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Course Descriptions
Click here for the Philosophy Program's two-year course cycle.
PHL 105. PERSONAL AND COMMUNITY ETHICS (3) (GEN. ED. #10)
An introduction to ethical thought with particular attention given to the conflict between individual interest and communal good. The course includes a survey of classical writings on ethics, as well as a selection of more recent texts that focus on concrete issues such as gender and sexuality, racism, economic injustice, and environmental ethics. In each case, we will examine how various conceptions of individual rights coincide with the obligations individuals owe to their neighbors, their nation, and the global community.
PHL 115. RACE, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY (3)
An introduction to the theories of oppression and privilege, with particular attention paid to racism, sexism, and heterosexism. The readings analyze the nature of social identity and difference, including the intersections of sexuality, gender, and race on the individual and social levels.We will examine oppression and privilege as systems and structures, which are maintained and sustained by social practices, language, education, and cultural production.We will also examine the possibilities for these areas to become sites of resistance to oppression—our own, and that of others.
PHL 120. INTRODUCTION TO ANALYTIC PHILOSOPHY (3) (GEN. ED. #9)
Introduction to the analytic method of philosophy as it addresses the central philosophical issues of reality and knowledge. Students apply the analytic method to the metaphysics (theories of reality) and epistemologies (theories of knowledge) of three major philosophers (Plato, Descartes, and Locke), who represent three major movements: realism, rationalism, and empiricism.
PHL 157. INDIVIDUAL, COMMUNITY, COSMOS (3) (GEN. ED. #4)
Philosophic views of persons (their beliefs, values, understanding) and of their relations to societies and to the natural or divine order. Reading from sources ancient and modern, Eastern andWestern, such as Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, and Nietzsche.
PHL 176. LOGIC (3) (GEN. ED. #5)
Study of the theory and history of logic, its uses and justification, its applicability and limitations. Focus on formal deductive logic.
PHL 205. ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS (3) (GEN. ED. #11)
A philosophical examination of the relationship between human beings and the natural world. Readings address cultural and scientific construction of nature and the environment, various constructions of human versus animal being, the metaphysical underpinnings of various “animal rights” and “conservation” positions, and the relationship between environmental and social concerns. Students will consider and evaluate competing approaches to environmental justice. Prerequisite: either sophomore standing, a 100-level course in philosophy, or permission of the instructor.
PHL 212. PHILOSOPHY AND ART (3) (ART 207) (GEN. ED. #9)
An analysis of the philosophical implications and cultural significance of art during the modern period. In pursuing an answer to the question “What is art?” we will examine a selection of philosophical writings on the subject, each of which tries to determine what characteristics make art objects different from all others. In addition, we will examine the political, social, racial, and historical factors that helped produce the institutions, economies and values that, in theWest at least, sustain the notion of “fine art.” Our investigation will include a critical consideration of such things as the modern museum, colonialism, the role of the art critic, and the art industry. (This course cannot be used as one of the two 200-level art history survey courses required for the art major.) Prerequisite: either sophomore standing, a 100-level philosophy course, or permission of the instructor.
PHL 215. PHILOSOPHY AND SCIENCE (3)
An analysis of how both philosophers and scientists understand the practice of scientific investigation. In particular, the concept of causality will be examined to highlight the modern period’s radical reconfiguration of what it means to possess knowledge, as well as to address the social and political ramifications of these changes. Prerequisite: either sophomore standing, a 100-level philosophy course, or permission of the instructor.
PHL 216. MODERN PHILOSOPHY (3) (GEN. ED. #4)
An advanced survey of 17th- and 18th-century philosophy as developed in the writings of Descartes, Leibniz, Spinoza, Locke, Berkeley, and Hume. All readings are from primary sources, supplemented by lecture and discussion.We will consider not only the internal arguments of these texts, but also the broader cultural and political questions that frame their arguments. Prerequisite: either sophomore standing, a 100-level philosophy course, or permission of the instructor.
