Department of Philosophy
Fahy Hall, 3rd Floor
(973) 275-2179
shu.edu/philosophy
Faculty: Couch (Director, Liberal Studies Program); Hellwig; Kahn; Mayhew; Medina; Ranieri (Director, University Honors Program); Tarasenko-Struc; Timmerman (Chair), Unna; Vigani; Zakhem
Faculty Retired and Emeriti: Anderson; Barral; Hakim; Murphy; O’Connor; Radtke; Smith; Stark
The Department of Philosophy provides a program leading to the degree of Bachelor of Arts. The program offers the opportunity for examining major philosophers and areas from ancient times to the present. Issues studied include matters of continuing human concern: Is there a God? What is knowledge and how is it acquired? What is the basis of right and wrong? What is the most just form of government? Is my behavior genuinely free or determined by prior causes? The study of philosophy helps students to understand these kinds of fundamental issues and provides the critical skills needed to examine them.
The major provides students with excellent preparation in the field. Students receive strong training in analytical and writing skills and a broad knowledge of the subject. The flexible structure of the program also enables each student to focus on his or her particular area of interest. In addition to courses available in the history of ancient and modern philosophy, there are courses in ethics, logic, philosophy of religion, political philosophy, theory of knowledge, contemporary philosophy, philosophy of science, and existentialism.
International Honor Society in Philosophy
Phi Sigma Tau, Local Chapter: New Jersey Eta (3107)
Students need to have completed three semesters of college and two courses in philosophy, with a 3.33 GPA in the philosophy courses and as a cumulative GPA. Please reach out to Dr. Denise Vigani for more information about how to join.
Note to Students: The following listing represents those courses that are in the active rotation for each department, i.e., have been offered in the past five years. Some departments have additional courses offered more rarely but still available – to find the complete list of all official courses for a department, please use the “Course Catalogue Search” function in Self-Service Banner
Course Descriptions
PHIL 1101 Introduction to Philosophy (3 Credits)
Exploration of basic issues in philosophy through study of primary sources. Topics approached thematically and historically.
PHIL 1102 Philosophy and Classical Mind (3 Credits)
The development of western philosophy from its origin with the ancient Greeks to 1450 A.D., as seen against the background of the history of the Western culture.
PHIL 1103 Philosophy and Modern Mind (3 Credits)
The development of modern western philosophy, considered in its complex interrelations with the scientific, social and ideological transformations of the 600 years from the Renaissance to the present.
PHIL 1104 Logic (3 Credits)
Nature of thinking, truth and validity. Uses of language. Concepts and propositions. Deductive and inductive reasoning. Fallacies.
PHIL 1105 Ethics (3 Credits)
The functions and methods of moral philosophy. A comparison of the major ethical theories. Analysis of a wide range of common moral issues.
PHIL 1106 Logic for the LSAT (3 Credits)
This course will cover philosophical logic and do so in a way that is directly tailored to the three logic sections of the LSAT.
PHIL 1110 Philosophy and Gender (3 Credits)
This course considers ways in which the critical analysis of gender-related issues might contribute to the discipline of philosophy, including in metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophy of language, and ethics.
PHIL 1120 Philosophy Through Film (3 Credits)
This course will contain an examination of some of the most important questions in the central fields of philosophy through the medium of film.
PHIL 1123 Business Ethics through Film (3 Credits)
This course will cover the philosophical issues standardly covered in business ethics courses (e.g. the moral limits of markets, the ethics of sweatshops, justice, and moral theory) through the medium of film and text.
PHIL 1125 Business Ethics (3 Credits)
Overview of important moral, social and political issues involving the business world at large. Emphasis on the application of traditional ethical theories to business practices.
PHIL 1130 Biomedical Ethics (3 Credits)
This course will examine various ethical issues arising from advances in biological and medical practices and technologies. Topics may include: healthcare administration, end-of-life decision making, human and animal research, the human genome project, the design and use of reproductive technologies, stem cell research, and resource allocation and distribution.
PHIL 1204 Symbolic Logic (3 Credits)
Propositional logic; predicate logic; modal logic. Topics in the philosophy of logic.
PHIL 2020 Ancient Philosophy I (3 Credits)
Review of the major philosophies of the ancient world from the pre-Socratics to the Stoics. Emphasis on Plato and Aristotle.
