Philosophy
At its heart, philosophy is concerned with how to lead our lives, with the difference between what matters and what only seems to matter, the difference between living and merely surviving. In different centuries and cultures, this central concern has been approached from very different points of view: from that of spiritual practices whether secular or religious, from that of one of the sciences such as economics or psychology, but always concerned with giving the best possible reasons for its answers to the existential question of how to lead our lives.
Perhaps it was the demand to give the best possible reasons that induced philosophy to invent a number of what can appear to be separate domains of philosophy conceived as a rigorous professional discipline.
- Logic addresses itself directly to the ways and patterns of reasoning.
- Ethics addresses itself to matters of right and wrong, justice and injustice.
- Political and legal philosophy approach those ethical issues tuned to a special concern for the political and legal contexts within which we live.
- Metaphysics is concerned with what exists and with what accounts for the being of whatever is.
- Epistemology is concerned with how we know what we know, or if we can ever know anything at all.
- Aesthetics is concerned with beauty in the arts, in nature, and in our lives.
However separate these different domains of philosophy can sometimes appear, they get their philosophical life blood from the existential concerns with which philosophy begins. These different philosophical domains are sometimes approached by reading culturally various historical texts, sometimes by investigating recent work in the various sciences of today. Sometimes a singular aspect of our lives together is addressed in ways developed by a few of these apparently separate philosophical domains: such is the case with bioethics, feminist philosophy, philosophy of race, of religion, of economics, of technology, of science, and of logic.
The study of philosophy is a work of the imagination. It teaches us how to think otherwise than within the constraints of what, in our habitual lives, mostly passes for thinking. That is why philosophy is a boon to work in any field, to life in any environment.
THE MAJOR PROGRAM
The major program in philosophy is designed to provide a broad exposure to the major areas of philosophy and a strong grounding in the history of philosophy. The program emphasizes the close reading and critical evaluation of classic texts from ancient times to the present, and students can expect to develop sophisticated analytic and expository skills that will enable them to engage in original, critical reflection on their own. The major program provides excellent preparation for graduate study in philosophy, law, and medicine, as well as a solid foundation for any career that places a premium upon clear, careful thinking, rigorous conceptual and analytical skills, and effective written and oral communication.
The major consists of a minimum of 44 credits in philosophy. There are 7 specified course requirements and 4 free elective courses of which 2 must be numbered 200 or above.
Major Requirements
| Core Philosophy Requirements | ||
| PHIL 014 | Symbolic Logic | 4 |
| PHIL 102 | Philosophical Thinking | 4 |
| PHIL 105 | Ethics | 4 |
| PHIL 131 | Ancient Philosophy | 4 |
| PHIL 135 | Modern Philosophy | 4 |
| PHIL 139 | Contemporary Philosophy | 4 |
| PHIL 220 | Epistemology | 4 |
| or PHIL 221 | Metaphysics | |
| Philosophy Electives | ||
| Select at least 16 additional credits of philosophy courses, of which at least 8 must be at the 200-level or above. | 16 | |
| Total Credits | 44 | |
Writing-Intensive Requirement
Majors are strongly encouraged to fulfill their junior writing-intensive requirement by taking a WI-designated philosophy course.
Honors
To qualify for Honors in Philosophy, philosophy majors must write an Honors Thesis.
The Honors Thesis is a year-long independent project during which philosophy majors, with the consent and under the guidance of a philosophy faculty advisor, investigate a topic of special interest to them. To be approved to work on an Honors Thesis, students should apply to the department in the spring of their junior year. Applications will detail the subject matter of the proposed thesis and a timeline for its completion; they will demonstrate that the student has secured the support of a faculty advisor who has determined that the student is philosophically able to complete the thesis.
If approved to write an Honors Thesis, the student will enroll in PHIL 390 Honors Thesis I (4 credits) in the first semester of their senior year and PHIL 391 Honors Thesis II (4 credits) in the second semester of their senior year. If the faculty advisor deems the student's progress towards completion of the thesis during the first semester (PHIL 390) unsatisfactory, the student will not be permitted to enroll in PHIL 391 for the second semester.
