74 courses with the subject PHIL, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
PHIL 100Introduction to Philosophy3
Introduction to the nature of philosophical reasoning and some of the main problems of philosophy. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts. Equivalent to PHIL 100T.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Examines ethical issues associated with new developments in information technology, including privacy rights, intellectual property rights, and the effect of information technology on society. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Considers some perennial issues in ethical theory. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Introduction to philosophical reflection on the arts by looking at the critical issues in the history of aesthetics. Applies considerations to specific works and explores these works in terms of their historical contexts and influences. Concentrates on one form of art or one period and always emphasizes questions of critical evaluation and art historical analysis. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Mason Core: Mason Core, ArtsSchedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Basic concepts and techniques of deduction, emphasizing the modern treatment of such topics as quantification and rules of inference, with study of the classical treatment. Basic principles of induction, informal fallacies, and uses of logic in everyday life. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts. Equivalent to PHIL 173T.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale. 200 Level Courses
Examines the relationship between ethics and Artificial Intelligence. Introduces several philosophical approaches, ethical theories, and methods for analyzing the stakes of Artificial Intelligence. Explores the foundations of Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, and big data, a range of AI applications and their attendant ethical concerns, and potential avenues towards resolving ethical dilemmas in Artificial Intelligence, while harnessing its potential benefits. Equips students to more effectively navigate the evolving AI-enabled technological landscape in our increasingly digital society. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Examines the global dimensions of environmental problems. Although environmental problems are global in reach, because different societies make different philosophical and ethical assumptions, they are understood in different ways. Examines several environmental problems, including climate change, population growth, and resource depletion, from a variety of scientific, policy, and cross-cultural perspectives. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Mason Core: Mason Core, Global Understanding, Encore: Sustainability, Encore: Well-BeingSpecialized Designation: Green Leaf Related Course, Mason Impact.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Addresses the question "How do I live a happy life?" by drawing on 2,500 years of philosophy as well as the much more recent science of happiness. Encourages students to develop and live their own answer in light of some of the best available science and philosophy. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Examines differences and relations between literary and philosophical texts. Examines texts from a given period in the history of literature and philosophy. Topics include the presence of common issues in literary and philosophical writings, the influence of philosophical ideas on the production of literary texts and literary theory, and the development in literary texts of issues that are possible objects of philosophical inquiry. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Mason Core: Mason Core, LiteratureSchedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Introduction to the philosophy of science that examines a range of questions about what science is, how it works, and how it manages to be as successful as it is. Explores the goals, methods, principles and practices that characterize scientific enquiry. Surveys major milestones in the philosophy of science, and addresses such questions as: How are scientific claims justified? What constitutes a good explanation? How do we know if our scientific theories are true? How does scientific understanding change over time? What roles do social, political, and cultural factors play in the generation of scientific knowledge? Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Mason Core: Mason Core, Natural Science OverviewSchedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale. 300 Level Courses
Classical Greek philosophy, including pre-Socratics, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Figures and problems of modern philosophy. Study of philosophers such as Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Kant, and Hegel. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Examines some moral problems that arise with regard to the responsibilities of various segments of the business community, including employers, management, stockholders; to one another; to the consumer; and to society at large. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Gives students the opportunity to apply philosophical skills in real-world settings. Internships arranged and supervised by faculty in the Department of Philosophy. Offered by Philosophy. May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 6 credits.Schedule Type: InternshipGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Subject
PHIL
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
6
Credit unit
credits
Type
course
Repeatable
May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 6 credits.
