This course is a study of texts and ideas from four of the oldest written philosophical traditions: the Egyptian Middle Kingdom, classical China, ancient Greece, and early India. The course focuses primarily on texts in moral philosophy and epistemology, including such classics as "The Eloquent Peasant," the Zhuangzi, Plato's Apology, and the Upanishads. Students will develop their skills of reading ancient philosophical texts in translation, analyzing arguments, and understanding ideas in historical and cultural context.

Artificially intelligent technologies are prominent features of modern life -- as are ethical concerns about their programming and use. In this class we will use the tools of philosophy to explore and critically evaluate ethical issues raised by current and future AI technologies. Topics may include issues of privacy and transparency in online data collection, concerns about social justice in the use of algorithms in areas like hiring and criminal justice, and the goals of developing general versus special purpose AI.

As the study of knowledge and related concepts like justification, rationality, and evidence, epistemology is of central importance, and not just to philosophy. This course provides an introduction to epistemology through a number of epistemological problems or puzzles about skepticism, dogmatism, and humility.

This course uses the predicate calculus to present a careful development of formal elementary number theory, and elementary recursion theory, culminating in a proof of Gödel's incompleteness results. It includes some discussion of the philosophical significance of these results for the foundations of mathematics.

The release of ChatGPT and other Large Language Models (LLMs) has sparked conversations about what, if anything, LLMs `understand' and whether they `mean what they say'. These discussions recapitulate debates in philosophy and linguistics that go back centuries, about the nature and source of ideas in the mind, the development of language and how linguistic items represent things in the world, and whether true meaning and understanding are possible in non-human entities such as artificial intelligences.

In this course we will take up the question of what it means to investigate a philosophical question in a way that is accessible to a broad audience. Students will develop their own philosophical project in an academically rigorous way and then find a way to present that project outside the classroom. Along the way we investigate the question of what counts as philosophy and why. Students should have extensive experience writing philosophy papers and be ready and willing to work independently on a philosophical topic of their choosing.

This course addresses basic questions in the philosophy of religion. We will focus, in particular, on theistic religions (like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) that posit the existence of an omnipotent and omnibenevolent creator of the universe. Does God, in this sense, exist? What is the best argument for the existence of such a God? The best argument against? And what if such arguments are inconclusive? Does it make sense to believe anyway?

This course addresses basic questions in the philosophy of religion. We will focus, in particular, on theistic religions (like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) that posit the existence of an omnipotent and omnibenevolent creator of the universe. Does God, in this sense, exist? What is the best argument for the existence of such a God? The best argument against? And what if such arguments are inconclusive? Does it make sense to believe anyway?

This course introduces students to the history of textiles, fiber arts, soft sculpture, and wearables in relation to cultural and political themes. How do textiles transform from flat surfaces into three-dimensional objects or become a second skin to the object? We will focus on the design, fabrication, and creative application of textile construction processes using a range of fabrics, yarn, and materials associated with wearables and soft sculpture.

This course investigates the evolution of Chinese media cultures from the 1980s to the present, within the broader context of social and political changes. Students will explore a wide range of media, including film, documentary, music, television, animation, social media, photography, and the built environment. The course will examine the technological, material, formal, and aesthetic aspects of various media forms and encourage broader discussions on the ideological impact, spectatorship, sensory perception, and interactive media experiences beyond the Chinese-language world.