Graduate Program

Fall Term Schedule

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Fall 2017

Number	Title	Instructor	Time
PHL 412 (PHL 212) Probability, Inference and Decision CLATTERBUCK H MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM
Over the past 50 years, many fields - including philosophy, economics, and cognitive science - have taken a “probabilistic turn”, characterizing inference and rationality in probabilistic terms. This course will investigate the logic and metaphysics of probability and its applications to various philosophical and scientific problems. The first section of the course will provide students with an introduction to the probability axioms and the basics of uncertain inference. The second section will explore how philosophers and economists have proposed that we use these axioms to provide constraints on rational belief and decision-making. In the third section, we will examine the metaphysics of probability, asking such questions as: what does it mean to say that the chance that it will rain tomorrow is .6, and are there genuine probabilities if the world is deterministic? We will conclude by investigating how probabilities are used in scientific inference. This course will not require math beyond simple algebra. BUILDING: MEL \| ROOM: 219
PHL 421 (PHL 221) Philosophical Background of the American Revolution DEES R MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM
The eighteenth century was a time of remarkable intellectual activity in the West, and the Americans played a central role in it, both reflecting the thought in Europe and influencing the course of thoughts and events there. In this course, we will study the American Revolution by examining the political theory which sparked the revolution itself and which lay behind the writing of the Constitution. We will begin by looking at the important predecessors to the revolution, particularly the works of John Locke, the Baron de Montesquieu, and David Hume. We will then consider important works from the period surrounding the revolution, including works by Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson. Finally, we will look at the debates surrounding the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, including the Federalist Papers and important anti-Federalist works and at the debates that arose in the operations of government in the early Republic. BUILDING: MEL \| ROOM: 218 PREREQUISITES: One previous course in philosophy or permission of instructor
PHL 423 (PHL 223) SOCIAL & POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY TRESAN J MW 12:30PM - 1:45PM
An exploration of basic issues in social & political philosophy, including the nature and justification of government and democracy, conflict and revolution, relations between church and state, moral relations of individuals to government, individual freedom, and economic justice (not necessarily all of these). BUILDING: MOREY \| ROOM: 525 PREREQUISITES: One previous course in philosophy.
PHL 428 (PHL 228) PUBLIC HEALTH ETHICS DEES R TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM
Most health care ethics focuses on the individual decisions about health care, but many ethical questions have implications for society at large. The demands that individual health decisions make on the system may create collective problems, and conversely, the needs of society may limit the freedoms that individuals think they should have. Public health ethics then, lie at the intersection of medicine, political philosophy, and public policy. This course will examine the values of health, social needs, and freedom through a systematic examination of situations in which these conflicts arise. BUILDING: GRGEN \| ROOM: 108 PREREQUISITES: One previous course in philosophy.
PHL 442 (PHL 242) METAPHYSICS AUDI P TR 2:00PM - 3:15PM
Metaphysics is roughly the study of what kinds of entities exist, what they are like, and how they are related to each other. Though in some ways similar to physics, the categories of interest to metaphysics are often more general. Where a physicist will be concerned with the existence of an electron, its property of negative charge, and so on, a metaphysician will be concerned with the nature of properties and objects in general. Metaphysical questions include the following. Are objects composed of their properties? Are properties entities in their own right? Can every object be split into smaller parts? Does every object take up space? Are space and time fundamentally the same? What is the nature of cause and effect? BUILDING: B&L \| ROOM: 269
PHL 447 (PHL 247) PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE SHERMAN B MW 12:30PM - 1:45PM
This course introduces students to a number of philosophical problems about language—including the nature of linguistic meaning, truth, and reference—that gained prominence in the early 20th Century through an attempt to reconceive many traditional philosophical problems as problems about language. We will examine the highlights of this “linguistic turn” in philosophy, focusing on work by Frege, Russell, Ayer, and Strawson, along with the revolutionary challenges by Quine and Kripke that gave rise to a new conception of philosophy. BUILDING: LATT \| ROOM: 210
PHL 465 (PHL 265) SELECT TOPICS IN ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY MODRAK D T 4:50PM - 7:30PM
Foundations of Ancient Greek philosophy from Presocratic to Hellenistic periods. Covers ancient Greek ethics, metaphysics and epistemology, philosophy of mind. Special attention to Plato and Aristotle. BUILDING: LATT \| ROOM: 531 PREREQUISITES: PHL 201 or permission of instructor.
PHL 470 (PHL 270) SEL TOPICS IN MODERN PHIL PETERMAN A MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM
In this course, we will focus on selected figures, topics and positions from the modern period of philosophy - about 1500 to 1800. This semester's topic will be Kant's Critique of Pure Reason. BUILDING: LATT \| ROOM: 531 PREREQUISITES: PHL 202- History of Modern Philosophy or equivalent background in early modern philosophy is a prerequisite.
