The University Catalog contains a complete list of courses taught in the Philosophy Department. Undergraduate courses are those numbered in the 1000s, 2000s, 3000s, and 4000s. Upper division courses (3000s and 4000s) are listed below. All upper division courses have prerequisites; please check the catalog.

Fall 2012

PHIL 3000: History of Ancient Philosophy
SEC 002, TR 2:00-3:15, HLMS 177
Prof. Bailey

PHIL 3010: History of Modern Philosophy
SEC 002, TR 12:30-1:45, CLRE 104
Prof. Kaufman

PHIL 3100: Ethical Theory
SEC 001, MWF 2:00-2:50, HLMS 267
Prof. Norcross

PHIL 3140: Environmental Ethics
SEC 002, MWF 11:00-11:50, RAMY N1B23
SEC 003, MWF 9:00-9:50, MUEN E064
Dr. Youkey
SEC 004, MWF 3:00-3:50, KTCH 235
SEC 006, MWF 4:00-4:50, RAMY N1B31
Dr. Zerella
SEC 005, TR 3:30-4:45, EKLC E1B20
Prof. Hale

PHIL 3160: Bioethics
SEC 002, MWF 2:00-2:50, HLMS 229
SEC 003, MWF 4:00-4:50, HLMS 229
Dr. Lomelino

PHIL 3180: Critical Thinking: Contemporary Topics
SEC 002, MWF 1:00-1:50, HLMS 177
Dr. Kopec

PHIL 3190: War and Morality
SEC 002, MWF 3:00-3:50, HLMS 211
Dr. Sturgis

PHIL 3200: Social and Political Philosophy
SEC 002, MWF 10:00-10:50, KTCH 118
Prof. Wingo

PHIL 3260: Philosophy and the International Order
SEC 001, TR 9:30-10:45, HLMS 229
SEC 002, TR 3:30-4:45, HLMS 177
Dr. Christian Lee

PHIL 3310: Cognitive Science
SEC 001, TR 11:00-12:15, MUEN D430
Profs. Eisenberg and Rupert

PHIL 3410: History of Science: Ancients to Newton
SEC 001, TR 12:30-1:45, HLMS 177
Dr. Brindell

PHIL 3480: Critical Thinking and Writing in Philosophy
SEC 001, MWF 11:00-11:50, HLMS 177
SEC 002, MWF 2:00-2:50, HLMS 177
Dr. Potter

PHIL 3600: Philosophy of Religion
SEC 880, TR 2:00-3:15, HLMS 196
Prof. Morriston

PHIL 3800: Open Topics in Philosophy: Heidegger and Technology
SEC 001, MWF 1:00-1:50, HLMS 237
Prof. Zimmerman

PHIL 4010: Single Philosopher: Plato
SEC 001, TR 12:30-1:45, HLMS 229
Prof. Bailey

PHIL 4010: Single Philosopher: Hobbes
SEC 003, TR 3:30-4:45, HLMS 263
Prof. Kaufman

PHIL 4340: Epistemology
SEC 002, MWF 3:00-3:50, HLMS 229
Dr. Talbot

PHIL 4360: Metaphysics
SEC 001, TR 11:00-12:15, HLMS 237
Prof. Tooley

PHIL 4450: History and Philosophy of Physics
SEC 001, TR 9:30-10:45, DUAN G131
Prof. Franklin

PHIL 4470: Probability and Rational Choice
SEC 002, TR 12:30-1:45, HLMS 196
Prof. Chwang

PHIL 4490: Philosophy of Language
SEC 001, MWF 1:00-1:50, HLMS 229
Prof. Barnett

Spring 2011

PHIL 3100: Ethical Theory
SEC 001, MWF 11:00AM - 11:50AM, HLMS 229
Prof. Heathwood

We make value judgments – e.g., “You shouldn't litter,” “It's unfair that some children have no health care,” “Friendship makes life worth living,” “Abortion is wrong,” “Tiger Woods is a scumbag” – all the time. But what are we doing when we do this? Are we describing an objective moral reality, or just expressing our feelings? Are such statements ever true? Can we ever know one to be true? If there are moral facts, are they just a subclass of the natural facts about the world? Assuming that we do have moral obligations, why should we care about them? These are some questions in metaethics, to which the first part of this course will provide an introduction.

