Credits: 4 Max Enrollment: 24
Course Type: Lecture Section Enrollment: 20
Grade Mode: Graded Waitlist Count: 0
Reserved Seats: No
Enforced Requirements: Not PHI 102
Curriculum Distribution: Mathematics
Time/Location: Tuesday/Thursday | 4:10 PM - 5:25 PM / Seelye 102 Instructional Method: In-Person

The course provides an introduction to deductive and inductive logic. It introduces classical Aristotelian and modern truth-functional logic; explains the relationship between truth-functional logic, information science and probability; and it introduces basic features of statistical and causal reasoning in the sciences. This course is designed for students who are uncomfortable with symbolic systems. It is not a follow-up to PHI 102. Students who have taken PHI 102 cannot receive credit for taking PHI 101 subsequently. Students who have taken PHI 101 can subsequently receive credit for taking PHI 102. Enrollment limited to 24.

Credits: 4 Max Enrollment: 75
Course Type: Lecture Section Enrollment: 52
Grade Mode: Graded Waitlist Count: 2
Reserved Seats: No
Curriculum Distribution: Mathematics, Natural Science
Time/Location: Tuesday/Thursday | 7:00 PM - 8:20 PM Instructional Method: In-Person

Cognitive Science is an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Mind, drawing from Cognitive psychology, Philosophy, A.I., Linguistics and Human Neuroscience. The class will cover five key problems: Vision and Imagery,Classes and Concepts, Language, Logic and Reasoning, and Beliefs, and look at both classic work and contemporary work highlighting the interesting questions. Students will be active participants in trying out classic experiments, exploring new ideas and arguing about the meaning and future of the work.

Crosslist(s): PHI
Credits: 4 Max Enrollment: 30
Course Type: Lecture Section Enrollment: 8
Grade Mode: Graded Waitlist Count: 0
Reserved Seats: No
Curriculum Distribution: Historical Studies, Mathematics
Time/Location: Monday/Wednesday | 9:25 AM - 10:15 AM / Burton 307 Instructional Method: In-Person

A study of Western philosophy from Bacon through the 18th century, with emphasis on Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume and especially Kant. Enrollment limited to 30.

Credits: 0 Max Enrollment: 15
Course Type: Discussion Section Enrollment: 1
Grade Mode: Graded Waitlist Count: 0
Reserved Seats: No
Curriculum Distribution: Historical Studies, Mathematics
Time/Location: Thursday | 9:25 AM - 10:15 AM / Dewey 104 Instructional Method: In-Person

A study of Western philosophy from Bacon through the 18th century, with emphasis on Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume and especially Kant. Enrollment limited to 30.

Credits: 0 Max Enrollment: 15
Course Type: Discussion Section Enrollment: 7
Grade Mode: Graded Waitlist Count: 0
Reserved Seats: No
Curriculum Distribution: Historical Studies, Mathematics
Time/Location: Friday | 9:25 AM - 10:15 AM / Hatfield 201 Instructional Method: In-Person

A study of Western philosophy from Bacon through the 18th century, with emphasis on Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume and especially Kant.

Credits: 4 Max Enrollment: 20
Course Type: Lecture Section Enrollment: 12
Grade Mode: Graded Waitlist Count: 0
Reserved Seats: No
Curriculum Distribution: Writing Intensive
Time/Location: Tuesday/Thursday | 10:50 AM - 12:05 PM / Seelye 102 Instructional Method: In-Person

Intensive practice in writing and discussing philosophy and in applying philosophical methods to key problems raised in essays written by members of the philosophy department. The spring semester course must be taken by the end of the student's sophomore year unless the department grants a deferral or the student declares the major itself during the spring of her sophomore year. Minors are encouraged but not required to take the class. Prerequisite: Two college courses in philosophy, one of which may be taken concurrently, or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 20.

Credits: 4 Max Enrollment: 999
Course Type: Lecture Section Enrollment: 5
Grade Mode: Graded Waitlist Count: 0
Reserved Seats: No
Curriculum Distribution: Social Science
Time/Location: Wednesday/Friday | 10:50 AM - 12:05 PM / Hatfield 202 Instructional Method: In-Person

Design is one of the most pervasive human activities. Its effects--intended or unintended--permeate our lives. Questions abound about the role of design and the significance of being able to exercise it and of being subject to it. For example: Are there particular pleasures, as well as special responsibilities, characteristic of designing? What is the nature of deprivation imposed upon people when they lack the opportunity or the knowledge to share in the design of their living or working conditions? How much control do designers actually have over the meaning and use of what they design?

