2013-2014 Catalog - Virginia Wesleyan College

138 MUSICPHILOSOPHY139230 Virginia Wesleyan Choral Tour (4) ADiscover the life changing experience of takingmusical learning out of the classroom and into thecommunity. Students meet for a two-week intensiverehearsal prior to leaving for a one-week tour. Corequisite:enrolled in the Spring session of WesleyanSingers. Offered each Winter Session.300 Chamber Music (2)Students explore the body of chamber musicwritten for their instrument and select and prepare achamber music composition for performance with aprofessional ensemble. A weekly one-hour coachingsession offers rehearsal strategies as well as discussionof musical ideas and interpretations. In addition,students prepare a listening journal that documentstheir listening experiences and generate an annotatedbibliography of chamber music compositions fortheir instrument. Applied music fee of $250.PHILOSOPHYDR. STEVEN M. EMMANUELDR. PATRICK A. GOOLDDR. LAWRENCE D. HULTGREN, Program CoordinatorDR. R. CATHAL WOODSThe Greek word philosophia (“philosophy”)derives from the roots philein (“to love”) and Sophia(“wisdom”) and is commonly translated “love ofwisdom.” For Socrates, and those who followed hisexample, the love of wisdom took the form of adisciplined reflection about human life and conduct.Convinced that intellectual and moral integrity gohand in hand, Socrates raised fundamental questionsabout the nature of justice, virtue, and the good life.Proceeding by careful analysis and rigorous dialectic,he sought a knowledge of reality on which to establisha firm foundation for making sound moral judgment.Though philosophical practice has taken manydifferent forms over the centuries, the conception ofphilosophy as a process of critical inquiry aimed at adeeper understanding of self and world remains thedominant one. The study of philosophy promotes thedevelopment of analytical, critical, and interpretiveabilities that are important for life in general. Properlypursued, philosophical study cultivates the appetiteand capacity for self-examination and reflection, forthe open exchange and debate of ideas, forresponsible and intelligent participation incommunity affairs, and for lifelong learning.Philosophy courses provide students with acoherent intellectual structure of study, whileacquainting them with the broad diversity of ideasand approaches within the Western philosophicaltradition and beyond. The curriculum coverssignificant periods and prominent figures in thehistory of intellectual thought, as well as the centralsubfields of philosophy and their distinctive problemsets. Though the department recognizes that aphilosophy major is a valuable preparation for careersin many fields, its approach to teaching reflects a basiccommitment to the idea that philosophy is bestthought of as a practice and way of life.Major Requirements: PhilosophyCOURSE NUMBER AND TITLESEM.HRS.PHIL 209Methods of Logic4PHIL 332Ancient Greek Philosophy4PHIL 336Early Modern Philosophy4One of the following:PHIL 101, 102, 104, 105, 212, 4221/321, 272/372, 304PHIL 400 Philosophy Seminar 4Three additional philosophy courses,at least two of which are12at the 300/400 levelMinor Requirements: PhilosophyCOURSE NUMBER AND TITLEPhilosophy electives at the200 level or aboveTOTAL 32SEM.HRS.12Philosophy electives at the 300/400 level 8TOTAL 20PHILOSOPHY COURSES (PHIL)101 Individual and Society (4) VAn introduction to philosophy as critical thinkingand analysis through an examination of questions ofhuman value(s). Students learn how to recognize andanalyze the values by which they live, examine theissues of self and society, and develop a philosophicalskill in seeing the basic values that influence thesepersonal and social issues. Offered each fall.102 Contemporary Moral Issues (4) VIntroduces the practice of moral reasoningthrough the study of representative moral theoriesand their application to controversial issues incontemporary life. Students develop the critical andanalytical skills required for thinking clearly aboutmoral problems and forming their own conclusionsabout them. Offered each spring.105 Meaning, Happiness, andthe Good Life (4)VExamines key texts from philosophy andliterature, East and West, on the meaning of life.Students attempt to grapple with questions such as,Can happiness be found in the fulfillment of ourdesires, or in their elimination, or in the worship andservice of a universal being? Is a meaningful life ahappy life? and What does the question “What is themeaning of life?” mean? Offered intermittently.109 Critical Reasoning (4)Explores the correct way to make judgments anddecisions. Investigates human reasoning and providesbasic instruction in correct reasoning. Topics mayinclude conscious and unconscious thinking,advertisements, rhetorical techniques, biases,character traits of critical thinkers, argument analysisand evaluation, and group reasoning. Offered eachfall.110 Perennial Questions (4) VA critical examination of several great issues thatconfront us in modern philosophical thought,including the question of the existence of God, thenature of ultimate reality, the sources of humanknowledge, the principles of moral values, and theproblems of aesthetic judgments. Offered each spring.203 The Examined Life (4) TApproaches philosophy through the close readingand interpretation of Socratic dialogues. Engages thesubstance of the dialogues, the sort of knowledgeSocrates seeks, how he searches for it, and why hethinks this search is necessary. Literary technique andthe role of rhetoric in philosophical argument areconsidered. Prerequisite: ENG 105 with a grade of Cor higher. Offered each fall.209 Methods of Logic (4)Analysis and evaluation of argument along withan introduction to induction, correlation andcausation, and to specific methods of argumentevaluation such as categorical logic, propositionallogic, truth tables, truth trees, and first-order logic.Background readings in the philosophy of logic andthe psychology of reasoning. Offered each spring.211 The Human Condition (4)An introduction to philosophical inquiry throughan examination of fundamental issues and argumentsconcerning the nature of human beings. What isdistinctive about being human? Does human life havea special meaning, or is “meaning” simply an illusionwe’ve created to comfort ourselves? Selected literary,scientific, and philosophic accounts of being humanare studied and criticized.212 Practical Ethics (4) VExplores the potential of moral reasoning as a toolfor conflict resolution and consensus building.Through a series of practical exercises, students learnto use moral argumentation as a means of fosteringconstructive dialogue and mutual understanding.Students develop the ability to listen carefully,distinguish real from apparent disagreements,discover common ground, and find creative solutionsto moral problems. Offered intermittently.215 Philosophy of Religion (4) VAddresses major questions that have emerged inthe history of philosophy concerning the justificationof theistic belief, the meaning of religious language,the nature of miracles, and mystical experience.Offered on demand.221/321 Ethics and Health Care (4) VForegoing life-sustaining treatment, procurementof organs and tissue for transplantation, artificialreproduction, allocation of scarce health resources,AIDS: public health vs. private rights.… Suchquestions of health care confront all of us at sometime both as matters of individual concern and asissues of public policy. Students examine the ethicalprinciples that should undergird decisions in healthcare and apply these principles to concrete cases.Offered each spring.253/353 Social and Political Philosophy (4) VOther humans: can’t live with them, can’t livewithout them. This course surveys theoretical toolsfor understanding this dilemma and specific socialissues. Topics include self and society, friendship andjustice, authority and anarchism, democracy andother forms of government; issues such as identitypolitics, social change, and political rhetoric. Identicalto PHIL 353. Offered spring of even-numbered years.272/372 Beyond the Western Tradition (4) VWe live in a world characterized by multiplicity,plurality, and difference. Students enter into frames ofreference of people with differing experiences of, andassumptions about, the world. We are educated inthis world to the degree that we are aware of our ownboundedness, and that we become skilled in critically