Print and PDF Options

This is an archived copy of the 2019-2020 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://calendar.carleton.ca.

Department of Philosophy
(Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences)

Philosophy (PHIL) Courses

PHIL 1000 [0.5 credit]
Introductory Philosophy: Fields, Figures and Problems

What is metaphysics? Who was Socrates? What is Freedom? This introduction sketches many branches of philosophy and the important problems associated with each. It introduces great philosophers, present and past, and traces enduring philosophical themes.
Precludes additional credit for PHIL 1100 and FYSM 1208. This course is not suitable for students with previous formal study of philosophy.


PHIL 1100 [1.0 credit]
Looking at Philosophy

Introduction to philosophy: the nature of logical thinking; the existence of God; the objectivity of values; the meaning of life; free will, determinism and responsibility; the relation between mind and body; immortality; the possibility of knowledge. This course is not intended for Majors.
Precludes additional credit for FYSM 1208 and PHIL 1000.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 1200 [0.5 credit]
The Meaning of Life

An introduction to concerns expressed by the perennial philosophical question, "What is the meaning of life?" Students will be familiarized with the major philosophical approaches to life's meaning through a consideration of various contemporary and late modern works in the philosophy of life.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 1301 [0.5 credit]
Mind, World, and Knowledge

Introduction to a variety of philosophical works, including contemporary, on such topics as: the nature of being, the mental, the external, consciousness, perception, experience, meaning, truth, the nature of knowledge, scientific understanding, and how language and thought represent the world.
Precludes additional credit for PHIL 1006 (no longer offered), PHIL 1501 (no longer offered).
Lectures three hours per week.

PHIL 1500 [1.0 credit]
Contemporary Moral, Social and Religious Issues

Moral theories, atheism or theism, feminism, and free will. Moral arguments concerning abortion, affirmative action, racism, human rights, children's rights, world hunger, capital punishment, euthanasia, censorship, pornography, legal paternalism, animal rights and environmental protection.
Precludes additional credit for FYSM 1209 and PHIL 1550.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 1550 [0.5 credit]
Introduction to Ethics and Social Issues

An introduction to understanding, assessing, and formulating ethical arguments concerning controversial issues. Particular issues studied, such as world hunger, capital punishment, abortion, animal rights, terrorism, may vary each time the course is offered.
Precludes additional credit for FYSM 1209 and PHIL 1500.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 1610 [0.5 credit]
Great Philosophical Ideas, Part 1

Major figures and developments in philosophy from the early Greeks to the year 1400. Descriptive and comparative approach, providing an understanding of the place of philosophers in the history of thought. Appreciation of critical reasoning is included for comprehending philosophical developments.
Precludes additional credit for FYSM 1300, PHIL 1600.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 1620 [0.5 credit]
Great Philosophical Ideas, Part 2

Major figures and developments in philosophy after the year 1400. Descriptive and comparative approach, providing an understanding of the place of philosophers in the history of thought. Appreciation of critical reasoning is included for comprehending philosophical developments.
Precludes additional credit for FYSM 1300, PHIL 1600.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 1700 [0.5 credit]
Philosophy of Love and Sex

A survey of philosophical classics, on themes of romantic love, self-love, altruistic love, sexuality, eroticism and the passion/reason dichotomy, from Plato's Symposium to Foucault's History of Sexuality; and an examination of related contemporary issues in light of these perspectives.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 2001 [0.5 credit]
Introduction to Logic

An introduction to the techniques and philosophical implications of formal logic with emphasis on translation of expressions into symbolic form, testing for logical correctness, the formulation and application of rules of inference, and the relation between logic and language. Open to first-year students.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 2003 [0.5 credit]
Critical Thinking

Assessment of reasoning and the development of cogent patterns of thinking. Reference to formal logic is minimal. Practice in criticizing examples of reasoning and in formulating one's own reasons correctly and clearly. Open to first-year students.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 2005 [1.0 credit]
Greek Philosophy and the Western Tradition

The Greek tradition from its pre-Socratic beginnings to Hellenistic and Roman philosophy (Cynicism, Epicureanism, Stoicism, Scepticism); focus on Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Its conservation and reappropriation in the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
Also listed as CLCV 2105.
Precludes additional credit for PHIL 2006, CLCV 2006, PHIL 2007, CLCV 2007 (no longer offered).
Prerequisite(s): 0.5 credit in PHIL, or second-year standing.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 2010 [0.5 credit]
Issues in Theoretical Philosophy

Issues drawn from epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, and related fields will be examined through careful study of significant philosophical texts after 1900, along with some ensuing debates.
Prerequisite(s): enrolment in Honours or Combined Honours Philosophy programs, or in philosophy, Ethics, and Public Affairs, or permission of the Department.
Lectures and discussion three hours a week.

