Table of Contents
- Academic Calendar 2024-2025 (September 2024)
- I. General Information and Admissions
- 1. Welcome to Mount Allison University
- 2. Glossary of Academic Terms and Calendar of Events
- 3. Admission
- 3.1. Contact Information
- 3.2. Admission to the University
- 3.3. Minimum General Admission Requirements
- 3.4. Additional Admission Requirements
- 3.5. Notes on Entry to First-Year Courses
- 3.6. Requirements for Non-Canadian Education Systems
- 3.7. English Requirements
- 3.8. Mature Students
- 3.9. Admission with Advanced Standing
- 3.10. Transfer Students
- 3.11. Challenge for Credit
- 3.12. Visiting Students
- 3.13. Exchange Students
- 3.14. Special Circumstances
- 3.15. Graduate Studies
- 4. Fees
- 4.1. Fees and Expenses
- 4.1.1. Full-time/Part-time Enrolment - Fall and Winter terms
- 4.1.2. Tuition Fees
- 4.1.3. Overload Fees for Full-Time Students
- 4.1.4. Auditing Fees
- 4.1.5. Mail Service, Fitness Centre, and Technology and Service Fee
- 4.1.6. Student Organization Fees
- 4.1.7. Other Fees
- 4.1.8. Fieldwork and Travel: Expenses and Liability
- 4.1.9. Instructional Supplies Fees
- 4.1.10. Study Abroad and Exchange Fee
- 4.1.11. Residence, Communications and Meal Plan Fees
- 4.2. Deposits for Full-Time Students
- 4.2.1. Registration Deposits for New Students
- 4.2.2. Residence Deposits for New Students
- 4.2.3. Refunds of Residence Deposits for New Students
- 4.2.4. Registration Deposits for Returning Students
- 4.2.5. Residence Deposits and Refunds for Returning Students
- 4.2.6. Registration Deposits for January Admissions (New and Former Students)
- 4.2.7. Residence Deposits for January Admissions (New and Former Students)
- 4.3. Payment of Fees
- 4.3.1. Payments and Charges
- 4.3.2. Fall and Winter Payments by Part-Time Students
- 4.3.3. Fall Payments by Full-time Students
- 4.3.4. Winter Payments by Full-time Students
- 4.3.5. Fall and Winter Payments for Students Participating in Exchange Programs
- 4.3.6. Method of Payment
- 4.3.7. Reducing the Amount of Payments
- 4.4. Late Fees and Interest Charges
- 4.5. Withdrawals and Student Accounts
- 4.1. Fees and Expenses
- 5. Financial Assistance
- 6. Co-Curricular Life
- 6.1. The Mount Allison Students' Union
- 6.2. The Argosy Weekly
- 6.3. CHMA FM
- 6.4. Motyer-Fancy Theatre
- 6.5. Residence Council
- 6.6. The Pond
- 6.7. Accommodation
- 6.8. Department of Athletics and Recreation
- 6.9. Spiritual Care on Campus
- 6.10. Student Life
- 6.11. Student Life Resources
- 6.11.1. Personal Counselling
- 6.11.2. Experiential Learning and Career Development
- 6.11.3. Employment
- 6.11.4. Health Services
- 6.11.5. Student Health Insurance
- 6.11.6. Dietary and Nutritional Concerns
- 6.11.7. Student Wellness
- 6.11.8. Landlord/Tenant Concerns
- 6.11.9. International Students
- 6.11.10. Student Conduct
- 6.12. Services for Students with Disabilities
- 7. General Information
- 8. Personnel
- 9. Lectureships, Trusts and Fellowships; Endowed Chairs; Faculty Awards
- 9.1. Lectureships, Trusts and Fellowships
- 9.2. Endowed Chairs
- 9.2.1. Clement Chandler Avard and Florence Sybil Avard Chair in French Language
- 9.2.2. The Walter B. Cowan Chair in Religious Studies
- 9.2.3. The Edgar and Dorothy Davidson Chair in Canadian Studies
- 9.2.4. Fred C. Manning Chair in Commerce
- 9.2.5. The Hart Almerrin Massey Chair in Philosophy
- 9.2.6. The Pickard-Bell Chair in Music
- 9.2.7. The Reverend William Purvis Chair in English Literature