Credits: 4 Max Enrollment: 25
Course Type: Lecture Section Enrollment: 21
Grade Mode: Graded Waitlist Count: 0
Reserved Seats: No
Enforced Requirements: PHI 236 or EDC 235
Curriculum Distribution: Natural Science
Time/Location: Tuesday/Thursday | 9:25 AM - 10:40 AM / Bass 203 Instructional Method: In-Person

Offered as PSY 213 and PHI 213. A detailed examination of how children learn their language. Theories of acquisition of word meaning, syntax and pragmatics are examined, as well as methodology for assessment of children’s knowledge. Cross-linguistic and cross-cultural data and perspectives are considered, as well as applications in language therapy and education. Students undertake an original research project using transcript analysis, and read original research literature. Background in linguistics or child development is necessary. Prerequisites: Any of the following is required for entry to the course: PHI 236 or EDC 235. Enrollment limited to 25 students.

Crosslist(s): LNG, PHI, PSY
Credits: 4 Max Enrollment: 999
Course Type: Lecture Section Enrollment: 41
Grade Mode: Graded Waitlist Count: 0
Reserved Seats: No
Curriculum Distribution: Historical Studies, Social Science
Time/Location: Tuesday/Thursday | 9:25 AM - 10:40 AM / Stoddard G2 Instructional Method: In-Person

What does morality demand of us in the real world? How does ethical reflection inform our social, economic, and personal lives? Every informed citizen must ask these questions. We will address issues that arise in the context of environmental ethics (preserving species and places, genetically modified foods, global warming); animal rights (vegetarianism, vivisection, experimentation); biomedical ethics (abortion, euthanasia, reproductive technologies); business ethics (advertising, accounting, whistle-blowing, globalism); sexual ethics (harassment, coercion, homosexuality); social justice (war, affirmative action, poverty, criminal justice); and other such topics.

Credits: 4 Max Enrollment: 999
Course Type: Lecture Section Enrollment: 31
Grade Mode: Graded Waitlist Count: 0
Reserved Seats: No
Curriculum Distribution: Social Science
Time/Location: Monday/Wednesday | 9:25 AM - 10:40 AM / Seelye 110 Instructional Method: In-Person

An exploration of key issues in the area of medical ethics. Following the consideration of relevant philosophical background, topics to be addressed include patient autonomy and medical paternalism; informed consent; resource allocation and social justice; reproductive technologies and genetic screening; euthanasia and the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment; and the experimental use of human subjects. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy or health studies.

Credits: 4 Max Enrollment: 999
Course Type: Lecture Section Enrollment: 6
Grade Mode: Graded Waitlist Count: 0
Reserved Seats: No
Time/Location: Wednesday/Friday | 2:45 PM - 4:00 PM / Hatfield 104 Instructional Method: In-Person

What is Ignorance? Is it simply lack of knowledge? What is its relation to illusion, deception, self-deception? What is the difference between being ignorant of something and ignoring it? Is ignorance something for which one can be held responsible? Something for which one can be punished? Something for which one can be rewarded? To what social and political ends has ignorance been put, and how?

Credits: 4 Max Enrollment: 40
Course Type: Lecture Section Enrollment: 10
Grade Mode: Graded Waitlist Count: 0
Reserved Seats: No
Curriculum Distribution: Historical Studies
Time/Location: Tuesday/Thursday | 10:50 AM - 12:05 PM / Hatfield 206 Instructional Method: In-Person

This course examines the two principal schools of Indian Mahayana Buddhist philosophy. The Madhyamaka school is highly skeptical and critical in its dialectic. The ​Yogācāra or Cittamatra school is highly idealist. The two present contrasting interpretations of the thesis that phenomena are empty and contrasting interpretations of the relationship between conventional and ultimate reality. The debate between their respective proponents is among the most fertile in the history of Buddhist philosophy. We will read each school's principal sutras and early philosophical texts, medieval Tibetan and Chinese commentarial literature and recent scholarly discussions of the texts and doctrines of these schools. Prerequisites: one course in Philosophy or Buddhist Studies. Enrollment limited to 40.