PHIL 2020 [0.5 credit]
Issues in Practical Philosophy

Issues drawn from ethics, social and political philosophy, and related fields will be examined through careful study of significant philosophical texts after 1900, along with some ensuing debates.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity
Prerequisite(s): enrolment in Honours or Combined Honours Philosophy programs, or in philosophy, Ethics, and Public Affairs, or permission of the Department.
Lectures and discussion three hours a week.

PHIL 2101 [0.5 credit]
History of Ethics

An introduction to ethical theories through a study of some of the major figures in moral philosophy, such as Aristotle, Hume, Kant and Mill.
Prerequisite(s): 0.5 credit in philosophy or second-year standing.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 2103 [0.5 credit]
Philosophy of Human Rights

Philosophical introduction to human rights sources, concepts, justifications, consequences, and challenges to them. Evolution of selected human rights as a) demands made in political struggles; b) declarations supported by moral or political principles and arguments; c) codes ratified and implemented by governments and international organizations.
Prerequisite(s): a course in philosophy or second-year standing.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 2104 [0.5 credit]
Computer Ethics

Philosophical foundations of computer ethics. The ethical impact of computerization on intellectual property rights, the right to privacy, and freedom of expression; ethical issues of risk management and reliability; professional codes. Ethical problems posed by specific technologies and research areas may also be included.
Precludes additional credit for PHIL 2106.
Prerequisite(s): a course in philosophy or second-year standing. Primarily intended for Computer Science students.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 2106 [0.5 credit]
Information Ethics

Ethical aspects of the influence of information technology on intellectual property rights, privacy, free speech, work and society. Also included are an introduction to philosophical ethics and discussions of moral responsibilities of IT professionals, codes of professional ethics, hacker ethics, viruses and software piracy.
Precludes additional credit for PHIL 2104.
Prerequisite(s): a course in philosophy or second-year standing.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 2201 [0.5 credit]
Introduction to Marxist Philosophy

The evolution of Marx's social and political views in the setting of 18 th - and 19 th - century anarchism, liberalism and conservatism. Themes of humanism, freedom, rights, the state, democracy, alienation, and inequality, primarily as they develop into the theory of historical materialism.
Precludes additional credit for PHIL 2200.
Prerequisite(s): 0.5 credit in philosophy or permission of the Department.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 2202 [0.5 credit]
Topics in Marxist Philosophy

The dialectical materialism of Marx, Engels, and Lenin is compared with traditional materialist, idealist, and mechanist philosophy. Marxist views on issues such as equality, ethical objectivity, human well-being, matter and mind, the existence of God, knowledge versus skepticism, freedom of the will, and justice.
Precludes additional credit for PHIL 2200.
Prerequisite(s): PHIL 2201 or 0.5 credit in the history of philosophy at the 2000-level or above.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 2301 [0.5 credit]
Introduction to the Philosophy of Science

Philosophical issues arising out of the attempt to understand the world scientifically. Topics may include: scientific methodology, revolution, observation, explanation, causation, induction, reduction, the difference between natural and social scientific understanding, realism, instrumentalism, constructivism.
Prerequisite(s): a course in philosophy or second-year standing.


PHIL 2306 [0.5 credit]
Philosophy and Feminism

A study of philosophical issues arising from feminism. The course includes discussions of the relations between feminism, reason and ideological commitment, as well as critical evaluation of contemporary views on selected topics (e.g. abortion, pornography and censorship, affirmative action, and beauty).
Prerequisite(s): 0.5 credit in philosophy or second-year standing.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 2307 [0.5 credit]
Gender and Philosophy

Topics may include the role of gender categories in the history of philosophy, theories of gender and sexual orientation, the politics of gender and sexuality, the place of the body in philosophical theory, and the influence of gender and gender metaphors on science and medicine.
Prerequisite(s): a course in philosophy or second-year standing.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 2380 [0.5 credit]
Introduction to Environmental Ethics

