Philosophy

The course tackles philosophical questions about legal systems and criminal justice. The first half of the course typically discusses big picture questions about the purpose of law and what, if anything, the criminal justice system achieves. For example, students might consider the moral obligation to obey the law, the viability of political anarchism, the justification of punishment, dispute-resolution without the state, and the moral status of civil or violent disobedience. The second half of the course usually takes a closer, critical look at how criminal justice works in practice. For example, students might discuss questions like: What is the fairest way to evaluate allegations of sexual criminality? Should we use algorithms to make decisions about parole or punishment severity? Should we defer to juries or instead use professional judges? Does it make sense to treat a corporation as morally responsible? What alternatives are there to prisons?

This course consults readings drawn from the social sciences, humanities, and the law; specifically, foundational texts in cultural and moral psychology, philosophical texts on value pluralism, and legal cases from psychological, anthropological, and sociological perspectives. These readings serve as an entry point into class discussions related to provocative cultural practices (polygamy, education quotas, circumcision, minarets, inequalities, honor killings). Each week, different students present assigned readings and have in-depth discussions based on the material. The course involves group work, debates, as well as final presentations, based on students emerging viewpoints.

This course, through the study of representative figures from the history of philosophy and its contemporary discourse, introduces the basic methods and aims of philosophical inquiry and develops the skills required for critical thinking. It opens the broad field of philosophical questions; but, more fundamentally, it is a course in questioning as such, as it cultivates the basic human desire to know. It is also about learning how to understand and how to be understood; it teaches students to listen to what others say, methodologically interpret what others have written, and take responsibility for their own words. This is accomplished through the close reading of texts of great intellectual distinction, patiently practicing the art of interpretation without easy answers, and carrying out a sustained effort to write thoughtfully. This course, thus, encourages students to think independently, responsibly, and critically. Prerequisites: first year writing course. 

This course addresses concepts related to happiness as a purpose of life; sense of community, and human flourishing, covering topics such as the biopsychosocial self; mentral restructuring; virtue ethics; hedonist ethics; senstiviity; neuroscience and plasticity of the mind; empathy, sense of community; love and attachments, and spirituality. The course focuses on the transformation of the person and the person in society through exercises aligned to academic and scientific concepts. 

Through a close reading and analysis of several representative Platonic dialogues, this course introduces the philosophy of Plato and Socrates and prepares students for Aristotle’s philosophy and Greek Thinkers. The course also include materials on earlier Philosophy forming the background to Socrates and Plato.

This course examines the philosophical worldview of nature and analyzes the philosophical foundations of scientific worldviews. It discusses the works of various philosophical thinkers including Aristotle, Kant, and Schrodinger.

This course examines the human being as a philosophical problem. It analyzes the most important anthropological models of Western thought in the 19th and 20th centuries, from the distinction between philosophy and science. This course explores the debate on the present and future of the human creature in the thinking and trends of the 21st century.

This course offers a study of modern philosophy including the main authors and philosophical movements, the fundamental works, and the concepts and problems of the era.

This course introduces students to three major ethical theories' utilitarianism, Kant's deontology, and virtue ethics. Additional topics include the ethical principles underlying academic integrity, research ethics, and intellectual property. Students examine issues related to the ethics of environmental sustainability and conservation and are challenged apply the ethical theories learned to concrete moral problems, including world poverty, corporate accountability and whistleblowing, and workplace discrimination. This course is graded on a pass/fail basis only.

This interactive lecture-based course seeks to identify what it is people mean when they invoke the term "culture." It critiques "culture" in different contexts to examine whether it is a defensible position to justify the activities of different actors, while examining our own position, critique it, then develop a defensible stance that defines and understands culture/s. Students consider how culture is transmitted, how it evolves, the different values it promotes, whether culture has boundaries, and critique the concepts of gender and nationality in culture.

The course focuses on: 1) Identity, considering how culture/s use tools to create and maintain individual and group identity; (2) Cultural Legitimacy, where the ideas of cultural relativism, consumerism (Pop v Mass) are addressed; (3) Language, examining how cultures utilize the media and discourse to reinforce values; (4) Taboo, wherein the class critiques real world contemporary examples that may challenge one's values, ethics and morality; (5) Reflection on the way human brains process and make sense of the information in the worlds society creates, and (6) technologies, through application to contemporary and future societies.