Transfer Student Courses in Philosophy (Division 442)

Fall Term, 1999 (September 8 - December 22, 1999)

To see what Transfer Student courses have been added or changed in Philosophy this week go to What's New This Week.

Section 001.

Instructor(s): James Joyce (jjoyce@umich.edu)

Prerequisites & Distribution: No credit granted to those who have completed or are enrolled in 181, 182, 202, 231, 234, or 297. (4). (HU).

Credits: (4; 2 in the half-term).

Course Homepage: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jjoyce/phil232.htm

This course provides undergraduates with a broad overview of modern philosophy. Topics to be covered will include at least some of the following.

• The problem of free will: Do we choose our actions freely, or is what we do determined by past events? Can a person be held morally responsible for actions that she did not freely perform?
  
• The problem of our knowledge of the external world: How can we gain knowledge of the world external to our minds given that we have access to nothing but our thoughts and experiences?
  
• The problem of morality: What features of actions make them morally right or morally wrong? Is there any reason for us to act morally?
  
• The problem of God: It is possible to establish God's existence by argument alone? Is the existence of God confirmed by what we know about the world?
  
• The problem of mind: How is the mind related to the body? Is the mind an immaterial entity or can it be identified with the brain?
  
• The problem of the state: On what is the state's authority based? Under what conditions can a government restrict individual freedoms for the purpose of securing collective benefits?

Students will be asked to read about 30 pages of material per week, to write three 7-8 page papers, and to take a midterm examination and a cumulative final exam.

Section 001.

Instructor(s): Philip Ivanhoe (ivanhoe@umich.edu)

Prerequisites & Distribution: (3). (HU).

Credits: (3; 2 in the half-term).

Course Homepage: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~ivanhoe/phil263.htm

This course focuses on the major philosophical schools of Classical China (through the unification of China in 221 B.C.). Special consideration is given to the ethical, religious and political thought of the Confucian, Mohist, and Daoist schools. The doctrines associated with these early Chinese philosophical movements, along with Buddhism which came to China around the first century A.D., affected cultural developments in art, philosophy, religion, science, and politics throughout Chinese history. The course concentrates on the theories of human nature that were associated with these early Chinese thinkers and the ways in which these theories served as the foundation for their ethical, religious, and political views. No knowledge of Chinese is required. Readings are in translation. All students are required to write two 5-8 page papers, and a third, longer paper revising one of the two short papers.

Section 001 – Jewish Ethics. Meets with Religion 380.001.

Instructor(s): Daniel Statman

Prerequisites & Distribution: (3). (Excl).

Credits: (3; 2 in the half-term).

Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.

See Religion 380.001.

Section 001.

Instructor(s): Richmond Thomason

Prerequisites & Distribution: Phil. 296 or 303. Depending upon its content, Phil. 345 might also be helpful. Linguistics 315 and/or Linguistics 415 would be extremely helpful preparation for some versions of the course. (3). (Excl).

Credits: (3).

Course Homepage: http://www.eecs.umich.edu/~rthomaso/semantics/semantics.html

An introduction to linguistic theories of meaning, concentrating on the problem of how meanings of phrases (and especially of sentences) are composed from the meanings of words. In the first part of the course, we will cover topics from Meaning and Grammar: An Introduction to Semantics, by Gennaro Chierchia and Sally McConnell-Ginet. The second part of the course will deal with selected topics. (Class interest will be the most important factor in choosing these topics.)

Familiarity with logical theory is essential for this course; students should at least have taken Philosophy 303 (Symbolic Logic) or the equivalent. A midterm examination will be given to all students. Students can choose either to write a final paper on a preapproved topic, or to take a final examination.

Section 001 – Politics & Development in China.

Instructor(s): Joffe

Prerequisites & Distribution: Upperclass standing. (4). (Excl).

Credits: (4; 3 in the half-term).

Course Homepage: No Homepage Submitted.

See Political Science 428.001.