Departmental Honors in Philosophy are awarded to graduating seniors who satisfy the following two criteria:
- At the start of their final semester, their overall GPA is at least 3.25 and their GPA in philosophy is at least 3.5, and
- Their completed Honors Thesis receives an A from the thesis advisor, and then is judged by the whole department faculty to be well-researched, well-argued, well-organized, well-written, and to exhibit original philosophical thinking.
Graduate Study in Philosophy
It is recommended that majors planning to pursue graduate study in philosophy (a) apply for Honors, (b) discuss their career plans with a faculty member during their junior year, and (c) make sure to include the following 4 specific courses in their programs:
| PHIL 114 | Metalogic | 4 |
| PHIL 220 | Epistemology | 4 |
| PHIL 221 | Metaphysics | 4 |
| PHIL 250 | Philosophy of Mind | 4 |
| Total Credits | 16 | |
MINOR IN PHILOSOPHY
Minor programs are planned in conjunction with the departmental advisor who will help the student plan a program compatible with his or her interests.
The minor in philosophy consists of a minimum of 16 credits:
| 3 Philosophy courses at any level | 12 | |
| 1 Philosophy course at the 200-level or above | 4 | |
| Total Credits | 16 | |
MINOR in Philosophy, Law & public Policy
Seldom in history have the philosophical foundations of law and public policy been more critically important. This minor is based on the idea that while law is codified policy, policy is persuasive philosophical-moral argument. Consequently, it begins from the premise that both a knowledge of established law, and those policy arguments that instigate transformation, require an understanding of the philosophical essence that gives a policy or law its authority. This makes the philosophical study of public affairs the most practical of endeavors. The new minor seeks, in a compact set of courses, to provide the student with the methodological and critical skills that are the core of philosophical understanding. In addition, the student will learn how to contextualize these skills through primary historical-philosophical sources, applying them to the analysis of those philosophical imperatives that currently drive the law, as well as the synthesis of legal-policy arguments for change.
Requirements: For those majoring in Philosophy, no more than one course can be counted toward both the major and this minor.
| Core Course (select one) | 4 | |
| Philosophical-Policy & Legal Design: Methods & Applications | ||
| Special Topics In Philosophy, Law & Public Policy | ||
| 100-level courses (select two) 1 | 8 | |
| Ethics | ||
| Bioethics | ||
| Legal Philosophy | ||
| Social & Political Philosophy | ||
| Race, Racism, and Philosophy | ||
| Philosophy of Economics | ||
| One additional Philosophy course at the 200-level or above. 2 | 4 | |
| Total Credits | 16 | |
- 1
A student may, with permission from the Philosophy Department, substitute a course from a different department in a germane subject for one of these courses.
- 2
A second core course can be taken to fulfill this requirement.
Courses
PHIL 001 Introduction to Philosophy 4 Credits
Philosophy is a broad discipline which critically addresses many different branches of human experience. Aesthetics, politics, ethics, religion and even the structure of the world have all represented great sources of philosophical discussion in both eastern and western traditions. Study of historical and contemporary texts will introduce students to this vast philosophical universe and provide the skills necessary to benefit from its further exploration. Course not open to seniors.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU, W
PHIL 003 (ETH 003, REL 003) Global Religion, Global Ethics 4 Credits
Introduction to philosophical and religious modes of moral thinking, with attention given to ethical issues as they arise cross-culturally in and through religious traditions. The course will reference the United Nations Millennium Goals to consider family life and the role of women, social justice, the environment, and ethical ideals. Particular focus varies but may include one or more of the following: abortion and reproductive health, the death penalty, religiously motivated violence, and problems of personal disorder (heavy drinking, anorexia, vengeance).
