SFU Philosophy: Courses

SFU Philosophy
courses

Below you will find the courses offered by the Philosophy Department in the Winter 2003 term, alond with their Calendar descriptions. By clicking on the appropriate link you will be taken to the course outline. Courses marked [CLA] may be used for credit for a Certificate of Liberal Arts.

100-level | 200-level |300-level |400-level

PHIL 001 Critical Thinking DAY EVENING (same course outline for both) [CLA]
An introduction to the evaluation of arguments as they are encountered in everyday life. The central aim will be to sharpen skills of reasoning and argumentation by understanding how arguments work and learning to distinguish those which actually prove what they set out to show from those which do not. Open to all students. (lecture/tutorial)
PHIL 100 Knowledge and Reality [CLA]
An introduction to some of the central problems of philosophy. Topics to be discussed include the different theories of reality; the nature and sources of knowledge, truth, evidence, and reason; the justification of belief and knowledge about the universe. These topics and problems will be considered as they arise in the context of issues such as: relativism versus absolutism; the existence of God; personal identity; the nature of the mind and its relation to the body; freewill and determinism; the possibility of moral knowledge. (lecture/tutorial)
PHIL 110 Introduction to Logic and Reasoning [CLA]
The aim of this course is to familiarize students with fundamental techniques of correct reasoning. Special attention is given to the methods of logic in particular, and to their role in the discovery of truth not only within science and philosophy but within all forms of rational enquiry. (lecture/tutorial)
PHIL 120 Introduction to Moral Philosophy DAY EVENING [CLA]
An introduction to the central problems of ethics: for example, the nature of right and wrong, the objectivity or subjectivity of moral judgments, the relativity or absolutism of values, the nature of human freedom and responsibility. The course will also consider general moral views such as utilitarianism, theories or rights and specific obligations, and the ethics of virtue. These theories will be applied to particular moral problems such as abortion, punishment, distributive justice, freedom of speech, and racial and sexual equality. Sometimes the course will also focus on important historical figures such as Plato, Aristotle, Kant and Mill. (lecture/tutorial)
PHIL 151 History of Philosophy II [CLA]
A survey of philosophic thought from the Renaissance to the 20th Century. Special attention will be given to the works of Descartes, Leibniz, Spinoza, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Kant, Hegel and Mill. The views of these great thinkers have helped to shape the ways in which we see the world. This course is therefore recommended to everyone with an interest in our intellectual heritage. (lecture)

100-level | 200-level |300-level |400-level

PHIL 203 Metaphysics
An examination of central problems of metaphysics such as space and time, universals and particulars, substance, identity and individuation and personal identity. (lecture/tutorial) Prerequisite: one of PHIL 100, 150, 151.
PHIL 210 Natural Deductive Logic [CLA]
This course studies a natural deductive system of propositional and quantificational logic, the firstorder theory of identity and the firstorder theory of relations. Topics include the metatheory of propositional logic and the application of formal theory to the assessment of natural language arguments. (lecture/tutorial)
PHIL 231 Selected Topics: Philosophy and Film
A specific topic, philosopher or philosophical work to be dealt with as occasion and demand warrant. (lecture/tutorial)
PHIL 242 Philosophy of Art [CLA]
An examination of issues concerning the nature of works of art. The course will include a consideration of rival theories of art such as: art as expression, art as representation, and art as significant form. Theories of aesthetic criticism will be studied in relation to taste, personal experience, and truth. (lecture/tutorial)

100-level | 200-level |300-level |400-level

PHIL 300 Introduction to Philosophy [CLA]
An introductory course specifically intended for students in other departments who have at least 60 semester hours credit. This course is more advanced than 100 and 200 division courses and is of interest to students not only in the humanities, but also in the natural and social sciences. (lecture/tutorial) Prerequisite: at least 60 semester hours credit. Normally, students with credit for PHIL 100 may not take this course for further credit. This course does not count towards the upper division requirements for a student pursuing a minor, major, or honors program in philosophy.
PHIL 301 Epistemology
An examination of central theories of knowledge such as realism, idealism, pragmatism, phenomenalism, rationalism, empiricism, and causal theories of knowledge. Other topics to be discussed may include, for example, the Gettier problem, scepticism, the nature of belief, reason, and sensation, the problem of induction, and foundationalism. (seminar) Prerequisite: one of PHIL 100, 150, 151; PHIL 203.
PHIL 314 Topics in Logic I
An examination of one or more topics such as: philosophical logic; deontic logic; the logic of knowledge and belief; the logic of preference; tense logics; foundations of set theory; recursive functions; the history of logic. (seminar) Recommended: PHIL 210, 214, or an otherwise suitable background.
PHIL 320 Social and Political Philosophy
An examination of an issue or selection of issues in social and political philosophy. Contemporary or historical readings or a mixture of these will be used. Possible topics include: justice, the law and legal systems, sovereignty, power and authority, democracy, liberty and equality. Sometimes the course will focus on the views of historically important political philosophers, such as Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Burke, Bentham, Mill and Marx. (seminar) Prerequisite: PHIL 120 or 220.
PHIL 343 Philosophy of Mind
A study of theories of the mind, consciousness, and human action. (seminar) Prerequisite: PHIL 100 and 203, or COGS 200.
PHIL 355 Hume and Empiricism
(seminar) Prerequisite: PHIL 100 or 151.

100-level | 200-level |300-level |400-level

PHIL 455 Contemporary Issues in Epistemology and Metaphysics
(seminar) Prerequisite: two 300 level PHIL courses.
PHIL 467/805 Seminar: Philosophy of Neuropsychiatry
(seminar) Prerequisite: two 300 level PHIL courses.
PHIL 806 Seminar: Indexicality and Perspective

Honors Tutorials
PHIL 477 Honors Tutorial I
PHIL 477 is a requisite for all honors students, and must be taken in one of the last two semesters of the student's philosophy program. It must be taken concurrently with or prior to PHIL 478. At least eight weeks prior to the semester in which they wish to enrol in PHIL 477, honors students should obtain departmental approval of a proposed syllabus and arrange for faculty supervision of the course.
PHIL 478 Honors Tutorial II
PHIL 478 is a requisite for all honors students, and must be taken in one of the last two semesters of the student's philosophy program. It must be taken concurrently with or consecutively to PHIL 477. At least eight weeks prior to the semester in which they wish to enrol in PHIL 478, honors students should obtain departmental approval of a proposed syllabus and arrange for faculty supervision of the course.