Full-time Faculty: George Boger, Chair; Marianne Djuth, Michael Forest, Devonya Havis, John Kelly, Tanya Loughead, Philip Reed, Janice Schultz-Aldrich, John Zeis.
Philosophy is concerned with fundamental questions about the nature of reality, the foundations of the natural and social sciences, normative principles of ethics and art, with the scope of human knowledge, distinguishing truth from falsity, and what constitutes happiness. Because of its power to objectify principles, philosophy has been considered the science of the sciences.
A Cornerstone of Jesuit education
Philosophy has been a cornerstone of Jesuit education since the founding of the first Jesuit universities in 17th century Europe. Educators at Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States continue to recognize the special province of philosophy. Philosophy:
- embraces our human powers to think abstractly and thus to cultivate models of mental discipline and to broaden our capacities to understand and to enjoy living.
- raises critical questions and uses reasoned argumentation to develop normative standards for guiding a persons relationship to his or her community.
- promotes reasoning about human nature and about human values to help provide bridges between religious belief and contemporary intellectual directions.
- values integrity, commitment to truth, excellence and understanding with an aim to enhance our expressive powers, our knowledge, foresight and sense of direction.
- is an especially ennobling activity since it elevates what is common in being human while also nurturing individuality and self-esteem.
Department Mission
To fulfill its Ignatian mission, the philosophy faculty provides programs of instruction to cultivate an abiding sense of responsibility as men and women for and with others by focusing on the service of faith and the promotion of justice. The faculty considers it crucially important that a good education addressing such concerns has a firm foundation in the history of philosophy and its principal branches, the issues of moral philosophy, together with special attention to examining argumentation.
Student Learning Goals
Upon successfully completing a program of philosophy instruction, each graduate will have:
Goal 1: acquired a broad knowledge of canonical and non-canonical traditions in philosophy figures, branches, traditions.Three Philosophy Curricula
Goal 2: acquired an enhanced capacity for communicating ideas specific to philosophy by both oral and written means.
Goal 3: developed a sharpened capacity for thinking critically and for effectively assessing argumentational discourse.
Goal 4: become information literate as this applies to philosophical study and research.
Goal 5: developed an ability to apply philosophy to contemporary life in an increasingly globalized world.
Goal 6: value for good citizenship by considering the service of faith and the promotion of justice in a meaningful life.
Students desiring to major in philosophy might have scholarly interests to pursue graduate study in philosophy or desire to acquire competence in philosophy for a diversity of reasons including advanced study in other disciplines. To help students satisfy these interests, the Department of Philosophy offers two major programs and one minor that maintain intellectual and academic rigor while promoting the mission to educate for others with attention to the principle of cura personalis. Each major curriculum consists of 12 courses (36 credit hours) beyond PHI 101 Introduction to Philosophy. Each curriculum combines a historical, a topics, and a fields approach to construct a unified program of instruction. Since our mission emphasizes concern with critical examination of values and principles of justice, each major curriculum requires one course in study and analysis of argumentation and two courses in study of ethics, one of which is theoretical.
Ignatian Scholars Philosophy Curriculum
This curriculum prepares scholars specifically for advanced study in philosophy.
1. Core Curriculum Requirements:
See pages 38-40 of this catalog or go to /academics/core.asp for the Core Curriculum requirements. All students complete these requirements as part of their overall Canisius education.
| Major course requirements: (12 courses) | ||
| Logic (1 course) | 3 credits | |
| Ethics (Theoretical/Historical, Applied Ethics) (2 courses) | 6 credits | |
| History of Philosophy (Ancient, Medieval, Early Modern) (3 courses) | 9 credits | |
| Thesis (Senior Project & Defense) (1 course) | 3 credits | |
| Philosophy Electives (5 courses) Possible Concentrations: Opt 1 Catholic Social Thought Opt 2 Modern Moral Challenges Opt 3 Metaphysics/Epistemology Opt 4 History of Philosophy Opt 5 Identity, Race & Gender Opt 6 A combination to student interest |
15 credits | |
2. Free electives:
Free electives are courses in addition to the Core Curriculum and major requirements sufficient to reach a minimum of 120 credit hours for graduation. Students may graduate with more but not less than 120 credit hours.