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU
PHIL 010 (ASIA 010, REL 010) Intro to Buddhism: Love Death and Freedom 4 Credits
This course will introduce students to Buddhist practices, philosophical systems, and cultural forms, from Buddhism's Indian origins to its spread across Asia and globally. Students will explore how Buddhists have approached the problem of death, the possibility of freedom, and the forms of social and individual love and concern. Course materials include poetry, biographies, philosophical writings, art and film.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU
PHIL 014 (MATH 014) Symbolic Logic 4 Credits
This course is an introduction to logical theory. Our primary goal is to study the notions of logical consequence and provability. The central question that we will try to answer is this: What exactly does it mean to say that some conclusion is a logical consequence of or is provable from a certain collection of premises? To answer this question as clearly and rigorously as possible, we will develop three symbolic logical systems: Term Logic, Sentence Logic, and Predicate Logic.
Attribute/Distribution: MA, Q
PHIL 040 (REL 040) Is God Dead? Past, Present, Future 4 Credits
Is God Dead? Some people think so. Do you? Come decide for yourself. This course looks at the idea of god in Western philosophy and theology, with particular attention to death of god movement(s), and the changing shape of these movements in light of culture wars and identity politics. The course surveys key thinkers to ask questions about the origins, functions, and future of god and gods in the contemporary world. Posed as an ongoing question-Is god dead?
Attribute/Distribution: HU
PHIL 091 Special Topics 1-4 Credits
Introductory study of a subject in Philosophy not covered by other courses.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
PHIL 100 (GS 100, POLS 100) Introduction to Political Thought 4 Credits
A critical examination of political ideologies: Liberalism, Marxism, Fascism, and Islamism.
PHIL 101 Ancient Political Heritage 4 Credits
Important Political thinkers from the pre-Socratics to early, modern political theorists like Machiavelli.
Attribute/Distribution: SS
PHIL 102 Philosophical Thinking 4 Credits
We can think philosophically about almost any topic: mathematics, ethics, ordinary objects, explanations, race, even philosophy itself. But if philosophy has no special subject matter, what exactly is it? Philosophy is a distinctive kind of activity - an activity that involves certain ways of thinking and certain kinds of conceptual tools. This class will familiarize students both with the tools philosophers take for granted and with philosophical patterns of reasoning and argumentative strategies that go beyond basic critical thinking.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU, W
PHIL 105 (ETH 105) Ethics 4 Credits
Examination of right and wrong, good and bad, from classic sources such as Plato, Aristotle, Hume, Kant, Mill and Nietzsche.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
PHIL 106 (ETH 106, HMS 106, REL 106) Bioethics and the Law 4 Credits
Students in this course will learn something about the foundations and (nontechnical) workings of the American system of justice, and will combine that understanding with a focus on various topics in bioethics, from the "right to die" to gene-patenting. A key point will be the understanding that, as science and medicine continually move forward, there are always new challenges to existing legal understanding. How should the law respond to new questions, e.g. inheritance rights of posthumously conceived children?
Attribute/Distribution: HU
PHIL 107 (HMS 107, REL 107) Bio-Ethics and the Family 4 Credits
From reproduction to dying, this course will focus on how ethical issues in science and medicine highlight the role of the family. Issues include assisted reproduction and the role of gamete donors; genetic testing and the problem of misattributed paternity; the locus of decision making when patients are terminal or in pvs. Should our individual-orientated medical culture move toward a more family-oriented perspective?
Attribute/Distribution: HU
PHIL 112 (ETH 112) Business Ethics 4 Credits
This course will explore moral problems that arise in the production and distribution of goods and services. Topics may include: the intersection of government and business, stakeholder vs stockholder theory, moral obligations of employers and employees, discrimination in the workplace, theories of ownership, fraudulent practices, cons and scams, and ethics in sales. (HU).
