Undergraduate Courses
The Department of Philosophy offers 60-70 Philosophy undergraduate
courses each Autumn, Winter & Spring quarter. You can view the full
schedule of undergraduate courses each quarter by visiting Campus Connection. There is a guest log in available for non-students.
Philosophy Course Classifications and descriptions:
All courses carry four quarter hours credit. Philosophy 100 is a prerequisite for all 300-level courses (except cognitive skills).
Note: Offerings vary from quarter to quarter. For the most current listings, please visit Campus Connect and click on the guest log-in link. This will bring you to the main Campus Connect page, where you can click "Class Search" to scroll through current offerings.
100 Philosophy and Its Issues. An introduction to basic philosophical concepts, methods and problems. Sample Syllabus 1 Sample Syllabus 2
Value Studies
200
Ethical Theories. Selected readings to acquaint students with different approaches to ethics.
202
Philosophy of God. An investigation of the ways in which philosophers have talked about, and argued for or against, God.
204
Philosophy and Existential Themes. A study of the principle ideas regarding the human condition developed in existential literature: death, absurdity, alienation, freedom, God, authenticity.
206
The Question of Evil
208
Value and Persons. A study of the connections between different conceptions of selfhood and different ethical, political and aesthetic values.
229
Biomedical Ethics (cross-listed as Religious Studies 229). Moral and ethical issues arising in contemporary biomedical advances and in health care from the perspective of Religious Studies and Philosophy.
230
Contemporary Issues in Ethics. This course will examine a range of ethical issues of contemporary concern, such as abortion, euthanasia, and capital punishment.
231
Philosophy and the Question of Race A philosophical inquiry into such issues as racism, anti-Semitism, genocide. Sample Syllabus
232
What is Freedom? This course will investigate various conceptions of freedom, and will consider in particular the difference between freedom and "doing or saying whatever you wish."
233
Issues in Sex and Gender. A philosophical investigation into the nature of sex and gender and the role they play in defining human identity.
234
Philosophy and Modern Society. This course will consider such issues as the relation between society and the state, the connections between work. leisure and poverty, and the social effects of prejudice and resentment.
235
Philosophy and the Environment A philosophical study of our environment, the nature of nature, and the planet.
236
Philosophy and the City This course examines the meaning of the city for philosophy and the meaning of urbanization for the formation of values.
237
Philosophy, Conflict, and Peace. A philosophical reflection upon the causes of war, and the possibilities for peace.
238
Philosophy and Women. An examination of the unique contribution women have made, and can make, to philosophy and the study of values.
239
Philosophies of Africa.
240
Love, Hatred, and Resentment. A phenomenological inquiry into these three powerful emotional states.
241
Ethics and Public Policy. A study of the ways in which ethics can assist us in thinking about matters of public policy.
242
Philosophy and Technology.
243
Philosophy and Film.
244
Philosophical Theology (cross-listed as Catholic Studies 275). An introduction to the interactions of philosophy and Christian theology.
245
Reason and Society. A study not aimed at the production of particular skills but at understanding of the proper role of reason in social institutions and the formation of public opinion.
246
Survey of Black Aesthetic Thought. This course examines the history of the aesthetic thought that has emerged from the minds of Black creative intellectuals in the United States and globally.
248
Business Ethics. An examination of various ethical and moral issues arising in contemporary business and its activities which affect our society and the world.
250
Experiential Learning. Philosophy and Social Change (Community-Based Service Learning)
263
Philosophy and Women of Color.
264
Philosophy and Postcoloniality.
287
Introduction to Asian Philosophies.
288
Feminist Philosophies.
290
Philosophies of Gender.
291
Moral Philosophy.
Cognitive Skills (Prerequisite to Cognitive Skills courses is PHL 100)
280
Critical Thinking. A rigorous study of argumentation as it occurs in everyday life.
281
Basic Logic. A study of fundamental logical concepts and techniques, methods of argument, and ways of detecting fallacies.
282
Symbolic Logic I. A study of the methods and techniques of formulating and evaluating arguments with the help of symbolic notation.
