Philosophy (PHIL)

PHIL 1020 Reason and Rhetoric (2 credits)

General Education: Oral Communication

Form and style of argumentative discourse; development of critical thinking and rhetorical skills as students prepare and deliver written and oral presentations; construction, evaluation, and presentation of arguments; identification of arguments and fallacies to improve abilities to organize thoughts, express them clearly and simply, and judge the suitability of material for the audience.

PHIL 1103 Introduction to Ethics (3 credits)

General Education: Humanistic and Artistic Ways of Knowing

Introduction to philosophical reasoning through historical study of moral thought.

PHIL 2000 Philosophy of Alcohol (3 credits)

General Education: Humanistic and Artistic Ways of Knowing

This course will introduce students to philosophical analysis through the topic of alcohol. Some issues we will cover are ethical: Can we exercise free will when intoxicated? If not, can we still blame an intoxicated person for their actions? What is the nature of addiction and when are we justified in intervening on someone else's addiction? Some issues are metaphysical: Are beer styles a natural classification or merely conventional? There are also aesthetic issues: Is taste just subjective, or can we scrutinize taste objectively? Some are historical: What is the role of alcohol in the history of philosophy? This course addresses these and many other philosophical issues that can be presented through the topic of alcohol.

PHIL 2010 Critical Thinking (3 credits)

General Education: Humanistic and Artistic Ways of Knowing

Acquiring and improving important skills of thinking, reading, and writing critically; emphasis on avoiding fallacies and mastering forms of valid argument in ordinary language.

PHIL 2020 Introduction to Symbolic Logic (3 credits)

Development of systematic techniques for assessing validity of arguments; includes categorical logic, propositional logic, and elementary quantificational logic.

PHIL 2040 (s) Special Topics (1-16 credits, max 99)

Credit arranged

PHIL 2050 Topics in Social Philosophy (3 credits)

This course will introduce students to topics in social philosophy through historical and contemporary readings. Topics may include (but are not limited to) treatments of race, gender, disability status, human rights, and social and political institutions.

PHIL 2080 Business Ethics (3 credits)

General Education: Humanistic and Artistic Ways of Knowing

Introduction to philosophical reasoning through historical study of Western moral thought, with specific application to ethical issues related to business practice and corporate social responsibility.

PHIL 2090 Mind and Madness (3 credits)

Just exactly what is mental illness? Do all cases of mental illness have some physical underpinning, or is there such a thing as a disorder of thought? What might delusions tell us about the nature and structure of mind? What are the prospects for mind-body medicine? Can we be justified in forcing persons to submit to mental treatment, and under what circumstances? Is mental illness the same across cultures? This course examines these and other questions raised by the study and treatment of mental disorder, as in philosophy of mind, epistemology, action theory, metaethics, and applied ethics. The course also examines the relationship between psychiatric research, clinical practice, and social policy.

PHIL 2210 Philosophy in Film (3 credits)

This course uses film as a philosophical text, discussing philosophical theories and topics presented in films, both old and new. Topics typically include the nature of existence, the difference between appearance and reality, motivation, memory, personal identity, and/or authenticity. Cooperative: open to WSU degree-seeking students.

PHIL 2400 Belief and Reality (3 credits)

General Education: Humanistic and Artistic Ways of Knowing

Introduction to epistemology (examination of grounds and limits of knowledge) and metaphysics (inquiry into the nature of reality) through historical and contemporary readings.

PHIL 3020 Biblical Judaism: Texts and Thought (3 credits)

Cross-listed with RELS 3020

Analysis of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and related texts with an emphasis on hermeneutics and thought.

PHIL 3070 Buddhism (3 credits)

Cross-listed with RELS 3070

Philosophy and religion of Gautama Buddha as it developed in India, Tibet, China, and Japan.

