Minneapolis Community and Technical College · Courses
PHIL
12 courses with the subject PHIL, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
PHIL 1110Critical Thinking3.00
(3.00 lec) This course develops skills in critical and evaluative thinking. You will learn to analyze logical relations between facts and interpretations, and to express possible underlying value assumptions governing arguments and information. You will discuss issues derived from a variety of different disciplines, including philosophy, ethics, rhetoric and communications. A variety of media will be used to introduce the issues: professional conveyances, newspaper and television reporting and editorials, and advertising. You will gather relevant factual data, evaluate the bias of data and organize data logically into a presentation. Fulfills MnTC Goal Area 2. of READ 0200 or ESOL 0052.
(3.00 lec) This course is an introduction to the works and ideas of Western and non-Western philosophers, which emphasizes how philosophical questions and their answers have been dealt with by different thinkers in different contexts. Your development of familiarity with the ideas examined, as well as critical thinking and rhetorical skills essential for functioning effectively in philosophical argument, are the basis of evaluation. Fulfills MnTC Goal Area 6. of READ 0200 or ESOL 0052. 445
(3.00 lec) This course investigates, interprets and criticizes how Black philosophers understand and contribute to the questions of being, knowing and doing. You will examine the Black intellectual tradition on the meaning of race, identity, knowledge and justice. Particular attention will be given to the American experiment in democracy, the paradox of slavery, the problem of the color line and the predicament of prejudice and racial oppression. You will analyze the political ideologies of liberalism, feminism and nationalism, as well as political movements such as integration, black power and black liberation theology. You will develop skills of critical reflection and expository analysis. Fulfills MnTC Goal Areas 6 and 7. of READ 0200 or ESOL 0052.
(3.00 lec) This course teaches you to apply a range of multicultural ethical theories: Western, African, Asian, Native American, feminist and ecological. You will learn to think critically about ethical questions and apply ethical theories to practical issues. You will be required to demonstrate increasing knowledge of these topics through writing and dialogue. You will be encouraged to integrate the course material with your current academic and personal interests. Fulfills MnTC Goal Areas 6 and 9. of READ 0200 or ESOL 0052.
1.00–3.00 credits (1.00–3.00 lec) This course examines particular sets of issues relevant to contemporary debates in philosophy, undertaking further investigation of themes left undeveloped in Introduction to Philosophy. Topics for the course change from year to year. You will study primary texts as a basis for seminar-style discussions. Fulfills MnTC Goal Area 6. of READ 0200 or ESOL 0052. 2013–2014 Catalog | Minneapolis Community & Technical College
(3.00 lec) This course provides an introduction to symbolic logic with a focus on propositional and first-order predicate logic. You will learn to symbolize natural language, create deductive arguments, and evaluate existing arguments for validity and soundness. You will learn various methods for conducting proofs, including truth tables, natural deduction, counter-examples and the finite universe method. Fullfills MnTC Goal Area 4. of READ 0200 or ESOL 0052.
(3.00 lec) This introductory course explores Asian philosophies, including Chinese, Indian, Buddhist, Southeast Asian and Japanese. You will cover logic, metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy and religion, mind-body dualism, freedom and determinism, and language in a topical fashion, highlighting major historical figures and movements and their interaction with the contemporary landscape of Asian philosophy. You will be required to demonstrate knowledge of these topics, skillful philosophical writing and dialogue, and a specialized understanding of one philosopher or topic of your choice. Fulfills MnTC Goal Areas 6 and 8. of READ 0200 or ESOL 0052.
(3.00 lec) This course explores contemporary ethical issues surrounding medicine as a whole, the medical industry, medical professionals, those affiliated with the medical field, health policy and patients. You will examine topics such as abortion and reproductive issues, allocation of medical resources, end-of-life care, informed consent and patient rights, medical research ethics, and genetic engineering. You will learn and apply moral theories to these topics, develop practical and critical thinking skills and cultivate a sensitivity towards the complexity of the issues that impact patients, health care, medical professionals and consumers and producers of medical information. Fulfills MnTC Goal Areas 6 and 9. of READ 0200 or ESOL 0052. 446
(3.00 lec) This course applies a range of multicultural ethical theories to contemporary issues affecting ecosystems: climate change, wilderness preservation, animal rights, food, energy, green initiatives and sustainable growth, among others. You will learn to think critically about the relationship between human beings and the environment, including the place of urban centers in the natural environment and the essence of our moral obligations to the land. You will be encouraged to think about these issues from a global perspective and to gain awareness of global and local connections. Fulfills MnTC Goal Areas 6 and 10.
(3.00 lec) This course is an integration of applied ethics and service learning. You will engage the historical, theoretical, and contemporary landscape of social issues, such as social and economic justice, global hunger and poverty, terrorism, human rights, civil liberties, drug control and addiction, abortion, sexuality and marriage, and the environment. You will think critically about these social issues while integrating your service-learning experiences with a local nonprofit organization of your choice, working on one or more of these social issues. You will be required to fulfill your on-site service-learning hours (approximately 20–30 hours total by the end of the semester. Fulfills MnTC Goal Areas 6 and 9.
(3.00 lec) This course introduces you to major areas of contemporary feminist philosophy, including the emergence of Latin American, Asian and African feminism. You will investigate the relationship between the mind and the body, the public and the private, and the individual and the collective. Particular attention will be drawn to theories absent in conventional philosophy, including the interaction between multiple forms of oppression, specifically racism, classism, sexism and homophobia. Fulfills MnTC Goal Areas 6 and 8.