PHL 217. CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHY (3) (GEN. ED. #10)
An introduction to contemporary philosophy. The course includes a survey of the major philosophers of poststructuralism (post-1968), as well as a substantial examination of the traditions that have shaped contemporary philosophical debates. The course will begin with an overview of the writings of both Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud, emphasizing dialectical materialism and the formation of subjectivity. The course will then examine how the ideas of Marx and Freud have been embraced by late 20th-century theorists. Prerequisite: either sophomore standing, a 100-level philosophy course, or permission of the instructor.
PHL 218. PHILOSOPHY OF TIME (3) (GEN. ED. #4 AND #7)
Examination of speculations about time in the Classical, Enlightenment, and contemporary periods and the specific ways these speculations have helped develop philosophy, physics, mathematics, religion, history, and psychology. Key themes include the role of time as a measure, changes in concepts of time, time and the cosmos, the ubiquitous presence of concepts of time in our understanding of the natural world, abstraction, classification, and self-understanding throughout Western thought. Prerequisite: either sophomore standing, a 100-level philosophy course, or permission of the instructor.
PHL 219. 19TH-CENTURY PHILOSOPHY (3) (GEN. ED. #4)
Study of Kant’s epistemology, Hegel’s phenomenology, and philosophy of history to show new confidence in reason; Nietzsche’s and Kierkegaard’s responses and the subsequent crisis in confidence in reason, and the loss of absolute values that give rise to the issues of modern life. Readings include Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason, Hegel’s preface to Phenomenology of Spirit, Nietzsche’s Genealogy of Morals, and Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling and Repetition. Influence of these works on psychology, social science, religion, and ethics. Prerequisite: either sophomore standing, a 100-level philosophy course, or permission of the instructor.
PHL 220. PHENOMENOLOGY (3)
Study of phenomenology as foundational science in Husserl’s Crisis and its development in the work of Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty’s The Prose of theWorld, and Levinas’ Time and the Other. This course explores the prospect of a holistic way of knowing in opposition to the detached, objective methodology of the natural and social sciences. Prerequisite: either sophomore standing, a 100-level philosophy course, or permission of the instructor.
PHL 221. 20TH-CENTURY CONTINENTAL PHILOSOPHY (3)
An advanced survey of early and mid-20th-century Continental philosophy. All readings are from primary sources, supplemented by lecture and discussion. Students will consider not only the internal arguments of these texts, but also the broader cultural and political questions that frame their arguments. Prerequisite: either sophomore standing, a 100-level philosophy course, or permission of the instructor.
PHL 223. 20TH-CENTURY ANALYTIC PHILOSOPHY (3) (COG 223)
This course will focus on philosophers’ efforts to provide satisfactory accounts of the nature of the mind, its relationship to that of the body, and consciousness. Among the accounts we will study are materialism, logical behaviorism, the identity theory, functionalism, intentionality, and phenomenalism. Prerequisite: either sophomore standing, a 100-level philosophy course, or permission of the instructor.
PHL 224. EXISTENTIALISM: PHILOSOPHY AND THEATER (3) (THE 202) (GEN. ED. #4)
Through the study of existentialist philosophers and playwrights, this course explores the relation of philosophy and theater as the two human activities that enact the self-conscious reflection of the world. Using readings from philosophers Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Marcel, Sartre, de Beauvoir, and Duras, and dramatists Artaud, Pirandello, Brecht, and Beckett, students bring theater and philosophy together in their shared standpoint on the clearing/stage of a conscious place in which they can see the world and see themselves reflected in the world. By discovering how philosophy and theater both “enact reality,” students will also discuss how both meaning in one’s life and personal identity are created, how political identities are created, how political communities and social relations are constituted, and how humans “enact” being. Prerequisite: either sophomore standing, a 100-level philosophy course, or permission of the instructor.
