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Philosophy | Undergraduate Courses

Level I

This course provides an introduction to essential principles of reasoning and critical thinking. It is designed to enhance students’ ability to evaluate various forms of reasoning and to examine critically beliefs, conventions and theories, and to develop sound arguments - good arguments, fair argumentation, and validity. Topics include fundamentals of logic and analysis, the concept of ‘definition,’ conceptual analysis, logical fallacies, deduction and induction, analytic and synthetic propositions, and scientific method and explanation.

Level I

This course introduces students to the theories of the nature and justification of ethical concepts and decision procedures. Issues include the relation between motivation and moral justification, the question whether morality is objective or subjective, relative or absolute, and whether moral knowledge is possible. It considers the relation between morality and phenomena such as legality, religion, politics, and conscience, and also critically outlines some of the major theories of moral goodness and right action and their relationship with duty. Issues in applied ethics are explored to introduce students to burning contemporary moral issues.

Level I

This course introduces students with no prior knowledge of philosophy to the perennial issues in philosophy which arise out of the search for truth and meaning in life: good and evil, appearance and reality, the rational grounds for belief in God, scepticism and knowledge, social justice. We attempt to examine also basic issues of human existence such as conceptions of human nature, meaning of life, freedom, death and afterlife. The course emphasizes critical thinking and the value of understanding through the use of reasoning and reasoned argumentation.

Level I

This course examines the historical development of critical, sustained and reflective thinking of humans in ancient and pre-Christian societies (African, Asian, Eastern, American, European to the time of Thales) with a view to understanding the antecedents of contemporary philosophy on the one hand, and the variations of themes and factors responsible for such variations in various societies and cultures. For the Caribbean, located in the gateway between the Americas, the investigation of the intellectual foundations of the ancestors of the peoples of the region is urgent and pressing. This course provides the opportunity for this investigation.

Level I

The course is a critical reflection on issues that relate to the question of life and human existence across diverse cultural settings. It explores the concept of life, its purpose, and the conditions for its fulfillment. It also examines the notion of the self, and its relation to the notion of the other within a social and political setting, and the notion of death and the question of life after death.

Level I

Level II

This is entirely a problem oriented course. We will consider a series of paradoxes, some of which are interrelated, some of which originate in the last couple of decades and some of which are of longer history - dating back to the Pre-Socratics. This approach will not only allow us to study a wide range of issues in such areas as philosophy of mind, epistemology and ethics, but more importantly, it will lead to an understanding of different contemporary analytic techniques for tackling philosophical problems which challenge our attempts to understand the world.

Level II

This course is problem oriented, and critically explores contemporary answers to such questions as: What is knowledge? What are the limitations of knowledge? What is belief? The course also examines the status and extent of our knowledge of the world, of ourselves, and of others. Problems about the nature of knowledge, the justification of claims of knowledge, the relationship of knowledge to belief and truth, perception, and the viability of scepticism will be discussed.

Level II

This course offers an examination of major philosophic theories of the human mind. The traditional dualistic theory that the mind and body are distinctly different will be contrasted with contemporary logical behaviourism and with the modern materialist's theory that the mental can be explained in terms of brain states and brain functions. The course considers the relation between thoughts and sensations and neurological processes, between mental states and brain states. It also considers the existence of animal intelligence and of artificial intelligence.

Level II

This course considers philosophical questions pertaining to the nature, extent and significance of scientific knowledge. Problems will be discussed about the nature of scientific theories and models, about scientific explanation and prediction, about scientific growth, and the relationship between science, religion and morality. It will address the nature of truth in science and justification in science will be discussed, and consider whether science is a product of interest or is universal.

Level II

This course provides the forum for the exploration of the issues which connect language, logic, communication, intention, representation, predication and understanding. It explores the intersection that these create in our determination of meaning and truth. Topics include the relation between thought and language, between language and the world, between linguistic meaning and other kinds of meaning.

Level II

This course examines critically the definition, nature and subject matter of metaphysics and truth in metaphysics. It surveys the principal types of theories of reality that have been produced in western philosophy, e.g., materialism, idealism, dualism, monism, atomism, and investigates major problems and concepts in metaphysics, such as time, space, substance, essence, free will and determinism, causality, the nature of the self and the problem of universals.

