Featured Spring Courses
J-Session Course (Jan. 3-21, 2022)
PHIL 3230: Philosophy and Popular Media
This course examines Philosophy in the context of contemporary popular media including graphic novels, interactive art, video games and VR worlds, or other still-emergent formats. The specific forms of popular art or media selected as a focus area during each term may change in successive course offerings, to suit thematic emphases or new developments (e.g. webseries graphic novels, video games and their associated literature, fictional universes shared between comics and film).
| Instructor: Dr. Laura Grams | MTWRF 10 AM–12 PM, ASH 210 | link to flyer |
Spring Regular Session Courses
PHIL 1010: Introduction to Philosophy: The Meaning of Life
What does it mean to live a good life? This course will challenge students to think about why they have come to college, what their next steps are, how a liberal arts education can prepare them for what comes down the road, and what is ultimately meaningful in life.
The course will include philosophical, literary, and psychological examinations of happiness, freedom (how do we make transformative life decisions), the value of college education, materialism/consumerism, and resilience in the face of suffering and mortality.
In short, you will work at answering the fundamental question: What is the meaning of it all?
| Instructors: Varied | Multiple sections are available. See the class search for details. | link to flyer |
PHIL 1020: Contemporary Moral Problems
An introduction to the application of basic moral concepts and theories to contemporary moral issues. Discussion topics will vary and may include: distribution of wealth and resources, capital punishment, torture, environmental ethics and sustainability, animal rights, euthanasia, abortion, cloning, genetic engineering, privacy rights, drug laws, marriage and sexuality, gun control, and affirmative action.
Section 001 is reserved for students in the Exploratory Studies Learning Community (Explorers).
| Instructor: Sec 001–Cameron Evans; Sec 850 & 851–Dr. Haixin Dang | Sec 001: MW 4:00–5:15 PM, ASH 292 Sec 850 & 851: Totally Online |
link to flyer |
PHIL 1040: Introduction to Philosophy: Law, Politics, and Society
A first course in philosophy designed to introduce students to the foundational theories and concepts of legal philosophy, ethics, and social/political philosophy. Students engage theories and concepts by exploring how they are relevant to life in contemporary society. Discussion topics may include free speech, immigration, racism, authoritarianism and populism, human rights, and humanitarian intervention.
| Instructor: Dr. Rory Conces | MWF 10-10:50 AM, ASH 210 | link to flyer |
PHIL 1210: Critical Reasoning
A study of the principles of correct reasoning! Critical reasoning is a form of mental gymnastics. It helps us to solve problems, ask questions, organize our thoughts, and express ourselves clearly and defensibly. In this class, you will learn deep reading skills, argument construction and analysis, basic inductive and deductive logic, and how to identify and avoid fallacies. Along the way, you will think carefully and critically about some real world problems!
This course fulfills Humanities and Fine Arts General Education requirements, as well as for Psychology (Advocacy, Ethics, Social Justice & Law Cognate Requirement, BS), Neuroscience (Cognate Requirement, BS), Philosophy (BA – All Concentrations and Minor) and is recommended for the Medical Humanities minor. This course is also excellent preparation for the LSAT and the reasoning portions of other examinations for graduate study.
| Instructor: Sec 001–Kevin Patton; Sec 850–Dr. Rory Conces | Sec 001: MW 2:30—3:45 PM Sec 850: Totally Online |
link to flyer |
PHIL 2030: Introduction to Ethics
A critical study of basic moral concepts and problems contained in ethical theories of important western philosophers: relativism, egoism, happiness, obligation, justice, freedom, conscience, love, religious precepts, moral rules, moral attitudes and moral language.
This course fulfills Humanities & Fine Arts General Education requirements, as well as for Nursing Programs (UNMC - Prerequisite), Medical Humanities (BA, BS, and Minor), Psychology (Advocacy, Ethics, Social Justice & Law Cognate Requirement, BS), Neuroscience (Cognate Requirement, BS), Holocaust and Genocide Studies (Minor), Human Rights (Minor), Ethics (Minor), and Philosophy (BA–All Concentrations and Minor).
| Instructors: Varied | Multiple sections are available. See the class search for details. | link to flyer |
PHIL 2300/MEDH 2300: Human Values in Medicine
Medicine, with its constant innovations, is a field where new possibilities continually arise, and with those possibilities come new, meaningful questions. In this course, we will examine the values we apply in making decisions about medical care, as well as case studies from real world clinical practice, to gain a deeper appreciation for the human, ethical aspects of medicine. This course should be of interest to any student preparing for a career in health professions and biomedical research.
This course fulfills Humanities and Fine Arts General Education requirements, as well as Medical Humanities (BS, BA, and Minor), Psychology (Health & Sciences Explorations Cognate Requirement, BS), Ethics, Law, and Social Political Philosophy Concentration of Philosophy (BA), Ethics (Minor), and Philosophy (BA and Minor).
| Instructor: Dr. Robert Steel | TR 1-2:15 PM, Allwine Hall 312 | link to flyer |
PHIL 3000: Philosophy Writing
This course focuses on writing instruction, with a particular emphasis on logical argument, editing and revision, and research methods in the discipline of philosophy. Significant quantities of written work will be required for this course.