Major questions in environmental ethics: How should human beings view their relationship to the rest of nature? Is responsible stewardship of the environment compatible with current technology? Must future generations be protected? Do animals, other life forms, endangered species, ecosystems and/or the biosphere have value/rights?.
Precludes additional credit for PHIL 1804.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 2405 [0.5 credit]
Philosophy of the Paranormal

Examination of claims, concepts, theories and methods in parapsychology. Their scientific character and the relation of paranormal phenomena to philosophical issues such as survival of death, human nature, time, space, causality and perception.
Prerequisite(s): 0.5 credit in philosophy or permission of the Department.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 2408 [0.5 credit]
Bioethics

Ethical and political issues in medicine, public health, biotechnology, and the life sciences. Topics may include reproductive ethics, research on human subjects, animal research and treatment, justice and health care, physician-patient relationships, death and the end of life, and genetic engineering.
Precludes additional credit for PHIL 3408.
Prerequisite(s): a course in philosophy or second-year standing.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 2501 [0.5 credit]
Introduction to Philosophy of Mind

An introduction to major philosophical issues concerning human cognition. Topics may include: the relation of mind to body, knowledge of other minds, the relation of mental states to personhood and personal identity, mental illness, consciousness, intentionality, action, mental realism.
Precludes additional credit for PHIL 2502.
Prerequisite(s): a course in philosophy or second-year standing.


PHIL 2504 [0.5 credit]
Language and Communication

Some of the central topics in the study of language and communication as pursued by linguists and philosophers. The nature of meaning; the connections between language, communication and cognition; language as a social activity.
Also listed as COMS 2504, LING 2504.
Precludes additional credit for COMM 2800, LALS 2504, LALS 2800 and PHIL 2800.
Prerequisite(s): second-year standing.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 2520 [0.5 credit]
Introduction to Philosophical Logic

An introduction to features of rational thinking activity, its expression, and its relation to the world, focusing on such topics as predication, truth, negation, necessity, entailment, logical form, or quantification.
Prerequisite(s): a course in philosophy or second-year standing.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 2540 [0.5 credit]
Personal Identity and the Self

Philosophical perspectives on personal identity, the self, and the underlying issue of the relationship of the mind to the body. Both philosophical and psychological concepts of identity are discussed, as are related issues such as memory, introspection, and self-knowledge.
Precludes additional credit for PHIL 2502.
Prerequisite(s): a course in philosophy or second-year standing.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 2550 [0.5 credit]
Moral Psychology

An examination of psychological underpinnings of morality, focusing on studies at the intersection of philosophy, psychiatry, and psychology.
Prerequisite(s): a course in philosophy or second-year standing.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 2601 [0.5 credit]
Philosophy of Religion

A study of philosophical issues arising from religion. Topics may include: arguments for and against the existence of God, religious experience, death and the afterlife, miracles, God and evil, the relationship between religion and science, and the relationship between religion and ethics.
Also listed as RELI 2738.
Prerequisite(s): a course in philosophy or second-year standing.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 2700 [0.5 credit]
Asian Philosophy

An examination of South Asian and East Asian philosophical texts, from the period of the Upanishads and early Buddhism in India to modern philosophical movements. Historical sources may include Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Confucian or Taoist texts, with a focus on metaphysical, epistemological or ethical themes.
Prerequisite(s): second-year standing.
Lectures three hours a week. May be offered as an online course in selected terms.

PHIL 2807 [0.5 credit]
Philosophy of Art

Philosophical approaches to the study of art. Topics such as: the nature of art and artistic value; representation and symbolism in art; art and artifice; art and the emotions; art, culture and ideology; post-structuralism and art; theories of creativity; relationship between artworks and audiences.
Also listed as ARTH 2807.
Lecture three hours a week.

PHIL 2901 [0.5 credit]
Truth and Propaganda

Ancient and modern techniques of persuasion from analytical, ethical and jurisprudential perspectives. Objectivity and bias, advertising and public relations ethics, the viability of democracy in the light of pressures on and within the modern mass media.
Precludes additional credit for PHIL 2900 (no longer offered).
Prerequisite(s): 0.5 credit in PHIL or second-year standing.
Lectures three hours per week.

