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PHIL 1000-001 |
Introduction to Philosophy |
William Kowalsky |
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TR 12:00 PM-12:59 PM |
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Philosophers ask difficult questions about the most basic issues in human life. Does God exist? What can we know about the world? What does it mean to have a mind? How should I treat non-human animals? Do I have free will? This course is an introduction to some of these questions and to the methods philosophers have developed for thinking clearly about them. |
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Hum & Soc Sci Sector (new curriculum only) |
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PHIL 1110-601 |
Ancient Greek Philosophy |
Caleb H Zimmerman |
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T 5:15 PM-8:14 PM |
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What is philosophy? How does it differ from science, religion, literature, and other modes of human discourse? This course traces the origins of philosophy as a discipline in the Western tradition, looking to thinkers of Ancient Greece and Rome. We will examine how natural philosophers such as Thales, Anaximander, and Heraclitus distinguished their inquiries from the teachings of poets such as Homer and Hesiod; how ancient atomism had its origins in a response to Parmenides' challenge to the assumption that things change in the world; how Socrates reoriented the focus of philosophy away from the natural world and toward the fundamental ethical question, how shall I live? We will also examine how his pupil, Plato, and subsequently Aristotle, developed elaborate philosophical systems that address the nature of reality, knowledge, and human happiness. Finally, we will examine the ways in which later thinkers such as the Epicureans and Stoics transformed and extended the earlier tradition. |
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CLST1501601 |
History & Tradition Sector (all classes) |
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PHIL 1170-001 |
History of Modern Philosophy |
George Borg |
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TR 10:15 AM-11:14 AM |
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This course is an introduction to a few central themes in philosophy in the 17th and 18th centuries, and to some of the crucial thinkers who addressed those themes. Topics to be covered may include, among others, the nature of the human being (including the human mind), the relationship between God and the created world, the nature of freedom, and the relations among natural sciences, philosophy and theology in this rich period of human history. |
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History & Tradition Sector (all classes) |
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PHIL 1330-001 |
Ethics |
Carlos J Pereira Di Salvo |
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MW 12:00 PM-12:59 PM |
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Ethics is the study of right and wrong. This introductory course will introduce students to major ethical theories, the possible sources of normativity, and specific ethical problems and questions. Topics may include euthanasia, abortion, animal rights, the family, sexuality, bioethics, crime and punishment, and war. |
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Society sector (all classes) |
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PHIL 1330-301 |
Ethics |
Sara Purinton |
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TR 5:15 PM-6:44 PM |
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Ethics is the study of right and wrong. This introductory course will introduce students to major ethical theories, the possible sources of normativity, and specific ethical problems and questions. Topics may include euthanasia, abortion, animal rights, the family, sexuality, bioethics, crime and punishment, and war. |
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Society sector (all classes) |
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PHIL 1343-001 |
Environmental Ethics |
Paul A Musso |
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TR 10:15 AM-11:44 AM |
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We investigate some of the ethical issues that arise from our relationship with the environment. Topics may include : What are our responsibilities toward the environment, as individuals and as members of institutions? How do our responsibilities toward the environment relate to other ethical considerations? Do non-human animals/species/ecosystems have intrinsic value? What should conservationists conserve? What is the appropriate response to climate change? |
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PHIL 1433-001 |
The Social Contract |
Paul A Musso |
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TR 1:45 PM-2:44 PM |
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This is a critical survey of the history of western modern political philosophy, beginning from the Early Modern period and concluding with the 19th or 20th Century. Our study typically begins with Hobbes and ends with Mill or Rawls. The organizing theme of our investigation will be the idea of the Social Contract. We will examine different contract theories as well as criticisms and proposed alternatives to the contract idea, such as utilitarianism. Besides the above, examples of authors we will read are Locke, Rousseau, Hume, Mill and Marx. |
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Society sector (all classes) |
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PHIL 1450-601 |
Philosophy of Law |
Youngbin Yoon |
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MW 7:00 PM-8:29 PM |
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An introduction to some of the central philosophical problems of law: What is law? What makes law? What is the relationship between law and morality? Can laws be unjust? Is there a moral obligation to obey the law? We will look at different theories of law, such as positivism and natural law theory, and discuss topics like civil disobedience, liberty and the law, and punishment and the law, and the special status of constitutional law. Readings from both classic and contemporary philosophers such as Michelle Alexander, Jeremy Bentham, Angela Davis, Ronald Dworkin, John Hart Ely, H.L.A. Hart, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, John Stuart Mill, Robert Nozick, Martha Nussbaum, Richard Posner, and Jeremy Waldron. |
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Society sector (all classes) |
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PHIL 1540-301 |
Introduction to Feminist Philosophy |
Milton W. Meyer |
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TR 1:45 PM-3:14 PM |
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This course is an introduction to feminist thought, both in theory and in practice. We will consider how feminist thought emerged and evolved, as well as how feminist theories respond to various intellectual, social and political challenges. Questions we will address may include: What exactly is feminism? How does one's gender identity impact one's lived experiences? How should we revise, reformulate, or rethink traditional answers to political and ethical issues in light of feminist theories? How can feminist analyses contribute to the development of better science, and our conceptions of knowledge? |
