Spring 2026 Philosophy Courses
IMPORTANT NOTICE: 100 and 200-level courses are without prerequisites and open to first year students. 300-level courses presume some previous exposure to philosophy or a related field of study. If there is any question in your mind about whether you have the right background for any particular philosophy course, talk to the instructor before you enroll.
PHIL 101 – Introduction to Philosophical Problems and Arguments
Three sections: TR 9:00-10:15am – McDaniel; TR 10:30-11:45 am; 12:00-1:15pm – McCormick
This course is intended as an introduction to a number of related problems in philosophy. Can I know anything? Does God exist? What is the relationship between the mind and the body? Am I the same person now as I was in the past? Am I free? In discussing these questions, we will examine a variety of responses, ranging from those given by Descartes and his early modern critics to 20th and 21st-century responses to these philosophical problems. Throughout the course, special attention will be paid (a) to extracting precise arguments from the authors we read and (b) to evaluating these arguments. This procedure will reveal ambiguities and other flaws in many arguments that appear convincing at first; other times and it will show that often an “obvious” assumption stands in need of outside justification and/or has questionable implications. Satisfies the General Education in Literary Studies, the Written Communication (IFWC), and AI-Literary & Textual Analysis (AILT) Requirements. (1 unit)
PHIL 120 – Contemporary Moral Issues
Two sections: TR 9:00-10:15 am; 1:30-2:45 pm – Welchance
This is an introductory level course concerned with contemporary, controversial, moral issues. We will examine and evaluate a variety of views about such issues as abortion, CEO compensation, genetic enhancement, and generative AI. No previous background in philosophy is required, but participants should have an interest in thinking critically about how we live. Satisfies the Power/Equity/Identity/Cult (IFPE) Requirement. (1 unit)
PHIL 251 – Elementary Symbolic Logic
Two sections: MWF 9:00-9:50 am; 10:30-11:20 am – Goddu
This course is an introduction to symbolic (or mathematical) logic. The focus is on the formal structure of arguments, their logical properties and the formulation and evaluation of proofs. We will be studying structure at different levels, beginning with sentential logic and then advancing to monadic and polyadic predicate logic. In each case, we will familiarize ourselves with the relevant logical grammar and (truth-functional) semantics and use these to provide translations of English sentences. We will also learn how to construct proofs of valid arguments and how to provide counterexamples to invalid arguments. In the study of sentential logic, truth-tables will be used to test for validity and other logical properties such as contingency and equivalence. Satisfies the General Education in Symbolic Reasoning, and the AI-Symbolic Reasoning (AISR) Requirements.
(1 unit)
PHIL 260 – Philosophical Problems in Law & Society
Two sections: TR 10:30-11:45 am; 12:00-1:15 pm – Schauber
This course will examine the purpose and justification for legal limits on individual liberty, with special attention to problems of liability and punishment. Topics include strict liability, good Samaritan law, and capital punishment. (1 unit)
PHIL 265 – Bioethics
Two sections: MW 9:00-10:15 am; 12:00-1:15 pm – Welchance
This course includes a survey of prevalent topics in recent bioethics, the study of ethical discussions surrounding the sciences of biology and medicine. Its primary aim is to help students improve their ability to think critically and to argue from the standpoint of a certain moral theory in the ethical evaluation of problems concerning the human body, health care, doctor-patient relationship, life and death, food, and animals. (1 unit)
PHIL 269 – Environmental Ethics
Two sections: MW 10:30-11:45 am; 1:30-2:45 pm – Platz
This course is about how we human beings ought to relate to our environment – to animals, plants, species, the climate, ecosystems, the universe. Which of these are of direct moral concern? Why are they of moral concern? How should we regard and treat them? Why? Satisfies the Power/Equity/Identity/Cult (IFPE) Requirement. Cross-listed with ENVR 269. (1 unit)
PHIL 272 – Modern European Philosophy
Two sections: MW 9:00-10:15 am; 10:30-11:45 am – Englert
This course offers an overview of European philosophical thought in the 17th and 18th centuries, focusing on fundamental questions in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and theology. We will investigate the thought of philosophers such as, Descartes, Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia, Samuel Clarke, Leibniz, Anne Conway, Maria von Herbert, and Kant. Topics of interest will be, for example, the nature of the soul, personal identity, free will, knowledge of the external world, the nature of space-time, the value of humanity, and arguments for God’s existence and nature. Satisfies the General Education in Historical Studies, and the AI-Historical Inquiry (AIHS) Requirements. (1 unit)
PHIL 351 – TS: Kant’s First Critique
MW 1:30-2:45 pm – Englert
This course is a close study of Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason, which is one of the most influential philosophical texts ever written. We’ll be considering Kant’s attacks on his empiricist and rationalist predecessors, his transcendental theory of experience, his metaphysical view of the natural world, and his account of the limitations on human reason. Completion of Modern European Philosophy, or one previous philosophy course and permission of instructor required. (1 unit)
PHIL 353 – Philosophical Methods
MW 12:00-1:15 pm – Goddu
This course is required of all philosophy majors and limited to philosophy majors, minors, and concentrators. Its main purpose is the development of philosophical skills related to critical reading, writing, and evaluation. For example, we will work on extracting the author's goal, overall strategy for achieving that goal, and specific arguments, from a wide variety of philosophical texts. In general, we will closely read, discuss, and argue the merits of numerous writings with a wide array of content, including the very nature of philosophy itself. Seminar format. Departmental approval required.
(1 unit)
PHIL 365 – Action, Responsibility, and Free Will
T 3:00-5:40 pm – Schauber and McDaniel
This course provides an introduction to the problems of free will and moral responsibility. Broadly speaking, if determinism is true, then it can seem that nothing we do is genuinely “up to us,” and so it might seem that no one is fairly blamed or praised. On the other hand, if indeterminism is true, doesn’t that imply that everything we do is a matter of chance or luck, so that again, no one can be fairly praised or blamed or, more generally, be responsible? In short, while we tend to think that we are free, responsible agents, can this conception of ourselves be justified? We will investigate some prominent contemporary theories regarding the relationships between free will, moral responsibility, and determinism, and consider questions such as, What is free will? What is the significance of determinism for free will and moral responsibility? Is free will compatible with determinism? Would praise and blame make sense if we lack freedom? One previous philosophy course or permission of instructor required. (1 unit)
PHIL 390 – Independent Study
TBD
Limited to philosophy majors and minors. Departmental approval required. (1 unit)