PHIL 2025 Ancient Philosophy II (3 Credits)
Survey of the history of ancient philosophy after Aristotle. The main movements to be covered are
Stoicism, Epicureanism, Skepticism, and Neo-Platonism. Time permitting, other movements, like the revival of Aristotelianism, may be covered as well.
PHIL 2030 Medieval Philosophy (3 Credits)
The transition from late antiquity to the medieval period; Christianity, Neoplatonism and Gnosticism; readings from the major philosophers of the Middle Ages, (e.g., Augustine, Anselm, Bonaventure, Aquinas), as well as Jewish and Islamic thinkers of the period.
PHIL 2040 Modern Philosophy (3 Credits)
The development of philosophy through the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, with emphasis upon the distinctively modern approaches to central issues in epistemology, metaphysics and political theory. The nature of modernity and its contemporary legacy.
PHIL 2055 Basics of Law Criminal & Torts (3 Credits)
This course aims to introduce students to the role of law and legal institutions in society. The course focuses on three of the core bodies of law in common-law systems: criminal law, tort (personal injury) law, and administrative law with a focus on environmental and workplace protections. Students will learn about the role of criminal and tort law in society and the requirements for liability in each area of the law. Students will also begin to develop some of the crucial skills used by real world lawyers, particularly reading legal cases for understanding and writing case briefs.
PHIL 2060 Pre-Socratic Philosophers (3 Credits)
A study of ancient Greek philosophy from Thales of Miletus in the early 6th century BCE to Diogenes of Apollonia at the end of the 5th. Thematically, emphasis will be placed on the radical nature of the new philosophy and science, and its confrontation with traditional Olympian religion. Particular attention may be given to one of the following groups of Pre-Socratic thinkers: the early Ionian materialists, the Pythagoreans, the Eleatics, the Atomists, or the Sophists.
PHIL 2066 Cultivating Character (3 Credits)
This course explores the moral psychology of the virtues of character, that is, the character traits that constitute human ethical excellence. As most contemporary virtue theory is broadly Aristotelian, we will begin with selections from Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics before turning to the contemporary literature. Questions considered will include: What makes a character trait a virtue? How is virtue cultivated? What can we, as individuals, do to cultivate our own characters? We will also examine specific virtues, such as generosity, honesty, courage, and patience. Students will develop and implement their own individualized, theoretically informed plan for cultivating an aspect of their character.
PHIL 2084 The Philosophy of A.I. (3 Credits)
This class explores philosophical issues around artificial intelligence (AI). We’ll start by examining features of human minds – intelligence, consciousness, and agency – and ask what they mean and whether it’s possible for a machine to have them, too. Then we’ll ask questions about how we should relate to advanced artificial intelligence. Could an AI be a moral subject, whose wellbeing matters? Should we treat advanced AI agents as peers, even friends? How can we ensure that advanced AI agents act ethically towards us? Finally, we’ll discuss potential dangers of advanced artificial intelligence, from AI-takeover and human extinction to threats to democracy, work, and uncontrollable disinformation.
PHIL 2085 Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (3 Credits)
Examination of ethics and artificial intelligence. Consideration of the nature of artificial intelligence, and a wide range of moral problems including the moral status of AI, privacy, bias, big data and other issues.
PHIL 2090 Philosophy of Mind (3 Credits)
Examination of the major theories about the mind, such as dualism, materialism, behaviorism and cognitive theiroes that refer to internal psychological states. Includes consideration of artificial intelligence, consciousness, and the nature of psychology.
PHIL 2100 Modern Society-Human Happiness (3 Credits)
Reflection upon the meaning of the good life through study of selected classical and contemporary thinkers. Emphasis upon the concept of the good life in a contemporary American context.
PHIL 2110 Feminist Theories (3 Credits)
Examination of the wide range of theories and perspectives that constitute feminism today. Three main parts: historical overview of the development of feminist thinking; analysis of major feminist theories; and examination of the intersections between traditional philosophy and feminist thinking. Prerequisite: One of the following: PHIL 1101, 1104 or 1105.
PHIL 2115 Environmental Ethics (3 Credits)
Examination of current theoretical and practical issues in the field of environmental ethics, among them, obligations to future generations, human relationships to nature, and the inherent value of the natural world.
