Philosophy

This course covers the reconstruction and criticism of the central problems of human knowledge from its fundamental concepts and different approaches. It examines the notions of conscience, mind, belief, truth, justification, doubt, and science. This course also discusses rationalism, empiricism, and critical philosophy. 

This course introduces anthropological approaches to time, temporality, and history. Ideas about time have been part of anthropology ever since anthropologists began theorizing human development, and analyzing the ways in which people conceive of time can illuminate fundamental questions about how humans make sense of their world and act within it. This course focuses on the relationship between cultural conceptions of time and power, and examines a few theoretical concepts that help to analyze this relationship The course studies ways in which time was built into core anthropological concepts of difference (particularly between the West and the rest) and then explores the relationship between time and political possibility, or how politics must make historical sense in order to be effective. In addition to the study of such uses of the past, the course examines nostalgia, identifies its cultural foundations, and shows its politics as well as its limits as a way of thinking about history.

This seminar offers a survey of the intellectual tradition that takes for its object the interrogation and theorization of systems of power whereby inequality is associated with gender, sex, and sexuality. A range of key work are explored, mainly from western authors, that exemplify the intellectual history of feminist and queer theory. Through works of philosophy, political, and psychoanalytic theory about gender and sexuality, the course traces the foundations and development of some major strands of recent and contemporary thought about gender and sexuality including: liberal feminism, with its emphasis on sameness and equality; cultural, separatist, and lesbian feminisms with their focus on difference; radical, Marxist, socialist, and anarchist feminisms with their political and material analysis of gender; intersectional feminisms with their questioning of such identity categories as woman; postcolonial and transnational theories of gender and sexuality; queer theory and its mobilization of deconstructive modes of thought; and trans theory with its shift of emphasis back to embodiment and identity.

This course examines the concept of law from a philosophical perspective and explores the virtues and problems of the contemporary ideal associated with the notions of the rule of law, democracy, and human rights. It explores the contributions of democratic constitutionalism, as well as the meaning of legal activity as a social practice linked to values.

This course is about philosophical and ethical issues related to the conduct of business. Some tough-minded people believe that business is like a game where winning means making as much money as possible. They believe that "business ethics" does not exist, that it is a contradiction in terms, and that whoever thinks otherwise -- whoever thinks that business is also about treating others respectfully -- is either naive, or deluded, or both. What these tough-minded people do not realise is that they are, in fact, making an ethical claim. They claim that, while we generally have ethical obligations towards others in society, when it comes to the game of business everyone is permitted to pay attention only to their personal gain. This statement may be correct, or it may be false. But it is definitely an ethical statement, simply because it makes claims about how people may permissibly behave. So, inadvertently, they are doing business ethics. In this introductory course to business ethics, we look at different types of ethical theories, and we apply them to problems that tend to arise in business contexts. The primary aim of the course is not to present you with ethical solutions or dogmatic responses, but to practice ethical reasoning, analytical skills, and critical thinking, so that towards the end of the course, you will no longer be satisfied with simple answers to difficult problems. You will also practice argumentative and writing skills that will help you express your thoughts clearly and concisely.