The following descriptions of courses being offered by the Philosophy Department in Summer 2020 were submitted by the course instructors. Exceptions are descriptions in braces {…}, which have been adopted from the Undergraduate Catalogue (students desiring further information regarding the specific content of courses with bracketed descriptions are advised to contact the instructors directly).
Specific information regarding the dates, times, and locations of these courses may be found in the Registrar’s official Schedule of Courses for Summer 2020.
Summer A
PHI 2010 Introduction to Philosophy — S.Heidarifar
Variable topics introduction to philosophy through study of traditional questions about the existence of God, the nature of the mind, the definition of good, freedom of the will, and criteria of truth and knowledge. (H) (WR)
PHI 2010 Introduction to Philosophy — J.Simpson
Variable topics introduction to philosophy through study of traditional questions about the existence of God, the nature of the mind, the definition of good, freedom of the will, and criteria of truth and knowledge. (H) (WR)
PHI 2100 Logic — Dr. Dorst
This course is an introduction to logic. Logic is centrally concerned with arguments, good and bad. If an argument is a good one, its conclusion will logically follow from its premises, and we say that the argument is valid. It is not always easy to tell whether an argument is valid or not just by looking at it. Thus, we will develop formal techniques that will help us to determine the validity of arguments in a rigorous way. This will require the introduction of special formal languages, and we will learn how to translate between English and these formal languages. This course satisfies a math (M) requirement.
PHI 2630 Contemporary Moral Issues — D.Ortiz
Introduces moral philosophy through selected contemporary issues such as abortion, euthanasia, genetic engineering, and the treatment of animals. (H) (WR)
PHI 3300 Theory of Knowledge — Dr. Borges
This course aims at enabling the student to think critically about some of the central issues in the theory of knowledge. Among other issues, we will discuss (i) the nature of knowledge, (ii) the difference (if any) between knowledge and true belief, (iii) the distinction between perceptual and inferential knowledge, and (iv) whether knowledge is possible in the first place (skepticism). Classical and contemporary readings will be assigned. This course counts towards the Humanities (H) general education requirement.
Summer B
PHI 2010 Introduction to Philosophy — C.Becker
Variable topics introduction to philosophy through study of traditional questions about the existence of God, the nature of the mind, the definition of good, freedom of the will, and criteria of truth and knowledge. (H) (WR)
PHI 2010 Introduction to Philosophy — Dr. Borges
The goal of this course is to introduce students to some of the main issues in Western Philosophy. We will do this by critically approaching classical and contemporary readings on question such as ‘What is philosophy?’, ‘What is knowledge?’, ‘How should we act?’, and ‘What is the meaning of life?’. A further goal is to introduce students to the methods and tools philosophers use when approaching philosophical questions. This course counts towards the Humanities (H) general education requirement and the Writing (W) requirement (4000 words).
PHI 2010 Introduction to Philosophy — D.Ortiz
Variable topics introduction to philosophy through study of traditional questions about the existence of God, the nature of the mind, the definition of good, freedom of the will, and criteria of truth and knowledge. (H) (WR)
PHI 2010 Introduction to Philosophy — J.Simpson
Variable topics introduction to philosophy through study of traditional questions about the existence of God, the nature of the mind, the definition of good, freedom of the will, and criteria of truth and knowledge. (H) (WR)
PHI 3700 Philosophy of Religion — Dr. Zaldivar
Religion, its ideas, practices and influence, are deeply embedded in our culture. Even if you are not religious yourself, religion, in one form or another, has played a role in shaping your worldview. As with anything that is so thoroughly enmeshed in our lives it is worth our while to study it carefully and thoughtfully.
In this course we will take a broad look and a number of topics in the philosophy of religion—the philosophical study of the meaning and nature of religion. It includes the analyses of religious concepts, beliefs, terms, arguments, and practices of religious adherents. Each topic of discussion will feature readings from a variety of perspectives, including non-western thought.
Summer C
PHI 2010 Introduction to Philosophy (UFO) — J.Gillespie
Patient and thorough exploration of philosophical questions is an ideal way to develop skills in clear writing and critical thinking. This course introduces the discipline of philosophy with a focus on developing those skills. Most of the semester is devoted three traditional issues: (a) What is knowledge? What can we know? (b) What is free will? Is there reason to think we don’t have any free will? (c) What is morality all about? Are there facts about what is morally right and wrong? At the end of the semester, we will more briefly explore some famous questions about happiness and the meaning of life. The emphasis throughout is on writing clearly about such elusive questions and presenting good reasons to endorse one answer over another.
The course provides 4000 words of credit towards the Writing Requirement at UF as well as satisfying the State Core General Education requirement for Humanities. Assignments include three argumentative essays, four short writing assignments, several short quizzes and tests, and regular activity assignments. For each unit of the class, students are divided into small groups in which they must post their responses to the activity assignments in that unit and select, as a group, the best of those to be submitted for a grade. There are no major exams (no mid-term or final exam). No book purchases are required, as all readings are made available online through the Canvas system.
This is an entirely online course. Because there is no regular meeting time during which we all meet to discuss the material, it is especially important to keep up with all assignments, to participate in discussion boards, and to ask for help when needed. While the structure of assignments is designed to ensure that students challenge themselves, it is also designed so as to minimize the amount of stress placed on any particular assignment. Success requires, instead, regular and serious effort throughout the semester.
PHI 3641 Ethics and Innovation — J.Gormley
In the cult classic Jurassic Park, Dr. Malcom claims, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” With innovation, we often focus on whether some innovation is possible to create or develop rather than whether we ought to create this technology or what the purpose of this innovation is. In this course, we will analyze different innovations to see what those innovations’ ethical implications are. Before we can analyze the ethics of innovation, the students will be familiarized with ethical theories including the following: social contract theory, consequentialism, deontology, and virtue ethics. Finally, we will consider how psychological factors inhibit ethical behavior, and from these factors, we will identify strategies to combat them. After taking this course, students should expect to be equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to think ethically about technological innovation and its consequences. This course satisfies a writing requirement (W).