The History of Western Philosophy - PHI 200 at Virginia Western Community College
https://courses.vccs.edu/colleges/vwcc/courses/PHI200-TheHistoryofWesternPhilosophy
Effective: 2023-01-01
Course Description
Offers a historical survey of major philosophers from the ancient Greeks to the modern era. The assignments in this course require the ability to write at the college level, read college-level philosophical texts, and understand and apply philosophical concepts with complex meanings.
Lecture 3 hours. Total 3 hours per week.
3 credits
The course outline below was developed as part of a statewide standardization process.
General Course Purpose
To expose the student to the development of metaphysical, epistemological, and ethical ideas in the Western philosophical tradition. The course traces the development of Western thought from ancient Greek philosophy through 20th-century Anglo-American and Continental developments.
Course Objectives
- Critical Thinking
- Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of historical solutions to philosophical problems within Western philosophy.
- Locate, evaluate, and effectively analyze research information from books, periodicals, and Internet data that directly relates to historical periods or topics in philosophy.
- Communication
- Recognize and articulate philosophical problems regarding being, knowledge, morality, and meaning
- Articulate historical solutions to philosophical problems within Western philosophy.
- Explain the development of philosophical themes over time and make connections among different historical periods.
Major Topics to be Included
- Ancient Greek Philosophy (Minimum: Plato, Aristotle)
- Identify and articulate philosophical problems raised by ancient Greek philosophers as found in primary and secondary source material.
- Articulate and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of historical solutions to philosophical problems.
- Describe the development of philosophical themes among the ancient Greeks and make connections among contemporaneous philosophers and schools of thought and those of other time periods.
- Medieval Philosophy (Minimum: Augustine, Aquinas)
- Identify and articulate philosophical problems raised by medieval philosophers as found in primary and secondary source material.
- Articulate and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of historical solutions to philosophical problems.
- Describe the development of philosophical themes during the medieval period and make connections among contemporaneous philosophers and schools of thought and those of other time periods.
- Modern Philosophy (Minimum: Descartes, Hume, Kant)
- Identify and articulate philosophical problems raised by modern philosophers as found in primary and secondary source material.
- Articulate and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of historical solutions to philosophical problems.
- Describe the development of philosophical themes during the modern period and make connections among contemporaneous philosophers and schools of thought and those of other time periods.