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https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=PHIL1540301 |
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PHIL 1571-401 |
Repairing the Planet: Tools for the Climate Emergency |
Carlos Santana |
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TR 10:15 AM-11:44 AM |
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This course is a comprehensive introduction to the climate emergency and the tools with which we can fight it. It will integrate natural science, social science, philosophy of science, history, ethics, and policy. The course opens with an overview of the historical discovery of global warming and our contemporary understanding of climate change. We then turn to the framework that the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has developed to study climate risks, focusing on both general issues and case studies throughout the world. The existence and severity of these risks raises questions of climate justice at many levels: individuals to individuals, countries to countries, and the present generation to future generations. We will study these issues in detail, and then examine the policy tools developed to address them. Although we will discuss national and sub-national policy and policy proposals such as the Green New Deal, special attention will be given to global policy tools, especially the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement. In addition to standard writing assignments, students will have a chance to develop policy proposals that address the core issues of the class. |
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ENVS1043401 |
Nat Sci & Math Sector (new curriculum only) |
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https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=PHIL1571401 |
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PHIL 1580-001 |
Philosophy of Religion |
Stephen P Steinberg |
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TR 12:00 PM-1:29 PM |
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An introduction to philosophical questions regarding the nature of religious experiences and beliefs; arguments for and against the existence of God; the problem of evil; the relationships of faith, reason and science, the possibility of religious knowledge, the role of religious communities, etc. Readings from the history of philosophy as well as from 20th century and contemporary philosophy. |
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https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=PHIL1580001 |
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PHIL 1710-401 |
Introduction to Logic |
Aydin Mohseni |
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MW 10:15 AM-11:14 AM |
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This course provides an introduction to some of the fundamental ideas of logic. Topics will include truth functional logic, quantificational logic, and logical decision problems. |
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LGIC1710401, PHIL5710401 |
General Requirement in Formal Reasoning & Analysis |
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PHIL 1830-301 |
Philosophy of Biology |
Quayshawn Nigel Julian Spencer |
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TR 1:45 PM-3:14 PM |
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This course will examine evolutionary theory and its philosophical foundations. We begin with Darwin's formulation of evolutionary theory and the main influences on Darwin. We then consider two contemporary presentations of the theory, by Richard Dawkins and Richard Lewontin. The rest of the course addresses a number of foundational issues including adaptation, the units of selections, the evolution of altruism, and the possibility of grounding ethics in evolutionary theory. |
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Nat Sci & Math Sector (new curriculum only) |
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https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=PHIL1830301 |
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PHIL 2330-301 |
Ethical Questions |
Youngbin Yoon |
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MW 1:45 PM-3:14 PM |
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This course examines some of the central theoretical and practical questions of ethics. For example, what is the good life? By what measure or principles do we evaluate the rightness and wrongness of actions? How does ethical reasoning help us understand and address real world problems such as world hunger, social injustice, sex and race discrimination, climate change, and war. |
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PHIL 2560-401 |
Philosophy of Education |
Dustin C. Webster |
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MW 10:15 AM-11:44 AM |
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The philosophy of education asks questions about the foundational assumptions of our formal institutions for the reproduction of culture. It ranges therefore, from epistemology and philosophy of mind to ethics and political philosophy. For instance: What is the nature of learning and teaching? How is it possible to come to know something we did not know already--and how can we aid others in doing that? How, if at all, should formal institutions of education be concerned with shaping students' moral and civic character? What is the proper relation between educational institutions and the state? We also ask questions more specific to our own time and context. For example: how, in a multicultural state, should we educate students of varied social identities, like race, gender, and religion? What is the relationship between education and justice. |
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GSWS2490001 |
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https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=PHIL2560401 |
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PHIL 2620-001 |
Introduction to Epistemology and Metaphysics: Knowledge and Reality |
William Kowalsky |
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TR 10:15 AM-11:14 AM |
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Two basic assumptions of academic research are that there are truths and we can know them. Epistemology is the study of knowledge, what it is, how it is produced, and how we can have it. Metaphysics, the study of the basic constituents of reality, the study of being as such. In this introduction to metaphysics and epistemology, we will ask hard questions about the nature of reality and knowledge. No philosophy background is required for this course. |
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PHIL 2620-301 |
Introduction to Epistemology and Metaphysics |
Raul Ibarra Herrera |
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TR 5:15 PM-6:44 PM |
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Two basic assumptions of academic research are that there are truths and we can know them. Epistemology is the study of knowledge, what it is, how it is produced, and how we can have it. Metaphysics, the study of the basic constituents of reality, the study of being as such. In this introduction to metaphysics and epistemology, we will ask hard questions about the nature of reality and knowledge. No philosophy background is required for this course. |
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https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=PHIL2620301 |
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PHIL 2640-401 |
Introduction to Philosophy of Mind |
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CANCELED |
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This course will survey several central topics in philosophy of mind, as well as investigate how philosophy of the mind interacts with scientific study of the mind. Among the questions we'll be asking are: What is it to have a mind? What is the relationship between the mind and the brain? Can there be a science of the mind? What can it tell us? What can philosophy contribute to a science of the mind? What is consciousness? What is it to think, to perceive, to act? How are perception, thought, and action related to one another? |
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VLST2210001 |
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PHIL 2680-301 |
Introduction to Metaphysics |
Eugene Vaynberg |
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MW 10:15 AM-11:44 AM |
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In this class we reflect on questions like: What is reality? What is causality? What is the nature of the self and mind? Might you be in a computer simulation (e.g., as in The Matrix)? Is time travel possible? Can your mind survive the death of your brain by uploading? Is time real or is it merely an illusion? |
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https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=PHIL2680301 |
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PHIL 2851-001 |
Philosophy of Economics |
Carlos J Pereira Di Salvo |
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MW 3:30 PM-4:29 PM |
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In this course, general philosophy of science issues are applied to economics, and some problems specific to economics are tackled. While analytical questions like "What is economics?" or "What is an economic explanation" must be pursued, the ultimate goal is practical: What is good economics? How can economists contribute to a better understanding of society, and a better society? How can we make economics better? Topics to be discussed include the following: specific object and method of economics as a social science; its relation with other disciplines (physics, psychology and evolutionary theory); values in economics (welfare, freedom, equality and neutrality); the role of understanding and possible limits of a quantitative approach to human behavior (purposefulness, freedom, creativity, innovation); prediction, unpredictability and the pretension of prediction; causation in econometrics and in economic theory (equilibrium); selfishness and utility maximization (cognitive and behaviorist interpretations); economic models and unrealistic assumptions (realism and instrumentalism); empirical basis of economics (observation and experiment); microeconomics and macroeconomics (reductionism and autonomy); pluralism in economics (mainstream economics and heterodox schools). |
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PHIL 3330-301 |
Topics in Ethics |
Sukaina Hirji |
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MW 12:00 PM-1:29 PM |
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This seminar for philosophy majors will cover selected topics in ethics. The content will vary from semester to semester. |
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PHIL 3800-301 |
Topics in Philosophy of Science |
Quayshawn Nigel Julian Spencer |
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TR 3:30 PM-4:59 PM |
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A seminar for philosophy majors on selected topics in the Philosophy of Science. |
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https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=PHIL3800301 |
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PHIL 4251-301 |
Themes of Indian Philosophy: Yoga and the Bhagavad Gita |
Deven Patel |
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TR 10:15 AM-11:44 AM |
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Yoga is a classical school of Indian philosophy that consists of a unique metaphysics epistemology, and ethics. Yoga in the contemporary context usually refers to a system of physical and spiritual exercises that draw from this philosophy. In this course, we will read the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali in English translation from the original Sanskrit, with commentary. We will go over all central concepts, technical terms, and historical developments in the philosophy of Yoga. We will also discuss the philosophy of Hatha Yoga in the context of its historical and practical developments. No prior knowledge of Indian philosophy is required for this course. Alongside this, we will also look at the philosophy, religious significance, and history of the Bhagavad Gita -- a major conspective statement of Indian philosophy which draws together the insights of the early Vedic tradition (including Yoga), Buddhism, Jainism, and effectively becomes a foundational work of classical Hinduism. |
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SAST3650301 |
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PHIL 4470-675 |
Norms and Nudges |
Cristina Bicchieri |
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CANCELED |
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Social norms are the rules we live by, and we encounter them in any area of ourlife. Social norms often guarantee the smooth functioning of a group or organization. Sometimes, however, these norms are inefficient or do not benefit society at large. What can we do to change these harmful collective behaviors? Social psychology, philosophy, sociology, rational-choice, legal theory, and even economics, are investigating and theorizing pro-social behavior, justice motivation, and moral and social norms. In this course, we will examine the latest and best in this emerging multidisciplinary field. Students will be encouraged to apply its findings and methods to their area of interest. |
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<span class="penncourse-course-notes">Perm Needed From Department</span> |
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PHIL 4515-401 |
Existence in Black |
David K. Amponsah |
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T 12:00 PM-2:59 PM |