This course is designed for students who are beginning to take upper-level coursework and is suitable for Philosophy majors, minors, and non-majors, particularly those who seek additional preparation in argument-focused writing.
| Instructor: Dr. Laura Grams | TR 11:30–12:45 PM ASH 100 |
link to flyer |
PHIL 3040: Philosophy of Law
What is the law and how is it created? What makes legal authority legitimate, and what are its limits? What is the relationship between law and morality? What are legal rights and how should they be protected?
This course explores these questions and many others, including competing theories about the nature of the law and legal reasoning, constitutional interpretation, and punishment.
This course fulfills requirements for Psychology (Advocacy, Ethics, Social Justice & Law Cognate Requirement, BS), Ethics, Law, and Social Political Philosophy Concentration of Philosophy (BA), Human Rights Studies (Minor), Ethics (Minor), and as an elective for Philosophy (BA–Other Concentrations and Minor).
Prerequisites: Junior standing or 6 hours of PHIL coursework.
| Instructor: Attorney William O'Brien | W 6:00–8:40 PM, ASH 215 | link to flyer |
PHIL 3050-820: Ethical Theory
This course includes a detailed examination of selected topics in normative ethics and/or metaethics. Normative ethical questions to consider may include: Is the morally right thing to do always the thing that has the best consequences, as so-called "consequentialists" believe? What sorts of things are intrinsically good, i.e., good in themselves, regardless of their effects?
Metaethical questions to be considered may include: Are there any objective moral facts? If so, where do they come from?
This course fulfills requirements for the Ethics, Law, and Social Political Philosophy Concentration (Core Requirement, BA), Philosophy (Core Requirement of Traditional Major, BA; Upper Elective for Brain and Mind Concentration and Minor), Ethics (Minor), andHuman Rights Studies (Minor).
| Instructor: Dr. Robert Steel | MW 2:30-3:45 PM, ASH 279 | link to flyer |
PHIL 3130: History of Modern Philosophy
The Modern Period (roughly 1600 to 1800) was a time of great scientific advancement, political upheaval, and philosophical progress. During this period, philosophers wrestled with fundamental metaphysical questions about the nature of matter, causation, mind, and God, key epistemological questions regarding the nature and grounds of knowledge, and central ethical and political questions about our rights and duties. As such, the philosophical work of this period provides the foundations for contemporary work in epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, ethics, and political philosophy. In this course, students will explore the interpretation and implications of work by some of the most influential thinkers of the period such as Descartes, Spinoza, Locke, Leibniz, Berkeley, Hume, Reid, and Kant.
| Instructor: Dr. Laura Grams | TR 1–2:15 PM, ASH 100 | link to flyer |
PHIL 3650: Philosophy of Mind
A discussion of various accounts of the nature of minds which focuses upon philosophical problems such as whether the mind is identical with the brain, the extent of similarities between human minds and computers, the nature of personal identity, and the relationship of mental activity to behavior.
This course will address questions such as: What is the nature mind? Is mind a unique sort of substance, just a program, or nothing at all? Do minds really have an effect on the world? If so, how? Could physical science ever explain the nature of mind? Does EVERYTHING have a little bit of mind?
Prereq: 6 hours of philosophy or permission of instructor.
This course fulfills requirements for Psychology (Additional Perspectives Distribution: BS, BA; Cognitive Science Concentration: BS, BA; Minor), Neuroscience (Electives: BS), Philosophy of Brain and Mind Concentration (Core Requirements: BA), Philosophy (Other Concentrations - Upper Level Electives: BA).
| Instructor: Dr. Yanssel Garcia | MW 1-2:15 PM, ASH 303 | link to flyer |
PHIL 4260: Moral Psychology
The growing interdisciplinary field of moral psychology studies our moral beliefs and decisionmaking processes using the tools of anthropology, psychology, philosophy, and neuroscience.
Topics in the science of morality will include the moral-conventional distinction (the distinction between moral norms and non-moral norms such as etiquette), the role of reasons vs. emotions in moral judgment, the brain basis of moral decision-making, cultural differences in moral norms, psychopathy, and the development of morality in children.
Psychology studies the nature of moral judgment using behavioral tasks. Neuroscience employs techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and other tools for monitoring and manipulating brain processes to study “where” in the brain moral decision making occurs and the nature of these decisions.
This course fulfills requirements for Psychology (Electives: BS, BA); Philosophy of Brain and Mind Concentration (List A Requirements: BA), and Philosophy (Other Concentrations - Upper Level Electives: BA).
| Instructor: Dr. Joseph McCaffrey | TR 2:30—3:45 PM Remote Learning |
link to flyer |