- 9.2.8. The Obed Edmund Smith Chair in Physics
- 9.2.9. The Obed Edmund Smith Chair in Mathematics
- 9.2.10. The Stiles-Bennett Chair in History
- 9.2.11. The Josiah Wood Chair in Classics
- 9.2.12. The Charles and Joseph Allison Chair of English Language and Literature
- 9.3. Faculty Awards
- II. Academic Regulations
- 10. Academic Regulations
- 10.1. Communication
- 10.2. Courses of Instruction
- 10.3. Registration
- 10.3.1. Registration Procedures (Adding Courses)
- 10.3.2. Registration Deadline
- 10.3.3. Registration Deadline (Self-directed Distance Learning Courses)
- 10.3.4. Determining Year Level
- 10.3.5. Normal Course Loads and Overloads (Fall and Winter terms)
- 10.3.6. Normal Course Loads and Overloads (Spring/Summer term)
- 10.3.7. Repeating Courses
- 10.3.8. Auditing Courses
- 10.4. Changes in Registration and Withdrawal
- 10.5. Transfer Credits
- 10.6. Academic Integrity
- 10.7. Missed Coursework or Tests
- 10.8. Examination Regulations
- 10.8.1. Scheduled Tests and Final Examinations (Fall and Winter terms)
- 10.8.2. Scheduled Tests and Final Examinations (Spring/Summer term)
- 10.8.3. Viewing Examination Papers
- 10.8.4. Accommodations for Missed Final Examinations
- 10.8.5. Extended Deadlines for Completion of Course Work
- 10.8.6. Special Examinations
- 10.9. Evaluations of Student Performance
- 10.9.1. Grading Policies for Courses
- 10.9.2. Reporting of Grades
- 10.9.3. Letter Grades and their Meanings
- 10.9.4. Prerequisite Grade Requirements
- 10.9.5. Grades Excluded from GPA
- 10.9.6. Calculation of TGPA, SGPA and CGPA
- 10.9.7. Repeated Courses, SGPA and CGPA
- 10.9.8. Grade Changes
- 10.9.9. Re-evaluation of a Grade
- 10.9.10. Aegrotat Standing
- 10.9.11. Assessment of Academic Standing
- 10.9.12. Good Standing
- 10.9.13. Unsatisfactory Standing
- 10.9.14. Academic Performance Indicators
- 10.9.15. Academic Probation
- 10.9.16. Academic Suspension
- 10.9.17. Academic Dismissal
- 10.9.18. Procedures for Appeals and Re-admissions
- 10.9.19. Disciplinary Suspension or Dismissal
- 10.9.20. Dean's List
- 10.10. Degree Requirements
- 10.10.1. Academic Standing and Credits Required for a Degree
- 10.10.2. Academic Residency Requirements
- 10.10.3. Degree with Distinction Requirements
- 10.10.4. Honours GPA and Overall GPA Requirements
- 10.10.5. Submitting a Thesis
- 10.10.6. Falling Short of the Honours Requirements
- 10.10.7. Second Undergraduate Degree Requirements
- 10.10.8. Honours Certificate
- 10.11. Graduation and Convocation
- 10.12. Transcripts
- 10.13. Replacement/Duplicate Diplomas
- 10.14. Notification of Disclosure of Personal Information
- 10. Academic Regulations
- III. Academic Degrees, Programs and Courses
- 11. Academic Programs
- 11.1. General Regulations
- 11.2. Bachelor of Arts
- 11.2.1. Requirements for a B.A. Degree
- 11.2.2. Distribution Requirements
- 11.2.3. 3/4000 Level Courses
- 11.2.4. Credits Required for a Major and Minor
- 11.2.5. Additional Minor
- 11.2.6. Double Major
- 11.2.7. Joint Major
- 11.2.8. Bachelor of Arts - Aviation
- 11.2.9. Honours Degree
- 11.2.10. General Degree with Three Minors
- 11.2.11. The Major as Required for the B.A.
- 11.2.12. Disciplinary Major
- 11.2.13. Interdisciplinary Major
- 11.2.14. Joint Major
- 11.2.15. Specially Approved Major
- 11.2.16. Bachelor of Arts - Aviation offered in conjunction with MFC Training
- 11.2.17. Majors Available for the B.A.
