Ph.D. Courses
PH 301
RESEARCH SEMINAR IN PHILOSOPHY
3 units
A course on the formulation of a dissertation proposal and review of related literature. A detailed outline and thesis statement of the student’s dissertation are expected at the end of the course.
PH 302
PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON
3 units
An introduction to historical and systematic approaches to understanding the human being as a person.
PH 303
ADVANCED THEORIES IN ETHICS
3 units
A discussion of contemporary traditions in moral philosophy. The basic principles of morality and the question of ultimate foundations – conscience, natural law, self-determination, and the transcendent – are applied to concrete cases that include sexuality, marriage and the family, social justice, politics, and the environment.
PH 310.1
PLATO
3 units
A study of the Socratic dialogues. Topics include: significance of dialogues as a literary and philosophical form; role of myth and symbol in Plato’s thought; moral-social-political problematic of Socrates; language and creation of the polis; image of man culminating with the discussion of the Republic.
PH 310.2
ARISTOTLE
3 units
A study of Aristotle’s works as an attempt to work out in detail a conviction of structure in everything in: living things, the cosmos, the human as human, human thought as enmeshed with the cosmos, the metalogical; and an unstructured structure in human action.
PH 310.5
AUGUSTINE
3 units
A study of St. Augustine’s philosophical doctrine in historical order. It deals with the question of Augustinian metaphysics and the influence of Augustinianism on later thought.
PH 310.7
AQUINAS
3 units
A study of St. Thomas Aquinas’ philosophical thoughts about the world, man, and God. His intellectual formation, metaphysics, philosophy of religion, philosophy of man and moral philosophy are discussed according to the order and pattern which he established in his magnum opus, Summa Theologiae.
PH 310.8
NICHOLAS OF CUSA
3 units
The course is a critical study of Nicholas of Cusa’s philosophy, focusing on the themes of ecumenism, pluralism, tolerance, forgiveness, and individuality. It shows how his spiritual work has deep implications for political thought in our post-modern age.
PH 310.9
ANCIENT CHINESE THOUGHT
3 units
A survey of Ancient Chinese thought and a meditative study of the classical texts in translation: The Four Books (The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean, The Analects of Confucius, and the Works of Mencius), the Tao Te Ching, and the writings of Chuang Tzu.
PH 314
PHILOSOPHY OF WOMAN
3 units
This graduate course explores the meaning of woman as it has emerged in the twentieth century. It explores the different conceptions of women by philosophers such as John Stuart Mill, Simone de Beauvoir, and Irigaray in order to articulate how her otherness has become articulated.
PH 316
ANCIENT INDIAN THOUGHT
3 units
A survey of ancient Indian thought. It serves as a detailed study of the Isha and Chandogya Upanishads, the Gita, and excerpts of the Shankara.
PH 320.1
PHENOMENOLOGY
3 units
A study of the basic writings of phenomenology from Husserl to Ricouer. Focus is on the Phenomenology in philosophy and its interdisciplinary relevance.
PH 320.2
HERMENEUTICS
3 units
A study on interpretation theory. Focus is on the contributions of Dilthey, Schleirmacher, Heidegger, and Gadamer.
PH 320.3
SEMINAR ON MODERN PHILOSOPHY
3 units
A course set in the 16th and 19th century. Focus is on Descartes’ Meditations, Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason and post-Kantian Philosphy.
PH 320.4
SEMINAR IN CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHY
3 units
The seminar surveys the major developments of Western Philosophy in the last century. It explains the emergence of existentialism, phenomenology, hermeneutics, critical theory, discourse theory and deconstruction among others. Students engage on a research project focusing on a thinker in the period.
PH 320.9
KANT
3 units
A study of Kant’s critical and transcendental philosophy as found mainly in his three Critiques. A systematic presentation of his doctrine, the place he occupies in the history of philosophical thought; and critical evaluation of his philosophy are also discussed.
PH 320.10
HEGEL
3 units
A course on G.W.F. Hegel’s philosophy through an analysis of a selection of primary texts and available English translations. Topics include his ambitious attempt to grapple with truth as a whole and his dialectic thought which influenced both conservative and revolutionary movements subsequent to him, including the philosophy of Karl Marx.
PH 320.11
HUSSERL
3 units
A study of Edmund Husserl’s works.
PH 320.12
MARCEL
3 units
A study of Gabriel Marcel’s works.
PH 320.14
MERLEAU-PONTY
3 units
A discussion of the main themes of the phenomenological philosophy of Maurice Merleau-Ponty in The Phenomenology of Perception.
PH 320.15
NIETZSCHE
3 units
A study of Friedrich Nietzsche’s works.
PH 320.16
HEIDEGGER
3 units
A study of Martin Heidegger’s works.
PH 320.17
WITTGENSTEIN
3 units
A course on Ludwig Wittgenstein, the philosopher who had a significant impact on 20th century. His Philosophical Investigations (1953) became the cryptic and much disputed “bible” of the third school of linguistic philosophy: It is to this last mature Wittgenstein that the course is devoted.
