About The Discipline:

Philosophy is an activity people undertake when they seek to understand fundamental truths about themselves, the world in which they live, and their relationships to the world and to each other. 

  • Some of philosophy's questions concern reality: Is there an external world? What is the relationship between the physical and the mental? Does God exist?
  • Others concern human nature as rational, purposive, and social beings: Do we act freely? Where do our moral obligations come from? How do we construct justice in political forms?
  • Philosophy questions the nature and extent of knowledge and truth: How is knowledge different from belief or opinion? What does it mean to "prove" something? What is proof of knowledge based upon? Sensory experience? Abstract rules or principles? Are there limits to what can be known?
  • Many questions concern the foundations and implications of other disciplines: What is a scientific explanation? What sort of knowledge of the world does science provide? Do scientific theories, such as evolutionary theory, or quantum mechanics, compel us to modify our basic philosophical understanding of, and approach to, reality? What makes an object a work of art? Are aesthetic value judgments objective? 

There are as many philosophical questions as there are areas of human inquiry. But the key to philosophy, and what makes it so significant for a good education, is that philosophy does not merely aim to master a body of facts but to teach how to think, speak, and write clearly and sharply through any set of facts. Studying philosophy is learning in its most valuable and elemental form: how to read critically, analyze and assess arguments, discern hidden assumptions, think imaginatively and creatively, and how express one's position precisely in both speech and writing.

An undergraduate degree in philosophy is academically rigorous. It is excellent preparation for law and medicine, as well as a spectrum of entry-level positions in business, public service and more. Read more about the advantages of studying philosophy.

PHIL 1012 Introduction to Philosophy: the Individual and the World
PHIL 1012 Introduction to Philosophy: the Individual and the World

In this course, we focus on questions driving the discipline by exploring theories of reality and the nature and limits of knowledge. To be effective in resolving societal issues, like increasing happiness, requires understanding these complex and essential fields.

 

PHIL 1020 Introduction to Ethical Reasoning
PHIL 1020 Introduction to Ethical Reasoning

In this course, we consider ethical problems and forms of ethical reasoning within the larger context of social and political philosophy.

Attention is given to specific ongoing problems, including poverty, famine, abortion, punishment, animal rights, or environmental sustainability amongst others.

 

PHIL 2441 Logic, Language and Scientific Reasoning
PHIL 2441 Logic, Language and Scientific Reasoning

Introductory course developing skills in argumentation, critical thinking, and scientific reasoning. Covers a wide array of topics including rules of logical inference, informal fallacies, problem-solving, and probabilistic reasoning, these analytical and critical thinking skills are tested on LSAT and MCAT. In this course, we discuss issues central to advancement in the sciences, and knowledge in general. In the course, you will learn valuable skills for employers.

 

Modern Philosophy
PHIL 3022 and 5022 Modern Philosophy

This course explores the resurgence of philosophy during and after the 16th century. The Middle Ages were dominated by church dogma and in this course, we will investigate the thought of the great minds that brought philosophy back to life after this period. 

 

Social and Political Philosophy
PHIL 3200 and 5200 Social and Political Philosophy

This course examines basic issues in social and political philosophy, including justice, freedom, individuality, power and community. Cross-listed with PHIL 5200. Term offered: spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.

Ideology and Culture
PHIL 3500 Ideology and Culture: Racism and Sexism

This course explores ways ideology functions within culture. Specific attention is given to how ideology creates and maintains racist and sexist patterns of thought and behavior. By analyzing the methods and sources of ideological forces we explore different thinkers claims about if and how eliminating racist and sexist thinking is possible as an individual or as a collective society.

 

Existentialism
PHIL 3833 and 5833 Existentialism

Examine one of the most influential movements in recent European thought, beginning with existentialism's 19th century roots, and continuing to the existentialist philosophers of the 20th century.

 

Bioethics
PHIL 4242 and 5242 Bioethics

What might Frankenstein or Offred, Richard Sackler or Jack Kevorkian, the Supreme Court or the Prison system, Westworld or Jurassic Park, all have in common? If you take this class, you will discover that they are among the many examples of the problem of biopower: the social, political, and philosophical structures that define, organize and control bodily life. In our class, we will study a range of classical and contemporary ethical theories that orbit this issue, discussing such topics as health care, medical research and experimentation, human and non-human life, the natural environment, biopolitics, and perhaps even whether androids dream of electric sheep. PHIL 3002 or 3022 and a minimum grade of C in each previous philosophy course are strongly recommended, but if the student does not have this coursework, consulting with the instructor prior to registration is strongly recommended. Cross-listed with PHIL 5242, SSCI 5242, HUMN 5242. Term offered: fall. Max hours: 3 Credits

 

Latin American Philosophy
PHIL 4341 and 5341 Latin American Philosophy

Examine Latin American Philosophy by exploring its indigenous roots, its recurring themes of struggle against colonial domination, and the way this tradition works with and against European and Anglo-American philosophical ideas

 

Decolonial Thought
PHIL 4812 and 5812 Special Topics in Philosophy: Decolonial Thought

This course examines the condition of coloniality, white supremacy and heteronormativity in the formation of the philosophical canon. We take seriously the ‘Decolonial Turn’ as a significant shift in knowledge production, and problematize the systemic exclusion of Africa, Asia, Latin America and Indigenous peoples in the Eurocentric construction of philosophy as a discipline. Through decolonial thinking and practice, we explore ways to do philosophy otherwise.

Strongly Recommended: PHIL 3002 or 3022, a minimum grade of "C" in each previous philosophy course. If the student does not have this coursework, consulting with the instructor prior to registration is strongly recommended. Repeatable. Max hours: 15 Credits.

 

Philosophy of Media and Technology
PHIL 4920 and 5920 Philosophy of Media and Technology

A philosophical examination of interrelationships between contemporary media, technology, and their impacts upon character of contemporary life and values. Topics may include ethics, epistemology, democracy, advertising, media literacy and criticism.