Course

Reality and Existence

Faculty
Humanities & Social Sciences
Department
Philosophy
Course code
PHIL 1152
Credits
3.00
Semester length
15
Max class size
35
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Seminar
Typically offered
To be determined

Overview

Course description
This course introduces students to philosophical reasoning about reality and human nature. Metaphysical questions raised by traditional and contemporary philosophers (e.g., Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Kant, Wittgenstein, and Sartre) will be considered, and a variety of answers will be explored. Topics may include: mind and body, personal identity, the self, consciousness, God, the nature of metaphysics, free will and life after death. Students will be encouraged to develop their own thinking about the issues covered. This course may be taken by those who want an introduction to fundamental philosophical ideas as part of their liberal arts education. It will also serve for a foundation for further work in Philosophy.
Course content
  1. Historical and contemporary perspectives on the nature of metaphysics, on its relation to epistemology, and on a range of specific metaphysical problems.
  2. An examination of at least one  major historical philosopher (e.g., Aristotle, Descartes, Hume, Kant, Heidegger) on a set of central problems in metaphysics, or an examination of the writings of several philosophers on one major historical problem of metaphysics.
  3. The study of another major problem of metaphysics with significant emphasis on contemporary thinking about that problem.
  4. Works examined might include Descartes’ Meditations, or Kant’s Prolegomena; problems covered might include the mind/body problem, the problem of personal identity, or the ultimate nature of reality.  Other topics covered might include: God, life after death, meaning and the purpose of life, causation, free will and determinism, human nature, investigation in philosophical psychology, and the relation of language to consciousness.
Learning activities

The course will employ a variety of instructional methods to accomplish its objectives, including some of the following:

A combination of lecture and discussion.  Some class sessions may involve formal lectures for the entire time (allowing time for questions), in which case a later class session will be devoted to a discussion of the lecture and reading material.  Other class sessions may involve a combination of informal lecture and structured discussion.

Means of assessment

Evaluation will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with Douglas College policy.  The instructor will provide a written course outline with specific evaluation criteria at the beginning of the semester. 

Any possible combination of the following which equals 100%:

   Percent Range       Example  
Tests, Quizzes, Short Written Assignments    30% – 60% Five 10% Tests  50%
Written Class Presentations, Argument  Analyses, Exams    20% – 50% Two 20% Analyses  40%
Instructor’s General Evaluation 
(may include attendance class participation, group work, homework, etc.)		    0% – 20% Attendance/
Participation		  10%
Total     100%

(No one evaluation component within each category may exceed 40%)

Learning outcomes

Successful students will be able to:

  1. Explain traditional and contemporary problems of metaphysics, and the philosophical reasoning and viewpoints pertaining to them.
  2. Systematically develop their own philosophical reasoning and reflection about the types of metaphysical problems covered.
  3. Demonstrate the relation of metaphysics and theory of knowledge with regard to the problems discussed in the course.
  4. Contrast and compare traditional and contemporary philosophical perspectives on specific topics covered in the course.
Textbook materials

Texts will be updated periodically.  Typical example are:

  • Pojman, L. (Ed.). Introduction to Philosophy: Classical and Temporary Readings, (3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford Univeristy Press, 2004.
  • van Inwagen, Peter and Zimmerman, Dean W. Metaphysics: The Big Questions, (2nd ed.). Oxford: Blackwell, 2008.
  • Zimmerman, Dean W. (ed.). Oxford Studies in Metaphysics, Vol. 2. Oxford: the Clarendon Press, 2006.

Requisites

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers

These are for current course guidelines only. For a full list of archived courses please see https://www.bctransferguide.ca

Institution Transfer details for PHIL 1152
Camosun College (CAMO) DOUG PHIL 1151 (3) & DOUG PHIL 1152 (3) = CAMO PHIL 100 (3) & CAMO PHIL 102 (3)
Capilano University (CAPU) CAPU PHIL 1XX (3)
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) KPU PHIL 1XXX (3)
Langara College (LANG) LANG PHIL 1101 (3)
North Island College (NIC) NIC PHI 100 (3)
Simon Fraser University (SFU) DOUG PHIL 1103 (3) & DOUG PHIL 1152 (3) = SFU PHIL 100 (3) & SFU PHIL 203 (3)
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) TRU PHIL 2150 (3)
Trinity Western University (TWU) TWU PHIL 105 (3)
University of British Columbia - Okanagan (UBCO) DOUG PHIL 1151 (3) & DOUG PHIL 1152 (3) = UBCO PHIL_O 111 (3) & UBCO PHIL_O 121 (3)
University of British Columbia - Vancouver (UBCV) Any 2 of DOUG PHIL 1102 (3) or DOUG PHIL 1103 (3) or DOUG PHIL 1151 (3) or DOUG PHIL 1152 (3) or DOUG PHIL 2250 (3) or DOUG PHIL 3300 (3) = UBCV PHIL_V 100 (6)
University of Northern BC (UNBC) UNBC PHIL 2XX (3)
University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) UFV PHIL 220 (3)
University of Victoria (UVIC) DOUG PHIL 1151 (3) & DOUG PHIL 1152 (3) = UVIC PHIL 100 (3)
Vancouver Island University (VIU) VIU PHIL 111 (3)

Course Offerings

Winter 2025

CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
35
Currently enrolled
34
Remaining seats:
1
On waitlist
2
Building
New Westminster - North Bldg.
Room
N4307
Times:
Start Time
18:30
-
End Time
20:20
Building
New Westminster - North Bldg.
Room
N4303
Times:
Start Time
18:30
-
End Time
20:20