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PHIL B101 Happiness and Reality in Ancient Thought

Fall 2025

What makes us happy? The wisdom of the ancient world has importantly shaped the tradition of Western thought but in some important respects it has been rejected or forgotten. What is the nature of reality? Can we have knowledge about the world and ourselves, and, if so, how? In this course we explore answers to these sorts of metaphysical, epistemological, ethical, and political questions by examining the works of the two central Greek philosophers: Plato and Aristotle. We will consider earlier Greek religious and dramatic writings, a few Presocratic philosophers, and the person of Socrates who never wrote a word.

Critical Interpretation (CI)

Inquiry into the Past (IP)

Counts Toward: Classical Studies.

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PHIL B102 Science and Morality in Modernity

Spring 2026

In this course, we explore answers to fundamental questions about the nature of the world and our place in it by examining the works of some of the central figures in modern western philosophy. Can we obtain knowledge of the world and, if so, how? Does God exist? What is the nature of the self? How do we determine morally right answers? What sorts of policies and political structures can best promote justice and equality? These questions were addressed in "modern" Europe in the context of the development of modern science and the religious wars. In a time of globalization we are all, more or less, heirs of the Enlightenment which sees its legacy to be modern science and the mastery of nature together with democracy and human rights. This course explores the above questions and considers them in their historical context. Some of the philosophers considered include Descartes, Locke, Hume, Kant, and Wollstonecraft.

Writing Attentive

Critical Interpretation (CI)

Inquiry into the Past (IP)

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PHIL B103 Introduction to Logic

Spring 2026

Logic is the study of formal reasoning, which concerns the nature of valid arguments and inferential fallacies. In everyday life our arguments tend to be informal and sometimes imprecise. The study of logic concerns the structure and nature of arguments, and so helps to analyze them more precisely. Topics will include: valid and invalid arguments, determining the logical structure of ordinary sentences, reasoning with truth-functional connectives, and inferences involving quantifiers and predicates. This course does not presuppose any background knowledge in logic.

Quantitative Methods (QM)

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PHIL B211 Theory of Knowledge

Fall 2025

Epistemology focuses on three central philosophical questions: "What is knowledge?", "What can we know?", and "How do we know what we know?" In addition to their role in our daily lives, these questions are central to almost every discipline include the sciences, history, and philosophy itself. This course is an extended investigation into the nature of knowledge, understanding, and justification. We will look at a number of debates including skepticism, relativism, the value of knowledge, the nature of understanding, scientific knowledge, scientific realism, naturalistic epistemology, feminist epistemology, testimonial knowledge, and pragmatic influences on knowledge. The aim of this course is to develop a sense of how these concepts and theories interrelate, and to instill philosophical skills in the critical evaluation of them.

Writing Attentive

Critical Interpretation (CI)

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PHIL B212 Metaphysics: Are You Free?

Fall 2025

Metaphysics is inquiry into basic features of the world and ourselves. This course considers topics of time, free will, personal identity, and their relationship. What is free will and are we free? Is freedom compatible with determinism? Does moral responsibility require free will? What makes someone the same person over time? Can a person survive without their body? Is the recognition of others required to be a person?

Writing Attentive

Critical Interpretation (CI)

Counts Toward: Classical Studies.

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PHIL B221 Ethics

Fall 2025

An introduction to ethics by way of an examination of moral theories and a discussion of important ancient, modern, and contemporary texts which established theories such as virtue ethics, deontology, utilitarianism, relativism, emotivism, care ethics. This course considers questions concerning freedom, responsibility, and obligation. How should we live our lives and interact with others? How should we think about ethics in a global context? Is ethics independent of culture? A variety of practical issues such as reproductive rights, euthanasia, animal rights and the environment will be considered.

Writing Attentive

Critical Interpretation (CI)

Counts Toward: Gender Sexuality Studies; International Studies; International Studies.