Hypatian Scholars Philosophy Curriclum
This curriculum prepares scholars for advanced study in disciplines other than philosophy.
1. Core Curriculum Requirements
See pages 38-40 of this catalog or go to /academics/core.asp for the Core Curriculum requirements. All students complete these requirements as part of their overall Canisius education.
| Major course requirements: (12 courses) | ||
| Logic (1 course) | 3 credits | |
| Ethics (Theoretical/Historical, Applied Ethics) (2 courses) | 6 credits | |
| History of Philosophy One course from Series I One course from Series II |
6 credits | |
| Philosophy Electives (7 courses) | 21 credits | |
2. Free electives:
Free electives are courses in addition to the Core Curriculum and major requirements sufficient to reach a minimum of 120 credit hours for graduation. Students may graduate with more but not less than 120 credit hours.
Philosophy Minor:
Philosophic Associates Minor in Philosophy
A minor in philosophy consists is six (6) courses at middle and upper levels of study that might complement another major or provide personal intellectual satisfaction.
| History of Philosophy (2 courses) One course from Series I One course from Series II |
3 credits | |
| Philosophy Electives (4 courses) | 12 credits | |
| TOTAL required courses (6 courses) | 18 credits | |
COURSES: 2009 - 2011
Cultivating Ignatian discernment in a changing world
If philosophy is to serve human excellence and happiness, it must address the pressing concerns of its times. Philosophers and teachers of philosophy must reach into the collective store of philosophic wisdom and engage discourse that clarifies, defines and opens possibilities for resolving problems facing the human community. This requires restoring and universalizing the worth of the human person and the importance of promoting concern for the common good. The Ignatian call for the service of faith and the promotion of justice as guiding programmatic enrichment for educating not only the whole person but also educating men and women for and with others places on us a responsibility to address the modern predicament in its varying complexities.
An Ignatian education at a Jesuit university maintains this unity of philosophy and recognizes the priority of concern for the moral and spiritual. Our program of philosophy reaffirms this model of instruction by developing an undergraduate curriculum that combines concern for incisive analysis with special concern to treat moral matters of value and virtue. An Ignatian education broadens discourse on the important concerns facing the worlds peoples in modern times.
Principal to philosophic analysis is assessing and constructing argumentations. Our philosophy courses devote special attention to cultivating facility with identifying the principles, suppositions and presuppositions that underlie moral and political philosophies and systems of metaphysics and epistemology. This approach also cultivates skill at assessing the consequences of philosophical positions.
PHI 101: Introduction to Philosophy 3 credits
Core Curriculum Foundation Course. This course aims to develop a capacity to interpret common experience in a philosophic way by becoming familiar with principal branches of philosophy metaphysics, epistemology, ethics being able to identify the elements of good argumentation, and recognizing the value of reason in a meaningful personal life. PHI 101 is a prerequisite for PHI 200 courses.
PHI 200 Courses conversing with philosophers
PHI 200 level courses are Field 2 courses that cover a wide range of topics to enrich a sense of the importance and relevance of philosophy. Each course broadens exposure to issues and deepens appreciation of philosophic analysis. Many PHI 200 courses have an attribute attached Ethics, Justice, Diversity, or Global Awareness. At least one PHI 200 level course is prerequisite for upper level PHI courses.
PHI 201 Philosophy of the Person 3 credits
A study of various notions of person, human nature, and the relationship between persons and their natural and social environments.
PHI 205 Philosophy of Nature & Reality 3 credits
A study of philosophical notions of nature, treating such topics as substance and universals, change and causality, space, time and infinity, and freedom of the will and determinism.