Level II

The course deals with the place of philosophy in the attempts of Caribbean people to understand, represent, interpret and shape reality with their innate human capacity to reason.  The course pursues the historically based philosophical explorations of, and reflections on, Caribbean conceptions of being, knowledge, ethics, aesthetics, and sexuality, space, existence, etc. The course addresses the question of the existence (historio-genesis) of Caribbean philosophy as thematized by Paget Henry, and the influences on it of local and external existential challenges as well as of Western, Oriental and African philosophies.

Level II

This course examines the conceptual framework for ethical decision-making, using sports and moral conflicts presented in sports as prism through which to examine normative perspectives. Key ethical theories will be discussed, including hedonism, egoism, virtue ethics, deontology, utilitarianism, and social contract ethics. Moral ideas and concepts such as character, compassion, weakness of the will, self-sacrifice, self-love, self-interest, duty, obligation, rights, fairness, responsibility, autonomy and agency will be explored. Also considered are issues such as the ethics of competition; the business of sports; sports and the good life, sportsmanship; rights of athletes; fair play; cheating and the use of performance enhancing drugs; violence in sports; sports as entertainment, exercise, fun, recreation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Level II

This course deals with Indian Philosophy in its three major phases, the Vedic, Heterodox, and Orthodox Periods. It considers the origins of philosophy in the Indian context, its peculiarities in that cultural context, and the impact it has had throughout the world. Included in its coverage are great religio-philosophical traditions of the Heterodox Period such as Jainism and Buddhism, and, in the Orthodox Period, the six-fold method of metaphysical analysis of epistemology [doctrine of Knowledge], ontology [doctrine of Reality], theology [doctrine of God], cosmology [doctrine of the Universe], psychology [doctrine of the Soul] and soteriology [doctrine of Salvation].

Level II

This course provides a context in which to reflect on the challenges of interpreting the textual traditions that constitute the inspiration for many Indian philosophers, and raises the question of whether and how we can describe general characteristics of “Indian philosophy.”  The course considers central questions in classical Indian philosophy such as: What are valid sources of knowledge? What are valid forms of reasoning?  Does God exist?  What is the nature of the self?  It also reflects on the application of the ethical teachings of Mahāyāna Buddhism, Jainism, and Vedānta to personal, social, political, and ecological concerns.

Level II

This course explores in-depth the African foundation of Greek philosophy. It explores the nature of philosophical thought in pre-classical and classical worlds as found in Asia Minor and Africa. It discusses issues in such areas of philosophy as epistemology, metaphysics, axiology, logic, political philosophy and philosophies of religion from traditional and contemporary African philosophical perspectives. Critical attention will be paid to issues of analysis in philosophy and other forms of philosophical methods

Level II

This course explores the philosophical and meta-philosophical issues that have pervaded contemporary African philosophical terrain. These include the ontological question in African philosophy and tradition of thinking, peculiarities of philosophy in "oral" societies, the relation between myth, legend, history and religion in philosophy, the natural order of things, phases of discourse, Bantu philosophy and the Intellectualist Thesis.

 

Level II

Works of literature are sometimes representations of philosophical problems as lived experiences and as such provide opportunities for discussion of philosophy and life. This course is an examination of a number of central philosophical issues as they are reflected in literary works. Among the issues examined are the question of God and the problem of evil, determinism, free will and fatalism, freedom and man's search for identity, the meaning of life and the obligation to obey the law.

Level II

Civilizations document their existence in three broad ways: their deeds, their works and their art. This course is devoted to an examination of the philosophical issues in art. It considers the question what is art, what is its value, what role does it play in society, and whether aesthetic experience is different from other kinds of experience. It also asks whether art should be judged on moral grounds, and whether art is universally intelligible. It extends these questions also to modern manifestations such as fashion shows, pageants, and designs. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Level II

Level III

The twentieth century saw the spread of American influence in the world. This course is aimed at developing students’ understanding of the intellectual and cultural foundations of American society. It asks whether there is a distinct American philosophical tradition, and will be devoted to reflections on issues pertaining to the origins of American philosophy within the context of Puritanism; American intellectual attempts to deal with revolution, slavery and racism; and notions of globalization, democracy and regime change, and the War on Terror.

