P H I L O S O P H Y
Notes
- Some Philosophy courses are offered more often than others. For details on upcoming course offerings, consult the Department of Philosophy website. Details of St. Jerome's Philosophy offerings are available on the St. Jerome's University website.
- In general, 300-level courses assume some background in Philosophy. Students who have not taken any Philosophy courses before but who wish to register in a 300-level course should consult the course instructor.
- Courses suffixed with "J" are administered by St. Jerome's University.
- Some main campus Philosophy courses are taught by the St. Jerome's University Department of Philosophy, and from time-to-time by faculty members at Conrad Grebel University College, Renison University College, and St. Paul's University College. Consult Quest for details.
Course ID: 007231
Introduction to Philosophy
This course seeks to introduce students to the nature of philosophy. This is done through the examination of core texts and figures in the history of philosophy as well as in the discussion of perennial philosophical questions.
Offered at St. Jerome's University
Course ID: 015390
Challenging Ideas: An Introduction to Philosophy
Students will examine and challenge some influential ideas in philosophy and consider their importance to our lives. Questions might include: Does science describe the world as it really is? Is the mind just the brain? What can we know? Should we be moral? Do we have free will?
Antireq: PHIL 110A, 110B
Course ID: 007228
Introduction to Philosophy: Knowledge and Reality
An introduction to central issues in metaphysics and epistemology. Questions to be considered might include: "Can we know anything?", "Does God exist?", "Is the mind just a brain?", "Do human beings have free will?"
Antireq: PHIL 101
Course ID: 010344
Introduction to Philosophy: Ethics and Values
This course is an introduction to philosophical thinking about ethics and value, that is, about what is good, right, fair, just, and worthwhile in life. Includes consideration of questions such as "What is the right thing to do?" and "Do human beings have free will?"
Antireq: PHIL 101
Course ID: 007241
Virtue and the Good Life
An examination of the importance of virtue in general and of the cardinal virtues in particular (practical wisdom, justice, courage, and moderation) for the development of moral character and the enjoyment of the good life.
Offered at St. Jerome's University
Course ID: 007242
The Meaning of Life
We may have distinct ideas about the reason why we do this or that, but is there a point to our existence as a whole? What do or should we live for? Or is life essentially meaningless or even absurd? What do such questions mean and how can we best answer them? The views of different philosophers will be explored and compared.
Offered at St. Jerome's University
Course ID: 007271
Moral Issues
This course surveys several controversial moral topics, and a range of philosophical views on each. Topics may include abortion, cloning, euthanasia and suicide, sexism, prostitution, pornography, torture, and animal rights.
[Note: Formerly PHIL 220.]
Antireq: PHIL 220
Course ID: 007246
Critical Thinking
An analysis of basic types of reasoning, structure of arguments, critical assessment of information, common fallacies, problems of clarity and meaning.
Course ID: 007250
Aristotelian Logic
An introduction to the understanding of how words are used, the formation of propositions, the construction of arguments and the examination of fallacies to help the student argue with order, facility and without error.
Offered at St. Jerome's University
Course ID: 007251
Philosophy of Sex and Love
Classic and contemporary philosophical examination of sex and love. Questions considered might include the following: Do you love because your love-object is worthy, or do you find your love-object worthy because of your love for them? Does sex ever involve using persons as mere means to an end? Should it?
Course ID: 007253
Gender Issues
Philosophical analysis of issues relating to sex/gender. Questions considered might include the following: What, if anything, is the difference between sex and gender? How much of a role do facts about biology play in our ideas about sex and gender? How many sexes are there? What ethical issues arise for us in virtue of our gender?
Antireq: WS 222
(Cross-listed with GSJ 222)
Course ID: 007254
Philosophy and Culture
An exploration of the nature of culture and its role in the life and development of the human being through an analysis of the assumptions of Western popular culture in such areas as technology and the internet, individual freedom, sexuality, and the global economy.
