Programs by Campus
Indianapolis
Philosophy
Courses
Curriculum
Courses
Faculty
- PL–P 503 The Semiotics of C. S. Peirce (3 cr.) A general introduction into the semiotics of C. S. Peirce.
- PL–P 507 American Philosophy and the Analytic Tradition (3 cr.) An overview of the development of American philosophy with a special focus on its contribution to and influence on the American analytic tradition. This course discusses the views of such philosophers as C. I. Lewis, Rudolph Carnap, W. V. O. Quine, Donald Davidson, Hillary Putnam, and Susan Haack.
- PL–P 514 Pragmatism (3 cr.) This course examines what pragmatism stood for in its formative years and what it has become; then, after studying some conflicting views of well-known pragmatists, it considers what pragmatism might become. Part of the course is devoted to the contributions of pragmatism to different areas within philosophy.
- PL–P 520 Philosophy of Language (3 cr.) Advanced study of selected topics.
- PL–P 525 Topics in the History of Philosophy (3 cr.) An advanced study of important themes or major figures in the history of philosophy. May be repeated for credit if topics vary.
- PL–P 540 Contemporary Ethical Theories (3 cr.) Fundamental problems of ethics in contemporary analytic philosophy from G. E. Moore’s Principia Ethica to the present.
- PL–P 542 The Ethics and Values of Philanthropy (3 cr.) An inquiry into the ethics and values of philanthropy rooted in a general understanding of philanthropy, as voluntary action for the public good, as an ethical ideal. A consideration of philanthropic activity in light of this ideal.
- PL–P 543 Contemporary Social and Political Philosophy (3 cr.)
- PL–P 547 Foundations of Bioethics (3 cr.) A rigorous examination of bioethical theory and practice. Stress is placed on moral and conceptual issues embedded in biomedical research, clinical practice, and social policy relating to the organization and delivery of health care.
- PL–P 548 Clinical Ethics Practicum (3 cr.) Application of the methods of philosophical analysis to current ethical issues arising in IU-affiliated hospitals and clinics. The practicum gives students firsthand experience of clinical ethics problems in “real time,” showing them both the need for conceptual frameworks and the difficulties associated with them.
- PL–P 549 Bioethics and Pragmatism (3 cr.) A survey of recent contributions of American philosophy to bioethics. The course strongly focuses on a growing group of philosophers and ethicists who seek their inspiration in Dewey, James, Peirce, Royce, and Mead, while dealing with contemporary issues in medical ethics.
- PL–P 553 Philosophy of Science (3 cr.) A study of theories with regard to the nature, purpose, and limitations of science. Attention is given to the cognitive significance of theories, the scientific method (hypothesis formation, theory construction, and testing), research paradigms, reductionism, and social epistemology.
- PL–P 555 Ethical and Policy Issues in International Research (3 cr.) Examines ethical and policy issues in the design and conduct of transnational research involving human participants. Topics discussed include economic and political factors; study design; the role of ethics review committees; individual and group recruitment/informed consent; end of study responsibilities; national and international guidelines.
- PL–P 558 American Philosophy (3 cr.) General introduction to American philosophy.
- PL–P 560 Metaphysics (3 cr.) In-depth discussion of representative contemporary theories.
- PL–P 562 Theory of Knowledge (3 cr.) Advanced study of selected topics.
- PL–P 590 Intensive Reading (1–4 cr.) A tutorial course involving in-depth consideration of a specific philosophical area or problem or author. May be repeated for credit.
- PL–P 600 Topics in Philosophy (3 cr.) A detailed examination of a specific topic in philosophy.
- PL–P 650 Topics in Semiotic Philosophy (3 cr.) An examination of various historical and theoretical issues arising from the philosophical study of semiosis—the general phenomenon of representation, objectification, signification, and interpretation—through the work of mostly American philosophers from the late nineteenth century to the present, with an emphasis on the impact of Peirce’s semiotic philosophy.
- PL–P 696 Topics in Biomedical Ethics (3 cr.) Selected topics in bioethics, such as international research ethics; ethical issues in pediatrics; ethical issues in genetics.
- PL–P 701 Peirce Seminar (3 cr.) This course is designed to give students a firm and broad understanding of the philosophy of Charles S. Peirce.
- PL–P 730 Seminar in Contemporary Philosophy (4 cr.) Selected topics on the works of twentieth-century philosophers. May be repeated for credit.
- PL–P 748 Seminar in American Philosophy (3 cr.) Different topics course that students can take repeatedly for credit. Sample topics include American Phenomenology (De Tienne), American Realism (De Waal), Emerson (Hanson), James (Nagy), Royce (De Tienne), Dewey (Nagy), and Mead (De Waal).
- PL–P 803 Master’s Thesis in Philosophy (arr cr.)
- ANTH–E 445 Medical Anthropology (3 cr.) A cross-cultural examination of a biocultural systems model of human adaptation in health and disease, including the interaction of biology, ecology, and culture in health; ethnomedical systems in the cross-cultural conception, presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of disease; and sociocultural change and health. This course has been approved for graduate credit.
- CMCL–C 510 Health Provider-Consumer Communication (3 cr.) This course is designed to teach communication skills and practices related to health care talk by examining transactional communication within health care contexts. Topics covered in this course focus directly upon interpersonal dialogue between health care providers and patients.
- HIST–H 546 History of Medicine (3 cr.) History of medicine and public health in Europe and America, including ancient and medieval background, with focus on the development of modern health sciences since 1800.
- LAW–DN 761 Law and Public Health (2 cr.) Covers the law governing the practice of public health by state, local, and federal agencies, as well as health care professionals and institutions. Topics addressed include legal mandates on public health care agencies, physician, and other health practitioners regarding testing, reporting, and contact tracing with respect to specific diseases, as well as laws for the imposition of quarantine, civil commitment, and mandatory treatment. Also covered are public health aspects of the regulation of health care institutions, legal issues associated with risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis, along with the environment.
- LAW–DN 838 Bioethics and Law (2 cr.) The course considers the role of law in bioethics and how the law in bioethics is shaped by the interplay of ethical principles, medical considerations, and social forces. Topics that will be covered include the refusal of life-sustaining treatment, physician-assisted suicide, organ transplantation, abortion, the balance between individual liberty and protection of the public health, access to health care, and rationing of health care. An important theme of the course will be to consider the extent to which individuals have—and should have—control over medical decision making.
- LAW–DN 845 Financing and Regulating Health Care (3 cr.) Covers selected legal issues in financing and regulation of the American health care system. The course emphasizes chief policy issues facing the American health care system today: cost, access, and quality of health care services for all Americans.
- MHHS–M 504 Introduction to Research Ethics (3 cr.) Ethical issues in designing, conducting, analyzing and presenting research; includes historical and theoretical background as well as case studies of such issues as scientific misconduct, data management and reporting, publication practices, intellectual property, funding of research and conflict of interest, human subject research and institutional review boards, and public perceptions of science.
- NURS–N 534 Ethical and Legal Perspectives in Advanced Nursing Practice (2 cr.) This course discusses and analyzes major ethical and legal terms and the principles underlying legal and ethical health care practices. Students analyze selected theories/concepts/principles of ethics and law within a framework of ethical decision making in advanced nursing practice.
- SOC–R 515 Sociology of Health and Illness (3 cr.) Surveys important areas of medical sociology, focusing on social factors influencing the distribution of disease, help-seeking, and health care. Topics covered include social epidemiology, the health care professions, socialization of providers, and issues of cost and cost containment.
- SOC–S 560 Topics in Sociology (Death and Dying) (3 cr.) This course explores the human confrontation with mortality from a social, historical, and moral perspective. Topics to be discussed include Western attitudes towards death, medicalization of dying, human implications of high-tech dying, the right-to-die movement, funeral rituals, the death of children, and the violent death of suicide and genocide.
