Courses

Important dates to keep in mind for Fall 2023:

• The drop deadline is September 6th, 2023 at 5pm
• ​The last day to apply for Fall 2023 Graduation is September 6th, 2023
• The last day to withdraw from a class is October 29th, 2023
• Petitions for a late withdrawal from a class are due December 6th, 2023
• Fall 2023 Graduation is December 21st, 2023

Interested in the topics of ...

MIND and CONSCIOUSNESS and HAPPINESS

PHIL 4300 Philosophy of Mind or PHIL 3030 Philosophies of the Good Life and Happiness

Or maybe LEARNING and KNOWLEDGE

PHIL 3360 Epistemology

Perhaps the INTERPRETATION, ARTS, or LITERATURE

PHIL 4730 Philosophy and Literature or PHIL 5220 Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art

Questions about TIME and REALITY

PHIL 3350 Metaphysics

Even on RACE, SEX, or GENDER

PHIL 3500 Ideology Culture: Racism and Sexism or PHIL 4500 Feminist Philosophy

What about GOD and RELIGION

PHIL 4600 Philosophy of Religion

Or both POLITICS and JUSTICE

PHIL 3200 Social and Political Philosophy

Are you more SCIENCE and TECHNOLOGY minded?

PHIL 3340 Investigating Nature: Introduction to the Philosophy of Science

PHIL 4350 Philosophy of Science

PHIL 4920 Philosophy of Media and Technology

Perhaps even more BUSINESS minded?

PHIL 3250 Business Ethics

These are just some examples of the many areas philosophy takes on! Current class offerings are on the left, but take a look at our CATALOG to see the full picture!

Are ghosts real? How about God? Is science our only source for truth? What about common sense? How are emotion and reason related? Is a life of duty better than one of pleasure? Is there a “best” kind of life? Typically, differences among people are rooted in deeper concepts -- such as truth, reality, and happiness. Philosophy has developed questions and (some) theories about what these concepts mean and how they might apply to everyday life. Term offered: fall, spring, summer. Max hours: 3 Credits. GT: Course is approved by the Colorado Dept of Higher Education for statewide guaranteed transfer, GT-AH3

We’re commonly told to “do the right thing,” and everybody seems to agree that we should. But what is right? What is wrong? How can we see and know the difference? This course helps students examine and analyze the ethical concepts, situations, and problems raised by these fundamental questions. Specific problems will vary with contemporary concerns, e.g., poverty, war, injustice, famine, abortion, punishment, and environmental sustainability. The course goal is to help students sharpen their ethical reasoning skills so they can better navigate and contribute to the ethical, social, and political arenas in which they will live their lives. Term offered: fall, spring, summer. Max hours: 3 Credits. GT: Course is approved by the Colorado Dept of Higher Education for statewide guaranteed transfer, GT-AH3

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 towards knowledge in general. In the course, you will learn valuable skills for employers.

What is philosophy?  What is the nature of reality? What is the difference between knowledge and opinion?  What is the best kind of life for a human being to lead? Ancient Greece was the birthplace of Western philosophy, and this course traces the history of ancient Greek thought, from Homer and Hesiod through the pre-Socratic thinkers (e.g. such figures as Thales, Pythagoras, Heraclitus, Parmenides, Zeno of Elea, Empedocles, Anaxagoras and Democritus) to Plato, Aristotle and later Hellenistic thought. Cross-listed with PHIL 5002. Grading Basis: Letter Grade. Typically Offered: Fall, Spring. Semester Hours: 3 to 3