Offered at St. Jerome's University
Course ID: 015088
Philosophy of Economics
This course considers conceptual, methodological, foundational, and ethical issues in economic theory and practice. Questions include: What can philosophy teach us about economic methodology and justification? Are economic formalizations useful idealizations of human behaviour? Is economics a science? What role do values play in economic reasoning and policy-making?
Antireq: PHIL 371 taken winter 2014
(Cross-listed with ECON 261)
Course ID: 015089
Philosophy of Sport
This course uses the tools of philosophy to ask important questions about sport, such as: What is sport? What is the value of sport for participants or fans? Are violent sports unethical? Should performance enhancing drugs be banned? What is luck, and how is it different from skill?
(Cross-listed with REC 206)
Course ID: 015311
Philosophy and J.R.R. Tolkien
An introduction to the implicit philosophical content of Tolkien's works, with a special emphasis on Lord of the Rings. Problems such as the existence of God, fate, free will, evil, death, and technology will be explored. Tolkien's views will be examined in relation to philosophical works.
Antireq: PHIL 209 taken winter 2015, fall 2015
Offered at St. Jerome's University
Course ID: 015491
Death and the After-Life
What is death? What does it mean for a person to die? Is death an evil thing and what attitude should the living person have toward death? Is there any rational or philosophical reason to believe in immortality? Questions such as these will be explored using the views of a certain number of philosophers.
Antireq: PHIL 120J taken prior to fall 2017
Offered at St. Jerome's University
Course ID: 007266
Professional and Business Ethics
Study of ethical and moral issues that typically arise in professional and business activity. What responsibilities to society at large do people in such business and professional activities as teaching, engineering, planning, architecture, and accounting have? How far should professional autonomy extend?
Prereq: Not open to Accounting and Financial Management students
(Cross-listed with ARBUS 202)
Course ID: 007267
Probability and Decision Making
This course covers a set of related topics in probability, inductive reasoning, game theory, and decision theory which are of both theoretical and practical interest, having application to the philosophy of science, epistemology, political philosophy, ethics, political science, and economics. The course begins with probability theory, introduces utility theory, and discusses approaches to the theory of decision making with attention to their epistemological, social, and ethical implications.
Course ID: 007269
Foundations of Ethics
What is ethics and what is it based on? What does it mean for an action, a person, or a life to be morally good? Can philosophy provide any objective and universal answers to moral questions? The views of different philosophers will be discussed.
Offered at St. Jerome's University
Course ID: 015494
Philosophy of Friendship
Friendship is an essential part of a happy life. Ancient western philosophers made friendship one of the cornerstones of their ethics. This course is an exploration of their views on problems such as the necessity of friendship, its nature, its species, and its relationship to happiness and the political community.
Antireq: PHIL 403 taken winter 2017
(Cross-listed with CLAS 220)
Offered at St. Jerome's University
Course ID: 007272
Ethics
An introduction to moral theories, including ones based on virtue, consequences, and rights and duties, with discussion of historical developments leading to those theories.
Course ID: 007274
Environmental Ethics
Philosophical perspectives on such issues as climate change, pollution, use of scarce resources, biodiversity, and our relations with animals and future generations. This course will also consider bioactivism and other approaches to environmental problems.
Course ID: 012678
Culture and Ethics
This course surveys a variety of competing ethical positions that have been, and continue to be, adopted by different cultures around the world. Can two competing ethical viewpoints both be right? If not, then what grounds should we adopt to decide between them, and under what circumstances? How can we negotiate the difficulties that such differences pose for our practical judgment and moral theorizing? Students will engage these questions by reading texts in philosophical ethics and meta-ethics, and by applying what they have learned in case studies of ethical differences among cultures.
(Cross-listed with INDEV 300)
Course ID: 016076
Ethics and Artificial Intelligence
Philosophical perspectives on the ethical issues raised by developments in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Potential topics include fairness and bias in the use of algorithms, accountability and responsibility for autonomous systems, privacy and surveillance, and what it might mean for a machine to engage in moral reasoning.
