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This course is suitable for students taking their first philosophy course, or those wishing to broaden their understanding of philosophical issues. The course is a general survey of philosophy. Examples of the kinds of topics considered include: influential ideas introduced by significant historical figures (e.g., Plato, Kant, Mill, Nietzsche, Russell); important philosophical theories (e.g., utilitarian theories of morality); perplexing philosophical problems (e.g., the problem of how we could know that we're not living inside the Matrix); methods of philosophical inquiry (e.g., procedures for constructing and evaluating arguments.)

This course is suitable for students taking their first philosophy course, or those wishing to broaden their understanding of philosophical issues. The course focuses on well known ethical dilemmas. Examples of the kinds of problems considered include: genetic engineering; capital punishment; poverty and world hunger; the environment; abortion; affirmative action; animal rights; euthanasia; gender and sexism; legalization of narcotics; and war. Students will be introduced to basic moral theories as background for examining these complex issues.

Variable subject matter. this version of the course meets the Area I requirement. An examination of the philosophical dimensions of some topic of current interest; or of the work of some important philosopher.

Elementary techniques of symbolic logic and their application to arguments in natural languages, truth functions, first-order quantification.

Basic concepts of probability and statistics. Rival interpretations and applications.

Examines the impact of both science on society and of society on science. It will discuss the way in which science is a social enterprise and is affected by social demands. Case studies for studying the intersection of science and society will be drawn from such areas as the history of physics, the development of genetics, the measurement of human intelligence.

Exploration of issues in metaphysics and philosophy of mind. Topics include causation, determinism, the nature of consciousness, and the relation of language to thought and the world.

Philosophical approaches to the nature of right and wrong, moral obligation, the source of moral rights and duties, ultimate moral values, etc.

Moral issues arising out of advances in biological knowledge and technology, e.g., concerning behavior modification, genetic engineering, euthanasia, abortion, transplants, rights of patients.

Basic theories of environmental ethics, issues in environmental ethics (e.g., wilderness/species preservation, animal rights, pollution control, development vs. preservation) distributive justice in relation to the environment.

This course will examine ethical questions about the relations among states and citizens throughout the world. Its prime focus is global distributive justice. It will examine conflicting views about the obligations of wealthy nations and citizens to those who are poor. It will also examine ethical issues that arise from increasing globalization. It will also ask when war is justifiable and what acts are justifable in war, and it will consider the possibilities of greater global democracy.

Does life have a point or is it just a flurry of futile activity? What is it for a life to have meaning? If your life is happy, must it have meaning as well? If it has meaning, must it be happy? How does the fact you will die matter for the way you live? To what degree is the meaning of your life up to you? Readings from Mill, Wilde, Nagel, Wiggins, and others.

Capstone course for philosophy majors. Seminar treatment of some central philosophical problem(s).

Medieval background to Bacon and Descartes; empiricists and rationalists; Kant.

Fulfills Humanities Exploration. This course will focus on the ethical issues that arise in the practice of engineering. Issues to be covered include engineering's effect on public safety and the environment; engineers as professionals; engineering as large-scale human experimentation; conflicts between profit and the common good in business enterprises; the role of codes of conduct; and ethical issues raised by globalization.

Restricted to students in the Honors Program working on their Honors degree.

Representative writings of major philosophers in the Continental tradition, including Husserl, Heidegger,Sartre, Habermas, Derrida.

Variable subject matter. This version of the course meets Area III requirement. An examination of the philosophical dimensions of some topic of current interest; or of the work of some important philosopher.

Contemporary treatment of problems of ethics including the justification of moral beliefs, as well as a consideration of some particular moral theories or concepts. For juniors and seniors.

Rigorous examination of theoretical bases of views concerning justice, liberty, equality, democracy, and grounds of political obligation. Material drawn from such classical figures as Plato, Aristotle, Locke, Rousseau, and Marx, as well as from contemporary writers such as Rawls and Nozick. For juniors and seniors.

Work with an approved instructor on an agreed research project culminating in the writing of a substantial paper. Only available to juniors and seniors.

Contemporary treatment of problems of ethics including the justification of moral beliefs, as well as a consideration of some particular moral theories or concepts. For graduate students.

Rigorous examination of theoretical bases of views concerning justice, liberty, equality, democracy, and grounds of political obligation. Material drawn from such classical figures as Plato, Aristotle, Locke, Rousseau, and Marx, as well as from contemporary writers such as Rawls and Nozick.

Variable subject material. Required of all entering graduate students.

Variable subject material.

An examination of research integrity and other ethical issues involved in scientific research. Topics may include scientific fraud, conflicts of interest, plagiarism and authorship designation, and the role of science in formulating social policy. This course is designed for graduate students, post-docs and regular faculty in the sciences.