This Core Curriculum course requirement is designed to provide a thoughtful examination of philosophical issues through logical and critical analysis of claims and arguments proposed by classical and modern philosophers ranging over a variety of the traditional concerns of philosophy.
Recognizing that the Catholic Jesuit tradition since its earliest days has contributed significantly to philosophical investigations and expressions, the Department of Philosophy is committed to being a vehicle for the articulation of this rich tradition in the Core Curriculum. The Department will assist and encourage faculty to find new, creative, and appropriate strategies to realize this Core Curriculum goal that connects the study of philosophy with the Catholic Jesuit Tradition.
As a Core Curriculum requirement PHI 101 will have both departmental components that treat specifically philosophical matters and additional core components that articulate the Catholic Jesuit tradition as it relates to the practice of philosophy, that develop critical thinking skills by logical and critical analysis of arguments, and that develop student information literacy. Particular courses and syllabi will qualify that meet the following student learning goals and objectives that align with the Core Curriculum goals.
Goal 1 — Knowledge of philosophy
Students will be able to demonstrate by various means basic philosophic familiarity with such possible topics as:Goal 2 — Value of reason in responsible citizenship
a. Principal branches of philosophy — metaphysics, epistemology, ethics
b. Principal traditions and figures in western philosophy; introduction to some global traditions
c. Range of issues in philosophy with focus on formulating concerns relevant to them in philosophical terms
d. Philosophic terminology appropriate to various discourses
e. Some principal texts of the western philosophic canon
Each section of PHI 101 would minimally include the following objectives:
1. Either one major figure or important topic from three of the four historical periods of philosophy — ancient, mediaeval, modern, contemporary
2. Important issues from three of the following branches of philosophy — ethics, social and political philosophy, epistemology, metaphysics, aesthetics.
Students will be able to demonstrate that they recognize the importance of reason and consideration of values in personal life.Goal 3 — Critical thinking and information literacy
Each section of PHI 101 would treat at least one of the following objectives:
a. Understanding of the notion of person and the moral worth of the person
b. Recognizing the importance of humanistic values of justice, caring, trust and tolerance for personal integrity and community well-being
c. Appreciating the role of reason, dialogue, and rational inquiry in making responsible decisions for a good life
Students will demonstrate their abilities to find, use, and/or evaluate information relevant to examining philosophical issues and arguments.Goal 4 — Examining the Catholic Jesuit tradition
Each section of PHI 101 might satisfy this goal in a variety of ways including any of the following ways listed below.
a. Find and use information gathered from comparing course readings or from other sources to evaluate interpretations of course readings
b. Create a research essay by means of multiple stages produced over time
c. Clarify and analyze claims made in competing philosophical texts
d. Compare textual resources to the concrete world and experience
e. Judge the varying pertinence of texts
f. Distinguish knowledge and belief and to analyze persuasive discourse
This list is not exhaustive and faculty are encouraged to realize this goal in other ways.
Students will be able to articulate the ways in which the Catholic Jesuit tradition has contributed significantly to the philosophical investigations and expressions.This list is intended to be helpful rather than prescriptive, and it is not exhaustive. Individual faculty are encouraged to realize this goal in other ways.
Each section of PHI 101 might satisfy this goal in a variety of ways including any [‘one’ deleted] of the following ways listed below.
a. The use of a traditional philosophical text from the Catholic Jesuit tradition with identification of its use as a satisfaction of the component.
b. The articulation of significant aspects of the Catholic Jesuit tradition, e.g., “Faith Doing Justice”, “Educating the Whole Person”, etc., in relation to the course practices or materials.
c. Assignments that underscore the significance of PHI 101 to the College’s statement on mission and identity.
d. Developing a Service Learning component that connects concrete service with texts from the course and to the mission statement of Canisius College.
e. Approaching the content of philosophy from a historical perspective putting the Catholic philosophical tradition into conversation with other traditions.