This course will critically examine three of the most important questions we can ask about human existence: Who am I? What can I know? What can I hope for?

This course is a study of classic and contemporary ethical theories that respond to the fundamental question, "How should I live my life?" Philosophical accounts of virtue and happiness, conditions of moral development, the role of reason in moral judgment, and the nature of moral obligation will be examined and applied to concrete ethical issues that arise in individual, interpersonal, and/or political life.

The relationship between the human soul and beauty is explored through the critical study and evaluation of classical texts and works in the visual and performing arts.

This course is a study of philosophical positions about the existence and nature of God. Themes discussed include various concepts of God; the possibility of proof for the existence of God; and the philosophical dimensions of the religious experience.

What is the meaning of life? This question has been central to the work of philosophers, scientists, and artists throughout human history. Is life inherent meaningful? Is meaning bestowed by a divine creator? Is life absurd and devoid of meaning at all? Is meaning something that we must create for ourselves? And perhaps most importantly, how should I live my life, based on my answers to these questions? This course will survey a wide variety of responses to these questions, using the texts of philosophers as our guide.

This course is a critical examination of the nature of society through the reading and discussion of primary philosophical texts. Themes include: person and society, the foundation of the political order, human rights and law, justice and society, and the natural and the social sciences.

This course presents an application of ethical principles to present-day moral problems and controversies.

This course offers a philosophical exploration of human love and sexuality. Classical and contemporary writings will be used.

This course is a study of various philosophical strategies for coming to terms with human death. Philosophical views on death applied to problems such as aging and dying, suicide and euthanasia, the medical conquest of death, and definitions of death are topics to be addressed. This course is of particular value for students choosing careers in the health professions.

This course analyzes the aesthetic character and philosophical significance of photographs through texts that explore their distinctive nature, metaphysical qualities, and reflective power. Students learn to describe creative and artistic techniques of photographic expression and relate them to notions of time, personhood, and transcendence.

This course aims at developing the skill of analyzing, interpreting, and criticizing arguments from a variety of disciplines. Topics include: clarification of concepts, distinguishing between conclusions and reasons for conclusions, evaluation of arguments, and the recognition of fallacies.

This course is an introduction to the philosophy of art with emphasis on the metaphysics of beauty and on art's role in politics and society.

This course is an application of philosophical perspectives to the study of film, with special attention to international cinema. The course will approach film either as a unique form of art or as a unique medium for engaging traditional philosophical questions.

This course is a study of philosophical positions about the existence and nature of God. Themes discussed include various concepts of God; the possibility of proof for the existence of God; and the philosophical dimensions of the religious experience.

This course will study the major philosophers and philosophies of the East through a focus on one or more of the following philosophical traditions: Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Buddhist, or Islamic.

Some recent topics have included the following: Harry Potter and Philosophy; Tao and Zen; Art and Fascism.

This course presents a critical history of thought in North America, tracing its gradual transformation from 17th-century Puritanism to current movements.

The course is designed to provide the student with an introduction to a wide range of philosophical issues and problems that are attached to the attribution of moral concern for the environment. Topics may include deep ecology, ecofeminism, social ecology, social action, and the moral standing of animals as well as other living beings.

This course is a study of some of the principal viewpoints about historical knowledge and historical development. Problems discussed include: subjectivity and objectivity, causality and explanation, and perspective and relativity in history. The great schemes of historical interpretation are also considered.

This course is a critical study of the philosophical writing and intellectual world of Thomas Aquinas. Texts principally from the "Summa Theologiae".

This course is a critical study of existentialist thinkers and themes from the 19th and 20th centuries. Topics may include absurdity, nihilism, subjectivity, freedom, authenticity, and the Other.

This course offers a systematic investigation into the sources, limits, and nature of knowledge. Topics include: meaning and its relation to truth of statements; nature and criteria of truth; and the role of observation, perspective, and conceptualization in the justification of knowledge claims.

This course is a study of the ways in which major philosophers have answered questions about the basic nature of reality.

The course looks at the practice of science, its aims, its methods, and its relation to society. Possible topics include the justification of scientific findings, the nature of scientific progress, the various branches of science, morally responsible scientific practice, and science and religion.