PHI 211 Philosophy of Religion 3 credits
A study of principal contemporary and classical discussions about the existence and nature of God, Gods relationship to the world, the individual and society.
PHI 221 Critical Thinking 3 credits
A study and exercise of forming good judgments for making decisions and for solving problems, considering evidence, context, relevant criteria and argument theories.
PHI 225 Logic 3 credits
An introductory study of logic treating such topics as: deduction; techniques for evaluating reasoning; language and meaning; and various fallacies.
PHI 231 Thinking, Knowing, and Believing 3 credits
A study of epistemology, treating concepts and problems of such topics as sense perception, distinguishing knowledge and belief, the roles of necessity, universality, and truth in knowing.
PHI 241 Ethics: Traditions in Moral Reasoning 3 credits
A survey of principal traditions in moral reasoning with attention to moral principles and their applications to contemporary social realities.
PHI 242 Ethical Issues in Business 3 credits
A study of important concerns in business and market realities with special concern to applying moral principles in decision making.
PHI 243 Bio-Medical Ethics 3 credits
A study of important moral issues in relation to current concerns in medicine, medical technology and the life sciences.
PHI 244 Environmental Ethics 3 credits
A study of classical and contemporary moral theories concerning the relationship of human beings to the manifold of their natural surroundings.
PHI 245 Animal Ethics 3 credits
An examination of the notion that animals are things, machines, commodities, or resources, and whether sentient beings have intrinsic value and should be respected.
PHI 251 Love, Friendship & Moral Life 3 credits
A philosophical study of the relationships among love, friendship and a moral life that treats individuals in families and society.
PHI 252 Happiness, Virtue & the Good Life 3 credits
A study of the role of virtue and vice in the moral life, how they emerge from developments of personal character and relate to meaningful happiness and the good life.
PHI 261 Philosophy of Law 3 credits
A study of the nature, sources and sanctions of law and legal theory, treating concerns of legal positivism, natural law theory, rights and justice, and the relationship between law and morality.
PHI 266 Philosophy of the Family 3 credits
A study of traditional and modern notions of the family with attention to challenges to the family in contemporary society.
PHI 267 Catholic Social Thought 3 credits
A study of the legacy of Catholic social teaching from official papal encyclicals of Leo XIII to the present, from unofficial vehicles of independent social thinkers and from social forces such as labor unions, journals, political parties, spiritual social justice movements.
PHI 268 Catholic & Jewish Bioethics 3 credits
A study of Catholic and Jewish thinkers working with shared values in addressing challenges in clinical medicine such as reproductive technology, beginning and end of life decisions, access to health and rationing.
PHI 271 Philosophy of Human Rights 3 credits
A study of various issues of human rights in global perspective to ask if human rights transcend political orders, whether they are universally applicable to all human beings or determined to be culturally relative.
PHI 272 Gender & Philosophy 3 credits
A study of feminist theories that analyzes the role that gender plays in society and in the formation of the masculine and feminine subjects; an examination of notions of power, structure and work; and gender as performance and representation.
PHI 273 Race & Philosophy 3 credits
A study of philosophical assumptions underlying concepts of race that treats designations of racial identities, the political effects of racial classification, the ethics of race and the metaphysical legitimacy and social reality of racial designations.
PHI 274Social & Political Philosophy 3 credits
A study of foundational philosophical theories on how to organize the collective and social life of individual human beings, examining justifications for state authority, establishing citizens rights and allocating resources for human well-being.
PHI 281 World Wisdom: Global Traditions 3 credits
A comparative study of philosophical traditions ranging from locations such as ancient Greece, Africa, Asia and the Americas.
PHI 285 African American Philosophy 3 credits
A study of philosophical trends within the American experience with attention to the contributions of prominent African American philosophers and social activists.
PHI 291 Philosophy of Art & Beauty 3 credits
A study of responses to defining art and beauty, treating topics such as the artistic process, art for life, beauty as objective and the impact of social trends on aesthetic theories.
