The following descriptions of courses being offered by the Philosophy Department in Summer 2024 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 2024.
Summer A
PHI 2010 Introduction to Philosophy — A. Gavrilos
This course will introduce students to some of the central topics in Western Philosophy. Students will explore, discuss, and think critically about answers to the following questions: What does it mean to pursue philosophy? What can we know about the world? Are the mind and body the same, or are they two different things? How should we live our lives? What makes an action morally right and what makes a person good? This will be done through the reading and close study of texts of both historical and modern philosophical importance. Additionally, this Introduction to Philosophy course aims to provide students with the instruction and resources necessary to develop skills in critical thinking, collaborative discussion, writing, and building strong arguments.
PHI 2010 Introduction to Philosophy — Dr. Borges
{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 — J. Madock
Introductory-level survey of different methods of formal and informal analysis of the logical structure of propositions and arguments. Topics include syllogistic logic, propositional logic, quantification logic, inductive logic, informal fallacies, and probability.
PHI 2630 Contemporary Moral Issues — Dr. Simpson
{Introduces moral philosophy through selected contemporary issues such as abortion, euthanasia, genetic engineering, and the treatment of animals. (H) (WR)}
PHI 3681 Ethics, Data, and Technology — M. Steele
This course surveys important and recent ways in which emergent technologies give rise to ethical issues. The course will include discussions on the ethical implications of using machine learning algorithms in decision making and predictive policing, deploying autonomous weapons systems in war, and the collection and usage of big data. The overall purpose of the course is to pair theoretical discussions in ethics with concrete and new issues in emerging technologies.
Summer B
PHI 1001 Conflict of Ideas — Dr. Borges
{Examination of conflict in the realm of ideas, including both factors (psychological, social, logical) that make conflicts difficult and methods that may help us engage in them in a principled and effective way. Readings are drawn from multiple disciplines, which may include philosophy, history, linguistics, sociology, and cognitive science.
Prereq: Restricted to undergraduate degree-seeking students.}
PHI 2010 Introduction to Philosophy — M. Davis
One way to grasp what a course will entail is to learn what questions will be asked in it. In this course, some of the questions we will ask include, “Is morality subjective?”, “Does God exist?”, and “Do we have free will?” In the pursuit of the answers to these questions, we are all expected to examine and challenge our beliefs. Our pursuit of truth will encourage the development of problem solving, reasoning, and argumentative skills that will serve to make us better thinkers and, hopefully, better people. (H) (WR 4000)
PHI 2010 Introduction to Philosophy — Dr. Ross
{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. 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 2010 Introduction to Philosophy — M. Steele
The main purpose of this course is to introduce students to some of the central problems in philosophy by engaging with a selection of historical and contemporary readings. The topics will include some of the most prominent discussions in epistemology, ethics, and metaphysics. The main goal of the course is for students to learn how to identify, paraphrase, evaluate and construct good arguments orally and in written form.
PHI 3681 Ethics, Data, and Technology — S. Sturm
{Addresses ethical issues related to data science, algorithmic decision-making, and artificial intelligence. Pairs theoretical discussions of ethics, economics, and policy-making with concrete issues in emerging technologies.
Prereq: Sophomore standing or higher or (PHI 2010 or PHI 2100 or PHI 2630, with a minimum grade of C) or (philosophy major or minor) or data science major.}
Summer C
PHI 2010 Introduction to Philosophy (UFO) — J. Costanzo
The 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.