Academic Catalog

Philosophy

Office: 5057 Woodward, 12th floor; 313-577-2475
Chairperson: Josh Wilburn 
Website: https://clas.wayne.edu/philosophy
Contact: philosophy@wayne.edu

CORVINO, JOHN F.: Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin; B.A., St. John's University; Professor

FANSELOW, RYAN T.: Ph.D., M.A., University of Maryland; B.A., University of California, Riverside; Lecturer

HIDDLESTON, ERIC D.: Ph.D., M.A., Cornell University; B.A., University of Nebraska; Associate Professor

KIM, KATHERINE: Ph.D., M.A., University of Washington; B.A., University of Southern California; Associate Professor

LOMBARD, LAWRENCE B.: Ph.D., Stanford University; A.B., Cornell University; Professor

MCKINSEY, T. MICHAEL: Ph.D., Indiana University; M.A., Kansas State University; B.A., Southern Methodist University; Professor Emeritus

RUSSELL, BRUCE A.: Ph.D., M.A., B.S., University of California, Davis; Professor

SATTA, MARK: Ph.D., Purdue University; J.D., Harvard Law School; B.A. SUNY Brockport, Houghton College; Assistant Professor

STIDD, SEAN C.: Ph.D, M.A., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; B.S., Harvey Mudd College; Senior Lecturer

STRABBING, JADA: Ph.D., Princeton University; B.A., University of Oxford; B.A., Kenyon College; Associate Professor

VINEBERG, SUSAN N.: Ph.D., B.A., University of California, Berkeley; Associate Professor

WILBURN, JOSHUA J.: Ph.D., Princeton University; B.A., University of Texas, Austin; Associate Professor

YANAL, ROBERT J.: Ph.D., M.A., University of Illinois at Chicago; B.A., University of Pittsburgh; Professor Emeritus

 

History of Philosophy

PHI 5400 The Presocratics and Sophists Cr. 4

Selected readings on topics in philosophers who preceded or were contemporaneous with Socrates (7th - 5th centuries B.C.E), such as Heraclitus, Parmenides, Zeno, Democritus. Offered Intermittently.

Prerequisites: PHI 2000-6XXX with a minimum grade of D-, CLA 1010 with a minimum grade of D-, or PS 1010-1030 with a minimum grade of D-

PHI 5420 Aristotle Cr. 4

Selected readings on topics in Aristotle. Offered Every Other Year.

PHI 5450 British Empiricism Cr. 4

Topics concerning Locke, Berkeley or Hume. Offered Intermittently.

Prerequisites: PHI 2000-6XXX with a minimum grade of D-, CLA 1010 with a minimum grade of D-, or PS 1010-1030 with a minimum grade of D-

PHI 5460 Kant Cr. 4

Selected topics or readings in Kant's philosophy. Offered Every Other Year.

Prerequisites: PHI 2000-6XXX with a minimum grade of D-, CLA 1010 with a minimum grade of D-, or PS 1010-1030 with a minimum grade of D-

PHI 5510 Special Topics in the History of Philosophy Cr. 3,4

An examination of special topics, issues, figures, and schools of thought in the history of philosophy. Offered Every Other Year.

Repeatable for 8 Credits

PHI 7810 Seminar in History of Philosophy Cr. 4

Study of a philosopher or period. Offered Intermittently.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeatable for 8 Credits

Logic

PHI 5050 Advanced Symbolic Logic Cr. 4

Formal, extensive treatment of first-order predicate logic with emphasis on the notions of a formal logical language and truth in a model; the logic of identity; definite descriptions; brief introductions to set theory and the metatheory of propositional and first-order logic; some additional advanced topics to be selected by the instructor. Offered Yearly.

Equivalent: LIN 5050

PHI 5350 Logical Systems I Cr. 4

Metaresults concerning formal systems of sentential and first-order logics; soundness, completeness; independence of axioms; introduction to recursive functions; formalization of elementary arithmetic; discussion of Godel's incompleteness theorem and Church's Theorem. Offered Every Other Year.

Prerequisites: MAT 5600 with a minimum grade of C-, PHI 2850 with a minimum grade of C-, PHI 2860 with a minimum grade of C-, PHI 5050 with a minimum grade of C-, or MAT 5420 with a minimum grade of C-

Equivalent: MAT 5350

Philosophical Problems

PHI 5210 Philosophy of Race and Racism Cr. 4

An examination of philosophical approaches to the study of race and racism, including the metaphysics of race and and the epistemology of racism and ignorance. Offered Every Other Fall.

