Course Information
Below are the approved courses offered by the Department of Philosophy. Not all courses offered below will be available every semester. Make sure to check course offerings on the registration portal for each upcoming semester.
Course Descriptions
PHIL 101
Introduction to Logic
Units: 3 TO 4
The study of arguments, including basic principles of traditional logic together with an introduction to modern sentential logic. Topics include recognizing arguments, premises, conclusions, induction and deduction, fallacies, categorical syllogisms, and sentential inference forms. Every semester.
PHIL 102
Logic
Units: 3
Introduction to the aims and techniques of formal logic, including the syntax, semantics, and proof-theory of first-order predicate logic, emphasizing both conceptual issues and applications to other disciplines and to everyday reasoning.
PHIL 110
Introduction to Philosophy
Units: 3 TO 4
A basic orientation course treating the principal problems of philosophy, such as knowledge, human nature, values, nature, God, etc. A historical approach may also be used as a means of further clarification of the topics being discussed. Every semester.
PHIL 111
Philosophy of Human Nature
Units: 3 TO 4
This introductory course surveys various approaches to human nature. The course may include such topics as the relation of mind and body, the nature of consciousness, life after death and the existence of the soul, the possibility of artificial intelligence, race and gender issues, the relation between the individual and society, and non-Western views of human nature.
PHIL 112
Philosophy and Literature
Units: 3
An examination of the philosophical implications and themes contained in various works and genres of fiction. Questions such as free-will/determinism, love, justice, death and the meaning of life, the best (or worst) of all possible worlds, the religious dimension of life, and the role of the writer or intellectual in society will be discussed.
PHIL 114
Philosophy and Technology
Units: 3
This course introduces fundamental branches of philosophy—investigations into the nature of reality, knowledge, and human values—with a special focus on technology. It explores ideas about what technology is, how it shapes our world and our perceptions, along with its role in decisions concerning how we should live. With readings that may range from classic philosophical texts to contemporary debates surrounding artificial intelligence and robotics, the course encourages critical examination of technology for the sake of individual users and for the future of humanity.
PHIL 115
Faith and Reason
Units: 3
This course introduces some of the major areas and figures of philosophy through an exploration of some of the key issues and problems related to faith and reason. Questions to be considered might include: Are faith and reason compatible? Is religious belief rationally justifiable? Is religious language meaningful? Are there good arguments for God’s existence? Does God’s knowledge jeopardize human freedom? Are miracles possible? Does evil disprove God’s existence? Is the afterlife possible? Is eternal reward and punishment unjust?
PHIL 116
Morality and Justice
Units: 3
This course aims to provide a thorough introduction to key themes in ethics and political philosophy, i.e., morality and justice. Students will be introduced to foundational questions in ethics such as: why be moral? What is the nature of the good and the good life? What are our duties to other humans? To animals? To ourselves? Students will also be introduced to foundational questions concerning justice: when, if ever, is paternalism justified? What is the moral justification of punishment? How far do our speech rights extend? Are there expressive harms that the state should regulate, like hate speech? What are our duties, if any, to persons in other nations suffering from economic deprivation and starvation?
PHIL 118
Philosophy Through Food
Units: 3
This course is an introduction to philosophy—to its main aims, methods, areas, and tools. But there’s a twist: we will develop your ability to do philosophy by working through some of the most interesting philosophical issues raised by food and eating. We will investigate ethical and political questions about food such as: Should we eat meat? What should we make of the claims that people are responsible for disordered eating (of the kind e.g. that might lead to obesity or anorexia)? How does gender intersect with these issues? Do we have a duty to relieve hunger? If so how demanding is it and what grounds it? We will also address questions about the epistemology of food such as: What can we learn from others about taste? Is there expertise when it comes to flavor judgments? Are judgments about the flavor and quality of food and drink ever objective? How can we know? We will also think about the philosophy of science: Is blind tasting reliable? Is it the best way to judge wine quality? We will investigate aesthetic questions about food and drink: Is there an art form of food? Can food be expressive? Can it be representational? Can food and drink be beautiful? Readings will come from both classic and contemporary writings about food and eating. And there will be a number of in-class food-related activities that we will use to spark insights, foster discussion, and anchor our thoughts. Cross-listed as FOOD 118.
