Spring 2027 Course Descriptions

Sect. 101, W 6:30-9:20pm, staff, Louise Pound Hall 124

Historical-cultural introduction to philosophy. Considers a broad range of philosophical problems in relation to the major historical and cultural conditions which have influenced their formulations and proposed solutions. Topics: the principles of rational inquiry; the nature of knowledge; the metaphysics of mind, world, and God; and the sources and authority of morality.

Sect. 250, TR 11-11:50am, Joseph Mendola, Avery Hall 106

This is an historical introduction to philosophy. We will consider a broad range of philosophical questions, including the nature of ethical truth, the relationship between the mind and body, our knowledge, and the existence of God. We will read a wide range of famous philosophers.

The course materials will be available through Canvas, so no textbook purchase is required. The course requirements include two exams and a paper.

The course may be used to satisfy either ACE 5 (Humanities) or ACE 8 (Civics/Ethics/Stewardship).

Sect. 700, asynchronous, Reina Hayaki, online

We will examine a range of important topics that have been discussed by philosophers through the ages: the concept of knowledge, and whether we have any knowledge of the world around us; the nature of the mind and its relationship to the body, and how the two are related to the self; determinism, free will, and moral responsibility; whether morality is objective; and conflicting accounts of what makes an action right or wrong. These topics cover a lot of ground, but they are united by a couple of broad themes: Who are we, and how do we fit into the world?

This course is certified for both ACE 5 (Humanities) and ACE 8 (Ethics). You will be able to choose which one of these two requirements you want this course to count for.

Textbook: Gideon Rosen, Alex Byrne, Joshua Cohen, Elizabeth Harman, and Seana Shiffrin (eds.), The Norton Introduction to Philosophy, 3rd ed. (W. W. Norton & Co., 2026). When you register for the course, you will automatically be signed up for a 180-day rental of an electronic version of the textbook through the Inclusive Access Program, at a discounted price. You may opt out of the e-rental but are strongly recommended not to do so, as the e-book may be used during exams and quizzes but hard copies may not.

Major assignments: two exams and two short papers. Smaller assignments due weekly.

Sect. 1, MWF 12:30-1:20pm, staff, Louise Pound Hall 330

A wide-ranging examination of the philosophical, political, social, and economic aspects of food, its production and consumption. Topics include the ethical treatment of animals, factory farming, food justice, the relation of food to social and religious identity, and climate change. This course satisfies both Ace 8 (Civic/Ethics/Stewardship) and ACE 5 (Humanities).

Sect. 700, asynchronous, Christopher Stratman, online 

This course involves a wide-ranging examination of the philosophical, political, social, and economic aspects of food, its production and consumption. Topics include the metaphysics of food, our knowledge of food, the ethical treatment of animals, factory farming, food justice, the relation of food to social and religious identity, and climate change. This course satisfies both Ace 8 (Civic/Ethics/Stewardship) and ACE 5 (Humanities).

Sect. 790, asynchronous, staff, online

A wide-ranging examination of the philosophical, political, social, and economic aspects of food, its production and consumption. Topics include the ethical treatment of animals, factory farming, food justice, the relation of food to social and religious identity, and climate change. This course satisfies both Ace 8 (Civic/Ethics/Stewardship) and ACE 5 (Humanities).

Sect. 1, MWF 10:30-11:20am, staff, Louise Pound Hall 34

Critical survey of current issues and the role of philosophy in attempts to resolve them. Recent topics: sexual morality, pornography and the law, capital punishment, sexism and racism, extraordinary treatment for the terminally ill, abortion, church and state, and nuclear war and disarmament. 

ACE 8 or 9.

Sect. 101, T 6:30-9:20pm, staff, Louise Pound Hall 124

Critical survey of current issues and the role of philosophy in attempts to resolve them. Recent topics: sexual morality, pornography and the law, capital punishment, sexism and racism, extraordinary treatment for the terminally ill, abortion, church and state, and nuclear war and disarmament.

ACE 8 or 9.

Sect. 150, TR 9:30-10:20am, Adam Thompson, Bessey Hall 117

This course explores the complexities of current issues primarily through the lens of freedom, liberation, and individual and collective moral responsibility. In particular, we will explore, envision, and evaluate the extent to which our political, economic, and social freedoms are tied to things like schooling, the reliance on prison, the U.S. health care system, immigration policies, wage labor, apartheid, and other current issues. 

Required Books: None – readings will be provided through Canvas.

ACE Certification: This course can be used to satisfy ACE 8 (Ethics) or ACE 9 (Diversity). 

Sect. W99, TR 12:30-1:45pm, staff, Oldfather Hall 304

Critical survey of current issues and the role of philosophy in attempts to resolve them. Recent topics: sexual morality, pornography and the law, capital punishment, sexism and racism, extraordinary treatment for the terminally ill, abortion, church and state, and nuclear war and disarmament.

ACE 8 or 9.

Sect. 1, TR 11am-12:15pm, Adam Thompson, Burnett Hall 102

We will work to understand the moral contours of emerging media arts. In particular, the course explores, envisions, and evaluates how to responsibly design and use media outlets that incorporate technologies like artificial intelligence, large language models, algorithms, augmented and virtual reality, and connected communities in light of concerns about things like surveillance, privacy, alienation, forgery, autonomy, benevolence, trust, and cooperation. 

