Courses - Spring 2027
PHIL100
Introduction to Philosophy
An introduction to the literature, problems, and methods of philosophy either through a study of some of the main figures in philosophic thought or through an examination of some of the central and recurring problems of philosophy.
PHIL140
Contemporary Moral Issues
The uses of philosophical analysis in thinking clearly about such widely debated moral issues as abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, pornography, reverse discrimination, the death penalty, business ethics, sexual equality, and economic justice.
PHIL202
Know Thyself: Wisdom Through Cognitive Science
Credit only granted for: PHIL209N or PHIL202.
Formerly: PHIL209N.
How do we improve our decision making? Cognitive science demonstrates that self-knowledge isn't as easy as we think, and that there are numerous biases and fallacies that impact our decision-making in ways that are hard for us to be aware of. In this course you will learn what some of these are and how they have been discovered, and you will explore potential strategies for avoiding these fallacies and for making wiser choices.
PHIL203
Credit only granted for: PHIL209J or PHIL203.
Formerly: PHIL209J.
Virtually everyone thinks it's permissible to kill people only in special circumstances. But why is killing usually wrong? Is it ever acceptable to kill an innocent human being intentionally? This course raises these and related questions and examines cases such as terrorism, suicide, abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, war. Except for a brief discussion of animals, all the controversies considered deal with killing and causing death to human beings.
PHIL205
Credit only granted for: PHIL205, PHIL209G, or HONR229E.
Formerly: HONR229E.
Things happen routinely in sports that would seem morally unacceptable in other context: violence between the participants, attempts to trick the referee, fans hoping that some players would do embarrassingly badly, spectators feeling anger towards whole nations. Nonetheless, all of this may seem reasonable and even justifiable within a sporting context. This course will investigate the ethical structure of sports, and what it tells us about the ethics of everyday life. Philosophy will provide the primary disciplinary context, but we will also think about sociological, legal and anthropological perspectives on sports. Issues will include the nature of sportsmanship, what types of violence in sports are acceptable, drug use in sports, what it means to be a fan (for example, asking why loyalty to your team is valuable) and how our view of sports interacts with our view of nations. By the end of the course you should have gained familiarity with a variety of ethical concepts and a sensitivity to the ethical issues in sports. You should also find that by thinking about morality in the context of sports, you will look at larger ethical issues in new ways.
PHIL209L
Philosophical Issues; Programming for AI 2
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
PHIL210
Philosophy of the Universe
Credit only granted for: PHIL209U or PHIL210.
Formerly: PHIL209U.
An exploration of how philosophy can help us understand our place in the cosmos. The course covers a variety of topics at the intersection of science and philosophy, such as: How does the world we observe emerge from the microscopic world science tells us about? What are laws of nature? What is time? What is life? The emphasis is not on leading students to particular conclusions about these topics. Instead, it is to learn how to ask these questions critically and to understand what would count as relevant evidence for an answer.
PHIL211
AI & ETHICS
Credit only granted for: PHIL209D or PHIL211.
Formerly: PHIL209D.
An introduction to a major subfield of contemporary Philosophy, namely applied ethics, and the experience of using some major tools in the practice of philosophy more generally, namely, the construction and formal evaluation of arguments, conceptual analysis, the use of thought experiments, and clear, direct and persuasive writing. Learning how to execute the latter will involve an intense iterative process. The substantive focus of the course will be the ethical evaluation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in some of its current and potentially future incarnations. We'll examine algorithmic opacity, algorithmic bias and decision-making, autonomous weapons systems, human-robot interaction, and artificial moral agents, in order to uncover what, if any, ethical issues they give rise to.
PHIL220
Credit only granted for: PHIL209A or PHIL220.
Formerly: PHIL209A.
Bioethicists formulate ethical guidelines. They answer questions such as: When life-saving health resources are scarce, who should get them? Should we increase supply of one such resource, kidneys, by buying them from living "donors"? If drug trials in developing countries benefit patients who consent to participate, are the trials ethical, even if the same research would be forbidden in the US? If a sick person aims to hasten her death, how, if at all, might her doctor permissibly help her? In this course, students construct and defend ethical rules in four domains: research ethics, allocation of scarce resources, markets in organs, and physician-assisted dying.
PHIL245
Political and Social Philosophy I
A critical examination of such classical political theories as those of Plato, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Mill, Marx, and such contemporary theories as those of Hayek, Rawls, and recent Marxist thinkers.
PHIL271
Symbolic Logic
Recommended: PHIL170.
This course provides students with a thorough treatment of the basic concepts and techniques of modern symbolic logic, through classical first-order logic with identity. We will concentrate on the construction of natural deduction proofs and on the evaluation of logical statements in semantic models. Along the way, we will study some of the concepts from set theory (sets, functions, relations) used in the definition of semantic models for logical systems. We may also introduce some alternative, or non-classical logics. Although the subject of symbolic logic was developed by mathematicians and philosophers for their own special purposes (which we will discuss), logical concepts and techniques have found applications in a variety of disciplines, including computer science, economics, law, linguistics, and psychology. We may also consider some of these applications.
PHIL318G
Studies in Epistemology/Metaphysics
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
PHIL320
Knowing Oneself and Knowing the World: Early Modern Philosophy from Descartes to Kant
Recommended: At least one PHIL course.
A study of major philosophical issues of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries through an examination of such philosophers as Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Cavendish, Locke, Berkeley, Hume and Kant
PHIL338C
Studies in Value Theory; Sexual Ethics
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with PHPE308Z. Credit only granted for PHIL338C or PHPE308Z.
