Philosophy Courses
Department Website
http://www.douglascollege.ca/programs/philosophy.html
PHIL 1101 Critical Thinking (3 credits)
This course examines the basic nature of reasoning and the fallacies which prevent good reasoning. Emphasis will be upon understanding the logical structure of argument and on recognizing the influence of emotional and rhetorical persuasion in media presentations, political discussions, advertisements, general academic writings and one's own arguments. Students will also have the opportunity for their own arguments to be assessed by others. Both the theory and practice of critical thinking are covered. There is a greater emphasis upon the popular presentation of oral and written arguments than in Philosophy 2201. Critical Thinking is highly recommended to all students in occupational and academic programs and provides an important foundation for further work in philosophy.
To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide
Prerequisite: None
Lecture: 2; Seminar: 2
Offered: Fall, Winter and Summer
PHIL 1102 Values and Contemporary Issues (3 credits)
How can we develop answers to questions of value in our complex age? How can we think more clearly and humanly about issues confronting our lives and our society? How can we live as aware beings who are genuinely responsive to our own needs and to the needs of others? This course considers such questions by exploring the moral and human issues involved in such topics as abortion, capital punishment, racial and sexual discrimination, individual liberty, the “moral majority”, capitalism, and technology. The course also pursues such questions by endeavouring to lead the student to an understanding of the more deeply rooted philosophical problems which give rise to our perplexities concerning such moral issues. This course will serve as a foundation for further work in philosophy (Note: the format and topics may vary. Some course sections may focus more extensively on issues in medical ethics, others on issues pertaining to the relation of morality to the law, and still others on different topics. Therefore, individual instructor’s course descriptions should be consulted.)
To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide
Prerequisite: None - Although PHIL 1101 is recommended
Lecture: 2; Seminar: 2
Offered: Fall, Winter and Summer
PHIL 1103 Knowledge, Reason and Experience (3 credits)
What if anything do we really know? How do we know it? When do we really have knowledge as opposed to mere belief or opinion? This course will consider these questions in the context of traditional philosophical problems about the nature and possibility of personal, religious, metaphysical, scientific, and logical knowledge. Ideas of philosophers such as Plato, Descartes, Hume, Russell, Wittgenstein, and Sartre will also be considered. Students will be given the opportunity to develop self-reflectively their own positions on matters which may be of philosophical concern to them, such as scepticism, free will, or religious knowledge. PHIL 1103 will serve as a foundation for further work in philosophy and is highly recommended as an elective for students in all other areas.
To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide
Prerequisite: None
Lecture: 2; Seminar: 2
Offered: Fall, Winter and Summer
PHIL 1121 Medical Ethics (3 credits)
What rights do patients and clients have? What obligations do medical practitioners have? When, if ever, is lying to a patient justified? How much should a patient be told? When, if ever, is it justifiable to interfere with a patient's liberty for their own good? How important is confidentiality? How can death best be defined? How important is the autonomy of the elderly and the mentally challenged? When, if ever, is experimentation justified on human subjects? What ethical constraints are there on animal experimentation? When is a health care system just? How should scarce medical resources be rationed? This course will consider many of these questions and other related issues. The ethical dimensions of topics such as AIDS, refusal of medical treatment, surrogate motherhood and genetic engineering may also be considered. Students will be briefly introduced to the fundamentals of ethical theory and decision making and to their applications.
To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide
Prerequisite: None
Lecture: 2; Seminar: 2
Offered: Occasionally
PHIL 1122 Business Ethics (3 credits)
What place do ethics have in business? What responsibilities, if any, do managers and professionals have to society? Are corporations moral agents with moral responsibilities distinct from the responsibilities their managers may have as individuals? What rights should workers have to health and safety in the workplace? What rights to equality and non-discrimination do applicants, workers and managers have? How should any existing inequalities be addressed? Just how loyal should workers and managers have to be? Is there really anything wrong with deception and dishonesty in order to further important ends? What place do ethics have in advertising? In international business interactions? When questions of the environment arise? This course will consider many of these questions and other related issues. Students will be briefly introduced to the fundamentals of ethical theory and decision making and to their applications.