PHL 226. MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE PHILOSOPHY (3) (RLG 226) (GEN. ED. #4)
The major Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, and Neoplatonic thinkers of the two periods. Religious thought, rational theology, the development of humanism, and the development of natural sciences. Readings from St. Anselm, St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, Peter Abelard, Maimonides, Averroes, Ficino, and Pico. Prerequisite: either sophomore standing, a 100-level philosophy course, or permission of the instructor.
PHL 231. POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY (3) (GEN. ED. #10)
An introduction to political philosophy with particular attention paid to the modern period, during which time the fundamental concepts ofWestern politics were developed. The course includes a survey of classical writings on politics, as well as a selection of more recent texts that focus on concrete issues such as citizenship; the “social contract;” sovereignty; the meaning of political, civil, and human rights; as well as a careful examination of cosmopolitanism and nationalism. Prerequisite: either sophomore standing, a 100-level philosophy course, or permission of the instructor.
PHL 233. SCIENCE AND GENDER (3) (WS 233)
Students will read feminist critiques of science and technology with attention to the ways in which science reinforces existing power structures, as well as in ways in which feminist scientists work to challenge those structures. Readings include work in feminist epistemology and standpoint theory, as well as critiques of feminist philosophy of science. Prerequisite: a 100-level course in philosophy.
PHL 235. HERMENEUTICS AND DECONSTRUCTION (3) (RLG 235) (GEN. ED. #7)
An overview of two current theories of interpretation articulated in Gadamer and Derrida and their applications in the social sciences, history, and literature. Examination and comparison of these methods of interpretation as they focus on the Dialogues of Plato. Prerequisite: either sophomore standing, a 100-level philosophy course, or permission of the instructor.
PHL 237. QUEER THEORY (3)
Queer theory is one of the richest and most quickly growing fields of contemporary philosophical inquiry. This course will trace various arguments for overcoming the categories “heterosexual” and “homosexual” as defined in hetro-patriarchy, in favor of a more contemporary understanding of sexuality (and gender itself ) as fluid and irreducibly mediated by social forces. Readings will explore heterosexual normativity, sadomasochism, camp, queer identity, transgender, the relationship between queer and feminist resistances, and the queering of the philosophical tradition. Prerequisite: 100-level course in philosophy.
PHL 243. ETHICAL THEORY (3) (GEN. ED. #10)
A study of the major modern systems of ethics, with emphasis on meta-ethical inquiry. The first half of the semester introduces students to deontology, utilitarianism, and the ethics of alterity through primary texts. In the second half, students reflect on critical responses to these systems from more contemporary positions, which emphasize embodiment and particularity. Prerequisite: either sophomore standing, a 100-level philosophy course, or permission of the instructor.
PHL 245. CRITICAL RACE THEORY (3) (GEN. ED. #10)
A detailed examination of our assumptions about race and the impact of those assumptions on issues concerning gender, class, and sexuality. Students examine racial issues from a critical philosophical perspective and consider the ways in which representations of race reinforce patterns of power and privilege. Prerequisite: either sophomore standing, a 100-level philosophy course, or permission of the instructor.
PHL 254. BIOMEDICAL ETHICS (3) (GEN. ED. #10)
A study of life and death, euthanasia and “natural death,” abortion, organ transplants, medical experiments, women and the medical profession, medical care and the poor, health insurance schemes, mental institutions, and patients’ rights. Issues studied in relation to major ethical philosophies. Prerequisite: either sophomore standing, a 100-level philosophy course, or permission of the instructor.
PHL 257. PHILOSOPHY AND TECHNOLOGY (3)
An analysis of the cultural impact and philosophical implications of modern technology, as well as a historical consideration of the relation between humans and machines. Perspectives on technology will be drawn from traditional philosophical sources, as well as from more recent writings and will be examined to highlight a range of ethical and epistemological questions, including the role of technology in modern warfare, the status of intellectual property rights, the general increase in surveillance, the implications of hacking, and the risk of identity theft. Prerequisite: either sophomore standing, a 100-level philosophy course, or permission of the instructor.