283
Symbolic Logic II. Advanced symbolic logic.
History Sequence (Prerequisite to History Sequence courses is PHL 100)
293
Ancient Philosophy
294
Medieval Philosophy
295
Early Modern Philosophy. A study of some of the main philosophers and philosophical movements from the 17th to the 19th centuries.
296
Kant and 19th Century Philosophy
297
20th Century Philosophy
Figures and Texts (Prerequisite to Figures and Texts courses is PHL 100. Each course in this section involves the study of selected texts from the designated periods or areas of philosophy or by the designated authors)
360
Greek Philosophy
361
Plato
362
Aristotle
363
Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy
364
17th and 18th Century Rationalism
365
17th and 18th Century Empiricism
366
Descartes
367
The Enlightenment
368
German Idealism
369
Kant
370
Hegel
371
19th Century Philosophy
372
Marx
373
Nietzsche
374
20th Century Philosophy
375
Phenomenology and Existentialism
376
American Philosophy
377
Philosophy and Deconstruction
378
Analytic Philosophy
379
Eastern Thought
380
Selected Figures and Texts
Philosophical Themes (Prerequisite to philosophical themes courses is PHL 100)
314
Survey of Ethics. An intensive study of the broad range of the history of and approaches to ethics.
315
Survey of Political Philosophy. An intensive study of the broad range of the history of and approaches to political philosophy.
320
Metaphysics. A critical examination of selected metaphysical systems and issues.
321
Epistemology. An investigation of some of the central issues in the philosophy of knowledge, including the nature of knowledge, truth, and certainty.
322
Philosophy of Language. An investigation into the nature of language and its significance for philosophical inquiry.
325
Basic Concepts of Phenomenology This course emphasizes the principle themes of such thinkers as Husserl, Merleau-Ponty and Heidegger.
327
Topics in Ethics. A focused discussion of specific issues in moral and ethical philosophy.
328
Topics in Economic, Social and Political Philosophy. A focused discussion of specific issues in economic, political and social philosophy.
340
Philosophy of Religion A study into the significance of religious phenomena for philosophy.
341
Aesthetics. A study of the relationship of philosophy and the arts, with a critical appraisal of theories of beauty.
342
Philosophy of Law. An examination of fundamental legal concepts, and particularly of the concept of law itself.
343
Philosophies of Punishment.
350
Philosophy and the Natural Sciences
353
Philosophy and History A study of some of the most significant theories of history.
354
Philosophy and Psychology. A philosophical inquiry into the nature and history of psychology, psychoanalysis, and psychotherapy.
355
Theories of Interpretation. (cross-listed as Catholic Studies 336) Philosophical Hermeneutics and Biblical Interpretation.
356
Topics in Postmodernism.
357
Topics in Psychoanalysis.
381
Dramatic Theory: Tragedy (cross-listed as Theatre Studies 224). A study of some of the main philosophical themes of tragedy together with readings of some of the most important ancient and modern tragedies.
382
Dramatic Theory: Comedy (cross-listed as Theatre Studies 225). A study of some of the philosophical theories of comedy together with readings of some of the most important ancient and modern comedies.
383
Philosophical Themes in Literature. An investigation of philosophical topics as they appear in fiction, drama and poetry.
386
Philosophies of Africa. A study of patterns of philosophical thinking from the African continent.
387
Topics in Asian Philosophy. A study of patterns of philosophical thinking from the Asian continent.
388
Topics in Comparative Philosophy
389
Latin American Philosophy
390
Selected Topics and Controversies
392
Topics in Feminist Philosophy
393
Topics in Critical Race Theory
394
Topics in Postcolonialism
396
Indian Philosophy
398 Travel/Study 399
Independent Study
Seminar For Philosophy Majors
391
Senior Capstone Seminar. A seminar on selected topics in philosophy, normally taken in the senior year.
Senior Thesis
395
Senior Thesis. An opportunity for intensive independent work, open to philosophy majors of outstanding achievement. By petition only. Contact the department office for further information. Philosophy 395 is not applicable to major field requirements, though it may be used as an open elective.