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU
PHIL 114 (MATH 114) Metalogic 4 Credits
This is a course on the metatheory of First-Order Predicate Logic. It offers expositions of some of the most important results of this metatheory, such as the Soundness and Completeness Theorems, Gödel’s first and second Incompleteness Theorems, Tarski’s Indefinability Theorem, and Church’s Undecidability Theorem. It also offers introductory expositions of set theory, computability theory, and Second-Order Predicate Logic. The course is structured to serve the needs of a mixed audience, including students with no background in symbolic logic.
Attribute/Distribution: MA, Q
PHIL 116 (ETH 116, HMS 116, REL 116) Bioethics 4 Credits
Moral issues that arise in the context of health care and related biomedical fields in the United States today, examined in the light of the nature and foundation of moral rights and obligations. Topics include: confidentiality, informed consent, euthanasia, medical research and experimentation, genetics, and the distribution of health care.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU
PHIL 117 (AAS 117) Race, Racism, and Philosophy 4 Credits
An introduction to the philosophy born of struggle against racism and white supremacy. We will read the work of philosophers, mostly European, who quietly made modern racism possible by inventing the category of race, but we will concentrate on the work of philosophers, mostly of African descent, who for 200 years have struggled to force a philosophical critique of the category of race and the practice of white supremacy.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
PHIL 119 (ETH 119, EVST 119) Environmental Ethics 4 Credits
Evaluates the ethical and moral dimensions of humanity’s relationship to nature as well as our individual and collective moral duties to confront urgent environmental challenges. Topics may include the intersection of climate and social justice; responsibilities to future generations, distant others, and nonhuman animals; the limitations of traditional ethical, political, and economic frameworks for accommodating our obligations and commitments to justice; and possible legal and public policy responses.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU
PHIL 120 (FILM 120) Philosophy and Film 4 Credits
This seminar course will explore a variety of themes, genres, and movements within cinema from a philosophical perspective. Regular screenings of films from silent era to present. Content may vary depending upon instructor.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
PHIL 122 Legal Philosophy 4 Credits
This course will examine how philosophical argument is used to justify collective legal authority. It will focus on the dialectical relationship between the ‘Ethical’ definition of the moral in individual choice and the ‘Juridical’ definition of the moral in collective public law. Using legal cases, a cross-section of Medieval and Modern (Age of Reason-Enlightenment) Philosopher’s arguments will be examined with special attention to their distinct definitions of human practical reason and moral agency, as these justify legitimate legal authority.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU, W
PHIL 123 Aesthetics 4 Credits
Theories, classical and modern, of the nature of beauty and the aesthetic experience. Practical criticism of some works of art, and examination of analogies between arts, and between art and nature.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU, W
PHIL 124 (REL 124) Philosophy Of Religion 4 Credits
Critical examination, from a philosophical perspective, of some fundamental problems of religion, the nature of religious experience and belief, reason and revelation, the existence and nature of God, the problem of evil, and religious truth.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
PHIL 125 Social & Political Philosophy 4 Credits
Examination of visions of good social life and values that should shape society so that people are able to live good lives together. Issues covered may include the nature of freedom, how the facts of gender, race, class, ethnic, and cultural differences should be taken into account in social and political relations, the limits of religious tolerance, war, world hunger.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
PHIL 127 Existentialism 4 Credits
Investigation of the historical development of existentialism from its origins in the 19th century (Kierkegaard, Nietzsche) through its marriage to phenomenology in the early 20th (Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty), and out the other side as a vigorous dimension of much literary, psychological, and artistic work produced in the last 50 years.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU, W
PHIL 128 Philosophy Of Science 4 Credits
Science obviously works, and newer theories surely are better than the theories they replace, but why does science work, how does it work, and in what sense is it progressive? Is science a revelation of reality, or an account of evolving human experience? Are scientists rational? Is scientific reasoning logical? This course surveys the wide range of contemporary responses to these surprisingly elusive, and surprisingly still open, questions.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU
PHIL 129 (JST 129, REL 129) Jewish Philosophy 4 Credits
Consideration of how major Jewish thinkers from the first to 21st centuries confronted questions at the intersection of religion and philosophy: the existence and nature of God, free will, evil, divine providence, miracles, creation, revelation, and religious obligation.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU, W