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PHIL B227 Contemporary Moral Problems

Spring 2026

This is an introductory survey course in which we will discuss the philosophical dimensions of several contemporary moral issues including affirmative action, the ethics of immigration, our obligations to the world's poor, abortion, our treatment of non-human animals, and so on. As we delve into specific issues, we will also explore different conceptions of morality and justice that justify particular responses regarding these issues.

Critical Interpretation (CI)

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PHIL B235 The Philosophy of Karl Marx

Not offered 2025-26

Karl Marx is one of the most influential thinkers in human history. He is also one of the most controversial. There are many "Marxists" in the world, and there are many who regard Marx as a dangerous and pernicious figure. Often, however, people form strong opinions like these based on second-hand information. Although most know Marx's name, it is a rarer thing to have actually read him. Marx contributed to many fields: he studied law, he worked as a journalist, he wrote works in classics, economics, history, and anthropology, and he led a major political movement. He was also a philosopher - and it was arguably as a philosopher that he produced his most original works. In this course, we will read a broad selection of Marx's writings with the aim of developing an understanding of his distinctive philosophy. In the process, we will explore fundamental questions, including but not limited to the following: What is the meaning of freedom? Is true equality possible? What is the value of work? What is capitalism? What is class? How and why do revolutions occur? Do ideas have the power to make history? What impact does technology have on our lives? And what, ultimately, does the future hold in store for us?

Course does not meet an Approach

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PHIL B252 Feminist Theory

Spring 2026

Beliefs that gender discrimination has been eliminated and women have achieved equality have become commonplace. We challenge these assumptions examining the concepts of patriarchy, sexism, and oppression. Exploring concepts central to feminist theory, we attend to the history of feminist theory and contemporary accounts of women's place and status in different societies, varied experiences, and the impact of the phenomenon of globalization. We then explore the relevance of gender to philosophical questions about identity and agency with respect to moral, social and political theory. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy or permission of instructor.

Critical Interpretation (CI)

Counts Toward: Gender Sexuality Studies; Political Science.

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PHIL B258 Data Ethics in Social Media

Not offered 2025-26

From sharing our life experiences to reading the news, social media permeates our daily lives. It affects how we communicate, what we buy, and who we vote for. It also generates an immense amount of data, which is eagerly collected by individuals, corporations, and governments. In this course we will investigate some of the threats (and promises) of this data. We will ask questions like: What is the value of privacy online, and how might it be protected? Are we being manipulated by algorithms? Are the algorithms that generate and moderate content biased? What are some of the ways online data can be used for good? Students will investigate these questions through practical and theoretical approaches. Course materials will be drawn from diverse sources including philosophy, data science, sociology, legal theory, and the Internet. Visiting speakers will enrich our discussion by offering academic and professional perspectives on the uses and misuses of data.

Critical Interpretation (CI)

Counts Toward: Data Science.

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PHIL B261 Goodness and Governance in Aristotle and the Early Confucians

Spring 2026

In order for a good society to arise, do the individuals who live in that society first have to be good themselves? Alternatively, are individuals so shaped by their societies that they can never be good before their societies are? What if both these views seem correct: if social goodness depends on individual goodness and individual goodness depends on social goodness, then is there a real path toward either one? We will consider these and related questions by engaging with historical thinkers who took them particularly seriously: the early Aristotelians, the early Confucians, and their critics.

Critical Interpretation (CI)

Inquiry into the Past (IP)

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PHIL B264 Science and Democracy