PHI 300 Courses philosophical challenges
PHI 300 level courses treat issues with greater attention to philosophic analysis and argumentation and expect students especially to demonstrate deeper capacity to compare and contrast the reasoning of different philosophers on a topic or theme. These courses are consistently more specialized and focus examination on primary texts with special attention to identify and extract the principles and premises underlying a philosophers argumentation and then to reconstruct its chain of reasoning. At least two PHI 300 level courses are prerequisite for PHI 400 courses and senior theses experiences.
SERIES in HISTORY of PHILOSOPHY
Series I
PHI 301 Ancient Philosophy 3 credits
An examination of principal trends in ancient philosophy in the West from the Preplatonic Greeks through Plato and Aristotle, to the beginning of the Medieval period.
PHI 302 Medieval Philosophy 3 credits
An examination of principal trends in Medieval philosophy from St. Augustine in the fifth century up to Renaissance philosophical explorations.
PHI 303 Early Modern Philosophy 3 credits
An in depth examination of major thinkers in the modern western philosophical tradition from Descartes to Kant. Renaissance & Enlightenment
Series II
PHI 304 Nineteenth Century Philosophy 3 credits
A study of principal trends of 19th century European philosophy beginning with Kant and leading up to developments in early 20th century thinking.
PHI 305 Contemporary Continental Philosophy 3 credits
An examination of principle philosophic trends emerging in Europe after the 19th century, treating such traditions as phenomenology, critical theory, structuralism, post-structuralism, deconstruction and postmodernism.
PHI 306 Contemporary Analytic Philosophy 3 credits
An examination of principal philosophic trends in the Anglo-American world including logical positivism, linguistic analysis and ordinary language philosophy.
Other PHI 300 Courses
PHI 311 God & the World 3 credits
Philosophical exploration of the ways in which belief in divine or spiritual entities influences relations between humans, animals and the environment.
PHI 312 Time & Human Experience 3 credits
What is time? How is it experienced? How does an appreciation of time affect self understanding? This course will explore the nature of time consciousness.
PHI 316 Philosophy of Mind 3 credits
A study of the nature of mental phenomena and their connection to behavior, artificial intelligence, personal identity, the mind-body problem, the unity of consciousness, the problem of other minds, action, intention and the will.
PHI 318 Indian Philosophy 3 credits
An examination of different schools of Indian philosophy, including Indian views about dualistic and non-dualistic views of absolute reality relating to materialism and idealism, different moral systems, systems of logic and knowledge.
PHI 319 Buddhism & Philosophy 3 credits
A study of the core values and beliefs of Buddhism, making theoretical and practical comparisons between Buddhist ideas and Western ideas.
PHI 321 Knowledge & Reality 3 credits
An examination of principal philosophies of nature and being and various philosophic approaches to knowledge and understanding.
PHI 322 Philosophy of Science 3 credits
A study of the nature of scientific explanation, scientific method and scientific knowledge, confirmation of hypotheses, distinction between science and metaphysics, the structure and status observation statements and the unity of science thesis.
PHI 325 Mathematical Logic 3 credits
Advanced study of formal systems of logic, constructing artificial languages with a syntax, semantics and deduction system.
PHI 361 The Individual & the State 3 credits
Examines different conceptions of the relationship between the individual and the state. Topics addressed will include the nature of power, freedom, justice and citizenship.
PHI 363 Catholic Philosophical Traditions 3 credits
An introduction to Catholic philosophical traditions in metaphysics, epistemology and/or ethics through readings and discussion of figures and movements that span multiple historical periods the Patristic era, the medieval era, the modern era and the 20th Century.
PHI 367 Advanced Topics in Catholic Philosophy 3 credits
An examination of the philosophical principles underlying modern Catholic philosophy in dialog with contemporary political philosophies such as communitarianism, neo-liberalism, Marxism.
PHI 371 Concepts of Race & Post Colonial Theory 3 credits
Explores the ways in which concepts of race influence the construc-tion of identity, foster rationales for the distribution of resources, and contribute to American and international social movements.
