The Department of Philosophy & Ethics is committed to creating an environment of dialogical inquiry both in and outside the disciplinary context.
Philosophy & Ethics
Spring 2027 Courses
We offer a wide range of courses for every level of student. None of these courses require prerequisites and our capstone course can be used for many different majors, not just ours. All of our courses have first-time philosophy students in them and our professors teach to every student in the room.
Courses Information and Descriptions
Featured Courses
#29894 (3 credits)
T/R 2 – 3:15 p.m.
Prof. Domzal
This course in global philosophy will focus particularly on the philosophy and thought of what Paul Gilroy and others will define as the Black Atlantic: populations of African descent in Africa, the Americas (Canada, the United States, the Caribbean, Central and Latin America), and Europe. We will think about the ways in which these populations shaped and were shaped by global economies and other philosophies as well as their own philosophical and political thought regarding these global forces. We will engage with questions like: what is Blackness? What is “African Philosophy?” How has the African diaspora shaped our current world? These are only a few of the questions we will engage with in this survey course.
Essential Studies: Humanities and Analyzing Worldviews
#29897 (3 credits)
T/R 12:30 – 1:45 p.m.
Prof. Weinstein
In the last quarter of the 20th century, young people all over the world established a chaotic community of nonconformists, social misfits, and malcontents to harness music, art, and fashion, not to change society, but to poke it in the eye. Hidden behind electric guitars and bondage gear, they cultivated an underground sensibility that baffled and enraged the powers that be. What was going on philosophically? How did aesthetics inspire such political disruption? And if it was so emotionally powerful, why was such a potent movement so susceptible to commercial takeover? In this course, we’re going to investigate Punk and its sister genre Ska to explore how specific styles of music became identities rather than entertainment. We’ll ask about the relationship between art and artist, how subcultures and “scenes” define their own values, and how do-it-yourself zines, clothing, and home-recording unified a pre-internet underground by glorifying unarticulated rage. This is a special one-time course open to everyone and does not require you to have taken other philosophy courses. It does, however, expect a willingness to immerse yourself in the subject matter with an open mind, and to commit the time needed to enter a (possibly) long-gone perspective. It will be a reading and writing intensive class. To put it bluntly: we’re going to do a lot of philosophy, listen to a lot of music, and watch a whole bunch of movies.
Essential Studies: Humanities
#30349 (3 credits)
T/R 9:30 – 10:45 a.m.
Prof. Butler
Can a machine think? The answer commonly assumed these days is yes. So-called Artificial Intelligence mimics things that humans do, presumably as the result of our intelligence. It can write. It can listen. It can speak. It can see. But how does it do these things? Is it similar to the way humans or animals do these things? What is intelligent behavior? What does it mean for an entity, be it human, animal, or machine to be intelligent? The answers to these questions are far from settled. In this class we will explore them. In doing so, we will develop our understanding of the way artificial intelligence works, the assumed answers to these questions built into its design, and try to widen our imaginations for what artificial intelligence could be or do.
Essential Studies: Humanities and Advanced Communication
#28906 (3 credits)
Asynchronous Online
Prof. Butler
Data Science Ethics is a philosophical exploration of the moral problems data scientists encounter in their daily lives. It is intended for both professionals who seek a data-science career and for the curious, who enjoy investigating modern ethical problems. In this course, we discuss compliance, the misuse of data throughout the history of science, the impact of largescale data interpretation on democracy and the justice system, and ethical considerations for diversity, privacy, research, and artificial intelligence.
Essential Studies: Humanities and Digital Information Literacy
#29895 (3 credits)
T/R 9:30 – 10:45 a.m.
Prof. Weinstein
Did you ever want to write philosophy for a blog, magazine, X, or Reddit, or make a philosophical observation on a Twitch stream? Do you want to make philosophy content for social networks like Instagram and TikTok? If so, this course is what you are looking for. It provides you with the opportunity to take philosophy out of the classroom and into the world around you. Public Philosophy is a writing course that will help you refine your composition skills to better communicate ideas and “translate” them into more accessible media, including video for those who want it. Best of all, YOU get to choose what you write about, not the professor. No subject is off limits. This is the Philosophy & Ethics Department’s capstone course but is open to all students with at least 75 credit hours. It fulfills ES capstone requirements for many majors beside Philosophy. It also fulfills the A (Advanced Writing) Essential Studies Requirement. Pre-Law students are encouraged to enroll.
Essential Studies: Capstone and Advanced Communication
Plan Ahead with our 4-year Course Schedule
We don't offer every class every semester. This chart will let you know what we're planning on teaching over the next few years, so you can plan ahead and be strategic about your courses.
Department Mission
Both philosophy and ethics are concerned with fundamental human questions, as well as the traditions to which they are attached. The Department of Philosophy & Ethics is committed to creating an environment of dialogical inquiry both in and outside the disciplinary context. Areas of investigation include but are not limited to questions regarding the meaning of life, the ability to live ethically, and the human quest for the sacred. These concerns form the core of liberal arts education. The department maintains a major (with two concentrations in either Philosophy or Pre-Law) and two minors (Philosophy and Ethics), but also offers a wide range of courses in the disciplines of philosophy and ethics accessible to students of many interests.
What is Philosophy?
Our Programs
Both philosophy and ethics are concerned with the fundamental human questions, as well as the traditions to which they are attached. Areas of investigation include but are not limited to questions regarding the meaning of life, the ability to live ethically, and the human quest for the sacred. These concerns form the core of liberal arts education.