Spring 2026

Champions of science claim that, in addition to being our best source of truth and our most effective lever for progress, science is also a crucial aid to good governance. For the past century, scientists-in the role of "experts"-have helped to shape public policy in the United States. Both early advocates for and contemporary defenders of this model argue that the objectivity of science makes it especially well-suited to democratic societies, in which it is essential that policy decisions not reflect the interests or prejudices of any one group. However, recent debates (e.g., about social equity, climate change, and vaccine safety) have surfaced questions about just how democratic science and scientific governance really are. Progressive critics argues that science reflects the interests and biases of scientific inquirers, such that making science democratic requires ensuring that differing identity groups are fairly represented among scientists. Until this is done, they argue, scientific governance cannot be democratic. Populist critics argues that scientists, just in virtue of being scientists, have prejudices and interests all their own-that the interests of scientists are different from and even opposed to the interests of non-scientists. For this reason, their argument suggests, "experts" can never be impartial contributors to democratic governance. In this course, we will examine science and democracy from a philosophical point of view, develop a rigorous conceptual framework to make sense of the so-called "science wars," and take a tour of key issues in both the philosophy of science and political theory.

Critical Interpretation (CI)

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PHIL B271 Minds and Machines

Fall 2025

What is the relationship between the mind and the body? What is consciousness? Is your mind like a computer, or do some aspects of the mind resist this analogy? Is it possible to build an artificial mind? In this course, we'll explore these questions and more, drawing on perspectives from philosophy, psychology and cognitive neuroscience. We will consider the viability of different ways of understanding the relationship between mind and body as a framework for studying the mind, as well as the distinctive issues that arise in connection with the phenomenon of consciousness. No prior knowledge or experience with any of the subfields is assumed or necessary.

Writing Attentive

Critical Interpretation (CI)

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PHIL B300 Reason and Its Discontents

Fall 2025

Philosophers have often cherished reason as the most important and illustrious human capability. This can be seen already in Aristotle's definition of the human being as the animal with a rational function but comes especially to the fore among early-modern philosophers, for whom reason is the wellspring of progress, virtue, and enlightenment. Even according to tradition, however, human beings are characterized by at least two other essential powers: we have a power of reason, but we also have distinctly human powers of feeling (i.e., sensation and emotion) and will (i.e., volition and action). In this course, we will investigate one of the most creative and exciting eras in the history of philosophy-the philosophy of 19th-century Germany-focusing on the debate concerning the hierarchy of the human faculties: Is reason in fact the most decisive human capability? If not, is feeling primary? The will? How should this impact our understanding of human nature? What impact does it have on our understanding of social progress? Of morality? Of religion? Of science? The course doubles as an intensive introduction to 19th-century German philosophy. Figures discussed will include Kant, Fichte, Schelling, Hegel, Feuerbach, Marx, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche. One prior philosophy course (PHIL 102 will be especially helpful) or consent of instructor

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PHIL B305 Topics in Value.

Section 001 (Fall 2025): Emotions and the Good Life

Fall 2025

This is a topics course. Topics may vary.

Writing Attentive

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PHIL B307 What Is Beauty Good For?

Not offered 2025-26

What role does beauty play in a happy human life? To answer this question, we will need to answer another: namely, what is beauty in the first place? In this class, we will try to get a handle on beauty's value by considering a long-standing debate about its nature. According to one side of this debate, beauty is intimately bound up with desire and love. According to the other, beauty helps us break free from desire and throw off practical concerns. Do either of these views of beauty succeed, and what does each one suggest about beauty's significance? Readings will draw on a range of historical and contemporary philosophers including Plato, Kant, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Iris Murdoch, Arthur Danto, and Alexander Nehamas.

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PHIL B398 Senior Seminar

Senior majors are required to write an undergraduate thesis on an approved topic. The senior seminar is a two-semester course in which research and writing are directed. Seniors will meet collectively and individually with the supervising instructor.

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PHIL B399 Senior Seminar

The senior seminar is a required course for majors in Philosophy. It is the course in which the research and writing of an undergraduate thesis is directed both in and outside of the class time. Students will meet sometimes with the class as a whole and sometimes with the professor separately to present and discuss drafts of their theses.

