Fall 2023 Courses
Download the Fall 2023 course brochure here!
All 100 and 200-level philosophy courses satisfy the Gen Ed Humanities requirement -- except PHIL 120, which satisfies the Mathematics requirement. We offer both a major and a minor in philosophy plus a concentration in Politics, Philosophy, and Law. More information can be found at philosophy.cofc.edu.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR IN PHILOSOPHY:
33 semester hours in philosophy which must include 120; 201; 202; and 450 (or PPLW 400). Of the remaining 21 hours, at least 3 hours must be taken in value theory courses; 12 hours must be taken at or above the 200 level; and least nine hours must be taken at or above the 300 level.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MINOR IN PHILOSOPHY
18 semester hours in philosophy which must include a course in the history of philosophy (201, 202, 304, 305, 306, 307, or 310), and one course at or above the 300 level.
Philosophy majors who are interested in independent study options (including Internships, Bachelor’s Essays, and Teaching Apprenticeships) should consult with the department chair or their advisor. A maximum of six hours these courses may be taken to satisfy the requirement of nine elective hours at or above the 300-level.
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CRN |
SUBJECT |
COURSE TITLE |
INSTRUCTOR |
DAYS/TIME |
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CRN 11047 |
PHIL 101.01 |
Introduction to Philosophy |
TBD |
MWF 9:00-9:50 |
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CRN 11121 |
PHIL 101.02 |
Introduction to Philosophy |
TBD |
MWF 10:00 -10:50 |
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CRN 11224 |
PHIL 101.03 |
Introduction to Philosophy |
Boyle |
TR 12:15-1:30 |
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CRN 11557 |
PHIL 101.04 |
Introduction to Philosophy |
Hemmenway |
MWF 2:00-2:50 |
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CRN 11226 |
PHIL 105.01 |
Contemporary Moral Issues |
Coseru |
TR 9:25-10:40 |
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CRN 11495 |
PHIL 115.01 |
Critical Thinking |
Hemmenway |
MWF 11:00-11:50 |
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CRN 10642 |
PHIL 120.01 |
Symbolic Logic |
Grantham |
MWF 10:00-10:50 |
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CRN 10643 |
PHIL120.02 |
Symbolic Logic |
Grantham |
MWF 11:00-11:50 |
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CRN 11808 |
PHIL 155.01 |
Environmental Ethics |
TBD |
MWF 1:00-1:50 |
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CRN 13288 |
PHIL 170.01 |
Biomedical Ethics |
TBD |
MWF 12:00-12:50 |
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CRN 13289 |
PHIL 170.02 |
Biomedical Ethics |
Baker |
TR 10:50-12:05 |
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CRN 10408 |
PHIL 201.01 |
History in Ancient Philosophy |
Baker |
TR 1:40-2:55 |
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CRN 13290 |
PHIL 210.01 |
Philosophy, Law, & the Arts |
Neufeld |
TR 1:40-2:55 |
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CRN 13291 |
PHIL 252.01 |
Marxism |
Krasnoff |
TR 12:15-1:30 |
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CRN 13292 |
PHIL 282.01 |
Philosophy and Music |
Neufeld |
TR 9:25-10:30 |
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CRN 13293 |
PHIL 330.01 |
Philosophy of Mind |
Coseru |
TR 10:50-12:05 |
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PHIL 101: Introduction to Philosophy
TBD
CRN 11047 (MWF 9:00-9:50)
NO PREREQUISITES
This course offers a general introduction to philosophy. The course begins with a careful reading of Plato’s dialogue, Meno. We then turn to four enduring philosophical issues: (1) Religion: Are there good grounds to think that God does (or does not) exist? If the evidence doesn’t decide the case, is it reasonable to believe “based on faith”? (2) Knowledge: What is “knowledge”? Can we know anything with certainty? If we lack certainty, can we still have objective knowledge? (3) Metaphysics of Free Will: If minds are nothing but collections of mindless particles governed by deterministic laws, is free will possible? (4) Equality & Justice: Does wealth inequality violate our principles/ideals of equality and justice? We willexplore classic philosophical texts and discuss how philosophical arguments remain relevant today.
