Rice Course Schedule, Fall 2002
Philosophy (PHIL)

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NOTE: Course web pages are available for some PHIL courses.

PHIL 100   PROBLEMS OF PHILOSOPHY                   Credits 3.00  Fall 02
* DISTRIBUTION COURSE: GROUP I
An introduction to philosophy through such fundamental problems as the basis of
morality, the foundation of state authority, determinism and freedom, and the
possibility of knowledge.
001 HUM 119 - MWF 02:00PM - 02:50PM     Arpaly, Nomy              Enr: 37 Max: 0

PHIL 101   CONT MORAL&LEGAL ISSUES                  Credits 3.00  Fall 02
* DISTRIBUTION COURSE: GROUP I
Examination of moral issues surrounding such topics as abortion, euthanasia,
war, capital punishment, justice, and equality.
001 SH 309 - TTH 02:30PM - 03:50PM      Sher, George              Enr: 88 Max: 0

PHIL 201   HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY I                  Credits 3.00  Fall 02
* DISTRIBUTION COURSE: GROUP I
Survey of the major philosophers and philosophical systems of ancient Greece,
from Parmenides to the Stoics.
001 HUM 117 - MWF 11:00AM - 11:50AM     Morrison, Donald R.       Enr: 41 Max: 0

PHIL 304   METAPHYSICS                              Credits 3.00  Fall 02
* DISTRIBUTION COURSE: GROUP I
Examination of metaphysical theories in the works of historical and
contemporary thinkers.  Topics may include: free will, the identity of persons
over time, causation, possibility and necessity, design and chance, the nature
of existence, the nature of time.
Prereq- one course in philosophy.
001 RH 123 - MWF 01:00PM - 01:50PM      Grandy, Richard E.        Enr: 22 Max: 0

PHIL 305   MATHEMATICAL LOGIC                       Credits 3.00  Fall 02
* DISTRIBUTION COURSE: GROUP III
This course will cover the central concepts and results in mathematical logic,
focussing on the Completness Theorem which proves the covergence of the the
syntactic and semantic approaches to reasoning. The content of the course
overlaps considerably with COMP 280 and 409, though the emphasis in this course
is on applications of logic in areas other than computer science and the
exercises primarily concern natural languages rather than formal ones.  Among
its other goals, the course is intended not only to give students practice in
proving theorems but also to push them to be reflective about the theorem
proving process.
001 SH 305 - MWF 10:00AM - 10:50AM      Grandy, Richard E.        Enr: 32 Max: 0

PHIL 306   ETHICS                                   Credits 3.00  Fall 02
* DISTRIBUTION COURSE: GROUP I
This course deals with fundamental questions of value and morality-questions
such as: What sort of life is best? What kind of person is it best to be?  What
does morality require of us?  It also deals with important second-order
questions about these fundamental questions-for example: Can morality be
justified?  How can we know what's right or good?  Is there moral truth? What
is the relation between morality and self-interest? Readings are drawn from
both classical and contemporary sources.
001 HUM 119 - MWF 03:00PM - 03:50PM     Arpaly, Nomy              Enr: 19 Max: 0

PHIL 312   PHILOSOPHY OF MIND                       Credits 3.00  Fall 02
* DISTRIBUTION COURSE: GROUP I
Inquiry into the nature of mind, with emphasis on the mind/body problem.
Prereq- One prior course in philosophy recommended.
001 HUM 227 - TTH 10:50AM - 12:05PM     Margolis, Eric A.         Enr: 10 Max: 0

PHIL 319   FEMINIST PHILOSOPHY                      Credits 3.00  Fall 02
* DISTRIBUTION COURSE: GROUP I
This course is an introduction to feminist philosophy, including texts by both
historical and contemporary thinkers (e.g. Wollstonecraft, Mill, de Beauvoir,
MacKinnon, Gilligan, Irigaray). We shall discuss both feminists' radical
critiques of traditional values and beliefs, and feminist alternative views of
justice, ethical judgment, and truth. Also offered as WGST 339.
001 RH 106 - TTH 01:00PM - 02:20PM      Zuckert, Rachel           Enr: 18 Max: 0

PHIL 321   KANT & 19TH CENTURY PHILOSOPHY           Credits 3.00  Fall 02
An examination of Kant and post-Kantian philosophy in the 19th century, which
may include Schiller, Hegel and German Idealism, Schopenhauer, Marx,
Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Dilthey.
001 RH 121 - TTH 10:50AM - 12:05PM      Zuckert, Rachel           Enr: 13 Max: 0

PHIL 327   HISTORY OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOP Credits 3.00  Fall 02
* DISTRIBUTION COURSE: GROUP I
A survey of classic texts in the history of social and political philosophy,
from Plato to Machiavelli to Mill.
001 HUM 227 - MWF 10:00AM - 10:50AM     Morrison, Donald R.       Enr: 18 Max: 0

