication and logical truth.
 

PHIL 116 - INTRO TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF LAW

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF LAW
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: The course will discuss the nature of law in general as well as discrete topics in legal philosophy. How is a legal rule different from an order backed by a terrorist threat? Is retroactive legislation legal? What are legal rights? Is there a general moral duty to obey the law?
 

PHIL 120 - ETHICS OF LEADERSHIP

Long Title: ETHICS OF LEADERSHIP
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 1
Description: This class explores the ethical implications of leadership. The course includes: a presentation of some main approaches to ethics; class discussion of the ethical dimensions of the very concept "leader"; and a series of case studies. The course has no pre-requisites.
 

PHIL 201 - HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY I

Long Title: HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY I
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Survey of the major philosophers and philosophical systems of ancient Greece, from Parmenides to the Stoics. Cross-list: CLAS 201, MDST 201.
 

PHIL 202 - HIST OF PHILOSOPHY II

Long Title: HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY II
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: A survey of the history of philosophy from the 17th- to the 20th century.
 

PHIL 205 - SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY STUDIES

Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO THEORIES/PRACTICES OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY STUDIES
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: This course will consider the relationship between advances in science and technology and the changing social and political structures in the contemporary world. It is intended as a theoretically guided introduction to some key philosophical and substantive issues in the interdisciplinary field of medicine, science, and technology studies.
 

PHIL 206 - PROFESSIONALISM IN MEDICINE

Long Title: THE ETHICAL NATURE AND LIMITS OF PROFESSIONALISM IN MEDICINE
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: This course will critically examine the ethical nature of medicine as a profession and ethically justifies limits on medical professionalism in the context of contemporary ethical and public policy controversy.
 

PHIL 301 - ANCIENT & MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY

Long Title: ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Topics in the history of philosophy from the 4th century B.C. through the 14th century. Cross-list: CLAS 301, MDST 301. Repeatable for Credit.
 

PHIL 302 - MODERN PHILOSOPHY

Long Title: MODERN PHILOSOPHY
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Examination of themes or authors in 17th- and 18th- century philosophy. Topics vary from year to year. Repeatable for credit with consent of instructor. Normally offered every year. Recommended Prerequisite(s): Majors should take PHIL 202 before PHIL 302. For non-majors one previous course in philosophy is recommended. Repeatable for Credit.
 

PHIL 303 - THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE

Long Title: THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Topics: analysis of knowledge, foundations of knowledge, skepticism, perception, etc.
 

PHIL 304 - METAPHYSICS

Long Title: METAPHYSICS
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Examination of metaphysical theories in the works of historical and contemporary thinkers. Topics may include: free will, the identity of persons over time, causation, possibility and necessity, design and chance, the nature of existence, the nature of time. Recommended prerequisite(s): A previous course in philosophy.
Course URL: http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~phil304
 

PHIL 305 - MATHEMATICAL LOGIC

Long Title: MATHEMATICAL LOGIC
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group III
Credit Hours: 3
Description: We study formal languages and methods for assessing correctness of arguments, including a brief look at modal and many-valued logics. We also consider their relations to natural languages and reflect on the techniques required to prove theorems about languages. A previous logic course is helpful, though the course is self-contained. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: PHIL 505.
 

PHIL 306 - ETHICS

Long Title: ETHICS
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: This course deals with fundamental questions of value and morality-questions such as: What sort of life is best? What kind of person is it best to be? What does morality require of us? It also deals with important second-order questions about these fundamental questions- for example: Can morality be justified? How can we know what's right or good? Is there moral truth? What is the relation between morality and self-interest? Readings are drawn from both classical and contemporary sources.
 

PHIL 307 - SOCIAL & POLITICAL PHIL

Long Title: SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: What makes a society just? On what grounds may the liberty of individuals be legitimately limited? What social ends may a state legitimately pursue?
 

PHIL 308 - CONTINENTAL PHILOSOPHY

Long Title: CONTINENTAL PHILOSOPHY
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: An examination of philosophical movements in 20th-century European philosophy-including phenomenology, existentialism, hermeneutics, critical theory, deconstruction, and postmodernism. Repeatable for credit with consent of instructor. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: PHIL 508. Repeatable for Credit.
 

PHIL 309 - AESTHETICS

Long Title: AESTHETICS
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: An introduction to the philosophy of art drawing upon traditional and contemporary philosophical theories, artist's manifestos, and reflection upon exemplary art works. Topics include: What is a work of art? What is artistic genius? What makes an artwork good? What is the place of art within morality and society. Recommended prerequisite(s): A previous course in philosophy.
 

