Undergraduate Catalog 2017-18 : School of Arts & Sciences

Philosophy and Humanistic Studies

Philosophy and Humanistic Studies

Stuart Dalton, Chair
daltons@wcsu.edu
White Hall 021a, Midtown campus
(203) 837-3282
(203) 837-8905 (fax)

Carol O’Connor, Department Secretary
oconnorc@wcsu.edu
Warner Hall 304, Midtown campus
(203) 837-8470
(203) 837-8905 (fax)

Faculty

S. Dalton, Chair A. Malavisi

Adjunct Faculty

C. Anglemire P. Heap J. Lott
C. Paone

Overview

Courses in philosophy explore some of the major areas of philosophical inquiry with reference to both historical and contemporary thought. They seek to develop analytical thinking, to explore the relationship of philosophy to other disciplines and to lay the foundation for further work in philosophy and related disciplines.

Humanistic studies courses have an interdisciplinary structure which aims at integrating knowledge and thus counteracting the trend toward fragmentation in academic studies. This approach demonstrates that there is never just one way of looking at anything and that, indeed, there may not be a best way, but only a collection of ways.

Mission

The mission of the philosophy and humanistic studies department is to:

  1. offer philosophy courses that cover every period of the history of philosophy;
  2. offer interdisciplinary humanistic studies courses on topics that are best understood from a variety of different disciplinary perspectives;
  3. offer major and minor degree programs in both philosophy and interdisciplinary studies.

BA in Interdisciplinary Studies

This major allows students to combine two different fields to best suit their interests and career plans. The gateway class to the major is HUM 115 Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. This class provides the basic tools for interdisciplinary study. Students then complete at least 18 credits in 2 different disciplines or concentrations. At least 1 of the concentrations must be from the Macricostas School of Arts and Sciences, and at least 6 credits in each concentration must be at the 300 or 400 level. Admission to the major requires a written rationale for the two concentrations selected. After completing all the classes in the 2 concentrations students take the capstone class for the major: HUM 451 Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies. In this class students complete a final interdisciplinary project that brings together their 2 concentrations. Please contact the Department of Philosophy and Humanistic Studies to initiate a major in Interdisciplinary Studies.

BA Contract Major in Philosophy

Contract majors are available in philosophy. Please contact the Department of Philosophy and Humanistic Studies to initiate a contract major in philosophy.

Learning Outcomes

Students who take courses in philosophy will develop:

  1. An understanding of the meaning of and the connections between the 3 areas of philosophy: metaphysics, epistemology, and axiology.
  2. An understanding of the characteristics and the accomplishments of the main periods in the history of philosophy: ancient, medieval; modern; contemporary.
  3. Skills in close and careful reading, logical analysis, and textual criticism.
  4. Communication skills. Students learn to express themselves with clarity and precision through assignments involving spoken presentations and written essays.

Students who take courses in humanistic studies will develop:

  1. Knowledge and skills from multiple disciplines. Humanistic studies courses include at least 3 disciplinary perspectives and therefore students will gain knowledge and skills from a variety of different disciplines in including the physical sciences, the social sciences, the humanities, and the arts.
  2. Skill in synthesizing ideas from multiple disciplines. Students learn to think beyond the traditional limits of departments and disciplines. They learn to clarify questions and solve problems using the best ideas from every tradition.
  3. Skills in close and careful reading, logical analysis and textual criticism.
  4. Communication skills. Students learn to express themselves with clarity and precision through assignments involving spoken presentations and written essays.

Minor in Philosophy (18 SH)

A minor in philosophy requires 18 PHI credits, including at least 9 credits at the 200-level or above, at least one course in logic, at least one course in the history of philosophy, and at least one course in ethics. Courses in logic, history of philosophy and ethics must be chosen from the list below; all current PHI courses can be applied toward the remaining 9 elective credits. (New courses may be added to those listed below so please contact the Department for an up to date list.)

Current Logic Courses
PHI 209 Informal Logic
PHI 211 Formal Logic

Current History of Philosophy Courses
PHI 231 Ancient Philosophy
PHI 232 Medieval Philosophy
PHI 233 Modern Philosophy
PHI 234 19th and 20th Century Philosophy

Current Ethics Courses
PHI 120 Introduction to Ethical Theory
PHI 106 Philosophy of Happiness
PHI 221 Ethical Issues in Business
PHI 223 Ethical Issues in Health Care
PHI 225 Ethics and the Nonhuman
PHI 227 Ethics in Computing
PHI 229 Philosophy of Law & Legal Theory
PHI 245 Philosophy of Death and Dying
PHI 262 Philosophies of Love & Friendship
PHI 320 Social and Political Philosophy
PHI 334 Existentialism 

Minor in Logic (15 SH)

A minor in logic requires 15 credits, including: PHI 209 Informal Logic and PHI 211 Formal Logic, at least one more class in informal logic from the list below, at least one more class in formal logic from the list below, and at least one other class in either formal or informal logic from the list below. (New courses may be added to those listed below so please contact the Department for an up to date list.)

Formal Logic Courses
Select one of the following:
MAT 141 Foundational Discrete OR
MAT/CS 165 Introductory Discrete Mathematics
MAT 207 Proofs
MAT 242 Foundations of Geometry
MAT 342 Topics in Geometry
MAT 359 Introduction to Theory of Computation
CS 215 Computer Architecture
CS 285 Artificial Intelligence
CS 355 Programming Languages

Informal Logic Courses
COM 200 Language and Communication
COM 263 Persuasion and Propaganda
COM 264 Argumentation and Debate
COM 268 Public Communication
COM 276 Debate Workshop
COM 408 Strategies of Persuasion
WRT 103W Composition II: Research and Writing
WRT/JLA 321W Legal Writing
WRT 335W Fact-Based Opinion Writing
WRT 371W Writing the Weird: Conspiracy Theories

Minor in Theoretical and Applied Ethics (18 SH)

A minor in theoretical and applied ethics requires 18 credits, including PHI 120 Introduction to Ethical Theory, and 5 more classes from the following list. (New courses may be added to those listed below so please contact the Department for an up to date list.)

Anthropology Courses
ANT/SOC 206 Culture and Law
ANT/COM 208 Intercultural Communication

Communication Courses
COM 219 Communication Ethics
COM 247 Live News & Election Coverage

Humanistic Studies Courses
HUM 110 Moral Issues in Modern Society

Justice and Law Administration Courses (only 2 JLA courses can apply toward the minor)
JLA/SOC 201 Criminology
JLA/SOC 205—Juvenile Delinquency
JLA/SOC 336—White Collar Crime
JLA 408 Human Rights

Philosophy Courses
PHI 221 Ethical Issues in Business
PHI 223 Ethical Issues in Health Care
PHI 225 Ethics and the Nonhuman
PHI 227 Ethics in Computing

Political Science Courses
PS 201 Political Theory
PS 401 Global Conflict Resolution
PS 402 Violent and Nonviolent Conflict Resolution

Psychology Courses
PSY 309 Social Psychology & the Law
PSY 346 Moral Development

Social Science Courses
SS 401 Fundamentals of Conflict Resolution
SS 402 Mediation: Theory and Practice

Minor in Humanistic Studies (18 SH)

This minor requires 18 HUM credits, including HUM 151 Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies, and at least 9 credits at the 200-level or above. All current HUM courses can be applied toward the minor.

Course Restrictions

For a complete list of prerequisites, corequisites and other restrictions for all courses, please consult the Course Description section of this catalog.