This is an ARCHIVED version of the Kwantlen University College Calendar for
2003-2004 and is provided for historical reference only. See the current version of the
Calendar for updated information.
The on-line version of the University College Calendar is the Official version. In the event of conflict between the printed version and the online version, the on-line version will prevail.
Effective date of this course calendar information, unless otherwise indicated, is Sept. 1, 2003 to Aug. 31, 2004.
Note: All course changes and updates are shown in blue.
Philosophy
Arrow indicates course will meet liberal education elective requirements for Bachelor Degrees
Courses at the 1200 level in Philosophy have prerequisites at the 1100 level in Philosophy or in other disciplines. Students who plan to major in Philosophy at UBC, SFU, or UVic should consult with a Kwantlen University College educational advisor or a Philosophy instructor.
PHIL 1100 cr-3
Introduction to Philosophy
Students will study some of the central topics in the major areas of philosophy. They will examine a variety of philosophical perspectives on such issues as the nature of reality, the limits of human knowledge, and the nature of morality.
Students will examine the meaning and justification of moral judgments. They will examine various theories concerning whether or not moral judgments have an objective basis. They will also study and evaluate leading theories of right action, and they will apply these theories to contemporary moral problems.
Students will examine some central problems in environmental philosophy. They will investigate such topics as the nature of our obligations to non-human animals, the environment, and future generations.
Students will examine arguments for and against the existence of God, as well as other traditional problems of theology, from a philosophical perspective.
The single distinguishing characteristic of scholarly writing is the careful presentation and defence of the author’s ideas. The practical skills of close reading, the use of argumentation, and the art of rhetoric, are the tools for this job. This course prepares students to exercise their skills in their writing in other courses.
This is an introduction to elementary techniques of formal logic. Two artificial languages are developed, sentential logic and predicate logic. The construction of these languages will aid in understanding the nature of rational argument.
This is a course not only for science students but for all who are interested in the style of reasoning and kinds of claims made in the name of science. Scientific reasoning involves probability and hypotheses in ways which require careful analysis. This course provides an introduction to scientists’ methods of argument and experiment, and to inductive argument generally.
Epistemology is the philosophical study of the nature of knowledge and our ways of acquiring it. Students will examine such topics as the justification of beliefs, the nature of truth, and the possibility of foundations of knowledge using the work of major contemporary philosophers.
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy which enquires into the nature of reality. Using classical and contemporary readings, students will study some of the main traditional topics of metaphysics such as the mind-body interaction problem, space and time, free will and fatalism, and theories of reality and truth.
Prerequisites Any 1100 level PHIL or CRIM 1251 or HUMN 1100
This course will introduce contemporary symbolic logic, provide a working understanding of some symbolic languages, introduce propositional logic and first-order predicate logic, and discuss syntax and semantics at an elementary level. Soundness and completeness of first-order logical systems will be proved.
Prerequisites: PHIL 1150 or College Math at 1100 level or above.
Students will acquire a detailed historical and conceptual framework for the assessment of 20th Century philosophical analysis. They will study issues raised by Russell and others near the beginning of the 20th Century. Then they will consider the historical and conceptual unfolding of various alternative approaches to these issues by later 20th Century analytical philosophers. Students will focus on a technical examination of concepts such as: truth, reference, description, and meaning.
Students will investigate central questions about the nature and foundations of ethical judgement. They will examine a variety of perspectives on such issues as the objectivity and prescriptivity of moral judgement.
Students will study various ethical and meta-ethical theories, and will apply them in standard business contexts, such as employer/employee relations, risk analysis, occupational and product safety, environmental protection, and multi-national practices. They will acquire the tools to allow them to make ethical business decisions.
Philosophy/Humanities Faculty
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Arrow indicates course will meet liberal education elective requirements for Bachelor Degrees