PHIL 101: Introduction to Philosophy
TBD
CRN 11121 (MWF 10:00 – 10:50)
NO PREREQUISITE
This course offers a general introduction to philosophy. The course begins with a careful reading of Plato’s dialogue, Meno. We then turn to four enduring philosophical issues: (1) Religion: Are there good grounds to think that God does (or does not) exist? If the evidence doesn’t decide the case, is it reasonable to believe “based on faith”? (2) Knowledge: What is “knowledge”? Can we know anything with certainty? If we lack certainty, can we still have objective knowledge? (3) Metaphysics of Free Will: If minds are nothing but collections of mindless particles governed by deterministic laws, is free will possible? (4) Equality & Justice: Does wealth inequality violate our principles/ideals of equality and justice? We willexplore classic philosophical texts and discuss how philosophical arguments remain relevant today.
PHIL 101: Introduction to Philosophy
Prof. Boyle
CRN 11224 (TR 12:15 –1:30)
NO PREREQUISITE
In this course, we will read selections from some classic Western historical philosophical texts, as well as from some more recent works, and discuss the important issues, questions, and possible answers that they raise. Some questions we might discuss include the following: (1) Is knowledge possible? People typically claim to know all sorts of things; are these knowledge-claims legitimate? How do we acquire knowledge? (2) What, if anything, makes a person the same over time? Is the idea of survival of the self after death philosophically defensible? How do concepts of race and gender shape our own sense of identity? (3) What is it to be conscious? Could machines think and feel? (4) Are there any objective truths about morality? What kinds of actions are morally right, and which are morally wrong? (5) What obligations, if any, do we have to animals? And do we have obligations to obey every law in the society we inhabit? When (if ever) might it be permissible to commit civil disobedience?
PHIL 101: Introduction to Philosophy
Prof. Hemmenway
CRN 11557 (MWF 2:00 –2:50)
NO PREREQUISITE
This course will introduce you to philosophy by means of a careful study of selections from some of the great philosophers on the theme of the good life. Some of the philosophers we’ll read are Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Descartes, Spinoza, Nietzsche, and Sartre; thus, all of the major periods of Western philosophy will be represented. Some of the many questions we will raise about the good life are What is the good life? Is it completely individual, or can we argue that some lives are better than others? Is morality a necessary part of the good life? Is happiness? Is a relationship with God? Where does reflection figure into the good life?
PHIL 105: Contemporary Moral Issues
Prof. Coseru
CRN 11226 (TR 9:25-10:30)
NO PREREQUISITE
Is abortion morally permissible? Should life be extended beyond its natural span? Is affirmative action an effective way to rectify past injustice? Should sex be enjoyed for its own sake or entail further commitment? Does AG/VR demand a new set of ethical principles? Are Large Language Models (e.g., ChatGPT) a boon or a threat to academic integrity? People have strong, often deeply entrenched, views about how these questions should be answered. Because these are deeply personal issues, it is often difficult to subject them to rational evaluation. This course aims to do just that. Our goal here is threefold: (i) to examine arguments for and against these hot button issues; (ii) to assess those arguments on the basis of their strengths and weaknesses; and (iii) to gain a deep understanding of the theoretical nature of morality.
PHIL 115: Critical Thinking
Prof. Hemmenway
CRN 11495 (MWF 11:00 – 11:50)
NO PREREQUISITE
Being a free human being means being able to think for yourself when you think about what you believe, what is important, what you deem prudent to do, what you understand is moral to do, etc. Some of the tools an independent thinker needs are critical thinking skills, for example, the ability to evaluate somebody else’s claims about the world. This course teaches you about some of those skills and gives you practice in evaluating the reasoning of others so that you can come to your own conclusions. These skills should also enable you to present a stronger case to others for what you believe.
PHIL 120: Symbolic Logic
Prof. Grantham
CRN 10642 (MWF 10:00 – 10:50)
CRN 10643 (MWF 11:00 – 11:50)
NO PREREQUISITE
We find arguments in many areas of human life: politics, legal reasoning, science, and everyday discussions. In each of these domains, people offer reasons and evidence to support their beliefs. The methods of formal logic have been a valuable tool for assessing arguments for millennia. We will learn how to translate English sentences into contemporary forms of syllogistic, propositional, and predicate logic and to assess the validity of inferences in these languages. Studying this formal system will build abstract reasoning skills, teach you how to recognize and construct valid arguments, and give you a language with which to talk and think about deductive arguments efficiently and effectively.
PHIL 155: Environmental Ethics
TBD
CRN 11808 (MWF 1:00-1:50)
NO PREREQUISITE
A study of the philosophical and ethical dimensions of environmental issues, including such topics as the moral status of other species and the nature of human obligations toward the environment.