To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide
Prerequisite: None
Lecture: 2; Seminar: 2
Offered: Fall and Winter
PHIL 1123 Environmental Ethics (3 credits)
How important is the environment? How significant are the various components of the environment - forests, land, wilderness, species, ecosystems? Is the value they have directly dependent upon human needs and interests? How important are the interests of the generations of unborn humans and of non-human animals? How high a priority should the developing global community make the protection of the environment? How much should world concerns about the environment be allowed to interfere with a competitive international economic market, or with the socio-economic progress of developing economies of the world? In the face of these concerns, how much economic growth is still viable for the more economically developed countries? How much might socio-economic systems be changed and in what direction? These are the types of questions that this course will consider. It will attempt to understand the fundamental assumptions involved in the various stances taken on these questions.
To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide
Prerequisite: None
Lecture: 2; Seminar: 2
Offered: Summer
PHIL 1135 Asian Philosophy (3 credits)
What are the limits of human experience? What is the ultimate ground of existence? In what does self-realization consist and what path or paths are best followed in pursuit of self-realization? These central questions of philosophy have received distinctive answers within the various traditions of Asian philosophy. In this course, we will be exploring the variety of responses to these questions given by Asian philosophers and particularly the responses of Vedantists, the early Buddhists, the Taoists, Confucians and Zen Buddhists. Emphasis will be on the doctrines of Universal Self, no self, the Way, humanistic wisdom and enlightenment and on the relevance of these to contemporary philosophical, ethical, environmental and political concerns.
To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide
Prerequisite: None
Lecture: 2; Seminar: 2
PHIL 1151 Society and the Individual (3 credits)
This course introduces students to philosophical reasoning about social, political and moral existence. Issues and theories raised by such thinkers as Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Kant, Mill, Nietzsche and Marx, as well as by contemporary philosophers, will be explored. Topics may include political obligation, social and political liberty, human nature, egoism, relativism, utilitarianism and autonomy. Students will be encouraged to develop their own thinking about the topics covered. This course is recommended to those students who want an introduction to fundamental philosophical ideas as part of their liberal arts education. It will also serve as a foundation for further work in philosophy.
To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide
Prerequisite: None (Recommended: any one of PHIL 1101, PHIL 1102, or PHIL 1103)
Lecture: 2; Seminar: 2
Offered: Fall and/or occasionally Winter; occasionally Summer
PHIL 1152 Reality and Existence (3 credits)
This course introduces students to philosophical reasoning about reality and human nature. Metaphysical questions raised by traditional and contemporary philosophers (e.g., Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Kant, Wittgenstein, and Sartre) will be considered, and a variety of answers will be explored. Topics may include: mind and body, personal identity, the self, consciousness, God, the nature of metaphysics, free will and life after death. Students will be encouraged to develop their own thinking about the issues covered. This course may be taken by those who want an introduction to fundamental philosophical ideas as part of their liberal arts education. It will also serve for a foundation for further work in Philosophy.
To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide
Prerequisite: None (Recommended: any one of PHIL 1101, PHIL 1102, PHIL 1103 or PHIL 1151)
Lecture: 2; Seminar: 2
Offered: Winter; frequently Summer
PHIL 1170 Philosophy and Religion (3 credits)
This course introduces students to the main philosophical ideas involved in major world religions. Some of the following topics will be considered: what religion is, the problem of evil, the nature of mysticism, various concepts of God, types of considerations for accepting spiritual reality, the relation between reason and faith, comparison of eastern and western approaches to religious existence, and an examination of sociological and psychological accounts of religious belief. Students will be encouraged to develop their own philosophical assessment of the issues covered.