Required Book: None – reading material will be provided via Canvas.

ACE: This course can be used to satisfy ACE 8 (ethics).

Sect. 2, MWF 11:30am-12:20pm, staff, Louise Pound Hall 2

Explores dynamics of information gathering and delivery in the context of value, access discrepancies, privacy, and autonomy. ACE 8.

Sect. 150, TR 9:30-10:20am, Wade Munroe, Louise Pound Hall 27

Reasoning well is essential to forming accurate beliefs about the world and making informed decisions about how to live. However, all too often, we reason in ways that merely confirm the beliefs we antecedently hold or justify the decisions we’ve already made. Especially when it comes to issues of central importance, like our political views and moral stances, our tendency to confirm our antecedent positions and decisions can be quite strong and hard to overcome.

We begin the semester with a general discussion of the nature of reasoning and the potential biasing sources that can lead reasoning astray. Next, we discuss the nature of arguments and the support relationships that can hold between premises and conclusions. The ability to understand how arguments function and how the premises of an argument can support a given conclusion is essential to reasoning well. The bulk of the class will then be spent learning formal means of representing and assessing arguments. Throughout the course, we will use our methods of assessment to analyze various arguments to gain practice with our new evaluative tools.

Sect. 1, MW 2:30-3:45pm, Reina Hayaki, Louise Pound Hall 34

PHIL 211 is an introduction to symbolic logic, covering sentential logic and predicate logic. You will learn how to translate English sentences into the language of logic and vice versa, and how to construct proofs of valid arguments and statements. By internalizing a set of rules of inference, you will become adept at recognizing good (or bad) arguments and putting together a sound chain of reasoning.

This course is highly recommended for those planning to take the LSAT, GRE, or other standardized tests with an analytical component; and for philosophy majors planning to go to grad school.

This course is certified for ACE 3 and satisfies the logic requirement for the philosophy major.

PHIL 211 has no prerequisites. It does not presuppose PHIL 110 (Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking). There is a small amount of overlap between the last part of PHIL 110 and the first part of PHIL 211.

All course materials will be posted on Canvas; no textbook purchase is required.

Assignments will include take-home problem sets, short in-class quizzes (with questions and answers posted ahead of time), and in-class exams.

Sect. 1, MWF 10:30-11:20am, staff, Louise Pound Hall 101

Ethical issues in computer science, data science, and artificial intelligence. Topics include algorithmic bias and fairness, surveillance, privacy, big data, free speech and the interaction of technology and democracy.  ACE 8 or 9.

Sect. 150, TR 12:30-1:20pm, Adam Thompson, Ross-Van Brunt 124

This course aims to develop students’ mature reasoning about complex moral issues in health care contexts. Generally, we will explore what morally responsible healthcare practice looks like. Toward that goal, students will critically explore, envision, and evaluate practical choice-making and moral reasoning in a manner that illuminates the normative contours of issues related to end-of-life care, beginning-of-life care, bias in health care, health care atrocities, and the nature of life and death. 

Required Book: TBA, but some readings will be provided through Canvas.

ACE Certification: This course can be used to satisfy ACE 8 (Ethics).

Sect. 900, asynchronous, Aaron Bronfman, online

This online course covers a wide variety of moral issues in the ethics of medicine and the allocation of healthcare. These issues include the moral status of the embryo and fetus (abortion, stem cell research, genetic enhancement), the role of information (confidentiality, informed consent, scientific research), the limits in a medical context of what can be bought and sold (commercial surrogacy, organ sales), the role of rights and fairness in a healthcare system (rights to healthcare, allocation of scarce resources), and the proper extent of control over one’s own body (assisted suicide, euthanasia, advance directives). The focus of the course is on assessing arguments for and against different positions on these moral issues, with background information provided as needed.

Requirements consist of writing assignments, participation in small-group videoconferences, and exams taken at the DLC. This course may be used to satisfy either ACE 5 (Humanities) or ACE 8 (Ethics).

Sect. 1, TR 11am-12:15pm, Jennifer McKitrick, Hamilton Hall 102 (also WMNS 218-001)

This course will provide a comprehensive coverage of core elements of feminist philosophy in the analytical tradition. In the first part of the course, we will examine the feminist issues and practical problems that confront us as ordinary people. In the second part, we will examine the recent and historical arguments surrounding the subject area, looking into the theoretical frameworks we use to discuss these issues and applying them to everyday life.  Topics include: feminism in a global context, work and care, reproductive rights, sex work, sexual violence and harassment, sexism, oppression, and misogyny, intersectionality, objectification, consent, ideology, false consciousness, and adaptive preferences.

Satisfies: ACE 5 Humanities, ACE 9 Global/Diversity, and CAS Diversity in the U.S.

Sect. 1, TR 9:30am-10:45am, Scott Harkema, Louise Pound Hall 101

The fundamental question explored in this class is, how should we act, given the profound effects of human action on the environment? In the first half of the course, we will consider how classic western ethical theories answer this question, as well as some critiques of these theories from environmentalists that argue for the value of animals, plants and other living things, ecosystems, or the natural world more generally. In the second half of the class, we will focus specifically on moral questions surrounding the climate crisis, including: Are individuals responsible for the global climate crisis? Should we pursue technological fixes to the climate crisis? What does climate justice look like? Is saving people from poverty more important than saving the environment?