PHIL 3000 [0.5 credit]
Topics in Ancient Philosophy

A study of philosophers, texts, problems and issues in ancient philosophy, generally with a focus on Plato and Aristotle.
Also listed as CLCV 3011.
Prerequisite(s): 0.5 credit in philosophy and second-year standing, or permission of the department.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 3001 [0.5 credit]
Early Greek Philosophy

A study of the pre-Socratic Greek philosophers and of the Sophists and Socrates.
Also listed as CLCV 3001.
Prerequisite(s): CLCV 2105 or PHIL 2005 or permission of the Department.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 3002 [0.5 credit]
17th Century Philosophy

European philosophy of the 17 th century. Representative works of writers such as Francis Bacon, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, and Locke.
Prerequisite(s): 0.5 credit in philosophy and second-year standing in a philosophy program, or permission of the department.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 3003 [0.5 credit]
18th Century Philosophy

European philosophy of the 18 th century. Representative works of writers such as Berkeley, Hume, and Kant.
Prerequisite(s): 0.5 credit in philosophy and second-year standing in a philosophy program, or permission of the department.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 3005 [0.5 credit]
19th Century Philosophy

European philosophy in the 19 th century. May include Hegel, Marx, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Mill.
Precludes additional credit for PHIL 3007.
Prerequisite(s): 0.5 credit in philosophy and second-year standing in a philosophy program, or permission of the Department.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 3009 [0.5 credit]
Topics in European Philosophy

A study of philosophers, texts, problems and issues in any period of European philosophy.
Prerequisite(s): 0.5 credit in philosophy or second-year standing.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 3010 [0.5 credit]
Philosophical Traditions

A study of philosophers, texts, and doctrines beyond the Western tradition. Traditions covered will vary but may include Asian, African, Muslim or Aboriginal philosophy, possibly with critical comparison to Western counterparts.
Precludes additional credit for PHIL 2004.
Prerequisite(s): 0.5 credit in philosophy or second-year standing.


PHIL 3102 [0.5 credit]
Philosophy of Law: The Logic of Law

Legal reasoning and analysis of concepts of particular significance to the law, including justice, rights and duties, liability, punishment, ownership and possession.
Also listed as LAWS 3102.
Prerequisite(s): 0.5 credit in philosophy or permission of the Department.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 3104 [0.5 credit]
The Roots of Analytic Philosophy

In the context of the work of such writers as Frege and Bradley, a discussion of early philosophical works of Russell, Moore and Wittgenstein. In addition some early representatives of positivism and pragmatism may be examined.
Prerequisite(s): 0.5 credit in philosophy and second-year standing in a philosophy program, or permission of the department.
Lectures and seminar three hours a week.

PHIL 3140 [0.5 credit]
Epistemology

Fundamental issues concerning the relation between evidence, rationality, and knowledge. Topics may include: skepticism, the nature of belief, the structure of justification, the relative contributions of reason and sense experience to knowledge, innate knowledge, the problem of induction, and the knowledge of other minds.
Precludes additional credit for PHIL 2300.
Prerequisite(s): 0.5 credit in philosophy and third-year standing in a philosophy program or permission of the department.


PHIL 3150 [0.5 credit]
Metaphysics

Philosophical issues concerning the fundamental nature of being. Topics may include: time and temporality, space, substance, universals/particulars, identity, causation, freedom/determinism, the nature of norms.
Precludes additional credit for PHIL 2302.
Prerequisite(s): 0.5 credit in philosophy and third-year standing in a philosophy program, or permission of the department.


PHIL 3301 [0.5 credit]
Issues in the Philosophy of Science

Selected topic(s) in the philosophy of science or in the philosophy of a particular science (such as philosophy of mathematics, philosophy of physics, philosophy of biology, and philosophy of the social sciences).
Prerequisite(s): PHIL 2301 or permission of the department.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 3306 [0.5 credit]
Symbolic Logic

A review of the basic techniques of propositional and predicate logic. Natural deduction and consistency trees. Soundness and completeness. Alternative semantics. Extensions to basic logic: identity, modal logic with possible world semantics, three valued systems, deontic logic.
Precludes additional credit for PHIL 3305.
Prerequisite(s): PHIL 2001 or permission of the Department.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 3320 [0.5 credit]
Contemporary Ethical Theory