PHL 260. ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY (3) (GEN. ED. #4)
The birth ofWestern thinking about existence, knowledge, and values in Greek and Roman philosophy. Consideration of the theories of the pre-Socratics, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, and Plotinus. Prerequisite: either sophomore standing, a 100-level philosophy course, or permission of the instructor.
PHL 268. ASIAN THOUGHT (3) (RLG 268) (GEN. ED. #4)
An analysis of Asian philosophical and religious texts with particular emphasis on the Chinese tradition.We will read selected works from the vast scholarly literature of the Taoist, Buddhist, and Confucian traditions, and situate these texts, their authors, and the schools they represent, within their historical context. Prerequisite: either sophomore standing, a 100-level philosophy course, or permission of the instructor.
PHL 272Y. INTENSIVE COURSE ABROAD (GEN. ED. #3)
Three-week intensive course abroad in January or summer.
CHINA GATEWAY (1 OR 3)
A seven-week pre-course will familiarize students with basic Mandrain Chinese and contemporary Chinese culture, as well as traveling in Asia (one credit). This is followed by a three-week intensive course in China in the summer (three credits total).
PHL 275. EPISTEMOLOGY (3) (COG 275) (GEN. ED. #7)
This course will examine the theories of truth, such as the correspondence and coherence theories, and the related theories of belief that support these claims to knowledge.We will also examine the criteria for what constitutes appropriate evidence for a knowledge claim. The course will conclude with the more recent problems proposed for the traditional definition of knowledge and some attempts to overcome these problems. Prerequisite: either sophomore standing, a 100-level philosophy course, or permission of the instructor.
PHL 276. FEMINIST PHILOSOPHY (3) (WS 276) (GEN. ED. #10)
A philosophical study of questions of gender and gender inequality. The class will explore the sex/gender distinction, social constructions of femininity and masculinity, theories of male normativity and masculine privilege, and various competing strategies for resistance. Students will reflect on gender in relation to other social inequalities, with particular attention to sexuality and heterosexism. Prerequisite: either sophomore standing, a 100-level philosophy course, or permission of the instructor.
PHL 277. SEX WORK: ETHICAL AND HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES (3) (WS 277)
Sex work is one of the most controversial areas of feminist inquiry.While so much of the U.S. women’s movement has fought to eliminate the (legal and illegal) trafficking in women’s bodies, an equally amount of feminist work goes toward improving the lives and social and legal status of sex workers. This course studies the history of sex work to examine how race, class and gender provide a basis for ethical debates on prostitution and pornography. Questions of who decides what is moral and not, what is healthy or sick, and what is considered obscene in modern society—and how these questions have been answered through the years. Prerequisites: Any one of the following: PHL 115, 276, or 237; any one of the following women’s studies courses:WS 100, 120, 225, or 230; or permission of the instructor.
PHL 280. ARCHAEOLOGY OF LANGUAGE (3) (GEN. ED. #10)
A discussion of language in its various roles, from creating meaning to hiding it. By looking at five ways of treating language—the literal, the metaphorical, the evocative, the structural, the deconstruction—this course explores why language works and why it sometimes does not work, why it is possible to be understood and to be misunderstood. Topics include the relationship of language and culture, language and gender, language and cognition, and language and madness. Readings in Aristotle, Heidegger, Barthes, Foucault, Derrida, and Eco. Prerequisite: either sophomore standing, a 100-level philosophy course, or permission of the instructor.
PHL 290. INTERNSHIP IN PHILOSOPHY (3-4)
Placements in business, government, civic organizations, coalitions, and volunteer groups. Each student designs a plan with a member of the department to develop a clear goal and a rigorous method of pursuing it. Prerequisites: preliminary interview and sophomore standing or permission of the instructor. Course may be taken pass/no pass only.
Department.
PHL 298/398. INDEPENDENT WORK IN PHILOSOPHY (1.5-4)
Special topics of study based on previous course work in the department and selected in conference with the instructor.
Department.