PHIL 335   ADVANCED TOPICS IN VALUE THEORY          Credits 3.00  Fall 02
Consequentialism:
Could it ever be right to frame an innocent person for muder?
Can we take the organs from one healthy person to save the lives of five sick
persons? Is there a moral difference between killing someone and letting them
die? Can we permissibly favor our own welfare over that of others? Must we
always do the best we can? Are intentions relevant to the assessment of
actions? Twentieth century moral theory has been fought over the batttlefield
of such questions as these. Consequentialist theories, of which utilitatianism
is the best known example, typically claim that we should always produce as
much good as possible, even if that involves violationg rights and using other
people as means. Deontological theories, on the other hand, tell us that
certain actions cannot be justified by an increase in the general welfare, and
some actions may not be justified no matter what the consequences of not doing
them. In this course we will examine the debate between consequentialism and
deontology in an attempt to determine which type of theory can provide a better
guide to action.
Requirements: Reading, thinking, writing, class participation.
Prereq- One course in philosophy or permission of instructor.
001 HUM 227 - TTH 09:25AM - 10:40AM     Norcross, Alastair        Enr: 15 Max: NA

PHIL 353   PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE                   Credits 3.00  Fall 02
Philosophical investigation of relations among language, thought, and reality.
Prereq- one course in Philosophy or permission of instructor.
001 HUM 120 - TTH 01:00PM - 02:20PM     Margolis, Eric A.         Enr: 7 Max: 0

PHIL 390   CONTEMPORARY TOPICS: ANIMAL RIGHTS       Credits 3.00  Fall 02
We commonly assume that human beings have certain rights, prominent among which
are the right to life and the right to self-determination. These general rights
encompass the more specific rights not to be bred and killed for food, and not
to be experimented on without our consent. The situation appears to be
different with respect to nonhuman animals. Many animals are bred, often in
quite unpleasant conditions, in order to be slaughtered and eaten by humans.
Many other animals are forcibly subjected to experiments designed to test
products or processes whose sole aim is to benefit humans. Very few of these
animals sign consent forms. It appears to be a common assumption that animals
don't have the same rights as humans, and even that they don't have rights at
all. Can this assumption be justified? That is the topic of this course.
Requirements: Reading, thinking, writing, class participation.
001 HUM 119 - TTH 02:30PM - 03:50PM     Norcross, Alastair        Enr: 8 Max: NA

PHIL 401   INDEPENDENT READING I                    Credits 3.00  Fall 02
No description.
Prereq- permission of the department.
001 TBA - TBA                           Crowell, Steven G.        Enr: 0 Max: 0

PHIL 502   SEMINAR IN MODERN PHILOSOPHY             Credits 3.00  Fall 02
No description
001 HUM 227 - F 02:00PM - 05:00PM       Kulstad, Mark A.          Enr: 5 Max: 0

PHIL 504   SEMINAR IN METAPHYSICS                   Credits 3.00  Fall 02
No description
001 HUM 227 - MWF 01:00PM - 01:50PM     Grandy, Richard E.        Enr: 1 Max: NA

PHIL 505   MATHEMATICAL LOGIC                       Credits 3.00  Fall 02
See Phil 305.
001 SH 305 - MWF 10:00AM - 10:50AM      Grandy, Richard E.        Enr: 4 Max: NA

PHIL 507   SEMINAR IN SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOP Credits 3.00  Fall 02
No Description
001 HUM 227 - M 02:30PM - 05:30PM       Sher, George              Enr: 9 Max: 0

PHIL 508   SEMINAR IN CONTINENTAL PHILOSOPHY        Credits 3.00  Fall 02
The study of selected topics and figures in 20th century European philosophy,
in particular the phenomenology of Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger and its
dissemination in movements such as existentialism, hermenueutics, and
deconstruction.
001 HUM 227 - TH 02:00PM - 05:00PM      Crowell, Steven G.        Enr: 6 Max: 0

PHIL 524   SEMINAR IN HEGEL                         Credits 3.00  Fall 02
NO DESCRIPTION.
001 HUM 227 - T 02:00PM - 05:00PM       Engelhardt, H. Tristram   Enr: 5 Max: 0

PHIL 537   SEMINAR IN RESEARCH ETHICS               Credits 3.00  Fall 02
An examination of the major issues of research ethics, including informed
consent and IRB review, involvement and protection of special groups of
subjects, fetal tissue and stem cell research, and genetic research.
001 HUM 227 - W 02:00PM - 05:00PM       Brody, Baruch Alter       Enr: 4 Max: 0

PHIL 553   SEMINAR IN PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE        Credits 3.00  Fall 02
No description
001 TBA - TTH 01:00PM - 02:20PM         Margolis, Eric A.         Enr: 1 Max: NA

PHIL 598   ADVANCED INDEPENDENT READING I           Credits 3.00  Fall 02
Directed reading and research.
Philosophy graduate students only.
001 TBA - TBA                           Crowell, Steven G.        Enr: 1 Max: 0

PHIL 601   RESEARCH PAPER                           Credits   Fall 02
Research course normally for second year graduate students completing research
paper requirement.
Prereq: Philosophy graduate students only.
001 TBA - TBA                           Crowell, Steven G.        Enr: 2 Max: 0

PHIL 651   MASTERS THESIS RESEARCH                  Credits   Fall 02
Research course for graduate students preparing a masters thesis.
Prereq: philosophy graduate students only
001 TBA - TBA                           Crowell, Steven G.        Enr: 0 Max: 0

PHIL 701   READING AND RESEARCH FOR COMPREHENSIVE E Credits   Fall 02
Reading courses in preparation for the comprehensive examination and thesis
proposal defense.
Philosophy graduates students only.
001 TBA - TBA                           Crowell, Steven G.        Enr: 4 Max: 0

PHIL 800   RESEARCH AND THESIS                      Credits   Fall 02
No description
001 TBA - TBA                           Crowell, Steven G.        Enr: 12 Max: 0