Seattle University Philosophy Elective and Upper Division Courses The upper division courses listed here include courses that are required for majors. All of the courses, however, are also available as electives. While Philosophy 220 or 210 is the only formal prerequisite for these courses, students should consult with advisors before taking an advanced course such as the Major Figures course, which is intended as a capstone course for majors. Follow this link for the projected two-year schedule (Word Excel Document)
	Fall 2008 Course Descriptions PHIL 301: Ancient Philosophy Dombrowski 1:30-3:35 T, Th In this course we will study the thousand-year history of ancient philosophy from the Pre-Socratics to Socrates and Plato, to Aristotle, and to the Post-Aristotelian philosophers. We will pay special attention to Plato and Aristotle. Specifically, we will be concerned with how to read carefully, think logically, speak persuasively, and write clearly about these two giants in the history of philosophy. We will take seriously Coleridge’s claim that each person is born either a Platonist or an Aristotelian, and Whitehead’s belief that all of Western philosophy is a series of footnotes to Plato. PHIL 326: Philosophy of Law Carl 3:45-5:50 T, Th This course provides a critical examination of classical, modern, and contemporary theories of law with special focus on natural law and legal positivism, and including also discussion of legal realism, critical legal studies, feminist jurisprudence, and critical race theory. The major topics covered include the concept of law, the nature of legal reasoning, rights, equality, freedom of expression, and criminal law. The readings include selections from the history of philosophy and from contemporary writings as well as legal documents and cases. PHIL 336: Philosophical Impact of Science Rellihan 1:30-3:35 MW Fulfills Core Interdisciplinary requirement also Evolutionary theory has been called the most important theory in the history of science, and its contentious role in American political and social life certainly seems to bear this out. Everyone seems to have expressed an opinion on the issue—from local and state school boards, to the Supreme Court and the President of the United States. Yet for all of the heat generated, there has been precious little light. The aim of this course to shed some light on the philosophical, theological, ethical, scientific, and cultural implications of evolutionary theory. Consider just a few of the claims made on behalf of evolutionary theory in recent years: Nobel laureate physicist Stephen Weinberg argues that evolutionary theory refutes the idea of a God interested in human affairs. Theologian John Haught argues that evolutionary theory and religion complement and even reinforce one another. Philosopher Elliott Sober argues that evolutionary theory and religion are irrelevant to one another. Charles Darwin famously argued that random variation and natural selection can explain the existence of complex, seemingly designed biological traits. Intelligent Design advocate Michael Behe argues that purely naturalistic explanations cannot account for the existence of many ‘irreducibly complex’ biological traits. Psychologist Leda Cosmides and anthropologist John Tooby argue that our minds were designed by natural selection and that evolutionary theory provides us with a new foundation for psychology. Evolutionary psychologist Robert Wright argues that humans are ‘moral animals’ and that evolutionary theory can explain many of our ethical predilections, from favoring kin over non-kin to despising lying, cheating, and hypocrisy. Philosopher David Buller argues that evolutionary theory can tell us precious little about ourselves because what we possess is a flexible psychology rather than a fixed human nature. Sociobiologist E. O. Wilson argues that evolutionary theory provides us with a new window into human nature. Feminist philosopher Evelyn Fox Keller argues that the sociobiological view of human nature is unscientific and merely reinforces gender stereotypes. Biologist Richard Dawkins argues that we are just survival machines for our genes, and that all of our actions can be understood as the expression of our ‘selfish genes’ and their desire to replicate. Paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould argues for a less reductive account according to which selection can occur at the level of the gene, the organism, the group, the species, or even the lineage. Philosopher Daniel Dennett argues that evolution has a direction and is progressive—that more recent organism are, in some sense, better than ancient organisms. Paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould argues that evolutionary history is contingent and that the appearance of progress is merely an artifact of increasing variance. Biologist Richard Dawkins argues that natural selection is the primary motive force driving evolution. Philosopher Jerry Fodor argues that natural selection is a pseudo-concept and explains nothing. Linguist Steven Pinker argues that our linguistic competence is the result of an innate ‘language instinct’ produced by evolution. Philosopher Hillary Putnam argues that language is not innate and that similarities among the world’s languages are due to a common origin and common environmental demands. As this list indicates, the course will be truly interdisciplinary. We will be reading the work of philosophers, theologians, biologists, anthropologists and psychologists, among others. The focus throughout will be on the larger implications of evolutionary theory and the way in which this theory that finds its home in the sciences has implications for so many other academic disciplines and spheres of life. PHIL 365: Critique of Metaphysics Sena 10:00-12:05 T, Th This course investigates Nietzsche’s Critique of Metaphysics through his revaluation of the historical foundations of philosophy based in Platonic thought. Nietzsche’s own thought will be situated from within his critique of metaphysics.  The course will take into consideration the interpretations of Nietzsche’s critique of metaphysics advanced by Heidegger, Derrida and Pippin. PHIL 444: Topics in Feminist Philosophy 3:45-5:50 MW Weis In-depth study of key theorists, issues, themes and debates in past and current feminist theories. Particular attention will be given to prevalent theoretical approaches to feminist analysis, including materialist/Marxist, liberal, radical, psychoanalytic, postmodern, phenomenological, and intersectional feminisms.
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