Philosophy

This course is an introduction to Latin American philosophy. As such its aims are to give a firm ground in the history of Latin American philosophy; to introduce some of the crucial ideas, issues, problems and forms of thinking that occur in some of the most important periods, movements and figures in Latin American thought; to cultivate the ability to read this tradition in its own right, and to recognize its distinct and meaningful contributions to world philosophies. The course will involve close reading and analysis of texts, background lectures and class discussions.

This course is an overview of major positions and topics in contemporary environmental philosophy. We will begin with a consideration of classic texts representing dominant movements in environmental thought: deep ecology, ecofeminism, social ecology, and bioregionalism.

The aim of this course is to introduce you to some important philosophical conversations about art that have developed throughout history.  We will explore a few canonical studies on the nature of art and the beautiful, more recent twentieth century discussions concerning the relationship between art and political society, language, and ordinaryt life, and statements by twentieth century artistis describing the goals and processes of their work.  Secondarily, we will address the question of the relationship between art and philosophy throughout the course.  My intention is to

Hegel, Marx, and Nietzsche can be described as “masters of suspicion.” In different yet equally groundbreaking ways, they call into question perennial philosophical assumptions about reality, knowledge, and value. What they share, however, is a deep suspicion of abstract accounts of the self. In their texts we thus find accounts of the self as embodied—as inextricably bound to desire, need, and affect. We also find accounts of the self as irreducibly social—other selves, relations of labor and power, and history are constitutive of the self.

An examination of the moral dimensions of business enterprise and exchange. Particular topics include corporate and consumer responsibility, meaningful work, and the nature of leadership.

This course is designed as an introduction to the major philosophical traditions of China, India, and Japan.  Students will read the foundational texts of Confucianism, Daoism, Hinduism, and Buddhism as well as relevant secondary literature.

This course is the second of a three-course introduction to the history of western philosophy. The purpose of this course is to examine the history of western philosophy in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries as well as to consider the importance and relevance of the history of philosophy for us today.

In its relatively brief history (scarcely more than a century), film has arguably become the most significant art form and medium for the origination and transmission of culture. Perhaps because of the brevity of its existence, or perhaps due to its dismissal as merely “popular” culture (a form of cultural production often deemed unworthy of serious reflection) it has received relatively little attention from philosophers.

This course takes up the question, “What does it mean to be a human being?  Who's asking, anyway?” The aim will be to examine such conceptions in reference to the larger social, political, and religious history to which they are bound. A few of the perspectives considered include genetics, psychoanalysis, classical Indian philosophy, Euro-American philosophy (including feminism, as well as Latin American thought) with attention applied to issues including the nature of sexuality, racial identity, embodiment, inter-subjectivity, and projects of personal meaning.