Level III

This course provides a systematic consideration of the fundamental issues in the conception and practice of law, including the origin of law, issues pertaining to sovereignty and subject, legitimacy and autonomy, ethics and justice, democracy and the law, gender and the law, discrimination and reverse discrimination, war and laws, and sanctity of life and law – addressing suicide, capital punishment, cloning, organ transplantation, etc. It provides a forum for the discussion of such perennial themes in legal theory as the nature and function of law, its relation to morality, and its connection with social policy. We look at philosophical issues in crime, civil rights, punishment, and the legislation of morality.

Level III

The basic question which this course tries to raise is whether human beings have the ability to explore, understand and communicate knowledge of an experience that is supernatural. The course will critically examine classical modern and contemporary views about religious beliefs, claims and experiences. Various claims have often been made in religion – that God exists, that human beings have souls and that such souls are immortal, that miracles exist, that prayers are efficacious, etc. This course asks whether such claims can be rationally defended, given the fact that they pertain to matters which go beyond physical experience.

Level III

This course will deal with Caribbean attempts to understand, represent and interpret reality in all spheres of life, and engage in critical reflection on the various beliefs and cultural practices of the Caribbean, such as Caribbean conceptions of being, knowledge, ethics, aesthetics, and sexuality. The course will address the question of the existence of a Caribbean philosophy, and the influences on it of Western and African philosophies. Attention will focus on such social and political traditions and issues as Garveyism, Rastafari, Carnival, religious diversities, sports, and sexuality.  The course will also explore Marxist perspectives on Caribbean philosophy.

Level III

The contemporary world finds ever increasing commerce between Western Societies, their appendages and the Islamic World.  An understanding of the principles by which the Islamic world operates is important, therefore, from the point of view of comparative philosophy, comparative law, international relations and international trade, cooperation and business. This requires exposure to the Qur’an and the Hadith which are foundations on which Islamic Jusriprudence is based.  Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with and undertake an analysis of the origin, sources, and schools of Muslim Law and to gain an understanding of the important difference between Sunnis and Shi’ites schools of law.

 

Level III

This year-long course begins with a consideration of different methods of philosophical research. It provides an avenue for critical readings in classical and non-classical works in philosophy, with the objective of developing an awareness of how different philosophers have dealt with issues in the past and in our contemporary time. The course will culminate in the selection and development of research topics and the production of a research essay.

 

Level III

This course investigates approaches to love, friendship, marriage, and eroticism in both classical and contemporary philosophy. It involves an investigation of the nature of sex and the nature of love and of the conceptual relationship between sexuality and love. It also explores the concepts of gender, gender roles and gender equality, and investigates social, ethical and legal controversies regarding sexual behaviour, marriage, and privacy. Metaphysical (eg. what is sex?), epistemological (can a member of one sex really know what it is for someone of the opposite sex to experience sexual intercourse?) and ethical queries (is pre-marital sex moral or immoral?) are tackled in this course.

Level III

This course introduces students to the philosophical theories, themes and perspectives of the twentieth century. These include existentialism, phenomenology, Marxism, utilitarianism, analytic philosophy, pragmatism, nihilism, pacifism, intuitionism, linguistic philosophy, positivism and phenomenalism. The course will attempt to underscore the multifaceted nature of the philosophical perspectives of the age.

Level III

This course introduces students to the major issues which have arisen within contemporary philosophical debate toward the closing decades of the twentieth century. The course will present a survey of the major debates and attendant movements such as rationality, objectivity, universalism, ecosophy, racism, racialism, multiculturalism, liberalism, ethnicity, ethnocentrism, feminism, gender philosophy, and patriarchalism. The contributions of contemporary philosophical traditions of non-Western cultures to the formulation of issues and debates in recent philosophy will be seriously discussed.

 

Level III

Continental Philosophy is an umbrella term that conventionally refers to the philosophical work coming out of France, Germany, and elsewhere in continental Europe since the beginning of the nineteenth century. This course concentrates on the nineteenth century period of Continental Philosophy where three post-Kantian philosophers along with the originators of phenomenology occupy a central place: Hegel, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Brentano and Husserl. The course is designed to initiate students into the intricacies of their thoughts and their impact on the subsequent development of Continental Philosophy.

Level III

This course is intended to cover some of the major figures of twentieth century Continental Philosophy and their relevance to issues such as post-modernism and feminism. They include philosophers like Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Sartre, Foucault, Derrida and Rorty.

Level III
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