Philosophy

Degree Types: PhD

The Doctoral Program in Philosophy trains students historically and systematically, fosters the growth of philosophical skills, and encourages broad and incisive exploration of individual interests.

The philosophy core curriculum is flexible and allows students to pursue individual research interests. Strengths of the department include ancient philosophy, epistemology and metaphysics, European philosophy, philosophy of mind and language, and ethics and political philosophy.

Students in this program are also encouraged to participate in TGS’s Interdisciplinary Initiative program. For more information on how you can have a second intellectual “home” outside of your department or program please visit the Interdisciplinary Clusters page.

Additional resources:

Degree Offered

Learning objective(s)/Students should be able to…

  • Contribute original research to the scholarly community.
  • Develop and teach a variety of academic courses.
  • Present work effectively at conferences.
  • Demonstrate leadership.
  • Prepare for success in the job market.

Philosophy Courses

PHIL 310-0 Studies in Ancient Philosophy (1 Unit)  

Works of one or more important philosophers or movements before 500 CE. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

PHIL 311-0 Studies in Medieval Philosophy (1 Unit)  

Works of one or more important philosophers or philosophical movements between 500 and 1500 CE. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

PHIL 312-0 Studies in Modern Philosophy (1 Unit)  

Works of one or more important philosophers or philosophical movements between 1500 and 1800. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

PHIL 313-1 Kant's 'Critique of Pure Reason' I (1 Unit)  

Detailed analysis of Kant's claims to justify human knowledge in The Critique of Pure Reason (the 'Analytic of Pure Reason').

PHIL 313-2 Kant's 'Critique of Pure Reason' II (1 Unit)  

Detailed analysis of Kant's criticism of traditional metaphysics in The Critique of Pure Reason (the 'Dialectic of Pure Reason').

PHIL 314-0 Studies in German Philosophy (1 Unit)  

Study of one or more key themes, figures, or historical developments in German philosophy from the 18th century to the present. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

PHIL 315-0 Studies in French Philosophy (1 Unit)  

One or more figures of 20th century or contemporary French philosophy, such as Michel Foucault, Simone de Beauvoir, Frantz Fanon. May include perspectives from feminist, anti-racist, decolonial and/or queer theory. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

PHIL 317-0 Studies in 19th and 20th Century Philosophy (1 Unit)  

Study of one or more key philosophical themes, figures, or developments of the 19th century, 20th century, or both. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

PHIL 318-0 Studies in Contemporary Philosophy (1 Unit)  

Selected philosophical works of the latter part of the 20th century or the 21st century. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

PHIL 319-0 Existentialism and Its Sources (1 Unit)  

Intensive study of one or a small number of major contributions to the existentialist tradition. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

PHIL 321-0 Philosophy & Gender (1 Unit)  

Survey of approaches to sex and gender throughout the history of philosophy. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

PHIL 324-0 Studies in African American Philosophy (1 Unit)  

Study of the work of one or more important African American philosophers or philosophical movements of the 19th or 20th centuries. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

PHIL 325-0 Philosophy of Mind (1 Unit)  

Selected topics in the philosophy of mind: mind-body problem, problem of other minds, self-knowledge, personal identity, philosophical psychology. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

PHIL 326-0 Topics in Philosophy of Medicine (1 Unit)  

Introduces premed students to reasoning through problems they are likely to encounter. For example: Is it ever ethical to withhold information from a patient? Should physicians help terminally ill patients commit suicide? Should health care for the elderly be more limited than for children? How does uncertainty and risk bear on medical decisions?

Ethical and Evaluative Thinking Foundational Disci Ethics Values Distro Area

PHIL 327-0 Philosophy of Psychology (1 Unit)  

Problems such as the nature of psychological explanation, experimentation and the testing of psychological claims, the standing of psychology as a science, reductionism, the unconscious, and conceptualizing the psyche and its processes. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

PHIL 328-0 Classics of Analytic Philosophy (1 Unit)  

Examination of classic texts that shaped the analytic movement of 20th century Anglo-American philosophy. Readings from Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, Carnap, Quine, and others.

