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Undergraduate Courses Spring 2007

Intensive Introductory Courses

V83.0010-001

Central Problems in Philosophy

MW 9:30-10:45

Jim Pryor

This course is an introduction to the methods of contemporary philosophy, concentrating on the following questions:

1. The Problem of Other Minds: How can we tell whether animals and future computers have minds, or whether they're instead just mindless automata? How can we tell that other people have minds?

2. The Mind/Body Problem: What is the relation between your mind and your body? Are they made up of different stuffs? If a computer duplicates the neural structure of your brain, will it have the same thoughts and self-awareness that you have?

3. Free Will: Is it already settled how the future is going to turn out? If so, does that mean you have no free will? Are your actions and decisions all part of the mechanical chain of causes and effects studied by physicists?

4. Personal Identity: What makes you the person you are? Do you have an immortal soul which is able to survive the death of your body? Why would a clone of you have to be a different person than you are yourself? If we perfectly recorded all the neural patterns in your brain right now, could we use that recording to "bring you back" after a fatal accident?

5. What Do We Value about Survival: What does it mean to die? Why is death bad?

Sections: Sign up for one of the following six sections:

V83.0010-002 W 12:30-1:45

V83.0010-003 W 2-3:15

V83.0010-004 W 3:30-4:45

V83.0010-005 W 4:55-6:10

V83.0010-006 R 9:30-10:45

V83.0010-007 R 11-12:15

Enrollment capped at 90.

V83.0017-001

Life and Death

MW 11:00-12:15

Erica Roedder

An intensive introduction to various philosophical areas and genres by way of issues of creating, living, and taking life, human and non-human.    Topics include scientific, literary, and metaphysical conceptions of life and death;  value of life and fear of death; preservation and extinction of species and the biosphere; assisted reproduction, abortion, and dying; state executions and warfare; souls, personal identity, and theories of an after-life; life-

narratives and memorials.

Group I: History of Philosophy

V83.0020-001

History of Ancient Philosophy

MW 3:30-4:45

Jacob Rosen

Western philosophy owes its birth to Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. In their care many of the foundational questions in ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, and philosophy of mind were raised for the first time and developed in striking and sophisticated ways. We will try to determine which questions they asked, what their answers were, and whether we should accept their answers as correct even now.  

V83.0021-001

History of Modern Philosophy

TR 9:30-10:45

Don Garrett

In seventeenth and eighteenth century Europe, revolutionary developments in science, religion, and culture led to the generation of new philosophical questions, methods, and theories—and to the transformation of old ones. To a remarkable extent, these two centuries of philosophical thought are distinctively responsible for many of the questions, methods, and theoretical approaches that still quite recognizably dominate philosophy today. This course will examine the most important contributions of seven influential and systematic modern philosophers of this period—Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant—to the fields of epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, philosophy of science, philosophy of religion, and ethics.

Please sign up for one of the following four sections:

V83.0021-002 Fridays,1:00-1:50

V83.0021-003 Mondays,12:30-1:20

V83.0021-004 Mondays2:00-2:50

V83.0021-005 Mondays3:30-4:20

V83.0039-001

Recent Continental Philosophy

TR 11-12:15

John Richardson

V83.0040-001

A consideration of the central theoretical approaches to normative ethics – consequentialism, deontology, and virtue theory – forms the core of this course.  We will also examine ‘applied’ or ‘case’ ethics – that is, how these theories might help us face moral quandaries within specific domains (e.g., abortion, animals, consent, suicide).  Third, the course will provide a modest introduction to some pressing metaethical questions, such as: Are moral statements the sorts of things that are capable of being true?  If so, what is it that makes them true?  How might this distinguish them from the truths of natural science?  Finally, the course will include a brief consideration of the question of the meaning of life and how it might relate to ethics as it has traditionally been conceived. 

Sign up for one of the following two sections:

V83.0040-001 Friday12:30-1:45

V83.0040-002 Monday 2-3:15

V83.0041-001

Nature of Values

MW 3:30-4:45

Ryan Preston

This course will provide an intensive introduction to metaethics, which is the branch of moral philosophy that centers around questions such as the following: When we use moral language, are we making claims that are capable of being true or false, or are we merely expressing our feelings or giving voice to some other state of mind? Should truth in morals be understood by analogy with truth in the sciences, or must it be understood according to an entirely different model? Are there objective moral truths that hold across all times and cultures, or is some version of moral relativism correct?Readings will be drawn primarily from contemporary sources.

