UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM
B.A. in Philosophy
Choose one of our Major Concentrations
General Philosophy
A broad education in philosophy, including ancient and modern Western philosophy, ethics, metaphysics and epistemology, and courses in diverse philosophical traditions.
Global Philosophies & Religions
An engagement with philosophical traditions from around the world, including Western, South and East Asian traditions, and Islamic traditions, plus courses on the philosophy and practice of religion.
Philosophy, Science & Technology
Focus on the philosophical underpinnings of scientific thought and practice through courses in the philosophy of science, metaphysics, epistemology, logic, and applied ethics (environmental ethics, sustainability, agricultural and animal ethics).
Minor & Certificate Options
Minor in Philosophy
A minor in philosophy is intended to broaden students' education and to complement and encourage critical and constructive reflection in other courses.
Certificates in Philosophy
For those with a specialized and coherent interest in several philosophy courses, a certificate is often an appealing option. The philosophy department offers two certificates:
Understand both the theoretical foundations and the practical application of ethics, and gain experience making value judgments on a variety of social issues.
Broad education in philosophical and religious perspectives from around the world.
Upcoming Undergraduate Courses
*subject to change based on faculty availability and enrollment numbers
Fall 2024
PHIL 100: Appreciation of Philosophy (multiple sections)—AUCC Arts & Humanities 3B
This course is designed to introduce students to philosophy and philosophical thinking. We’ll explore some enduring questions, such as the nature of knowledge, reality, free will, the mind and body, and artificial intelligence.
PHIL 103: Moral and Social Problems (multiple sections)— AUCC Arts & Humanities 3B
This is an introductory course in applied ethics. The course typically begins with an overview of central ethical theories and then practices applying these ways of thinking to a variety of moral and social problems of our day, such as sexual autonomy, abortion, world hunger and poverty, immigration, animal welfare, assistance in reproduction and death, and climate change.
PHIL 110: Logic & Critical Thinking (multiple sections)— AUCC Arts & Humanities 3B
This course explores the fundamentals of good reasoning. This course will empower you to know when we are reasoning well and when we are reasoning poorly, by objectively examining arguments of various kinds.
PHIL 120: History & Philosophy of Scientific Thought (Rice; TR 11 am-12:15 pm)— AUCC Arts & Humanities 3B
This course surveys some traditional philosophical questions that have been applied to the foundations and practice of natural science. These questions may include the history of philosophical approaches to science, how scientific knowledge makes progress over time, how science provides explanations, the role of evidence in confirming scientific theories, the justification for using idealizing assumptions in science, and some questions about the role of values in scientific practice.
PHIL 170: World Philosophies—AUCC 1C
Section 1: Harris (TR 9:30 am-10:45am) This course explores questions about the good life. In doing so, it introduces and critically evaluates a range of philosophical traditions from East and South Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe that have attempted to provide answers to just what constitutes a good life. Is it a life of pleasure? Is it one in which we cultivate new desires? Is it one in which we eliminate desires? Is it one in which we transcend the human realm? Is it one in which we gain equanimity and acceptance? These and other possibilities may be contemplated.
Section 2: Butnor (MWF 11-11:50 am) This course offers an introduction to and critical engagement with several philosophical traditions from around the world, including works from ancient Greece, Rome, India, and China. We’ll explore each tradition’s understanding and practice of the good life.
PHIL 172: Religions of the East (Noblitt; online)— AUCC Arts & Humanities 3B
This course surveys major religions of South and East Asia, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism. Students will read from influential philosophical texts and consider questions of self, reality, truth, and knowledge while comparing views between traditions.
PHIL 173: Philosophy of Traditional Judaism (Gorelik; Tues 3:30-6:20 pm)
This course presents the fascinating foundations and essentials of Judaism from history, lifecycle, law, and traditions to ethics, philosophy, and Kabbalah (mysticism). With a philosophical focus of life's big questions including happiness, purpose, meaning, we also explore the purpose of creation, the objective of human life, the source and nature of the soul and the cosmic effect of one’s actions. Students will gain an informed knowledge of Judaism and Jewish philosophy.
PHIL 174: World Religions (DiRado; MWF 2-2:50 pm)— AUCC Arts & Humanities 3B
In this class, we'll explore religious traditions from around the world. Our focus will be on foundational religious texts of the Hebraic tradition (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), Hinduism, Buddhism, and the Mayan peoples. Within these diverse traditions, we'll investigate images of humanity, the universe, and god(s) among other central religious concepts.
