The following are the courses being offered by the Department of Philosophy for the Fall 2026 Semester including meeting days and times, professors, course descriptions and Common Course of Studies attributes.
PHIL 101 Intro to Philosophy
01: MWF 9:30-10:20 am Professor Gildenhuys
02: MWF 10:35-11:25 am Professor Gildenhuys
03: TH 1:15 – 2:30 pm Professor Giovannelli
An introduction to the methods of philosophy including logical analysis and traditional philosophical problems such as the nature and extent of knowledge, the dilemma of freedom and determinism, the justification of the belief in God, personal identity, and the mind-body problem. [H // HAH]
PHIL 102 Basic Social Questions
01: MW 11:40 am-12:55 pm Professor Cuesta
02: TR 8:00-9:15 am Professor Lu
An examination of conceptual and moral questions associated with selected contemporary social issues. Topics can include: the morality of abortion, the justification of preferential treatment, the permissibility of gun control, and drug legalization. [H,V // CECS,HAH]
PHIL 145 Intro to Bioethics
MWF 8:25-9:15 am Professor Gildenhuys
This course will begin with a brief presentation of prominent ethical theories and concepts important to debates in bioethics. We will apply these theories and concepts to a range of bioethics issues, including abortion, euthanasia, surrogacy, choosing for incompetent patients, and medical research. [H,V // HAH]
PHIL 200 Logic
MW 2:45-4:00 pm Professor Wu
An investigation of the principles of correct reasoning through formal languages including propositional and predicate logic. Students will learn to assess the validity of arguments in these languages through proofs and other formal techniques. Some metalogic, such as the soundness and completeness results of these languages will be introduced. Other formal languages (deontic and modal logic) may be touched upon along the way. [Q // RQ]
PHIL 214 Ancient Greek Philosophy:
TR 1:15-2:30 pm Professor Jezzi
Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle
A survey of the philosophical systems of Plato and Aristotle, with occasional excursions into pre-Socratic and post-Aristotelian thought. Readings drawn exclusively from classical texts. [ H // HAH]
PHIL 218 Confucianism: Self and Society (Cross-Listed with REL 218)
MW 1:15-2:30 pm Professor Ma
Revolving around the themes of self and society, this course explores the philosophical and cultural history of the Confucian tradition from inception to present day. Probing cultural, religious, gender, and sociological aspects of Confucianism, students develop a systematic understanding of the intersections and interactions of individual, community, and society in countries under a Confucian tutelage. Course materials are primarily canonical texts and modern scholarship, supplemented by literary narratives and movies. [ GM1, GM2, H, V // GP, HAH]
PHIL 225 Philosophy of Mind
TR 9:30 am-10:45 am Professor Lu
A general introduction to the philosophy of mind, focusing on the mind-body problem. Other topics may include the possibility of artificial intelligence, the nature of persons, the nature of some psychological concepts, and the relationship between neuroscience and philosophy. [H // HAH,INST]
PHIL 240 Philosophy of Art
TR 9:30 am-10:45am Professor Giovannelli
An examination of the fundamental philosophical questions about the arts, including: What is art? Are there standards in the evaluation of artworks? Do the arts require or convey knowledge, and if so, what kind? What is the connection between art and emotion? What are the possible relationships between art and morality? Readings are drawn from both classical and contemporary philosophical writings. [H, V // GP, HAH] (Cross-listed with FAMS 240)
PHIL 271 Philosophy of Race
TR 11:00 am-12:15 pm Professor Cetty
This class introduces you to the philosophical study of race. This topic has gained increasing focus within philosophy in recent decades. This class will expose you to key issues surrounding race within philosophy’s three main branches, namely, epistemology, ethics, and metaphysics. Other approaches to the study of race might also be explored, including those taken from critical legal studies and critical race theory. [GM1, H, V // HAH, CECS]
PHIL 374 Special Topics: Ethics and Intuitions
TR 2:45-4:00 pm Professor Cetty
Moral philosophers, like others in philosophy, often appeal to intuitions to justify moral conclusions. Intuitions are supposed to help us access moral truths and also serve as fixed points that any plausible moral theory must attempt to validate. Despite its widespread use, the practice of appealing to intuition has come under critical scrutiny in recent decades, particularly in light of empirical research that contests the reliability of our intuitive judgements. Others have also argued that moral intuitions fail to yield moral truths because they are merely the product of our evolutionary conditioning. In this course, we will investigate the practice of using intuitions in moral philosophy. The questions we will explore include: what role have intuitions played in moral philosophy? What are intuitions? What is “intuitionism”? What is the relationship between moral intuition and moral truth? Are intuitions reliable? What does scientific research tell us? How should we use intuitions, if at all, in moral arguments? [H, V // SSA, HAH]
PHIL 490 Capstone: Metaphysics of the Social World
MW 1:15-2:30 pm Professor Wu
This seminar serves as the Capstone course for the Philosophy major, but is also open to Philosophy minors who have already taken at least five philosophy courses. In this seminar, students will learn tools and concepts from traditional metaphysics and use them to study the nature of social things such as race, gender, restaurants, sports clubs, the Supreme Court, political borders, and so on. Over the course of the semester, students will investigate topics of their own interests, conduct bibliographical research, share ideas with the class, and produce a substantial piece of philosophical writing. [W // W]