PHIL 171
Medieval Philosophy
Units: 3
An introduction to philosophy through an examination of the major figures or themes of medieval thought from the fourth to the fourteenth century. Figures such as Augustine, Aquinas, Scotus, Ockham, Hildegard of Bingen, Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Sienna. Themes such as faith and reason, the existence of God, the problem of evil, knowledge and skepticism, self-knowledge, the soul and immortality, love and free will, ethics and politics.
PHIL 175
Asian Philosophy
Units: 3
An examination of the major traditions, systems, and schools in India, China, and Japan. Readings from classical and modern texts. Cultural sources of philosophic beliefs. Comparisons between Eastern and Western thought.
PHIL 210
Philosophy of Fashion and Bodies
Units: 3
Going back through the Ancient Greeks we see a consistent philosophical thread presenting the self as the thinking mind. Historically, Western philosophy has distanced itself from fashion. This course presents and challenges such thinking—foregrounding fashion and bodies as subjects of utmost philosophical import. In addition to philosophy texts, this course will draw on art historical sources to ground discussion of style and fashion history. This course may satisfy either the core requirement for philosophical inquiry or artistic inquiry but not both.
PHIL 270
History of Ancient Philosophy
Units: 3
Greek philosophy from the pre-Socratics through Plato, Aristotle, and later Hellenistic thought, culminating in Plotinus.
PHIL 272
History of Classical Modern Philosophy
Units: 3
An introduction to the development of European philosophy from the 16th to the 19th century, with an emphasis on Continental Rationalism, British Empiricism, and German Idealism.
PHIL 273
Contemporary Anglo-American Philosophy
Units: 3
An introduction to the main currents of late 19th- and 20th-century Anglo-American philosophy, including such movements as logical positivism and linguistic analysis, and recent issues such as the analytic-synthetic distinction, ontological relativity, and theories of meaning.
PHIL 274
Twentieth Century Continental Philosophy
Units: 3
An introduction to the main currents of late 19th- and 20th-century continental thought, including Marxism, phenomenology, existentialism, critical theory, structuralism, and recent developments such as post-structuralism, semiotics, and deconstructionism.
PHIL 276
American Philosophy
Units: 3
A survey extending from the Colonial Period through the end of World War II. Emphasis on such topics as the Puritan controversy over predestination, the impact of Darwin, the advent of pragmatism, and the ending of the Golden Age. Authors to be studied include Edwards, Emerson, Wright, Peirce, James, Royce, Dewey, and Santayana.
PHIL 294
Special Topics in Philosophy
Units: 0.5 TO 4
The course aims to introduce students to some philosophical topic(s) or historical philosophical thinkers. Examples include: a survey course on a particular philosophical theme such as philosophy and the law, a survey course on a particular philosophical concept such as freedom of the will, or a survey course on a particular important philosophical figure such as Rousseau. Themes will vary according to Instructor design. The course may be repeated for credit, provided the content of the course has changed.
PHIL 300
Philosophical Methods
Units: 3
This course is intended for recently declared philosophy majors and minors. It is designed as a rigorous introduction to the methods of philosophical inquiry with a focus on argumentative writing, presentation, and discussion, as well as the analysis, understanding, and evaluation of philosophical texts. The course pursues these goals by focusing on a small handful of philosophical problems, such as the problem of personal identity, the nature of reference, the mind-body problem, philosophical multiculturalism, truth and meaning, freedom and responsibility, and so on. Prerequisites: This course is intended for recently-declared philosophy majors and minors. At least one course in philosophy is required.
PHIL 321
Social Ethics
Units: 3 TO 4
A study of the applications of ethical concepts and principles to different areas of human social conduct. Typical issues considered include abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, assisted reproductive technologies, racism, sexism, poverty and welfare, animal rights, environmental ethics, and world hunger.
PHIL 330
Ethics
Units: 3
A general study of principles or standards for judging individual and social conduct, focusing on major thinkers and philosophical issues in normative ethics, and the application of moral judgment to social or problem areas in human conduct.
PHIL 331
Biomedical Ethics
Units: 3
A systematic examination of ethical principles as they apply to issues in medicine and scientific research, that is: mercy killing; abortion; experimentation on human subjects; allocation of scarce medical resources; organ transplants; and behavior modification. Moral obligations connected with the roles of nurse, doctor, etc., will receive special attention.