- 11.2.18. Joint Majors Available for the B.A.
- 11.2.19. The Minor as Required for the B.A.
- 11.2.20. Disciplinary Minor
- 11.2.21. Interdisciplinary Minor
- 11.2.22. Specially Approved Minor
- 11.2.23. Minors Available for the B.A.
- 11.2.24. Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Honours Programs
- 11.2.25. Honours Programs Available for the B.A.
- 11.2.26. Complementary Courses and Prerequisites
- 11.3. Bachelor of Science
- 11.3.1. Requirements for a B.Sc. Degree
- 11.3.2. Distribution Requirements
- 11.3.3. Science Core
- 11.3.4. Minimum Number of Science Credits
- 11.3.5. 3/4000 Level Science Courses
- 11.3.6. Credits Required for a Major and Minor
- 11.3.7. Additional Minor
- 11.3.8. Double Major
- 11.3.9. Joint Major
- 11.3.10. Honours Degree
- 11.3.11. General Degree with Three Minors
- 11.3.12. Courses which Qualify as Science Credits
- 11.3.13. The Major As Required for the B.Sc.
- 11.3.14. Disciplinary Major
- 11.3.15. Interdisciplinary Major
- 11.3.16. Joint Major
- 11.3.17. Specially Approved Major
- 11.3.18. Majors available for the B.Sc.
- 11.3.19. Joint Majors available for the B.Sc.
- 11.3.20. The Minor as Required for the B.Sc.
- 11.3.21. Disciplinary Minor
- 11.3.22. Interdisciplinary Minor
- 11.3.23. Specially Approved Minor
- 11.3.24. Minors Available for the B.Sc.
- 11.3.25. Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Honours Programs
- 11.3.26. Honours Programs Available for the B.Sc.
- 11.4. Master of Science
- 11.5. Bachelor of Commerce
- 11.5.1. Primary Objective
- 11.5.2. Requirements for a Bachelor of Commerce Degree
- 11.5.3. Distribution Requirements
- 11.5.4. 3/4000 Level Courses
- 11.5.5. Commerce Degree Core Requirements
- 11.5.6. Commerce Electives on the Bachelor of Commerce Degree
- 11.5.7. The Minor as Required for the Bachelor of Commerce
- 11.5.8. Elective Credits
- 11.5.9. Honours Programs Available for the Bachelor of Commerce
- 11.5.10. Commerce with Honours
- 11.5.11. Commerce with Honours in Economics
- 11.5.12. Commerce - Aviation offered in conjunction with MFC Training
- 11.5.13. Major from Other Disciplines
- 11.5.14. Transferring to Commerce
- 11.6. Bachelor of Music
- 11.7. Bachelor of Fine Arts
- 11.8. Bachelor of Arts and Science
- 11.9. Certificate of Bilingualism/ Certificat De Bilinguisme
- 11.10. Undergraduate Certificates
- 11.11. Pre-Professional Requirements
- 11.12. International Programs
- 11.13. Academic Credit for Independent Experiential Learning
- 11.14. University Special Topics Courses
- 12. Programs and Courses of Instruction
- American Studies
- Arts
- Art History
- Aviation
- Biochemistry
- Biology
- Biopsychology
- Canadian Public Policy
- Canadian Studies
- Chemistry
- Classics
- Cognitive Science
- Commerce/Ron Joyce Centre for Business Studies
- Community Engaged Learning
- Computer Science
- Data Science
- Drama Studies
- Economics
- English Literatures
- Environmental Science
- Environmental Studies
- Experiential Learning
- Feminist and Gender Studies
- Fine Arts/Pierre Lassonde School of Fine Arts
- French Studies
- Geography
- Geography and Environment
- German Studies
- Greek
- Health Studies
- Hispanic Studies
- History
- Indigenous Studies
- International Economics and Business
- International Relations
- Japanese Studies
- Latin
- Linguistics
- Mathematics
- Modern Languages and Literatures
- Museum and Curatorial Studies
- Music
- Philosophy
- Philosophy, Politics, and Economics/Frank McKenna School of PPE
- Physics
- Politics and International Relations
- Psychology
- Religious Studies
- Science
- Screen Studies
- Social Science
- Sociology
- Spanish Studies
- University Special Topic Courses
- Visual and Material Culture
- Certificate Programs
- Certificate in Arts Administration
- Certificate in Biopsychology
- Certificate in Canadian Arts and Culture
- Certificate in Community Engaged Learning
- Certificates in Data Science
- Certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Certificate in Foundations of Health
- Certificate in Mi'kmaw Studies
- Certificate in Music Education
- Certificate in Public History
- Certificate in Social Research Methodologies
- Certificate in Studies of Indigenous History
- Certificate in Theatre Arts
- Certificate in Visual Literacy and Culture
- 11. Academic Programs
- Index
- I. General Information and Admissions
Philosophy is the endeavour to understand the basic questions that arise for us in our world, and to formulate this understanding in a critical manner. Traditionally, these questions have touched upon what can be known, what can be valued, what our own position is socially and individually- above all, how we can know what we think we know.