Crosslist(s): BUS
Credits: 4 Max Enrollment: 999
Course Type: Lecture Section Enrollment: 5
Grade Mode: Graded Waitlist Count: 0
Reserved Seats: No
Curriculum Distribution: Historical Studies, Literature
Time/Location: Monday/Wednesday | 1:20 PM - 2:35 PM / Wright 238 Instructional Method: In-Person

Of late there has been talk of philosophy’s being at an end or at least in need of transformation. In order to provide a measure of renewal, people are considering whether approaches taken and insights expressed in literature might enrich the study of philosophy. We explore this issue through an examination of philosophical and literary treatments of friendship from different periods in the Western tradition, and of literary and philosophical reflections on human flourishing in the 20th century. We also consider work by contemporary philosophers on the topic of what literature might have to contribute to the philosophical enterprise. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy or permission of the instructor.

Credits: 4 Max Enrollment: 16
Course Type: Seminar Section Enrollment: 5
Grade Mode: Graded Waitlist Count: 0
Reserved Seats: Yes
Enforced Requirements: JR/SR only
Curriculum Distribution: Historical Studies, Social Science
Time/Location: Tuesday | 1:20 PM - 4:00 PM / Seelye 202 Instructional Method: In-Person

Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) was the first important European philosopher to take Indian philosophy seriously. He follows Kant’s transcendental idealism but places Kantian philosophy in dialogue with the Vedānta and Buddhist philosophy filtering into Europe as German and British orientalism began to flourish, synthesizing Kantian and Indian idealism. We will explore the Indian roots of Schopenhauer’s thought, the 19th century transmission of Indian ideas to Europe in which he participates, and the ways he uses Indian philosophy to advance a post-Kantian philosophical program. Prerequisite: a course in early modern European philosophy or a course in the history of Indian philosophyJuniors and Seniors only. Enrollment limited to 16.


Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required.

Crosslist(s): BUS, SAS
Credits: 4 Max Enrollment: 12
Course Type: Seminar Section Enrollment: 10
Grade Mode: Graded Waitlist Count: 0
Reserved Seats: Yes
Enforced Requirements: JR/SR only
Curriculum Distribution: Writing Intensive
Time/Location: Thursday | 1:20 PM - 4:00 PM / Hatfield 206 Instructional Method: In-Person

What is philosophy for? What creative forms might our philosophical practices take in the 21st century? We will explore how a philosophical education might help us navigate our natural, cultural, social and psychological worlds and their intersections, which, in turn, shape our complex identities as individual and determine our humanity. Readings will include philosophical essays that establish key concepts in the field, as students practice writing philosophy via non-traditional, public facing genres, including blogs, opinion editorials, podcasts, interviews, book and film reviews, a curated art exhibit and staged readings. Individual classes are structured as collaborate workshops where students switch roles as writers and editors, with the overall goal of producing a portfolio of polished work. Instructor permission required. Juniors and Seniors only. Enrollment limited to 12.


Permission Required/Registration by Waitlist. During Add/Drop, Waiver Required.

6 cross listed courses found for the selected term.
Credits: 4 Max Enrollment: 16
Course Type: Seminar Section Enrollment: 16
Grade Mode: Graded Waitlist Count: 3
Reserved Seats: No
Enforced Requirements: FY only; No Previous FYS
Curriculum Distribution: Writing Intensive
Time/Location: Tuesday/Thursday | 10:50 AM - 12:05 PM / Hillyer 109 Instructional Method: In-Person

The emergence and rapid development of networked information technologies has produced an enormous amount of data about us, from our consumer habits and financial histories to our health histories and social media identities. This class considers ethical and political questions in connection with the collection, use, and storage of this data, considering empirical research in the social sciences and computer sciences against the backdrop of philosophical conceptions of consent, privacy, personal identity, and equality. Students will analyze ethical questions prompted by the generation of big data, and social implications of data-driven governance, considering possible theoretical and policy-guiding responses. Enrollment limited to 16 first years. (E)

