The Humanities 1600-series is intended to provide an introduction to Humanities disciplines. These three-credit courses offered by the participating disciplines of Classics, History, Philosophy and Religious Studies are designed to acquaint beginning students with the methodologies typical of these disciplines and to familiarize them with the approaches taken, as well as the sorts of themes pursued and questions raised in these disciplines.

Note:  The listing of a course in the Calendar is not a guarantee that the course is offered every year.

Note:  Students must obtain a grade of at least C- in all courses used to fulfill prerequisite requirements. Otherwise, written permission of the appropriate Department Head or Program Co-ordinator must be obtained.

PHIL 1601 (3.00)
Philosophy East and West
Exclusion: Any version of PHIL 1601 previously offered with a different title
This course consists of a dialogue on fundamental philosophical issues presented in Plato's Republic, usually in dialogue, with a variety of texts from Western, Indian, Chinese, and African traditions. Topics for discussion include, but are not limited to, the nature of morality, selfhood, God, reality, and knowledge. The use of non-western sources allows us to illuminate and evaluate central presuppositions and preoccupations of the western philosophical tradition that persist today. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)

PHIL 1611 (3.00)
Images of the Self
Exclusion: Any version of PHIL 1611 previously offered with a different title
An inquiry into the meaning of the word 'person', drawing on cultural theory, contemporary film, and key moments in the western philosophical tradition. Issues to be discussed may include self-identity and self-fragmentation, freedom and responsibility, the role of myth and symbol in self-knowledge, individuation, otherness, and religious experience. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)

PHIL 1651 (3.00)
The Changing Image of Nature
Our intellectual heritage is laced with shifting and conflicting attitudes towards "Nature" which impact everything from how we can come to know about nature, scientifically, to ethical implications for how human beings relate to other natural beings. This course will use readings from the history of western philosophy, especially from the early modern era, to assess the extent to which we have inherited these convictions or developed alternatives to them. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)

PHIL 1991 (3.00)
Special Topic in Philosophy
This course either focuses on topics not covered by the current course offerings in a department or program or offers the opportunity to pilot a course that is being considered for inclusion in the regular program. (Format: Variable) [Note 1: Prerequisite set by Department/Program when the topic and level are announced. Note 2: When a Department or Program intends to offer a course under this designation, it must submit course information, normally at least three months in advance, to the Dean. Note 3: Students may register for PHIL 1991 more than once, provided the subject matter differs.]

PHIL 2401 (3.00)
Introductory Aesthetics
Prereq: Three credits from the Humanities 1600 Series; or permission of the Department
An introduction to the idea of beauty in such thinkers as Plato, Aquinas, Kant, and Heidegger. Topics to be discussed include the relationship of beauty to truth, the experience of the sublime, and the philosophy of art. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) [Note 1: This course may count as 3 credits in Art History.]

PHIL 2511 (3.00)
Introductory Philosophy of Science
Prereq: Three credits from Humanities 1600 Series; or permission of the Department
Successful science claims to give us knowledge of what exists in the universe, and it claims to explain why what happens in a given localized system happens. The italicized words in the last sentence indicate philosophical assumptions within science which this course will explore. Based on historical cases, philosophical interpretations will be compared from logical positivism to Kuhnian paradigms, and the most recent critiques from social constructivism and feminism. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)

PHIL 2611 (3.00)
Introductory Logic
Prereq: Three credits from Humanities 1600 Series; or permission of the Department
Exclusion: Any version of PHIL 2611 previously offered with a different title, PHIL 2621
A general introduction to the study of logic. The course will begin by examining the basic structure of arguments, common reasoning fallacies, and issues central to inductive and deductive reasoning. Further topics may include Mill's methods, syllogistic reasoning, Venn diagrams, truth tables, sentential logic, and an introduction to quantification theory. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)

PHIL 2701 (3.00)
Introductory Ethics
Prereq: Three credits from Humanities 1600 Series; or permission of the Department
An introduction to the history and philosophical problems of ethics in the western tradition. This will acquaint the student with a number of received traditions based on metaphysical, religious, rational, and pragmatic grounds, as well as introduce certain fundamental perennial problems of moral decision-making. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)

PHIL 2801 (3.00)
Introduction to Metaphysics
Prereq: Three credits from Humanities 1600 Series; or permission of the Department
An introduction to the study of metaphysics understood broadly as the study of the fundamental nature of reality. This will include the study of various themes including the nature of substance, divinity, causation, appearance and reality, the one and the many, mind and matter. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)

PHIL 2991 (3.00)
Special Topic in Philosophy
Prereq: Three credits from Humanities 1600 Series; or permission of the Department
This course either focuses on topics not covered by the current course offerings in a department or program or offers the opportunity to pilot a course that is being considered for inclusion in the regular program. (Format: Variable) [Note 1: Prerequisite set by Department/Program when the topic and level are announced. Note 2: When a Department or Program intends to offer a course under this designation, it must submit course information, normally at least three months in advance, to the Dean. Note 3: Students may register for PHIL 2991 more than once, provided the subject matter differs.]

