Full-Time Faculty: Marianne Djuth, Chair; George Boger, Michael J. Forest, Ladislaus F. Juhasz, S.J., John E. Kelly, Tanya Loughead, Janice L. Schultz-Aldrich, Stanley L. Vodraska, John Zeis.
The objective of the philosophy program is to develop reflective and analytical skills to help students understand, articulate, and evaluate the values, principles and assumptions on which major individual and social decisions rest.
By studying the perennial issues of 2500 years of philosophy and analyzing the underlying philosophical issues facing today’s persons and societies, students can attain perspective, knowledge and skills important to anyone who expects to make significant personal, professional, or public decisions. In view of this, the Canisius College Core Curriculum includes three courses in philosophy: Introduction to Philosophy (PHI 101) and two other courses selected from Area V.
Further study of philosophy — as a major program, as a minor program, as half of a dual major, or as an elective concentration — is a good preparation for students with personal or professional goals in business, law, medicine, religion, government, or education. For example, a well-designed philosophy program can serve as an excellent undergraduate component in Canisius College’s Dual Degree program, which leads to the M.B.A. or M.B.A.P.A. degree. Coupled with the appropriate pre-professional concentration, philosophy provides a strong undergraduate preparation for subsequent professional training in law, medicine, or theology or for certain civil service positions in state or federal government.
With the approval and assistance of the chair of the Department of Philosophy, the major program in philosophy can be tailored to the needs and plans of the individual student. Normally, programs will include courses in the central issues of philosophy, the history of philosophy, some major philosophers and ethics. Seminar experience is an ordinary part of a philosophy program.
Admission
Admission to the major program in philosophy is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of PHI 101 and two additional courses in philosophy with a grade of C. The approval of the Department of Philosophy is required.
Philosophy Curriculum:
| 1. | ENG 101, ENG 102, PHI 101, RST 101 (4 courses) | (12) | |
| 2. | Area Studies: Two courses from each of these areas: I, II, III, IV, VI, VII, VIII (14 courses) | (42) | |
| 3. | Major course requirements: (12 courses) | ||
| PHI 300 Logic | (3) | ||
| PHI 340 Ethics | (3) | ||
| PHI 350 Ancient Philosophy | (3) | ||
| PHI 352 Medieval Philosophy | (3) | ||
| PHI 354 Modern Philosophy I | (3) | ||
| PHI 356 Modern Philosophy II | (3) | ||
| PHI 401-402 Topics in Philosophy | (6) | ||
| PHI 403-404 Philosophy Capstone Senior Seminar | (6) | ||
| Philosophy electives: two courses | (6) | ||
| 4. | Electives (10 courses) | (30) | |
| Total | (40 courses) | (120) | |
Recommended Schedule:
| Fall | Spring | |||||
| Freshman Year | ||||||
| ENG 101 | 3 | ENG 102 | 3 | |||
| AS | 3 | PHI 101 | 3 | |||
| AS | 3 | AS | 3 | |||
| AS | 3 | AS | 3 | |||
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 | |||
| Total | 15 | Total | 15 | |||
| Sophomore Year | ||||||
| RST 101 | 3 | Philosophy elective | 3 | |||
| PHI 300 | 3 | PHI 352 | 3 | |||
| PHI 350 | 3 | AS | 3 | |||
| AS | 3 | AS | 3 | |||
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 | |||
| Total | 15 | Total | 15 | |||
| Junior Year | ||||||
| PHI 340 | 3 | PHI 356 | 3 | |||
| PHI 354 | 3 | Topics course | 3 | |||
| AS | 3 | AS | 3 | |||
| AS | 3 | AS | 3 | |||
| AS | 3 | Elective | 3 | |||
| Total | 15 | Total | 15 | |||
| Senior Year | ||||||
| PHI 403 | 3 | PHI 404 | 3 | |||
| Topics course | 3 | Philosophy elective | 3 | |||
| AS | 3 | Elective | 3 | |||
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 | |||
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 | |||
| Total | 15 | Total | 15 | |||
| Total | 120 |
| PHI 350 Ancient Philosophy | (3) | |
| OR | ||
| PHI 352 Medieval Philosophy | (3) | |
| PHI 354 Modern Philosophy I | (3) | |
| Topics course: one course (Topics courses are PHI 401, 402, 403, 404) | (3) | |
| Philosophy electives: (3 courses) selected in consultation with Philosophy adviser | (9) | |
| Total (6 courses) | (18) | |
Note: Students may choose to concentrate their course work in a specific area, such as history of philosophy, ethics, metaphysics and epistemology, Thomistic philosophy, philosophy of religion, phenomenology and hermeneutics, Christian philosophy, logic and the philosophy of science.