Examines some major moral issues involved in practice and research in medicine and health care. Topics to be chosen from medical experimentation, definition of death, physician-assisted dying, genetics and human reproduction, distribution of scarce resources, fertility, and organ transplants. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Mason Core: Mason Core, SynthesisSchedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Investigation of theories of natural law, legal positivism, and legal realism as they pertain to some of the central philosophical questions about law. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Recommended Prerequisite: 3 hours of PHIL or permission of instructor.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Exploration through lecture and discussion of developments in the Western tradition of political thought from the time of the Greek city-state to late medieval Christendom, focusing on such topics as the nature and purpose of politics, the relationship between the individual and the state, the political significance of religion and tradition, and the concept of natural law. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts. Equivalent to GOVT 323.Recommended Prerequisite: GOVT 101 or three credits of Philosophy.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Exploration through lecture and discussion of developments in the Western tradition of political thought from the Renaissance to the middle of the 19th century, focusing on such topics as the rise of individualism in political theory, early developments in social contact theory, theories of radical popular sovereignty, and early criticisms of liberal theory. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts. Equivalent to GOVT 324.Recommended Prerequisite: GOVT 101 or three credits of philosophy.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Study and evaluation of Marx's social and political ideas based on writings selected from several phases of his career. Examination of relation of Marx's thought to post-Marxian socialist theory and practice. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Recommended Prerequisite: 3 credits of philosophy, or permission of instructor.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
PHIL 327Topics in Contemporary Western Political Theory3
Exploration through lecture and discussion of recent developments in the Western tradition of political thought from the middle of the 19th century to today. Different sections focus on one or another of the various political theories that have been influential during this period such as liberal, libertarian, conservative, communitarian, Marxist, feminist, and postmodern thought. Notes: May be repeated for credit when topic is different. Offered by Philosophy. May be repeated within the term for a maximum 12 credits. Equivalent to GOVT 327.Specialized Designation: Topic VariesRecommended Prerequisite: GOVT 101 or three credits of philosophy.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Subject
PHIL
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
credits
Type
course
Repeatable
May be repeated for credit when topic is different.
Examines the philosophical questions that arise in the wake of the Nazi concentration camps concerning genocide, political modernity, and conceptions of the human. Investigates how the logic of the camp made possible systematic genocidal violence against the Jews and other groups, and the ways in which that logic manifests in other forms and on other bodies before and after Auschwitz. Draws on writers and philosophers such as Primo Levi, Giorgio Agamben, Hannah Arendt, Maurice Blanchot, and/or Adriana Cavarero to analyze the ethical and political questions posed by the camps, and uses literature, film and art to engage with the complexities of bearing witness to horror and the unrepresentable. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Specialized Designation: Mason Impact., Topic VariesRecommended Prerequisite: 3 hours of PHIL or Permission of Instructor.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Explores figures, movements, and topics in analytic philosophy from its early days to the present. Examines attempts of philosophers working in the tradition of formal logic and empiricism to solve philosophical problems by an analysis of language. Possible figures and movements covered will include Frege, Russell, Moore, Carnap, Wittgenstein, Anscombe, Quine, Lewis, Kripke, logical positivism, and ordinary language philosophy. Possible topics include recent metaphysics and philosophy of language. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Recommended Prerequisite: 3 credits of logic and PHIL 303, or permission of instructor.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Examines the philosophical movement of American Pragmatism, with emphasis on its origin in the late nineteenth century. Figures covered include Peirce, James, Dewey, and Mead. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Recommended Prerequisite: 3 credits of philosophy, or permission of the instructor.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Examines nineteenth-century responses to and developments of the Kantian revolution in philosophy. Key themes such as Idealism, Romanticism, Naturphilosophie, Perspectivalism or Critical Anthropology will be explored through thinkers such as Fichte, Schopenhauer, Hegel, Feuerbach, Schelling, Kierkegaard or Nietzsche. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Recommended Prerequisite: 3 hours of PHIL or Permission of Instructor.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
PHIL 336Twentieth-Century Continental Thought: Existentialism3
Examines existential philosophy from its nineteenth-century origins to its twentieth-century expressions. Key themes will be explored through philosophical and literary works of thinkers such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Unamuno, Buber, Heidegger, Sartre, Camus, De Beauvoir, or Fanon. May also explore the influence of existentialist thought on social and political philosophy, including philosophies of race and gender and decolonial thought, and/or existentialism’s relation to non-Western philosophical traditions. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Recommended Prerequisite: 3 hours of PHIL or permission of instructor.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
PHIL 337Twentieth-Century Continental Thought: Phenomenology3
Examines the phenomenological movement in philosophy from its origins in Husserl through developments of twentieth-century practitioners such as Ingarden, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, de Beauvoir, or Schutz. May also examine contemporary developments and influences of the phenomenological tradition, such as critical phenomenology. Attends to the value of phenomenology for engaging in social analysis. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Recommended Prerequisite: 3 credits of philosophy, or permission of instructor.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Examines how concepts of gender, sexual difference, and race structure key philosophical ideas and put such ideas into question. Analyzes the ways in which patriarchal, colonial and racialized structures intersect to produce concepts of the human, the subject, and the ‘Other’. Explores alternative approaches to subjectivity, sexuality, the body, and knowledge drawn from feminist philosophy, queer theory, and philosophies of race and decoloniality. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Recommended Prerequisite: 3 hours of PHIL or Permission of Instructor.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Examines themes in continental philosophy from the late twentieth century to the present day. Particular themes will be explored through a variety of thinkers, such as Agamben, Cavarero, Deleuze, Derrida, Foucault, Irigaray, Kristeva, Lyotard, Nancy, Ranciere, or Stiegler, and approaches, such as postmodernist, poststructuralist, decolonial, or feminist. Possible themes will include temporality, alterity, language, history or technology. Offered by Philosophy. May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 9 credits.Specialized Designation: Topic VariesRecommended Prerequisite: 3 hours of PHIL or permission of instructor.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Subject
PHIL
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
credits
Type
course
Repeatable
May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 9 credits.