PHL 491 MASTER'S READINGS IN PHL – –
No description BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 493 MASTER'S ESSAY – –
No description BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 495 MASTER'S THESIS RESEARCH – –
No description BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 517 SEL TOP ETHICS FITZPATRICK W W 2:00PM - 4:40PM
Critical exploration of work in contemporary metaethics and normative ethical theory and its applications. BUILDING: LATT \| ROOM: 531
PHL 518 SEL TOPICS IN MORAL EPIST CONEE E R 2:00PM - 4:40PM
The course investigates how any ethical facts might be be known or rationally believed. BUILDING: LATT \| ROOM: 531
PHL 555 Selected Topics in History of Philosophy and Mind CLATTERBUCK H; PETERMAN A T 2:00PM - 4:40PM
This seminar will investigate how the human mind forms and uses abstract concepts, from both historical and contemporary points of view. BUILDING: LATT \| ROOM: 531
PHL 560 WRITING SEMINAR CURREN R –
Study of recent articles; writing short commentaries, replies, criticisms. Covers various topics under guidance of several faculty members. BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 580 SUPERVISED INSTRUCTN IN PHL CURREN R –
Supervised teaching of undergraduates, including leading discussion sections, grading tests and papers, and meeting with students. BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 581 SUPERVISE INSTRUCT:LEC TO UN CURREN R –
Continuation of PHL 580, with practice lecturing to the undergraduate classes. BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 594 INTERNSHIP – –
No description BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 595 PHD RESEARCH IN PHL – –
No description BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 595A PHD RESEARCH IN ABSENTIA – –
No description BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 895 CONT OF MASTER'S ENROLLMENT – –
No description BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 899 MASTER'S DISSERTATION – –
No description BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 985 LEAVE OF ABSENCE – –
No description BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 986V FULL TIME VISITING STUDENT – –
No description BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 995 CONT OF DOCTORAL ENROLLMENT – –
No description BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 997 DOCTORAL DISSERTATION – –
No description BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 999 DOCTORAL DISSERTATION – –
No description BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 999A DOCT DISSERTATN IN ABSENTIA – –
No description BUILDING: \| ROOM:

Number	Title	Instructor	Time
Monday and Wednesday
PHL 412 (PHL 212) Probability, Inference and Decision CLATTERBUCK H MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM
Over the past 50 years, many fields - including philosophy, economics, and cognitive science - have taken a “probabilistic turn”, characterizing inference and rationality in probabilistic terms. This course will investigate the logic and metaphysics of probability and its applications to various philosophical and scientific problems. The first section of the course will provide students with an introduction to the probability axioms and the basics of uncertain inference. The second section will explore how philosophers and economists have proposed that we use these axioms to provide constraints on rational belief and decision-making. In the third section, we will examine the metaphysics of probability, asking such questions as: what does it mean to say that the chance that it will rain tomorrow is .6, and are there genuine probabilities if the world is deterministic? We will conclude by investigating how probabilities are used in scientific inference. This course will not require math beyond simple algebra. BUILDING: MEL \| ROOM: 219
PHL 470 (PHL 270) SEL TOPICS IN MODERN PHIL PETERMAN A MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM
In this course, we will focus on selected figures, topics and positions from the modern period of philosophy - about 1500 to 1800. This semester's topic will be Kant's Critique of Pure Reason. BUILDING: LATT \| ROOM: 531 PREREQUISITES: PHL 202- History of Modern Philosophy or equivalent background in early modern philosophy is a prerequisite.
PHL 421 (PHL 221) Philosophical Background of the American Revolution DEES R MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM
The eighteenth century was a time of remarkable intellectual activity in the West, and the Americans played a central role in it, both reflecting the thought in Europe and influencing the course of thoughts and events there. In this course, we will study the American Revolution by examining the political theory which sparked the revolution itself and which lay behind the writing of the Constitution. We will begin by looking at the important predecessors to the revolution, particularly the works of John Locke, the Baron de Montesquieu, and David Hume. We will then consider important works from the period surrounding the revolution, including works by Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson. Finally, we will look at the debates surrounding the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, including the Federalist Papers and important anti-Federalist works and at the debates that arose in the operations of government in the early Republic. BUILDING: MEL \| ROOM: 218 PREREQUISITES: One previous course in philosophy or permission of instructor
PHL 447 (PHL 247) PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE SHERMAN B MW 12:30PM - 1:45PM
This course introduces students to a number of philosophical problems about language—including the nature of linguistic meaning, truth, and reference—that gained prominence in the early 20th Century through an attempt to reconceive many traditional philosophical problems as problems about language. We will examine the highlights of this “linguistic turn” in philosophy, focusing on work by Frege, Russell, Ayer, and Strawson, along with the revolutionary challenges by Quine and Kripke that gave rise to a new conception of philosophy. BUILDING: LATT \| ROOM: 210
PHL 423 (PHL 223) SOCIAL & POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY TRESAN J MW 12:30PM - 1:45PM
An exploration of basic issues in social & political philosophy, including the nature and justification of government and democracy, conflict and revolution, relations between church and state, moral relations of individuals to government, individual freedom, and economic justice (not necessarily all of these). BUILDING: MOREY \| ROOM: 525 PREREQUISITES: One previous course in philosophy.