Other Programs
The Philosophy Department routinely offers a dual major with any of the other departments in the humanities. Special arrangements can be made to accommodate students in any curriculum. Philosophy majors may also take a minor in another department or program (e.g., Catholic Studies).
COURSES: 2005 - 2007
PHI 101 Introduction to Philosophy 3
A thoughtful examination of several representative philosophical issues. Emphasis on logical and critical analysis of claims and arguments proposed by some prominent classical and modern philosophers.
PHI 300 (CSI 300) Logic 3
Introduction to the principles of sound reasoning and the art of evaluating arguments. (AS V)
PHI 301 Philosophy of the Person 3
Examination of several theories of human nature, and of the relation of human beings to the social and natural environment. (AS V)
PHI 302 Reality and Knowledge 3
Consideration of basic pre-suppositions about the world of reality and human understanding of it. (AS V)
PHI 303 (CSI 303) Philosophy of Mind 3
Examination of contemporary philosophical approaches to the explanation of consciousness and cognition as they relate to the interdisciplinary fields of cognitive science. (AS V)
PHI 304 God and the World 3
Critical examination of key contemporary and classical discussions of the existence and nature of God. (AS V)
PHI 305 (GRN 305, SOC 305) Time and the Human Condition 3
Examination of major theories of time and temporal processes. Discussion of implications of these theories for study of human nature. (AS V) (ICD)
PHI 325 Philosophy of Art and Beauty 3
Examination of various responses to the questions, “What is Art?” and “What is Beauty?” Topics may include the artistic process, art for life, beauty as objective, and the impact of society on aesthetic theories.
PHI 335 Philosophy of Law 3
Examination of nature, source and sanctions of law; analysis of legal positivism, natural law, rights, and justice; discussion of relationship between law and morality. Formerly PHI 463. (AS V)
PHI 340 Ethics 3
Reflection on the nature of moral values and principles, and examination of the basis for making moral decisions. (AS V)
PHI 342 Medical Ethics 3
Consideration of current problems in medicine and the life sciences. (AS V)
PHI 344 Ethical Issues in Business 3
Examination of some ethical problems in business and related issues in ethical theory. (AS V)
PHI 348 Environmental Ethics 3
Examination of various theories of environmental ethics that treat the issue of what ethical responsibilities human beings ought to have in their relationship with the natural world. (AS V)
PHI 350 Ancient Philosophy 3
Early philosophical thought in the West with special emphasis on the Presocratics, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. (AS V)
PHI 352 Medieval Philosophy 3
From St. Augustine in fifth century A.D. to Renaissance of 15th century. Principal figures, ideas, and influences. Basic texts analyzed. (AS V)
PHI 354 Modern Philosophy I 3
Development of early modern philosophical thought from Descartes in the early 17th century to Kant at the end of the 18th century. (AS V)
PHI 356 Modern Philosophy II 3
Survey of 19th and early 20th century philosophical thought, especially Kant, Hegel, Marx, Kierkegaard, Mill, Nietzsche. (AS V)
PHI 358 Contemporary Philosophy 3
Study of several major twentieth-century philosophers (e.g., Dewey, Wittgenstein, Heidegger) and a sampling of recent philosophical work. (AS V)
PHI 360 American Philosophy 3
Survey if American philosophical thought usually with special emphasis on Peirce, Royce, James and Dewey.
PHI 365 Existentialism 3
Introduction to major concepts of existentialism. Consideration of 19th and early 20th century background. Detailed examination of such figures as Camus, Sartre, and Marcel. (AS V)
PHI 372 Catholic Social Thought 3
Analysis of Catholic social principles and their time-conditioned application through examination of papal social encyclicals from Leo XIII to John Paul II. (AS V)
PHI 376 Philosophy of the Family 3
Readings and discussions of texts representative of a traditional Western philosophy of the family; covers from Xenophon and Aristotle to Engels and Marcel. (AS V)
PHI 380 Political Philosophy 3
Analysis of the political theories and concepts of power, authority, and law operative in Western civilization. Formerly PHI 465. (AS V)
ZPR 351 Contemporary Catholic Social Ethics: Philosophical and Theological Perspectives 4
Examination of the religious and philosophical principles underlying modern Catholic social thought. Special attention given to issues of contemporary concern in the U.S., e.g., racism, sexism, economic justice, and human rights
PHI 401-404 Topics in Philosophy 3 each
Critical examination of selected important thinkers in the history of philosophical thought or of selected philosophical topics in areas such as metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and aesthetics. Subject matter determined by the instructor. Prerequisite: Three courses in philosophy.
PHI 499 Directed Readings in Philosophy 3
Tutorial. Personally designed with a member of the Philosophy Department. Topics and terms mutually determined by student and mentor. Prerequisite: Three previous courses in philosophy.