104 Special topics in Philosophy for Freshmen
June 20– July 17
MTWR 8:55 – 11:35
Instructor: Joel Ballivian
Prerequisites: Open to Freshmen with no previous college level coursework in philosophy.
After the 2015 publication of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ essay, “The Case for Reparations,” we have witnessed a resurgence of interest in the question of reparations for historic injustice in the U.S. This class is an opportunity to explore the reparations debate more carefully, with specific attention on historic injustices against Black Americans. We will consider cases like slavery, Jim Crow, land theft from indigenous groups, the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, and the ongoing impact of certain injustices. Various puzzles and questions regarding reparations will be explored. What moral justification is there for reparations? Who is responsible for repairing historic injustice? Is it fair to make innocent people bear some of the financial burden of reparations? How will reparations be financed? What policies will help resolve the impact of historic injustice? Will reparations work? What is the place of forgiveness and radical truth-telling in the reparations process? Why has the U.S. been so reluctant to pursue reparations for past injustices against Black Americans, despite offering compensation to interred Japanese Americans during WII as well as some victims of the holocaust? To explore these questions, we will immerse ourselves in class discussion centered on contemporary activist and scholarly work.
210 Reason in Communications (Fulfills QR-A)
June 20 – August 14
Online Asynchronous
Instructor: Farid Masrour
Interested in improving your skills in recognizing, evaluating, and engaging in reasoning with the added bonus of satisfying a QR-A requirement? If so, this course is for you. Throughout the course you will learn to recognize and analyze reasoning as it occurs in everyday discourse, to recognize and analyze the effect of rhetorical devices, and to follow basic logical principles and avoid common logical fallacies. We will pay special attention to reasoning in mass communication media. The course is entirely online. So, you can take it in an environment of your choice and with a timetable that fits your schedule.
211 Elementary Logic (Fulfills QR-B)
June 20 – July 17
MTWR 1:10 – 3:50
Instructor: Michael Schon
Prerequisites: Sophomore Status. This course will cover how to prove the (in)validity of arguments using first order logic with identity. We will begin by covering sentential logic and monadic predicate logic in order to build the skills required for the more complicated logical system that is first-order logic with identity. The focus will be on translations and proofs by natural deduction.
241 Introduction to Ethics
May 23 – June 19
MTWR 8:55 – 11:35
Instructor: Jesse Steinberg
In deciding how to act, we frequently guide ourselves by principles which forbid or require various kinds of action. Moral philosophy is the attempt to systematically explore a number of questions which arise in connection with such principles. We may ask, for example: What is it for a principle to be a moral principle? Is morality a matter of personal or cultural preference? Is God the source of morality? Why should I be moral? Is there any way for us to know what one ought to do in a given circumstance? Is it morally permissible to eat meat? Are we obligated to help others in need (and, if so, to what extent)? Is torture is ever justified? This course will examine moral questions like these and the answers suggested by various moral philosophers.
304 Topics in Philosophy – Humanities
June 20 – July 17
MTWR 8:55 – 11:35
Instructor: Joel Ballivian
After the 2015 publication of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ essay, “The Case for Reparations,” we have witnessed a resurgence of interest in the question of reparations for historic injustice in the U.S. This class is an opportunity to explore the reparations debate more carefully, with specific attention on historic injustices against Black Americans. We will consider cases like slavery, Jim Crow, land theft from indigenous groups, the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, and the ongoing impact of certain injustices. Various puzzles and questions regarding reparations will be explored. What moral justification is there for reparations? Who is responsible for repairing historic injustice? Is it fair to make innocent people bear some of the financial burden of reparations? How will reparations be financed? What policies will help resolve the impact of historic injustice? Will reparations work? What is the place of forgiveness and radical truth-telling in the reparations process? Why has the U.S. been so reluctant to pursue reparations for past injustices against Black Americans, despite offering compensation to interred Japanese Americans during WII as well as some victims of the holocaust? To explore these questions, we will immerse ourselves in class discussion centered on contemporary activist and scholarly work.
341 Contemporary Moral Issues (Fulfills COMM-B)
May 23 – June 19
MTWR 1:10 – 3:30
Instructor: Peter Vranas
Under what circumstances, if any, is abortion morally permissible? Should the death penalty be abolished? What causes terrorism, and is it ever morally permissible to torture terrorists? This course teaches students how to think systematically about these fascinating questions. The emphasis is not on defending particular answers but is instead on providing students with the tools they need to reach their own answers.