Spring 2021 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?
| Instructor: TBD | Sec 820: MW 10:00—11:15 AM Sec 821: TR 1:00—2:15 PM Remote Learning |
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.
Reserved for students in the Exploratory Studies Learning Community (Explorers).
| Instructor: Cameron Evans | MW 4:00–5:15 PM, ASH 101 | link to flyer |
PHIL 1030: Brains, Minds, and Machines
Introduction to Philosophy: Brains, Minds, and Machines examines central questions in philosophy about the nature of the mind, the self, human rationality, perception/experience, and technology through the lens of work in cognitive science, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and psychology.
Some major topics and questions include: What are minds? Is the human mind a digital computer? Could a machine—e.g., a robot or a computer—be truly intelligent, or have experiences like humans and animals do? How does the brain “represent” its environment? In engaging these questions, the course also introduces students to foundational issues in cognitive science and artificial intelligence including: nativism vs. empiricism, mental representation, classical artificial intelligence vs. neural networks, modularity, evolutionary psychology, embodied cognition, and extended cognition.
This class fulfills Humanities & Fine Arts General Education requirements.
| Instructor: Dr. Joseph McCaffrey | MW 2:30–3:45 PM, Remote Learning |
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.
This course will address questions such as: What does it mean to live a morally decent life? What does it mean to be autonomous? What is the relationship between personal autonomy and state authority? What is liberalism? What is it like to be a citizen? Does democracy have an ethics of belief? Is coercive intervention ever justified in protecting peoples’ human rights?
| Instructor: Dr. Rory Conces | Sec 820: MW 11:30 AM—12:45 PM Sec 821: TR 10:00—11:15 AM Remote Learning |
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 requirements for Psychology (Cognate Requirement, BS), Neuroscience (Cognate Requirement, BS), and Philosophy (BA – All Concentrations and Minor). And this course is also excellent preparation for the LSAT and the reasoning portions of other examinations for graduate study.
| Instructor: Dr. Laura Grams | Sec 820: MW 11:30 AM—12:45 PM Sec 821: TR 2:30—3:45 PM Remote Learning |
link to flyer |
PHIL 2010: Symbolic Logic
What are the most fundamental rules for rational thought?
This course covers the central aspects of propositional logic and predicate logic. We study both semantics (i.e., interpretive relations between language and subject matter including notions such as truth and reference) and syntax (i.e., formal relations between elements of language). We learn how to construct and translate formal languages and explore the basis of both semantic and syntactic inference. We also explore foundational issues in logical metatheory. Throughout the course, we discuss broad philosophical themes such as the purpose of language, constraints on translation, and nature of meaning itself.
This course fulfills the reasoning requirement of the Philosophy BA; an elective for Computer Science’s Artificial Intelligence Concentration BS; and the Quantitative Literacy Requirement for the Medical Humanities BA and BS and the Women’s and Gender Studies BA. It is also excellent preparation for the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT ) and other examinations for graduate study (GRE, MCAT, GMAT).
Understanding logic is key to understanding everything!
| Instructor: Dr. William J. Melanson | MW 1:00—2:15 PM, Remote Learning | link to flyer |
PHIL 2030: Introduction to Ethics
What is right? What is good? What should you do? In this class, students learn essential moral distinctions and influential moral theories and learn to apply these in the deliberation of complex ethical issues. At the heart of it all is discussion. Discussion of the theories and their application is central to learning how to reason about ethical problems and make moral progress.
This course fulfills requirements for Nursing Programs (UNMC - Prerequisite), Medical Humanities (BS, BS, and Minor), Psychology (Cognate Requirement, BS), Neuroscience (Cognate Requirement, BS), Holocaust and Genocide Studies (Minor), Human Rights (Minor), Ethics (Minor), and Philosophy (BA – All Concentrations and Minor).
| Instructor: Dr. Robert Steel | Multiple sections are available. Check the class search for details. Remote Learning |
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.
Our instructor, Todd Grassman, is in the unique position of holding an MA in Philosophy as well as being a working, nationally certified paramedic, with over seven years of experience in pre-hospital and hospital settings.
This course fulfills requirements for Medical Humanities (BS, BA, and Minor), Psychology (Cognate Requirement, BS), Ethics, Law, and Social Political Philosophy Concentration of Philosophy (BA), Ethics (Minor), and Philosophy (BA and Minor).
| Instructor: Todd Grassman | Sec 820: TR 2:30—3:45 PM Sec 821: TR 4:00—5:15 PM Remote Learning |
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.
The unifying theme of readings to be used for the Spring 2021 iteration of this course is: JUSTICE and the COSMOS.
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. Prior Philosophy coursework is recommended but not required.
| Instructor: Dr. Laura Grams | TR 1:00–2:15 PM Remote Learning |
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 (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: Dr. Laura Grams | MW 1:00–2:15 PM Remote Learning |
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?
Prerequisites: PHIL 2030, 6 credit hours in Philosophy, or the permission of the instructor
| Instructor: Dr. Robert Steel | MW 10:00—11:15 AM, Remote Learning | link to flyer |
PHIL 3220: The Philosophy of Art
An inquiry into historical and contemporary philosophical perspectives on the making, interpreting and criticizing of works of art, including relations of the arts to other dimensions of cultures.
This course will address questions such as: What is a work of art? What is beauty? Can art be immoral? What is the role of art in politics?
Prereq: Junior or 3 credits in philosophy.
This course also fulfills requirements for Psychology (Cognate Requirement, BS).
| Instructor: Dr. Rory Conces | MW 1:30–2:45 PM Remote Learning |
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), Neuroscience (Electives: BS), Philosophy of Brain and Mind Concentration (Core Requirements: BA), Philosophy (Other Concentrations - Electives: BA).
| Instructor: Yanssel Garcia | TR 11:30 AM–12:45 PM Remote Learning |
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.
Throughout the course, we will examine how these empirical findings intersect with the ethical choices that we ought to make.
| Instructor: Dr. Joseph McCaffrey | TR 2:30—3:45 PM Remote Learning |
link to flyer |
PHIL 4610-820: Philosophy of Language
This course provides an introduction to the central problems and foundational theories in the philosophy of language. We will investigate central semantic issues concerning the nature of reference, meaning, and truth; examine key pragmatic issues concerning the role of context and the ways in which we use language; and explore expressive and figurative uses of language such as metaphor.
Such issues lie at heart of many perennial philosophical puzzles, encompass debates in linguistics and psycholinguistics, and pose challenges to work in Computer Science and, especially, Artificial Intelligence.
This course fulfills requirements for Cognitive Science Concentration of Psychology (BS, BA) Philosophy of Brain and Mind Concentration (Core Requirements: BA), and Philosophy (Other Concentrations and Minor - Electives: BA).
| Instructor: Dr. William J. Melanson | TR 10:00–11:15 AM, Remote Learning | link to flyer |