Critical study of modern ethical theories, their views on the nature of morality and the justification of moral claims. Topics may include utilitarianism, libertarianism, communitarianism, egoism, neo-Kantianism, virtue ethics, social contract ethics, feminist ethics, and moral rights.
Precludes additional credit for PHIL 2102.
Prerequisite(s): PHIL 2020 or PHIL 2101 or permission of the department.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 3330 [0.5 credit]
Topics in History of Social and Political Philosophy

A critical examination of selected topics and perspectives in the history of social and political philosophy.
Precludes additional credit for PHIL 3300.
Prerequisite(s): a course in philosophy or second-year standing.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 3340 [0.5 credit]
Topics in Contemporary Social and Political Philosophy

A critical examination of some contemporary approaches to topics in social and political philosophy, such as liberalism, feminism, contractarianism, Marxism, libertarianism, and communitarianism.
Precludes additional credit for PHIL 3300.
Prerequisite(s): a course in philosophy or second-year standing.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 3350 [0.5 credit]
Philosophy, Ethics, and Public Affairs

Advanced study of a set of public policy issues, a particular theory or group of theories, or a particular philosopher, concerning philosophical and ethical aspects of public affairs.
Prerequisite(s): third-year standing or permission of the department.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 3360 [0.5 credit]
Philosophy, Economics, and Public Policy

The course explores issues at the intersection of philosophy and economics, with a special focus on socially and politically relevant issues. Topics may include: efficiency, cooperation, equity and distributive justice, commodification and the moral limits of markets.
Prerequisite(s): third-year standing or permission of the department.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 3380 [0.5 credit]
Environments, Technology and Values

Advanced treatment of ethical issues concerning technologies and environments, including: sustainable development, women and the environment, biological diversity, intrinsic or natural value or rights of non-humans, humans' relation to the rest of the natural world, obligations to future generations, liberty versus equality.
Precludes additional credit for PHIL 2804.
Prerequisite(s): PHIL 1804 or PHIL 2380 and third-year standing, or permission of the Department.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 3450 [0.5 credit]
Topics in Aesthetics

Topics may include theories of aesthetic norms and valuation from ancient Greece onward, or applications of aesthetic theory to various genres of art.
Precludes additional credit for PHIL 2400, PHIL 3400, PHIL 3401, and PHIL 3402.
Prerequisite(s): At least 0.5 credit in philosophy, or HUMS 1000, or ARTH 2807, or permission of the Department.
Seminar two hours a week.

PHIL 3501 [0.5 credit]
Philosophy of Cognitive Science

Philosophical issues arising from cognitive science. Topics may include: the proper methodology for studying the mind, the very possibility of a “science of mind”, the computer model of the mind and reactions to it.
Prerequisite(s): PHIL 2501 or PHIL 2502 or second-year standing in Cognitive Science, or permission of the department.


PHIL 3502 [0.5 credit]
Mind and Action

Philosophical thought concerning the relation between mentality and agency. Topics may include: the relation between belief, desire, and behaviour; rationality and normativity; representing and doing; subjectivity and intersubjectivity; physical and psychological laws; mental causation. Authors may include: Wittgenstein, Heidegger, Ryle, Sellars, Anscombe, Davidson, Taylor, McDowell.
Prerequisite(s): PHIL 2501 or PHIL 2502, or permission of the Department.


PHIL 3504 [0.5 credit]
Pragmatics

The study of language use in its conversational and cultural contexts. Topics include: conversational implicature; deixis; the semantics-pragmatics boundary; speaker's reference; speech acts. May include cross-cultural pragmatics.
Also listed as LING 3504.
Precludes additional credit for LALS 2800 [1.0], LALS 3504, MCOM 2800 [1.0], MCOM 3504 and PHIL 2800 [1.0].
Prerequisite(s): third-year standing, and one of FYSM 1206, LALS 1000, LALS 1001, LING 1001, PHIL 2001, PHIL/LALS/LING/COMM/MCOM 2504 or LALS/LING 3505/PHIL 3506; or permission of the Department of Philosophy or School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 3506 [0.5 credit]
Semantics

Study of language meaning. Lexical meaning and meanings of larger linguistic expressions, including nominal units, verbal units, and sentences. Meaning relationships between utterances. Relationship between linguistic meaning (semantics) and contextual meaning (pragmatics). Basic formal treatments of semantics.
Also listed as LING 3505.
Precludes additional credit for LALS 3505.
Prerequisite(s): third-year standing, and one of LALS 1000, LALS 1001, LING 1001, PHIL 2001, PHIL/LALS/LING/COMM/MCOM 2504 or PHIL/LALS/LING 3504; or permission of the Department of Philosophy or School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 3530 [0.5 credit]
Philosophy of Language