The Department believes that careful study of the great works of the past and present provides the best access to philosophical questions. Thus many of our courses concentrate the student on developments in the history of philosophy, from the sixth century B.C. to the twentieth century. Courses in logic, ethics, metaphysics, philosophy of science and the philosophy of mind examine special issues in these developments and are compared to the formulation of these same issues in Asian philosophy.
The study of philosophy invites critical and imaginative consideration of the questions themselves.
Only thereby can the student learn to appreciate their force, and the variety of responses to them. Since philosophical questions are deeply imbedded in the development of western civilization, one can study philosophy in conjunction with a wide range of other disciplines. Moreover, our students have found it a useful background for subsequent endeavours in fields such as law, civil service, medicine, theology, and further graduate study.
| 6 | from the Humanities 1600 Series |
| 6 to 12 | from Philosophy at the 2000 level |
| 6 to 12 | from Philosophy at the 3/4000 level, chosen in consultation with the Program Advisor |
| 6 | from the Humanities 1600 Series |
| 3 | from PHIL 2611 |
| 3 to 9 | from Philosophy at the 2000 level |
| 12 | from PHIL 3000, 3011, 3101, 3221, 3231, 3240, 3250, 3301, 3311, 3351, and 3891 |
| 12 to 18 | from Philosophy at the 3/4000 level, including at least 6 at the 4000 level |
| 18 | credits from complementary courses in Arts and Letters and Humanities, chosen in consultation with the Program Advisor |
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 Coordinator must be obtained.
Plato's Republic
This course consists of a discussion of fundamental philosophical issues presented in Plato's Republic, such as the nature of morality, selfhood, God, reality, and knowledge. It may also use non-western sources to illuminate and evaluate central presuppositions and preoccupations of the western philosophical tradition that persist today. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) (Exclusion: Any version of PHIL 1601 previously offered with a different title)
Self, Society, and Freedom
This course investigates ideas about the self in the western philosophical tradition, including work in contemporary philosophy. Issues may include freedom and responsibility, otherness, the relationship between mind and body, the relationship between humans and animals, the impact of trauma, suffering or oppression on self- identity, and the existence or non-existence of the soul. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) (Exclusion: Any version of PHIL 1611 previously offered with a different title)
Reason, Will, and World
This course introduces the study of philosophy by looking at some major thinkers in the Western philosophical tradition as well as the fundamental and enduring questions they raise about human beings and the world. Specific topics may include the nature of knowledge, desire, goodness, human flourishing, and free will. Students explore these themes to discover the relations between reason, the will, and the world. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) (Exclusion: Any version of PHIL 1991 previously offered with the title The Story of Reason)
Knowledge, Nature, and Science
This course introduces the study of philosophy in the Western tradition through an investigation of how and why humans come to know the natural world. Readings will include historical and contemporary sources. Specific topics may include the development of science, the relation between humans and nature, the relation between science and technology, and the nature of ideas like progress, realism, truth, pseudoscience, explanation, objectivity, responsibility, and justice. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) (Exclusion: Any version of PHIL 1651 previously offered with a different title)
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. [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.] (Format: Variable)
Introduction to Feminist Philosophy
Prereq: 3 credits from Humanities 1600 Series; or permission of the Department
This course provides an overview and introduction to the critique of traditional philosophy undertaken by feminist philosophers who argue that philosophy, along with other human endeavours, is shaped by the prejudices and assumptions of its practitioners. They do not reject philosophy as a discipline but explore new ways of doing philosophy. The aim of this course is to explore these new approaches in order to examine how feminist philosophers have combined the tools and methods of philosophy with their insights and values. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)(Exclusion: Any version of PHIL 2991 previously offered with this title)
Introductory Aesthetics
Prereq: 3 credits from Humanities 1600 Series; or permission of the Department
This course focuses on aesthetics and the philosophy of art, drawing on both the history of philosophy (including figures such as Plato, Aristotle, Kant, and Nietzsche) and on contemporary theories about art. Topics may include the problem of defining art, the role of art and the artist in society, the experience of the sublime, and the nature of aesthetic judgment and taste. [Note 1: This course may count as 3 credits in Art History.] (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)