PHI 372 Philosophy of Identity & Difference 3 credits
Explores metaphysical, ethical, political and social issues concerning sex/gender identity.
PHI 376 Marx & Marxism 3 credits
A study of classic texts of Marx, Engels, and Lenin and their influences on later 19th century and contemporary philosophy.
PHI 378 Jewish Philosophers of German Ancestry 3 credits
A study of some prominent Jewish philosophers who played an important role in the intellectual life of Germany from the 18th century until the beginning of the Nazi era.
PHI 387 Phenomenology and Existentialism 3 credits
A study of existential and phenomenological thought including views of the self, relationships to world, other people and God, responsibility, intentionality and phenomenological method.
PHI 388 Diasporic Philosophy 3 credits
Investigates the philosophical heritage expressed in diasporic intellectual and social movements, treating thinkers in Latin America, Caribbean and Africana traditions.
PHI 389 Philosophy & Psychoanalysis 3 credits
A study of the confrontation of the phenomenological and psychoanalytical notions of the development and structure of the subject and its desires, ethics, traumas, and confrontation with society.
PHI 392 American Philosophy 3 credits
A study of principal trends in American thinking with special focus on the pragmatic philosophers.
PHI 395 Problems in Aesthetics 3 credits
A critical examination of select problems in contemporary controversies in aesthetics treating the intersections of personal and social values and the production of art.
PHI 396 Philosophy & Literature 3 credits
A study of philosophical themes as expressed in literary texts to examine the propriety of literature as a medium for expressing philosophical ideas, and textual interpretation.
PHI 397 Philosophy & Film 3 credits
An examination of the basic issues in the philosophy of film, including its nature and social function as well as films relation to authors, aesthetics, narratives, emotions and theories.
PHI 399 Capstone Philosophy Thesis 3 credits
A course recommended for students in the Hypatian or Associate programs and open to students in any major or minor program. This course caps a students intellectual and philosophical studies by developing a thesis over a semester that results in a written project using both primary and secondary sources. While a student works closely with a faculty advisor, most of the work is self-directed. Often a capstone project has an oral component by which a student presents his or her work to the faculty.
PHI 400 Courses philosophical synthesis
PHI 400 level courses engage students in using their analytic skills to synthesize, evaluate and critique philosophic discourse; especially to grasp the logico-philosophic consequences of foundational principles of human nature, being, nature and society. Students demonstrate mature understanding of philosophic analysis in scholarly papers, theses or other appropriate projects.
PHI 401 Seminar on Ancient Philosophy 3 credits
PHI 402 Seminar on Medieval Philosophy 3 credits
PHI 403 Seminar on Modern Philosophy 3 credits
PHI 404 Seminar on Contemporary Philosophy 3 credits
PHI 405 Seminar on Topics in Metaphysics 3 credits
PHI 406 Seminar on Topics in Epistemology 3 credits
PHI 407 Seminar on Topics in Ethics 3 credits
PHI 408 Seminar on Topics in Aesthetics 3 credits
PHI 409 Seminar on Topics in Social & Political Philosophy 3 credits
PHI 451 Senior Thesis a capstone experience 3 credits
An Ignatian Scholar successfully completes a senior thesis. This is a culminating experience by which a student expresses mature habits of self-directed study, critical analysis, with an ability to integrate knowledge beyond the expectations of a seminar paper. A senior thesis addresses a select philosophic topic and is especially concerned with philosophic argumentation. An Ignatian Scholar demonstrates ability to exercise appropriate research methods, to provide critical assessment of issues, to assess theoretical presuppositions underlying a discourse and to advance well-constructed argumentation. A senior thesis ought to exhibit the values of the department mission.
PHI 499 Directed Readings in Philosophy 3 credits
Tutorial. Personally designed with a member of the Philosophy Department. Topics and terms mutually determined by student and mentor. Prerequisite: Three courses in philosophy.