PHIL 311 - PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION

Long Title: PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Examination of God's existence, the problem of evil, the relation between faith and reason, and the varieties of religious experience.
 

PHIL 312 - PHILOSOPHY OF MIND

Long Title: PHILOSOPHY OF MIND
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Inquiry into the nature of mind, with emphasis on the mind/body problem. Recommended Prerequisite(s): One course in philosophy or permission of the instructor.
 

PHIL 313 - PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE

Long Title: PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: A study of contemporary issues in general philosophy of science. How do our observations provide support for scientific theories? Are simpler theories more likely to be true? Does the success of our scientific theories mean that they are true? Science needed will be taught, not presupposed. Normally offered every year.
 

PHIL 314 - THE PHILOSOPHY OF MEDICINE

Long Title: THE PHILOSOPHY OF MEDICINE
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: The biomedical sciences, the practice of medicine, and health care policy employ concepts of health, disease, disability, and defect in explanatory accounts, intermixing factual claims with moral and other evaluations. This course explores the interplay of evaluation and explanation in medicine's models of disease and health.
 

PHIL 315 - ETHICS, MEDICINE & PUB POLICY

Long Title: ETHICS, MEDICINE, AND PUBLIC POLICY
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: The relationship between theories of justice and accounts of the proper allocation of health care is explored. The first half examines Rawl's "Theory of Justice", Nozick's "Anarchy, State, and Utopia", and particular accounts of justice and health care. The second addresses specific problems in the allocation of health care resources.
 

PHIL 316 - PHILOSOPHY OF LAW

Long Title: PHILOSOPHY OF LAW
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Examination of social control of private property, compensation in the law of torts, the right to privacy and bodily integrity, and justice through compensatory discrimination, etc.
 

PHIL 317 - ETHICS AND EXISTENCE

Long Title: ETHICS AND EXISTENCE
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: An examination of the concept of ethical obligation from an existential point of view. Readings from Kierkegaard, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Derrida, Levinas, and Apel.
 

PHIL 319 - FEMINIST PHILOSOPHY

Long Title: FEMINIST PHILOSOPHY
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: This course is an introduction to feminist philosophy, including texts by both historical and contemporary thinkers (e.g. Wollstonecraft, Mill, de Beauvoir, MacKinnon, Gilligan, Irigaray). We shall discuss both feminists' radical critiques of traditional values and beliefs, and feminist alternative views of justice, ethical judgment, and truth. Cross-list: WGST 339.
 

PHIL 321 - KANT & 19TH CENTURY PHILOSOPHY

Long Title: KANT AND 19TH CENTURY PHILOSOPHY
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Description: An examination of Kant's philosophical revolution in his Critique of Pure Reason, and of the development and criticism of conceptions of self-consciousness, autonomy, sociality, and history in the later post-Kantian philosophical tradition, which may include works by Hegel, Schopenhauer, Marx, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, or others. Recommended prerequisite(s): One previous course in philosophy.
 

PHIL 322 - PHILOSOPHY OF ENLIGHTENMENT

Long Title: REASON AND FAITH: PHILOSOPHY OF ENLIGHTENMENT
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: This course will study the core texts from the European Enlightenment traditions (British, French, and German). Our goal will be to investigate the Enlightenment doctrines concerning the nature of reason and rationality, and the varying engagements-from conciliatory to antagonistic of the defenders of reason with faith and organized religions. Cross-list: ENGL 334.
 

PHIL 326 - HISTORY OF ETHICS

Long Title: HISTORY OF ETHICS
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: An introduction to the major issues of ethical theory through the reading and discussion of such classical figures as Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, the Epicureans, St. Augustine, St. Thomas, Maimonides, Bishop Butler, David Hume, Adam Smith, J.S. Mill, and I. Kant.
 

PHIL 327 - HIST SOCIAL & POLITICAL PHILOS

Long Title: HISTORY OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: A survey of classic texts in the history of social and political philosophy, from Plato to Machiavelli to Mill.
 

PHIL 331 - MORAL PSYCHOLOGY

Long Title: MORAL PSYCHOLOGY
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: An examination of the role of intellect, emotion, and character as they contribute to the moral (and immoral) life, and as they pertain to rationality and moral responsibility.
 

PHIL 332 - ANIMAL RIGHTS

Long Title: ANIMAL RIGHTS
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Is it wrong to breed animals for food and experimentation? Do we have a moral obligation to eliminate meat from our diets and leather from our wardrobes? Do non-human animals have rights? This course will explore these questions.
 

