Course Calendar 2011-2012 - Champlain College Saint-Lambert

Philosophy
340-101-LA
Introduction to Philosophy: Greece and Rome – The
Roots of Western Philosophy
(Philosophy for Liberal Arts students only)
The philosophers of ancient Greece are the chief
architects of the Western intellectual tradition. This
course is designed to introduce students to the writings
and ideas of some of these philosophers with a view to
fostering a better understanding of our model of the
world and of our place in it. Through a careful
examination of the views held by the Sophists, Socrates,
Plato, Aristotle, and the stoics, students will explore
some of the outstanding issues of philosophy.
Throughout the investigation of these issues students will
be encouraged to become more aware of their own
beliefs and to critically assess the grounds upon which
they rest.
3 hours/week Units: 2.00
340-404-LA
Philosophy and Human Nature
(Philosophy for International Baccalaureate students
only)
The quest for human nature - that is, the search for a
better understanding of us as individuals and members
of societies - has always been at the heart of
philosophical investigations. In this course, the third in
the sequence of IB Philosophy courses, students will
explore some of the key ideas and theories about human
nature. The following questions, among others, will be
addressed: What is a person? What are the key
manifestations of personhood? What, if anything, makes
human beings different from nonhuman animals? What
defines our uniqueness? Are human beings endowed
with free will or are they programmed by their genes?
Are members of Homo sapiens naturally inclined to be
selfish and aggressive or not? Is the nature of men and
women fundamentally different or similar? To what
extent does the environment shape and modify human
nature? Throughout the semester students will be
encouraged to critically assess their views and
assumptions about human nature.
3 hours/week Units: 2.00
340-301-LA
Great Philosophical Ideas of the Modern World
(Philosophy for Liberal Arts students only)
This course will consider some of the great philosophical
ideas of the 17th and 18th centuries, a period which saw
the establishment of the foundations for our own
contemporary world, through a survey of the theories of
modern philosophers and a study of their historical
context, the course will consider such questions as: can
humans know and explain the universe? What is
knowledge? What is truth? Does a God exist? What is
liberty? What is happiness? These questions will be
studied through a careful reading of selected texts by
Descartes, Hume, Kant, Locke, and Rousseau.
3 hours/week Units: 2.00
Absolute Prerequisite: Philosophy 340-101-LA
340-913-02 (in-house course number)
340-104-LA (official ministerial course number)
Introduction to Philosophy
(Philosophy for IB students only)
In this course, the first in the sequence of IB Philosophy
courses, students will be introduced to some of the
principal ideas and problems of Western philosophy. The
following questions, among others, will be addressed:
What is the mind? Does the external world truly exist?
What, if anything, can be known with certainty to be
true? What is truth? Do human beings survive death? Is
free will an illusion? In their exploration of these
questions and the various answers which have been
proposed to them, students will be encouraged to
engage in both conceptual and logical analysis with a
view not only to better understand the issues involved in
approaching these questions but also to improve their
critical thinking skills. Throughout the semester students
will be encouraged to become more aware of their own
beliefs and to critically assess the grounds upon which
they rest.
3 hours/week Units: 2.00
340-A2D-LA
Meaning, and Life’s Problems: Exploring Philosophy
(Complementary course - open to all students)
The study of philosophy is the study of ourselves and our
world – an attempt to explain the deeper meaning of
things. What does it mean to be human? Is there a soul
or life after death? What is the best way to organize
society? Can war ever be justified? How should we think
about science and new technologies? How should we
approach relationships, sex and love? What is the
difference between appearances and reality? This course
will look at questions such as these, basing the discussion
on a close study of the ideas found in the tests by some
of the great philosophers in history.
3 hours/week Units: 2.00