Graduate Program

Spring Term Schedule

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Spring 2025

Number	Title	Instructor	Time
PHIL 426-1 Philosophy of Law James Otis TR 3:25PM - 4:40PM
In recent years, the U.S. legal system has been beset by claims of overcriminalization, racially discriminatory enforcement, and inadequate or unequal protection of individual civil rights. What should we make of these claims, and what, if anything, would be implied by their truth? In seeking to answer these questions, this course will examine the nature of the law and its enforcement. We will begin by discussing the issue of criminalization and whether the expansion of the criminal law is or is not problematic. From there, we will turn to the foundational questions of what, precisely, the law is, and what its connection to morality is or should be. Are we obligated to obey the law, and if so, why? Finally, we will ask whether it is possible for the law to remain neutral with regards to morality and politics, and whether the supposed “neutrality” of the law may itself be an instrument of oppression. If the legal system lacks the kind of neutrality that many legal theorists claim for it, what (if anything) does that license us (as citizens) to do? (Offered every spring) Location Goergen Hall Room 108 (TR 3:25PM - 4:40PM)
PHIL 435-01 Data, Algorithms, Justice Mark Povich MW 4:50PM - 6:05PM
This course focuses on a number of questions that arise in the design, development and deployment of machine learning algorithms. Topics include: Bias in algorithms (e.g., how should we measure unfairness in algorithms that determine who gets bail, parole, a job, or a loan? What about bias in health analytics?) Values disagreement and algorithms (e.g., how should self-driving cars or diagnostic algorithms make decisions, given that we disagree about the good?) Algorithms, social media, and public life (e.g., what is the impact of social media algorithms on public discourse and the future of democracy?) Algorithms and the future of work (e.g., how should we structure our society when many basic tasks will be performed by machines? How should we distribute the benefits of machine productivity?) Location Dewey Room 2162 (MW 4:50PM - 6:05PM)
PHIL 444-1 Philosophy of Mind Mark Povich MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM
An introduction to classic and contemporary problems in the philosophy of mind, this course investigates how the mind is related to the physical world. Topics include: What is the mind and how is it related to the brain? How is it possible for mental states to cause physical states, and vise versa? How do mental states get their intentional content? What is consciousness and can it be given a physical explanation? What are the minds of other beings - such as animals and artificially intelligent computers - like, and how could we know? Location Goergen Hall Room 109 (MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM)
PHIL 449-1 Formal Semantics Ash Asudeh TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM
This course is an in-depth introduction to the formal analysis of natural language meaning, employing techniques that have been developed in language and formal philosophy over the last century. Issues include intensionality, quantification, tense, presupposition, plurality, the analysis of discourse, and other current issues. Familiarity with syntax, logic, and/or computation are helpful but not necessary. See LING 265 & LING 465. Location Lattimore Room 513 (TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM)
PHIL 452-01 Philosophy of Science Rush Stewart MW 3:25PM - 4:40PM
Survey of primarily metaphysical questions about science: Must the entities posited by a scientific theory exist for it to be successful? Do laws of nature govern the world or simply articulate patterns? How are lower and higher level scientific theories related to one another? Is scientific explanation primarily concerned with laws, with causes, or with something else? Location Gavett Hall Room 206 (MW 3:25PM - 4:40PM)
PHIL 470-01 Selected Topics in Modern Philosophy Dante Dauksz MW 12:30PM - 1:45PM
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. Location Lattimore Room 531 (MW 12:30PM - 1:45PM)
PHIL 472-01 Philosophy of Humor Paul Audi TR 11:05AM - 12:20PM
What is the nature of funniness? Why does the same joke amuse some people but not others, or the same person at some times but not others? Do all funny things have a common feature that accounts for their capacity to amuse? When is it wrong to laugh? Must a person share racist or sexist attitudes in order to find racist or sexist humor funny? More generally, what does a person’s sense of humor tell us, if anything, about their moral character? Can a joke be wrong in itself, or only through its consequences? These and other questions are addressed by applying general concepts from metaphysics, ethics, philosophy of language, and philosophy of mind. Location Morey Room 525 (TR 11:05AM - 12:20PM)
PHIL 491-1 Master's Readings in PHL Paul Audi 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Independent study Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 495-1 Master's Thesis Research Paul Audi 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 523-01 Sel Topics in Social and Political Philosophy: Eudamonic Justice Randall Curren W 2:00PM - 4:40PM
No description Location Lattimore Room 531 (W 2:00PM - 4:40PM)
PHIL 542-01 Selected topics in Metaphysics: Metaethics Earl Conee R 1:00PM - 3:40PM
A large portion of the course will take up metaphysical issues for moral realism. These include the questions of whether moral properties exist and what they might be. There will be time during the semester to take up related issues that address interests of those in the class. Location Lattimore Room 531 (R 1:00PM - 3:40PM)