Examines the development of hermeneutic philosophy (the philosophy of interpretation) from its nineteenth-century origins through its twentieth-century developments to contemporary practitioners. Key themes include the hermeneutic circle, historicity, textuality, autopoiesis and the event. Explores works by key thinkers such as Schleiermacher, Dilthey, Heidegger, Gadamer, Levinas, Ricoeur, or Derrida. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Recommended Prerequisite: 3 hours of PHIL or Permission of Instructor.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
An in-depth examination of selected environmental issues from a philosophical perspective. Such issues might include the value of nature, the moral status of animals, duties to protect wilderness areas, economics and environmental protection, environmental justice, and environmental aesthetics. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Mason Core: Mason Core, Encore: Sustainability, SynthesisSpecialized Designation: Green Leaf Related Course, Mason Impact., Topic VariesSchedule Type: SeminarGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
This course will consider ethical questions that arise in global health policy, practice and research. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Recommended Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or higher.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Examines the philosophical implications of technology. Analyzes the relationship between technology and human beings and explores ethical issues raised by the uses of technology. Social, existential, human, post-human, ontological or political questions concerning technology will be explored through a variety of possible philosophical approaches and in relation to one or more kinds of technology. Topics will vary by section. Offered by Philosophy. May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 6 credits.Specialized Designation: Topic VariesRecommended Prerequisite: 3 credits in Philosophy or other relevant discipline.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Subject
PHIL
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
credits
Type
course
Repeatable
May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 6 credits.
A critical analysis of classical and contemporary theories of justice, with discussion of present-day applications, that develops an understanding of how philosophers approach questions related to justice, how they reach conclusions about justice within and outside of formal institutions, and how they argue for them. Examines questions about justice as a basic virtue of legal, political, and social institutions and invites students to critically examine their own views on controversies related to such issues as the distribution of economic resources, oppression, criminal justice reform, freedom, conflict, equality, democracy, and rights. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Recommended Prerequisite: Three credits of philosophy or permission of the instructor.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
A critical examination of a variety of different types of classical, modern, and contemporary ethical theories, including consequentialist theories, deontological theories, and virtue theories. Offered by Philosophy. May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 6 credits.Recommended Prerequisite: 3 credits in PHIL or permission of instructor.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Subject
PHIL
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
credits
Type
course
Repeatable
May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 6 credits.