PHIL 131 Ancient Philosophy 4 Credits
Historical survey of selected texts and issues in the classical world, from the pre-Socratics through Aristotle, with emphasis on the origins of the western philosophical traditions in ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU, W
PHIL 133 Medieval Philosophy 4 Credits
Historical survey of selected texts and issues in western philosophy from the fourth to 14th centuries. Attention will be given to the relation between developments in medieval philosophy and major currents in ancient and modern thought. Figures may include Augustine, Eriugena, Anselm, Aquinas, Ockham, and Nicholas of Autrecourt.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU
PHIL 135 Modern Philosophy 4 Credits
Historical survey of selected texts and issues in 17th and 18th century European philosophy with particular emphasis on developments in epistemology and metaphysics. Attention will be given to the relation of the “modern period” to developments in late medieval philosophy and the rise of the experimental sciences. Figures may include Descartes, Leibniz, Locke, Hume, and Kant.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU, W
PHIL 137 Nineteenth Century Philosophy 4 Credits
Historical survey of selected texts and issues in 19th century philosophy. Areas of focus may include post-Kantian idealism; period-specific critiques of religion, politics, and morality; theories of history; the origins of utilitarianism, pragmatism, existentialism, and mathematical logic; etc. Figures may include Hegel, Marx, Kierkegaard, Mill, Peirce, Frege, Nietzsche, James, etc.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU, W
PHIL 139 Contemporary Philosophy 4 Credits
Philosophical thought from the late 19th century to the present; pragmatism, linguistic analysis, existentialism, and Marxism. Truth and knowledge, values and moral judgment, meaning, the place of the individual in the physical world and society, and the impact of the scientific method upon all of these.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU, W
PHIL 140 (ASIA 140) Eastern Philosophy 4 Credits
Survey of selected texts and issues in the eastern philosophical traditions. Attention will be given to the development and interrelations of these traditions as well as a comparison of western and eastern treatments of selected issues. Areas of focus may include Confucianism, Taoism, and Zen Buddhism.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU
PHIL 141 (REL 141) Islamic Philosophy 4 Credits
The medieval era was the golden age of Islamic civilization. Science, mathematics, theology, philosophy, logic, jurisprudence, and many other disciplines flourished during that time. The course is an introduction to medieval Islamic philosophy. There is no indigenous Islamic philosophy other than medieval Islamic philosophy and theology, and commentaries on and interpretations of medieval Islamic philosophical and theological texts. The readings cover selections from the writings of al-Kindī, al-Rāzī, al-Fārābī, Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna), al-Ghazālī, Ibn Ṭufayl, and Ibn Rushd (Averroes).
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU
PHIL 142 (ASIA 142) Zen and Art of the Everyday 4 Credits
The Japanese conception of beauty is strikingly different to our own: it is associated with impermanence, imperfection, and austerity. Moreover, attention to beauty pervades even everyday activities in Japan, such as wrapping purchases at the dollar store or putting out garbage. This course explores principles that guide the Japanese aesthetic sensibility with an eye to its expression in Japanese literature, film, and traditional arts, such as the tea ceremony and gardening.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU
PHIL 145 Philosophy and Technology 4 Credits
This course is an exploration of questions of metaphysics and morality in the digital age. Are new technologies changing our views of metaphysics (what's real) and morality (what's right)? Can classical and contemporary philosophical theories help us think more clearly and make better choices when faced with new technologies? To help answer these questions, students will read a variety of philosophical works that invite critical reflection on a broad array of topics at the intersection of philosophy and technology.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
PHIL 146 (WGSS 146) Philosophy of Sex and Gender 4 Credits
An examination of concepts, values, and assumptions relevant to gender and sex(uality) in our diverse society, investigating how they affect our lives in both concrete and symbolic ways. Intersections among gender, sex(uality), race, class, religion, ethnicity, etc., will be explored. Special attention will be paid to how gendered assumptions color our understandings of experiences of embodiment and emotion, reasoning and decision-making, knowledge production, and public and private relationships and activities.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU
PHIL 150 Philosophy of Education 4 Credits
A historical survey of major views on the meaning and function of education, this course will address questions such as, What is the role of education in individual human development? What are the goals of education? What are the ideal approaches to meet those goals? What is the relationship between one's view of learning and one's view of teaching? What is the relationship between educational institutions and the state? Does everyone need the same type of education?