PHIL 332
Business Ethics
Units: 3
A systematic application of various ethical theories to issues arising from the practice of modern business. Topics may include theories of economic justice, corporate social responsibility, employee rights, advertising and information disclosure, environmental responsibility, preferential hiring and reverse discrimination, self-regulation, and government regulation.
PHIL 333
Legal Ethics
Units: 3
An examination in the light of traditional and recent moral theory of the ethical issues faced by the practicing lawyer: the values presupposed by the adversarial system; the moral responsibilities of lawyers within corporations and government; the conflict between personal ethics and obligations to clientele; and whether legal education involves a social conditioning process with its own implicit value system.
PHIL 334
Studies in Ethics
Units: 3
Exploration of selected issues in moral philosophy, often of an interdisciplinary nature, on such themes as: death and dying; environmental ethics; business ethics; morality and science fiction; morality and teaching; etc. Depending on the subject, the course may be repeated for credit.
PHIL 335
Death and Dying
Units: 3
The analysis of various ethical, epistemological, and metaphysical problems relating to death and dying. Topics may include: near-death experiences; immortality and resurrection models of eschatology; the evil of death; and value issues raised by the definitions of death, suicide, euthanasia, infanticide, and the killing of non-human animals.
PHIL 336
Virtues and Vices
Units: 3
An investigation of the morality of character that considers the question, “What kind of person ought I be?” This approach to morality is contrasted with standard Kantian and utilitarian positions. Specific virtues and vices typically considered include love, friendship, hate, jealousy, compassion, deceit, self-deception, anger resentment, and forgiveness.
PHIL 337
Mass Media Ethics
Units: 3 TO
What is the responsibility of citizens, consumers, corporations, advertisers, artists and performers, and federal or local government toward mass media? Do mass media influence human contact for better or worse? Does regulation of, for example, pornography or propaganda conflict with First Amendment rights? Are news and commercial media politically biased? Do educational media enhance or undermine traditional teaching methods? Lecture, discussion, group activities, and analysis of media presentations.
PHIL 338
Environmental Ethics
Units: 3 TO 4
An exploration of ethical issues pertinent to the environment, for example: obligations to future generations; the question of animal rights; endangered species; pesticides and pollution; energy technologies; depletion of resources; and global justice and ocean resources. Consideration of the pertinent obligations of individuals, businesses, and government.
PHIL 340
Ethics of War and Peace
Units: 3
Normative ethics applied to moral questions of war and peace, such as: Can war ever be justified? If so, what are the moral constraints upon the conduct of war? How can peace be attained? What do pacifists and others offer as non-violent alternatives to armed conflict? Other topics might include terrorism, humanitarian interventions, nuclear warfare and deterrence, and war crimes.
PHIL 341
Ethics and Education
Units: 3
This course provides an introduction to such topics in moral theory as ethical relativism, deontological and consequentialist approaches to morality, and ethical egoism. Among the specific moral issues in education usually considered are preferential admissions policies, student-teacher confidentiality, the morality of grading, honesty and deception in educational contexts, and the allocation of scarce educational resources.
PHIL 342
Engineering Ethics
Units: 3
Examines the rights, responsibilities, and social role of the professional engineer. Topics may include conflicts of interest, the moral status of organizational loyalty, public safety and risk assessment, reproductive engineering and human dignity, preventing environmental destruction, “whistle-blowing,” defective product liability, engineers and corporate power, engineers and government, and codes of conduct and standards of professional competence. Case studies may include military and commercial airplanes, automobiles, public buildings, nuclear plants, weapons research, computers and confidentiality, and the use and abuse of new technologies.
PHIL 343
Gender and Economic Justice
Units: 3
Discrimination in employment, the persistence of sex segregation in the labor force, the feminization of poverty, and the implementation of policies designed to minimize gender-based career and economic differences, and to improve the economic status of women — such as affirmative action — raise a number of ethical as well as economic questions. This course surveys ethical theory and considers the application of ethical principles to issues concerning the economic status of women and related gender-based issues, including the position of women in business and the professions.