PHIL 3000 (6.00)
Ancient Philosophy
Prereq: Three credits from 2000 level Philosophy; or permission of the Department
The issues which develop before and with Plato establish the framework for all subsequent philosophic reflection. This course will examine some of these issues as they appeared prior to Plato and will employ these "pre-Socratics" as an entry into Plato's philosophy. Subsequently, aspects of Aristotle's thought will be explored as alternatives to and developments of Plato's philosophy. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)

PHIL 3221 (3.00)
Modern Philosophy: the Rationalist Tradition
Prereq: Three credits from 2000-level Philosophy; or permission of the Department
An investigation of the leading seventeenth century continental thinkers who formulated the great a priori systems. The capacity and function of human reason fully to understand the world is a theme common to these thinkers, and constitutes one of the major concerns of the course, a concern balanced by investigation of why these systems have reached such diverse answers to the substantive issues of how the world is to be understood. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)

PHIL 3231 (3.00)
Modern Philosophy: the Empiricist Tradition
Prereq: Three credits from 2000-level Philosophy; or permission of the Department
An investigation of the thought of the English language thinkers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. These authors, among whom are to be counted Locke, Berkeley and Hume, in part may be understood as reacting to the a priori tradition examined by Philosophy 3111. But they also make claims that are not merely reactive, and the extent to which one or more of them proposes a coherent interpretation of the extent and the limitations of human understanding will be investigated. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)

PHIL 3240 (6.00)
Kant
Prereq: Three credits from PHIL 2801, 3221, 3231; or permission of the Department
Exclusion: PHIL 4200
An examination of Kant's Critical project, including the arguments for the existence of God, freedom and immortality to which it led. This will involve, among other things, a close study of the Critique of Pure Reason, The Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, The Critique of Practical and Religion Within the Bounds of Mere Reason. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)

PHIL 3250 (6.00)
19th Century German Philosophy
Prereq: Three credits from PHIL 2801, 3221 or 3231; or permission of the Department
Idealism is the doctrine that reality is mind-dependent. This course charts the rise and fall of idealism in nineteenth century Germany, from the post-Kantian system builders, Fichte, Schelling, and Hegel, through the anti-idealist reactionaries, the later Schelling, Schopenhauer, and Kierkegaard, to the ascendency of suspicion in Freud, Marx and Nietzsche. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)

PHIL 3511 (3.00)
Philosophy of the Life Sciences
Prereq: Normally Philosophy 2511 is expected. However B.Sc. students already doing 3/4000 level work in their own field, and students in either Environmental Science or Environmental Studies or Cognitive Science programes, will be admitted; or permission of the Department.
In recent decades the philosophical assumptions underlying the life sciences have been seen increasingly as distinct from the physical sciences. This course will examine this difference as well as the linkage between them, then turn to the philosophical issues within evolutionary theory, the notion of species and problems of classification, persistent controversies surrounding sociobiology, genetic control, use of animals in research, and the application of bioethics. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)

PHIL 3631 (3.00)
Symbolic Logic
Prereq: Three credits from 2000-level Philosophy; or permission of the Department
This is a basic course in Symbolic Logic, concentrating on the nature of logic, methods of deduction, quantification theory, and the logic of relational statements. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)

PHIL 3711 (3.00)
Biomedical Ethics
Prereq: Philosophy 2701; or permission of the Department
This course will consist of the examination of a number of contemporary issues, such as gene therapy, abortion, reproductive technologies, euthanasia, HIV testing and confidentiality, organ retrieval, and advanced directives. In a framework of health, we will discuss larger philosophical questions such as: the possibility of assigning and comparing values, the nature of the human self, the possibilities of agency and responsibility, duties to society, gender and health, the meanings of technology, and social justice. While the focus of this course is not on ethical theory, we will make use of classical moral theories and principles to frame our analyses. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)

PHIL 3721 (3.00)
Environmental Ethics
Prereq: PHIL 2701; or permission of the Department
After reviewing traditional attitudes toward the environment, this course will explore recent attempts to "apply" ethical analysis to such problems as pollution and conservation. We will pay particular attention to the ways in which problems of preservation challenge us to extend our traditional norms and values. To what extent, for example, does growing sensitivity to our natural environment require of us a new "environmental ethic" and oblige us to recognize "animal rights"? (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)

PHIL 3891 (3.00)
Indian Philosophy
Prereq: Three credits from 2000-level Philosophy; or permission of the Department
A study of selected primary sources in the Indian philosophical tradition, from the Vedas and Upanishads to the recent work of thinkers like S. Radhakrishnan. Topics usually include the nature of reality, moral obligation, Divinity, selfhood and freedom, the philosophy of love, and various social and political issues. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) [Note 1: This course is cross-listed as RELG 3891 and may therefore count as three credits in either discipline.]

