Fall 2020
Fall 2020 Philosophy Courses:
PHIL 1300 Critical Thinking
This class will investigate what it is to think critically. Strong emphasis will be placed on the following: reading critically, analyzing texts, identifying and systematically representing arguments, recognizing formal and informal fallacies, and rationally evaluating what is heard and read.
This Course Satisfies the Language Philosophy and Culture Section of the Undergraduate Core
PHIL 1301 Introduction to Philosophy
An introduction to some of the major philosophical questions that have intrigued humankind over the centuries. This will be done through an examination of the thought of some of the most important figures in the history of philosophy from the early Greeks to modern times. Credit may be received in only one of PHIL 1301 or PHIL 1302.
This Course Satisfies the Language Philosophy and Culture Section of the Undergraduate Core
PHIL 1305 Introduction to Latin American Philosophy
An examination of some of the most important and influential contributions to Latin American thought. Material to be studied will be drawn from both past and contemporary sources. Topics may include Mayan and Aztec Philosophy, Iberian Scholasticism, Social and Political Philosophy, Latin American Positivism, Liberation Theology and/or Philosophy, Latin American Feminism, and Hispanic/Latino/a Identity.
This Course Satisfies the Language Philosophy and Culture Section of the Undergraduate Core
PHIL 1306 Introduction to Asian Philosophy
An analysis of the major movements in Eastern philosophy and religion and their relationship to basic philosophical developments in the West. This course will examine systems of thought and culture such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Shinto.
This Course Satisfies the Language Philosophy and Culture Section of the Undergraduate Core
PHIL 1310 Ethics, Happiness, and the Good Life
This course will be concerned with human values: our own and those of other people. It will ask where these values come from, how we can know them, and how they relate to human happiness. It will also examine several related questions such as personal freedom and the meaningfulness of human life.
This Course Satisfies the Language Philosophy and Culture Section of the Undergraduate Core
PHIL 1312 Introduction to Social and Political Philosophy
A critical introduction to the current and historical relationships that define contemporary society and politics. Topics may include democracy, capitalism, communism, anarchism, political authority, norms, justices, pluralism, and rights.
This Course Satisfies the Language Philosophy and Culture Section of the Undergraduate Core
PHIL 1340 - Introduction to Logic
This class is an introduction to the formal techniques available for evaluating the correctness or incorrectness of arguments. Techniques likely to be discussed include: symbolization in propositional logic, parsing trees, truth tables or truth trees, natural deduction in propositional logic, Venn diagrams, and the probability calculus.
PHIL 1362 - Race, Sexuality, & Class
This course will analyze the role that race, sexuality, and economic class play in constructing
people’s self-identity, interpersonal relationships, social roles, and political power. Emphasis will be given to traditionally marginalized perspectives. Topics may include whiteness, Hispanic/Latino identity, ethnicity, biological sex, gender identity, queerness, labor, capital, inequality, and their intersections.
This Course Satisfies the Social and Behavior Sciences Section of the Undergraduate Core
PHIL 1366 Philosophy and History of Science and Technology
This course is designed to use history and philosophy in the service of science and engineering education. It does this by examining a selection of notable episodes in the history of science and Techno-Science. Episodes examined may include the mathematical sciences in Antiquity, Archimedes’ inventions and principle of hydrostatics, Roman techno-science, Medieval medicine, alchemy, Kepler’s laws of planetary motion, Galileo's conflict with the Catholic Church, Isaac Newton's formulation of the laws of motion, Dalton’s atomic theory, Louis Pasteur’s public trial of the anthrax vaccine, Charles Darwin's proposal of the theory of evolution by natural selection, the development of the atomic bomb, and the discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA.
This Course Satisfies the Language Philosophy and Culture Section of the Undergraduate Core
PHIL 2322 - Ethics, Health, and Culture
This course will address the application of moral theories, ethical principles, and professional codes to ethical dilemmas faced by professionals in healthcare or research. Topics covered may include, but are not limited to, euthanasia, conflicts of interest, physicians as researchers, distribution of scarce resources, and the impact of theories like moral relativism and psychological egoism on the application of ethical theory.
This Course Satisfies the Language Philosophy and Culture Section of the Undergraduate Core
PHIL 2326 - Ethics, Technology, & Society
This course investigates the ways in which technology influences culture and our individual lives, and the ways in which advances in technology create new ethical challenges that require creative solutions. These challenges face all of us; not only experts working at the cutting edge of technological progress, but also members of the public who must interact with new technologies as part of their daily lives. The course emphasizes the need for responsibility at both the personal and societal levels to better understand technology in order to create and implement ethical responses to technological change. We will also discuss the ways in which technological advances may help us meet these challenges and the ways in which experts and the public do and should interact around technological advances. We look to thinkers from various cultures for help in developing strategies that students can apply in their personal and professional lives to recognize and respond to the challenges posed by technologies in a responsible manner, both as individuals and as members of communities.