To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide
Prerequisite: None (Recommended: any one of PHIL 1101, PHIL 1102, PHIL 1103 or PHIL 1152)
Lecture: 2; Seminar: 2
Offered: Fall and/or Winter; occasionally Summer
PHIL 1180 Philosophy Of Love (3 credits)
This course will provide students with an introduction to Philosophy by considering the nature of love and sexual desire. The main focus of the course includes fundamental questions regarding how love is to be understood, questions such as: is love one phenomenon with several different forms, or do we misleadingly name entirely different experiences with the same word? What is the relationship between love and sexual desire? Does erotic love require exclusivity and faithfulness? Why is erotic love identified with the social institution of marriage? Is love a powerful emotion which overtakes us, or can we rationally choose the person we love? Why do we sexually desire persons other than the person we love? Is love an expression of self-sacrifice or self-affirmation? What is the relationship between love and happiness? The course will consider answers to questions such as these, questions provided by both contemporary philosophers, as well as thinkers representative of the great traditions in Philosophy.
Prerequisites: None
Lecture: 2 hours per week
Seminar & Group Work: 2 hours per week
Offered: Fall or Winter and/or Summer
PHIL 1201 Logical Reasoning (3 credits)
This course enables students to develop their ability to reason by introducing them to abstract logical concepts. The primary focus will be upon recognizing the logical structure of statements together with good arguments. Topics will include meaning, types of statements, symbolism, logical connectives, logical relations, basic deductive inferences, truth-tables, validity, invalidity, soundness, inductive reasoning, probability and the testing of scientific hypotheses. Emphasis will be upon acquiring a basic working knowledge of most of the topics covered.
To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide
Prerequisite: None
Lecture: 2; Seminar: 2
Offered: Fall or Winter
PHIL 1245 Philosophy of Art (3 credits)
What is a work of art? How is art to be distinguished from craft work or cultural artifact? What makes a particular object beautiful and is such beauty a joy forever? Is it true that there is no disputing taste? Do works of art have special value and, if so, why? This course will present students with an opportunity to think philosophically about the nature of human creativity, as well as to discuss specific works of art, such as works of music, painting and literature. The course will provide students with an introduction to the main issues concerning the nature of art and of art works, including consideration of the question, "What is art?", as well as inquiry into competing theories of art, such as art as expression, art as representation, and art as historical and/or institutional artifact. Some consideration may also be given to theories of aesthetic criticism which focus upon issues such as beauty, taste, personal experience, meaning and truth. The course may include analysis of the aesthetic theories developed by thinkers found within the history of philosophy, and/or selections from the writings of more contemporary philosophers.
To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide
Prerequisite: None
Lecture: 2; Seminar: 2
Offered: Fall and/or Winter
PHIL 1250 Existentialism: Search for Selfhood (3 credits)
Existentialism is a philosophy which focuses upon human existence and the ways in which humanity is unique. Our human situation is unique because, despite our similarities with other kinds of entities, both natural and artificial, we alone bear some responsibility for the fate of all things, including ourselves. Existentialism is concerned especially with the human predicament: our freedom and responsibility; the possibility of selfhood and the inevitability of death; the nature of time and the process of existing. Existential philosophers emphasize the place of emotions and imagination, myth and poetic truth in human experience, along with the traditional roles of reason and understanding. In addition to these themes, this course may consider topics such as: the death of God, nihilism, inwardness, authenticity, self-deception, ideology and technology. Representative thinkers may include: Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Jaspers, Buber, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, de Beauvoir and Camus.
To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide
Prerequisite: None
Lecture: 2; Seminar: 2
Offered: Fall or Winter
PHIL 2220 Philosophy Of Education (3 credits)
This course will provide students with an opportunity to consider a variety of educational issues from a philosophical perspective. The course will explore general questions such as: What is the ultimate goal of education? How is education different from social indoctrination? Should education aim at making good citizens? What should be taught and what is the most effective way to teach it? What are the roles of reason and autonomy in learning? Should education limit itself to imparting literacy, numeracy, and various kinds of skill and information, or should teachers also strive to influence the character and values of their students? In addition to these, various specific topics of current interest in the philosophy of education may be explored, such as: academic freedom; access to education; educational testing and measurement; fairness in education; academic standards; the ethics of special education; religious education; propaganda in education; sex education; education and career training.