PHIL 201: Ethical Computing Systems (multiple sections)-- AUCC Arts & Humanities 3B
Section 1 (Gorin; TR 12:30-1:45 pm): This course will explore current topics in at the intersection of ethics and technology such as autonomous cars, bias in algorithms, artificial intelligence, the attention economy, killer robots, Big Data and privacy, and the use of technologies to enhance human beings. We will use multiple moral theories in philosophical ethics, current news reports, and professional ethics codes as grounding for our discussions.
Section 2 (Easley; TR 2-3:15 pm): This course explores current topics in technology that have been in the news recently, such as the Boeing 737 Max, autonomous cars, artificial intelligence, and Big Data and privacy. We will use multiple moral theories in philosophical ethics, professional ethics codes, and science fiction stories as grounding for our discussions.
PHIL 205: Introduction to Ethics (Tropman; TR 11-12:15 pm)
This course explores philosophical questions about the nature of morality and how we ought to live our lives. Along the way, we will critically examine several theories in ethics, including relativism, Divine Command Theory, utilitarianism, hedonism, pluralism, intuitionism, Kant’s ethics, and virtue ethics.
PHIL 210: Introduction to Formal Logic (Tucker; MWF 10:00-10:50 am)
This course is an introduction to logic, which is the study of reasoning using formal tools. More specifically, it is an introduction to first-order logic, which focuses on the concepts of 'and', 'or', 'not', 'if', 'all,' 'some', and 'equals'. Skills covered include translation from English into the formal language of logic, differentiation between valid and invalid patterns of reasoning, demonstration of validity via formal proof, and production of formal models.
PHIL 240: Philosophies of Peace and Nonviolence (Alvarez; TR 2:00-3:15 pm)
Nonviolence is sometimes referred to as a "third way” meaning that it is neither passive acceptance of oppression nor violent opposition to it, but an active commitment to use nonviolent means (e.g., direct action, civil disobedience, boycotts, strikes, protests, and education) to resist evil and to seek justice for those who are oppressed. This course will critically examine the effectiveness of nonviolence as a means of social change. We will also compare the relative merits and effectiveness of nonviolence and conventional warfare (with careful attention to the just war tradition).
PHIL 300: Ancient Greek Philosophy (Archie; MWF 11:00-11:50 am)
This course explores the roots of the Western philosophical tradition. We trace some major lines of philosophical reflection in the early, middle, and later stages of antiquity and assess various philosophical schools and methods practiced in the ancient Greek philosophical tradition.
PHIL 310: Writing and Reasoning (Easley; 11 am-12:15 pm)
In this class, we will learn writing, reasoning, and research strategies for success in undergraduate philosophy courses. This will include logical representation and analysis of philosophical arguments, responding to philosophical arguments, and constructing philosophical arguments. Heavy emphasis will be placed on skill building, practice writing, workshop, and revision. This course is designed for undergraduate majors and minors in philosophy, but all majors are welcome.
PHIL 312: Philosophy of Law (McShane; MWF 1-1:50 pm)
This course covers central issues in the philosophy of law: the nature of law and its relation to morality, the justification of legal authority, theories of legal interpretation, and theories of punishment. Readings will include both historical and contemporary texts.
PHIL 315: Philosophy of Language (Morasch; TR 2:00-3:15 pm)
All of us interact with words on a daily basis. Despite this closeness, words remain puzzling and fascinating entities. Words are tools that allow for successful communication across individuals about things in the world. We will explore various theories of how these words come to exist and how they are shaped by social power relations.
PHIL 318: Aesthetics-Visual Arts (Romagni; TR 12:30-1:45 pm)
What are beauty and ugliness? What makes one work of art better than another? What does a work of art express and how does it do so? What is the relationship between a work of art and its creator? What significance does art have for our daily lives? And what is art, anyway? This course will explore answers to these questions, among others, in the context of the visual arts, broadly construed.
PHIL 326: Philosophy of Biology (Rice; TR 9:30 am-10:45 pm)
This course will focus on philosophical questions that arise in the practice and application of biology. We will begin by investigating Darwin’s original theory and how evolutionary theory has changed since Darwin’s time. We will also look at the debate between evolution and creationism. Then we will investigate several problems within the philosophy of biology including the nature of fitness, the units of selection, adaptationism, optimization, idealization, reductionism, and animal minds.
PHIL 335: Islam - Cosmology & Practice (Hamid; MW 3:00-4:15 pm)
This course surveys some key cosmological, spiritual, ritual, and practical aspects of Islam, and the manner in which they come together to form a comprehensive, systematic path of consciousness and practice. The course will relate these aspects of the reality of Islām to the phenomenon of Islām as a contemporary presence in the world.
PHIL 345: Environmental Ethics (2 sections: MWF 10-10:50 am & MWF 1-1:50 pm)
This course provides an introduction to environmental ethics. It will address questions such as how should we treat or even think about the environment? What responsibilities do we have to the environment, to ecosystems, to plants, to future human generations? What value is there in the environment, and why?