Prerequisites: PHI 2000-6XXX with a minimum grade of D-

PHI 5230 Philosophy of Science Cr. 4

Intensive investigation and discussion of special topics or particular authors in the philosophy of science. Offered Yearly.

Prerequisites: 1 of (PHI 2400, PHI 5630, PHI 5640, PHI 2550, PHI 3500, PHI 3600, PHI 5230, PHI 5500, PHI 5530, PHI 5550, or PHI 5570)

PHI 5500 Topics in Metaphysics Cr. 4

Intensive investigation and discussion of special topics or particular authors in metaphysics. Offered Yearly.

PHI 5530 Topics in Epistemology Cr. 4

Intensive investigation and discussion of special topics or particular authors in the theory of knowledge. Offered Intermittently.

PHI 5550 Philosophy of Mind Cr. 4

Intensive investigation and discussion of special topics or particular authors concerned with the nature and status of the mental and theories about the mental. Offered Every Other Year.

PHI 5570 Philosophy of Language Cr. 4

Intensive investigation and discussion of philosophical problems concerning meaning, truth, and the nature of language. Offered Every Other Year.

Prerequisites: 1 of (PHI 2400, PHI 5630, PHI 5640, PHI 2550, PHI 3500, PHI 3600, PHI 5230, PHI 5500, PHI 5530, PHI 5550, or PHI 5570)

Equivalent: LIN 5570

PHI 5630 Twentieth Century Analytic Philosophy I Cr. 4

Major works, movements, and writers in the analytic tradition in the twentieth century up to the 1940s, such as Frege, Russell, Moore, the early Wittgenstein, Carnap, Ayer. Offered Intermittently.

Prerequisites: 1 of (PHI 2400, PHI 5630, PHI 5640, PHI 2550, PHI 3500, PHI 3600, PHI 5230, PHI 5500, PHI 5530, PHI 5550, or PHI 5570)

PHI 7790 Seminar in Philosophy of Language Cr. 4

Offered Intermittently.

Prerequisites: PHI 5000-5999

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeatable for 8 Credits

PHI 7800 Seminar in Philosophy: Special Topics Cr. 4

Offered Intermittently.

Prerequisites: PHI 5000-5999

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeatable for 8 Credits

PHI 7850 Seminar in Epistemology Cr. 4

Offered Intermittently.

Prerequisites: PHI 5000-5999

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeatable for 8 Credits

PHI 7860 Seminar in Metaphysics Cr. 4

Offered Intermittently.

Prerequisites: PHI 5000-5999

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeatable for 8 Credits

Special Courses

PHI 5800 Special Topics in Philosophy Cr. 2-4

Topics and prerequisites to be announced in Schedule of Classes . Offered Intermittently.

Repeatable for 8 Credits

PHI 6990 Directed Reading Cr. 1-6

Intensive investigation by student on topic chosen by student in consultation with instructor. Offered Every Term.

Repeatable for 12 Credits

PHI 7910 Preliminary Research I Cr. 2

Provides students with the opportunity to lay the groundwork for an article of publishable quality in a specialized area of philosophy. With the help of a faculty mentor, students will develop independent philosophical research skills, evaluate current scholarship in a specialized area of philosophy, identify potential article topics in that area, develop an original idea that advances current scholarship in that area, and start the process of writing an article of publishable quality by completing at least a first draft of that article. To enroll in this course, a student must have completed 32 credits toward the Ph.D., must obtain permission from a faculty member in philosophy to serve as the mentor of the course, and must obtain the written consent of the graduate director. Offered Every Term.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PHI 7920 Preliminary Research II Cr. 2

Builds on Preliminary Research I, providing students with the opportunity to lay the groundwork for a second article of publishable quality in a specialized area of philosophy. With the help of a faculty mentor, students will continue to develop independent philosophical research skills, evaluate current scholarship in a specialized area of philosophy, identify potential article topics in that area, develop an original idea that advances current scholarship in that area, and start the process of writing an article of publishable quality by completing at least a first draft of that article. To enroll in this course, a student must obtain permission from a faculty member in philosophy to serve as the mentor of the course and must obtain the written consent of the graduate director. Offered Every Term.

Prerequisite: PHI 7910

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PHI 7990 Directed Study in Philosophy Cr. 1-4

Directed study for graduate students in Philosophy. Offered Every Term.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeatable for 12 Credits

PHI 7999 Master's Essay Direction Cr. 1-4

Offered Every Term.

Restriction(s): Enrollment limited to students with a class of Candidate Masters; enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeatable for 99 Credits

PHI 8999 Master's Thesis Direction and Research Cr. 1-8

Offered Every Term.