PHIL 330-0 Practical Reasoning and Choice (1 Unit)  

Theory of decision making, what it is to decide, possible constraints on decisions, how to understand preference reversals, paradoxes of decision making, and actions taken against one's better judgment.

PHIL 350-0 Advanced Logic (1 Unit)  

Alternating topics. Metalogic: Formal semantics, soundness, completeness, and compactness of predicate logic; Nonstandard models of arithmetic and the Lowenheim-Skolem theorems. Incompleteness: Recursive functions, the incompletability of arithmetic and undecidability of predicate logic. Definability and undefinability of provability, consistency, and truth in arithmetic. Third quarter of PHIL 150-0/PHIL 250-0/PHIL 350-0 sequence.

Prerequisite: PHIL 150-0.

PHIL 351-0 Advanced Topics in Philosophical Logic (1 Unit)  

Advanced application of methods of modern formal logic to a variety of questions in metaphysics, philosophy of logic, philosophy of language, and philosophy of mathematics.

Prerequisite: PHIL 250-0.

PHIL 352-0 Philosophy of Mathematics (1 Unit)  

Nature of mathematical entities and mathematical truth. Platonism, intuitionism, fictionalism, nominalism, the synthetic a priori, self-referential paradoxes, incompleteness and undecidability, consistency, alternative axiomatizations and uniqueness, the relation between mathematics and logic, and mathematical revolutions.

PHIL 353-0 Philosophy of Language (1 Unit)  

The nature and uses of language as presenting philosophical problems, e.g., theory of reference, the modes of meaning, definition, metaphor, problems of syntax, and semantics. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

PHIL 355-0 Scientific Method in the Social Sciences (1 Unit)  

Analysis of the philosophical foundations of social inquiry with reference to selected problems, thinkers, and schools, both classical and modern.

PHIL 357-0 Topics in Metaphysics and Epistemology (1 Unit)  

Examination of current debates in metaphysics and epistemology, broadly understood. Possible topics include skepticism, mental representation, time, the epistemology of testimony, linguistic norms, personal identity, causation, and modality. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

PHIL 358-0 Epistemology (1 Unit)  

Central problems in the theory of knowledge, emphasizing contemporary developments. A priori knowledge, perception memory, induction, and theories of meaning and truth. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

PHIL 359-0 Studies in Metaphysics (1 Unit)  

The most general features of reality and their relation to thought and language. Topics may include existence, time, identity, properties, truth, causality, and freedom. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

PHIL 360-0 Topics in Moral Philosophy (1 Unit)  

Philosophical analysis of recent or contemporary issues, theories, or figures in moral philosophy. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

PHIL 361-0 Topics in Social and Political Philosophy (1 Unit)  

Philosophical analysis of a recent or contemporary issue, individual philosopher, or school of thought in social and political philosophy. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

PHIL 362-0 Studies in the History of Ethical and Political Theory (1 Unit)  

Examination of one or more major figures or movements in the history of moral or political philosophy. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

PHIL 363-0 Kant's Moral Theory (1 Unit)  

Exploration of the moral and ethical thought of Immanuel Kant through careful study of Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals along with readings from the Critique of Practical Reason, Metaphysics of Morals, and Religion within the Bounds of Mere Reason.

Ethics Values Distro Area

PHIL 364-0 Business and Professional Ethics (1 Unit)  

Application of ethical theories (Kantianism, utilitarianism, etc.) in a commercial setting. Topics include social responsibilities of corporations, public regulation, moral limits of marketing (e.g., marketing to children, noxious products), social justice versus fair compensation.

Ethics Values Distro Area

PHIL 366-0 Advanced Studies in the Philosophy of Religion (1 Unit)  

Central problems in the philosophy of religion. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

PHIL 370-0 Philosophy & Literature (1 Unit)  

Issues involving the relationship between philosophy and literature. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

PHIL 380-0 Philosophy of Art (1 Unit)  

Topics to be discussed might include the nature and purpose of art, art and perception, the nature of creativity, and the social responsibility of the artist. May also be taught as advanced topics in the philosophy and theory of one or several of the arts, e.g. in the philosophy of film, philosophy of figurative art, philosophy of music, etc. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

Advanced Expression

PHIL 390-0 Special Topics In Philosophy (1 Unit)  

May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

PHIL 401-1 Proseminar (1St-Yr Philosophy Grad Students Only) (1 Unit)  

Essential aspects of philosophical inquiry, culminating in the production of professional-quality writing. Subject matter varies between value theory and metaphysics/ epistemology. Limited to first-year graduate students in philosophy.