PHIL 333 - CONSEQUENTIALISM

Long Title: CONSEQUENTIALISM
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Description: This course focuses on the debate between the two currently dominant approaches to ethical theory consequentialism, whose best known version is utilitarianism, and deontology, as defended by such philosophers as Kant, Ross, Nagel, and Thomson.
 

PHIL 335 - ADV TOPICS IN VALUE THEORY

Long Title: ADVANCED TOPICS IN VALUE THEORY
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Intensive examination of a topic of contemporary or historical interest in ethics or social and political philosophy. Recommended prerequisite(s): One course in philosophy or permission of the instructor.
 

PHIL 336 - MEDICAL ETHICS

Long Title: MEDICAL ETHICS
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: A philosophical examination of some of the fundamental issues in clinical ethics, including informed consent, competency, confidentiality, end of life decision making, the definition of death, allocating scarce medical resources, and the role of economic analysis in clinical decision making. Readings drawn from the clinical and philosophical literature. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: PHIL 536.
 

PHIL 342 - GENDER, RACE AND TECHNOSCIENCE

Long Title:
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Description: This upper-level discussion-style seminar explores the influences of science, medicine, and technology to the conceptual formations and lived experiences of race, sex, and gender. Readings will be interdisciplinary with a heavy focus on historical and feminist science, medicine, and technology studies. Each participant will make one presentation and lead one dicussion.
 

PHIL 353 - PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE

Long Title: PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Philosophical investigation of relations among language, thought, and reality. Recommended prerequisite(s): One course in philosophy or permission of the instructor.
 

PHIL 355 - PHIL TOPICS IN ADVANCED LOGIC

Long Title: PHILOSOPHICAL TOPICS IN ADVANCED LOGIC
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisite(s): PHIL 305 OR PHIL 505
Description: Various systems of formalization for modalities, tenses and other intentional concepts are studied syntactically and semantically. Students use and compare these systems and evaluate their strengths and limits. These provide examples for discussion of questions such as: What is a logical constant? What is the scope of logic?
Course URL: http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~phil355
 

PHIL 357 - INCOMPL, UNDECIDED&COMPUTBLTY

Long Title: INCOMPLETENESS, UNDECIDABILITY, AND COMPUTABILITY
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Distribution Group: Distribution Group III
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Proof of Godel's Incompleteness Theorems for number theory in several forms and by various methods, as well as development of several definitions of computability for number-theoretic functions, which are then shown to be equivalent. Includes proof of the unsolvability of the Halting Problem and analysis of Church's thesis, as well as exploration of the extension of the concept of computability to real-valued functions.
Course URL: http://www/owlnet.rice.edu/~phil357
 

PHIL 390 - TOPICS IN PHILOSOPHY

Long Title: TOPICS IN PHILOSOPHY
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Topics may vary. Please consult with department for additional information. Repeatable for credit with consent of the instructor. Repeatable for Credit.
 

PHIL 401 - INDEPENDENT READING I

Long Title: INDEPENDENT READING I
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Course for undergraduate students to pursue independent research projects under direction of a philosophy department faculty member. Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.
 

PHIL 402 - INDEPENDENT READING II

Long Title: INDEPENDENT READING II
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Description: See PHIL 401. Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.
 

PHIL 411 - HONORS

Long Title: HONORS
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Research
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Independent research course for undergraduate philosophy majors who wish to receive honors in the major. Students may enroll in PHIL 411 only with consent of a faculty advisor and the department, and only if they intend to enroll in PHIL 412 as well. Honors is a year-long research course. Instructor Permission Required.
 

PHIL 412 - HONORS

Long Title: HONORS
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Research
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Independent research course for undergraduate philosophy majors who wish to receive honors in the major. Students may enroll in PHIL 412 only with consent of a faculty advisor and the department, and only if they intend to enroll in PHIL 411 as well. Honors is a year-long research course. Instructor Permission Required.
 

PHIL 501 - SEM IN ANCIENT/MEDIEVAL PHIL

Long Title: SEMINAR IN ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Description:
 

PHIL 502 - SEMINAR IN MODERN PHILOSOPHY

Long Title: SEMINAR IN MODERN PHILOSOPHY
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Graduate level examination of topics and figures of 17th and 18th century history of philosophy. Topics vary from year to year. Repeatable for credit with the consent of the instructor. Repeatable for Credit.
 