Then we will turn to normative ethics, where we attempt to figure out which moral claims – in particular, which fundamental moral principles – are actually true. Our main questions will be, What makes an act right or wrong?, and, What makes a state of affairs good or bad? Consequentialists believe that an act’s rightness or wrongness is to be explained solely in terms of how good or bad its outcome would be. We will explore this theory in detail, as well as theories about what makes an outcome good or bad. Deontologists reject the view that consequences are all that matter. They typically believe that we have special obligations (e.g., to our children, to people to whom we have made promises) that are not explained by the value of outcomes. Deontologists also often believe in constraints against certain kinds of behavior (e.g., killing) even when doing so would lead to the best outcome. We will explore deontology in detail as well.

PHIL 4120: Philosophy and Animals
12:30-1:45 TR
Prof. Norcross

We commonly assume that human beings have certain rights, prominent among which are the right to life and the right to self-determination. These general rights encompass the more specific rights not to be bred and killed for food, and not to be experimented on without our consent. The situation appears to be different with respect to nonhuman animals. Many animals are bred, often in quite unpleasant conditions, in order to be slaughtered and eaten by humans. Many other animals are forcibly subjected to experiments designed to test products or processes whose sole aim is to benefit humans. Very few of these animals sign consent forms. It appears to be a common assumption that animals don't have the same rights as humans, and even that they don't have rights at all. The topic of this course is whether the assumption can be justified. We will consider both the utilitarian approach of Peter Singer that animals deserve equal consideration with humans, and the deontological approach of Tom Regan that animals have equal moral rights with those of humans. In opposition to these views, we will also consider the work of philosophers such as Carl Cohen, Peter Carruthers, and Ray Frey. We will also study the work of some cognitive ethologists on the cognitive abilities of animals.

PHIL 4200/5200: Contemporary Political Philosophy: Race, Ethnicity, and Empire
SEC 001
Prof. Jaggar

This course will explore issues of racial/ethnic justice both in liberal democratic societies and at the global level. The first few weeks of the course will examine various conceptions of race, ethnicity, and racism, along with the philosophical assumptions that inform these conceptions. We will pay special attention to the relationships among biological, psychological, historical, and cultural approaches to understanding race/ethnicity. We will also explore the relationships between race/ethnicity, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, such social categories as gender, class, ability, and sexuality. The middle few weeks of the course will address issues of racial/ethnic justice in liberal democratic societies. Topics may include indigenous rights, cultural recognition, preferential treatment, and political representation. The last few weeks of the course will consider issues of racial/ethnic justice on a global scale. Topics may include global distributive justice, migration, environmental racism, and humanitarian intervention. The course may conclude by considering the topic of reparations and/or by seeking to imagine a post-racist but not necessarily post-racial future.

Fall 2010

PHIL 3010: History of Modern Philosophy
SEC 001, TuTh 2:00PM - 3:15PM, HLMS 237
Prof. Hanna

The fundamental problem of modern philosophy is this: How can the rational human subject's fully personal conception of herself and the world be reconciled with the fully impersonal conception of human beings and their world that is developed by modern science? In this course we will address this fundamental problem in various ways by carefully reading and critically studying several classic philosophical texts of the 17th and 18th centuries by Descartes, Pascal, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, & Reid. Topics to be considered include: rationalism vs. empiricism; skepticism, knowledge, & certainty; proofs for the existence of God & natural religion; the nature of reality; the nature of persons & freedom of the will; the problem of evil & theodicy; & the nature of human cognition.

NB. This course ALSO provides an excellent foundation for my PHIL 4010 Philosophy of Kant course, which will be taught by me in Spring 2011.

