Graduate Courses
PHH 5105r. Greek Philosophy (3). Detailed study of Plato, Aristotle, or one of the schools or divisions of ancient thought (pre-Socratics, Stoicism, etc.). May be repeated to a maximum of twelve semester hours.
PHH 5405r. Modern Philosophy (3). A critical study of selected major western philosophers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with an emphasis on logic, epistemology, and metaphysics. May be repeated to a maximum of twelve semester hours.
PHH 5505r. 19th-Century Philosophy (3). A study of either a major philosopher (e.g., Hegel, Marx, Mill) or philosophic movement (e.g., idealism, positivism, Marxism) of the nineteenth century. May be repeated to a maximum of twelve semester hours.
PHH 5609r. Contemporary Philosophy (3). A detailed critical examination of selected figures and topics in twentieth-century philosophy. May be repeated to a maximum of twelve semester hours.
PHH 6009r. Studies in the History of Philosophy (3). A course on major philosophers and trends that may bridge or extend over more than one distinct chronological period. May be repeated to a maximum of twelve semester hours.
PHI 5135. Modern Logic I (3). Prerequisite: PHI 3130, equivalent, or instructor permission. A course in the metatheory of first order logic. A mastery of the syntax and semantics of, and a natural deduction system for, first order logic is presumed. Among other results, the soundness and completeness of such a natural deduction system, and Gödel's first incompleteness theorem, are proved.
PHI 5136r. Modern Logic II (3). Prerequisite: PHI 3130, or equivalent; or instructor permission. An exploration of one or more non-classical logics, such as intuitionistic, many-valued, modal, provability, quantum, relevance, and tense. A mastery of the syntax and semantics of, and a natural deduction system for, first order logic is presumed. May be repeated to a maximum of twelve semester hours.
PHI 5934r. Topics in Philosophy (3). A variable content research seminar on selected philosophical problems. May be repeated to a maximum of twelve semester hours.
PHI 5956. Introduction to Philosophical Methods (3). Prerequisite: Instructor permission required. An introduction for graduate students that offers a critical review and analysis of various techniques of philosophical writing (e.g., textual interpretation, argument analysis, commentary on a philosophical paper). This is a writing-intensive course of varying content.
PHI 5998r. Tutorial in Philosophy (1-3). Critical readings and discussions of important classical and contemporary philosophical texts. Variable content. Variable credit: one to two semester hours for a reading course; three semester hours for a reading course with substantial writing. Repeatable with the instructor permission to a maximum of twelve semester hours.
PHI 6205r Philosophical Logic (3). Prerequisite: PHI 3130, equivalent; or instructor permission. An exploration of philosophical issues concerning logic and its applications. Topics such as counterfactuals; logical consequence; the range and nature of quantification; the relation of logic to language and thought; the relation of logic to mathematics; truth; vagueness. A mastery of the syntax and semantics of, and a natural deduction system for, first order logic is presumed. May be repeated to a maximum of twelve semester hours.
PHI 6225r. Philosophy of Language (3). Selected topics, such as the following: theories of truth, meaning, and reference; vagueness; and in-depth readings of figures such as Tarski, Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, and Kripke. May be repeated to a maximum of twelve semester hours.
PHI 6306r. Epistemology (3). A seminar on one or more main topics in contemporary analytic epistemology, such as skepticism, the definition of knowledge, theories of justification, the internalism/externalism debate, naturalized epistemology, virtue epistemology and contextualism. May be repeated to a maximum of twelve semester hours.
PHI 6325r. Philosophy of Mind (3). A critical exploration of one or more of the major problems in the philosophy of mind, such as mental causation, intentionality, consciousness, personal identity, and the mind-body problem. May also include issues arising from the intersection of philosophy of mind and psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and other sciences of the mind. May be repeated to a maximum of twelve semester hours.
PHI 6406r. Philosophy of Science (3). A critical exploration of major problems in the philosophy of science for students in the sciences and philosophy. May be repeated to a maximum of twelve semester hours.
PHI 6425r. Philosophy of Social Sciences (3). A philosophical examination of some key issues in social scientific inquiry. Topics to be explored include human action, explanation and prediction, role of values, theory construction, ideology, and social science and public policy. May be repeated to a maximum of twelve semester hours.
PHI 6455. Philosophy of Biology: Basic Topics (3). A survey of basic topics in the philosophy of biology, including the nature of evolutionary theory, the coming of genetics, molecular biology and its philosophical implications, the Human Genome Project, Creationism, eugenics, and ecological questions.
PHI 6457r. Philosophy of Biology: Selected Topics (3). A study of advanced topics in philosophy of biology, including game-theoretic explanations in biology, the units of selection problem, reductionism in biology, systematics, and socio-biology and the is/ought gap. May be repeated to a maximum of nine semester hours.
PHI 6506r. Metaphysics (3). A study of one or more topics in contemporary metaphysics, for example, ontology, free will, time, causation, and properties. May be repeated to a maximum of twelve semester hours.
PHI 6607r. Ethics (3). Selected topics, such as the following: topics in the history of ethics, twentieth-century ethical theory, historical figures (e.g., Kant, Mill, Hobbes, Hume) kinds of theory (e.g., consequentialism, contractualism, rationalism) metaethical debates, axiology, and practical rationality. May be repeated to a maximum of twelve semester hours.
PHI 6935 (I). Proseminar in Value Theory (3). A study of selected works on core topics in ethics or social or political philosophy. There will be writing assignments, and there may, at the discretion of the instructor, be examinations.
PHI 6935 (II). Proseminar in Theoretical Philosophy (3). A study of selected works on core topics in epistemology, metaphysics, or philosophy of language, mind, or science. There will be writing assignments, and there may, at the discretion of the instructor, be examinations.
PHI 6935r. Seminar in Philosophical Topics (3). A research seminar on a topic to be determined by the instructor's current research interests. Intensive and advanced. May be repeated to a maximum of twelve semester hours.
PHM 6205r. Social and Political Philosophy (3). A critical examination of schools of thought (e.g., liberalism, utilitarianism, Marxism, communitarianism, feminism), or of central issues (e.g., justice, equality, race) in social/political philosophy. May focus on historical or contemporary approaches and/or philosophers. May be repeated to a maximum of twelve semester hours.
PHI 5908r. Directed Individual Study (1-3). (S/U grade only). May be repeated to a maximum of twelve semester hours. For degree restrictions see the Philosophy Department Graduate Student Handbook.
PHI 5913r. Supervised Research (1-5). (S/U grade only). A maximum of three hours may apply to the master's degree. May be repeated to a maximum of five semester hours.
PHI 5945r. Supervised Teaching (1-5). (S/U grade only). A maximum of three hours may apply to the master's degree. May be repeated to a maximum of five semester hours.
PHI 5971r. Thesis (1-6). (S/U grade only). A minimum of six semester hours is required.
PHI 6980r. Dissertation (1-12). (S/U grade only).
Examinations
PHI 8964r. Preliminary Doctoral Examination (0). (P/F grade only).
PHI 8976r. Master's Thesis Defense (0). (P/F grade only).
PHI 8985r. Dissertation Defense (0). (P/F grade only).