PHIL 503 - SEMINAR IN EPISTEMOLOGY

Long Title: SEMINAR IN EPISTEMOLOGY
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Description:
 

PHIL 504 - SEMINAR IN METAPHYSICS

Long Title: SEMINAR IN METAPHYSICS
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Description:
 

PHIL 505 - MATHEMATICAL LOGIC

Long Title: MATHEMATICAL LOGIC
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Description: A version of PHIL 305 for philosophy graduate students. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: PHIL 305.
 

PHIL 506 - SEMINAR IN ETHICS

Long Title: SEMINAR IN ETHICS
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Description:
 

PHIL 507 - SEM SOCIAL &POLITICAL PHILO

Long Title: SEMINAR IN SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Description:
 

PHIL 508 - SEM CONTINENTAL PHILOSOPHY

Long Title: SEMINAR IN CONTINENTAL PHILOSOPHY
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Description: The study of selected topics and figures in 20th century European philosophy. Repeatable for credit with consent of the instructor. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: PHIL 308. Repeatable for Credit.
 

PHIL 509 - SEMINAR IN AESTHETICS

Long Title: SEMINAR IN AESTHETICS
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Description: A focused seminar on one aspect of aesthetics, either topical or historical; to include, e.g., the 18th century theories of taste, beauty and the sublime, environmental aesthetics, or the nature of artistic expression. Repeatable for credit with consent of the instructor. Repeatable for Credit.
 

PHIL 512 - SEMINAR PHILOSOPHY OF MIND

Long Title: SEMINAR PHILOSOPHY OF MIND
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Description:
 

PHIL 513 - SEM PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE

Long Title: SEMINAR IN PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Focused consideration of either topics of perennial interest (e.g. explanation, experiment, the problem of induction, confirmation, the measurement problem of quantum mechanics, interpretation of probability, realism vs. anti-realism, the role of values in science) or topics currently popular in the field.
 

PHIL 516 - SEMINAR IN PHILOSOPHY OF LAW

Long Title: SEMINAR IN PHILOSOPHY OF LAW
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Description: The seminar will concentrate on one or more of such central topics in the philosophy of law as the normative foundations of contracts, criminal responsibility, the debate over legal positivism, theories of corrective justice, and the duty to obey the law.
 

PHIL 522 - TOPICS IN MODERN PHILOSOPHY

Long Title: TOPICS IN MODERN PHILOSOPHY
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Topics in early modern philosophy: a focused, more advanced seminar on select problems or figures in the 17th and 18th centuries. Repeatable for credit with consent of the instructor. Repeatable for Credit.
 

PHIL 523 - SEMINAR IN KANT

Long Title: SEMINAR IN KANT
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Description:
 

PHIL 524 - SEMINAR IN HEGEL

Long Title: SEMINAR IN HEGEL
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Description:
 

PHIL 525 - SEMINAR IN 19TH C. PHILOSOPHY

Long Title: SEMINAR IN 19TH CENTURY PHILOSOPHY
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Description: An in-depth investigation of a central philosophical movement (eg. romanticism, German idealism) and/or of the works of one or more central philosophers in the 19th century, to include, e.g., Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Marx, Kierkegaard, Schelling, and Fichte. Repeatable for credit with consent of the instructor. Repeatable for Credit.
 

PHIL 530 - SEM HIST ANALYTIC PHILOSOPHY

Long Title: SEMINAR IN HISTORY OF ANALYTIC PHILOSOPHY
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Description:
Course URL: http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~phil530
 

PHIL 532 - SEMINAR IN METAETHICS

Long Title: SEMINAR IN METAETHICS
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Description:
 

PHIL 533 - CONSEQUENTIALISM

Long Title: CONSEQUENTIALISM
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Description: The leading question of virtue ethics has been characterized as: "What kind of person is it best to be?" Topics to be discussed may include moral worth, virtues and vices, and feminist ethics.
 

PHIL 534 - LIBERALISM

Long Title: LIBERALISM
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Description: An examination of the philosophical foundations of liberalism, with emphasis on the thesis that government should be neutral toward competing conceptions of the good life. Course offered alternate years.
 

PHIL 535 - ADV TOPICS IN VALUE THEORY

Long Title: ADVANCED TOPICS IN VALUE THEORY
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Intensive examination of a topic of contemporary or historical interest in ethics or social and political philosophy.
 

PHIL 536 - SEMINAR IN MEDICAL ETHICS

Long Title: SEMINAR IN MEDICAL ETHICS
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Description: An examination of the theoretical foundations of bioethics emphasizing principalism, utilitarianism, Kantianism, contractarianism, medicalism, post-modernism, and casuistry. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: PHIL 336.
 