An intensive introduction to philosophy of language. Topics may include meaning, reference and truth, speech acts, the nature of concepts, language learning, metaphor, compositionality, context-sensitivity.
Prerequisite(s): third-year standing, and one of FYSM 1206, LALS 1000, LALS 1001, LING 1001, PHIL 2001, PHIL/LALS/LING/COMM/MCOM 2504 or LALS/LING 3504 or LALS/LING 3505/PHIL 3506; or permission of the department.
Lectures three hours a week.

PHIL 3901 [0.5 credit]
Independent Study

Essays and/or examinations based on a list of readings provided by the instructor.
Prerequisite(s): normally restricted to students with at least 3.0 credits in philosophy and with high standing in philosophy courses and permission of the Department.


PHIL 3902 [0.5 credit]
Independent Study

Essays and/or examinations based on a list of readings provided by the instructor.
Prerequisite(s): normally restricted to students with at least 3.0 credits in philosophy and with high standing in philosophy courses and permission of the Department.


PHIL 3903 [0.5 credit]
Independent Study

Essays and/or examinations based on a list of readings provided by the instructor.
Prerequisite(s): normally restricted to students with at least 3.0 credits in philosophy and with high standing in philosophy courses and permission of the Department.


PHIL 3906 [0.5 credit]
Independent Study

Essays and/or examinations based on a bibliography constructed by the student in consultation with the instructor.
Prerequisite(s): normally restricted to students with at least 3.0 credits in philosophy and with high standing in philosophy courses and permission of the Department.


PHIL 3907 [0.5 credit]
Independent Study

Essays and/or examinations based on a bibliography constructed by the student in consultation with the instructor.
Prerequisite(s): normally restricted to students with at least 3.0 credits in philosophy and with high standing in philosophy courses and permission of the Department.


PHIL 3908 [0.5 credit]
Independent Study

Essays and/or examinations based on a bibliography constructed by the student in consultation with the instructor.
Prerequisite(s): normally restricted to students with at least 3.0 credits in philosophy and with high standing in philosophy courses and permission of the Department.


PHIL 4003 [0.5 credit]
Seminar in philosophy Before the Modern Period

Detailed study of selected philosophers or issues in philosophy before the modern period.
Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth-year standing in a Philosophy Honours program or permission of the Department.
Also offered at the graduate level, with different requirements, as PHIL 5600, for which additional credit is precluded.
Seminar three hours a week.

PHIL 4004 [0.5 credit]
Seminar in philosophy Before the Modern Period

Detailed study of selected philosophers or issues in philosophy before the modern period.
Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth-year standing in a Philosophy Honours program or permission of the Department.
Also offered at the graduate level, with different requirements, as PHIL 5600, for which additional credit is precluded.
Seminar three hours a week.

PHIL 4005 [0.5 credit]
Seminar in Modern Philosophy

Detailed study of selected philosophers or issues in modern philosophy.
Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth-year standing in a Philosophy Honours program or permission of the Department.
Also offered at the graduate level, with different requirements, as PHIL 5600, for which additional credit is precluded.
Seminar three hours a week.

PHIL 4006 [0.5 credit]
Seminar in Modern Philosophy

Detailed study of selected philosophers or issues in modern philosophy.
Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth-year standing in a Philosophy Honours program or permission of the Department.
Also offered at the graduate level, with different requirements, as PHIL 5600, for which additional credit is precluded.
Seminar three hours a week.

PHIL 4007 [0.5 credit]
Seminar in Contemporary Philosophy

Detailed study of selected philosophers or issues in contemporary philosophy.
Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth-year standing in a Philosophy Honours program or permission of the Department.
Also offered at the graduate level, with different requirements, as PHIL 5500, for which additional credit is precluded.
Seminar three hours a week.

PHIL 4008 [0.5 credit]
Seminar in Contemporary Philosophy

Detailed study of selected philosophers or issues in contemporary philosophy.
Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth-year standing in a Philosophy Honours program or permission of the Department.
Also offered at the graduate level, with different requirements, as PHIL 5500, for which additional credit is precluded.
Seminar three hours a week.