Course ID: 007277
God and Philosophy
What is God? Does God exist? Can philosophy prove God or is agnosticism or atheism more reasonable? Is God compatible with evil and suffering or with a modern scientific worldview? Such questions will be explored from a variety of perspectives.
Offered at St. Jerome's University
Course ID: 007281
Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion
A critical discussion of basic religious concepts. Among the topics covered will be faith, miracles, religious experience, immortality, arguments for the existence of God, and challenges to religious belief.
[Note: This course fulfils an Area 3 requirement for Religious Studies majors.]
(Cross-listed with RS 261)
Course ID: 007285
Introduction to Formal Logic
An examination of classical propositional logic, covering proof methods, expressive completeness, soundness, and completeness. Also an introduction to quantificational logic.
Prereq: Not open to students in the Faculty of Mathematics
Course ID: 013567
Critical Thinking About Science
How does science work? Does anything fall outside the scope of scientific inquiry? Under what circumstances do scientific claims deserve our trust? Does corporate funding of research affect its credibility? What can scientific failures teach us about scientific success? By looking at case studies of recognized scientific successes and failures, this course addresses these questions in a way that emphasizes core philosophical concepts in epistemology, philosophy of science, and ethics.
Course ID: 015087
Metaphysics and Epistemology
This course introduces philosophical theories about the nature of reality (metaphysics), how we gain knowledge of it (epistemology), and of why such questions matter. Topics may include skepticism, the nature of rationality, knowledge of other minds, realism and anti-realism, and free will and determinism.
Course ID: 015388
Quantum Mechanics for Everyone
Quantum mechanics is driving a technological revolution. This course offers an introduction to the basic concepts of quantum mechanics from a historical and philosophical perspective. The course will supply the background needed to understand the controversies surrounding the interpretation of quantum mechanics as well as the principles behind the cutting-edge research being carried out at the Perimeter Institute and the University of Waterloo.
Antireq: PHIL 271 taken winter 2016, winter 2017
(Cross-listed with SCI 252)
Course ID: 007293
Introduction to Cognitive Science
Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary study of mind and intelligence. This course will draw on philosophy, psychology, artificial intelligence, linguistics, neuroscience, and anthropology to address central questions about the nature of thinking. Topics discussed will include mental representation, computational models of mind, and consciousness.
(Cross-listed with PSYCH 256)
Course ID: 007320
Philosophy of Mathematics
An introduction to philosophical problems concerning mathematics. Topics may include: what makes mathematical statements true (e.g., do numbers exist?); whether mathematics is a human creation or something we discover; what counts as a proof; mathematical paradoxes; the relationship between mathematics and other sciences; and mathematical pluralism.
[Note: Formerly PHIL 359.]
Antireq: PHIL 359
Course ID: 008523
Introduction to the Philosophy of Science
This course considers fundamental questions concerning the nature of science. Consideration is given to such topics as scientific methodology, scientific revolutions, natural laws, and the debate about whether scientific theories represent reality, or just our perceptions of reality.
(Cross-listed with SCI 267)
Course ID: 011904
Philosophy of Technology
What is technology? What is its relationship with modern science? Is technology a means or an end? Does the development of technology require a change in the way we conceive human nature and its place within the natural world? What new moral and metaphysical dilemmas does technology raise?
Course ID: 016322
Ancient Science
The ancient Greeks developed scientific theories that were influential for over a thousand years. Their worldview was different from ours, but they sought to explain some of the same phenomena that we grapple with today. In this course, we will study ancient Greek theories and methodologies in the sciences, which may include physics, astronomy, mathematics, meteorology, cosmology, astrology, and geography.
Antireq: PHIL 271 taken winter 2019
(Cross-listed with CLAS 260, SCI 266)
Course ID: 016075
Postmodernist Philosophy
A critical examination of postmodernism as a philosophical movement that has profoundly influenced the contemporary world. The course will introduce students to the main tenets of postmodernist philosophy in areas such as rationality, morality, politics, religion, art, and culture.
