Philosophy
Welcome to the university! Here, if you take full advantage of all that is offered, you will find your skills and horizons constantly expanding. It is not likely that many of you will have read or studied much philosophy at high school. But now is your chance to learn about a subject which questions the things that everywhere else and in every other field or discipline are taken for granted.
Philosophical problems arise in our concern for social issues, in the views we hold of the meaning and purpose of our lives, in the positions we take on political and moral questions, in the ideas we have of such things as freedom, conscience, goodness, the world, ourselves. They live below the surface of all our truly human actions. It is the task of philosophy to provide a means of becoming acquainted with these basic human issues and to learn to reflect on them intelligently.
Our courses are designed to take you through the different answers that great philosophers have given to fundamental questions. These answers are globally influential; they are living options and they provide the framework in which many other disciplines are pursued. From the first day onwards in our courses, you will learn by constant writing and discussion how critically to explain and to analyze the basic concepts and ideas we employ all the time without usually noticing them. It is because philosophy students know how to explain and analyze that they have such successful careers.
Sample first-year program for students interested in studying philosophy:
| Fall Semester | Winter Semester |
| Philosophy 1200 | Philosophy 2000, 2220, 2210, 2230, 2701or 2702 |
| English 1080 (or 1020) | English 1101, 1102, 1103 or 1110 (or 1021) |
| A course in a second language | A course in a second language |
| A research & writing course | A research & writing course |
| A numeracy/science course | A numeracy/science course |
| A course in minor subject | A course in minor subject |
Philosophy 1000
Philosophy of Human Nature is an approach to philosophical thinking by way of analysis and critique of theories of human nature, classical and modern and the world views associated with them.
Lectures: Three hours per week
Prerequisite: None
Philosophy 1100
Critical Thinking aims to impart critical analytic skills: i.e., the ability to recognize good and bad arguments, to explain why a particular argument is good or bad and a general understanding of why a good argument ought to persuade and a bad argument ought not to persuade.
Lectures: Three hours per week
Prerequisite: None
Philosophy 1200
Introduction to Philosophy is a general introduction to the study of philosophy both as a contemporary intellectual discipline and as a body of knowledge. The course covers the main divisions, fundamental questions and essential terminology of philosophy through a reading of classical texts. (It is a required course for further courses in philosophy programs. It is intended for students in first-year who have completed one semester of university education).
Lectures: Three hours per week
Prerequisite: None
Notes:
- Philosophy 1000 and 1200 may qualify as research/writing courses for the Faculty of Arts. Each semester students should verify that the course section being offered is a designated research/writing course.
- Students may take either 1000 or 1200 or both and in whichever order they prefer. Philosophy 1200 is the prerequisite for most other courses in philosophy.