Examines philosophical theories that inquire into the nature, role, and value of art and that offer differing accounts of human beings’ response to art. Key issues include what counts as art, representation and expression, museums and institutions, the role of technology, the sublime, and the art/craft distinction. Attention will be paid to the social, cultural and historical conditions of both the production of art and of theories about art and its role in human existence. Individual sections may focus on particular artforms such as the visual or performative arts, film, the digital arts, earth and land art, or music, and/or include cross-cultural comparative analysis. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Recommended Prerequisite: 3 hours of PHIL or permission of instructor.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Philosophical issues relating to competing methodologies for the social sciences. Analysis and critique of mainstream positivism and behaviorism; paradigm theory and scientific revolutions; interpretive understanding and hermeneutical science; phenomenology and the social construction of reality; ethnomethodology and situational meaning; analytic philosophy and action theory; the "idea" of a social science; sociology of knowledge and theory of ideology; and Western Marxism and critical theory. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Recommended Prerequisite: 3 credits of philosophy, or permission of instructor.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Examines issues at the intersection of ethics and economics. Looks at the different ways in which ethics and economics impact each other. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Recommended Prerequisite: 3 credits in philosophy or permission of the instructor.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
In-depth examination of selected topics and debates in contemporary philosophy of science. Studies the aims and methodology of science through the work of key thinkers in the field. Questions of concern may include: the demarcation of science from pseudo-science; the rationality of scientific change; problems of induction, prediction and evidence; objectivity, values and scientific practice; the unity of science; and the relation between scientific knowledge and truth. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Recommended Prerequisite: PHIL 271 or permission of instructor.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
PHIL 372Conceptual Foundations of the Life Sciences3
Examines a range of philosophical issues arising from a close analysis of the conceptual foundations of the life sciences. Addresses fundamental questions pertaining to the nature of life and the structure of biological theories and explanations. Explores key concepts in the life sciences such as organism, gene, function, mechanism, and adaptation. Examines the relation of the life sciences to other disciplines and areas of inquiry. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Recommended Prerequisite: PHIL 271 or PHIL 371 or enrollment in a life sciences major or minor.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Discussion of basic problems concerning the nature of knowledge, with study of the relation of knowledge to perception, belief, and language. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Recommended Prerequisite: 3 hours of philosophy or Permission of Instructor.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Investigation of such theories as dualism, behaviorism, and materialism as they pertain to some of the central philosophical questions about mind. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Recommended Prerequisite: 3 credits of philosophy, or permission of instructor.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Study of predicate calculi by means of a step-by-step construction of artificial languages. Topics include procedures for constructing a calculus, proof techniques, significant properties of predicate calculi, and procedures for recognizing phrases. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Recommended Prerequisite: PHIL 173 or MATH 110 or permission of instructor.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
PHIL 377The Darwinian Revolution in Modern Thought3
Introduction to the theory of evolution and its philosophical foundations. Examines Darwin's theory of evolution as a scientific theory, considers its historical context and development, and surveys its wider cultural and societal impact. Focuses on the implications of Darwinism for core areas of philosophy (for example, metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, or philosophy of mind) as well as for fields such as anthropology, sociology, politics, or religion. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Examines the variety of ways time is conceptualized in different disciplines. Influential conceptions of time from the history of philosophy are studied in order to provide a comparative framework within which to consider specialist conceptions of time drawn from the sciences and humanities, including relativistic time, geological deep time, life cycles, and time in historical narrative. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Mason Core: Mason Core, SynthesisRecommended Prerequisite: 3 credits of philosophy, or permission of instructor.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Examines topics of current interest such as death and dying, rights of children, and philosophical controversies in modern physics. Notes: May be repeated for credit when topic is different. Offered by Philosophy. May be repeated within the term for a maximum 12 credits.Specialized Designation: Topic VariesSchedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Subject
PHIL
Credits (min)
1
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
credits
Type
course
Repeatable
May be repeated for credit when topic is different.
Focuses on career choices and effective self-presentation for soon-to-be graduating students with majors in the humanities. Explores how skills typically learned In humanities majors can be leveraged for a successful transition to post-graduation employment. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts. Equivalent to ENGH 303, FRLN 309, HIST 385, UNIV 420.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Study abroad under supervision of Mason faculty. Course topics, content and locations vary. Notes: A maximum of 6 credits may be applied to the BA in philosophy. Offered by Philosophy. May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 12 credits.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale. 400 Level Courses
Subject
PHIL
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
credits
Type
course
Repeatable
May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 12 credits.
Examines from a philosophical perspective descriptive and normative theories of individual decision, with particular focus on the strengths and weaknesses of theories of rational choice, and attempts to incorporate insights from psychology into theories of decision. Explores theoretical developments and a variety of applications. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Recommended Prerequisite: Two previous courses in either Philosophy, Psychology, or Economics.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Explores topics in current philosophical research in a seminar format. Topics vary. Notes: May be repeated for credit when topic is different. Offered by Philosophy. May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 18 credits.Mason Core: Mason Core, Mason Apex, Capstone, Writing Intensive in MajorSpecialized Designation: Mason Impact.Recommended Prerequisite: Nine credits in philosophy.Schedule Type: SeminarGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Subject
PHIL
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
credits
Type
course
Repeatable
May be repeated for credit when topic is different.
Seminar for students enrolled in the honors program in philosophy. Notes: May be repeated for credit when topic is different. Offered by Philosophy. May be repeated within the term for a maximum 18 credits.Mason Core: Mason Core, Mason Apex, Capstone, Writing Intensive in MajorSpecialized Designation: Mason Impact., Topic VariesRecommended Prerequisite: 9 credits in philosophy and acceptance to the honors program in philosophy.Schedule Type: SeminarGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Subject
PHIL
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
credits
Type
course
Repeatable
May be repeated for credit when topic is different.