PHIL 170: Biomedical Ethics
TBD
CRN 13288 (MWF 12:00 – 12:50)
NO PREREQUISITE
Bioethics (or medical ethics) is one of the most significant ways in which we test our shared ethical principles. In this course we study the main approach to medical ethics, principalism. But we also look to the goals of medicine and the professional expectations of clinicians. We will read new research on concepts like informed consent, autonomy, and well-being. We also consider cases that come out of the actual practice of medicine, real-world interactions and tensions. Our topics include the justice of organ donation, vaccine ethics, the treatment of SUD and mental illness, and end-of-life controversies. In class discussion and a final paper, students are expected to develop and defend their own views.
PHIL 170: Biomedical Ethics
Prof. Baker
CRN 13289 (TR 10:50-12:05)
NO PREREQUISITE
Bioethics (or medical ethics) is one of the most significant ways in which we test our shared ethical principles. In this course we study the main approach to medical ethics, principalism. But we also look to the goals of medicine and the professional expectations of clinicians. We will read new research on concepts like informed consent, autonomy, and well-being. We also consider cases that come out of the actual practice of medicine, real-world interactions and tensions. Our topics include the justice of organ donation, vaccine ethics, the treatment of SUD and mental illness, and end-of-life controversies. In class discussion and a final paper, students are expected to develop and defend their own views.
PHIL 201: History of Ancient Philosophy
Prof. Baker
CRN 10408 (TR 1:40-2:55)
NO PREREQUISITE:
In this course, students will read (in translation) from the works of Plato, Aristotle, Epictetus, Seneca, and Galen. We study the Platonic, Aristotelian, Stoic, and Epicurean accounts of moral psychology, epistemology, ethical theory, politics and justice. We end with Platonic metaphysics. Students are expected to engage with the ideas of ancient philosophers philosophically, identifying flaws and ideas for improvement in arguments we reconstruct.PHIL 210: Philosophy, Law, & the Arts
Prof. Neufeld
CRN 13290 (TR 1:40-2:55)
NO PREREQUISITE
Law and art intersect in myriad ways: in copyright law, land use and historical preservation, tax and tariff law, obscenity law, and direct government funding of art in many different contexts including monuments and memorials. Each of these intersections raise interesting philosophical problems from the metaphysical (how do we know when something is the same again—crucial in copyright? What even IS an NFT? What kind of an object is a work of art?), to the aesthetic (how do we judge whether a work of art is of recognized stature as the Visual Artists Rights Act requires, or whether a particular structure is an eyesore) to the political (is it justified for a government to give money for the development of arts that few of us enjoy; should public space be used for politically repugnant but historically important monuments).
In this course we will explore these questions and more by reading interdisciplinary work in philosophy, law and the arts.
PHIL 252: Marxism
Prof. Krasnoff
CRN 13291 (TR 12:15-1:30)
NO PREREQUISITE
A study of the Marxist intellectual tradition, starting with its antecedents, proceeding on to Marx’s own writings, and finishing with the work of his successors. Our main task will be to identify the essential theoretical features of Marx’s analysis of capitalism, so that we can fairly evaluate its practical value both in its time and in ours.
PHIL 282: Philosophy & Music
Prof. Neufeld
CRN 13292 (TR 9:25-10:40)
NO PREREQUISITES
Why do we take music to be so closely tied to the emotions? Can music really “say” things that words can’t? What is musical meaning? Does that mean there are things in the world that ordinary language can’t capture but that music can? When I’m playing somebody else’s music, do I need to play it like they would want it to be played? Is this what “authenticity” means? What does “somebody else’s music” even mean? Is music natural or is it something we’ve made and do? What difference doesthe answer to this question make? What IS music, at the end of the day? And who is this “we” I keep mentioning? And why are the answers to all of these questions important? In this class, we’ll think through these questions and more.
PHIL 330: Philosophy of Mind
Prof. Coseru
CRN 13292 (TR 10:50 – 12:05)
Prerequisite: 6 credit hours in philosophy excluding PHIL 120 or permission from instructor
Rocks probably don’t have minds, but research shows that plants are at least sentient. Do animals have minds? Do computers? In virtue of what does something have a mind? What is the mind? Our main concern in this course is the nature of mind, and the relation between our mind and the physical world. We will reflect on whether having a mind is just a matter of having a brain, on the nature of mental states such as sensations, thoughts, and desires, on the connection between mental states and behavior, and on the nature and character of consciousness.