Introduction to Philosophy
PHIL 101
T/TH: 1:00-2:15PM
L.Hengehold
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.
What is Science? Introduction to the History of Philosophy of Science
PHIL 111
T/TH: 1:00-2:15PM
H.Dang
We look at historical and philosophical aspects of modern science. The objective of the course is to develop a sense of (1) what forms scientific research has taken historically, and (2) what it is about scientific research that makes it distinctive as a form of human knowledge. Offered as HPSC 111, PHIL 111 and HSTY 111.
Introduction to Logic
PHIL 201
M/W/F: 2:15-3:05PM
C.McLarty
Presentation, application, and evaluation of formal methods for determining the validity of arguments. Discussion of the relationship between logic and other disciplines.
Revolutions in Science
PHIL 203
T/TH: 4:00-5:15PM
H.Dang
Historical and philosophical interpretation of some epochal events in development of science. Copernican revolution, Newtonian mechanics, Einstein's relativity physics, quantum mechanics, and evolutionary theory; patterns of scientific growth; structure of scientific "revolutions;" science and "pseudo-science." First half of a year-long sequence. Offered as HSTY 203 and PHIL 203.
Religion and Philosophy in China
PHIL 253
T/TH: 10:00-11:15AM
J.Tan
This course critically examines the three principal religious and philosophical traditions of China: the Confucian, Daoist, and Chinese Buddhist traditions. Through a combination of assigned print and online readings, video clips and documentaries, class discussions, and written assignments, students explore the origins and historical developments, principal thinkers, central religious and doctrinal themes, ethics, spirituality, popular devotions, social movements, and contemporary developments of these three major religious and philosophical traditions of China. Students will consider the wider social, cultural, ethical, economic, and political dimensions of Chinese religions and philosophies generally, and themes of community and society, identity constructions, personal experiences, movements, as well as their socio-cultural reproductions in contemporary China, and where appropriate, the Chinese Diaspora in North America. Offered as CHIN 253C, ETHS 253C, PHIL 253 and RLGN 253.
Bioethics: Dilemmas
PHIL 271
T/TH: 10:00-11:15AM | 2:30-3:45PM
To Be Announced
Bioethics is the study of value-laden issues and moral dilemmas related to health, medicine, and the life sciences. This course will introduce students to the field of bioethics, including key theories and debates that span clinical ethics, research ethics, public health ethics, and other approaches. Students will learn about ethical issues across the life course, including bioethics at the beginning and end of life, as well as ethics surrounding contemporary medical science and technologies and broader equity and justice concerns in healthcare. Through interactive lectures and discussions, students will explore multiple stakeholder perspectives on these debates and cultivate their own understanding about how to resolve challenging value conflicts. Offered as BETH 271 and PHIL 271.
Ancient Philosophy
PHIL 301
T/TH: 2:30-3:45PM
C.Kim
Western philosophy from the early Greeks to the Skeptics. Emphasis on the pre-Socratics, Plato and Aristotle. Recommended preparation: PHIL 101 and consent of department. Offered as CLSC 301 and PHIL 301.
Ethics in Theory and Practice
PHIL 305
M/W: 3:20-4:35PM
A.Jack
The goal of this course is to provide students with an integrated understanding of ethical theory and ethical practice. The course includes a survey of major intellectual approaches to ethics from ancient times to the current day. This includes major philosophical theories (e.g. utilitarianism, deontology, virtue theory, feminist ethics and the ethics of care, the capability approach) and more recent contributions from psychology, behavioral economics, and neuroscience. Students also engage in several ethical practices, such as: engaging in productive dialogue to achieve consensus views on case studies, investigating the lived experience of individuals to inform judgements of ethical impact and/or conduct, identifying individual values and practicing living by them, performing a personal ethical inventory, doing good deeds, advocating for change, practicing conflict resolution, and facilitating productive discussion. Throughout the semester, students are asked to reflect upon their experiences of ethical practices and relate them to theory. In their final essay, students provide their own perspective on how best to integrate ethical theory and practice in relation to a specific topic or issue. Offered as PHIL 305 and PHIL 405.
Philosophy of Mathematics
PHIL 313
M/W: 3:20-4:35PM
C.McLarty
Logical paradoxes and their effects on foundations of mathematics. Status of mathematical entities and nature of mathematical truths. Formalist, logicist, and intuitionist positions. Recommended preparation: PHIL 101 or PHIL 201. Offered as PHIL 313 and PHIL 413.
War and Morality
PHIL 317
M/W: 12:45-2:00PM
S.French
The aim of this course is to explore a wide range of ethical issues relating to the decision to take a nation to war, how wars are conducted, and efforts to establish order in the wake of a conflict. Topics include the Just War tradition, pacifism, humanitarian intervention, moral repair and the establishment of a just peace, conduct of war, warrior codes, warrior transitions, and civil-military relations. We will be examining the ethics of war from the perspectives of both states and individuals. War is a crucible that strips those caught up in its horrors down to their fundamental selves inspiring acts of both inhuman depravity and seemingly superhuman nobility. This course is presented in a seminar format with lively discussions centering on contemporary readings in military ethics from texts and journals. Offered as PHIL 317, PHIL 417, and LAWS 5135.
Decolonization
PHIL 322
W: 6:00-8:30PM
J.Bendik-Keymer
The United States of America is a society that decolonized against British empire and that has remained colonialist with respect to Native Americans. Decolonization, the process of returning sovereignty to societies that have been colonized, remains at the heart of modern political processes into this day and age. Yet decolonization's philosophical roots are deeper than modernity and its implications are in some respects planetary. In this course, we embed modern decolonization within the long history of settlement dating to the end of Paleolithic society and discuss implications for planetary justice heading into our ecological century.
Afterlife
PHIL 338
M: 6:00-8:30PM
J. Bendik-Keymer
What is your life for? The question of how to live your life now is bound up with where you came from and where you are going, then, what your life leaves behind. In this course, we will look at great works of philosophy, literature, and film that are preoccupied with people's calling and the afterlife of existence, especially given the historical realities that shape things.
Brain, Mind and Consciousness: The Science and Philosophy of Mind
PHIL 366
M/W: 12:45-2:00PM
A.Jack
The course introduces students to key topics in philosophy of mind and ethics from the perspective of our increasingly advanced scientific understanding of mind and brain (e.g. derived from neuroscience and psychology). The course will explore the limits of scientific understanding and the relationship between science and ethics through an initial focus on two classic issues in philosophy of mind: the problem of consciousness and the problem of free will. The second half of the course further explores the interplay between scientific and ethical perspectives by examining a series of topics. Questions of interest: Is free will necessary for moral responsibility? When we say an entity is conscious is that equivalent to saying we are obliged to care about its experience (i.e. treat it as a moral patient)? Will science ever be able to determine if an entity is conscious and/or has free will? Are these instead ethical questions? What is the relationship between scientific and ethical modes of understanding? How do these two modes of understanding influence how we think about other everyday phenomena? The only pre-requisite to enroll in this course is curiosity, although students may benefit from having previously taken courses in philosophy, neuroscience, psychology and/or computer science. Offered as PHIL 366 and PHIL 466.