2009-11 Marian University Course Catalog, fall 2010 edition

PHL 130
Human Nature and Person 3 credits
This course addresses what it is to be human and what it
means to be a human person. Particular emphasis is given to
exploring these themes within the Western and specifically
Catholic philosophical tradition in dialogue with other, and
sometimes competing, positions. This course partially
satisfies the general education requirement in the
philosophical and theological reasoning category. (SEM)
PHL H30
Honors Human Nature and Person 3 credits
Prerequisite: Student must meet Honors Program criteria.
Content of PHL 130 is enriched with more reading and
writing. Limited enrollment. This course partially satisfies the
general education requirement in the philosophical and
theological reasoning category. (FAL)
PHL 150
Logic 3 credits
This reasoning skills-development course examines basic
logical concepts and shows their applicability to all areas of
reasoning. Required of philosophy majors, but strongly
recommended to everyone, especially those contemplating
law school or graduate school. (FAL)
PHL 203
Plato and Aristotle 3 credits
This course investigates philosophical works of the two
acknowledged giants of Greek thought, Plato (ca 428-348
B.C.) and Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), in historical context and
especially for subsequent impact on Western thought. Inclass
reading and discussion. (2FE)
PHL 205
Augustine and Aquinas 3 credits
This course investigates the philosophical works of two
acknowledged giants of Christian thought, Augustine of Hippo
(A.D. 354-430) and Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), in historical
context and for subsequent impact. In-class reading and
discussion. (2FO)
PHL 215
Personal and Professional Ethics 3 credits
This course introduces the student to ethics through
philosophical reflection on the development of the student’s
moral judgment with particular attention to ethical issues
related to being a professional in contemporary society.
Topics include personal development in making moral
judgments, critical assessment of different ethical theories,
the meaning of being a professional, the social obligations of
professionals, and the relationship between personal and
professional morality. (SPR)
PHL 230
Philosophy of Beauty and Art 3 credits
An examination of the beautiful as such and the beautiful in
art, from the stance of classical philosophy. Although this is
fundamentally a philosophy course, just as important are field
trips to experience the various forms of the beautiful. (ADD)
PHL 240
Social and Political Philosophy 3 credits
Prerequisite: PHL 130 or permission. A search for the
principles of the just state, including various notions of
human nature, common good, the nature of institution and
law, justice and right, sovereignty, force, and various social
units such as family and labor unions. (2SO)
PHL 260
Asian Philosophies 3 credits
Prerequisite: 130. This course is a very broad survey of major
philosophical themes in five Asian traditions—Hinduism,
Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Islam. The format is inclass
reading and discussion of classical texts. This course
partially satisfies the general education requirement in the
cultural awareness category. (SEM)
PHL 310
Kafka, Kierkegaard,
Dostoyevsky, and Camus 3 credits
Readings and discussion of Kafka’s Metamorphosis,
Kierkegaard’s The Sickness Unto Death and Fear and
Trembling, Dostoyevsky’s The Grand Inquisitor, and Camus’
Myth of Sisyphus. An introduction to the notions of self,
freedom, despair, and authenticity in the view of both
atheistic and Christian existentialism. (2SO)
PHL 320
Philosophy of Knowledge 3 credits
A critical study of various positions on the nature and limits of
human knowledge, including their metaphysical and
anthropological implications. Readings are drawn from
classical and contemporary sources, with special emphasis
being placed on the critical realism of Bernard Lonergan.
(2FE)
PHL 330
Philosophy of Being (Metaphysics) 3 credits
Inquiry into the ultimate explanations and structure of real
things; an account of our search for such knowledge and the
solutions of thinkers characteristic of the ancient, medieval,
and modern periods. (2SE)
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