This course provides an introduction to formal logic, including truth-functional and quanti-ficational logic.

This course focuses on the beginnings of rational thought in ancient Greece. We will read philosophers from the pre-Socratics through Plato and Aristotle to Plotinus.

This course examines key questions in medieval philosophy such as: Is religious faith rational? What is the nature of the human soul and other spiritual beings (if they exist)? Why is there something rather than nothing (the creation of the world)?

This course examines 17th- and 18th-century philosophy is studied with a concentration on the rationalists, the empiricists, and Kant.

This course is a comparative study of trends in twentieth- and twenty-first-century philosophy. These may include pragmatism, phenomenology, existentialism, deconstruction, feminist theory, and critical theory.

This course is an in-depth study of a single major thinker from the philosophical tradition. Emphasis is on the critical reading of texts, although attention will be given to the historical setting of the thinker's work. Previous thinkers have included St. Augustine, Karl Marx, Simone de Beauvoir, Martin Heidegger, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Hannah Arendt, and Michel Foucault.

This course is an in-depth study of a single major thinker from the philosophical tradition. Emphasis is on the critical reading of texts, although attention will be given to the historical setting of the thinker's work. Previous thinkers have included St. Augustine, Karl Marx, Simone de Beauvoir, Martin Heidegger, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Hannah Arendt, and Michel Foucault.

This course is an in-depth study of a single major thinker from the philosophical tradition. Emphasis is on the critical reading of texts, although attention will be given to the historical setting of the thinker's work. Previous thinkers have included St. Augustine, Karl Marx, Simone de Beauvoir, Martin Heidegger, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Hannah Arendt, and Michel Foucault.

This course is an in-depth study of a single major thinker from the philosophical tradition. Emphasis is on the critical reading of texts, although attention will be given to the historical setting of the thinker's work. Previous thinkers have included St. Augustine, Karl Marx, Simone de Beauvoir, Martin Heidegger, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Hannah Arendt, and Michel Foucault.

This course is an in-depth study of a single major thinker from the philosophical tradition. Emphasis is on the critical reading of texts, although attention will be given to the historical setting of the thinker's work. Previous thinkers have included St. Augustine, Karl Marx, Simone de Beauvoir, Martin Heidegger, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Hannah Arendt, and Michel Foucault.

This course is an in-depth study of a single major thinker from the philosophical tradition. Emphasis is on the critical reading of texts, although attention will be given to the historical setting of the thinker's work. Previous thinkers have included St. Augustine, Karl Marx, Simone de Beauvoir, Martin Heidegger, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Hannah Arendt, and Michel Foucault.

This course is an in-depth study of a single major thinker from the philosophical tradition. Emphasis is on the critical reading of texts, although attention will be given to the historical setting of the thinker's work. Previous thinkers have included St. Augustine, Karl Marx, Simone de Beauvoir, Martin Heidegger, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Hannah Arendt, and Michel Foucault.

(Patterns 2 or Concentration Option)
This course provides a philosophical analysis of social and cultural practices that construct gender identity. Strategies of resistance to dominant modes of embodiment and concepts of sexual difference will also be explored.

This course examines human consciousness. Topics include the relation between the mind and the brain, the possibility of building conscious machines, the mental life of animals, and conceptual puzzles posed by zombies.

Business practices evaluated in the light of ethical principles. Special concern is given to moral dimensions of management decision making and to the ethical problems of consumerism and government control.

Recent topics have included: Revolution to Romanticism; Philosophy of Islam; Memory, Identity, and the Self; Evolution and Creation; J.R.R. Tolkien as Philosopher; Harry Potter and Philosophy.

This course provides the student with an opportunity to do research with a faculty member. The student and the faculty member agree on the research project before the student registers for the course.

This course is a continuation of the 444 research course. It provides the student with an opportunity to continue to conduct research with a faculty member.

This course is an investigation of a philosophical theme chosen each year by the department. Students will write a paper on the theme and present their work to the seminar. The seminar has for its purpose the integration of previous philosophical study.