Primary text: F.E. Baird (ed.), Modern Philosophy.
Assignments: Weekly quizzes on the readings + two required 8-10 page papers + optional third 8-10 page paper

PHIL 3100: Ethical Theory
SEC 001, TuTh 11:00AM - 12:15PM, CLUB 13
Prof. Heathwood

We make value judgments – e.g., “You shouldn't litter,” “It's unfair that some children have no health care,” “Friendship makes life worth living,” “Abortion is wrong,” “Tiger Woods is a scumbag” – all the time. But what are we doing when we do this? Are we describing an objective moral reality, or just expressing our feelings? Are such statements ever true? Can we ever know one to be true? If there are moral facts, are they just a subclass of the natural facts about the world? Assuming that we do have moral obligations, why should we care about them? These are some questions in metaethics, to which the first part of this course will provide an introduction.

Then we will turn to normative ethics, where we attempt to figure out which moral claims – in particular, which fundamental moral principles – are actually true. Our main questions will be, What makes an act right or wrong?, and, What makes a state of affairs good or bad? Consequentialists believe that an act’s rightness or wrongness is to be explained solely in terms of how good or bad its outcome would be. We will explore this theory in detail, as well as theories about what makes an outcome good or bad. Deontologists reject the view that consequences are all that matter. They typically believe that we have special obligations (e.g., to our children, to people to whom we have made promises) that are not explained by the value of outcomes. Deontologists also often believe in constraints against certain kinds of behavior (e.g., killing) even when doing so would lead to the best outcome. We will explore deontology in detail as well.

PHIL 3140: Environmental Ethics
Dr. Sturgis

A central question we will focus on in this course is whether nature, understood as a biotic community, has intrinsic value (value beyond its usefulness to us). We will investigate just what intrinsic value is, and whether it makes sense to speak of it as existing apart from any valuers. If value does depend on valuers, what then can we say about the possibility of humans valuing things beyond their usefulness to humans?

While some of these philosophical questions will take us into abstract territory we will put them in a practical and personal context: the relationship of what we eat to our environment. We will consider questions like, What does it mean to say that organic food is too expensive? What are the societal benefits of only having to spend 20% of our income on conventional food? Are we obligated to eat locally grown food or does eating locally support wealthier farmers and harm those who need our support most?

PHIL 3260: Philosophy and the International Order: Global Justice
Prof. Hosein

In an increasingly globalized world we are often forced to consider moral questions about how to treat people who are not within our own political community. What should we do about global poverty? Are we entitled to exclude would-be immigrants? When is war justified?

In this class we will consider these and other important practical issues in light of some broader philosophical questions about the global sphere, such as whether there any limits on what states can do to secure their own security and whether we owe more to members of our state than to foreigners.

PHIL 3340: Epistemology
Prof. Huemer
The course will deal with such questions as the following: Do we know anything about the world outside us? Does empirical knowledge have a foundation? Are we directly aware of physical objects? How do we know about such things as good, bad, right, and wrong? Is there knowledge independent of experience? How should we deal with disagreement, especially among experts? When and why should we rely on testimony?

Most readings will be from Epistemology: Contemporary Readings. Also recommended: Skepticism and the Veil of Perception.

PHIL 4010: Single Philosopher: Nietzsche
SEC 003, 11:00 - 12:15 TR, HLMS 245
Prof. Zimmerman

In this course, we will read two major works by Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil and Thus Spoke Zarathustra, along with a few shorter works. One of Nietzsche’s major concerns was that European civilization would end in nihilism after the “death” of God and after the triumph of a scientific naturalism that depicts human life as an accidental event in a meaningless universe. As a possible antidote to nihilism, Nietzsche posited a new goal for European humanity: the Overman. Commentators often regard the Overman as a regulative ideal, an aesthetic vision needed to help justify human life. In recent decades, however, a number of influential people have begun to describe the Overman not as an ideal, but rather as an event that will come to fruition in the near future, as we redesign the human genome in ways that confer upon it much longer life spans; make possible exceptional aesthetic, moral, athletic, sensual, sensory, and intellectual capacities; and bring an end to many forms of suffering. This prospect is known as transhumanism. A major point of focus for this course will be whether Nietzsche’s Overman is consistent with the supposed near-reality of genetically-engineered super-humans. To allow for an informed judgment, we will also read essays by transhumanists and others who assert explicitly that Nietzsche’s ideal of the Overman anticipates efforts to transform humankind through breakthroughs in medicine, science, and technology.