Pursuant to Article 16 of the CUPE 4600 Unit 2 Collective Agreement, applications are invited from members of the CUPE 4600-2 bargaining unit and other interested persons to teach the following Philosophy courses during the Winter 2019 term:
Note: the scheduling cannot be changed on these courses as registration is underway.
PHIL 1000 [0.5 credit]: Introductory Philosophy: Fields, Figures and Problems
Scheduled:
Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:00 – 5:30
This course will introduce students to some of the main fields of philosophy, such as epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, social philosophy, and aesthetics. In each of field covered, students will learn of perennial philosophical problems in that field and the efforts of both contemporary and historical figures to deal with those problems. The central goal of the course is to stimulate students’ thought by encouraging them to develop their own insights and arguments about the problems.
PHIL 1301 [0.5 credit]: Mind, World & Knowledge
Scheduled:
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4:30 – 6:00
The aim of this course is to introduce students to philosophical inquiry applied to a number of central questions of epistemology, metaphysics, and the philosophy of mind and language. Among these questions are: What is it for someone to know, as contrasted with merely believe, something? How can we respond to sceptics who insist that genuine knowledge is impossible? How does the mind relate to the body and to the “external world”—to what lies outside of the mind—more generally? How can we know that others have minds and are not complex robots? Do we know ourselves in a privileged way? What, if anything, makes humans so different from primates and other “advanced” species? Can we think without language? How do we acquire language? Do we have innate ideas or do we acquire all of them through experience? Do we need to posit a divine being to deal with any of these questions? To what extent can scientific discoveries help us answer these questions? Historical and contemporary readings may be combined, but this course should prepare students to succeed in 2000-level courses in contemporary analytic philosophy.
PHIL 2001 [0.5 credit]: Introduction to Logic
Scheduled:
Mondays, 12:30 – 2:30
(Lecture is once a week for two hours, plus four groups of one-hour tutorials led by TA’s.)
An introduction to the techniques and philosophical implications of propositional and predicate logic with emphasis on translation of expressions into symbolic form, testing for logical correctness, the formulation and application of rules of inference, and the relation between logic and language. While the course will be accessible to students with non-philosophical backgrounds, the textbook and assignments will provide students with basic knowledge of propositional and predicate logic that are assumed by higher-level courses in philosophy.
PHIL 2103 [0.5 credit]: Philosophy of Human Rights
Scheduled:
Wednesdays and Fridays, 4:00 – 5:30
The content and teaching of this course will focus on the justifiability of human rights. Thus the distinction between having a human right, as a moral guarantee, and enjoying a human right (insofar as it is respected, protected and fulfilled) will be drawn, and prominent lines of argument (both historical and contemporary) for and against particular human rights or classes of human rights will be presented. These will include prominent philosophical approaches, e.g., utilitarian, Kantian, contractarian, libertarian, and basic rights approaches. Students will engage critically with these debates, considering objections to the arguments, and drawing their own conclusions as to which of the arguments stand up best to the objections, and thus which views on the contested human rights are supported by the strongest arguments. Relativism will be covered as well as pluralism, i.e. the prospect that human rights may be justifiable from within many different cultural traditions and moral perspectives. Historical and contemporary readings may be combined, but this course should prepare students to succeed in upper-level courses in contemporary social and political philosophy, while remaining interesting and accessible to students who will not take more philosophy.
PHIL 3009: Topics in European Philosophy
Scheduled:
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:30 – 4:00
A study of philosophers, texts, problems and issues in any period of European philosophy. The course aims not merely to enhance students’ understanding of European philosophy, but to stimulate students’ thought by encouraging them to develop their own insights and arguments about the topics addressed. Contract instructors are invited to discuss their course designs with permanent Philosophy faculty or the Chair.
PHIL 3330 Topics in the History of Social and Political Philosophy
Scheduled:
Wednesdays, 6:00 – 9:00
A critical examination of selected topics in the history of social and political philosophy. The course aims not merely to enhance students’ understanding of the history of social and political philosophy, but to stimulate students’ thought by encouraging them to develop their own insights and arguments about the topics addressed. Contract instructors are invited to discuss their course designs with permanent Philosophy faculty or the Chair.
Application Procedures and Deadlines:
Required Professional Qualifications: MA Degree in the appropriate field.
Closing Date: Thursday, August 23rd, 1:00 pm.
All applicants must apply to the Department Head in writing and in relation to each course for which they wish to be considered:
Professor David Matheson
Chair, Department of Philosophy
Carleton University
1125 Colonel by Drive, 3A48 Paterson Hall
Ottawa, ON. K1S 5B6
Email: philosophy@carleton.ca
As per Article 15.3 of the current CUPE 4600 Unit 2 Collective Agreement, applicants are required to submit an up to date CV, including a complete listing of all courses taught within the CUPE 4600 Unit 2 bargaining unit at Carleton University. Candidates who have already contacted the department and submitted a CV recently need only indicate their interest in particular courses. NOTE that when applying to classes for which they have incumbency, applicants shall not be required to (re)submit documentation beyond their updated CV.
Pre-Posting Hiring Decisions:
The following courses have been assigned to graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, or visiting scholars. These courses are not open for applications but the department will contact the most senior incumbent to review their rights under Article 17.6 of the CUPE 4600-2 Collective Agreement:
- N/A for the 2018/19 academic year