Introductory Philosophy of Science
Prereq: 3 credits from Humanities 1600 Series; or permission of the Department
This course explores competing philosophical explanations of scientific theory and practice. Based on historical and contemporary cases, it compares philosophical theories including logical positivism, scientific realism, scientific pluralism, sociology of scientific knowledge, and the most recent critiques from social constructivism and feminism. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)
Introductory Logic
This course introduces the study of logic, examining the basic structure of arguments, common reasoning fallacies, truth tables, and propositional logic. Further topics may include an introduction to quantification theory, syllogistic reasoning, Venn diagrams, Mill's methods, and issues central to inductive and deductive reasoning. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) (Exclusion: Any version of PHIL 2611 previously offered with a different title; PHIL 2621)
Introductory Ethics
Prereq: 3 credits from Humanities 1600 Series; or permission of the Department
This course introduces current western ethical theories (such as consequentialism, deontology, feminist, and virtue ethics) from historical sources (such as J. S. Mill, Kant, and Aristotle) as well as contemporary ones. In addition, material normally includes non-western texts (for instance, from Africana, Chinese, and Indian traditions) whose continuities and tensions with standard western theories and texts will usefully expand the scope of the discussion. Themes discussed may include: the nature of moral agency and the good life, the role of pleasure, power and desire in ethics, the relation of the ethical and the political, of the right and the good, and of reason and emotion. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)
Introduction to Metaphysics
Prereq: 3 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)
Special Topic in Philosophy
Prereq: 3 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. [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.] (Format: Variable)
Ancient Philosophy
Prereq: 3 credits from PHIL; 3 credits from PHIL at the 2000 level excluding PHIL 2611; or permission of the Department
This course examines the philosophical developments in the Ancient era within the thought of the Pre-Socratics, Plato, and Aristotle. Topics may include themes from metaphysics, epistemology, moral and political philosophy and aesthetics. Format: Lecture 3 Hours)
Hellenistic and Roman Philosophy
Prereq: 3 credits from PHIL; 3 credits from PHIL at the 2000 level excluding PHIL 2611; or permission of the Department
This course examines the philosophical developments in the late Ancient and Roman eras within the various schools of the Epicureans, Stoics, Skeptics, Cynics, Romans, and Neoplatonists. Themes may include the nature and possibility of knowledge, the ethics of happiness, the problem of free will, and the nature of the Divine. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)
Mediaeval Philosophy
Prereq: 3 credits from PHIL; 3 credits from PHIL at the 2000 level excluding PHIL 2611; or permission of the Department
This course examines themes and developments in the mediaeval monotheistic tradition of philosophy (ca. 350-1400 CE). The enduring philosophical topics discussed may include knowledge of God, universals, the nature of the human person, freedom of the will, the scope of philosophy, and the relationship between faith and reason. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)
Modern Philosophy: the Rationalist Tradition
Prereq: 3 credits from PHIL; 3 credits from PHIL at the 2000 level excluding PHIL 2611; or permission of the Department
This course investigates the thought of Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz, 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; it 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)
Modern Philosophy: the Empiricist Tradition
Prereq: 3 credits from PHIL; 3 credits from PHIL at the 2000 level excluding PHIL 2611; or permission of the Department
This course investigates the thought of Locke, Berkeley, and Hume, the leading English-language thinkers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. These authors seem to be reacting to the a priori tradition examined by Philosophy 3221. But they also make claims that are not merely reactive, and the course examines the degree to which they propose a coherent interpretation of the extent and the limitations of human understanding. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)
Kant
Prereq: 3 credits from PHIL; 3 credits from PHIL at the 2000 level excluding PHIL 2611; or permission of the Department
This course examines Kant's Critical project, including the arguments for the existence of God, freedom, and immortality to which it led. This necessitates close study of Critique of Pure Reason, and may include other texts such as Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, Critique of Judgment, Religion Within the Bounds of Mere Reason, and selections from Kant's social and political philosophy. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)(Exclusion: PHIL 4200)
