Fall 2025 Courses in Philosophy and Ethics

PHIL 101 Introduction to Philosophy

#18797 (3 credits)
M/W   4:25 – 5:40 p.m.
Prof. Mann

Philosophy literally means “the love of wisdom.” In this introductory course, students will be encouraged to think critically, be open to perplexity and ambiguity, and embrace wonder about big questions such as: the meaning of life, the nature of reality, what makes a person “good,” how we understand beauty, what constitutes a flourishing community, and how human desire can help (or harm) our search for truth. This is a discussion-based course that introduces students to some key philosophers and what it means to be “philosophical.” It is for the curious, the thoughtful, and the questioning student who is not content with simplistic answers about life.

Essential Studies: Humanities

PHIL 101 Introduction to Philosophy

(3 credits)
Asynchronous Online
Prof. Domzal

Philosophy literally means “the love of wisdom.” In this introductory course, students will be encouraged to think critically, be open to perplexity and ambiguity, and embrace wonder about big questions such as: the meaning of life, the nature of reality, what makes a person “good,” how we understand beauty, what constitutes a flourishing community, and how human desire can help (or harm) our search for truth. This course introduces students to some key philosophers and what it means to be “philosophical.” It is for the curious, the thoughtful, and the questioning student who is not content with simplistic answers about life.

Essential Studies: Humanities

PHIL 110 Introduction to Logic

#18191 (3 credits)
M/W/F  12:20-1:10pm
Prof. Beltz

This course is designed to reveal, How logic gives thought a firm keel. With reasoning tight,
We’ll learn what is right,
And sharpen our minds like fine steel!

Essential Studies: Humanities & Quantitative Reasoning

PHIL 120 Introduction to Ethics

#18192 (3 credits)
T/R    9:30 – 10:45 a.m.
Prof. Butler

This class approaches central topics in ethics by way of an examination of habit and embodiment. We will pay close attention to the way that our bodies are not just machines that move us around, but meaningful points of contact with the world. The body’s ability to acquire habits - unconscious ways of moving and interacting with the world - will be the central phenomenon that we investigate. Most of what we do, we do uncritically, without reflecting or thinking ahead. We will inquire into the way that our habits of action develop, the contexts out of which they emerge and which they reflect, and what is necessary for taking up and altering our habits in a way that reflects our own considered values and choices. The aim will be to practice philosophy together as a means to developing habits that make our lives good, happy, and ethical.

Essential Studies: Humanities

PHIL 120 Introduction to Ethics

#18609 (3 credits)
Asynchronous Online
Prof. Beltz

What’s the purpose of life? Who can say? Ethics guides us along the right way.
With theories in mind, We’ll seek and we’ll find,
Those moral choices every day!

Essential Studies: Humanities

PHIL 140 Intro to Philosophy of Education

#21459 (3 credits)
T  4 – 6:30 p.m.
Prof. Weinstein

You’ve been in school your entire life, but how much do you know about education? Do we get an education to get a job? To be better people? To get the most from our freedom? And, why do we need diverse classrooms, or tests, or grades, or any of it at all? Introduction to Philosophy of Education asks these and related questions, exploring a long and interesting history of controversies about the nature and goals of schooling. It examines the relationship between teacher and student, curriculum and politics, and how student abilities and disabilities affect the classroom. This discussion-based course will help you better understand why you’ve been in school and what you should hope to get out of it. It is ideal for anyone majoring in education, political science, sociology, or philosophy.

Essential Studies: Humanities

PHIL 245 DEATH & DYING

#21148 (3 credits)
M/W    1:25 – 2:40pm
Prof. Mann

This course will be an examination of various perspectives on death and dying with a view to learning about, preparing for, and/or coping with end-of-life issues and problems. Medical, psychological, philosophical, and religious aspects contributing to an understanding of the meaning of the dying process and death itself will be offered through textual narratives, film, lecture, discussion, and guest speakers, whose experience and knowledge will lend assistance to developing students’ broader and more holistic approaches to the realities of mortality.

Essential Studies: Humanities and Diversity of Human Experience

PHIL 250 Ethics in Engineering and Science

#18193 (3 credits)
T/R  11 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Prof. Beltz

In STEM fields, where knowledge is prized, Ethics must not be compromised.
With case studies in sight, We’ll learn what is right,
So trust in these fields stays advised!