PH 320.18
SCHELER
3 units
A course on Max Scheler’s works.
PH 320.20
RICOEUR
3 units
A course reflecting on the meaning of responsibility and hope, justice, peace, and service for solidarity with the people as inspired by Paul Ricoeur’s insights.
PH 320.22
BLONDEL
3 units
A study of Maurice Edouard Blondel’s works.
PH 320.23
FOUCAULT
3 units
A study of Michel Foucault’s works.
PH 320.24
LEVINAS
3 units
A study of Emmanuel Levinas’ works.
PH 320.25
ARENDT
3 units
A study of Hannah Arendt’s works.
PH 320.26
DERRIDA
3 units
A study of Jacques Derrida’s works.
PH 320.28
GADAMER
3 units
A study of Hans-Georg Gadamer’s works.
PH 320.29
HABERMAS
3 units
A study of Jurgen Habermas’ works.
PH 328
PHILOSOPHY OF ART
3 units
This course explores the meaning of art as a human activity and a product of culture. It questions the nature of the aesthetic experience and the source of aesthetic judgment, and what artistic genius is. Readings include texts from Plato, Aristotle, Hume, Kant, and Heidegger.
PH 330.1
SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY
3 units
A study of the phenomenology of social existence as it is applied to the various aspects of human existence. Topics include the ambiguity of social, economic-scientific-technological structures, and the state; Social Ethics: praxis and contemplation; right, law, and the value of ownership; and problem of violence.
PH 330.3
CONTEMPORARY ETHICAL ISSUES
3 units
An assessment of the extent of application of ethical theories as the world enters the next millennium. Focus is on the possibility of formulating moral judgments independent on one’s feelings and conventions and the ways of living productive lives amid rapid developments.
PH 330.6
POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
3 units
An analysis of basic political concepts and their applications to current issues such as technocracy, consumerism, private and public spheres, the state, and civil society.
PH 330.8
CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL ISSUES
3 units
A course that presents the relevance of philosophy to life as discovered in its application in concrete life situations. The course’s thrust tends towards an inculcation of an appreciative attitude toward the discipline.
PH 330.9
PHILOSOPHY OF NATURE
3 units
A course that attempts to formulate the adequate definition of nature and its relationship between science and metaphysics. The course culminates in distinguishing natural philosophy from the natural sciences and the discovery of their mutual complementariness.
PH 330.10
PHILOSOPHY OF ECOLOGY
3 units
A study of the relational conception of the nature of the person as it is directed to nature, society, and God. It also endeavors to understand the physical universe, sufficient to enable man to live fully and creatively in this period of innovation.
PH 330.11
BUSINESS ETHICS
3 units
A discussion of case studies of contemporary moral controversies in business.
PH 330.12
BIOETHICS
3 units
A course on the ethical implication of the developments in science especially in the discovery of the life-saving devices. It is an attempt at adopting a critical stance toward alternative methods culminating in the widening of our options of living conveniently.
PH 330.13
GENDER ISSUES IN PHILOSOPHY
3 units
A course on the application of philosophical views on gender-related issues.
PH 330.14
PHILOSOPHY OF LAW
3 units
A course on the treatment of the legal process as the subject of reflection. It simultaneously considers the maintenance of order as the priority of law and the implications of its implementation to humanity.
PH 340.2
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES
3 units
A philosophical treatment of a particular topic of interest relating to various dimensions of human existence and the history of ideas. Topics include theory and practice of nonviolence, modern Jewish thought, physics and philosophy, hermeneutics and contemporary literary theory, and Gnostic thought.
PH 340.4
PHILOSOPHY OF ART
3 units
An introduction to basic and traditional concepts of aesthetics, e.g., the nature of aesthetic judgment, aesthetic appreciation, taste, genius, the artistic process, the (im)possibility of universal judgments and the role of culture and class backgrounds in criticism. Readings are from Plato, Aristotle, Kant, and Nietzsche.
PH 340.5
PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION
3 units
A critical examination of the human experience of religion. It presents arguments and counterarguments for the existence of God and a Phenomenology and Metaphysics of Hope.
PH 340.10
MODERN CHINESE PHILOSOPHY
3 units
A study of modern Chinese thought.
PH 340.12
SEMINAR ON FILIPINO PHILOSOPHY
3 units
An examination of the contribution of Filipinos to philosophy.
PH 340.15
PHILOSOPHY AND LITERATURE
3 units
A literary approach to philosophy and a philosophical approach to literature.
PH 361
PHILOSOPHICAL TOPIC
3 units
Seminars on a particular research problematic in Philosophy. It explores special topics that are of particular interest to philosophical researchers, and allows the students to reflect on the current work being done so that they may formulate their own projects in dialogue with the topic.
PH 372
FOUNDATIONS OF MORAL DELIBERATION
3 units
A discussion on the ground and norm of morality as embodied in the history of philosophy: the thoughts of Aristotle, St. Thomas, Kant, Scheler. Topics include the processes of moral deliberation and prudential judgment.
