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Course Criteria
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3.00 Credits
?he safest general characterization of the European [and, more generally, Western] philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato." (Alfred North Whitehead) The claim, taken literally, is quite controversial. Taken in the spirit offered, it encapsulates a profound statement about Western thought. Plato, and his student Aristotle, are easily the two most important thinkers of the ancient Greek period and perhaps the most important thinkers in history. The great questions that perplex humanity to this day are questions with which they wrestled. Their work is striking in its originality (even to today), its comprehensiveness, and its depth. They were concerned with human nature, the role of ideas, the virtuous life, happiness and goodness, justice, the nature of the world, science, mathematics, education, and more. They laid the foundation for modern biology, physics, political theory, ethics, and aesthetics as well as providing a framework for current notions about liberal arts education and the well-rounded person. Topics discussed in this course include those broad concerns as well as more particular issues - the Socratic Problem, the nature of the Divine, Human Nature, Love, Metaphysics, and the incorporation of ancient culture (literary, political, artistic) into philosophical arguments. Part of this course will also examine the foundations of literary critical theory. This course satisfies the Capstone requirement for the Bachelor of General Studies degree
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3.00 Credits
The advent of Modern Philosophy marks a significant shift in the history of philosophical thought. Modern Philosophy is marked by a turn to an examination of human knowledge - what can be known, how knowledge is possible, what it means to have knowledge. These epistemological concerns come to the forefront of philosophical consideration during the turmoil of the 16th century (the rise of the scientific method, the Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation) and continue largely at the fore until the present. However, the prominence of questions of knowledge does not relegate metaphysics and ethics from the stage. Indeed, some quite important work is done in each of these branches of philosophy as well. Epistemology, though, is clearly the primary concern. Within this course, we examine the skeptical challenge to claims of knowledge (a challenge rooted in the shift from Scholastic science to Newtonian), rationalist and empiricist responses to that challenge, the Kantian Copernican Revolution in ethics, and the Existentialist rejection of much of the approach of both rationalists and empiricists in favor of a different conception of humanity, the human condition, and the possibility of human knowledge. We will examine primarily the work of the following philosophers, among others: Michel Montaigne, Rene Descartes, Princess Elizabeth of Bohemia, G.W.F. Leibniz, David Hume, Mary Wollstonecraft, Immanuel Kant, Friedrich Nietzsche, Soren Kierkegaard, and Jean-Paul Sartre. This course satisfies the Capstone requirement for the Bachelor of General Studies degree.
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3.00 Credits
Independent Study
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3.00 Credits
The primary contribution of American Philosophy to the ongoing epistemologically-centered discussion within Modern Philosophy is generally considered to be Pragmatism, exemplified by philosophers William James, John Dewey, Josiah Royce, and Charles Sanders Pierce. American Philosophy is also seen as a continuation of the British Empiricist tradition of the early modern period. Among the analytic philosophers within this tradition are Bertrand Russell and Ludwig Wittgenstein. However, a lesser known tradition that is in many ways a repudiation of the Modern epistemological focus and a return to the Ancient tradition of Plato and Aristotle is among the greatest contributions of American Philosophy to the philosophic dialogue. That tradition, commonly called Process Philosophy and occasionally NeoAncient Philosophy, is one that engages both the most comprehensive scientific theories available and the ethical and metaphysical speculations that are discounted by many of the wider American philosophic traditions. We will look primarily at the work of Alfred North Whitehead here, although we will make regular reference to Albert Einstein and others. This course satisfies the Capstone requirement for the Bachelor of General Studies degree.
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3.00 Credits
How should human beings live What is it to live a good life Is there such a thing as a moral standard If so, how do we discover it How do we think critically, consistently, and coherently about good, evil, and human behavior The variety of opinions on these questions is amazingly diverse, and often contradictory. Yet, these are the questions of ethics. Perhaps not always in so general a form, though. Is it okay to go to war Under what circumstances Should abortion be legal Why Who decides Is capital punishment ever warranted When These are questions that populate the news and touch personal lives directly. It is here that the theorizing about ethics becomes, at times, painfully practical. How do we make decisions when the issues are so very hard This is what ethics and the study of ethics are about. We will discuss theory. We will discuss application. We will discuss the ways in which theory and application inform one another and, at times, come into conflict. Disagreements are not uncommon. It is in the conversation over difficult topics that the values and assumptions we bring to the table come into better focus. This can be a very profitable experience, though it can be a difficult one as well.
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3.00 Credits
A course which examines theories concerning how language can be used for persuasion and how those theories have been implemented and extended to the teaching of writing. The course will also examine research in the field of composition focusing on implications for writing teachers and for those who want to improve their own writing skills.
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3.00 Credits
A survey major historical schools of linguistics with emphasis upon contemporary theory and its application to the understanding and teaching of English.
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3.00 Credits
Basic theories of weather, atmospheric conditions, and climate; physical processes affecting the atmospheric environment and its relationships; principles of forecasting; and introduction to instrumentation.
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3.00 Credits
An examination of the basic concepts of physical geology, stratigraphy, mineralogy, and land forms.
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3.00 Credits
This laboratory-based course stresses the learning of science as active, integrated, constructive processes involving experimentation, investigation, communication, reasoning and problem solving. The course builds foundations in content to show connections and relevant applications in the areas of life systems, earth systems, and physical systems. The goals of the course are to help teachers extend content learning, to help teachers create successful learning environments for every student by teaching them to use manipulatives, calculators, science equipment, and various learning strategies, and to provide access to appropriate materials, equipment and technology.
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