PHIL 4055 [0.5 credit]
Lexical Semantics

Study of the meaning of words. Topics may include lexical decomposition, meaning variation, lexical relations, and lexical aspect.
Also listed as LING 4510.
Precludes additional credit for LING 4055 (no longer offered).
Prerequisite(s): LING 3505 or PHIL 3506.
Also offered at the graduate level, with different requirements, as LING 5510 and PHIL 5660, for which additional credit is precluded.
Seminars three hours a week.

PHIL 4100 [0.5 credit]
Special Topic

Detailed study of a special topic in philosophy.
Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth-year standing in a Philosophy Honours program or permission of the Department.
Also offered at the graduate level, with different requirements, as PHIL 5000, for which additional credit is precluded.
Seminar three hours a week.

PHIL 4210 [0.5 credit]
Seminar in philosophy of Language or Linguistics

Detailed study of selected issues or the work of selected philosophers in philosophy of language or on philosophical topics in linguistics.
Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth year standing in a Philosophy Honours programme or permission of the Department.
Also offered at the graduate level, with different requirements, as PHIL 5200, for which additional credit is precluded.
Seminar three hours a week.

PHIL 4220 [0.5 credit]
Seminar in philosophy of Mind or Cognition

Detailed study of selected issues or the work of selected philosophers in philosophy of mind or philosophical aspects of cognition.
Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth year standing in a Philosophy Honours programme or permission of the Department.
Also offered at the graduate level, with different requirements, as PHIL 5200, for which additional credit is precluded.
Seminar three hours a week.

PHIL 4230 [0.5 credit]
Seminar in Metaphysics, Epistemology, or Philosophy of Science

Detailed study of selected issues or the work of selected philosophers in metaphysics, epistemology, or philosophy of science.
Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth year standing in a Philosophy Honours programme or permission of the Department.
Also offered at the graduate level, with different requirements, as PHIL 5250, for which additional credit is precluded.
Seminar three hours a week.

PHIL 4300 [0.5 credit]
Seminar in Ethical Theory or Meta-Ethics

Detailed study of selected issues pertaining to ethical theory or issues of meta-ethics such as realism, relativism, moral knowledge.
Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth-year standing in a Philosophy Honours program or permission of the Department.
Also offered at the graduate level, with different requirements, as PHIL 5300, for which additional credit is precluded.
Seminar three hours a week.

PHIL 4320 [0.5 credit]
Seminar in Ethics or Moral Philosophy

Detailed study of selected issues in ethics or moral philosophy.
Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth-year standing in a Philosophy Honours program or permission of the Department.
Also offered at the graduate level, with different requirements, as PHIL 5350, for which additional credit is precluded.
Seminar three hours a week.

PHIL 4330 [0.5 credit]
Seminar in Social or Political Philosophy

Detailed study of selected issues in social or political philosophy.
Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth-year standing in a Philosophy Honours program or permission of the Department.
Also offered at the graduate level, with different requirements, as PHIL 5350, for which additional credit is precluded.
Seminar three hours a week.

PHIL 4403 [0.5 credit]
Special Topic in Applied Ethics

Detailed study of a special topic in applied ethics.
Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth-year standing in a Philosophy Honours program or permission of the Department.
Seminar two hours a week.

PHIL 4404 [0.5 credit]
Special Topic in Applied Ethics

Detailed study of a special topic in applied ethics.
Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth-year standing in a Philosophy Honours program or permission of the Department.
Seminar two hours a week.

PHIL 4405 [0.5 credit]
Special Topic in Aesthetics or Philosophy of Art

Detailed study of a special issue or a single author in aesthetics and/or philosophy of art.
Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth-year standing in philosophy Honours program or permission of the Department.
Seminar two hours a week.

PHIL 4406 [0.5 credit]
Special Topic in Aesthetics or Philosophy of Art

Detailed study of a special issue or a single author in aesthetics and/or philosophy of art.
Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth-year standing in philosophy Honours program or permission of the Department.
Seminar two hours a week.

PHIL 4407 [0.5 credit]
Special Topic in Philosophy of Law

Detailed study of a special topic in philosophy of law.
Also listed as LAWS 4103.
Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth-year standing in a Law or Philosophy Honours program or permission of either Department.
Seminars three hours a week.

PHIL 4408 [0.5 credit]
Special Topic in Philosophy of Law

Detailed study of a special topic in philosophy of law.
Also listed as LAWS 4104.
Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth-year standing in a Law or Philosophy Honours program or permission of either Department.
Seminars three hours a week.