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Racial, colonial, and other political formations have encumbered Black existence since at least the fifteenth-century. Black experiences of and reflections on these matters have been the subject of existential writings and artistic expressions ranging from the blues to reggae, fiction and non-fiction. Reading some of these texts alongside canonical texts in European existential philosophy, this class will examine how issues of freedom self, alienation, finitude, absurdity, race, and gender shape and are shaped by the global Black experience. Since Black aliveness is literally critical to Black existential philosophy, we shall also engage questions of Black flourishing amidst the potential for pessimism and nihilism. |
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AFRC4406401, AFRC5060401, HIST0873401, PHIL6515401 |
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PHIL 4720-401 |
Topics in Mathematical Logic: Game Theory, Artificial Intelligence, and Existential Risk |
Aydin Mohseni |
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MW 1:45 PM-3:14 PM |
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The course focuses on topics drawn from the central areas of mathematical logic: model theory, proof theory, set theory, and computability theory. |
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LGIC4960401, MATH6770401, PHIL6720401 |
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PHIL 4722-401 |
Logic and Computability 2 |
Andre Scedrov |
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TR 1:45 PM-3:14 PM |
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The course is a continuation of PHIL 4721. Cross-list with MATH5710 and LGIC3200. |
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LGIC3200401, MATH5710401, PHIL6722401 |
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PHIL 5110-301 |
Topics in Ancient Philosophy |
Sukaina Hirji |
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M 3:30 PM-6:29 PM |
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A study of selected topics and themes in Plato, Aristotle, and their successors in the Hellenistic period. |
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PHIL 5332-301 |
Topics in Ethics |
Errol D Lord |
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W 3:30 PM-6:29 PM |
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A selection of topics in theoretical or practical ethics. |
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https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=PHIL5332001 |
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PHIL 5710-401 |
Introduction to Logic |
Aydin Mohseni |
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MW 10:15 AM-11:14 AM |
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This graduate-level course provides an introduction to some of the fundamental ideas of logic. Topics will include truth functional logic, quantificational logic, and logical decision problems. |
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LGIC1710401, PHIL1710401 |
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PHIL 5800-301 |
Topics in the Philosophy of Science |
Carlos Santana |
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T 3:30 PM-6:29 PM |
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A graduate seminar on selected topics in the philosophy of science. Undergraduates need permission. |
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https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=PHIL5800301 |
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PHIL 5810-001 |
Topics in History and Philosophy of Science: Scientific Knowledge of the Deep Past |
George Borg |
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R 3:30 PM-6:29 PM |
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A graduate seminar on selected topics in the history of philosophy of science. Undergraduates need permission. |
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PHIL 5956-640 |
MLA Seminar Philosophy & Psychoanalysis: Freud & the Interpretation of Culture |
Stephen P Steinberg |
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T 5:15 PM-7:55 PM |
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MLA proseminar. More than a century after Sigmund Freud transformed - for better or worse - our understanding of what it means to be human, Freudian psychoanalysis still exerts a profound influence in our culture. This seminar course is an exploration of the philosophical issues raised by Freudian psychoanalysis as a theory of mind and culture. After a close reading of Freud's theoretical writings on the nature of the mind and human behavior, we will explore why Freud's theories - despite more than a century of criticism - remain highly influential as a framework for the interpretation of art, literature, religion, society, politics, and history. Readings from Freud's "meta-psychological", cultural, and social writings, Paul Ricoeur's Freud and Philosophy, and other contemporary authors in philosophy, psychoanalysis, and other fields. No previous knowledge of psychoanalysis, psychology, or philosophy required. |
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https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=PHIL5956640 |
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PHIL 6515-401 |
Existence in Black |
David K. Amponsah |
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T 12:00 PM-2:59 PM |
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Racial, colonial, and other political formations have encumbered Black existence since at least the fifteenth-century. Black experiences of and reflections on these matters have been the subject of existential writings and artistic expressions ranging from the blues to reggae, fiction and non-fiction. Reading some of these texts alongside canonical texts in European existential philosophy, this class will examine how issues of freedom, self, alienation, finitude, absurdity, race, and gender shape and are shaped by the global Black experience. Since Black aliveness is literally critical to Black existential philosophy, we shall also engage questions of Black flourishing amidst the potential for pessimism and nihilism. |
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AFRC4406401, AFRC5060401, HIST0873401, PHIL4515401 |
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PHIL 6720-401 |
Topics in Mathematical Logic: Game Theory, Artificial Intelligence, and Existential Risk |
Aydin Mohseni |
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MW 1:45 PM-3:14 PM |
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This graduate course focuses on topics drawn from the central areas of mathematical logic: model theory, proof theory, set theory, and computability theory. |
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LGIC4960401, MATH6770401, PHIL4720401 |
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PHIL 6722-401 |
Logic and Computability 2 |
Andre Scedrov |
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TR 1:45 PM-3:14 PM |
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A continuation of PHIL 6721. |
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LGIC3200401, MATH5710401, PHIL4722401 |
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Department of Philosophy