Spring 2025 Courses
PHL 201 Introduction to Philosophy
Wichowski-Hill; In-person
General introduction to philosophy; its practice and major areas of study. Topics typically include introductions to metaphysics (study of being), epistemology (study of knowledge), philosophy of language, morality, and critical thinking.
PHL 212 Philosophy of Literature
Elliott; In-person
An introduction to traditional philosophical issues as they appear in literature, especially in fiction. The specific philosophical problems and the literary works will vary from term to term and from instructor to instructor.
PHL 301U Ancient Philosophy
Berman; In-person
An introduction to ancient Greek philosophy with a primary focus on the philosophies of Plato and Aristotle. May include topics in epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of science, human flourishing, and political philosophy.
PHL 303U Early Modern Philosophy
Coventry; Online
An introduction to seventeenth- and eighteenth-century philosophy. May include topics in epistemology, metaphysics, mind and religion with readings by major thinkers such as Descartes, Spinoza, Conway, Locke, Cavendish, Leibniz, Berkeley, Shepherd, Amo, Hume, and Reid.
PHL 306U Science and Pseudoscience
Sepppalainen; Online
An examination of basic issues in philosophy of science through an analysis of creation science, faith healing, UFO abduction stories, and other pseudosciences. Some of the questions addressed: What distinguishes science from pseudoscience? How are theories tested? When is evidence reliable? Must we invoke the supernatural to explain certain aspects of reality?
PHL 307U Science and Society
Sager; In-person
Introduction to the philosophy of social science including social epistemology. Topics include the nature of explanation in social science, the role of normative and hermeneutical principles in it, and the influence of social processes on scientific knowledge.
PHL 308U Elementary Ethics
Gillis; In person
General introduction to ethical theories and topics such as whether there are objective moral distinctions, what makes right actions right and wrong acts wrong, and how we know (if we do) that actions are right or wrong, and how we know (if we do) that actions are right or wrong. Topics also include relativism, egoism, utilitarianism, and Kantianism (deontology).
PHL 309U Business Ethics
Hamington; Online
Study of the ethical aspects of practices and organizational structures in the business world. The bulk of the course is devoted to specific contemporary topics, for example: the moral status of corporations; the concept of work place rights; responsibility in advertising; environmental constraints on business; affirmative action in hiring; the social roles of profit and private property; and the role of work in the life of the individual.
PHL 313U Life and Death Issues
Jokic; Online
Study of moral problems dealing with life and death issues including abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, starvation, and war.
PHL 314U Computer Ethics
Hiller; In-person
Examines the moral principles and judgments relevant for computer-related practices. Topics include: ethical aspects of new information technologies; are technologies value-laden; freedom, privacy and control; security, reliability, and professional responsibilities; piracy and ownership; ethics of hacking; ethics of virtual environment; and international aspects of new technologies.
PHL 316U Social and Political Philosophy
Gillis; In-person
Survey of main theories of social and political justice (utilitarian, liberal, equalitarian, communitarian, and libertarian) through classic and modern representatives.
PHL 317U Philosophy of Art
Elliott; Online
Philosophical issues concerning the creation, interpretation, and consumption of art. May include an overview of the major philosophical theories about the nature of art and/or an examination of how art relates to topics in ethics, relativism, pornography, psychology, feminism, Non-Western culture, computers, neuroscience, nature, the city and the street.
PHL 320U Critical Thinking
Weber; In person
Designed to improve reasoning and skills of critical assessment of information. Focuses on practical methods that are applied to case studies from public media such as editorials, essays, propaganda, advertisements, and newspaper reports of scientific studies.
PHL 322U Minds and Machines
Hiller; In person
Study of philosophical aspects of artificial intelligence including its functionalist ontology. Topics include the nature of computation, learning, and intelligence and the role of consciousness in thinking and behavior.
PHL 324U Introduction to Formal Logic I
Weber; Online
A course in basic formal logic. Major topics include the methods of deduction for showing propositional arguments valid and the method of counter-example for showing such arguments invalid. Truth table methods, tests for consistency, and syllogistic arguments are optional topics.
PHL 333U Philosophy of Law
Wichowski-Hill; in person
Examines the nature of law, legal obligation and legal interpretation. Is law a part of morality, or nothing more than an expression of social power? When are we permitted or required to disobey the law? What is the proper methodology for interpreting laws and deciding cases? Do judges discover or create law? Readings include classics of jurisprudence (e.g., Austen, Hart, Dworkin) as well as judicial opinions in a selected topic.
PHL 344U Military Ethics
Spencer; Online
Examination of the central conceptual, ethical, and existential issues concerning war and the military as an institution and a culture. Topics include theories of war, military values, and the ethics of technology (UAVs, WMDs), insurgency, and terrorism.
NAS 351 Indigenous Philosophy
Spencer; Online
Surveys historical and contemporary indigenous philosophical writings on decolonization, epistemology, metaphysics, and ethics. The majority of the texts will be from authors such as Black Elk, Vine Deloria Jr, and Leslie Marmon Silko, but sources from indigenous peoples across the globe should also be considered. Possible topics may include indigenous perspectives on sovereignty, proper human relationships with the land, waters, and animals, communication through storytelling, language, and dance, and gender-sexual identity.
PHL 369U Philosophy of Sex and Love
Spencer; Online
An examination of some of the central philosophical issues emerging from a reflection of sex and love. Topics include: conceptual or ontological ones such as the possible essence of heterosexuality, homosexuality, and asexuality; ethical ones such as the morality or immorality of different expressions of sex and love such as sadomasochism, polygamy, and philandering; existential ones such as the role of sexuality and romantic love in our self-conception and a good life; epistemological ones such as the nature of our experiences of sexuality and love and the possible influence that conceptual sources have on them.
PHL 370U Philosophy of Work and Leisure
Sager; Online
Role and nature of work and leisure in theories of the good life and central social and political practices.
PHL 379 Feminist Care Ethics
Hamington; Online
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to care ethics from its origins in feminist theory to its present multidisciplinary and international manifestations. The implications of care ethics for ontology, epistemology, aesthetics, identity, performativity and moral theory are addressed. Care ethics is differentiated from mainstream ethical theories. Care theory is applied to a variety of academic and professional disciplines including but not limited to business, education, healthcare, literature, political science, performance studies, and psychology.
PHL 446/546 Topics in Ethics: International Ethics
Jokic; Online
Topics in contemporary and moral philosophy, including (but not limited to) the relation between applied and theoretical ethics, the foundations of moral responsibility, virtues, and the role of outcomes in moral evaluation.
PHL 451/551 Major Figures: Plato
Berman; In person
Intensive study of one or more major figures.
PHL 460/560 Contemporary European Philosophy
Elliott; In-person
In-depth study of a current theme (such as phenomenology, post-modernism, or post-structuralism) or topical figure (such as Habermas, Derrida, or Benjamin) of European, “Continental” Philosophy.
PHL 485 Honors Seminar
Seppalainen; In person
Students conduct research and produce substantial written material on a topic, to be shared and critiqued. Recommended particularly for students considering graduate work in philosophy.