Course Selection Guidebook [pdf] - College of William and Mary

Course Selection Guidebook – Fall 2011301 (Elementary Statistics). The major writing requirement may be satisfied by taking one of thewriting-intensive elective courses (BIOL 433, BIOL 442, CHEM 417, PSYC 302, PSYC 413, orPSYC 415) or completing a major writing project with a Neuroscience faculty member.Alterations in the prescribed curriculum may be petitioned to the Committee on Honors andInterdisciplinary Studies.PhilosophySince most students will not be familiar with philosophy prior to their tenure at William & Mary,we offer a brief description of the subject along with a few reasons for taking a Philosophy course.Philosophy is often characterized as a search for answers to fundamental questions of knowledge,reality, and value such as: Can the existence of God be proven? Is there an objective basis formoral judgments or are they relative? What is the nature of the self? Unlike scientists, who appealto experiments to support their theories, and theologians, who may appeal to sacred texts,philosophers appeal to reasoned arguments.The study of different answers to such questions acquaints one with some of the great thinkers whohave shaped our cultural heritage, broadens one’s perspective, and aids one in thinking criticallyabout these and many other questions. The study of philosophy has therefore been found to beuseful both in everyday and professional contexts. The critical thinking and writing skills gainedare especially helpful as a preparation for law school, business school, divinity school, journalism,and many other careers as well.The two courses in philosophy that would be especially appropriate for freshmen are Philosophy201 and 210. Other courses can be taken without a prerequisite.For more information, please contact the department at (757) 221-2716.Introductory Courses150W. Freshman Seminars - (GER 7) Fall (4) See separate listing of course(s) available.201. Introduction to Philosophy - (GER 7) Fall and Spring (3) An introduction to the problems,methods and scope of philosophical inquiry through readings from historical and contemporarysources. Typically, the readings include at least one dialogue of Plato, the Meditations ofDescartes, and usually selections from other philosophers.210. Introduction to Critical Thinking – (GER 7) Fall and Spring (3) A survey of formal andlogical techniques with emphasis on their practical applications and historical significance. Amongthe techniques studied are syllogistic logic, informal fallacies, and induction.215. Contemporary Moral Issues - (GER 7) Fall and Spring (3) A course focused on particularmoral issues facing contemporary society and the ethical arguments provoked by them. Topicsdiscussed in the course may include, among others, abortion, euthanasia, hate speech, capitalpunishment, surrogacy, genetic engineering, war and nuclear arms.231. Greek Philosophy(GER 4A) Fall (3, 3) LemosA critical examination of representative Greek philosophers with special emphasis on Plato andAristotle. (cross-listed with CLCV 331)68