To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide
Prerequisite: None
Lecture: 2; Seminar: 2
Offered: Winter
PHIL 2280 Science and Society (3 credits)
This course explores the social dimensions of science and the influence of science on society. The course will introduce students to the philosophical issues that arise from the interaction between, on the one hand, aspects of society, such as public attitudes, moral values, law, truth in the media and, on the other, the theories and practices of science. Examples of the kinds of issues that may be discussed include: the relationship between science and religion; pseudo-sciences and scientific fraud; societal attitudes towards science, such as society's response to nuclear technologies and GMOs; the scientific research mandated by corporate profit; the social acceptability and costs of scientific technologies. This course will enable students to understand and critically reflect upon both the procedures utilized by the scientific community and the pressures faced by scientists as part of society. Students will examine the ways in which scientific evidence is created, evaluated, promoted, used and sometimes misused.
To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide
Prerequisite: None
Lecture: 2; Seminar: 2
Offered: Fall or Winter
PHIL 2360 Philosophy and Feminist Thought (3 credits)
This course will examine philosophical aspects of issues raised by recent feminist thought in the areas of methodology, theories of knowledge, reality, science and value. Some of the issues to be explored include the following: Are the differences that exist between women and men "natural" or are they the result of different social environments? Are the different ways of gaining knowledge influenced by gender? Does language reflect a male viewpoint which serves to reinforce inequalities in power and social relationships? Assuming gender inequalities exist, what accounts for them? What prospects are there for elimination of such inequalities? How important is their elimination? Does science, with its emphasis on control, reflect a male perspective? Are there "female," as opposed to "male," approaches to scientific inquiry? What about approaches to morality and religion? This course will attempt to understand and assess the fundamental assumptions involved in the various stances taken in response to such questions.
To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide
Prerequisite: None
Lecture: 2; Seminar: 2
Offered: Occasionally
PHIL 3125 Ethics for Psychiatric Nursing (3 credits)
This course is intended to engender student appreciation for the role and significance of philosophy and the relationship to the development of knowledge and analytical reasoning related to psychiatric nursing ethics in their personal and professional lives. By examining ethical theories, concepts, principles and decision-making models, participants have the opportunity to develop strategies and techniques for reaching decisions when confronted with professional practice issues.
This course is restricted to Psychiatric Nursing Diploma/Degree students.
To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide
Prerequisites: None
Lecture: 4
Offered: Fall and Winter
(PHIL) NURS 3130 Professional Growth: Nursing Ethics (3 credits)
(Formerly NURS 316)
The major intent of this course is to foster an appreciation among students of the significance of ethics to their professional and personal lives. By examining ethical theories, concepts, principles and decision-making models, participants have the opportunity to develop strategies and techniques for reaching decisions when confronted with ethical problems. This course draws on the combined expertise of nursing and philosophy. It is team taught by a nursing faculty member and a philosophy & humanities faulty member.
Prerequisites: NURS 2130 (or professional equivalency)
Corequisites: NURS 3100 (recommended)
Offered: Fall and Winter
PHIL 3320 Ethics (3 credits)
This course will provide students with an introduction to ethics or moral philosophy. The primary focus will be ethical theories philosophers have developed in their attempts to answer basic questions such as: How does one decide what is the right action? What does it mean to speak of the good life? What is the relation between morality and happiness, whether public welfare or personal satisfaction? When is someone morally responsible for their actions? The course will consider competing ethical theories such as egoism, relativism, virtue theory, deontology, utilitarianism, ethics of care and hedonism. Some consideration will be given to the place of reason and emotions in the determination of what is good or right, as well as to the relation between ethics and social acceptability. The relation between ethics and legality, as well as between ethics and rights, will also be examined. Ethical concepts such as duty, the good person, the right choice and/or action, moral principle, autonomy, imperative, moral agency, permissibility, civil disobedience, paternalism, conscience and social utility will be explained and discussed. The course will consider both "normative" ethical thinking – the kind of thinking anyone does when they consider what is right, good or obligatory; and "critical" (or "meta-ethical") thinking – the kind consideration given when someone provides justification for their notions of right, good or obligation. "Is it always right to tell the truth?" is a normative ethical question. "What is the nature of morality?" is a critical ethical question. Both normative and critical questions will be considered, although the latter will be pursued mainly as a way of clarifying the former.