PHIL 560-1 Writing Seminar Paul Audi 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Study of recent articles; writing short commentaries, replies, criticisms. Covers various topics under guidance of several faculty members. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 560-2 Philosophical Writing Earl Conee 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Study of recent articles; writing short commentaries, replies, criticisms. Covers various topics under guidance of several faculty members. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 560-3 Philosophical Writing Alison Peterman 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Study of recent articles; writing short commentaries, replies, criticisms. Covers various topics under guidance of several faculty members. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 560-4 Philosophical Writing Richard Feldman 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Study of recent articles; writing short commentaries, replies, criticisms. Covers various topics under guidance of several faculty members. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 560-6 Philosophy Writing Seminar Jens Kipper 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Study of recent articles; writing short commentaries, replies, criticisms. Covers various topics under guidance of several faculty members. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 560-7 Philosophy Writing Seminar William FitzPatrick 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Study of recent articles; writing short commentaries, replies, criticisms. Covers various topics under guidance of several faculty members. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 560-8 Philosophical Writing Zeynep Soysal 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Study of recent articles; writing short commentaries, replies, criticisms. Covers various topics under guidance of several faculty members. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 560-9 Philosophy Writing Seminar Rosa Terlazzo 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Study of recent articles; writing short commentaries, replies, criticisms. Covers various topics under guidance of several faculty members. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 581-1 Supervise Instruct:Lec to Un Randall Curren 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Continuation of PHL 580, with practice lecturing to the undergraduate classes. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 581-2 Supervise Instruct:Lec to Undg Paul Audi MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM
Continuation of PHL 580, with practice lecturing to the undergraduate classes. Location (MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM)
PHIL 581-3 Supervise Instruct:Lec to Undg William FitzPatrick 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Continuation of PHL 580, with practice lecturing to the undergraduate classes. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 581-4 Supervise Instruct:Lec to Undg Mark Povich 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Continuation of PHL 580, with practice lecturing to the undergraduate classes. Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 591-1 PhD Readings in PHL Paul Audi 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 591-10 PhD Readings in PHL Rosa Terlazzo 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 591-11 PhD Readings in PHL Mark Povich 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 591-2 PhD Readings in PHL Earl Conee 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 591-3 PhD Readings in PHL Randall Curren 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 591-4 PhD Readings in PHL Richard Dees 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 591-5 PhD Readings in PHL Richard Feldman 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 591-6 PhD Readings in PHL William FitzPatrick 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 591-7 PhD Readings in PHL Jens Kipper 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 591-8 PhD Readings in PHL Alison Peterman 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 591-9 PhD Readings in PHL Zeynep Soysal 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 595-1 PhD Research in PHL Paul Audi 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 595-10 PhD Research in PHL Rosa Terlazzo 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 595-11 PhD Research in PHL Mark Povich 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 595-2 PhD Research in PHL Earl Conee 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 595-3 PhD Research in PHL Randall Curren 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 595-4 PhD Research in PHL Richard Dees 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 595-5 PhD Research in PHL Richard Feldman 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 595-6 PhD Research in PHL William FitzPatrick 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 595-7 PhD Research in PHL Jens Kipper 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 595-8 PhD Research in PHL Alison Peterman 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 595-9 PhD Research in PHL Zeynep Soysal 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 895-1 Cont of Master's Enrollment Paul Audi 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 897-1 Master's Dissertation Paul Audi 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 986V-1 Full Time Visiting Student Richard Feldman 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 995-1 Cont of Doctoral Enrollment Paul Audi 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 997-1 Doctoral Dissertation Alison Peterman 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)
PHIL 999-1 Doctoral Dissertation Paul Audi 7:00PM - 7:00PM
Blank Description Location ( 7:00PM - 7:00PM)

Number	Title	Instructor	Time
Monday and Wednesday
PHIL 444-1 Philosophy of Mind Mark Povich
An introduction to classic and contemporary problems in the philosophy of mind, this course investigates how the mind is related to the physical world. Topics include: What is the mind and how is it related to the brain? How is it possible for mental states to cause physical states, and vise versa? How do mental states get their intentional content? What is consciousness and can it be given a physical explanation? What are the minds of other beings - such as animals and artificially intelligent computers - like, and how could we know?
