Course Offerings

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.

Max hours: 3 Credits. GT: Course is approved by the Colorado Dept of Higher Education for statewide guaranteed transfer, GT-AH

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.

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. We will cover a wide array of topics including rules of logical inference, informal fallacies, problem-solving, and probabilistic reasoning. These are crucial analytical and critical thinking skills tested on LSAT and MCAT. In this course, we discuss issues central to advancement in the sciences, and towards knowledge in general which is a skill broadly desired by employers.

Max Hours: 3 Credits. Terms offered: spring, summer, fall. GT: Course is approved by the Colorado Dept of Higher Education for statewide guaranteed transfer, GT-AH3.

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. 

Max hours: 3 Credits. Grading Basis: Letter Grade

This course is designed to introduce students to the Philosophy of Science. (No background in philosophy is required.) Philosophy of Science is concerned with how best to use observation and experiment to learn about the world, whether we are investigating fundamental physical structures, the complex operations of biological organisms, or the social dynamics of human groups. Drawing on both historical and contemporary works, we will seek to understand, among other topics, what makes scientific inquiry distinct from other forms of human learning, what accounts for the credibility and objectivity of scientific claims, the influence of psycho-social biases on observation and theory formation, as well as whether accepting a scientific theory, explanation or hypothesis means that we think it is true.

Max Hours: 3 Credits. Grading Basis: Letter Grade. 

Is it wrong to extinguish a species? What makes cruelty to animals wrong? Do trees have rights? Is the earth a resource we can use any way we want? Is vegetarianism a more ethical way to live — or just another lifestyle choice? As citizens of the world, we are bombarded by such questions. Understanding what is fundamental clarifies thinking and coordinates action. This course introduces ethical theories relevant to problems such as animal and species welfare, deforestation, pollution, climate change, and the sustainability of the planet. By examining multiple perspectives, students gain confidence judging which issues and data are significant and deciding what kind of world we should create with our actions and inactions.

Max Hours: 3 Credits. Grading Basis: Letter Grade. 

This course provides Philosophy majors and other philosophically interested students with the skills and tools necessary for effectively navigating philosophical discussions. In this course we will cover issues such as validity and soundness, as well as several systems useful for demonstrating validity. The course will in addition address important issues in the philosophy of language, including the very important question of definitions, as well as the use of thought experiments and avoidance of informal fallacies. Finally, since philosophical reasoning increasingly involves knowledge of the methods of scientific reasoning, those skills will also be included in the course. Cross-listed with PHIL 5441.

Max hours: 3 Credits. Grading Basis: Letter Grade

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.

Max hours: 3 Credits. Grading Basis: Letter Grade. Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer.

Additional Information: Denver Core Requirement, Cultural Diversity.

Anyone entering a medical profession must confront tough ethical issues and dilemmas. These often arise suddenly, so practitioners best preparation is to think ahead about what will likely occur. This course introduces students to a variety of cases and philosophical theories useful to healthcare careers. For example, What is “health” and who determines it? Is there a right to health care? How should medical scarcity (vital organs, vaccines, supplies, etc.) be addressed? What duties are owed to patients by healthcare providers, and why? On what grounds may medical treatment be demanded — or refused? The goal of the class is to train students to be nimble and imaginative in how they reason about the difficult cases they will face in their career. 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 5242, SSCI 5242, HUMN 5242

Max hours: 3 Credits. Grading Basis: Letter Grade

We will use the critical tools of philosophy to think about how contemporary practices of punishment are justified, how they shape the world we live in and what alternative normative frameworks might be. Cross-listed with PHIL 5450.

Max hours: 3 Credits. Grading Basis: Letter Grade. 

Does God exist? Can the existence of God be proved? When is believing on faith acceptable? How or why is there a “problem of evil”? What are the attributes of a "god" and how can they be known, if at all? What is the relation of God to the world we experience? How does morality relate to religious belief and practice? The goal of the course is to broaden and deepen our understanding of key philosophical debates within religious traditions as we study prominent thinkers in the history of philosophy. Cross-listed with HUMN 5600, PHIL 5600, RLST 4060, RLST 5060, and SSCI 5600.

Max hours: 3 Credits. Grading Basis: Letter Grade. Typically Offered: Fall.

Studies the thought of Martin Heidegger, one of the most important philosophers of the 20th century. Includes texts from both Heidegger's early and later periods, and focuses on his analyses of human subjectivity and being. 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 5780.

Max hours: 3 Credits. Grading Basis: Letter Grade. Typically Offered: Fall.