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CMSC B373 Artificial Intelligence

Fall 2025

Survey of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the study of how to program computers to behave in ways normally attributed to "intelligence" when observed in humans. Topics include heuristic versus algorithmic programming; cognitive simulation versus machine intelligence; problem-solving; inference; natural language understanding; scene analysis; learning; decision-making. Topics are illustrated by programs from literature, programming projects in appropriate languages and building small robots. Prerequisites: CMSC B151 or CMSC H106 or CMSC H107, and CMSC B231, or CMSC H231 or MATH B231 or MATH H231.

Counts Toward: Neuroscience; Philosophy.

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COML B213 Theory in Practice: Critical Discourses in the Humanities

Spring 2026

What is a postcolonial subject, a queer gaze, a feminist manifesto? And how can we use (as readers of texts, art, and films) contemporary studies on animals and cyborgs, object-oriented ontology, zombies, storyworlds, neuroaesthetics? By bringing together the study of major theoretical currents of the 20th century and the practice of analyzing literary works in the light of theory, this course aims at providing students with skills to use literary theory in their own scholarship. The selection of theoretical readings reflects the history of theory (psychoanalysis, structuralism, narratology), as well as the currents most relevant to the contemporary academic field: Post-structuralism, Post-colonialism, Gender Studies, and Ecocriticism. They are paired with a diverse range of short stories across multiple language traditions (Poe, Kafka, Camus, Borges, Calvino, Morrison, Djebar, Murakami, Ngozi Adichie) that we discuss along with our study of theoretical texts. We will discuss how to apply theory to the practice of interpretation and of academic writing, and how theoretical ideas shape what we are reading. The class will be conducted in English, with an additional hour taught by the instructor of record in the target language for students wishing to take the course for language credit.

Critical Interpretation (CI)

Cross-Cultural Analysis (CC)

Counts Toward: Africana Studies; Africana Studies; East Asian Languages & Culture; English; French and Francophone Studies; Gender & Sexuality Studies; Gender Sexuality Studies; Gender Sexuality Studies; German and German Studies; History of Art; Italian and Italian Studies; Philosophy; Russian; Spanish.

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POLS B231 Introduction to Political Philosophy: Modern

Fall 2025

A continuation of POLS 228, although 228 is not a prerequisite. Particular attention is given to the various ways in which the concept of freedom is used in explaining political life. Readings from Locke, J.S. Mill, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche and others.

Critical Interpretation (CI)

Counts Toward: Philosophy.

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POLS B245 Philosophy of Law

Fall 2025

Introduces students to a variety of questions in the philosophy of law. Readings will be concerned with the nature of law, the character of law as a system, the ethical character of law, and the relationship of law to politics, power, authority, and society. Readings will include philosophical arguments about law, as well as judicial cases through which we examine these ideas within specific contexts, especially tort and contracts. Most or all of the specific issues discussed will be taken from Anglo-American law, although the general issues considered are not limited to those legal systems. Recommended Prerequisite: sophomore standing, freshman only with professor's consent.

Critical Interpretation (CI)

Counts Toward: Philosophy.

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POLS B272 The Power of the People: Democratic Revolutions

Fall 2025

We often invoke "democracy" as the very ground of political legitimacy, but there is very little agreement on what democracy means, why we might desire it, or how state institutions, law, and political culture might embody it. In this seminar we will grapple with some recent and influential accounts of democratic governance and democratic movements today. Our objective will be to develop a critical vocabulary for understanding what democracy might mean, what conditions it requires, and what "best practices" citizens committed to democracy might enlist to confront political challenges such as the structural divisions that persist among class, gender, and race; persistent inequality and influence of money and corporations; and the potential for democratic, grass-roots power as a vital ingredient to democratic flourishing. Writing Intensive.

Writing Intensive

Critical Interpretation (CI)

Counts Toward: Philosophy.

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POLS B371 Topics in Political Philosophy

Section 001 (Fall 2025): Governing the Self and Others

Fall 2025

An advanced seminar on a topic in political or legal philosophy/theory. Topics vary by year. Prerequisite: At least one course in political theory or philosophy or consent of instructor.

Counts Toward: Philosophy.

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