PHIL 344
Environmental Justice
Units: 3 OR 4
An exploration of social justice in an environmental context, including considerations of distributive, participatory, and procedural justice. Topics may include civil rights and the environmental justice movement, rights of indigenous peoples, environmentalism, economic and development conflicts between the global north and south, toxic and hazardous waste and pollution, worker safety, environmental racism, environmental classism, sustainability, and the protection of nature. Consideration of the pertinent obligations of individuals, social groups, businesses, and governments.
PHIL 345
Computer Ethics
Units: 3
This class is an exploration of ethical issues pertinent to computing and information technology. These issues may include free speech, trolling, and content control of the Web; the dark web; proprietary software and the ethics of decentralized control; privacy, cybersecurity, and computing; cryptocurrency and Web 3; and ethics education of technologists face of the future .
PHIL 346
Public Health Ethics
Units: 3
“Public Health” has been defined as the study of issues that affect the health of a community of individuals as opposed to that of single individuals. Public health ethics is a branch of bioethics that is distinct from biomedical ethics in that the focus of public health ethics is focus on populations. Biomedical ethics, on the other hand, involves the examination of issues that may only directly affect an individual. For example, the right to informed consent to treatment is fundamental to each patient, but whether an individual patient’s rights in this regard are violated does not generally affect others. Inoculation policy, on the other hand, affects a population of patients. The two disciplines overlap, however, because entire populations may be at risk for developing certain diseases such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease, even though individuals are treated on an individual basis. In addition, many of the issues covered in biomedical ethics are relevant to issues in public health, such as research ethics, informed consent, and privacy.
PHIL 347
Neuroethics
Units: 3
Neuroethics is a very new discipline, and its specific boundaries are not yet determined. However, it is possible to identify a number of salient topics and issues that philosophers, neuroscientists, bioethicists and others consider to be important. Among these are the relationship between science and ethics, whether ethics and/or normative properties are reducible to features or properties of the brain, or related, how an understanding of the evolutionary features of the brain impacts our understanding of ethics; how results in neuroscience (potentially) impact our understanding of notions such as free will and the self and our understanding of ethics generally, e.g., the role of emotions in ethical evaluation, and what ethical constraints, if any, are applicable to practicing neuroscientists.
PHIL 348
Ethics of AI and Robotics
Units: 3
AI is increasingly part of our day-to-day lives. For us to navigate this radically changing landscape, we must seriously consider the ethics of AI both as we use it currently and how it might be used in the future. In addition, innovations in robotics, both AI-enabled autonomous robots and other robotic applications, are increasingly part of our day-to-day lives. This course will take a multifaceted approach, drawing from a variety of disciplinary perspectives on AI and robotics. Students will draw on major ethical theories and traditions to assess the advances in artificial intelligence and how to address those advances and their impacts
PHIL 349
Art & Ethics
Units: 3
In Art & Ethics, we will study the many fascinating ways that art and aesthetic value interact with morality. What are the ethical considerations around cultural appropriation and 'cancel culture'? Can engaging with beauty make you a better person? Why do genders seem to have a 'look' or an 'aesthetic'? Should they? Should everyone care about aesthetic value? To explore these and other challenging questions we will engage in a lot of group discussion, listen to music, watch films, consider artworks, and read and write philosophy
PHIL 350
Dante and the Good Life
Units: 3
An investigation into the ethics of character through the literary study of Dante's Divine Comedy, an epic poem about the author's journey through the afterlife (Hell, Purgatory, Heaven). The course contrasts virtue ethics with other approaches. Character traits typically examined include lust, gluttony, envy, wrath, sloth, deceit, loyalty, generosity, humility, courage, justice, wisdom, faith, hope, and love.
PHIL 360
Ethical Theory
Units: 3
A study of the major theories of ethics and selected moral concepts. Topics to be examined will include: the nature and grounds of morality; ethical relativism; egoism and altruism; utilitarianism; Kant’s deontological ethics; Aristotle and virtue ethics, rights, and justice. In addition, we may consider issues of the role of gender and race in ethical theory.