Offered at St. Jerome's University
Course ID: 007297
The Existentialist Experience
An introduction to existentialism using both literary and philosophical texts.
Course ID: 007248
Great Works: Ancient and Medieval
A historical survey of ancient and medieval philosophy in the Western tradition.
Antireq: PHIL 250A
(Cross-listed with CLAS 261)
Course ID: 015495
Great Christian Thinkers
An introduction to and examination of the thought of one important figure of Christian philosophy, such as Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, or Kierkegaard. The choice of the philosopher studied varies from term to term.
[Note: This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of three times.]
Offered at St. Jerome's University
Course ID: 015496
Great German Thinkers
An introduction to and examination of the thought of one important figure (such as Leibniz, Kant, Nietzsche, or Heidegger) or school (such as Idealism, Romanticism, or phenomenology) of German philosophy. The choice of the philosopher(s) studied varies from term to term.
[Note: This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of three times.]
(Cross-listed with GER 286)
Offered at St. Jerome's University
Course ID: 012693
Nature of Scientific Knowledge
This course examines how knowledge is produced in scientific disciplines, including the nature of inquiry, as well as types of evidence and expertise across different fields. The course features significant input from scientific practitioners in the form of guest lectures.
(Cross-listed with INTEG 220)
Course ID: 012694
The Social Nature of Knowledge
This course examines social aspects of knowledge, including ways that characteristics of individual knowers and their communities affect the acquisition, interpretation, production, and transfer of knowledge. In addition, we analyze the consequences this has for the objectivity of knowledge. The course features significant input from researchers in the humanities and social sciences in the form of guest lectures.
(Cross-listed with INTEG 221)
Course ID: 015384
Topics in Feminist Philosophy
Special topics in feminist philosophy, as announced by the department. Possible topics include (but are not limited to) bodily autonomy, reproductive justice, intersectionality, feminist epistemology, and the metaphysics of race and/or gender.
[Note: This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of three times.]
Prereq: Level at least 2A
Course ID: 007256
Philosophy of Nature
A philosophical study of the most fundamental and common aspects of the natural world. After examining how such a study differs from and complements modern science, topics such as nature, matter, change, cause, time, and chance will be explored.
Prereq: Level at least 2A
Offered at St. Jerome's University
Course ID: 007257
Philosophy of Science
A philosophical study of the approaches to the material world used by contemporary physical science. The nature and the value of the experimental method in the writings of scientists past and present will be examined.
Prereq: Level at least 2A
Offered at St. Jerome's University
Course ID: 005811
Ethics and the Engineering Profession
An analysis from the standpoint of philosophical ethics of moral issues arising in professional engineering practice. Issues include the social responsibility of engineers, conflict of interest and obligation, morally acceptable levels of risk, and moral implications of technology.
Prereq: Level at least 2A
(Cross-listed with GENE 412)
Course ID: 007309
Ethics of End-of-Life Care
What options does a person reaching the end of life have and how can they best be cared for? How can we balance patient autonomy with the expertise of the health-care provider and the demands of the health-care system? This course will help students think philosophically and critically about issues like these in their cultural, historical, and legal context. Specific topics may include consent, human dignity, euthanasia, refusal or withdrawal of treatment, palliative care and holistic patient care, pluralism and diverse understandings of dying, and treatment of the elderly.
Offered at St. Jerome's University
Course ID: 015385
Topics in Value Theory
Special topics in value theory, as announced by the department. Possible topics include (but are not limited to) meta-ethics, moral psychology, moral responsibility, justice and oppression, international justice, and specific topics in applied ethics.
[Note: This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of three times.]