Independent study under supervision of faculty member. Students and faculty agree on program of study to include at least a reading list and final written project. Students must arrange for independent study in the semester before they wish to enroll. Requires approval of department. Offered by Philosophy. May be repeated within the term for a maximum 12 credits.Specialized Designation: Topic VariesRecommended Prerequisite: Sixty credits, including 15 credits in Philosophy and permission of the department.Schedule Type: Independent StudyGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Subject
PHIL
Credits (min)
1
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
credits
Type
course
Repeatable
May be repeated within the term for a maximum 12 credits.
PHIL 429Advanced Topics in Social and Political Philosophy3
Examines key social and political issues drawing on a range of philosophical thinkers, texts and approaches. Possible topics include: migration and immigration, biopolitics, climate change, health inequity, decision theory, democracy and citizenship, slavery and reparations, mass incarceration, or human rights. Emphasizes the ability to put philosophical concepts and theories to work to address questions and problems of social, political or global significance. Offered by Philosophy. May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 9 credits.Specialized Designation: Topic VariesRecommended Prerequisite: PHIL/GOVT 323, or PHIL/GOVT 324, or PHIL/GOVT 327, or permission of the instructor.Schedule Type: LectureGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.
Subject
PHIL
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
credits
Type
course
Repeatable
May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 9 credits.
Integrates knowledge of ethical theories with ethical AI principles, ethical AI frameworks, and national strategies for ethical AI. Employs integrated knowledge to identify, analyze, and troubleshoot ethical issues in the research, design, development, deployment, and use of artificial intelligence (AI) systems. Applies computational and humanistic thinking to case studies so as to identify, select, use, and appraise several methods and tools related to ethical AI, thereby generating probable solutions to theoretical and practical problems. Students design and execute a hands-on collaborative project that explores an original question, seeks a creative solution to a problem, applies knowledge to a professional challenge, or offers a unique perspective. Students will present their project to a public audience. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts.Registration Restrictions: Required Prerequisite: PHIL 241C.C Requires minimum grade of C.
PHIL 460Senior Seminar in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics3
Covers issues in the philosophy, economics, and political science of institutions, information, and collective action. Through case studies of existing legal and political institutions, applies the insights to problems in politics, policy making, social-choice theory, and social, moral, and political philosophy. (Specific content varies). Notes: Serves as the capstone course for the PPE program. Offered by Philosophy. Limited to three attempts. Equivalent to ECON 460, GOVT 469.Recommended Prerequisite: PHIL 358 and ECON 412 or permission of instructor.Schedule Type: SeminarGrading: This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale. 600 Level Courses
Introduces MA students to the areas and methods of philosophical scholarship. Notes: Graduate students outside of the philosophy program may take this course with permission of the department. Offered by Philosophy. May not be repeated for credit.Registration Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Close study of Aristotle's work and its place and future in history of philosophy. Topics vary by semester and include Aristotle's metaphysics, natural sciences, ethics, political thought, logic, epistemology, and psychology. Notes: May be repeated for credit when topic is different. Offered by Philosophy. May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 6 credits.Registration Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Subject
PHIL
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
credits
Type
course
Repeatable
May be repeated for credit when topic is different.
A study of the philosophy of Hegel through a reading of the text that presents an introduction to his system. Special attention is paid to Hegel's background in the work of Kant and the German Idealists. Offered by Philosophy. May not be repeated for credit.Registration Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
In recent decades, the term "postmodern," first used by art critics in the late 19th century, has been taken up by prominent contributors to the arts, social thinkers, and philosophers, to describe developments as well as the current period. Examines three thematic concerns found in work that is identified with postmodern issues: what modernity defines itself in contrast to or against, the status of "man," and status of "subjectivity." Offered by Philosophy. May not be repeated for credit.Registration Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
This major approach in philosophy is studied in regard to its basic features, the tasks to which it has been set by major contributors, certain findings of phenomenology in practice, as well as crucial problems that develop as phenomenology proceeds and how they are addressed by phenomenologists. Offered by Philosophy. May not be repeated for credit.Registration Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
PHIL 617Movements and Issues in the History of Political Philosophy3
Explores themes, movements, and periods in the history of political theory. Notes: May be repeated for credit when topic is different. Offered by Philosophy. May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 6 credits.Registration Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Subject
PHIL
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
credits
Type
course
Repeatable
May be repeated for credit when topic is different.
