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To do philosophy is to reflect critically on our underlying beliefs (e.g., about reality, knowledge, freedom, responsibility) and to modify whatever doesn't stand up to scrutiny.  Whether we realize it or not, the very way we think is shaped by past thinkers -- which is why studying philosophy's history is a crucial part of doing philosophy.  In this course, we will focus on Ancient and Medieval thinkers as we strive to evaluate our views critically. This course has no prerequisite.

This course is an introduction to philosophy focusing on the problem of free will. Students will be introduced to the current debate, but will also consider what the great minds of the past can tell us about the possibility or impossibility of acting freely. We will draw on both historical and contemporary sources, developing skills of philosophical analysis in connection with a single, hotly disputed topic. This course has no prerequisite.

A lecture course surveying ancient philosophy from the Presocratics to Plato. Philosophers covered may include: Anaximander, Heraclitus, Parmenides, Empedocles, Anaxagoras, Democritus, Gorgias, Protagoras, Socrates and Plato. Through readings of original sources and ancient testimony, the course analyses key questions in ancient philosophy, e.g. what is philosophy and what does it achieve? What is nature? What is the best life? Prerequisites: Take any 1000-level PHIL course or permission of instructor

A lecture course examining a specific topic in contemporary moral philosophy. Topics vary from year to year and may include: virtue ethics, metaethics, contemporary deontology, contemporary utilitarianism, emotivism, relativism, the is-­-ought debate, and others. Prerequisite: Take any 1000-level PHIL course or permission of instructor

A lecture course in which students learn how to identify and evaluate arguments drawn from a wide variety of sources. It will develop informal methods such as the identification of argument structure and informal fallacies. It will also develop formal methods that involve taking arguments in English, symbolizing them in a formal language, and evaluating strengths and weaknesses of the argument forms. Also covered are basic probability theory, inductive logic, and statistical reasoning.

This course is meant to complement PHIL 3663, but it may be taken independently. It is a lecture course covering topics of current interest in Analytic Philosophy, a movement in, and a style of doing, philosophy that has been prominent in the English-speaking world since the beginning of the 20th century. Topics will vary and will normally be drawn from one or more of the following sub-disciplines: epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, philosophy of science. Prerequisites:Take any 1000-level PHIL course or permission of instructor

To do philosophy is to reflect critically on our underlying beliefs (e.g., about reality, knowledge, freedom, responsibility) and to modify whatever doesn't stand up to scrutiny. Whether we realize it or not, the very way we think is shaped by past thinkers -- which is why studying philosophy's history is a crucial part of doing philosophy.  In this course, we will focus on Modern and Contemporary thinkers as we strive to evaluate our views critically.  This course has no prerequisite.

Should we have sex with robots? Is it okay to use a robot prostitute? Can we force them to serve us or use them in warfare? And what about animals-do they have rights? Should we eat them, experiment on them or stick them in zoos? These are some of the fascinating and strangely important questions to be addressed in this course. We will learn how to do philosophy by thinking about the social, psychological and ethical implications of our relationships with these two very different kinds of creatures.

Are moral judgements grounded in emotion or reason? Under what conditions are people morally responsible? Why should I be moral? Are all moral decisions motivated by self-interest? Do moral reasons depend on desires? How does virtue relate to moral motivation? These questions are central to moral psychology. The course presupposes no background in philosophy and may be of interest to students in psychology and the life sciences, as well as philosophy. This course will not count toward credits in Psychology (i.e. a Major). Prerequisites: none.

Immanuel Kant's transcendental idealism marks a crucial shift in the way philosophy approaches and frames many of its key questions concerning knowledge, reality and ethical action. This course will provide a broad introduction to Kant's work and will consider his impact on subsequent thinkers (e.g., Edmund Husserl). Prerequisites: Any 1000-level PHIL course or permission of the instructor. Students who have already taken PHIL 3613 for credit may not take this course for credit.

This seminar examines key topics in Aristotle's logic, physics and metaphysics. More specifically, through a systematic reading of passages in foundational texts such as (for example) the Posterior Analytics, the Categories, De interpretatione, the Topics, the De anima, the Physics, and the Metaphysics, the seminar examines and assesses Aristotle's philosophy and its contribution to central debates in the history of philosophy. Prerequisite: Any six (6) credit hours in the History of Philosophy (PHIL 2113, 2123, 2133, 2143, 2153, and 2163), or permission of the instructor.