PHIL 2121 Philosophy of Medicine (3 Credits)
This course addresses the questions “What is the nature and goal of medicine?” To gain a better understanding of the question and how it has been and could be answered, we will study some of the metaphysical, epistemological, and ethical assumptions of two models of medicine: the (dominant) biomedical model and the humanistic model. The two models provide different answers to questions such as these: What is a disease? Is it a value-free or a value-laden concept? Is the physician attending to a disease or to an illness, to pain or to suffering? Is the therapeutic goal the health or the well-being of the patient? Can and should the patient be reduced to his or her physical body or be regarded as an embodied self? Should emotionally detached care or empathic care characterize the physician’s practice of medicine? What should be the defining features of the patient-physician relationship?
PHIL 2125 Ethics and Internat Affairs (3 Credits)
PHIL 2140 Political Philosophy (3 Credits)
Critical assessment of the nature of Western political thought. What is political philosophy? What are the differences, if any, among political philosophy, political theory and the history of political thought? How should we read a political text? An in-depth exploration of one or several of the following concepts: authority, liberty, justice, legitimacy, political obligation, anarchy and the concept of the political itself.
PHIL 2150 Philosophy of Law (3 Credits)
Critical assessment of the concept of law. What is the nature of law? Examination of the differences among natural law, legal positivism, legal realism and critical legal studies. Topics covered include legal reasoning, law and morality, law and liberty and constitution law.
PHIL 2155 Capitalism & Its Critics (3 Credits)
This course is a text-based exploration of the history of the philosophical and economic defenses and critiques of capitalism, including attempts to articulate just what capitalism is. Texts read and discussed will range from the precursors to the philosophical criticisms of capitalism (e.g. Plato, Aristotle, early Christianity) to 20th century and contemporary Marxism and welfare-state liberalism, and classical liberal and libertarian defenses of Capitalism.
PHIL 2170 Philosophy of Religion (3 Credits)
The concept of God. The justifiability of religious belief. Faith and reason. Miracles. Death and concepts of life after death. The problem of evil. Religion and science.
PHIL 2175 Philosophy of Death (3 Credits)
Attitudes toward death: acceptance or is it an evil? Cross-cultural and historical. The death of children, parents, spouse; grief and bereavement; role of the mortician; suicide and euthanasia; old age and the art of dying; the Hospice movement; immortality.
PHIL 2200 Philosophy of Art (3 Credits)
Historic and thematic study of theories of aesthetics, including those of Greece. Emphasizes modern and contemporary views of beauty and art in the variety of individual and social expression.
PHIL 2250 Moral Theories (3 Credits)
Exposition and critical evaluation of moral theories and concepts from ancient times to the present. Analysis of the challenge presented by moral skepticism. Examination of important moral concepts, such as virtues, rights, duties and moral values.
PHIL 2270 Moral Argumentation and Debate (3 Credits)
In this course we study normative philosophy and approaches to philosophical argumentation and then take what we have learned to help critically analyze and debate current issues in applied ethics.
PHIL 2320 Marxism (3 Credits)
Lives and works of Marx, Engels and Lenin. Analysis of their main ideas; recent developments in Marxist philosophy in America, Latin America and abroad. Evaluation and application.
PHIL 2350 Tyranny, Dictatorship, and Dem (3 Credits)
PHIL 2500 Epistemology (3 Credits)
The nature and scope of knowledge. Knowledge and belief. The problem of skepticism. Empiricism, rationalism and pragmatism. Foundationalism and its critics.
PHIL 2700 Philosophy of Science (3 Credits)
Investigation of the nature of scientific knowledge and truth. An in-depth exploration of one or several of the following concepts: confirmation, explanation, evidence and the status of scientific laws. Evaluation and criticism of the challenge presented by the history of science to positivist and empiricist accounts of scientific inquiry.
PHIL 2810 Special Topics (3 Credits)
Focuses on a particular philosophical theme, topic or thinker chosen by instructor.
PHIL 2816 SpTp: Explaining the Mind (3 Credits)
PHIL 2911 SpTp: Philosophy of Management (3 Credits)
PHIL 2950 Metaphysics (3 Credits)
Reflection on the meaning of human existence and our place in reality. Consideration of the nature of the real and our ability to know it. Primary focus on contemporary thinkers who have dealt with these questions.
