This is a stand-alone independent study designed by the student and faculty sponsor that involves frequent interaction between instructor and student. Qualitative and quantitative enrichment must be evident on the proposed contract before consent is given to undertake the study.

Not available at this time

In this course, we will strike a balance between discussing a variety of philosophical topics, thinking about what philosophy is and how best to practice it, and putting our theoretical work to practice by doing philosophy with kids in a school together. We'll begin the course by focusing on metaphilosophical and pedagogical readings, putting together a picture of what it is we're doing when we do philosophy and how we can do that best with children. Then we'll take that picture and put it to work, going into an elementary school together to do philosophy with children.

In this course, we will discuss some of the central topics in the philosophy of religion. We'll discuss the nature of the divine attributes and whether they are consistent. We'll also discuss the central arguments for and against God's existence; we'll talk about the ontological argument, the cosmological argument, the design argument, and the problem of evil. Finally, we'll discuss some issues in religious epistemology; in particular, we'll discuss whether we can be justified in believing in the existence of God even if we lack good arguments supporting this belief.

This course examines the varieties of, and arguments for and against, ethical consequentialism -- the theory according to which what one is morally required to do is whatever will bring about the best consequences.

Can eating candy make you part of an artwork? Can art physically force you to cry? Can it be art to nail yourself to a car? In this course, we'll engage with questions like these and with the definition of art more generally. We'll also consider other questions, like: Are artworks physical objects, or something else? Is art (non-monetarily) valuable, and if so what is the nature of that value? Finally, we'll focus on topics in the philosophy and aesthetics of music, such as: What value does live performance have in an age dominated by recordings, sound engineering, and digital distribution?

This course addresses central questions in contemporary epistemology concerning the nature of knowledge and justification, the 'a priori'; perceptual knowledge; and skepticism.

An introduction to the main themes of Existentialism through seminal writing by Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Sartre. (Gen.Ed. AL)

Introduction to the history of modern philosophy; emphasis on Descartes, Leibniz, Locke, and Hume. Prerequisite: One course in Philosophy. (Gen.Ed. HS)

Introduction to the history of modern philosophy; emphasis on Descartes, Leibniz, Locke, and Hume. Prerequisite: One course in Philosophy. (Gen.Ed. HS)