SENATE DOCUMENT #19

                              APC Document #11


The Academic Policies Committee recommends to the Faculty Senate
the adoption of the following catalog changes for the Department 
of Philosophy:


I.  Additional Courses to be listed in the catalog:

	A.  Phil 213  The Human Religious Experience  (3)

		This course will examine the religious experience as
		it appears in primitive peoples and in the major
		religions of humanity.  The course will consider
		whether all expressions of the religious experience
		have something in common, whether all of them can in 
		some sense be said to be "about" the same truth, and
		whether the universality of religion as a human
		phenomenon serves as evidence for the truth of what
		religion is "about."

	B.  Phil 310  Aesthetics  (3)

		This course is an introduction to the study of aesthetics.
		Topics will include an examination of the nature and
		significance of beauty and a critique of the various
		approaches to judging beauty.  The course will not be
		limited to the philosophy of art, but will also discuss
		the role of beauty in ethics, religion, mathematics, and
		science.

	C.  Phil 313  Oriental Philosophy  (3)

		This course covers the main philosophies/religions of
		the Orient:  Hinduism, Buddhism, philosophical Taoism,
		and Confucianism and neo-Confucianism.  Students read
		translations of original texts and some commentaries, 
		and discuss the main ideas of each system, especially
		metaphysical and epistemological ideas.  The course is
		intended not only to familiarize the student with the
		context of these systems, but to show that the ways in 
		which they have tried to answer the perennial philosophical
		questions may be relevant to our own search for answers.

	D.  Phil 333  Existence and Meaning  (3)

		A philosophical analysis of various accounts of human
		existence, human nature, authentic and inauthentic
		existence.  The course wil emphasize, compare, and 
		contrast concepts of a meaningful human existence
		especially as described by existentialists, humanistic
		naturalists, and thinkers of the mystical tradition.  

	E.  Phil 350  Kant, Hegel, and the 19th Century (3)

		This course will survey the history of philosophy from
		Kant to 1900.  Special attention will be given to Kant,
		Hegel, Marx, and the American Pragmatists.

	F.  Phil  352  Contemporary Philosophy  (3)

		A survey of the major traditions of 20th century
		philosophy:  process philosophy, pragmatism, positivism,
		analysis, phenomenology and existentialism.


II.	Changes in the requirements for the major in philosophy:

	A.  ADD:  Phil 350 and Phil 352.

		Rationale:  These are additional survey courses in the
		history of philosophy which we believe to be necessary
		for the balanced education of a philosophy major.  These
		courses should also be of use to students in other
		disciplines who are interested in the philosophical
		thought of the 19th and 20th centuries.

	B.  DELETE:  Phil 300  (Symbolic Logic)

		Rationale:  Although we would continue to recommend that
		majors going onto graduate school take this course, we
		do not think it necessary for the average major.  We will
		be upgrading the introductory logic courses to include
		more work in elementary symbolic logic, and this should
		suffice for the average major.  In addition, we are adding
		the requirement of the survey courses in 19th and 20th
		century philosophy which in our judgment are more important
		in a general philosophical education than additional work
		in symbolic logic.


III.  Editorial changes:

	A.  In Phil 200:  Change title FROM "Problems of Value" TO
	    "Introduction to Ethics."

		Rationale:  The latter title is more precisely descriptive
		than is the former.

	B.  In Phil 252:  Change title FROM "Modern Philosophy" TO
	    "Foundations of Modern Philosophy."

		Rationale:  The new title indicates that the course covers
		an important but limited aspect of modern philosophy.  
		This addition is especially desirable since the new Phil
		350 and Phil 352 courses also cover parts of this "modern"
		period.

	C.  In Phil 303:  Replace the old description with the following:

	    A survey of arguments in the main areas of the field:  the
	    existence of God, the problem of evil, revelation and faith,
	    religious experience, immortality, and selected others.
	    Reading and critical analysis of major writings on these topics.

		Rationale:  A more precise description is needed to 
		distinguish the content of this course from that of 
		the new Phil 213 (The Human Religious Experience).

	D.  Under "A Major in Philosophy":  The reference to twelve courses
	    or thirty-six hours should be changed to read "thirteen courses
	    or thirty-nine hours".

		Rationale:  The deletion of Phil 300 and the addition of
		Phil 350 and Phil 352 to the requirements for the major
		make this change necessary.


(Passed Faculty Senate January 25, 1979)