PHIL 395
Embedded Ethics Capstone
Units: 1
This course is the 1-unit capstone culminating the Embedded Ethics Certificate. Depending upon students’ interests and professional goals, the capstone project will consist of a scholarly article, presentation, and/or the development and delivery of an ethics-focused workshop for relevant research teams or industry-based audiences. Meeting times and project details are to be discussed with and approved by the instructor. Students will utilize their prior training in practical ethics and integrate their skills for embedding ethics into emerging technologies. Prerequisites: Completion of 9 units toward the requirements of the Embedded Ethics Certificate
PHIL 400
Intermediate Symbolic Logic
Units: 3
This course will focus on symbolization, syntax, semantics, and derivations for predicate logic. It will include some metatheory such as soundness and completeness proofs.
PHIL 405
Games & Choices: The Tools of Philosophy, Politics, & Economics
Units: 3
This course provides an overview of formal methods in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE), including rational choice, game theory, social choice, and public choice theory. These methods will help students to understand work at the intersection of social science and political philosophy, and provide a way to bring formal and quantitative analysis to the study of social and political phenomena.
PHIL 410
Metaphysics
Units: 3
An investigation of the ultimate philosophical commitments about reality. Representative figures in the history of philosophy may be considered and analyzed. Topics selected may include the basic components of reality, their relation to space, time, matter, causality, freedom, determinism, the self, and God.
PHIL 411
Philosophy of Knowledge
Units: 3
An examination of the nature and scope of knowledge and justification, including consideration of such topics as skepticism, analyses of knowledge, foundationalism and coherentism, a priori knowledge, and others. Attention is also given to the nature of the epistemological enterprise, e.g. internalism and externalism, and naturalized epistemology.
PHIL 412
Philosophy of God
Units: 3
A study of the existence and nature of God. Discussion of the ontological, cosmological, and teleological arguments; topics may include atheistic challenges concerning divine benevolence, omnipotence, omniscience, and creation exnihilo; logical positivism and religious meaning; miracles; the person and immortality; and religion and morality.
PHIL 413
Philosophy of Mind
Units: 3
The mind-body problem and the examination of mental state concepts. Topics may include the nature of mind, including dualist and contemporary materialist theories, representation, mental causation, consciousness, psychological explanation, and artificial intelligence; other topics such as personal identity or agency may be included.
PHIL 414
Philosophy of Language
Units: 3
Language is a fundamental medium by which we interact with others and the world. How words come to have the meanings that they do, refer to objects, express truths, and affect the meanings of other words and truth values are perennial questions in philosophy. These issues have become even more pronounced in 20th-century philosophy. Specific topics may include: language and reality; language and psychology; referential theories of meaning; ideal languages; meaning as use; private languages; truth-conditional theories of meaning; descriptive and causal theories of reference and of linguistic competence and performance; verificationism; and/or an introduction to modal semantics.
PHIL 415
Philosophy of Natural Science
Units: 3
The study of the language and activity of the scientific community. Topics include scientific explanation, prediction, laws, theories, models, paradigms, observations, experiment, scientific method, and the question of reductionism in science.
PHIL 416
Philosophy of Archaeology
Units: 3
Central questions in philosophy include enquiry into what it means to be human, how we can know other minds, what makes something art, how we can gain knowledge of the world, and how we can act ethically. Each of these issues is central to archaeology. In this course we will use archaeology to illuminate philosophical questions and will use philosophical methods to consider problems archaeologists face.
PHIL 420
Philosophy of Race
Units: 3
This course aims to provide a comprehensive overview of key themes in the philosophy of race. Areas of inquiry include: historical origins of philosophical accounts of race, the metaphysics of race, the social construction of race and racial identity, contemporary social issues concerning race both nationally and internationally, as well as feminism and race, among other topics.
PHIL 423
African American Philosophy
Units: 3
This course introduces students to African American Philosophy through both historical figures who affected philosophical thinking about African American experiences and philosophers who have thought about these experiences and figures’ ideas. In this course, students will apply Western philosophical methods to issues such as slavery, integration/self-segregation, assimilation/separatism, busing, affirmative action, reparations for slavery, collective identity and efficacy, intersectionality, etc. Students will apply philosophical methods to concepts such as respect, alienation, oppression, citizenship, forgiveness, progress, etc. as they are either conceptualized or reimagined through African American experiences.