PHIL 349: Philosophies of East Asia (Harris; TR 12:30-1:45 pm)
This course explores the beginnings of philosophy in China (ca. 500-100 BCE) and the contemporary influence of these ideas in a variety of East Asian regions. We will focus on coming to a deeper understanding of the ethical and political ideas of early Confucian, Daoism, and Legalism, as well as the variety of ways that scholars attempted to integrate these disparate philosophies. We will then turn to the ways that these texts and ideas have been applied in the political and ethical theorizing of contemporary East Asian philosophers and political theorists.
PHIL 411: Logic in Philosophy and Beyond (Tucker; MWF 11:00-11:50 am)
This course builds in two directions on a basic familiarity with formal logic. The first, modal logic, provides a rich framework for studying a variety of topics, including possibility, knowledge, obligation, proof, and the information states of a computer. The second, type theory, serves as the foundation of contemporary research in many different areas, including linguistics, philosophy, mathematics, and computer science.
PHIL 462: Capstone Seminar (Gorin; TR 11 am-12:15 pm)
This semester's capstone seminar will focus on developing a professional piece of philosophical writing. The assignments and activities in the course are designed to bolster philosophical methods and writing skills and include extensive feedback on multiple revisions of your project. The ultimate goal is to develop a high-quality paper on a topic of interest to you. Your project will be informed by a previous philosophy course that inspired your interest in the discipline yet will go beyond that course material in developing your own ideas and argument more fully.
Spring 2025
PHIL 100: Appreciation of Philosophy (multiple sections)—AUCC Arts & Humanities 3B
This course is designed to introduce students to philosophy and philosophical thinking. We’ll explore some enduring questions, such as the nature of knowledge, reality, free will, the mind and body, and artificial intelligence.
PHIL 103: Moral and Social Problems (multiple sections)— AUCC Arts & Humanities 3B
This is an introductory course in applied ethics. The course typically begins with an overview of central ethical theories and then practices applying these ways of thinking to a variety of moral and social problems of our day, such as sexual autonomy, abortion, world hunger and poverty, immigration, animal welfare, assistance in reproduction and death, and climate change.
PHIL 110: Logic & Critical Thinking (multiple sections)— AUCC Arts & Humanities 3B
This course explores the fundamentals of good reasoning. This course will empower you to know when we are reasoning well and when we are reasoning poorly, by objectively examining arguments of various kinds.
PHIL 170: World Philosophies (Hamid) —AUCC 1C
The purpose of this course is to give an overview of selected cosmological and historical aspects of a variety of philosophical traditions, present and past. Emphasis will be placed on comparative cosmological concepts and paradigms as a foundation for comparison and contrast of cosmological traditions, especially Gnosticism, Hermeticism, Abrahamic Monotheism, Western Rationalism, and Secular Humanism. Philosophical traditions include Gnostic Christianity, Zoroastrianism, the Hellenic tradition that includes Plato and Aristotle, Hellenistic Neoplatonism, Taoism, Alchemy, Islam, and Native American philosophy.
PHIL 171: Religions of the West (DiRado)— AUCC Arts & Humanities 3B
In this class, we will explore the development of Western religions from their origins up to the modern day. We will study the Hebraic traditions--Judaism, Christianity, and Islam--and the pagan (non-Hebraic) traditions of North Africa, Southern Europe, and the Middle East. We will try to understand why these traditions brought and continue to bring comfort and solace to so many people. We will also try to understand the complex relationships between religion, science, politics, and ethics in the cultures that grew up around these different religions.
PHIL 172: Religions of the East (Noblitt; online)— AUCC Arts & Humanities 3B
This course surveys major religions of South and East Asia, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism. Students will read from influential philosophical texts and consider questions of self, reality, truth, and knowledge while comparing views between traditions.
PHIL 201: Ethical Computing Systems (Easley)- AUCC Arts & Humanities 3B
This course explores current topics in technology that have been in the news recently, such as the Boeing 737 Max, autonomous cars, artificial intelligence, and Big Data and privacy. We will use multiple moral theories in philosophical ethics, professional ethics codes, and science fiction stories as grounding for our discussions.
PHIL 206: Knowledge and Existence- An Introduction (Tropman)
This course introduces students to philosophical issues concerning the nature of knowledge and the puzzles of our existence. This class is about what we know, how we know it, what we are, and why it matters. We will ask and try to answer the following questions. What should I believe? Can I know that I am not a brain in a vat? Are my political beliefs ever rational? Do we have free will? Are persons physical or non-physical? What makes a life meaningful?