PHIL 581-2 Supervise Instruct:Lec to Undg Paul Audi
Continuation of PHL 580, with practice lecturing to the undergraduate classes.
PHIL 470-01 Selected Topics in Modern Philosophy Dante Dauksz
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.
PHIL 452-01 Philosophy of Science Rush Stewart
Survey of primarily metaphysical questions about science: Must the entities posited by a scientific theory exist for it to be successful? Do laws of nature govern the world or simply articulate patterns? How are lower and higher level scientific theories related to one another? Is scientific explanation primarily concerned with laws, with causes, or with something else?
PHIL 435-01 Data, Algorithms, Justice Mark Povich
This course focuses on a number of questions that arise in the design, development and deployment of machine learning algorithms. Topics include: Bias in algorithms (e.g., how should we measure unfairness in algorithms that determine who gets bail, parole, a job, or a loan? What about bias in health analytics?) Values disagreement and algorithms (e.g., how should self-driving cars or diagnostic algorithms make decisions, given that we disagree about the good?) Algorithms, social media, and public life (e.g., what is the impact of social media algorithms on public discourse and the future of democracy?) Algorithms and the future of work (e.g., how should we structure our society when many basic tasks will be performed by machines? How should we distribute the benefits of machine productivity?)
Tuesday and Thursday
PHIL 449-1 Formal Semantics Ash Asudeh
This course is an in-depth introduction to the formal analysis of natural language meaning, employing techniques that have been developed in language and formal philosophy over the last century. Issues include intensionality, quantification, tense, presupposition, plurality, the analysis of discourse, and other current issues. Familiarity with syntax, logic, and/or computation are helpful but not necessary. See LING 265 & LING 465.
PHIL 472-01 Philosophy of Humor Paul Audi
What is the nature of funniness? Why does the same joke amuse some people but not others, or the same person at some times but not others? Do all funny things have a common feature that accounts for their capacity to amuse? When is it wrong to laugh? Must a person share racist or sexist attitudes in order to find racist or sexist humor funny? More generally, what does a person’s sense of humor tell us, if anything, about their moral character? Can a joke be wrong in itself, or only through its consequences? These and other questions are addressed by applying general concepts from metaphysics, ethics, philosophy of language, and philosophy of mind.
PHIL 426-1 Philosophy of Law James Otis
In recent years, the U.S. legal system has been beset by claims of overcriminalization, racially discriminatory enforcement, and inadequate or unequal protection of individual civil rights. What should we make of these claims, and what, if anything, would be implied by their truth? In seeking to answer these questions, this course will examine the nature of the law and its enforcement. We will begin by discussing the issue of criminalization and whether the expansion of the criminal law is or is not problematic. From there, we will turn to the foundational questions of what, precisely, the law is, and what its connection to morality is or should be. Are we obligated to obey the law, and if so, why? Finally, we will ask whether it is possible for the law to remain neutral with regards to morality and politics, and whether the supposed “neutrality” of the law may itself be an instrument of oppression. If the legal system lacks the kind of neutrality that many legal theorists claim for it, what (if anything) does that license us (as citizens) to do? (Offered every spring)
Wednesday
PHIL 523-01 Sel Topics in Social and Political Philosophy: Eudamonic Justice Randall Curren
No description
Thursday
PHIL 542-01 Selected topics in Metaphysics: Metaethics Earl Conee
A large portion of the course will take up metaphysical issues for moral realism. These include the questions of whether moral properties exist and what they might be. There will be time during the semester to take up related issues that address interests of those in the class.
Friday