Philosophy Courses
PHIL1HB. Phil HBSI Transfer Pillar
Philosophy HBSI Pillar Course
PHIL1XX. Philosophy Elective
PHIL200. Introduction to Philosophy
A critical examination of some basic problems and techniques of philosophy. The focus will be on issues in logic, epistemology, and metaphysics. Particular emphasis will be placed on using the Socratic method to discover, clarify, and answer big questions about topics such as the nature of truth, knowledge, freedom, good and evil, and what it is to be a human being. 3 credits.
PHIL210. Foundations of Western Philosp
An introduction to the Ancient Period in the history of Western philosophy, with emphasis on primary texts and major figures such as Plato and Aristotle. Students will learn to reconstruct arguments from philosophical texts and examine them both on their own merits and in the context of the historical circumstances in which they emerged. Philosophical texts may be supplemented with historical, literary, or other materials that serve to illuminate this context. 3 credits. FHCI, WI.
PHIL214. Survey 20th Cent Anal Phil
A survey of the development of analytic philosophy of the twentieth century. Topics covered will include the early paradigms of Moore and Russell, logical atomism in Russell and early Wittgenstein, logical positivism, the later Wittgenstein, the ordinary language school of philosophy, Quine's naturalism in semantics, Davidson's views on truth, Kripke's reconceptualization of semantic and metaphysical categories, and the legacy of the 20th century analytic philosophy. 3 credits.
PHIL220. Rules of Play: Sports as Legal
An introduction to the intersection of philosophy of sport and philosophy of law through consideration of controversial issues in sport, such as doping, instant replay, strategic fouls, officiating discretion, paying college athletes, retaliatory fouls, age and gender classifications, sportsmanship, and off-field conduct. 3 credits. FHBS, WI.
PHIL292. Internship in Philosophy
A semester-long, on-the-job learning experience designed to apply the principles of philosophy. 1-18 credits.
PHIL295. Special Topics Philosophy
The topics will vary from semester to semester. Descriptions will be available from academic advisors. May be repeated for credit when topics change. Prerequisite none. 1-3 credits.
PHIL2XX. Philosophy Elective
PHIL300. Logic
The fundamentals of deduction and induction which aid the student in developing habits of valid thinking and in understanding the scientific method. Emphasis on deductive logic and on tools for analysis of issues in different fields of inquiry. 3 credits.
PHIL308. Introduction to Ethics
An introduction to ethical theories and their applications to moral issues. This course has three major components: (1) a survey of the main normative and metaethical theories; (2) a detailed examination of the method of philosophical analysis; and (3) the application of ethical theories and philosophical analysis to contemporary moral issues. 3 credits.
PHIL315. Biomedical Ethics
Ethical inquiry into the concepts of person, autonomy, rights, responsibility, and justice relevant to biomedicine and their application to issues of euthanasia, abortion, genetic control, the definition of death, allocation of scarce medical resources, experimentation with human beings, and intentional deception in biomedicine. 3 credits.
PHIL316. Environmental Ethics
A study of how the principles of ethical theory can be applied to contemporary environmental controversies. The class will examine a variety of theoretical approaches to environmental ethics, comparing human-centered (anthropocentric), animal-centered (zoocentric), and nature-centered (biocentric) value systems. Students will study local, national, and global environmental issues including factory farming, pollution and pesticides, loss of biodiversity, habitat destruction, and global warming. 3 credits
PHIL320. Capitalism vs. Socialism
This course will consider the arguments for and against socialism, capitalism, and some less well known alternatives. We will seek to discern which economic system is best given the benefits and pitfalls of each. This course is interdisciplinary in nature. Our investigation will include arguments in political and ethical philosophy and substantial contact with the disciplines of economics, history, and political science. We also may engage with some literature and film in our interrogation of these economic systems. Pre-requisites: Completion of FHBS pillar. SI. PHBS. 3 credits.
PHIL325. Love, Sex, and Friendship
What is the nature of love? What contributes to a good friendship? What do close relationships demand of us? This course will examine love, sex, and friendship by engaging with philosophy and several other disciplines, which could include: literature, theology, psychology, and sociology. By the end of this course the student should know what others have said about love, sex, and friendship, and have begun to form a considered personal view concerning these phenomena. Prerequisite: Completion of FHBS pillar. 3 credits. PHBS. WI.
PHIL331. Ancient Mediev Pol Phil
Survey of the principal political theories and philosophies from ancient Greece through the Middle Ages, including the contributions of Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, St. Augustine, and St. Thomas Aquinas. Pre-requisites: Major or minor in political science or permission of the instructor. Junior or senior status also required. 3 credits.
