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Chair R. Dalvi Professors Emeriti Wing-Cheuk Chan, J. R. A. Mayer Professors Christine Daigle, Murray L. Miles, R. Raj Singh Associate Professors Michael Berman, Richard S. G. Brown, Athena V. Colman, R. Dalvi, Rajiv Kaushik, Brian Lightbody Undergraduate Officer Richard S. G. Brown Academic Adviser Liz Hay |
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Administrative Assistant Frances Meffe 905-688-5550, extension 3315 573 Glenridge 263 Philosophy, defined as the pursuit of wisdom, encompasses the exploration of the nature of reality, consciousness, values, knowledge, reason, argument and evidence. Students study not only the primary texts of the Western philosophical tradition, but also major texts of Indian and Chinese thought. Students are encouraged to investigate critically and dialectically their own views and values. |
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Satisfactory completion of the first three years of the Honours program entitles a student to apply for a Pass degree. |
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Students may take a combined major in Philosophy and a second discipline. For requirements in the other discipline, the student should consult the relevant department/centre. It should be noted that not all departments/centres provide a combined major option. Honours One of PHIL 1F90, 1F91, 1F93, 1F94 (see program note 1)
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Students in other disciplines can obtain a Minor in Philosophy within their degree program by completing the following courses with a minimum 60 percent overall average:
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The Department of Philosophy also offers a Master of Arts program, focusing on two areas: recent and contemporary European thought and Asian (especially Indian) thought. Candidates should have an Honours BA in philosophy; those with a Pass BA in philosophy or a degree in another discipline will be required to take additional courses. Students may choose either to complete two credits and write a thesis or to complete three credits and write a major essay. Graduate credits are to be obtained by completing courses designated at the 5(alpha)00 level. A course previously taken for 4(alpha)00 level credit may not be retaken for graduate credit. For further information please contact the Graduate Program Director. |
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Note that not all courses are offered in every session. Refer to the applicable term timetable for details. # Indicates a cross listed course * Indicates primary offering of a cross listed course |
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Students must check to ensure that prerequisites are met. Students may be deregistered, at the request of the instructor, from any course for which prerequisites and/or restrictions have not been met. Introduction to Philosophy: Philosophical Classics and Contemporary Life Contemporary problems viewed through a variety of philosophical writings. Students are encouraged to formulate and examine their own beliefs about freedom, knowledge, religion, love and questions of right and wrong. Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week. Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in PHIL 1F91, 1F93 and 1F94 except with permission of the department. Introduction to Philosophy: Human Nature How do we see ourselves- Who are we- What are we- A critical analysis and evaluation of classical and contemporary views of human nature from a variety of philosophical and religious traditions. Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week. Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in PHIL 1F90, 1F93 and 1F94 except with permission of the department. Introduction to Philosophy: The Foundations of the Present An attempt to place the philosophical issues which confront the reflective individual today in their historical context by examining the teachings and arguments which shape our views of such matters as body and soul, life after death, truth and knowledge, faith and moral responsibility. Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week. Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in PHIL 1F90, 1F91 and 1F94 except with permission of the department. Introduction to Philosophy: Problems Central problems of philosophy as living questions for reflection, dialogue and debate, including: Is the external world really there- Does God exist- Can I really know anything- What is a person- Is everything permissible- Can my life have meaning- Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week. Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in PHIL 1F90, 1F91 and 1F93 except with permission of the department. Pre-Socratics to Plato Survey of Western philosophy from its birth in the Pre-Socratics (sixth century BC) to Plato. Lectures, 3 hours per week. Growth of Greek Philosophy: Aristotle and Beyond Survey of Western philosophy from Aristotle, the Hellenistic schools (Epicurean, Stoic, Sceptic) to Plotinus (third century AD). Early Modern Philosophy: The Rationalists Classical philosophies of Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries as found in the writings of the Continental Rationalists (Descartes, Spinoza and Leibniz). Lectures, 3 hours per week. Early Modern Philosophy: The Empiricists Classical philosophies of England, Ireland and Scotland in the 17th and 18th centuries as found in the writings of the British Empiricists (Locke, Berkeley and Hume). Lectures, 3 hours per week. Reason and Experience Arguments and debates concerning reason and experience in 17th- and 18th-century philosophy. Key figures may include Descartes, Malebranche, Locke, Spinoza and Hume. Lectures, 3 hours per week. Ethics: Major Ethical Theories