PHIL 427
History of Africana Philosophy
Units: 3
This course introduces students to Africana Philosophy, which is considered to be a term that accounts for the philosophical contributions of people of African descent in Africa and the Diaspora, namely Africa, the Caribbean, and North America. Central questions discussed herein include very common philosophical questions such as: “What does it mean to be a human being?”; “how is the past (or time more generally) to be understood and accounted for?”; “how is knowledge about ourselves as thinking subjects possible?” However, what makes these questions unique to Africana philosophy are both the way that they intersect between each of the three areas. So the question: “What does it mean to be a human being?” is raised in light of the humanity of peoples of African descent having been or constantly being called into question. There are also questions raised that are unique to Africana Philosophy such as: “What is the connection between language and freedom”; and "how much of the ‘master’s’ tools can dismantle his/her house?
PHIL 460
Legal Reasoning
Units: 3
This course introduces students to the concepts and forms of argument they will encounter in the first year of law school. It will examine the reasoning involved in the concepts of legal precedent, proximate cause, and burden of proof, and it will also investigate the legal reasoning in certain landmark cases from torts, contracts, property, constitutional law, and criminal law.
PHIL 461
Philosophy of Law
Units: 3
What is law? How is it different from morality? Do we have an obligation to obey the law, and, if so, how strong is that obligation? This course is an exploration of philosophical issues arising from the interpretation and application of the law. The course examines classic answers to the above questions. The focus of the course may be either historical (e.g. Plato, Hobbes, or Hegel) or more contemporary (e.g. H.L.A. Hart and Ronald Dworkin), paying special attention to constitutional law.
PHIL 462
Political Philosophy
Units: 3
The nature and end of the state; relation of the individual’s rights and duties to those of the state, and vice versa, and the relation between states, the kinds of states, their institution, preservation, and destruction.
PHIL 467
Studies in Renaissance Philosophy
Units: 3
This course studies main figures in Renaissance thought — Petrarch, Pico, Vives, Bacon, et al. It addresses such topics as: the revival of Greek and Roman culture; the Florentine academy; tensions between humanism and theology; the Copernican revolution in science; and the legacies of Bruno, Leonardo, More, Machiavelli, and Montaigne.
PHIL 470
Studies in Ancient Philosophy
Units: 3
An in-depth study of selected ancient philosophers, that is, Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics, or topics such as the nature of good, knowledge and skepticism, the problem of Being, and change.
PHIL 471
Studies in Medieval Philosophy
Units: 3
An intensive examination of one or more of the major figures or themes of medieval thought from the fourth to the fourteenth century. Figures such as Augustine, Boethius, Anselm, Abelard and Heloise, Maimonides, Avicenna, Averroes, Aquinas, Scotus, Ockham, Hildegard of Bingen, Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Sienna. Themes such as faith, reason and its limits, God and creation, the eternity of the world, the Incarnation and the Trinity, the immortality of the soul, the problem of evil, the problem of universals, love and free will, the active versus contemplative life, ethics and politics. May be repeated for credit with different course content.
PHIL 472
Studies in Modern European Philosophy
Units: 3
An intensive examination of one or more major figures in 17th- to 19th-century European thought, for example, Descartes, Leibniz, Spinoza, Hobbes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Rousseau, and Marx; or, alternately, a discussion of one or more central problems in this era, such as the relation between science and religion, the justification of causal inference, the respective roles of reason and experience in obtaining reliable knowledge of the world, the concept of selfhood, etc.
PHIL 473
Contemporary Anglo-American Philosophy
Units: 3
An intensive examination of either major figures (such as Chisholm, Kripke, Quine), movements (logical positivism, ordinary language analysis, logical analysis), or selected problems (epistemic foundationalism, modality and essentialism, identity and individuation) in contemporary analytic philosophy.
PHIL 474
Twentieth Century Continental Philosophy
Units: 3
A survey of the major figures or major themes of continental philosophy from its origins in the Twentieth Century. Figures such as Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Arendt, Foucault, Derrida, etc.. Movements such as phenomenology, hermeneutics, existentialism, critical theory, structuralism, post-structuralism, and post-modernism among others. Themes such as the relationship between mind and body, thought and action, authenticity and inauthenticity, death and meaning, politics and identity, language and meaning.