PHIL332. Modern Political Philosophy
Survey of modern political theories and philosophies, including the contributions of Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Burke, and Marx. Pre-requisites: Major or minor in political science or permission of the instructor. Junior or senior status also required. 3 credits.
PHIL350. Aesthetics
A study of theories of art and beauty, including the relation between beauty and the arts, the function and value of the arts in culture, and standards for criticism and judgments of beauty. 3 credits.
PHIL351. Philosophy and Literature
Literature and philosophy are both means by which people attempt to assign meaning, shape, and value to human life and experience. This course will apply philosophical methods and questions to the interpretation of specific literary texts and will explore the possibility that literary narrative also possesses its own contribution to make to philosophical reasoning. Pre-requisites: Completion of FHBS and FAES. PHBS. WI. 3 credits.
PHIL355. Philosophy of Mind
A study of such leading theories as dualistic interactionism, behaviorism and materialism, which concern the nature of the person, self-knowledge, the relation to the mental and the physical and human action. Emphasis on theories of the self or person and on criteria for the evaluation thereof. Classical, modern, and contemporary sources. 3 credits.
PHIL360. Philosophy of Religion
A critical examination of certain problems in religion, including the nature of religion, grounds for belief and disbelief in God, the varieties of religious experience and immortality. Classical, modern and contemporary sources. 3 credits.
PHIL361. The Problem of Evil
If God is all powerful, all knowing, and supremely good, then why is there so much evil in the world? In philosophy of religion this problem is known as “the problem of evil”. In the first half of this course we will examine philosophical arguments against belief in God based on evil (and responses to them). The second half of the course fills out our conception of evil with units that could include evil in literature, the psychology of evil, and evil in film. Ultimately this course seeks to help students think seriously about the nature of evil and what this means for how we respond to it. Prerequisite: Completion of FHCI pillar. 3 credits. PHCI. WI.
PHIL365. Hist & Phil of Science
An examination of such issues as the logic of scientific reasoning and method, the distinction between science and pseudoscience, the analysis of central concepts in science, especially causality, law and explanation, and finally, the relation of science and values in our culture. Attention will be given to the development of a consistent point of view on these issues. Examples will be drawn from a broad range of sciences, both natural and social. 3 credits.
PHIL380. Doping in Sport & Society
This class will examine the science and ethics of doping in amateur, elite, and professional sport with special consideration of the physiology, economics, and ethics of sport as a social institution. Pre-requisite: Completion of FHBS Pillar. 3 credits.
PHIL390. Directed or Independent Study
Must be approved by the head of the department. May be repeated as 391. 1-18 credits.
PHIL392. Internship in Philosophy
A semester-long, on-the-job learning experience designed to apply the principles of philosophy. 1-18 credits.
PHIL417. Business Ethics
An introduction to the field of business ethics. Students will learn the philosophical concepts, theories, and skills needed to identify and reason through ethical issues that arise in the business world. Specific issues examined may include corporate social responsibility, product safety, truth in advertising, price gouging, workplace discrimination, and whistleblowing. Pre-requisites: Business Administration major with Junior standing or higher. 3 credits.
PHIL461. Seminar in Philosophy
An intensive study of one of the major philosophers emphasized in the introductory four-course sequence in the history of western philosophy. Lectures on the systematic position in general and student papers on particular topics on or about that position. Readings from major works of the philosopher chosen and from important critical secondary sources. Prerequisites: completion of the other specified required courses for either the major or minor programs in philosophy or permission of instructor. 3 credits.
PHIL490. Independent Study
A directed reading and/or research program on a topic or thinker selected by the student and approved by the director. 1-18 credits.
PHIL492. Internship in Philosophy
Experiential learning designed to apply the principles of philosophy. Prerequisite: A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 is required to enroll. 1-18 credits.
PHIL495. Special Topics
Selected topics in Philosophy. The topics will vary from semester to semester. Descriptions will be available from academic advisers. May be repeated for credit when topics change. 1-3 credits.
PHIL498. Senior Thesis in Philosophy
Students conduct an in-depth project in philosophy under the direction of a faculty member and the Longwood Senior Thesis Committee. May be repeated as 499. 3 credits.
PHIL499. Senior Thesis in Philosophy
Students conduct an in-depth project in philosophy under the direction of a faculty member and the Longwood Senior Thesis Committee. 3 credits.