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
PHIL 151 (HMS 151, JST 151, REL 151) Judaism, Medicine, and Bioethics 4 Credits
This class traces the relationship between Jews and medicine from 1100 to 2020. How does Jewish religion and culture cultivate an affinity for the healing arts? How does Jewish law, ethics, and culture inform contemporary bioethics?
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU
PHIL 155 Philosophical Foundations of International Law 4 Credits
What philosophical principles lay at the essence of such contemporary international legal dilemmas as terrorism, humanitarian intervention, refugee displacement and global warming? Can changing the principles used to understand these dilemmas affect prospects of peace, human rights and the cooperation of states? Building on the pillars of international law (its sources, the recognition and responsibility of states, and the law of jurisdiction and immunity), we'll examine the evolution of the idea of a 'law of nations' from Aquinas to Kant.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU, W
PHIL 171 Independent Study 1-4 Credits
Individual philosophical investigation of an author, book, or topic, designed in collaboration with a philosophy professor. Tutorial meetings, substantial written work. Consent of faculty instructor required.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU
PHIL 172 Philosophy of Economics 4 Credits
This course examines economic relations from a philosophical perspective. Topics include theories of property, labor, class, and markets in the history of philosophy as well as contemporary economic debates about distributive justice, commodification, gender, race, environmental sustainability, and the function of debt.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU, W
PHIL 191 Special Topics 1-4 Credits
Study of a subject in Philosophy not covered by other courses.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HU, W
PHIL 205 (ETH 205) Ethics Seminar 4 Credits
Advanced seminar in Ethics. Content varies. Check department website for term-specific content. May be repeated for credit if the content differs. Student must have completed at least one Philosophy course at the 100-level.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU
PHIL 207 Social & Political Philosophy Seminar 4 Credits
Advanced seminar in Social & Political Philosophy. Content varies. Check department website for term-specific content. May be repeated for credit if the content differs. Student must have completed at least one Philosophy course at the 100-level.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU
PHIL 214 (MATH 214) Topics in Philosophical Logic 4 Credits
Topics may include the many systems of non-classical logic, truth theory, the impact of incompleteness and undecidability results on philosophy, the foundational projects of various philosophers/mathematicians, or the work of an important figure in the history of philosophical logic. Student must have completed at least one Philosophy course at the 100-level.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: MA, Q
PHIL 216 (ETH 216, HMS 216, REL 216) Research Ethics 4 Credits
Research with human and animal subjects carries with it a host of ethical and legal obligations. Topics include the history of human subjects research; ethical use of placebo studies; the ethics of research in developing countries; whether there is an ethical obligation to volunteer to be a research subject.
Attribute/Distribution: HU
PHIL 217 Race & Philosophy Seminar 4 Credits
Advanced seminar on Race and Philosophy. Content varies. Check department website for term-specific content. May be repeated for credit if the content differs.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HE, HU
PHIL 220 Epistemology 4 Credits
Recent work in theories of knowledge. Questions addressed include: What is knowledge? How does it differ from mere opinion and belief? If you can’t know whether you are dreaming, how can you know you have two hands? Can we know anything at all? Does knowledge require answers to all possible doubts or only reasonable doubts? How should we determine the horizon of the reasonable—psychologically or philosophically?