PHIL 537 - SEMINAR IN RESEARCH ETHICS

Long Title: SEMINAR IN RESEARCH ETHICS
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Description: An examination of the major issues of research ethics, including informed consent and IRB review, involvement and protection of special groups of subjects, fetal tissue and stem cell research, and genetic research.
 

PHIL 542 - TOPICS IN PHILOSOPHY OF MIND

Long Title: TOPICS IN PHILOSOPHY OF MIND
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Description: An in-depth look at different topics in contemporary philosophy of mind. Some sample topics: consciousness, mental representation, innateness, modularity, and the role of language in thought. Repeatable for credit with consent of the instructor. Repeatable for Credit.
 

PHIL 553 - SEM PHILOSOPHY LANGUAGE

Long Title: SEMINAR IN PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 3
Description:
 

PHIL 590 - TOPICS IN PHILOSOPHY

Long Title: TOPICS IN PHILOSOPHY
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Credit Hours: 3
Description: Topics may vary: Please consult with the department for additional information. Repeatable for Credit.
 

PHIL 598 - ADVANCED INDEPENDENT READING

Long Title: ADVANCED INDEPENDENT READING
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Independent Study
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions:
Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s):
Graduate
Must be enrolled in one of the following Major(s):
Philosophy
Description: Directed reading and research. Repeatable for Credit.
 

PHIL 599 - ADVANCED INDEPENDENT READING

Long Title: ADVANCED INDEPENDENT READING
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Independent Study
Credit Hours: 1 TO 6
Restrictions:
Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s):
Graduate
Must be enrolled in one of the following Major(s):
Philosophy
Description: Directed reading and research. Repeatable for Credit.
 

PHIL 601 - RESEARCH PAPER

Long Title: RESEARCH PAPER
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Research
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions:
Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s):
Graduate
Must be enrolled in one of the following Major(s):
Philosophy
Description: Research course normally for second-year graduate students completing research paper requirement.
 

PHIL 602 - RESEARCH PAPER

Long Title: RESEARCH PAPER
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Research
Credit Hours: 3
Restrictions:
Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s):
Graduate
Must be enrolled in one of the following Major(s):
Philosophy
Description: Research course normally for second year graduate students completing research paper requirement.
 

PHIL 651 - MASTERS THESIS RESEARCH

Long Title: MASTERS THESIS RESEARCH
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Research
Credit Hours: 1 TO 15
Restrictions:
Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s):
Graduate
Must be enrolled in one of the following Major(s):
Philosophy
Description: Research course for graduate students preparing a masters thesis. Repeatable for Credit.
 

PHIL 652 - MASTERS THESIS RESEARCH

Long Title: MASTERS THESIS RESEARCH
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Research
Credit Hours: 1 TO 15
Restrictions:
Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s):
Graduate
Must be enrolled in one of the following Major(s):
Philosophy
Description: Research course for graduate students preparing a Masters thesis. Repeatable for Credit.
 

PHIL 701 - RESEARCH QUALIFYING & THESIS

Long Title: READING AND RESEARCH FOR QUALIFYING EXAMINATION AND THESIS PROPOSAL
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Research
Credit Hours: 1 TO 15
Restrictions:
Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s):
Graduate
Must be enrolled in one of the following Major(s):
Philosophy
Description: Reading course in preparation for the comprehensive examination and thesis proposal defense. Repeatable for Credit.
 

PHIL 702 - RESEARCH QUALIFYING & THESIS

Long Title: READING AND RESEARCH FOR QUALIFYING EXAMINATION AND THESIS PROPOSAL
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Research
Credit Hours: 1 TO 15
Restrictions:
Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s):
Graduate
Must be enrolled in one of the following Major(s):
Philosophy
Description: Reading course in preparation for the comprehensive examination and thesis proposal defense. Repeatable for Credit.
 

PHIL 757 - TEACHING WORKSHOP

Long Title: TEACHING WORKSHOP
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 2
Description: A highly participatory workshop for graduate students to improve their teaching abilities.
 

PHIL 758 - RESEARCH AND WRITING WORKSHOP

Long Title: RESEARCH AND WRITING WORKSHOP
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Seminar
Credit Hours: 1
Description: A participatory practical workshop for graduate students to learn about professional aspects of work in philosophy, including research methods and writing for publication and conferences. Department Permission Required.
 

PHIL 800 - RESEARCH AND THESIS

Long Title: RESEARCH AND THESIS
Department: Philosophy
Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Course Type: Research
Credit Hours: 1 TO 15
Restrictions:
Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s):
Graduate
Must be enrolled in one of the following Major(s):
Philosophy
Description:  Repeatable for Credit.