Examines history of Western ethical theory from ancient Greece to the present day, including virtue theory, consequentialism, deontological theory and contemporary feminism. Offered by Philosophy. May not be repeated for credit.Registration Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Explores the application of ethical theories and principles to issues in contemporary health care. Cases central to the development of the field will be examined. Offered by Philosophy. May not be repeated for credit.Registration Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
An examination of human interactions with the natural environment from an ethical perspective. Emphasis will be placed on the strengths and weaknesses of various ethical theories and the different conceptions of the proper relationship between humans and their environment. Offered by Philosophy. May not be repeated for credit.Registration Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Examines the application of ethics in business and organizational settings, and the necessity for ethical development wihin organizational culture. Offered by Philosophy. May not be repeated for credit.Registration Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Examines how ethical theories, concepts, and principles shape research guidelines. Students learn to identify ethical issues in research, to reflect on them critically, and to respond effectively. Designed for students in the humanities, social sciences, life sciences, and health sciences. Offered by Philosophy. May not be repeated for credit.Registration Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Explores the nature of race by investigating the development of the concept of race and the implications of its use. Inquires into philosophical questions raised by race and racism; intersections of race with class, nationality, and gender; the role of philosophy in forming modern notions of race and the potential role of philosophy in addressing them with an eye to making our ways of thinking more just. Offered by Philosophy. May not be repeated for credit.Recommended Prerequisite: Admission to graduate program in philosophy or related discipline, or permission of instructor.Registration Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Analysis of the critique of patriarchy offered by contemporary continental feminist philosophers. Examines contemporary moral, political, and epistemological issues in feminist theory. Offered by Philosophy. May not be repeated for credit.Recommended Prerequisite: Admission to graduate program or permission of instructor.Registration Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Examines major philosophical authors, texts, and topics of the ancient period and their influence on philosophical thought. May cover Plato, Aristotle, or the pre-Socratic philosophers. Notes: May be repeated for credit when topic is different. Offered by Philosophy. May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 12 credits.Specialized Designation: Topic VariesRegistration Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Subject
PHIL
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
credits
Type
course
Repeatable
May be repeated for credit when topic is different.
PHIL 682Figures and Topics in Early Modern Philosophy3
Examines major philosophical authors, texts, and topics of the early modern period and their influence on philosophical thought. Notes: May be repeated for credit when topic is different. Offered by Philosophy. May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 12 credits.Specialized Designation: Topic VariesRegistration Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Subject
PHIL
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
credits
Type
course
Repeatable
May be repeated for credit when topic is different.
Examines major recent philosophical authors, texts, and topics, and their influence on philosophical thought. Notes: May be repeated for credit when topic is different. Offered by Philosophy. May be repeated within the term for a maximum 6 credits.Specialized Designation: Topic VariesRegistration Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Subject
PHIL
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
credits
Type
course
Repeatable
May be repeated for credit when topic is different.
Directed readings and research on a specific topic in philosophy chosen by student and instructor. Offered by Philosophy. May be repeated within the term for a maximum 12 credits.Specialized Designation: Topic VariesRegistration Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Subject
PHIL
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
credits
Type
course
Repeatable
May be repeated within the term for a maximum 12 credits.
PHIL 694Special Topics in Contemporary Philosophy3
Topics vary. Notes: May be repeated for credit when topic is different. Offered by Philosophy. May be repeated within the term for a maximum 18 credits.Specialized Designation: Topic VariesRegistration Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Subject
PHIL
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
credits
Type
course
Repeatable
May be repeated for credit when topic is different.
Close study of selected topics in current philosophical discourse. Notes: May be repeated for credit when topic is different. Offered by Philosophy. May be repeated within the term.Specialized Designation: Topic VariesRegistration Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate or Non-Degree level students.
Subject
PHIL
Credits (min)
3
Credits (max)
3
Credit unit
credits
Type
course
Repeatable
May be repeated for credit when topic is different.
Develop research and write an original thesis under the direction of their thesis director. Offered by Philosophy. May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 6 credits.Specialized Designation: Topic VariesRecommended Prerequisite: Completion of 24 credits, approval of thesis proposal, and permission of instructor (thesis director).Registration Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate or Non-Degree level students.
Subject
PHIL
Credits (min)
1
Credits (max)
6
Credit unit
credits
Type
course
Repeatable
May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 6 credits.