This Course Satisfies the Language Philosophy and Culture Section of the Undergraduate Core and is required by all Engineering and Computer Science Majors
PHIL 3301 Ancient Philosophy
This course will discuss the development of Western philosophy (primarily in Ancient Greece) from the pre-Socratics through to Aristotle. Emphasis is likely to be placed on Plato and Aristotle.
PHIL 3303 Modern Philosophy (1600-1800)
A study of the history of philosophy from the Renaissance through the 18th century, with particular emphasis on Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Hobbes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant.
PHIL 3304 19th Century Philosophy
This course will address major trends and figures in the development of philosophy in the nineteenth century. Topics likely to be discussed are German Idealism, Romanticism, Dialectical Materialism, Existentialism, and Pragmatism as manifest in the thought of Kant, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Marx, Peirce, and James. Enrollment cap: 25 students.
PHIL 3312 Continental Philosophy
This course addresses topics in post-Heideggerian continental philosophy. Some potential movements and thinkers include deconstruction (Derrida), genealogy (Foucault), postmodernism (Lyotard, Agamben, Ranciere, Balibar), hermeneutics (Gadamer), and Critical Theory and contemporary Marxism (Benjamin, Adorno, Bourdieu, Hardt, Negri, Laclau, Mouffe).
PHIL 3314 Analytic Philosophy
This class is a study of the development of analytic philosophy during the Twentieth century. Authors whose work might be discussed include: Frege, Russell, Carnap, Quine, Putnam, Davidson, Strawson, Grice, Dummett, Lewis, Kripke, Moore, Chisholm, Rawls, Williams, Austin, and Sellars.
PHIL 3317 Perspectives on Science and Mathematics
This course examines a selection of notable episodes in the history of science and mathematics. Episodes examined may include mathematics and science in Antiquity, Medieval medicine, alchemy, Galileo's conflict with the Catholic Church, Isaac Newton's formulation of the laws of motion, Charles Darwin's proposal of the theory of evolution by natural selection, the development of the atomic bomb, the development of modern logic, the development of non- Euclidian geometry, and the discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA. This is a required UTeach content course. Enrollment cap: 25 students. Prerequisites: UTCH 1101, UTCH 1102.
PHIL 3360 Feminist Philosophy
This course is designed to examine the variety of existing feminist theories and their roots in diverse modes of philosophical analysis. It will explore how various feminist theories are consonant with or diverge from their base theories and from each other and whether such theories are still cogent. Methodology will incorporate both feminist pedagogy and traditional philosophical analysis, including feminist critique of the tradition.
PHIL 3370 Philosophy of Law
Examination of the institution of law, legal concepts, legal reasoning, and the legal process. Topics may include the nature of law; the moral limits of the criminal law; legal rights; liberty, justice, and equality; punishment; responsibility; the private law (property, contract, and tort); constitutional law; and feminist jurisprudence.
PHIL 4305 Special Topics in Latin American Philosophy
This course will study different issues, themes, or figures in the field of Latin American Philosophy. Content will vary according to instructor expertise and student interest. May be repeated for up to 9 hours credit as content changes.
PHIL 4310 Epistemology
This class will consider questions about the nature, criteria and sources of (epistemic) justification and knowledge. For example, under what circumstances do perception, memory, consciousness, reason and testimony endow us with justified beliefs? How is context relevant to justification and knowledge? Is there such a thing as religious knowledge? Is skepticism about the external world a serious threat? Does knowledge have a foundation?
PHIL 4318 - Philosophy of Food
An examination of the philosophical issues raised around food. This course will engage a variety of philosophical areas and how they pertain to food, including aesthetics, ethics, epistemology, and metaphysics.
PHIL 4322 Social and Political Philosophy
A critical examination of the current and historical relationships that define contemporary society and politics. Topics may include democracy, capitalism, communism, anarchism, political authority, rights, justice, power, pluralism, and tyranny.
PHIL 4398 - Directed Research
This course is designed for students seeking credit through directed research. The directed research must take place in areas in which the student will be directly applying the reflective and transferable skills specific to philosophy; the student must be under direct academic supervision and must complete written assignments to be evaluated by the supervising teaching. The course may be counted as an elective toward fulfillment of the requirements for a major in Philosophy.
PHIL 4399 – Internship
This course is designed for students seeking credit through an internship. The internship must take place in a professional or research areas in which the student will be directly applying the reflective and transferable skills specific to philosophy; the student must be under direct academic supervision and must complete written assignments to be evaluated by the supervising teaching. The course may be counted as an elective toward fulfillment of the requirements for a major in Philosophy.