PHIL360
Philosophy of Language
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: 1 course from the following: LING311, PHIL170, PHIL218, or PHIL250; or permission of ARHU-Philosophy department.
Cross-listed with: LING350.
Credit only granted for: LING350 or PHIL360.
The nature and function of language and other forms of symbolism from a philosophical perspective.
Cross-listed with LING350. Credit granted only for PHIL360 or LING350.
PHIL366
Philosophy of Mind
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Recommended: At least one PHIL course.
An introduction to core issues in the philosophy of mind, focusing especially on the basic metaphysical question of dualism versus physicalism.
PHIL386
Experiential Learning
Credits:
3 - 6
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F
Restriction: Permission of ARHU-Philosophy department; and junior standing or higher.
Consult Director of Undergraduate Studies: Rachel Singpurwalla. Prerequisites: 12 credit hours of philosophy and 3.0 GPA. Carries no credit toward philosophy major.
PHIL408J
Topics in Contemporary Philosophy; The Ethics of Migration: Borders, Immigrants, and Emigrants
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with PHPE408Z and PHIL408M. Credit granted only for PHIL408J or PHPE408Z or PHIL408M.
Immigration is a defining issue of our time, at the heart of political debates across the globe. The key question here is, should nations welcome more migrants or impose stricter border controls? The debates on this question often focus on empirical questions: how immigration affects wages, economic growth, and social well-being. But immigration also raises fundamental ethical and normative questions: Do states have a moral right to close their borders? Is there a human right to migrate? Or perhaps individuals have a moral duty to stay or to leave their home country? In this course we will explore the rich philosophical literature from recent decades on these and on related questions.
Immigration is a defining issue of our time, at the heart of political debates across the globe. The key question here is, should nations welcome more migrants or impose stricter border controls? The debates on this question often focus on empirical questions: how immigration affects wages, economic growth, and social well-being. But immigration also raises fundamental ethical and normative questions: Do states have a moral right to close their borders? Is there a human right to migrate? Or perhaps individuals have a moral duty to stay or to leave their home country? In this course we will explore the rich philosophical literature from recent decades on these and on related questions.
PHIL408P
Topics in Contemporary Philosophy; Philosophy of Psychiatry
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
PHIL408Q
Topics in Contemporary Philosophy; Fairness
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
PHIL409J
Advanced Studies in Contemporary Philosophy; Social Ontology
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Social ontology - Participants in this course will inquire into the nature of various categories of social significance. All of the readingsfor this course will be contemporary articles or books in the analytic, Western tradition. No content familiarity will be assumed; some familiarity with philosophy s aims and methods will be. Any open minded individual with an interest in metaphysics and the social world around them will find themselves at home in this seminar.
PHIL414
The Philosophy of Aristotle
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Recommended: At least two PHIL courses.
A critical study of selected portions of Aristotle's writings.
PHIL428D
Topics in the History of Philosophy; Political Realism
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
PHIL428J
Topics in the History of Philosophy; Kantian Ethics
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Cross-listed with PHPE408Q. Credit only granted for PHIL428J or PHPE408Q.
PHIL438F
Topics in Value Theory; AI Ethics
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
PHIL438K
Topics in Value Theory; Philosophical Anarchism
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Phil anarchism and political normativity - On one way of understanding it, philosophical anarchism is the striking view in political philosophythat there are no actual governments or states with legitimateauthority. Indeed, arguments for philosophical anarchism pointtoward the even more striking claim that it is not even possible for a state tohave legitimate authority. Participants in this seminar will explore such arguments as they are found in contemporary political philosophy inthe Anglophone, analytic tradition. Along the way, participants will also explore related questions about the nature of legitimate authority and political normativity more generally. What is legitimate authority? How can political obligations, reasons, and the like, be explained? Are such explanations distinct from explanations of moral obligations, reasons, and so on? Prior familiarity with political philosophy will notbe expected of participants in this seminar. Anyone with an interestin political philosophy, normative ethics, metaethics, explanation, and metaphysics are likely to feel at home in this seminar.
PHIL498F
Topical Investigations; Topical Investigation
Credits:
1 - 3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite:Two courses in philosophy or permission of the department.
PHIL498G
Topical Investigations; Topical Investigation
Credits:
1 - 3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite:Two courses in philosophy or permission of the department.
PHIL640
Value Theory
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud, S-F
A basic course in value theory for beginning graduate students, covering a number of topics in depth, to provide a springboard for further study and research in the area.
PHIL788G
Research in Philosophy; Research in Philosophy
Credits:
1 - 6
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
PHIL788I
Research in Philosophy; Research in Philosophy
Credits:
1 - 6
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
PHIL799
Master's Thesis Research; Masters Thesis Research
Credits:
1 - 6
Grad Meth:
S-F
PHIL808J
Seminar in the Problems of Philosophy
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud, S-F
PHIL808L
Seminar in the Problems of Philosophy
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud, S-F
PHIL808M
Seminar in the Problems of Philosophy; Topics in Metaphysics
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud, S-F
Prerequisite: open to graduate students in philosophy or to those who receive permission from the instructor. Permission will only be given to students with substantial philosophical background.
PHIL888
Professional Mentoring for Doctoral Students
Credits:
1 - 3
Grad Meth:
S-F
PHIL889
Pedagogical Mentoring for Doctoral Students
Credits:
1 - 3
Grad Meth:
S-F
PHIL898
Pre-Candidacy Research
Credits:
1 - 8
Grad Meth:
Reg
PHIL899
Doctoral Dissertation Research; Doctoral Dissertation Research
Credits:
6
Grad Meth:
S-F
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