Prerequisite: at least one course in philosophy or consent of the instructor.

V83.0102-001

Topics in Ethics and Political Philosophy

TR 11-12:15

William Ruddick
Prerequisite: Two course in Philosophy, including either V83.0040, V83.0041, V83.0045, or V83.0052.

The course examines in context concepts and principles central to medical, animal, and environmental ethical and political issues (e.g. harm and benefit, life and health, justice and rights, sanctity and intrinsic value).

Open only to CAS Philosophy majors or minors who have had at least two of the following courses: V83.0040, V83.0041, V83.0045, V83.0052, or who have the instructor's permission.

V83.0070-001

Logic

MW 2-3:15

Dana Evan

Introduces the techniques, results, and philosophical import of 20th century formal logic. Principal concepts include those of sentence, set, interpretation, validity, consistency, consequence, tautology, derivation, and completeness.

V83.0076-001

Belief, Truth & Knowledge

MW 2-3:15

Yuval Avnur

This course is an inquiry into the nature of inquiry. We often seek answers to questions—e.g., Who was responsible for the Sept 11 attacks? Will the Knicks win tonight? 837+655=?—and take ourselves to know the answers, or have rational opinions, or to have good evidence for our views. Rather than answer these questions, we will step back and ask, What is the nature of evidence? and, What it is to know something or to be rational? In answering these questions, we will examine versions of, and responses to Skepticism: that there is very little we can know or have reason to believe.

V83.0078

Metaphysics

MW 12:30-1:45

Peter Unger 

What is the ultimate nature of the universe, the nature of all concrete reality? Is it physical, or mental, or both, or neither? And, what is our nature: are we physical, or mental, or both, or neither? We'll be concerned to use our inquiry into these questions to help us with traditionally central philosophical problems, including the problem of free will, the problem of personal identity, and the mind-body problem. While much of the course will treat these topics, some will treat some other topics.

V83.0085

Philosophy of Language

MW 11-12:15

Ray Buchanan

Examines various philosophical and psychological approaches to language and meaning and their consequences for traditional philosophical problems in metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics.  Discusses primarily 20th Century authors including Russell, Wittgenstein, and Quine.

V83.0104-001

Topics in Language and Mind

TR 2-3:15

Alexis Burgess

Prerequisite: Two course in Philosophy, including either V83.0076 or V83.0078.

Personal Identity and Ontological Indeterminacy

What are persons?  Are they immaterial souls, somehow capable of animating human bodies?  Are they just the bodies themselves?  Or are they parts of bodies, like brains?  One way of trying to answer these questions is by considering the kinds of changes we could survive—the sorts of things that could happen to us that wouldn’t result in our non-existence.  When the question of “personal identity” is recast in this way, however, most modern-day philosophers find themselves in disagreement with all three of the answers suggested above.  And yet, even the most popular contemporary theory of personhood, inspired by John Locke’s seminal essay on the subject, is beset by considerable difficulties. 

The aim of this course will be to acquaint you with some of the more influential work on personal identity to date, from Locke to Derek Parfit and beyond.  But because we cannot cover every position equally well, I will emphasize the ideas that seem particularly promising to me.  The second half of the course will therefore be devoted to discussing vagueness in language, the possibility of vagueness in the world, and the upsetting suggestion that you and I do not exist.

Honors Courses:

V83.0200-001

Junior Honors Pro-Seminar

W 6:30-8:30

Matt Evans

See description under Honors Program, below.

SILVER CENTER, 100 WASHINGTON SQUARE EAST, ROOM 503, NEW YORK, NY 10003-6688. (212) 998-8320. FAX: (212) 995-4179.

DIRECTOR OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES:

Professor John Richardson                   

            503CSilverCenter                   Spring office hours: 

            Email:  jr8@nyu.edu                             M10:30-12, Tu2:30-3:30, Th12:30-1:30

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF:

Debbie Bula:  db7@nyu.edu ; 998-8325

Anupum Mehrotra:  aqm4735@nyu.edu ; 998-8320

Melissa Makhmaltchi: mfm304@nyu.edu; 998-9056

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR:

The Department changed the major requirements last spring, by increasing the number of courses needed from 9 to 10.  However, the new requirements will only apply to students entering NYU in September 2005 and after.