PHIL 401-2 Proseminar (1St Yr Grad Students Only) (1 Unit)  

Essential aspects of philosophical inquiry, culminating in the production of professional-quality writing. Subject matter varies between value theory and metaphysics/ epistemology. Limited to first-year graduate students in philosophy.

PHIL 402-1 Proseminar II (1 Unit)  

Essential aspects of philosophical inquiry, culminating in the production of professional-quality writing. Subject matter varies between value theory and metaphysics/ epistemology. Limited to second-year graduate students in philosophy.

PHIL 402-2 Proseminar (2nd Yr Grad Students Only) (1 Unit)  

Essential aspects of philosophical inquiry, culminating in the production of professional-quality writing. Subject matter varies between value theory and metaphysics/epistemology. Limited to second-year graduate students in philosophy.

PHIL 410-0 Seminar: Special Topics in Philosophy (1 Unit)  

N/A.

PHIL 414-0 Seminar in German Philosophy (1 Unit)  

Topics, individual figures, or developments in German philosophy from Kant until the present. Likely philosophers to be studied include Kant, Nietzsche, Heidegger, or Habermas.

PHIL 415-0 Seminar in French Philosophy (1 Unit)  

Close critical reading of important texts in French philosophy. Likely philosophers to be studied include Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Emmanuel Levinas, Jacques Derrida, Jean-Luc Nancy, Luce Irigaray, and Julia Kristeva.

PHIL 420-0 Studies in Ancient Philosophy (1 Unit)  

Work of one important philosopher or philosophical movement before A.D. 300. Topic varies. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

PHIL 421-0 Studies in Medieval Philosophy (1 Unit)  

Work of one important philosophical school between A.D. 300 and 1600. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

PHIL 422-0 Studies in Modern Philosophy (1 Unit)  

Work of one important philosopher or philosophical movement between A.D. 1600 and 1900. Topic varies. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

PHIL 423-0 Seminar in Contemporary Philosophy (1 Unit)  

Work of one important philosopher or philosophical movement of the 20th century. Topic varies. May be repeated for credit with change of topic.

PHIL 426-0 Seminar in Philosophy of Mind (1 Unit)  

Nature of mental phenomena; the relation between mind and body (matter); the nature of sensations, emotions, and belief; the explanation of actions; the status of psychology as a science.

PHIL 450-0 Philosophy of Logic (1 Unit)  

Philosophical aspects of formal systems. Logic and ontology. Nominalism and realism in the 20th century. Theories of the nature of mathematics.

PHIL 459-0 Seminar in Metaphysics (1 Unit)  

Theories of existence and reality.

PHIL 460-0 Seminar in Ethical Theory (1 Unit)  

Egoism; altruism; the analysis of good, right, and virtue; duty and the is-ought controversy; relativism; ethical motivation; justice; free will and determinism; utilitarianism; deontological ethics; happiness.

PHIL 461-0 Seminar in Social and Political Theory (1 Unit)  

Study of an important problem, author, or school in social and/or political philosophy. Topics vary. May be repeated with change of topic.

PHIL 467-0 Seminar in Critical Race Theory (1 Unit)  

Advanced philosophical work relating to theories of race, racism, and racial identity.

PHIL 468-0 Seminar in Epistemology (1 Unit)  

Skepticism, perception, other minds, memory, inference, the analysis of knowledge-claims, and induction.

PHIL 488-0 Professional Skills Course (0 Unit)  

Training and preparation for the job application process, and broader professional activities, including publication and conference participation.

PHIL 499-0 Independent Study (1 Unit)  

SEE DEPT FOR SECTION AND PERMISSION NUMBERS May be repeated for credit. Permission of instructor and department required.

PHIL 590-0 Research (1-3 Units)  

SEE DEPT FOR SECTION AND PERMISSION NUMBERS Independent investigation of selected problems pertaining to thesis or dissertation. May be repeated for credit.