PHIL 210: Introduction to Formal Logic (Tucker)
This course is an introduction to logic, which is the study of reasoning using formal tools. More specifically, it is an introduction to first-order logic, which focuses on the concepts of 'and', 'or', 'not', 'if', 'all,' 'some', and 'equals'. Skills covered include translation from English into the formal language of logic, differentiation between valid and invalid patterns of reasoning, demonstration of validity via formal proof, and production of formal models.
PHIL 301: 17th & 18th Century European Philosophy (Romagni)
This course offers a survey of the philosophical developments in Western Europe during the period we call the Modern Era (roughly 1600-1800). The course will focus on major figures of the period and explore issues that were of central importance in the areas of epistemology and metaphysics, such as the existence and nature of God, the existence and nature of the external world, the relationship between mind and body, the foundations of knowledge, and free will.
PHIL 303: Medieval Philosophy (DiRado)
This semester, we will trace out the development of philosophy from the 2nd to the 14th centuries across four major religious traditions: Mediterranean paganism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. We will focus on the influence of both Platonic and Aristotelian thought on differing conceptions of reality as expressions of divine beauty and goodness. Our goal will be to gain an appreciation of how people from different traditions conceptualized the world during this time period.
PHIL 325: Philosophy of Natural Science (Rice)
This course investigates philosophical problems arising from reflection about the practice of science and the inferences used in scientific reasoning. Typical topics include the nature of scientific laws and theories, the character of explanation, the role of idealization in science, scientific realism, the role of values and ethics in science, the evolution of scientific knowledge over time, and the social structures of science.
PHIL 345: Environmental Ethics (McShane)
In this class, we will discuss debates about what moral obligations we have to people in other parts of the world, whether nonhuman animals have rights, whether we have any moral obligations to future generations, animals, plants, species, or ecosystems, what environmental justice consists in, and what sorts of policy implications our answers to these questions might have.
PHIL 345: Environmental Ethics (Lopez)
Have you ever wondered why you care more about some fictional characters than others? Or have you ever dedicated a huge amount of effort to convincing someone you know that they should find a book or film valuable? Or maybe you have tried to explain why you LOVE watching horror movies to someone who hates them. PHIL 348 will engage topics like these, along with others that relate to the philosophy of literature & the narrative arts, through a survey of philosophical texts paired with examples from literature, film, and television.
PHIL 353: Feminist Philosophies (Butnor)
This semester, we will begin by thinking through the concepts of oppression, gender, and the body that lay the foundation of feminist theory. We’ll take a detailed look at the concepts of intersectionality and world-traveling, including the phenomenology of the intersectional self and opportunities for resistance and coalition. We’ll conclude with a closer look at feminist epistemology and epistemic justice and examine how feminists both critique and contribute to the philosophical dialogue.
PHIL 360 Topics in Asian Philosophy- Zen Buddhist Philosophy (Butnor)
This course traces the history of the Zen Buddhist tradition—from its beginnings in India to its unique developments in China and Japan. The first section of the course will focus on fundamental Buddhist concepts, especially those unique to Zen, and some significant figures and sutras of the early tradition. The second section of the course will examine various forms of Zen practice, with an in-depth analysis of koan practice and seated meditation. We will conclude the class with the most significant early Japanese Zen philosopher, Dogen, as well as Zen understandings of existence, time, ethics, embodiment, and aesthetics.
PHIL 375 Science and Religion- (Hamid)
In this course we embark on a journey traversing the boundaries and content of the concepts expressed by ‘science’ and ‘religion’, and the interpenetration of the realities denoted by each.
PHIL 425: Epistemology (Morasch)
Epistemology is the study of knowledge. This course is divided into two parts: traditional epistemology and social epistemology. Questions to be addressed include: (1) What exactly is knowledge? (2) When are we justified in believing a given proposition? (3) Is knowledge possible, and if so, how? (4) How do we rely on other knowers? (5) What is epistemic injustice and how can we avoid it? (6) How can we be better knowers?
PHIL 447: Ethical Theory (Tropman)
This course examines a range of issues in contemporary ethical theory. We will pay special attention to current articulations of consequentialism and Kantian ethics and consider recent concerns about the demandingness, consistency, and rationality of being moral.
PHIL 462: Capstone Seminar (Harris)
This semester's capstone seminar will focus on developing a professional piece of philosophical writing. The assignments and activities in the course are designed to bolster philosophical methods and writing skills and include extensive feedback on multiple revisions of your project. The ultimate goal is to develop a high-quality paper on a topic of interest to you. Your project will be informed by a previous philosophy course that inspired your interest in the discipline yet will go beyond that course material in developing your own ideas and argument more fully.