and Philosophies of Life Examines Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Mill and contemporary thinkers. Lectures, 3 hours per week. Indian Philosophy: An Introduction to Hindu Thought (also offered as INTC 2P12) Hindu thought beginning with the Vedic myths, through the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita to the systems of the Vedanta. Topics include Karma, reincarnation, altered states of consciousness, Maya, the problem of knowledge, the role and nature of God, the theory and practice of yoga. Lectures, 3 hours per week. Indian Philosophy: An Introduction to Buddhist Thought (also offered as INTC 2P13) Buddhist thought from Prince Siddhartha's enlightenment and subsequent Deer Park Sermon (the basis of Hinayana) through the Perfection of Wisdom to Madhyamika Buddhism (the Mahayana representative) to Zen (the silence of the Buddha). Topics include Nirvana, non-self, one-hand clapping. Lectures, 3 hours per week. The Beginnings of Existential Thinking The sources of both theistic and atheistic lived philosophy in such figures as Kierkegaard and Nietzsche. Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week. The Growth of Existential Thinking The work of such philosophers as Scheler, Heidegger, Marcel and Sartre. Lectures, 3 hours per week. Introduction to Chinese Philosophy (also offered as INTC 2P17) Confucian, Taoist and Chinese Buddhist philosophical traditions examined in conjunction with appropriate texts. Lectures, 3 hours per week. Postmodernism Philosophical perspectives arising from Nietzche and Heidegger emphasizing ethics, politics, language and ontology. Readings may include Nancy, Baudrillard, Virilio, Lyotard, Foucault, Deleuze and Guattari. Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week. Abrahamic Religious Thought Roots of the monotheisms of Judaism, Christianity and Islam: Who and what is God? What is our relationship to God? What are the ethical bases of religion? What is the nature of faith? Lectures, 3 hours per week. Prerequisite(s): one of PHIL 1F90, 1F91, 1F93, 1F94. Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in LART 2P20. Introduction to Logic Modern deductive logic. Development of the ability to analyse arguments in order to determine their worth. Arguments will be symbolized in order to clarify their form and to determine their validity or invalidity. Lectures, 3 hours per week. Creatures, Cyborgs and Carnality Engaging critical issues such as human nature, self-identity, religion, society, ethics, politics, economics, science and technology in classic, contemporary and award-winning science fiction stories and novels. Lectures, 3 hours per week. Prerequisite(s): one credit in PHIL or permission of the instructor. Philosophical Psychology Thinkers and the philosophical debates which inform psycho-analytic/psychological theory, including Brentano, Freud, Sartre, Ricoeur, Lacan, as well as more contemporary thinkers such as Nancy, Lacoue-Labarthe. Lectures, 3 hours per week. Prerequisite(s): one PHIL or PSYC credit or permission of the instructor. Completion of this course will replace previously assigned grade and credit obtained in PHIL 2F93. Mass Media and Philosophy (also offered as INTC 2P93) Different philosophical reactions to various types of mass media and computer-mediated communication that challenge the traditional concepts of "identity", "freedom", and "human nature", including critical theory (Adorno/Horkheimer), media theory (McLuhan), postmodernism (Baudrillard) and systems theory (Niklas Luhmann). Lectures, 3 hours per week. Bioethics (also offered as BIOL 2P95) Value conflicts and moral dilemmas in biology and medicine. Emphasis on specific case studies in reproductive interventions, medical experimentation, concepts of "health" and "disease", modification of behaviour, lifestyle choices, allocation of scarce or expensive medical resources, and death and dying. Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week. Prerequisite(s): one PHIL or BIOL credit or permission of the instructor. Note: may count as an elective, but not as a major credit in an Honours BIOL (single or combined) program. Philosophy of Religion Traditional issues, such as the proofs for the existence of God, the problem of evil, the relationship of faith to reason and the nature of religious knowledge. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Prerequisite(s): one credit in PHIL or permission of the instructor. Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in LART 2P97. Philosophy in Literature Philosophical issues in literature, such as writing, phenomenology of language, the nature of meaning, the role of the reader, literary work of art, problems of freedom, determinism and values. Lectures, 3 hours per week. Prerequisite(s): one PHIL credit or permission of the instructor. Gender Ethics and Sexuality Application of ethics to questions of human sexuality. Topics include sexual values, the semantics of sex, the concepts of the romantic and eternal-feminine, respect for the personhood of women, censorship, pornography, legal enforcement of morality, sex in advertising, prostitution and AIDS. Lectures, 3 hours per week. Prerequisite(s): one PHIL credit or permission of the instructor. The Philosophy of Art (also offered as VISA 2Q98) Classical theories of art through analysis of painting, photography, video, film, music and drama examining such concepts as beauty, creativity, artistic intention, perception, interpretation, and the nature and possible role of art. Lectures, 3 hours per week. Prerequisite(s): one PHIL credit, VISA 1Q98 and 1Q99 or permission of the instructor. Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in LART 2Q98. Selected Topics in Philosophy Selected issues on the basis of faculty expertise. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Prerequisite(s): one credit in PHIL or permission of the instructor. Theory of Knowledge Fundamental distinctions in the theory of knowledge, such as knowledge and belief, the empirical and the a priori, analytic/synthetic, scientific versus metaphysical knowledge. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Prerequisite(s): one PHIL credit or permission of the instructor. Metaphysics Major problems of metaphysics, considering the question of what there is. Topics may include the nature of space and time, the mind-body relation, substance and property, universals and particulars, causation, identity and personal identity. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Prerequisite(s): one PHIL credit or permission of the instructor. The Rise of Christian Philosophy (also offered as MARS 3P19) Philosophy from the patristic period through Erigena and Anselm up to and including the 12th-century Renaissance. Lectures, 3 hours per week. Prerequisite(s): one PHIL credit or permission of the instructor. Contemporary Feminist Philosophy Feminist thinkers and the philosophical debates which inform contemporary feminist theory including, but not limited to, questions of race, class, gender/sex, power and post-colonialism. Thinkers include Alcoff, Butler, de Beauvoir, Code, Chodorow, Fraser, Gilligan, Harding, Hartsock, Irigaray, Kristeva, MacKinnon and Spivak. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Prerequisite(s): one PHIL credit or permission of the instructor. Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in WGST (WISE) 3P63. Environmental Philosophy Ethical and conceptual problems in connection with humanity's relations to nature, in terms of survival and future social organization. What are the costs of progress and development- What kind of ethical responsibilities do we have for future generations and for non-human living creatures- Examination of economic, political, human-ecological and eco-philosophical theories. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Prerequisite(s): one PHIL credit or permission of the instructor. Critical Study of a Classical Philosophy: Plato In-depth examination of the works of Plato. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Prerequisite(s): PHIL 2P00 or permission of the instructor. Critical Study of a Classical Philosophy: Aristotle In-depth examination of the works of Aristotle. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Prerequisite(s): PHIL 2P01 or permission of the instructor. Hermeneutics Philosophical theory of interpretation and understanding, with special reference to the methods employed in the humanities (history, literary criticism); the problems of hermeneutics in the works of such thinkers as Gadamer, Ricoeur, Heidegger and Habermas. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Prerequisite(s): PHIL 2P14, 2P15 or permission of the instructor. Phenomenology The work of such philosophers as Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, Scheler and others. Lectures, 3 hours per week. Prerequisite(s): PHIL 2P14, 2P15 or permission of the instructor. Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in PHIL 3P60. Gandhi and Non-Violence (also offered as INTC 3P94) Gandhi as an original philosopher contributing to contemporary ontology. Implications of his thought for applied philosophy of personal, social and international reform, especially in light of its encounters with the forces of violence. Universal relevance of his thought to our technological times, and the relation between his ideas and the Indian tradition. Lectures, 3 hours per week. Prerequisite(s): PHIL 2P12, 2P13 or permission of the instructor. Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in PHIL (INTC) 3P10. Issues in 17th-Century Philosophy Special issue or a particular thinker of central importance in the classical period of modern philosophy. Where it does not focus upon one individual (Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz), the course will trace the development of an issue (causality, mind-body union, the doctrine of substance) through its classical origins. Seminar, 3 hours per week Prerequisite(s): PHIL 2P02 or permission of the instructor Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in PHIL 3V95. Studies in 19th- and 20th-Century Continental Philosophy I Critical examination of a key figure of central importance in modern and contemporary philosophy such as Marx, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, Foucault, Habermas, Derrida. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Prerequisite(s): one PHIL credit; PHIL 2P14, 2P15 or permission of the instructor. Studies in 19th- and 20th-Century Continental Philosophy II Critical examination of a key figure of central importance in modern and contemporary philosophy such as Marx, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, Foucault, Habermas, Derrida. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Prerequisite(s): one PHIL credit; PHIL 2P14, 2P15 or permission of the instructor. Issues in 18th-Century Philosophy Special issue or a particular thinker of central importance in the classical period of modern philosophy. Where it does not focus upon one individual (Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Kant), the course will trace the development of an issue (substance, causality) or debate (realism vs. empirical and transcendental idealism, empiricism vs. rationalism and Kantian criticism) through its classical origins. Seminar, 3 hours per week Prerequisite(s): PHIL 2P03 or permission of the instructor Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in PHIL 3V99. Transhumanism Technological and intellectual trends in human hybridity and self-directed evolution, as well as critical examination of posthumanism and pseudo-religious attitudes about the so-called singularity. Key figures may include T. de Chardin, H. Morevec, M. Minsky and R. Kurzweil. Lectures, 3 hours per week. Prerequisite(s): one PHIL credit or permission of the instructor. Comparative Studies in Philosophy Historical and systematic study of one or more important themes as developed in ancient Greek, modern and contemporary philosophy and/or Eastern thought. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Prerequisite(s): one PHIL credit or permission of the instructor. 2017-2018:Weakness of the Will The problem of akrasia or weakness of the will in classical and contemporary philosophy. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Prerequisite(s): one PHIL credit or permission of the instructor. Issues in 17th- and 18th-Century Philosophy Special issue or a particular thinker of central importance in the classical period of modern philosophy. Where it does not focus upon one individual (e.g., Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Kant), the course will trace the development of an issue (e.g., causality, mind-body union, the doctrine of substance, personal identity) through its classical origins. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Prerequisite(s): PHIL 2P02, 2P03 or permission of the instructor. Sartre Study of the existentialism of Jean-Paul Sartre as discussed in his literary and philosophical works. Lectures, 3 hours per week. Restriction: students must have a minimum 70 percent major average and a minimum of 10.0 overall credits. Nietzsche Study of the philosophical ideas of Friedrich Nietzsche. Seminar, 3 hours per week Restriction: students must have a minimum of 70 percent major average and a minimum of 10.0 overall credits. Kant and the 18th Century Historical study of the thought of Immanuel Kant in the context of the 18th-century enlightenment, normally focusing on Kant's critical philosophy. Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week. Prerequisite(s): PHIL 2P02, 2P03 or permission of the instructor. Hegel and the 19th Century Historical study of the thought of Georg W. F. Hegel in the context of the 19th century. Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week. Prerequisite(s): PHIL 2P02, 2P03 or permission of the instructor. Nineteenth-Century Philosophy Historical study of the thought of a 19th-century thinker or thinkers, such as Marx, Feuerbach, Kierkegaard, Mill, Bradley or Bentham. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Prerequisite(s): PHIL 2P02, 2P03 or permission of the instructor. Honours Tutorial I Directed intensive and individual study in an area in which a student has developed and displayed a particular interest. Restriction: open to PHIL (single or combined) majors with a minimum 70 percent major average, a minimum of 10.0 overall credits and permission of the Chair. Note: requires consultation, in advance of registration, with a faculty member able to supervise the study. Proposals for a tutorial course must be approved by the Chair of the department by the last day for late registration. Honours Tutorial II Directed intensive and individual study in an area in which a student has developed and displayed a particular interest. Restriction: open to PHIL (single or combined) majors with a minimum 70 percent major average, a minimum of 10.0 overall credits and permission of the Chair. Note: requires consultation, in advance of registration, with a faculty member able to supervise that study. Proposals for a tutorial course must be approved by the Chair of the department by the last day for late registration. Contemporary Studies in European Philosophy The work of one or more thinkers prominent in recent Continental thought. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Restriction: students must have a minimum 70 percent major average and a minimum of 10.0 overall credits. 2017-2018: Posthumanism, New Materialism, Object-oriented Ontology The new focus on materiality and human entanglement offered by contemporary post human theorists such as Ian Bogost, Rosi Braidotti, Graham Harman, Timothy Morton, Cary Wolfe. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Restriction: students must have a minimum 70 percent major average and a minimum of 10.0 overall credits. Modern Philosophical Studies Advanced course devoted to one or more of the major thinkers of the tradition from Descartes to the present day. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Restriction: students must have a minimum 70 percent major average and a minimum of 10.0 overall credits. 2017-2018: Nietzsche and Buddhism Nietzsche's concepts of will to power and self-overcoming in light of early (Theravada) Buddhism. Seminars, 3 hours per week. Restriction: students must have a minimum of 70 percent major average and a minimum of 10.0 overall credits. Advanced Studies in Eastern Philosophy Concentrated critical and interpretative study of selected texts in the areas of Advaita, Vedanta, Yoga, etc., Madhyamika and Yogacara schools of Buddhism, Daoism, or Confucianism. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Restriction: students must have a minimum 70 percent major average and a minimum of 10.0 overall credits. 2017-2018: Madhyamika Buddhism Introduction to early Buddhist thought. Standpoints of the Madhyamika School studied through a philosophical reading of the Karikas of Nagarjuna. Seminars, 3 hours per week. Restriction: students must have a minimum of 70 percent major average and a minimum of 10.0 overall credits. Advanced Studies in Comparative Philosophy Selected issues on the basis of faculty expertise. Seminar, 3 hours per week. Restriction: students must have a minimum 70 percent major average and a minimum of 10.0 overall credits. |
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2017-2018 Undergraduate Calendar
Last updated: August 1, 2017 @ 02:50PM