PHIL 475
Phil 475: Studies in Process Philosophy
Units: 3
Process Philosophy is a generic term designating the group of philosophers who view reality as a changing and developing process. Included in this group are Herbert Spencer, Karl Marx, Henri Bergson, and Alfred North Whitehead. The course will focus, in successive years, on one of these thinkers.
PHIL 476
Studies in Asian Philosophy
Units: 3
A detailed examination of one or more classic works from the Hindu, Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist traditions, such as the Bhagavad-Gita or the Analects; pitfalls of interpretation; relations between text and ure. Parallels and contrasts with Western thought and institutions. May be repeated for credit with different course content.
PHIL 477
Studies in the History of Philosophy
Units: 3
An in-depth study of major figure(s), theme(s), or movement(s) from a select period in the history of philosophy, such as ancient philosophy, medieval philosophy, modern philosophy, or contemporary philosophy. Figures such as Plato and Aristotle, Augustine and Aquinas, Kant and Hume, Heidegger and Derrida. Themes such as appearance and reality, truth and meaning, freedom and responsibility, personal identity, mind and body, knowledge and skepticism. Movements such as Epicureanism and stoicism, scholasticism and the renaissance, empiricism and the enlightenment, existentialism and post-structuralism.
PHIL 478
French Theory
Units: 3
This course presents students with direct exposure to the foundational figures of French Theory, e.g., (postmodernist) Jacques Derrida and (poststructuralist) Michel Foucault. Students in the course will develop an understanding of French Theory's foundational movements (postmodernism and poststructuralism) and terms of art (alterity, aporia, archeology, binary, biopower, dichotomy, differance, discipline, discourse, discursive formation, episteme, exclusion, freedom, genealogy, hegemony, hospitality, ideology, institution, logocentrism, normalization, normativity, panopticism, power, power-knowledge, sexuality, supplement, the other, the marginalized, the trace, and "truth").
PHIL 480
Philosophy of Art
Units: 3
An examination of some major theories of art and beauty, with special attention to such issues as: the definition of beauty, the criteria for excellence in artistic productions, the differences between art and science, and the relation between art and culture. Readings may include Artistotle’s Poetics, Kant’s Critique of Judgement, Dewey’s Art as Experience, or more recent philosophers, that is, Beardsley, Dickie, Goodman, Weitz, etc.
PHIL 481
Philosophy of Education
Units: 3
An examination of some major theories of the meaning and function of education and of its role in reshaping society. Readings may include Plato’s Meno and Republic, Aristotle’s Politics, Rousseau’s Emile, Dewey’s The School and Society and The Child and the Curriculum, and various works by Piaget.
PHIL 483
Philosophy of Social Sciences
Units: 3
A study of the fundamental concepts, methods, and goals of the social sciences, including a consideration of such topics as: the nature of the human action, the possibility of a science of human nature, the relationship between the natural and social sciences, explanation and understanding, laws and theories, objectivity and value judgments, and freedom and determinism.
PHIL 485
Philosophy of History
Units: 3
What is history? Why do human beings record their history? Is history moving toward a goal? Is history a science or an art? Are historical events objective occurrences? Can we verify casual claims about unrepeatable episodes? Is the historian entitled (or obliged) to make value-judgments? How should we rank the contributions of individual historians? Readings include philosophers and historians, classical and contemporary sources.
PHIL 490
Philosophy of Love
Units: 3
What is love? Does it even exist, or is it a myth? Is it attainable, or an impossible ideal? Is it rooted in the divine; in the human, or even in the biologic or animal? Is it an emotion, a form of relationship, or even a cosmic principle? Can it be equal and shared, or must it be hierarchic and coercive? This course considers a variety of philosophical perspectives on questions such as these. Readings typically include such classic and contemporary thinkers as Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Kierkegaard, Freud, Sartre, DeBeauvoir, and Tillich.
PHIL 494
Special Topics in Philosophy
Units: 0.5 TO 4
An intensive examination of one or more contemporary philosophical problems such as: the is-ought debate, the mind-body problems, relativism and the possibility of objective knowledge, etc. Topic may vary. The course may be repeated for credit, provided the content of the course has changed.
PHIL 499
Independent Study
Units: 1 TO 3
Individual study and written research working in close collaboration with a faculty advisor. Consent of instructor and of the department chair are required for registration.