Philosophy (PHIL)
1000 Freshman Level2000 Sophomore Level 3000 Junior Level4000 Senior Level
Click here for an explanation of how to read course offerings.
Click here for A-Z course descriptions list.
1000 Level Course
1310. [PHIL 2303] Reasoning (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Freshman or sophomore standing. Basic methods of objective thinking. Considers elementary forms of reasoning, problem-solving techniques, and avoidance of common fallacies. Emphasis is upon developing skills in the practice of everyday logic.Back to Top
2000 Level Courses
2300. [PHIL 1301] Beginning Philosophy (3:3:0). An introduction to philosophical thinkers, ideas, and methods. Fulfills Core Humanities requirement.
2310. Logic (3:3:0). Development of formal methods for evaluating deductive reasoning. Additional topics may include uses of language, definition, nondeductive inference. Partially fulfills Core Mathematics requirement (in conjunction with a mathematics course).
2320. [PHIL 2306] Introduction to Ethics (3:3:0). Discussion of moral problems and theories of morality. Includes the application of philosophical techniques to issues of contemporary moral concern. Fulfills Core Humanities requirement.
2350. [PHIL 1304] World Religions and Philosophy (3:3:0). Philosophical study of the doctrines and practices of the major world religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Fulfills multicultural requirement. Fulfills Core Humanities requirement.Back to Top
3000 Level Courses
3301. Classical Greek Philosophy (3:3:0). Study of the major philosophical ideas as originally developed in the Western world by thinkers such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and others. Satisfies the Core Curriculum multicultural requirement. Fulfills Core Humanities requirement. (Writing Intensive)
3302. Asian Philosophy (3:3:0). Study of the major philosophical ideas originating in India and China, and developed generally in Asia. Satisfies the Core Curriculum multicultural requirement. Fulfills Core Humanities requirement.
3303. Modern European Philosophy (1600-1800) (3:3:0). Study of the major philosophical ideas as they developed in Great Britain and on the European continent since the Renaissance, covering such figures as Descartes, Hume, and Kant. Fulfills Core Humanities requirement. (Writing Intensive)
3304. Existentialism and Phenomenology (3:3:0). Consideration of the meaning of human existence through study of thinkers such as Neitzsche, Heidegger, Husserl, Merleau-Ponty, Sartre, and others. Fulfills Core Humanities requirement.
3320. Introduction to Political Philosophy (3:3:0). Basic issues and concepts in political philosophy, including discussion of such topics as justice, freedom, equality, authority, community, and the nature of politics and the state. Fulfills Core Humanities requirement.(POLS 3331)
3321. Philosophy of Law (3:3:0). Discussion, based on study of philosophical writings, of various conceptions of law and their relation to morality. Includes philosophical problems about liberty, privacy, justice, and criminal punishment. Fulfills Core Social and Behavioral Sciences – Individual or Group Behavior requirement. (Writing Intensive)
3322. Biomedical Ethics (3:3:0). Discussion of conceptual and moral problems surrounding such issues as abortion, euthanasia, genetic research, behavior control, allocation of medical resources, health, and disease. Fulfills Core Humanities requirement.
3323. Business Ethics (3:3:0). Discusses theories of justice and morality, particularly as they relate to business. Concentrates on application to issues that arise in the conduct of business.
3324. Philosophy of Religion (3:3:0). An examination of general philosophical problems that arise in connection with religion. Topics may include the nature of religion, the existence of God, the problem of evil, the relation between faith and reason, and the relation between religion and morality. Fulfills Core Humanities requirement.
3325. Environmental Ethics (3:3:0). Discussion of conceptual and moral questions surrounding human population and consumption of resources, loss of biodiversity and wilderness areas, and human use of nonhuman animals.
3330. Philosophy of Science (3:3:0). Inquiry into the nature of science including the examination of basic scientific concepts and the forms of scientific reasoning.
3331. Philosophy of Social and Human Sciences (3:3:0). Study of selected approaches, concepts, and methods in the social and human sciences, especially as these are related to the question of the nature of man and of human society. Fulfills Core Social and Behavioral Sciences – Individual or Group Behavior requirement.
3332. Feminism and Philosophy (3:3:0). Feminist philosophical perspectives on issues in such areas as ethics, legal theory, epistemology, and the study of race, gender, and sexuality. Fulfills Core Humanities requirement.
3334. Philosophy of Biology (3:3:0). Study of the nature and scope of biological theories. Topics may include evolution and creation, natural selection and design, sociobiology, or genetic engineering.
3340. Minds, Brains, and Computers (3:3:0). Study of the nature of mental entities and how they fit into the causal structure of the world, with particular reference to recent developments in the cognitive sciences.
3341. Philosophy of Literature (3:3:0). Philosophical ideas in literature, including the nature of evil, free will, personal identity, the mind-body problem, and the philosophical status of literature. Fulfills Core Humanities requirement.
3342. Philosophy and Film (3:3:1). Philosophical examination of issues raised by film, such as cinematic representation, realism, film genre, the power of cinema, and the interpretation of film. Required screenings. Fulfills Core Humanities requirement.Back to Top
4000 Level Courses
4000. Philosophical Problems (V1-3). Prerequisite: Previous coursework in philosophy and consent of instructor. Directed individual studies or conferences on selected advanced topics. May be repeated for credit.
4301. Seminar in Ancient Philosophy (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Previous philosophy coursework or consent of instructor. In-depth study of one or two philosophical texts or themes from the ancient world. Topics vary.
4310. Advanced Logic (3:3:0). Prerequisite: PHIL 2310 or consent of instructor. Full treatment of sentential logic and first-order predicate logic. May also treat topics such as identity, definite descriptions, axiomatic systems, completeness.
4320. Ethics (3:3:0). Prerequisite: PHIL 2320 or consent of instructor. Advanced topics in ethical theory, with special emphasis on the meaning and justification of moral judgments, the possibility of ethical knowledge, and the nature of moral standards.
4321. Political Philosophy (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Previous coursework in philosophy or consent of instructor. Study of contemporary writings in political philosophy. Discussion of selected philosophical issues concerning liberalism, conservatism, communitarianism, liberal neutrality, social choice theory, and political obligation.
4323. Aesthetics (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Previous coursework in philosophy or consent of instructor. Discussion of the nature of art and the principles of aesthetic judgment. Emphasis on philosophical problems arising in interpretation and evaluation within the arts.
4330. Epistemology (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Previous coursework in philosophy or consent of instructor. An examination of the nature and scope of knowledge, and the justification of various types of knowledge claims.
4331. Philosophy of Language (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Previous coursework in philosophy or consent of instructor. General theory of significance, meaning, and interpretation.
4333. Comparative Epistemology (3:3:0). Examination of various forms of knowledge and ways of acquiring knowledge including such methods as naturalistic observation, empathetic insight, and culture-based trial and error. Fulfills Core Humanities requirement.
4340. Metaphysics (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Previous coursework in philosophy or consent of instructor. Consideration of the nature of what there is (ontology) or of the nature of the universe as a whole (cosmology).
4341. Great Figures in Philosophy (3:3:0). Prerequisite: Previous coursework in philosophy or consent of instructor. In-depth study of the works of just one or two great philosophers.Back to Top
5000 Level Courses
5301. Studies in Greek Philosophy (3:3:0). Studies in the Pre-Socratics, Plato, Aristotle, and Hellenistic philosophy. May be repeated as topic varies.
5302. Studies in Modern Philosophy (1600-1800) (3:3:0). Studies in major philosophical works of the modern period drawn from such philosophers as Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant. May be repeated as topic varies.
5308. Basic Issues in Contemporary Philosophy (3:3:0). Major philosophical theories and controversies of the twentieth century. Works will be drawn from such philosophers as Wittgenstein, Russell, Heidegger, Husserl, Quine, Davidson, and Kripke. May be repeated as topic varies.
5310. History of Aesthetics (3:3:0). Major philosophical theories of art and beauty from classical Greece to the present. May be repeated as topic varies.
5311. Seminar in Epistemology (3:3:0). A study of one or two questions about the justification of our knowledge of the external world, the mind, mathematics, or logic. May be repeated as topic varies.
5314. Contemporary Aesthetics (3:3:0). Current problems in aesthetics: the nature of a work of art, of aesthetic experience and judgment; issues of interpretation and evaluation in the arts. May be repeated as topic varies.
5320. Seminar in Ethics (3:3:0). Selected topics in ethical theory: relativism, moral reasons, the nature of moral value, deontological and teleological ethics. May be repeated as topic varies.
5321. Social and Political Philosophy (3:3:0). Study of selected social or political philosophers or of selected topics such as justice, liberty, equality, liberalism, conservatism, and rights. May be repeated as topic varies.
5322. Law and Philosophy (3:3:0). Study of works of legal philosophers on central issues in philosophy of law such as legal obligation, nature of law, interpretation, privacy, law and morality. May be repeated as topic varies.
5323. Business Ethics (3:3:0). Discussion of theories of justice and morality, particularly as they relate to business. Concentrates on application to issues that arise in the conduct of business.
5324. Philosophy of Religion (3:3:0). Central issues in philosophy of religion including the nature of religion, the existence of God, the relation between faith and reason, and the problem of evil. May be repeated as topic varies.
5330. Philosophy of Science (3:3:0). Methodological and conceptual issues in the physical and social sciences. Emphasis upon scientific investigation as a way of knowing. May be repeated as topic varies.
5331. Philosophical Psychology (3:3:0). Central issues in philosophy of the mind, including the nature of the mental and the relation between mental and physical. Emphasis on thought and perception. May be repeated as topic varies.
5333. Seminar in Philosophy of Language (3:3:0). Central issues in philosophy of language, including the nature of meaning, truth, reference, and context. May be repeated as topic varies.
5340. Seminar in Metaphysics (3:3:0). An intensive study of one or two topics which include the nature of existence, cause, identity, kinds and their instances, change, and/or mind. May be repeated as topic varies.
5341. Great Figures in Philosophy (3:3:0). In-depth study of the works of just one or two great philosophers. May be repeated as topic varies.
5350. Seminar in Teaching Philosophy (3:3:0). Theory, practice, and problems of teaching philosophy for beginning instructors. Development of course objectives, syllabi, and teaching techniques. Practical pedagogical and associated philosophical issues. Required of all teaching assistants.Back to Top
6000 Level Course
6000. Master's Thesis (V1-6).
7000 Level Course
7000. Research (V1-12).
8000 Level Course
8000. Doctor's Dissertation (V1-12).Back to Top