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Northwest Missouri State University

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Course Descriptions (Philosophy)

171 Introduction to Philosophy (3 hours)
Basic problems and ideas encountered in the moral and intellectual life of humankind are analyzed in a systematic, rather than an historical, manner. Attention is devoted to the philosophies and theories of knowledge, metaphysics, religion, morals, politics and science.

273 Introduction to Logic (3 hours)
A consideration of the principal techniques of traditional and symbolic logic — syllogistic logic, sentential logic and predicate logic — and their relationship to language.

Eiswert Teaching274 Introduction to Ethics: Historical/Theoretical (3 hours)
An examination of the fundamental concepts, principles and major theoretical approaches of ethics used to determine the moral demands of human conduct with applications to important ethical questions of contemporary concern. This course takes an historical/theoretical approach to ethics.

275 Introduction to Ethics: Professional (3 hours)
An examination of the fundamental concepts, principles and major theoretical approaches of ethics used to determine the moral demands of human conduct with applications to important ethical questions of contemporary concern.  This course focuses on Professional Ethics.

276 Introduction to Ethics: Bio-medical (3 hours)
An examination of the fundamental concepts, principles and major theoretical approaches of ethics used to determine the moral demands of human conduct with applications to important ethical questions of contemporary concern. This course focuses on Bio-Medical Ethics.

374 Philosophy of Religion (3 hours)
Philosophical inquiry into the nature and function of religion, with special emphasis on the problems of the existence and essence of deity.

376 History of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy (3 hours)
A survey of the main strands of Western philosophy from the beginnings in Ancient Greece and Rome to the dawn of the Modern era.

377 History of Modern and Contemporary Philosophy (3 hours)
A survey of the main strands of Western philosophy from the rise of Modernism to the present day.

401 Senior Seminar (1 hour)
Intensive study of a philosophical issue of the student’s choice, in consultation with a faculty adviser, concluding with a research paper and a formal presentation.

473 Philosophy of Mind (3 hours)
A study of various philosophical understandings of the nature and functioning of the human mind and their implications.

474 Philosophy of the Sciences (3 hours)
An introduction to the fundamental concepts, methods and models of science and how they shape the content of the various scientific disciplines.

475 Aesthetics (3 hours)
A consideration of the major concepts and theories of aesthetics, dealing with questions concerning the value of art, the nature of artistic creation and the appropriate criteria for the evaluation of artistic works.

500 Special Offerings (1-4 hours)
Courses which are offered on only one occasion or variable issue-oriented courses which have the content described in the title. Credit and prerequisites as announced.

570 Metaphysics (3 hours)
A study of the nature of reality, including a consideration of questions concerning what constitutes the unity of a thing, the nature of causation, the relationship between mind and matter and the nature of God.

571 Epistemology (3 hours)
An inquiry into the nature and function of knowledge claims, the validity of induction and deduction, theories of justification and truth.

579 Independent Study in Philosophy (1-2 hours)
Investigation into special problems in philosophy. Offered only by special arrangement.

590 Advanced Topics (1-3 hours)
This course covers a specialized topic in the history of philosophy or current issues and trends in philosophy as announced. Course may be repeated for a total of six hours provided that the topics are not the same. Prerequisites: Phil 39-171 and 15 hours in philosophy or consent of instructor.