To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide
Prerequisites: None (Recommended: any one of PHIL 1101, 1102, 1121, 1122, 1123, 1151)
Lecture: 2; Seminar: 2
Offered: Fall or Winter
PHIL 3350 Philosophy of Mind (3 credits)
This course will provide students with an introduction to the study of mind, its place in nature and the world. We all describe ourselves as having minds. But there are very different ways in which we can understand what it is to have a mind. For example, is the mind physical or non-physical? Is there an immaterial soul which inhabits the body? How do sciences such as chemistry, biology, and psychology contribute to the study of mind? And how does the philosophical account of mind differ from such scientific explanations? This course may also consider the nature of cognition, as well as the relation between such thinking processes and the emotions. Some philosophers hold the view that thinking is nothing but computation, while others strongly reject such a view. Interpersonal relations also raise important issues: Can we know that there are other minds and, if so, how much can we know about the contents of other minds? What is the relation between our inner subjective experiences and the world outside our minds? This course may also discuss non-human animals, and in what sense animals may be said to have minds. So, too, there is the question of whether machines could possess a conscious intelligence comparable to the human mind. We are also interested in what, if anything, the identity of a person consists. What is the relation between the mind and consciousness, or between the mind and the self? The Philosophy of Mind addresses many divergent views and the various reasons for them in this vital area of philosophical study.
To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Trasfer Guide at www.bccat.bc,ca
Prerequisites: None
Lecture: 2; Seminar: 2
Offered: Fall or Winter
PHIL 4205 Sport Ethics (3 credits)
This course is an introduction to the study of philosophy and ethics, and their application to physical education, recreation and sport. Students will acquire an awareness of ethical conduct in sport and cultivate an effective deliberative process for dealing with ethical issues in sport. The course will begin by briefly considering the practice of philosophy, especially argument and critical thinking. Students will next learn about ethical theories and their application to specific issues in sport, including some of the following: sportsmanship as an ethical category; the ethics of competition; fair play as respect and reciprocity; cheating, self-deception and the use of performance enhancing drugs; the problem of racial and gender equality in sport. Students will be afforded the opportunity to assess theoretical frameworks that can serve as the basis for comprehensive ethical decisions, and to develop the practical facility to implement those decisions in specific, concrete situations.
To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide
Prerequisite: Third Year Standing (or Permission of Instructor)
Lecture: 2; Seminar and Group Work: 2
Offered: Winter
PHIL 4706 Ethics in Therapeutic Recreation (3 credits)
formerly THRT 4806
This course is an introduction to the study of philosophy and ethics, and their application to therapeutic recreation and health promotion. Students will consider basic ethical theories and concepts, as well as the competing ways in which these can be employed to resolve moral issues, in order to develop an ethical foundation for professional practice. The course will begin by briefly reviewing the practice of philosophy, especially reasoning, argument and critical thinking. Next, students will learn about ethical theories, including deontology and consequentialism, virtue theory, rights theory and ethical relativism. Finally, the application of such theories to ethical problems specific to professional practice – problems such as client autonomy, rights and obligations, informed consent, notions of well-being, sexuality, conflict of values, truthfulness, fairness – will be studied. Students will be afforded the opportunity to analyze theoretical frameworks which can serve as the basis for reasoned ethical decisions, and to develop the practical facility to implement those decisions in specific, concrete situations.
PHIL 4706 will be restricted to students in the Therapeutic Recreation degree programme.
To find out where this course transfers, check the BC Transfer Guide
Prerequisite: THRT 2444 and THRT 2445
Lecture: 2; Seminar and Group Work: 2
Offered: Winter