UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM

B.A. in Philosophy

Program Major and Minor

Philosophy Major

A broad education in philosophy, including ancient and modern Western philosophy, ethics, metaphysics and epistemology, and courses in diverse philosophical traditions.

Philosophy Minor

Philosophy Minor Checksheet

A minor in philosophy is intended to broaden students' education and to complement and encourage critical and constructive reflection in other courses.

Undergraduate Philosophy Certificates and focused areas of study

Certificate in Ethics & Society

Understand both the theoretical foundations and the practical application of ethics, and gain experience making value judgments on a variety of social issues.

Ethics & Society Checksheet

Certificate in World Philosophies and 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.

World Philosophies & Religions Checksheet

Philosophy of Science focused area of study

Understand the philosophical underpinnings of science and its engagement with the humanities, enabling you to communicate and reason effectively about changes and innovations in the methods, values, and foundational assumption of science and its relationship with contemporary society.

**Reach out to Director of Undergraduate Studies, Collin Rice, for more information.

Upcoming Undergraduate Courses

*subject to change based on faculty availability and enrollment numbers

Fall 2026

100 Level Courses

PHIL 100: Appreciation of Philosophy (multiple sections)—AUCC Arts & Humanities 3B

This course introduces students to philosophy and philosophical thinking. It explores some enduring questions, such as: What is the nature of knowledge and reality? What is the nature of the mind and its relation to the body? Do humans have free will? Does God exist? What is the meaning of life?

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 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. It 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 (Kasser; TR 11-12:15)— AUCC Arts & Humanities 3B

What does the history of science tell us about scientific objectivity, rationality, and progress? We examine (aspects of) the Copernican revolution, the rise of Newtonian mechanics, relativity, quantum theory, and evolutionary biology.

PHIL 170: World Philosophies (multiple sections)—AUCC 1C

Section 1—MacKenzie (TR 11-12:15): 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 theory of reality, account of human personhood, and ethics, as well as its understanding of the good life. You are expected to reflect critically on the similarities and differences between these traditions, and on your own worldview.

Section 2—Hamid (TR 2-3:15): 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. These include the Greek traditions of Plato and Aristotle, Hellenistic Neoplatonism, Hermeticism, Zoroastrianism, Gnosticism, Taoism, Alchemy, Islam, and Native American philosophy. Emphasis will be placed on comparative cosmological concepts and paradigms as a foundation for comparison and contrast of cosmological traditions.

PHIL 171: Religions of the West (DiRado; MWF 11-11:50)— 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 the historical evolution and establishment of key beliefs, practices, and texts of 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 (Rabbi Gorelik; Tues 3:30-6:20)

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.

200 Level Courses

PHIL 201: Ethical Computing Systems (Easley; TR 11-12:15 & Gorin; TR 12:30-1:45)- AUCC Arts & Humanities 3B:

This course will explore current topics 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, professional ethics codes, and science fiction stories as grounding for our discussions.

PHIL 205: Introduction to Ethics (Tropman; TR 11-12:15)

In this class, we will critically examine major philosophical positions and arguments in normative ethics and value theory. Key course topics include objectivism, relativism, Divine Command Theory, consequentialism, hedonism, metaethics, ethical pluralism, intuitionism, Kant’s ethics, autonomy, moral luck, moral blame, and virtue ethics.

PHIL 210: Introduction to Formal Logic (Huff; MWF 1-1:50)

In this course, we approach the study of reasoning using formal logic tools and systematic approaches. Moving between syntax and semantics, we'll interpretate and analyze claims and arguments. We practice skills needed for these moves, dissect complex and rhetorically challenging ideas, differentiate between valid and invalid patterns of reasoning, demonstrate validity via formal proofs, and provide analysis through truth trees and truth tables.

300 Level Courses

PHIL 300: Ancient Greek Philosophy (DiRado; MWF 10-10:50)

In this class, we'll explore the founding puzzles that lead to the development of Western philosophy. Topics include the relationship between change and stability, how we can determine what things are, and how human beings can live happy and fulfilling lives. We'll consider initial appearances of these questions in pre-Socratic philosophers, how Plato and Aristotle offer firsts efforts to answer them, and how their successors develop and adopt these foundations in changing political circumstances.

PHIL 310: Philosophical Methods (Easley; TR 9:30-10:45)

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)

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 2-3:15)

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 Art (Brady; TR 3:30-4:45)

This course focuses on philosophy of art – specifically the visual arts, such as painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, film and video, etc. We will critically examine varying answers to enduring questions related to art, such as: What is art? Is art valuable, and if so, why/how? What makes a work of art good or bad? 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? How should art be approached? How does the setting or context of a work of art influence the work itself and how we experience it?

PHIL 322: Biomedical Ethics (Gorin; TR 11-12:15 pm)

This course addresses questions at the intersection of clinical medicine, biomedical research, and ethics. We will ask: what moral obligations do physicians have with respect to their patients? What makes biomedical research involving human beings ethical? Is it permissible to use non-human animals for biomedical research? What kind of genetic manipulation on humans should be allowed? What is a disability? Is there a right to health care? How should we distribute scarce medical resources?

PHIL 345: Environmental Ethics (multiple sections)

Section 1—McShane (MWF 10-10:50): In this class, we will discuss debates about the moral status of the natural world. This includes questions 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 animals, plants, species, or ecosystems, what environmental justice consists in, and what sorts of policy implications our answers to these questions might have.

Sections 2 & 3—Lopez (TR 2-3:15; TR 3:30-4:45): This course will explore what, if anything, we owe to nature and the environment. We will address such questions as: what does it mean to value, what kinds of beings are capable of valuing, and how is the environment valued? How should we conceive of ‘nature’ or ‘wilderness’? Are animals, plants, living entities, and ecosystems bearers of moral value? And how do we fulfill our responsibilities to these bearers of value given the magnitude of certain problems and competing economic and moral considerations?

PHIL 349: Philosophies of East Asia (Harris; MWF 11-11:50)

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 362: Buddhist Philosophy (MacKenzie; TR 12:30-1:45)

This course offers an advanced survey of Buddhist philosophy, covering Buddhist thinkers and schools from India, Southeast Asia, Tibet, China, and Japan. Topics include the nature of self, change, knowledge, consciousness, religion, and ethics. The course will be based on critical examination and discussion of primary sources in English translation.

400 Level Courses

PHIL 435: Metaphysics (Hamid; TR 3:30 -4:45)

This course explores themes pertaining to the world as a whole, its various levels of reality and appearance, and their relation to human experience and development. Select themes from both traditional and contemporary metaphysics are covered and interconnected including coverage of both ontological and dialectical ways of metaphysical thinking.

PHIL 462: Capstone Seminar (Harris; MWF 2-2:50)

TBD