Essential Studies: Humanities

PHIL 251 Ethics in Health Care

#20571 (3 credits)
M/W/F  10:10 – 11 a.m.
Prof. Beltz

At some point, we all must take part, In health care—it’s close to the heart. With ethics in mind,
We’ll study and find,
How morals and medicine start!

Essential Studies: Humanities

PHIL 253 Environmental Ethics

#18723 (3 credits)
T/R   9:30 – 10:45 a.m.
Prof. Mann

This course centers on the way that ethics helps us to understand environmental issues. We examine a broad cross-section of environmental issues from a variety of traditional and contemporary ethical frameworks. Issues include sustainability, animal rights, energy consumption, habitat loss, biodiversity, land conservation, and pollution. Class members will explore such issues through case studies in a context of relevant ethical history and theory.

Essential Studies: Humanities and Diversity of Human Experience

PHIL 254 Unmanned Aircraft Systems Ethics

#21460 (3 credits)
Asynchronous Online
Prof. Butler

Unmanned Aircraft Systems include fields of study that pose significant public responsibilities. This course will review ethical history and ethical theory in the context of a UAS professional's life. The major focus of the course is on ethical dilemmas, case studies, and codes relevant to contemporary UAS and scientific practices.

Essential Studies: Humanities

PHIL 310 Philosophy of Art: Imperfection & Impermanence: Non-Western Philosophies of Art

#21458 (3 credits)
M/W       3 – 4:15 p.m.
Prof. Stone

Is beauty necessarily tied to perfection or an eternal ideal form? Or can we find beauty in humble, incomplete, irregular, and ephemeral objects? This course will focus on Buddhist and Taoist aesthetic theories and practices. Participants will cultivate their aesthetic sensibilities toward nature, landscape painting, tea ceremony, and gardens.

PHIL 312 American Philosophy

#21456 (3 credits)
T/R     2:00 – 3:15pm
Prof. Rozelle-Stone

Do we need an educated public in order to sustain a vibrant and flourishing democracy? Can individualism be compatible with a democratic spirit? How do differences of race and class inform our understanding and enactment of democratic ways of life? When, if ever, can violence against the state be justified? How do we face a growing sense of political impotence and nihilism? What other challenges do we face in being democratic in the 21st century? This discussion-based class will seek answers to these and other questions by exploring the writings of various American philosophers, as well as through watching documentary films. 

Essential Studies: Humanities and Diversity of Human Experience

PHIL 371 Philosophy of Law

#21457 (3 credits)
T/R    12:30 – 1:45 p.m.
Prof. Weinstein

Are you intrigued by the law? Are you planning on going to law school or into a profession that works with it (criminal justice, political science, and education, for example)? Are you interested in politics or how the government works? Do you want to work in a non-profit or advocacy group? Maybe you’re just unhappy with the state of the world—or pleased with it and frustrated with those who aren’t. If any of these are true, then Philosophy of Law is the class for you. In it, we will discuss what law is, when and why it must be obeyed, the US Constitution, civil disobedience, and the meaning and nature of justice. We will also look at how reasoning works in a legal context, asking about precedent and cultural change. This class balances theoretical and practical concerns and its relevance to day- to-day life will be evident from the first session.

PHIL 570 Philosophical and Ethical Implications of AI & Emerging Technologies

#30441 (3 credits)
Asynchronous Online
Prof. Butler

In his 2011 manifesto “What Happened to the Future,” tech financier Peter Thiel wrote, “We were promised flying cars, instead we got 140 characters.” Thiel is expressing a familiar paradox in the philosophy of emerging technology. The promise of technology is that it invites us to imagine new and different futures. But the reality of technology is that it can constrain and limit our imagination and agency. In this course students will develop a toolkit of philosophical approaches to understand emerging technology and why it possesses this double character. In doing so, students will learn to identify and respond to new areas of ethical ambiguity created by Artificial Intelligence and other emerging technologies. By considering and working through core texts and case studies, students will develop advanced ethical reasoning skills in order to make more informed moral decisions in the development, implementation, and use of technological innovations. This is an advanced philosophy class that will require a significant amount of reading, writing, and thinking. Undergraduate students can enroll in this course with special permission from Prof. Butler.