Tuesday
PHL 555 Selected Topics in History of Philosophy and Mind CLATTERBUCK H; PETERMAN A T 2:00PM - 4:40PM
This seminar will investigate how the human mind forms and uses abstract concepts, from both historical and contemporary points of view. BUILDING: LATT \| ROOM: 531
PHL 465 (PHL 265) SELECT TOPICS IN ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY MODRAK D T 4:50PM - 7:30PM
Foundations of Ancient Greek philosophy from Presocratic to Hellenistic periods. Covers ancient Greek ethics, metaphysics and epistemology, philosophy of mind. Special attention to Plato and Aristotle. BUILDING: LATT \| ROOM: 531 PREREQUISITES: PHL 201 or permission of instructor.
Tuesday and Thursday
PHL 428 (PHL 228) PUBLIC HEALTH ETHICS DEES R TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM
Most health care ethics focuses on the individual decisions about health care, but many ethical questions have implications for society at large. The demands that individual health decisions make on the system may create collective problems, and conversely, the needs of society may limit the freedoms that individuals think they should have. Public health ethics then, lie at the intersection of medicine, political philosophy, and public policy. This course will examine the values of health, social needs, and freedom through a systematic examination of situations in which these conflicts arise. BUILDING: GRGEN \| ROOM: 108 PREREQUISITES: One previous course in philosophy.
PHL 442 (PHL 242) METAPHYSICS AUDI P TR 2:00PM - 3:15PM
Metaphysics is roughly the study of what kinds of entities exist, what they are like, and how they are related to each other. Though in some ways similar to physics, the categories of interest to metaphysics are often more general. Where a physicist will be concerned with the existence of an electron, its property of negative charge, and so on, a metaphysician will be concerned with the nature of properties and objects in general. Metaphysical questions include the following. Are objects composed of their properties? Are properties entities in their own right? Can every object be split into smaller parts? Does every object take up space? Are space and time fundamentally the same? What is the nature of cause and effect? BUILDING: B&L \| ROOM: 269
Wednesday
PHL 517 SEL TOP ETHICS FITZPATRICK W W 2:00PM - 4:40PM
Critical exploration of work in contemporary metaethics and normative ethical theory and its applications. BUILDING: LATT \| ROOM: 531
Thursday
PHL 518 SEL TOPICS IN MORAL EPIST CONEE E R 2:00PM - 4:40PM
The course investigates how any ethical facts might be be known or rationally believed. BUILDING: LATT \| ROOM: 531
TBA
PHL 491 MASTER'S READINGS IN PHL – –
No description BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 493 MASTER'S ESSAY – –
No description BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 495 MASTER'S THESIS RESEARCH – –
No description BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 560 WRITING SEMINAR CURREN R –
Study of recent articles; writing short commentaries, replies, criticisms. Covers various topics under guidance of several faculty members. BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 580 SUPERVISED INSTRUCTN IN PHL CURREN R –
Supervised teaching of undergraduates, including leading discussion sections, grading tests and papers, and meeting with students. BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 581 SUPERVISE INSTRUCT:LEC TO UN CURREN R –
Continuation of PHL 580, with practice lecturing to the undergraduate classes. BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 594 INTERNSHIP – –
No description BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 595 PHD RESEARCH IN PHL – –
No description BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 595A PHD RESEARCH IN ABSENTIA – –
No description BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 895 CONT OF MASTER'S ENROLLMENT – –
No description BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 899 MASTER'S DISSERTATION – –
No description BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 985 LEAVE OF ABSENCE – –
No description BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 986V FULL TIME VISITING STUDENT – –
No description BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 995 CONT OF DOCTORAL ENROLLMENT – –
No description BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 997 DOCTORAL DISSERTATION – –
No description BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 999 DOCTORAL DISSERTATION – –
No description BUILDING: \| ROOM:
PHL 999A DOCT DISSERTATN IN ABSENTIA – –
No description BUILDING: \| ROOM: