Bioethics (PHI 2635) – This course is an examination of the philosophical foundations of bioethical theory and an exploration of the trenchant issues in contemporary bioethics with a concentration on discussions of race, gender, and vulnerable populations (e.g. the poor, immigrants). The course employs tools of ethical theory, philosophical analysis, and analytic writing to examine a number of moral issues arising in health care including justice in health care, experimentation and research on human subjects, reproductive technology, aging, organ donation, and euthanasia. Throughout the course we examine assumptions about rights, persons, and ethical principles at work in medical decisions.
Contemporary Political Thought (PHM 4340r) – An exploration of a set of issues, a trend, or a school of thought in contemporary political philosophy. May be repeated to a maximum of nine semester hours. Also offered by the Department of Political Science.
Environmental Ethics (PHI 2620) – This course focuses on philosophical issues raised by environmental problems and the sciences designed to resolve them. The course also analyzes the historical development of environmental perspectives and the ethical theories that have been generated by these approaches.
Ethical Issues and Life Choices (PHI 2630) – This course draws on ethical theories to explore the major ethical issues that one faces as one makes decisions about the kinds of activities to engage in and the kind of life to lead. Issues such as those involving life and death (e.g., abortion, euthanasia, animal rights) and social justice (e.g. discrimination, responsibility to future generations) are examined.
Introduction to Political Philosophy (PHM 2300) – This course introduces students to the main issues in political philosophy: the justification of political authority, role of law, political obligation, neocolonialism, disobedience, revolution, rights, the appropriate ends of government, patterns of distribution and justice.
Modern Political Thought (PHM 3331r) – Major political ideas of the modern world emphasized through a study of selected political theorists such as Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Hume, Burke, Hegel, Marx, Engels, Bentham, Mill, Jefferson, Madison, Lenin, and Mussolini. May be repeated to a maximum of nine semester hours. Also offered by the Department of Political Science.
Philosophy of Human Rights (PHM 3351) – This course is a survey of philosophical discussion of human rights and the moral and political questions arising from their violations. We examine the philosophical foundations for human rights claims, as well as women’s human rights, political evil and mass atrocities. We analyze questions of justice and forgiveness in the context of social healing and democratization.
Philosophy of the Law (PHM 3400) – A comprehensive survey of the most important schools of thought, traditional problems, and current issues in Anglo-American philosophy of law. Chief theories discussed are natural law, positivism, realism (including the law and economics movement), and critical legal studies (including race and gender theory). Also explored are different views about the interpretation of law and the role of the judiciary in American politics. Includes analysis of legal cases and consideration of issues such as justice, equality, liberty, privacy, and punishment.
Philosophy of Race, Class, and Gender (PHM 2121) – In this course, students study selected contemporary philosophical, literary, and journalistic discussions of questions regarding race, class, and gender with a particular emphasis on the status of these discussions in the United States. Students also survey theoretical accounts of the concepts of race, class and gender, as well as their interrelatedness, and examine their application to various contemporary social issues.