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU, W
PHIL 221 Metaphysics 4 Credits
Metaphysics, the study of the basic structure of reality, seeks both to determine at a fundamental level what exists and what it means for something to be real, and to understand the nature of what exists, for example, whether what exists is mind-independent or depends on human thought. Topics might include social constructionism, universals and properties, identity and individuation, causation, necessity and possibility, realism and antirealism. Student must have completed at least one Philosophy course at the 100-level.
Attribute/Distribution: HU, W
PHIL 223 Aesthetics Seminar 4 Credits
Advanced seminar in Aesthetics. Content varies. Check department website for term-specific content. May be repeated for credit if the content differs. Student must have completed at least one Philosophy course at the 100-level.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU, W
PHIL 224 (REL 224) Topics in the Philosophy of Religion 4 Credits
Selected problems and issues in the philosophy of religion. Student must have completed at least one Philosophy course at the 100-level.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, HU, W
PHIL 226 (WGSS 226) Feminism and Philosophy 4 Credits
Analysis of the nature, sources, and consequences of the oppression and exploitation of women and justification of strategies for liberation. Topics include women’s nature and human nature, sexism, femininity, sexuality, reproduction, mothering. Student must have completed at least one Philosophy course at the 100-level, or one course in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
Attribute/Distribution: HU
PHIL 228 Philosophy of Specific Sciences 4 Credits
Advanced seminar in Philosophy of Physics or Philosophy of Biology or Philosophy of Psychology. Content varies. Check department website for term-specific content. May be repeated for credit if the content differs. Student must have completed at least one Philosophy course at the 100-level.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU
PHIL 233 Medieval Philosophy Seminar 4 Credits
Advanced seminar in Medieval Philosophy. Content varies. Check department website for term-specific content. May be repeated for credit if the content differs. Student must have completed at least one Philosophy course at the 100-level.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: HU
PHIL 235 Modern Philosophy Seminar 4 Credits
Advanced seminar in Modern Philosophy. Content varies. Check department website for term-specific content. May be repeated for credit if the content differs. Student must have completed at least one Philosophy course at the 100-level.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: HU
PHIL 237 Nineteenth Century Philosophy Seminar 4 Credits
Advanced seminar in Nineteenth Century Philosophy. Content varies. Check department website for term-specific content. May be repeated for credit if the content differs. Student must have completed at least one Philosophy course at the 100-level.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU, W
PHIL 239 Contemporary Philosophy Seminar 4 Credits
Advanced seminar in Contemporary Philosophy. Content varies. Check department website for term-specific content. May be repeated for credit if the content differs. Student must have completed at least one Philosophy course at the 100-level.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU
PHIL 240 (ASIA 240) Eastern Philosophy Seminar 4 Credits
Advanced seminar in Eastern Philosophy. Content varies. Check department website for term-specific content. May be repeated for credit if the content differs. Student must have completed at least one Philosophy course at the 100-level.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU
PHIL 250 (COGS 250) Philosophy of Mind 4 Credits
An exploration of the mind-body problem. Are the body and mind distinct substances (dualism); or is there only body (materialism); or only mind (idealism)? Other views to be considered include behaviorism (the view that behavior can be explained without recourse to mental states), and the view that the mind is a complex computer. Student must have completed at least one Philosophy course at the 100-level.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU
PHIL 251 (COGS 251) Philosophical Foundations of Cognitive Science 4 Credits
Cognitive Science is the study of aspects of natural and artificial minds: perception, cognition, reasoning, action, and language. Several fields intersect here: artificial intelligence, linguistics, cognitive psychology, philosophy, and neuroscience. Central issues include: the nature of representation, the boundaries of cognitive science, and consciousness. We will survey the foundational philosophical aspects of these issues within Cognitive Science. Student must have completed at least one Philosophy course at the 100-level, or major in Cognitive Science.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU
PHIL 260 Philosophy of Language 4 Credits
A survey of some of the most central philosophical issues that relate to the structure and use of ordinary, as well as some logically ideal, languages. Issues such as the relation between linguistic expressions and reality, whether actual or hypothetical; between the meaning of expressions and thoughts; and between linguistic representations and truth. We will discuss such issues as understood in historically influential philosophical theories of language. Students must have completed at least one Philosophy course at the 100-level.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU
PHIL 265 Philosophy of Mathematics 4 Credits
A survey of the main philosophical views on the nature of mathematics and mathematical knowledge, including the classical debate between the logicist, formalist, and intuitionist schools, and the recent debate between realism and antirealism. Some of the material makes use of logical theory. Student must have completed at least one Philosophy course at the 100-level.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU
PHIL 271 Independent Study 1-4 Credits
Individual philosophical investigation of an author, book, or topic designed in collaboration with a philosophy professor. Tutorial meetings; substantial written work. Student must have completed at least one Philosophy course at the 100-level. Consent of faculty instructor required.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: W
PHIL 292 Philosophical Methods 2 Credits
Methods of and approaches to philosophical research, reasoning, and writing, as preparation for senior thesis. Open only to junior philosophy majors. Department permission required.
Attribute/Distribution: HE, HU, W
PHIL 300 Apprentice Teaching 1-4 Credits
Attribute/Distribution: ND
PHIL 301 (EVST 301) Philosophical-Policy & Legal Design: Methods & Applications 4 Credits
A basic class on the idea of policy design, as opposed to standard economic analysis of public policy and its application to various domestic and international areas of law, including environmental law. The course will introduce Philosophical-Policy Methods, or the protocol employing integrated philosophical systems to justify specific policy-legal design arguments, through the use of a variety of distinct policy paradigms.
Attribute/Distribution: CC, W
PHIL 347 (REL 347) American Religious Thinkers 3-4 Credits
An examination of the writings of key figures in the history of American religious thought (such as Edwards, Emerson, Bushnell, Peirce, James, Royce, Dewey and the Niebuhrs). Attention will be directed both to the historical reception of these writings and to their contemporary significance.
Attribute/Distribution: HU, W
PHIL 350 Special Topics In Philosophy, Law & Public Policy 4 Credits
Themes, Techniques and Methods for the integration of Philosophy, Law and Public Policy. Considered from the standpoint of various core themes. These will change from offering to offering and may include, Healthcare, Bioethics, Race, Violence, The Market As An Allocation-Distribution Mechanism, Various Models of The State, and the juxtaposition between Constitutionalism and Democracy. May be repeated for credit as topic varies.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: HU
PHIL 364 (POLS 364) Issues In Contemporary Political Philosophy 3-4 Credits
Selected topics in contemporary political philosophy, such as the Frankfurt school, existentialism, legitimation, authenticity, participatory democracy, and the alleged decline of political philosophy.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: SS
PHIL 367 (POLS 367) American Political Thought 3-4 Credits
Critical examination of American political thought from the founding of the Republic to the present. Writings from Madison, Hamilton, and Jefferson to Emma Goldman, Mary Daly, Malcolm X, Henry Kariel, and others will be discussed.
Attribute/Distribution: SS
PHIL 371 Advanced Independent Study 1-4 Credits
Individual philosophical investigation of an author, book, or topic designed in collaboration with a philosophy professor. Tutorial meetings; substantial written work. Student must have completed at least one Philosophy course at the 200-level or higher, and have consent of instructor.
Repeat Status: Course may be repeated.
Attribute/Distribution: W
PHIL 390 Honors Thesis I 4 Credits
The first part of two semesters of intensive research and writing supervised by the philosophy faculty thesis advisor in anticipation of completing an honor’s thesis in philosophy. Individual tutorials; substantial written work. Senior standing as a philosophy major and permission of the faculty advisor and permission of the philosophy department required.
Attribute/Distribution: HU, W