PHL 330. NIETZSCHE (3)
A reading of four of Nietzsche’s works: Beyond Good and Evil, The Gay Science, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, and Twilight of the Idols; a biography of Nietzsche; and three crucial commentators: Heidegger, Derrida, and Irigaray. This course offers an opportunity to see the history of philosophy and culture through the major concepts of theWill to Power, the Eternal Return, the Transvaluation of Values, and recent interpretations of that thinker who called for an end to religion and metaphysics and started the modern age. Prerequisite: either a 200-level philosophy course or permission of the instructor.
PHL 332. FOUCAULT (3)
A examination of the works of Michel Foucault, as well as an introduction to the ideas and issues that characterized post-1968 Europe, the time period during which he wrote. The course will be devoted to a careful reading of Foucault’s most important works. Prerequisite: either a 200-level philosophy course or permission of the instructor.
PHL 333. KANT (3)
A examination of the works of Immanuel Kant, as well as an introduction to the ideas and themes characteristic of the critical tradition he inaugurated. The course will devote considerable time to a careful reading of the standard translations of Kant’s most important works, paying particular attention to the key concepts of Kant’s critical philosophy. In addition to reading works by Kant, the course will examine the writings of influential 20th-century thinkers whose works not only draw on Kant’s ideas, but also give these ideas a profoundly contemporary relevance. Prerequisite: either a 200-level philosophy course or permission of the instructor.
PHL 336. HEIDEGGER (3)
Seminar discussion of the key texts in Heidegger’s “path of thinking” about being.We will follow Heidegger’s ways of asking the question of “the meaning of being” as it develops and changes from phenomenology as fundamental ontology in Being and Time to thought that gives itself over to the appropriation of thinking by being in Contributions to Philosophy. Other texts under consideration include Identity and Difference and theWegmarken texts.
PHL 337. DESCARTES (3)
Philosophers who study Descartes’ Meditations have concerned themselves with what has become known as the “Cartesian Circle,” namely, that the principle of clarity and distinctness that Descartes employs to validate God’s existence is itself in need of a guarantee that only God’s existence can provide. This course will examine three strategies that contemporary philosophers have offered to avoid the “Circle”: the autonomy of reason, partial autonomy of reason, and non-autonomy of reason with distinctions in the concepts of certainty and doubt. Prerequisite: either a 200-level philosophy course or permission of the instructor.
PHL 338. DERRIDA (3)
An in-depth study of Derrida’s early work, which begins with his critique of logocentrism, tracing its trajectory from his work on language and semiotics to the deconstruction of the metaphysics of presence. The class concludes with the readings of his later work, exploring the relevance of deconstruction for contemporary democratic theory, globalization, and education. Prerequisite: 200-level course in philosophy or permission of the instructor.
PHL 339. LYOTARD (3)
This course will introduce students to the work of late 20th-century French philosopher Jean- Francois Lyotard, who is credited with introducing the term “postmodern” into critical discourse, in the context of the events of May 1968 as well as in its present inception.We will explore his writings on the postmodern in areas such as knowledge production, art, memory and testimony, gender, international human rights, and education. Prerequisites: 200-level course in philosophy or permission of the instructor.
PHL 365. PLATO (3)
The Theory of Forms, perhaps the most influential theory inWestern philosophy, was devised early in Plato’s career. It was then significantly expanded and improved in many later dialogues affecting all areas of Plato’s thought: knowing, existence, and values. This course focuses on a discussion and critical examination of the Phaedo, Symposium, Republic, Phaedrus, Parmenides, Theaetetus, Sophist, and Timaeus. Prerequisite: either a 200-level philosophy course or permission of the instructor.
PHL 395. PHILOSOPHICAL TOPICS (3)
Advanced study in a particular historical period, theme, issue, or thinker in theWestern or Eastern philosophical tradition. The field of discussion is delimited differently each time the course is taught. Topics for a given semester are posted before registration. Prerequisite: either a 200-level philosophy course or permission of the instructor.
Variable semesters. Department.