PHIL 3991 (3.00)
Special Topic in Philosophy
Prereq: Six credits from Philosophy, of which Three credits from 2000 level Philosophy; or permission of the Department
This course either focuses on topics not covered by the current course offerings in a department or program or offers the opportunity to pilot a course that is being considered for inclusion in the regular program. (Format: Variable) [Note 1: Prerequisite set by Department/Program when the topic and level are announced. Note 2: When a Department or Program intends to offer a course under this designation, it must submit course information, normally at least three months in advance, to the Dean. Note 3: Students may register for PHIL 3991 more than once, provided the subject matter differs.]

PHIL 4101 (3.00)
Advanced Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
Advanced study of one or more of the main philosophers of these periods, or one or more philosophic questions they address. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) [Note 1: Permission of the Department is required]

PHIL 4211 (3.00)
Selected Topics in Continental Philosophy
An exploration of the variety of twentieth-century philosophical schools inspired by Edmund Husserl's phenomenology, which attempted to turn philosophy into a rigorous science by giving an unprejudiced, descriptive account of consciousness. Topics may include Heidegger's response and reaction to Husserl, the existentialism of Marcel and Sartre, Levinas' phenomenological ethics, the hermeneutic turn in Gadamer and Ricoeur, and Derrida's deconstructionism. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) [Note 1: Permission of the Department is required.]

PHIL 4311 (3.00)
19th & 20th Century Political Philosophy
A careful study of some representative texts in 19th and 20th century social and political philosophy in the light of their relevance for contemporary issues. Selections will typically be drawn from the works of G.W.F. Hegel, Friedrich Nietzsche, Karl Marx, Leo Strauss, Theodor Adorno, Jürgen Habermas, Michel Foucault, and John Rawls. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) [Note 1: Permission of the Department is required.]

PHIL 4511 (3.00)
Philosophy of Mind
A study of the contemporary philosophical arguments which attempt to resolve the real nature of mental states vis à vis the physical states of the brain; how it is we have knowledge of our own sensations, beliefs, desires, our own consciousness and how we gain knowledge of other minds; and also the more general questions of how we should best proceed to resolve these issues. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) [Note 1: Permission of the Department is required]

PHIL 4611 (3.00)
Selected Topics in Analytic Philosophy
This is an examination of contemporary themes in the analytic tradition of philosophy. Topics may include truth, logicism, the nature of reference, skepticism, the realism/anti-realism debate, historicism and the collapse of positivism or contextualism. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) [Note 1: Permission of the Department is required.]

PHIL 4950 (6.00)
Independent Study in Philosophy
This course permits senior students, under the direction of faculty members, to pursue their interest in areas not covered, or not covered in depth, by other courses through a program of independent study. (Format: Independent Study) [Note 1: Permission of the Department/Program Advisor. Students must obtain consent of an instructor who is willing to be a supervisor and must register for the course prior to the last day for change of registration in the term during which the course is being taken. Note 2: A program on Independent Study cannot duplicate subject matter covered through regular course offerings. Note 3: Students may register for PHIL 4950/51 more than once, provided the subject matter differs.]

PHIL 4951 (3.00)
Independent Study in Philosophy
This course permits senior students, under the direction of faculty members, to pursue their interest in areas not covered, or not covered in depth, by other courses through a program of independent study. (Format: Independent Study) [Note 1: Permission of the Department/Program Advisor. Students must obtain consent of an instructor who is willing to be a supervisor and must register for the course prior to the last day for change of registration in the term during which the course is being taken. Note 2: A program on Independent Study cannot duplicate subject matter covered through regular course offerings. Note 3: Students may register for PHIL 4950/51 more than once, provided the subject matter differs.]

PHIL 4990 (6.00)
Honours Topic
The content of study is to be determined by the student in conjunction with one or more supervisors of the course. The format of the course is described in the Departmental Handbook. (Format: Independent Study/Thesis) [Note 1: Permission of the Department is required.]

PHIL 4991 (3.00)
Special Topic in Philosophy
This course either focuses on topics not covered by the current course offerings in a department or program or offers the opportunity to pilot a course that is being considered for inclusion in the regular program. (Format: Variable) [Note 1: Prerequisite set by Department/Program when the topic and level are announced. Note 2: When a Department or Program intends to offer a course under this designation, it must submit course information, normally at least three months in advance, to the Dean. Note 3: Students may register for PHIL 4991 more than once, provided the subject matter differs.]