Requirements for students who began at NYU before September 2005:

A major in philosophy requires nine 4-point courses in the department, with numbers higher than V83.0009 (so that Introduction to Philosophy and Ethics & Society do not count).  These nine courses must include (1) Logic, V83.0070; (2) History of Ancient Philosophy, V83.0020; (3) History of Modern Philosophy, V83.0021; (4) Ethics, V83.0040; or Nature of Values, V83.0041; or Political Philosophy, V83.0045; (5) Belief, Truth, and Knowledge, V83.0076; or Metaphysics, V83.0078; (6) Minds and Machines, V83.0015; or Philosophy of Mind, V83.0080; or Philosophy of Language, V83.0085; and (7) Topics in the History of Philosophy, V83.0101; or Topics in Ethics and Political Philosophy, V83.0102; or Topics in Metaphysics and Epistemology, V83.0103; or Topics in Language and Mind, V83.0104. No credit toward the major is awarded for a course with a grade lower than C.

Requirements for students who began at NYU in September 2005 and thereafter:

A major in philosophy requires ten 4-point courses in the department, with numbers higher than V83.0009 (so that Introduction to Philosophy and Ethics & Society do not count).  These ten courses must include (1) Logic, V83.0070; (2) History of Ancient Philosophy, V83.0020; (3) History of Modern Philosophy, V83.0021; (4) Ethics, V83.0040; or Nature of Values, V83.0041; or Political Philosophy, V83.0045; (5) Belief, Truth, and Knowledge, V83.0076; or Metaphysics, V83.0078; (6) Minds and Machines, V83.0015; or Philosophy of Mind, V83.0080; or Philosophy of Language, V83.0085; and (7) Topics in the History of Philosophy, V83.0101; or Topics in Ethics and Political Philosophy, V83.0102; or Topics in Metaphysics and Epistemology, V83.0103; or Topics in Language and Mind, V83.0104. Of the three honors courses, only the first two—the Junior Honors Proseminar and the Senior Honors Seminar—may be counted towards the ten courses required.  No credit toward the major is awarded for a course with a grade lower than C.

Recommendations on course sequence:

Students considering a major in philosophy are encouraged to begin with one of the Intensive Introductory Courses, or with one of the following: History of Ancient Philosophy, V83.0020; History of Modern Philosophy, V83.0021; Ethics, V83.0040; or Belief, Truth, and Knowledge, V83.0076. Logic, V83.0070, should be taken as soon as possible.  The Topics courses are the most advanced undergraduate courses, and presuppose coursework in their areas.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MINOR:

A minor in philosophy requires four 4-point courses, at least three beyond the Introductory Courses. One course must be History of Ancient Philosophy, V83.0020, or History of Modern Philosophy, V83.0021; one course each must come from Group 2 (Ethics, Value, and Society) and Group 3 (Metaphysics, Epistemology, Mind, Language, and Logic).  (Consult the Bulletin or the Department’s on-line course-list for the classification of courses in these Groups.)  No credit toward the minor is awarded for a course with a grade lower than C.

JOINT MAJOR IN LANGUAGE AND MIND:

This major, intended as an introduction to cognitive science, is administered by the Departments of Linguistics, Philosophy, and Psychology. Eleven courses are required (four in linguistics, one in philosophy, five in psychology, and one additional course) to be constituted as follows. The linguistics component consists of Language, V61.0001; Grammatical Analysis, V61.0013; Introduction to Cognitive Science, V61.0028; and one more course chosen from Computational Models of Sentence Construction, V61.0024; Phonological Analysis, V61.0012; and Introduction to Semantics, V61.0004. The philosophy component consists of one course, chosen from Minds and Machines, V83.0015; Philosophy of Language, V83.0085; and Logic, V83.0070. The psychology component consists of four required courses: Introduction to Psychology, A89.0001; Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences, V89.0010; The Psychology of Language, V89.0056; and Cognition, V89.0029; in addition, one course, chosen from Seminar in Thinking, V89.0026; Language Acquisition and Cognitive Development, V89.0300; and Laboratory in Human Cognition, V89.0028. The eleventh course will be one of the above-listed courses that has not already been chosen to satisfy the departmental components.

