Fall 2025 Courses
PHIL 101: Logic
Colin Patrick, MWF 9:10AM - 10:10AM
Analyses of arguments with an emphasis on formal analysis. Propositional and predicate calculus, deductive techniques, and translation into symbolic notation.
Prerequisites: None.
PHIL 102: Introduction to Philosophy
Jay Odenbaugh, MWF 10:20AM-11:20AM
Introduction to problems and fields of philosophy through the study of major philosophers’ works and other philosophical texts. Specific content varies with instructor.
Prerequisites: None.
PHIL 103: Ethics
Colin Patrick, TTh 9:40AM-11:10AM
Fundamental issues in moral philosophy and their application to contemporary life.
Prerequisites: None.
PHIL 203: Philosophy of Art and Beauty
Joel Martinez, TTh 9:40AM-11:10AM
Theorizing about art. Puzzles in art that suggest the need to theorize; traditional discussions of art in Plato and Aristotle and critiques of them (Hume, Kant, Nietzsche, Collingwood); critical perspectives on these discussions (Danto). Specific discussions of individual arts: literature, drama, film, music, dance, the plastic arts.
Prerequisites: None.
PHIL 207: Indian Philosophy
J.M. Fritzman, MWF 12:40PM-1:40PM
Survey of India’s classical philosophies as well as introductions to the Vedas, the Upanishads, Carvaka, Jainism, Buddhism, and recent Indian philosophers.
Prerequisites: None
PHIL 214: Philosophy of Law
Joel Martinez, MWF 3PM-4:30PM
Major theories of law and jurisprudence, with emphasis on implications for the relationship between law and morality, principles of criminal and tort law, civil disobedience, punishment and excuses, and freedom of expression.
Prerequisites: None.
PHIL 241: Data, Privacy, and Ethics
Colin Patrick, MWF 10:20AM-11:20AM
Exploration of ethical implications specific to data collection, study design, data analysis, and the dissemination and application of data. Practical guidance about how to uncover ethical weaknesses in existing protocols and how to undertake constructive, effective, fair data scientific research and application of automated processes. Survey of technological advances in strategies for collecting data, implementing studies, analyzing data, and disseminating findings both to broad public audiences and to narrow groups who are disproportionately impacted. Explores research on the consequences of choices made by human and machine actors and assemblages of human-in-the-loop sociotechnical systems. Focuses on both legal and ethical frameworks.
Prerequisites: None.
PHIL 307: Recent Continental Philosophy
J.M. Fritzman, MWF 9:10AM-11:10AM
Key movements such as psychoanalysis, phenomenology, hermeneutics and existentialism, structuralism, Marxism, poststructuralism and deconstruction, critical theory.
Prerequisites: Any 100- or 200-level philosophy course or consent of instructor. Sophomore standing required.
PHIL 310: Metaphysics
Jay Odenbaugh, TTH 09:40AM - 11:10AM
Personal identity, time, free will, composition, persistence, universals, particulars, possibility, necessity, realism, antirealism.
Prerequisites: PHIL 101. PHIL 250. PHIL 102 or one course in the history of philosophy sequence (PHIL 301 through PHIL 307) recommended.
PHIL 314: Ethical Theory
Joel Martinez, TTH 11:30AM-1:00PM
The main systematic approaches to issues in moral philosophy. Meta-ethics: meaning of moral terms,
relativism, subjectivism, ethics and science, social contract theory. Normative ethics: deontological duties, utilitarianism, virtue and character, egoism, rights, natural law, justice, blameworthiness, excuses.
Prerequisites: PHIL 102 or PHIL 103. Sophomore standing required.
PHIL 453: Philosophy of Biology
Jay Odenbaugh, MWF 11:30AM - 12:30PM
This course surveys a variety of philosophical issues in the biological sciences. Here are some examples. We will explore the evidence for evolution; the nature of life (and why do we die?); whether our behavior is the result of “selfish genes”; species and whether they even exist, human nature and whether altruism is possible; and is extinction forever (can we bring back woolly mammoths?).
Prerequisites: PHIL 101. One 300-level philosophy course. Sophomore standing required.