Prereq: PHIL 221
Course ID: 016077
The Philosophy of Palliative Care
An exploration of the principles and approaches of the hospice-palliative care movement as it was developed by its founders in the 20th century and as applied today. Topics may include the principles of pain and suffering management, holistic care of patients and their families, value of life at all stages, and integrating palliative care into mainstream medicine.
Offered at St. Jerome's University
Course ID: 010346
Social and Political Philosophy
An examination of central issues in social and political philosophy. This course draws on both contemporary and historical readings to discuss issues such as: Does the state have legitimate authority to govern? What is the just way to distribute resources? What is the value of equality? Of liberty? What rights, if any, do we have, and why?
Prereq: Level at least 2A
Course ID: 007336
Philosophy of Social Justice
What is justice and more particularly what makes a society just? In the philosophical treatment of this problem, notions such as the purpose of community living, private and common goods, individual freedom, and social responsibility will be explored.
Offered at St. Jerome's University
Course ID: 007311
Philosophy of Law
Basic themes in the philosophy of law. Issues include the nature of law and its relation to morality and politics, legal reasoning, the justification of punishment, and theories of rights, responsibility, and liability.
Prereq: Level at least 2A
(Cross-listed with LS 351)
Course ID: 011185
Human Rights
What are human rights? Which do we have, and why? What are the practical implications of human rights, for both individuals and institutions? A comprehensive discussion of theory and history, of law and morality, and of national and international applications.
Prereq: Level at least 2A
(Cross-listed with LS 352)
Course ID: 009925
Violence, Non-violence, and War
An exploration of the traditional debates concerning the legitimacy of violence and war as instruments in the pursuit of personal and political goals. The course critically examines a continuum of views from religious doctrines of non-resistance, to various forms of pacifism and non-violent resistance, "just-war theory", and political realism. The strategic arguments for political non-violent action are also considered.
Prereq: Level at least 2A
(Cross-listed with PACS 316)
Course ID: 007315
Philosophy of Art
What is art? What is beauty? What do the two have to do with each other? This course introduces students to some fundamental issues in the philosophy of art, and to a variety of philosophical views on these issues.
Prereq: Level at least 2A
(Cross-listed with FINE 338)
Course ID: 015386
Topics in Formal Philosophy
Special topics in formal philosophy, as announced by the department. Potential topics may include (but are not limited to) non-standard logics, intermediate classical logic, game and decision theory, philosophy of mathematics, and formal epistemology.
[Note: This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of three times.]
Prereq: Level at least 2A
Course ID: 007317
Topics in Epistemology
Special topics in epistemology, as announced by the department. Potential topics include (but are not limited to) the epistemology of testimony, the epistemology of disagreement, normative social cognition, and the varieties and functions of ignorance.
[Note: This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of three times.]
Prereq: One of PHIL 250B, 251, 255, 284
Course ID: 009527
Topics in Metaphysics
Special topics in metaphysics, as announced by the Department. Potential topics include (but are not limited to) universals and particulars, the mind-body problem, realism and anti-realism, and the nature of time.
[Note: This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of three times.]
Prereq: One of PHIL 250A, 250B, 251, 283/CLAS 261, 284
Course ID: 014722
Intelligence in Machines, Humans, and Other Animals
A comparison of the representations and processes that produce intelligent performance, such as problem-solving, learning, and language in natural and artificial systems.
Prereq: PHIL/PSYCH 256
(Cross-listed with COGSCI 300)
Course ID: 015387
Topics in Philosophy of Science
Special topics in the philosophy of science, as announced by the department. Possible topics include (but are not limited to) philosophy of physics, philosophy of biology, the philosophy of social science, topics in the history and philosophy of science, general philosophy of science, and science in society.
[Note: This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of three times.]
Prereq: Level at least 2A
Course ID: 007324
History of Ancient Philosophy
In this course students will examine one or more important figures, periods, or issues in ancient philosophy. Plato and Aristotle are among the philosophers who may be covered.
[Note: This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of three times.]
