Summer 2025 - PHIL 467W D100
Advanced Seminar (4)
Class Number: 3312
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
-
Course Times + Location:
May 12 – Jun 20, 2025: Tue, Thu, 11:30 a.m.–2:20 p.m.
Burnaby
-
Instructor:
Holly Andersen
handerse@sfu.ca
-
Prerequisites:
15 upper division PHIL units or permission from the instructor. Students not in a philosophy major, philosophy honours, or joint major program can take PHIL 467W only with special permission from the instructor.
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
An advanced, in-depth seminar on a contemporary or historical philosophical topic. Required for all students in a philosophy major, philosophy honours, or joint major program. May be repeated for credit. Writing.
COURSE DETAILS:
Selected Topics: Explanation: Scientific, Action, Historical
NOTE: This course is offered as intersession, with 6 hours of class per week.
This course will consider issues related to explanation, especially explanation in the sciences, in history, and action explanation. How should control be understood in the context of explanation versus prediction? What differentiates scientific explanation from other kinds of explanation? How do causal explanations differ from or relate to nomological explanations? How can explanations involving probabilistic premises explain individual occurrences: for example, how does a statement like, "95% of events of type X cause events of type Y" suffice in explanations involving claims like "an event of type X happened, and it caused the event of type Y to happen"? What is the relationship between explanation and human understanding, and what, if any, conditions for intelligibility ought there be on explanations? How do action explanations fit with, or compete with, scientific explanations? And, do historical explanations behave more like scientific or like action explanations?
COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:
This course will be applied towards the upper division Writing Requirement for philosophy majors, philosophy honours, and philosophy joint majors. All students declared in one of these programs starting with Fall 2024 have to take an offering of PHIL 467W as a required course. Students declared before Fall 2024 can take any 400 level course to fulfill the requirement.
Grading
- Precis on the readings 30%
- Term Paper: includes Detailed outline, with 3-5 minute presentation to class on your term paper topic 70%
NOTES:
There will be several parts to the participation grade, and a final term paper of original research developed by the student.
REQUIREMENTS:
Course has a "No AI" policy.
Materials
REQUIRED READING:
All course materials will be available for download as PDFs through the SFU Library or through Canvas
REQUIRED READING NOTES:
Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.
Department Undergraduate Notes:
Thinking of a Philosophy Major or Minor? The Concentration in Law and Philosophy? The Certificate in Ethics? The Philosophy and Methodology of Science Certificate?
Contact the PHIL Advisor at philcomm@sfu.ca More details on our website: SFU Philosophy
Registrar Notes:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS
SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.
Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html
RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION
Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.