All who live in this world must choose what to do. Some of those choices can rely on first-hand experience, but most rely on information, facts, and descriptions from external sources. As every programmer will tell you, "Garbage in, garbage out." Thus, getting "good" information is critical to our ability to live freely, autonomously, and ethically. It is typical for philosophy classes to teach logic and reasoning -- and those are important. But reasoning is useless if its content (or information) is deceptive, misleading, or incoherent. What's more, since democratic countries are premised upon knowledgeable citizens, the short-circuiting of reasoning by propaganda may be the greatest danger democracy has. The question becomes: what is propaganda? How do we define it? How do we locate it? And finally, how do we spell out what's (possibly) wrong with it? Accordingly, this course is an inquiry into the epistemic, technological, and ethical dimensions of propaganda. It will define propaganda, identify how it works, and seek to understand the variety of agents and motives who use propaganda to achieve their ends. (It is not assumed that propaganda is always good or always bad, by the way.) In addition to understanding the logical and epistemic nature of propaganda, this course will examine how it is disseminated. How do technologies (text, video, social media, algorithms, etc.) influence and foment misinformation? The overarching goal will be to become more aware and critical of propaganda we encounter so we can avoid "garbage" information which can manipulate us and prevent us from reasoning logically and ethically. Cross-listed with PHIL 3050. Max hours: 3 Credits.

What is justice? What justifies a government as moral? Why should individuals obey the state’s laws? Can anarchism work? Is private property necessary to a free society? Is social justice? What is freedom — and what is oppression? Is gender, ethnic, and religious diversity necessary for a just society? Why? This course will raise these kinds of questions as it examines basic issues in social and political philosophy (e.g. justice, freedom, individuality, power and community). Cross-listed with PHIL 5200. Term offered: spring. Max hours: 3 Credits. Grading Basis: Letter Grade Typically Offered: Spring.

What is “racism” or “sexism”? What is oppression? How do these ideas become invisible so that they structure ways people think, act? How do they inform policies, laws, and institutions? And what modifies or overturns such ideas? By answering such questions, this course helps students reflect on the formation of their own lives, practices, beliefs, and values. Topics may include ideology theory, naturalism, the equal protection clause, recent scientific discussions, socio-legal history, and social constructionism. Term offered: fall, spring, summer. Max hours: 3 Credits.

Why do motives matter in ethics?  What is an ethical duty? How do sensations and  ideas combine to make reality unified and coherent? Kant's philosophy answers these questions by providing a profound synthesis of the philosophers before him. Kant's work still influences ethics, politics, metaphysics, epistemology, and science today. This course involves students in close study of Kant’s revolutionary thought as it appears in several of his major works. 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. Cross-listed with PHIL 5830. Term offered: fall. Max hours: 3 Credits. Semester Hours: 3 to 3

What is a legal “law”? What justifies its ability to force our compliance? How is law distinct from morality? What makes some laws immoral? Is ignorance of the law ever a valid excuse?  We all find ourselves entangled with the law at some point. Sometimes we’re the victim and sometimes we stand accused; even beyond those special circumstances, we all have to live with the law and the many ways it regulates (or controls) our conduct. While this course is recommended for pre-law students, this course will every students to be intellectually critical of what law is, how it can and is justified, and how to assess it on grounds that reach beyond to law, such as logic or ethics. Both historical and contemporary sources will be used to survey theoretical positions on the nature of law. Figures may include (among others): Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Locke, Kant, Holmes, Mackinnon, Dworkin, Hart, Devlin, as well as more contemporary Supreme Court justices and case law.  Suggested prerequisite one or two previous courses in philosophy, and a minimum grade of C in each course are strongly recommended; if the student lacks this coursework, consult with the professor prior to registration. Cross-listed with PHIL 5260. Term offered: fall. Max Hours: 3 Credits. Grading Basis: Letter Grade. Typically Offered: Fall or Spring.

This course examines some of the central philosophical questions concerning the nature of scientific investigation, such as the logical relation of evidence to hypothesis, the objective adjudication of competing hypotheses, the logical function of modeling in empirical inquiry, the criterion for a classificatory system to underwrite induction and explanation, the explanatory relationships between the differing sciences, as well as the theoretical and pragmatic function of scientific law and its relationship to explanation. ​

​Cross-listed with PHIL 5350. Term offered: spring. Max Hours: 3 Credits.

Explores debates about psyche and body, mind and world, self and others, and consciousness and nature. Examines the philosophical questions related to those debates that arise within theories of perception, affect and cognition offered by influential psychological models. Cross-listed with HUMN 5750, SSCI 5750 and PHIL 5755. Max hours: 3 Credits.

A close study of Nietzsche's philosophical writings, with attention to his significance for philosophy in the 20th century and beyond. Cross-listed with PHIL 5790. Term offered: spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.