Philosophy Courses Spring 2025

INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY
PHIL 101
M/W: 3:20 – 4:35 PM | 2.15 – 3.05 PM | T/TH: 1:00 – 2:15 PM
N. Nya | C. McLarty | L. Hengegold
Basic problems of philosophy and methods of philosophical thinking. Problems raised by science, morality, religion, politics, and art. Readings from classical and contemporary philosophers. Normally given in multiple sections with different instructors and possibly with different texts. All sections share core materials in theory of knowledge, metaphysics, and ethics despite differences that may exist in emphasis.

BECOMING ONESELF
PHIL 202
W: 6:00 – 8:30 PM
J. Bendik-Keymer
People talk about “the self” often, for instance, when criticizing selfishness or rationalizing self-interest, when discussing self-care or asking whether people love themselves enough or too much. But what is “the self”? In this class, we examine what philosophy has to say on this question. Students learn about the history of thought about the self and have a chance to develop their own sense of self.

PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
PHIL 204
T/TH: 11:30 AM – 12:45 PM
H. Dang
Conceptual, methodological, and epistemological issues about science: concept formation, explanation, prediction, confirmation, theory construction and status of unobservables; metaphysical presuppositions and implications of science; semantics of scientific language; illustrations from special sciences. Second half of a year-long sequence. Offered as HSTY 207 and PHIL 204.

GOOD RELATIONSHIPS
PHIL 207
M: 6:00 – 8:30 PM
J. Bendik-Keymer
What is a good relationship? What is the difference between everyday work relationships, friendships, and romance? What is love? What is the role of desire in relationships? What is the role of respect and of moral judgment? What can a bad relationship teach us? In this class, we explore the logic of personal relationships by focusing on the central experience of being in love.

INDIAN PHILOSOPHY
PHIL 221
T/TH: 1:00 – 2:15 PM
D. Sarma
We will survey the origins of Indian philosophical thought, with an emphasis on early Buddhist, Hindu and Jain literature. Our concern will be the methods, presuppositions, arguments, and goals of these schools and trajectories of thought. What were their theories on the nature of the person, the nature of reality, and the nature and process of knowing? What were the debates between the schools and the major points of controversy? And, most importantly, are the positions/arguments internally incoherent? Offered as PHIL 221 and RLGN 221.

ART & SCIENCE OF HAPPINESS
PHIL 222
T/TH: 10:00 – 11:15 AM
A. Jack
What actually makes us happy? Scientific research shows most of us get this badly wrong. For instance, money is far less important, and embracing negative emotions far more important, than most people realize. When philosophy first got started, it focused on the single most practically important question anyone can ask: How can I live a good life? A recent boom in scientific research is now validating insights from traditions that take this approach of philosophy as a way of life, including ancient greek, eastern & continental schools of philosophy. Open to all students (no pre-requisites), this course combines intellectual inquiry with experiential approaches, blending philosophical insight, evidence-based interventions and cutting-edge science. For instance, students will learn about approaches to emotion regulation and stress resilience all the way from the ancient Stoics to recently published work in psychological science. This course won’t make you happy. It will sometimes make you sad. It will expose you to tools that you can use to improve your physical and psychological well-being, and – most important of all – your sense of purpose in life.

RESPONSIBLE AI: CULTIVATING A JUST AND SUSTAINABLE SOCIO-TECHNICAL FUTURE THROUGH DATA CITIZENSHIP
PHIL 250
W: 3:30 – 6:00 PM
T. Beal
An introduction to the key issues that inform ethically responsible design, deployment, and use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, with particular focus on the impact of data practices. From generative language models to video surveillance and identity detection to facial recognition, AI is becoming more and more embedded in our everyday lives. These AI technologies are increasingly built on our data, whether we are aware of it or not. In this praxis-oriented course, we will explore how data is fundamental to the development of AI technologies and develop practices for increased awareness of and participation in this data ecosystem. As we interrogate AI systems in everyday life through hands-on engagement with AI tools and their data pipelines, we will begin to construct a data citizenship model that can help us reclaim the power of collective responsibility in order to build a more just and sustainable socio-technical future. Students will focus their individual and group projects on questions and issues directly related to the subject area of the offering they are enrolled in. Offered as COGS 250, ENGL 250, HUMN 250, MUGN 250, PHIL 250 and RLGN 250.

INTRODUCTION TO GENDER STUDIES
PHIL 270
T/TH: 10:00 – 11:15 AM
J. Howe
This course introduces women and men students to the methods and concepts of gender studies and feminist theory. An interdisciplinary course, it covers approaches used in literary criticism, history, philosophy, political science, sociology, anthropology, psychology, film studies, cultural studies, art history, and religion. It is the required introductory course for students taking the women’s and gender studies major. Offered as ENGL 270, HSTY 270, PHIL 270, RLGN 270, SOCI 201, and WGST 201.

BIOETHICS: DILEMMAS
PHIL 271
T/TH: 10:00 – 11:15 AM | 1:00 – 2:15 PM
Z. Landeros | J. Knopes
We have the genetic technology to change nature and human nature, but should we? We have the medical technology to extend almost any human life, but is this always good? Should we clone humans? Should we allow doctor-assisted suicide for the terminally ill? This course invites students from all academic disciplines and fields to examine current and future issues in bioethics–e.g., theory and methods in bioethics; death and dying; organ transplantation; genetics; aging and dementia; fertility and reproduction; distributive justice in health care access. The course will include guest lecturers from nationally-known Bioethics faculty. Offered as BETH 271 and PHIL 271.

MODERN PHILOSOPHY
PHIL 302
T/TH: 2:30 – 3:45 PM
C. Kim
British empiricism: Bacon, Hobbes, Locke, Berkeley, and Hume. Continental rationalism: Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz. The critical philosophy of Kant. Recommended preparation: PHIL 101 or consent of instructor.

MATHEMATICAL LOGIC AND MODEL THEORY
PHIL 306
M/W: 3:20 – 4:35 PM
C. McLarty
Propositional calculus and quantification theory; consistency and completeness theorems; Gödel incompleteness results and their philosophical significance; introduction to basic concepts of model theory; problems of formulation of arguments in philosophy and the sciences. Offered as PHIL 306, MATH 406 and PHIL 406.

BIOETHICS AND ARMED CONFLICT
PHIL 308
M/W: 12:45 – 2:00 PM
J. Wolfendale
Armed conflict raises numerous ethical issues for medical practitioners, medical researchers, and the recipients of medical care. This course will introduce students to some of the central ethical questions arising from the intersection between armed conflict and bioethics, including: What are the duties of military medical personnel in an armed conflict? How should military medical personnel balance duty to the military and duties to patients? May military medical personnel prioritize the medical needs of friendly combatants or civilians above those of enemy combatants or civilians? May medical research be used to assist the achievement of military objectives, such as the enhancement of military personnel? What rights do military personnel have with respect to new medical interventions, such as vaccines? And what are states’ duties regarding the provision of healthcare after conflict? This course will introduce students to a diverse range of disciplinary and global perspectives on these and related issues. Offered as PHIL 308 and PHIL 408.

SELECTED TOPICS IN PHILOSOPHY
PHIL 315
M/W: 4:50 – 6:05 PM
N. Nya
Examination of views of a major philosopher or philosophical school, a significant philosophical topic, or a topic that relates to philosophy and other discipline. Recommended preparation: PHIL 101. Offered as PHIL 315 and PHIL 415.

PHILOSOPHY OF STATE VIOLENCE: WAR, COLONIZATION, PUNISHMENT, AND IMMIGRATION
PHIL 319
M/W: 3:20 – 4:35 PM
J. Wolfendale
The modern state inflicts forms of violence against its own citizens through the criminal justice system and wields violence against foreign citizens and states through immigration enforcement, war, and colonization. But what is the moral and ethical basis of the state’s authority to wield such forms of violence? What justifies a state in imprisoning and even killing its own citizens (as the US does via the death penalty), and inflicting the violence of war on other states? This course will examine historical and contemporary perspectives on the ethical basis of the state’s right to use force and explore arguments defending and critiquing the use of state violence in the areas of punishment, war, colonization, and immigration enforcement, from a diverse range of perspectives. Offered as LAWS 5746 and PHIL 319 and PHIL 419.

TOPICS IN ETHICS
PHIL 330
T/TH: 2:30 – 3:45 PM
P. Torres
Examination of views in ethics of a major philosopher or philosophical school, a significant philosophical topic in ethics, or a topic that relates ethics to philosophy and another discipline. Recommended preparation: PHIL 101 or PHIL 205. Offered as PHIL 330 and PHIL 430.

ADVANCED BIOETHICS
PHIL 371
T/TH: 10:00 – 11:15 AM
N. Stout
This course offers upper-level instruction on many key bioethical issues introduced in BETH/PHIL 271. The class follows a discussion-intensive seminar format. Students begin with an in-depth analysis of ethical issues surrounding the conduct of clinical trials, both within the U.S. and through U.S.-sponsored research abroad. Next students examine the philosophical and practical challenges involved in medical decision making for adults and pediatric patients. This course concludes by addressing the broader ethical problem of what duties we owe to future generations in terms of our reproductive choices and the allocation of health-related public expenditures. Each of these general topic areas – clinical trials, medical decision making, and future generations – is of crucial importance for all students whether one plans to enter a career in biomedical research, the healthcare professions, or some other career path. Everyone is a potential patient or the family member of a potential patient. The topics covered in Advanced Bioethics will help prepare students to become responsible participants in an increasingly complex biomedical world. Offered as BETH 371 and PHIL 371.

EMPATHIC LEADERSHIP
PHIL 392
M/W/F: 3:20 – 4:10 PM
A. Jack
Leadership can be challenging. A good leader not only keeps their team on task, but also uses empathy and emotional intelligence to inspire, motivate, create a sense of psychological safety, and help team members develop. The course has two goals: 1) Students experience a development leadership role by acting in the role of a trainee facilitator and coach who guides and supports others as they engage in a variety of personal development exercises. 2) Students reflect on their leadership experiences, compare them to the experiences of others, and integrate it with academic scholarship relating to empathy, coaching, and emotionally intelligent leadership. The first goal is performative. Grading is based on engagement in the role and impact on coachees. The second goal combines personal reflection and academic scholarship, culminating in an essay. This course will be of value to those who are interested in developing their skills in helping professions and roles, including those of: coach, therapist, teacher, nurse, doctor, manager, and parent.

ETHICS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGY
PHIL 393
M/W: 12:45 – 2:00 PM
S. French
This course will explore ethical issues concerning the development and use of Artificial Intelligence and related emerging technologies, ranging from deferring to automation as an authority to the effects of bias embedded in algorithms to vital questions of autonomy and accountability, all the way to an examination of possible rights for advanced AI systems in the future. AI is currently used in many settings, from businesses to healthcare to the military, all of which have an impact on human lives. There are risks and opportunities associated with this, including the intriguing possibility that we could use AI as augmentation to make humans more ethical, not less. This course will give students the opportunity to consider and debate how AI can be designed and deployed in ways that promote the common good and avoid causing harm, especially to the most vulnerable among us. Offered as PHIL 393 and PHIL 493.

DIRECTED STUDY
PHIL 397
Under faculty supervision, students will undertake a project that demonstrates critical thinking, has clear goals, features periodic reporting of progress, and will result in a final report.

PHILOSOPHY CAPSTONE
PHIL 398
Under faculty supervision, students will undertake a project that demonstrates critical thinking, has clear goals, features periodic reporting of progress, and will result in a final report and public presentation.

PHILOSOPHY HONORS THESIS
PHIL 398
Under faculty supervision, students will complete a substantial thesis that demonstrates critical thinking, has clear goals, features periodic reporting of progress, and will be the subject of an oral examination as well as a public presentation.