Nineteenth-Century German Philosophy
Prereq: 3 credits from PHIL; 3 credits from PHIL at the 2000 level excluding PHIL 2611; or permission of the Department
This course provides an overview of the philosophical revolution that followed in the wake of Kant, often referred to as Germany's counterpart to the French Revolution. This strain of philosophy challenged the traditional understanding of the relationship of mind and world and the nature of reality itself. The course begins with J.G. Fichte's late eighteenth-century attempt to carry on the spirit of Kantian critical philosophy by grounding it in the radical freedom of the 'I' before considering such figures as the early German Romantics, Schelling, Hegel, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)
Analytic Philosophy in Origin
Prereq: 3 credits from PHIL; 3 credits from PHIL at the 2000 level excluding PHIL 2611; or permission of the Department
This course is an introduction to major figures and topics in the analytic philosophical tradition throughout the twentieth century. Topics include philosophical analysis, logical empiricism, American pragmatism, the shifting conceptions of ethics and metaphysics, and projects for and against naturalization of philosophical subject matter. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)
Analytic Philosophy in Progress
Prereq: 3 credits from PHIL; 3 credits from PHIL at the 2000 level excluding PHIL 2611; or permission of the Department
This course is an introduction to contemporary philosophy in response to the twentieth century analytic tradition. We will read thinkers discussing topics in metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. Topical focus may include experience, meaning, rationality, value, and accounts of the nature and practice of philosophy. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)
Phenomenology & Existentialism
Prereq: 3 credits from PHIL; 3 credits from PHIL at the 2000 level excluding PHIL 2611; or permission of the Department
This course introduces phenomenology and existentialism from the nineteenth century to the present. Existentialism encompasses a range of philosophies concerned with themes of freedom, anxiety, responsibility, and authentic living. Phenomenology is a philosophical methodology aiming to describe and understand the complex layers of our experience, including how memory, history, and community shape our perceptions. This course may include nineteenth- and twentieth-century authors such as Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and Franz Fanon, and other more recent thinkers. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) (Exclusion: PHIL 3991 Phenomenology and Existentialism)
Philosophy of the Life Sciences
Prereq: PHIL 2511; B.Sc. students already doing 3/4000 level work in their own field, and students with declared programs in Environmental Science, Environmental Studies, or Cognitive Science 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)
Symbolic Logic
Prereq: PHIL 2611; or permission of the Department
This is a course in quantificational logic, concentrating on the nature of logic, methods of deduction, quantification theory, and the logic of relational statements. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)
Biomedical Ethics
Prereq: PHIL 2701; or permission of the Department
This course will examine ethical issues involved in medicine and health and explore assumptions that we tend to make about health, the good life, and human functioning. We will cover a range of ethical theories used in bioethics, such as deontological, utilitarian, virtue, feminist, and disability-centered approaches. Issues covered may include medical assistance in dying, patient autonomy and welfare, medical research practices, and the history of eugenics in Canada. The course may use case studies and usually focuses on the Canadian context. [Note 1: Students enrolled in Health Studies programs who are already doing 3/4000 level work in their own field will be admitted to this course.] (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)
Environmental Ethics
Prereq: PHIL 2701; or permission of the Department
This course explores the interconnected ethical obligations that we have to other humans, to non-human life, and to the environment, within current ethical frameworks. Topics covered may include: animal welfare, industrial agriculture, the relations of ethical, political, aesthetic and economic value, global hunger, intergenerational and environmental justice, food security, and climate change. [Note 1: Students enrolled in Health Studies, Environmental Science, or Environmental Studies programs who are already doing 3/4000 level work in their own field will be admitted to this course.] (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)
Philosophy of Law
Prereq: 3 credits from PHIL at the 2000 level; or permission of the Department
This course introduces central issues in the philosophy of law. Topics may include the relation of law and morality, the rule of law in relation to coercion and liberty, the nature of judicial decision-making, the origin and justification of legal systems, and theories of the nature and function of law from the competing claims of legal positivism, formalism, and realism. (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)