INDEPENDENT STUDY:

A student may sign up for an independent study course if he or she obtains the consent of a faculty member who approves the study project and agrees to serve as adviser. The student must also obtain the approval of either the department chair or the director of undergraduate studies. The student may take no more than one such course in any given semester and no more than two such courses in total, unless granted special permission by either the department chair or the director of undergraduate studies.

HONORS PROGRAM:

The Department has also made changes in its Honors Program, in particular by a) changing the credits for the senior honors courses from 2 to 4 points (per course), b) adding a third course, the Junior Honors Proseminar, and c) raising the grade point requirement (both overall and in philosophy courses) from 3.5 to 3.65.  (Note:  only the first of these changes applies to students who are seniors in 2005-6.)  Here is the description of the new program:

Honors in philosophy will be awarded to majors who (1) have an overall grade point average of 3.65 and an average in philosophy courses of 3.65, and (2) successfully complete the honors program. This program consists in the following 3 courses.  (Note:  of these courses, only the first two may be counted towards the 10 courses required for the major.)

1.  The Junior Honors Proseminar, to be taken in spring semester of junior year.  This course will play the dual roles of introducing students to core readings in some of the main areas of current philosophy, and of giving them an intensive training in writing philosophy.  Admission to this course usually requires a GPA, both overall and in philosophy courses, of at least 3.65, as well as the permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.  The Department will try to make alternative arrangements for students who wish to participate in the Honors Program but who will be studying abroad in this semester of their junior year.

2.  The Senior Honors Seminar, to be taken in fall semester of senior year.  Here students begin to develop their thesis projects, meeting weekly as a group under the direction of a faculty member, and presenting and discussing their thesis arguments.  Students will also select, and begin to meet separately with, their individual thesis advisors—faculty who work in the areas of their thesis projects.  Entry to this seminar depends on satisfactory completion of the Junior Honors Proseminar—or on the special approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.  It also usually requires a GPA of at least 3.65.

3.  Senior Honors Research, to be taken in spring semester of senior year.  The seminar no longer meets, but each student continues to meet separately with his/her individual thesis advisor, producing and discussing a series of rough drafts of the thesis.  The final version must be submitted by a deadline to be determined, in April.  It must be approved by the thesis advisor, as well as by a second faculty reader, for honors to be awarded.  The student must also finish with a GPA of at least 3.65—and here no exceptions will be made.  In addition, the thesis advisors will meet after the decisions by readers have been made, and award some students highest or high honors, based on thesis quality and other factors (including GPA in philosophy courses).

WHY STUDY PHILOSOPHY?

Philosophy has a reputation for being otherworldly and impractical – some say, “philosophy butters no bread”, but it doesn’t really deserve this label.  The purpose of philosophy is controversial, but at least one that it involves is the construction and evaluation of arguments.  The study of philosophy is a training of expressing thoughts clearly and precisely, in defending one’s ideas and evaluating the positions of others.  Quite simply, philosophy gives a training in thinking.  And this is a skill valuable in any professional field.

Philosophy has a special affinity with the legal profession in which arguments, and the application of general rules to cases, play central roles.  Many law schools recognize this connection and are especially receptive to philosophy majors.  But philosophical skills are valuable elsewhere as well.  In business, you must formulate and clarify problems, analyze potential solutions, and defend your approach in a clear and rational way.  All these abilities are improved by exercising in philosophical argument.  And finally, medical schools and professionals place increasing importance on the ability to reflect on the ethical issues that arise in their practice – and these are of course problems treated in moral philosophy.

Some of these practical beliefs seem reflected in the exceptional performance by philosophy majors on graduate admissions exams.  They show that philosophy majors scored higher than any other group on the verbal section of the GRE, and much higher than any other humanities majors on the quantitative section.  Philosophy majors are second only to math majors on the GMAT, and third only to math and economics majors on the LSAT.  Of course, training in philosophy majors may not be wholly responsible for these results – it may also be that brighter students are entering the field to begin with.  But in either case, the report suggests you’re not stupid if you join them.

But this still doesn’t touch on what surely remain the most important reasons for studying philosophy.  College years shouldn’t just be a professional training.  They are a best chance to think about basic human questions – about personal and social values, about the nature of reality and yourselves.  Studying philosophy can bring into view questions of lifelong relevance and interest.  It can acquaint you with the issues in debates that will always recur, and can help you toward argued positions on such issues.  In a very rare case, it might even help determine your direction through life.