PHIL 3120 Decision Theory (3 credits)

This course is an introduction to decision theory. Students will learn how to model decisions. The models will be used to analyze decisions made under ignorance and under risk (or uncertainty). The course then examines various philosophical aspects of the field, including the nature of utility and probability. Finally, the course examines various applications of decision theory and alternative approaches (some complementary, others rivalry).

PHIL 3200 History of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy (3 credits)

Philosophical thought from the early Greeks through the Middle Ages; concentration on metaphysics and theory of knowledge. Cooperative: open to WSU degree-seeking students.

PHIL 3210 History of Modern Philosophy (3 credits)

Critical evaluation of the thought of major figures in early modern philosophy, such as Descartes, Leibniz, Spinoza, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant; emphasis on metaphysics and epistemology. Cooperative: open to WSU degree-seeking students.

PHIL 3250 (s) Historical Figures in Philosophy (3 credits, max 99)

Study of a major philosophical figure from the history of philosophy. May be repeated for credit. Recommended preparation: one philosophy course.

PHIL 3510 Philosophy of Science (3 credits)

General Education: Humanistic and Artistic Ways of Knowing

Introduction to the critical analysis of the aims and methods of science, its principles, practices, and achievements.

Prereqs: 3 credits of philosophy or natural science Cooperative: open to WSU degree-seeking students.

PHIL 3520 Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (3 credits)

Cross-listed with POLS 3520

This course will introduce students to the topics and methods of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE). The approach will be interdisciplinary, with the aim of investigating and illustrating how and why these three disciplines are indispensable to addressing both the normative and factual issues each poses on its own. The course will cover basic methods in rational choice theory, game theory, social choice theory, and political philosophy to explore problems pertaining to decision-making, coordination, cooperation, and justice. The texts will include both traditional and contemporary writings on these issues.

PHIL 3610 (s) Professional Ethics (3 credits, max 6)

General Education: Humanistic and Artistic Ways of Knowing

Study of ethical issues and problems arising in professions. Each section focuses on a specific area of professional ethics including, but not limited to, agricultural ethics, bioethics, business ethics, and engineering ethics.

Prereqs: PHIL 1103

PHIL 4000 (s) Seminar (1-16 credits, max 99)

Credit arranged

PHIL 4040 (s) Special Topics (1-16 credits, max 99)

Credit arranged

PHIL 4080 Feminism and Philosophy (3 credits)

An exploration of how feminist philosophies have brought to light gender bias in Western philosophy and have (re)constructed theories in metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. Students will see how these philosophies address the experiences of women and other groups whose interests have been historically neglected and misrepresented.

PHIL 4170 Philosophy of Biology (3 credits)

Joint-listed with PHIL 5170

Philosophical thinking about meaning, reference, and truth.

Prereqs: 3 credits of biology and 3 credits of philosophy or Permission

PHIL 4270 Contemporary Political Philosophy (3 credits)

Cross-listed with POLS 4270

This course will introduce students to major themes and topics in contemporary political philosophy. Students will study several of contemporary political philosophy's most important “-isms,” including liberalism, republicanism, socialism, anarchism, and fascism. Students will then focus on topics of particular importance to contemporary democracy; possible topics include the value of democracy, the nature of justice in democracy, and both the institutional and non-institutional structures that undergird democracy. Typically Offered: Fall (Odd Years).

PHIL 4290 Contemporary Political Ethics (3 credits)

Cross-listed with POLS 4290

Joint-listed with POLS 5290

Current controversies concerning status and substance of ethical claims about deception, violence, coercion, and economic justice in politics and public action. Additional projects/assignments required for graduate credit.