PHIL 2993 Independent Study (2 Credits)
PHIL 2995 Independent Study (3 Credits)
Study of a specific philosophy or philosophical theme, not studied or not studied in depth in the regular philosophy courses. (Under guidance of a faculty member and with permission of chair).
PHIL 2997 Independent Study (3 Credits)
Study of a specific philosophy or philosophical theme, not studied or not studied in depth in the regular philosophy courses. (Under guidance of a faculty member and with permission of chair).
PHIL 3000 Plato (3 Credits)
A seminar on selected issues in Plato's philosophy through a close reading of one or more of his works. Prerequisites: 6 credits of philosophy at the 2000 level.
PHIL 3005 Aristotle (3 Credits)
A seminar on selected issues in Aristotle's philosophy through a close reading of one or more of his works. Prerequisites: 6 credits of philosophy at the 2000 level.
PHIL 3015 St Thomas Aquinas (3 Credits)
Historical background; life and achievements of Aquinas, analysis of the main themes of his philosophy, development and influence of Thomistic philosophy, its continuing relevance. Prerequisites: 6 credits of philosophy at the 2000 level.
PHIL 3030 Sp Top: Locke (3 Credits)
PHIL 3070 Kant (3 Credits)
A close reading and analysis of selected works by Kant will serve as the basis for a critical discussion of his answers to three major questions: What can I know? What should I do? For what may I hope? Prerequisites: 6 credits of philosophy at the 2000 level.
PHIL 3080 Nietzsche (3 Credits)
PHIL 3090 Hume (3 Credits)
PHIL 3592 SpTp - Humans - Natural World (3 Credits)
PHIL 3593 Ethics Religion Postmodernity (3 Credits)
n this course we will begin by outlining the prominent features of the ¿postmodern condition¿ as they emerge from ¿radical¿ critiques of modernity. We will then examine and critically evaluate normative responses to the postmodern condition and highlight the impact of these movements on Christian ethics and the Catholic intellectual tradition. Cross-listed with CORE 3593 Engaging the World
PHIL 3598 Humanistic Management (3 Credits)
Humanistic management is a managerial perspective in which the primary function of business ought to be promoting human flourishing and the common good, rather than only focusing on profits or some other economic objective. Humanistic management includes such practices as promoting meaningful work, corporation social responsibility and social entrepreneurship, and environmental sustainability. In this course students will learn about the field of humanistic management in theory and practice and produce a final project that applies their knowledge of humanistic management to a real-world project.
PHIL 3600 Ancient Greek Christian Phil (3 Credits)
PHIL 3605 Sp Top: Phenomenology (3 Credits)
PHIL 3910 Special Topics-Heidegger (3 Credits)
PHIL 3911 SpTp:Longtermism (3 Credits)
PHIL 3925 Dehumanization, Inhumanity, and Evil (3 Credits)
The goal of this course is to make sense of humanity by making sense of inhumanity in its moral and psychological dimensions. We’ll do so by engaging with cutting-edge work on dehumanization—treating or regarding people as nonhuman—in philosophy, psychology, genocide studies, and other disciplines. Together we’ll address such questions as: why are ordinary people sometimes motivated to treat each other in deeply immoral ways? Do people who commit such atrocities as torture, enslavement, or mass killing tend to see the humanity of their victims? Can people truly be treated or regarded as (sex) objects, nonhuman animals, or subhuman creatures? If so, does thinking of common wrongful practices—like slavery, sexual harassment, or genocide—in these terms shed light on how, exactly, they’re wrong? To what extent, for example, are racism and sexism best conceived as a form of disregard for the humanity of the person or group in question? Finally, what is the relationship, if any, between dehumanization and evil?
PHIL 3940 Ethics Seminar (3 Credits)
T.his seminar will focus on a major philosopher or theme in ethics, meta-ethics, and/or applied ethics
PHIL 3950 Faith and Reason Seminar (3 Credits)
Explores the relationship between faith and reason, theology and philosophy, revelation and natural knowledge. Considers whether faith and reason are similar, separate, opposed or complementary. Prerequisites: 6 credits of philosophy at the 2000 level.
PHIL 3995 ST- Phil & Theol of Friendship (3 Credits)
PHIL 3996 ST - Paradoxes (3 Credits)
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