PHIL 4503 [0.5 credit]
Special Topic in Philosophy of Computing

Detailed study of a special topic in philosophy of computing.
Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth-year standing in philosophy Honours program or permission of the Department.
Seminar two hours a week.

PHIL 4504 [0.5 credit]
Special Topic in Philosophy of Computing

Detailed study of a special topic in philosophy of computing.
Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth-year standing in philosophy Honours program or permission of the Department.
Seminar two hours a week.

PHIL 4505 [0.5 credit]
Formal Semantics

Advanced topics in compositional semantics and its interfaces. Topics may include: logic, semantic types, lambda calculus, intentional contexts, possible world semantics, interfaces with syntax and pragmatics quantification, anaphora, presupposition, implicatures, scope and binding, and model theory.
Also listed as LING 4505.
Precludes additional credit for LALS 4507 (no longer offered).
Prerequisite(s): LALS 3505 or LING 3505 or PHIL 3506 or permission of the Department of Philosophy or School of Linguistics and Language Studies.
Seminars three hours a week.

PHIL 4603 [0.5 credit]
Special Topic in Feminist Philosophy

Detailed study of a special topic in feminist philosophy.
Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth-year standing in a Philosophy Honours program or permission of the Department.
Seminar two hours a week.

PHIL 4604 [0.5 credit]
Special Topic in Feminist Philosophy

Detailed study of a special topic in feminist philosophy.
Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth-year standing in a Philosophy Honours program or permission of the Department.
Seminar two hours a week.

PHIL 4606 [0.5 credit]
Special Topic in Continental Philosophy

Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth-year standing in philosophy Honours program or permission of the Department.
Seminar two hours a week.

PHIL 4607 [0.5 credit]
Special Topic in Continental Philosophy

Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth-year standing in philosophy Honours program or permission of the Department.
Seminar two hours a week.

PHIL 4701 [0.5 credit]
Special Topic in Logic

Detailed study of a special topic in Logic.
Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth-year standing in a Philosophy Honours program or permission of the Department.
Seminar two hours a week.

PHIL 4702 [0.5 credit]
Special Topic in Logic

Detailed study of a special topic in Logic.
Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth-year standing in a Philosophy Honours program or permission of the Department.
Seminar two hours a week.

PHIL 4703 [0.5 credit]
Special Topic in Philosophical Logic

Detailed study of a special topic in Philosophical Logic.
Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth-year standing in a Philosophy Honours program or permission of the Department.
Seminar two hours a week.

PHIL 4704 [0.5 credit]
Special Topic in Philosophical Logic

Detailed study of a special topic in Philosophical Logic.
Prerequisite(s): eligibility for fourth-year standing in a Philosophy Honours program or permission of the Department.
Seminar two hours a week.

PHIL 4900 [1.0 credit]
Tutorial

Prerequisite(s): permission of the Department. Note: Students who wish to enrol in a tutorial course must consult the Undergraduate Supervisor, before registration.


PHIL 4901 [0.5 credit]
Tutorial

Prerequisite(s): permission of the Department. Note: Students who wish to enrol in a tutorial course must consult the Undergraduate Supervisor, before registration.


PHIL 4902 [0.5 credit]
Tutorial

Prerequisite(s): permission of the Department. Note: Students who wish to enrol in a tutorial course must consult the Undergraduate Supervisor, before registration.


PHIL 4903 [0.5 credit]
Tutorial

Prerequisite(s): permission of the Department. Note: Students who wish to enrol in a tutorial course must consult the Undergraduate Supervisor, before registration.


PHIL 4904 [0.5 credit]
Tutorial

Prerequisite(s): permission of the Department. Note: Students who wish to enrol in a tutorial course must consult the Undergraduate Supervisor, before registration.


PHIL 4906 [0.5 credit]
Tutorial

Prerequisite(s): permission of the Department. Note: Students who wish to enrol in a tutorial course must consult the Undergraduate Supervisor, before registration.


Summer session: some of the courses listed in this Calendar are offered during the summer. Hours and scheduling for summer session courses will differ significantly from those reported in the fall/winter Calendar. To determine the scheduling and hours for summer session classes, consult the class schedule at central.carleton.ca

Not all courses listed are offered in a given year. For an up-to-date statement of course offerings for the current session and to determine the term of offering, consult the class schedule at central.carleton.ca