PHIL 4410 Genes and Justice: Comparative Biotechnology Policy Formation (3 credits)

Cross-listed with POLS 4410

Joint-listed with POLS 5410

This course introduces students to the basic theoretical, ethical, and practical issues surrounding the rise and regulation of recent biotechnological and biomedical advances, including genetically modified animals and plants in agriculture, stem cell research and cloning in biomedical research, and reprogenetics in medically assisted reproductive technology. Students will learn about theoretical and ethical frameworks to investigate questions of domestic and international policy making and the task of governing modern biosciences, including food safety, fair-trade, consumer well-being, informed choice in medical treatment, conservation, biodiversity, and sustainability. Recommended Preparation: PLSC 2070 or 3 credits of another science course or 3 credits of political science

PHIL 4430 Philosophy of Language (3 credits)

Joint-listed with PHIL 5430

Philosophical thinking about meaning, reference, and truth. Additional assignments required for graduate credit. Recommended Preparation: PHIL 2020 and PHIL 2400. Cooperative: open to WSU degree-seeking students.

PHIL 4460 Metaphysics (3 credits)

Classical and contemporary readings on such items as realism versus nominalism, free will and determinism, the nature of causality, the existence of God, personal identity, and modality. Recommended Preparation: PHIL 2020 and PHIL 2400. Cooperative: open to WSU degree-seeking students.

PHIL 4470 Theory of Knowledge (3 credits)

Analysis of the nature of knowledge; survey of various philosophical positions on the sources and extent of what we know. Recommended Preparation: PHIL 2020 and PHIL 2400. Cooperative: open to WSU degree-seeking students.

PHIL 4500 Ethics in Science (3 credits)

An investigation of social and ethical issues in scientific research and the place of ethics in a scientific worldview.

Prereqs: PHIL 1103, PHIL 2010, PHIL 2020, or PHIL 2400; or Permission

PHIL 4520 Environmental Philosophy (3 credits)

Joint-listed with ENVS 5520, PHIL 5520

Philosophical examination of various ethical, metaphysical, and legal issues concerning humans, nature, and the environment; issues covered may include biodiversity and species protection, animal rights, radical ecology, environmental racism, wilderness theory, population control, and property rights. Additional projects/assignments required for graduate credit.

PHIL 4700 Philosophy of Law (3 credits)

Analysis of fundamental philosophical issues in law and legal systems, including the nature of law, relation of law to morality, judicial method, and nature and ascription of rights. Recommended Preparation: PHIL 1103. Cooperative: open to WSU degree-seeking students.

PHIL 4900 Senior Seminar (3 credits)

General Education: Capstone Experience

Required of all philosophy majors; capstone course devoted to mastery of the philosophical essay; topics will vary.

Prereqs: Senior standing or completion of 24 credits in philosophy.

PHIL 4960 Teaching Methods in Philosophy (2 credits, max 4)

Learn methods of teaching while assisting in an introductory-level philosophy course. Graded Pass/Fail.

Prereqs: Four upper-division courses in philosophy, the introductory course in which the student will participate, and Department Permission

PHIL 4980 (s) Internship (1-16 credits, max 99)

Credit arranged.

PHIL 4990 (s) Directed Study (1-16 credits, max 99)

Credit arranged

PHIL 5000 Master's Research & Thesis (1-16 credits, max 99)

Credit arranged

PHIL 5010 (s) Seminar (1-16 credits, max 99)

Credit arranged.

Prereqs: Permission

PHIL 5020 (s) Directed Study (1-16 credits, max 99)

Credit arranged

PHIL 5030 (s) Workshop (1-16 credits, max 99)

Credit arranged

PHIL 5040 (s) Special Topics (1-16 credits, max 99)

Credit arranged

PHIL 5170 Philosophy of Biology (3 credits)

Joint-listed with PHIL 4170

Philosophical thinking about meaning, reference, and truth.

PHIL 5430 Philosophy of Language (3 credits)

Joint-listed with PHIL 4430

PHIL 5520 Environmental Philosophy (3 credits)

Cross-listed with ENVS 5520

Joint-listed with PHIL 4520

PHIL 5990 (s) Research (1-16 credits, max 99)

Credit arranged

2025-2026 Catalog

Philosophy (PHIL)

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