Restriction(s): Enrollment limited to students with a class of Candidate Masters; enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeatable for 8 Credits

PHI 9990 Pre-Doctoral Candidacy Research Cr. 1-8

Research in preparation for doctoral dissertation. Offered Every Term.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeatable for 12 Credits

PHI 9991 Doctoral Candidate Status I: Dissertation Research and Direction Cr. 7.5

Offered Every Term.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PHI 9992 Doctoral Candidate Status II: Dissertation Research and Direction Cr. 7.5

Offered Every Term.

Prerequisite: PHI 9991 with a minimum grade of S

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PHI 9993 Doctoral Candidate Status III: Dissertation Research and Direction Cr. 7.5

Offered Every Term.

Prerequisite: PHI 9992 with a minimum grade of S

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PHI 9994 Doctoral Candidate Status IV: Dissertation Research and Direction Cr. 7.5

Offered Every Term.

Prerequisite: PHI 9993 with a minimum grade of S

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

PHI 9995 Candidate Maintenance Status: Doctoral Dissertation Research and Direction Cr. 0

Offered Every Term.

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Material Fees: $416.08

Repeatable for 0 Credits

Theory of Value

PHI 5240 Social and Political Philosophy Cr. 4

Selected topics and readings from major social and political philosophers. Possible readings include Hobbes, Locke, J.S. Mill, Rawls, Simmons, Pateman, Frederick Douglass, and Charles Mills. Offered Every Other Year.

Prerequisites: PHI 2000-ZZZZ with a minimum grade of C (may be taken concurrently)

PHI 5250 Justice and Rights in Health Care Cr. 4

This course is centered around the general question: What does justice require of a society in terms of providing health care to its members? It examines classic philosophical theories of justice including egalitarianism, libertarianism, and Rawls’ justice as fairness, before turning to the implications of these theories for health care access. Questions include: Does justice require providing universal health care? Is it compatible with offering different health care plans to different persons, or does justice require everyone have the same health care? How do issues of fairness in health care access relate to various forms of oppression in society, such as racism, classism, and sexism? Offered Fall.

Prerequisites: PHI 2000-ZZZZ with a minimum grade of C (may be taken concurrently)

PHI 5270 Philosophy of Law Cr. 4

Intensive investigation and discussion of special topics or particular authors in the philosophy of law. Possible readings include Austin, Hart, Fuller, Finnis, Martin Luther King, Jr., R. Dworkin, Scalia, J.S. Mill, and Shiffrin. Offered Every Other Year.

PHI 5280 History of Ethics Cr. 4

A survey and discussion of historically important moral philosophers from Plato to Mill. Offered Every Other Year.

Prerequisites: PHI 2000-6XXX with a minimum grade of D-, CLA 1010 with a minimum grade of D-, or PS 1010-1030 with a minimum grade of D-

PHI 5290 Free Will and Moral Responsibility Cr. 4

Exploration of the nature of, and relationship between, free will and moral responsibility. Questions include: What is free will? Is free will required for moral responsibility? Are freedom and responsibility compatible with determinism (the claim that the initial state of the universe plus the physical laws of nature determine everything that happens)? Does our practice of holding one another responsible reveal the nature of moral responsibility? Offered Fall.

Prerequisites: PHI 2000-ZZZZ with a minimum grade of C (may be taken concurrently)

PHI 5300 Foundations of Ethics Cr. 4

Twentieth century moral philosophers in the analytic tradition, with focus on debates in moral realism, moral epistemology, and the ""Why be moral?"" question; includes such philosophers as Moore, Stevenson, Foot, Mackie, Blackburn, Gibbard, Parfit, Korsgaard, and Railton. Offered Every Other Year.

Prerequisites: PHI 2000-6XXX with a minimum grade of D-, CLA 1010 with a minimum grade of D-, or PS 1010-1030 with a minimum grade of D-

PHI 5330 Ethics, Law, and Health Cr. 4

Provides a foundational understanding of how to use the tools of philosophy (especially ethics) to critically assess complex issues concerning public health, medical care, health law, and health policy. Covers foundations of normative ethical theory and of legal theory, and uses that understanding to address ethical and legal questions about discrete practical issues dealing with health. Offered Yearly.

Prerequisites: PHI 2000-ZZZZ with a minimum grade of C (may be taken concurrently)

PHI 7840 Seminar in Ethics Cr. 4

Offered Intermittently.

Prerequisites: PHI 5000-5999

Restriction(s): Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeatable for 8 Credits

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