Crosslist(s): PHI
Credits: 4 Max Enrollment: 40
Course Type: Lecture Section Enrollment: 9
Grade Mode: Graded Waitlist Count: 0
Reserved Seats: No
Curriculum Distribution: Historical Studies, Social Science
Time/Location: Monday/Wednesday/Friday | 10:50 AM - 11:40 AM / Ford 015 Instructional Method: In-Person

How do we represent pandemics? How do these representations implicate science, politics and society? The prevalent ‘contagion’ frame is a story about seeing the microbe as the enemy, erasing or downplaying human agency and practices (especially the expansion into new ecosystems), and affirming epidemiology and medical science as the only solution. The frame carries over into politics and culture and provides a way to translate the science of contagious disease into social terms that influence the public and also public policy. This frame and others are used to explore past and current pandemics. Enrollment limited to 40.

Crosslist(s): PHI
Credits: 4 Max Enrollment: 75
Course Type: Lecture Section Enrollment: 52
Grade Mode: Graded Waitlist Count: 2
Reserved Seats: No
Curriculum Distribution: Mathematics, Natural Science
Time/Location: Tuesday/Thursday | 7:00 PM - 8:20 PM Instructional Method: In-Person

Cognitive Science is an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Mind, drawing from Cognitive psychology, Philosophy, A.I., Linguistics and Human Neuroscience. The class will cover five key problems: Vision and Imagery,Classes and Concepts, Language, Logic and Reasoning, and Beliefs, and look at both classic work and contemporary work highlighting the interesting questions. Students will be active participants in trying out classic experiments, exploring new ideas and arguing about the meaning and future of the work.

Crosslist(s): PHI
Credits: 4 Max Enrollment: 25
Course Type: Lecture Section Enrollment: 21
Grade Mode: Graded Waitlist Count: 0
Reserved Seats: No
Enforced Requirements: PHI 236 or EDC 235
Curriculum Distribution: Natural Science
Time/Location: Tuesday/Thursday | 9:25 AM - 10:40 AM / Bass 203 Instructional Method: In-Person

Offered as PSY 213 and PHI 213. A detailed examination of how children learn their language. Theories of acquisition of word meaning, syntax and pragmatics are examined, as well as methodology for assessment of children’s knowledge. Cross-linguistic and cross-cultural data and perspectives are considered, as well as applications in language therapy and education. Students undertake an original research project using transcript analysis, and read original research literature. Background in linguistics or child development is necessary. Prerequisites: Any of the following is required for entry to the course: PHI 236 or EDC 235. Enrollment limited to 25 students.

Crosslist(s): LNG,PHI,PSY
Credits: 4 Max Enrollment: 75
Course Type: Lecture Section Enrollment: 52
Grade Mode: Graded Waitlist Count: 2
Reserved Seats: No
Curriculum Distribution: Mathematics, Natural Science
Time/Location: Tuesday/Thursday | 7:00 PM - 8:20 PM Instructional Method: In-Person

Cognitive Science is an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Mind, drawing from Cognitive psychology, Philosophy, A.I., Linguistics and Human Neuroscience. The class will cover five key problems: Vision and Imagery,Classes and Concepts, Language, Logic and Reasoning, and Beliefs, and look at both classic work and contemporary work highlighting the interesting questions. Students will be active participants in trying out classic experiments, exploring new ideas and arguing about the meaning and future of the work.

Crosslist(s): PHI
Credits: 4 Max Enrollment: 25
Course Type: Lecture Section Enrollment: 21
Grade Mode: Graded Waitlist Count: 0
Reserved Seats: No
Enforced Requirements: PHI 236 or EDC 235
Curriculum Distribution: Natural Science
Time/Location: Tuesday/Thursday | 9:25 AM - 10:40 AM / Bass 203 Instructional Method: In-Person

Offered as PSY 213 and PHI 213. A detailed examination of how children learn their language. Theories of acquisition of word meaning, syntax and pragmatics are examined, as well as methodology for assessment of children’s knowledge. Cross-linguistic and cross-cultural data and perspectives are considered, as well as applications in language therapy and education. Students undertake an original research project using transcript analysis, and read original research literature. Background in linguistics or child development is necessary. Prerequisites: Any of the following is required for entry to the course: PHI 236 or EDC 235. Enrollment limited to 25 students.

Crosslist(s): LNG,PHI,PSY