Philosophy of Disability
Prereq: 3 credits from PHIL at the 2000 level excluding PHIL 2611; or permission of the Department
This course introduces the philosophical study of disability. It raises important questions that challenge our thinking and assumptions in a range of ways and explores issues such as: social versus medical models of disability; definitions of impairment and disability, including how they have changed through history; disability as identity and how it interacts with other identities; the relationship between concepts of disability and concepts of well-being; disability and culture; and philosophy's treatment of intellectual disability in the context of philosophy's traditional valorization of reason. [Note 1: Students enrolled in Health Studies programs who are already doing 3/4000 level work in their own field will be admitted to this course.] (Format: Lecture 3 Hours) (Exclusion: PHIL 4991 Philosophy of Disability)
Indian Philosophy
Prereq: 3 credits from PHIL at the 2000 level; 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. [Note 1: This course is cross-listed as RELG 3891 and may therefore count as three credits in either discipline.] (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)
Special Topic in Philosophy
Prereq: 3 credits from PHIL; 3 credits from PHIL at the 2000 level; 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. [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.] (Format: Variable)
Selected Topics in the History of Philosophy
This course involves careful study of one or more texts and themes in the History of Philosophy from antiquity to the twentieth century, depending on the interests and discretion of the instructor. [Note 1: Permission of the Department is required. Note 2: Students may register for PHIL 4001 more than once, provided the subject matter differs.] (Format: Seminar 3 Hours) (Exclusion: Any version of PHIL 4101 in which the same material was covered)
Selected Topics in Moral, Social and Political Philosophy
This course examines closely one or more themes and texts in Moral, Social, and Political Philosophy, depending on the interests and discretion of the instructor. Topics include contemporary virtue theory, deontological ethics, theories of recognition, multiculturalism, and cultural criticism. [Note 1: Permission of the Department is required. Note 2: Students may register for PHIL 4111 more than once, provided the subject matter differs.] (Format: Seminar 3 Hours)
Selected Topics in Continental Philosphy
This course explores twentieth- and twenty-first-century philosophical schools associated with French and German traditions of thought. Topics may include phenomenology, existentialism, hermeneutics, deconstruction, affect theory, feminist new materialism, and other developments in contemporary Continental thought. [Note 1: Permission of the Department is required. Note 2: Students may register for PHIL 4211 more than once, provided the subject matter differs.] (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)
Philosophy of Mind
This course studies the philosophical arguments that attempt to resolve the real nature of mental states vis à vis the physical states of the brain. Topics include how it is we have knowledge of our own sensations, beliefs, desires, and consciousness; how we gain knowledge of other minds; and the more general questions of how we should best proceed to resolve these issues. [Note 1: Permission of the Department is required.] (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)
Selected Topics in Philosophy of Science
This course examines contemporary themes in the philosophy of science. Topics may include models and their use in scientific reasoning, philosophical foundations of statistical inference, the nature of scientific methods, truth and scientific progress, the political and moral elements of scientific research, science and the environment. It investigates the philosophical foundations of scientific theories of evolution, matter, time, biological life, and human social activity. [Note 1: Permission of the Department is required. Note 2: Students may register for PHIL 4521 more than once, provided that the subject matter differs.] (Format: Seminar 3 hours )
Selected Topics in Analytic Philosophy
This course examines 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. [Note 1: Permission of the Department is required. Note 2: Students may register for PHIL 4611 more than once, provided the subject matter differs] (Format: Lecture 3 Hours)
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. [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.] (Format: Independent Study)
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. [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.] (Format: Independent Study)
Honours Thesis
This course comprises independent research and study under the direction of one or more supervisors approved by the Department. [Note 1: Students should discuss the format and process for the Honours thesis as early as possible with the Departmental Program Advisor. Note 2: Permission of the Department is required.] (Format: Independent Study/Thesis)
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. [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.] (Format: Variable)