Prereq: 0.50 units in PHIL
(Cross-listed with CLAS 361)
Course ID: 007326
Medieval Philosophy
In this course students will examine one or more important figures, periods, or issues in medieval philosophy. Augustine, Boethius, Avicenna, Maimonides, Aquinas, and Scotus are among the philosophers who may be covered.
[Note: This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of three times.]
Prereq: 0.50 unit in PHIL
Course ID: 007328
History of Modern Philosophy
In this course, students will learn about one or more important figures, periods, or issues in modern philosophy. Descartes, Locke, Leibniz, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant are among the figures who may be covered.
[Note: This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of three times.]
Prereq: 0.50 unit in PHIL
Course ID: 007330
19th- and 20th-Century Philosophy
A course on one or more important figures or issues in 19th- or 20th-century philosophy, as announced by the department. The focus of the course may change each time it is offered. Potential figures include (but are not limited to) Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, James, Dewey, Peirce, Frege, Carnap, and Russell.
[Note: This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of three times.]
Prereq: 0.50 units in PHIL
Course ID: 007335
Studies in Feminist Philosophy/Philosophy of Sex
Special topics in feminist philosophy, women philosophers and/or the philosophy of sex, as announced by the Department of Philosophy.
[Note: This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of four times. Formerly WS 422/PHIL 402.]
Prereq: Level at least 3A Philosophy students
(Cross-listed with GSJ 402)
Course ID: 011189
Studies in Ancient Philosophy
Special topics in ancient philosophy, as announced by the department.
[Note: This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of three times.]
Prereq: Level at least 3A Philosophy students
(Cross-listed with CLAS 461)
Course ID: 011191
Studies in Modern Philosophy
Special topics in 17th- and 18th-century philosophy, as announced by the Department.
[Note: This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of three times.]
Prereq: Level at least 3A Philosophy students
Course ID: 011193
Studies in 19th- and 20th-Century Philosophy
Special topics in 19th- and 20th-century philosophy, as announced by the Department.
[Note: This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of three times.]
Prereq: Level at least 3A Philosophy students
Course ID: 013574
Studies in Probability and Decision Theory
Special topics in probability and decision theory, as announced by the department.
[Note: This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of three times.]
Prereq: Level at least 3A Philosophy students
Course ID: 012715
Seminar in Cognitive Science
An interdisciplinary discussion of central issues concerned with mind and intelligence such as representation, meaning, inference, and consciousness.
[Note: This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of three times.]
Prereq: PHIL/PSYCH 256
(Cross-listed with PSYCH 447)
Course ID: 007348
Being and Existence
A discussion of metaphysics as the kind of examination initiated by the Greeks (e.g., Parmenides and Aristotle) and renewed subsequently by many other philosophers (e.g., Aquinas and Heidegger), understood as ontology or the rational study of being as such. Notions such as reality, essence, existence, and analogy will be discussed.
Prereq: Level at least 3A
Offered at St. Jerome's University
Course ID: 007349
Thomas Aquinas
An in-depth study of a particular theme in Thomas Aquinas. Specific topic to vary.
[Note: This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of three times.]
Prereq: 0.5 units in PHIL; Level at least 3A
Offered at St. Jerome's University
Course ID: 013576
Studies in the Philosophy of Science
Special topics in the philosophy of science, as announced by the department.
[Note: This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of three times.]
Prereq: Level at least 3A Philosophy students
Course ID: 013577
Studies in the Philosophy of Physics
An investigation of philosophical issues raised by physics. Topics could include the interpretation of quantum theory, the arrow of time, or the nature of space and time. This course is suitable for students with a background in either philosophy, physics, or mathematics.
[Note: This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of three times.]
Prereq: Level at least 3A Philosophy students
Course ID: 013578
Studies in the Philosophy of Language
Special topics in the philosophy of language, as announced by the department.
[Note: This is a repeatable course, subject to different content; it may be completed a total of three times.]
Prereq: Level at least 3A Philosophy students