Philosophy Undergraduate Course Descriptions
Winter Quarter
| Dept | Course No and Title | Instructor |
|---|---|---|
| PHILOS (W26) | 1 INTRO TO PHILOSOPHY | RITCHIE, K. |
| A selection of philosophical problems, concepts, and methods, e.g., free will, cause and substance, personal identity, the nature of philosophy itself. (IV) | ||
| PHILOS (W26) | 2 PUZZLES & PARADOXES | KOSLOW, A. |
| Introduction to the formal tools needed to comprehend and evaluate philosophical arguments and theoretical reasoning in general. (IV and VB.) | ||
| PHILOS (W26) | 4 INTRO TO ETHICS | PEDERNESCHI, A. |
| Selected topics from the history of ethics, e.g., the nature of the good life and the moral justification of conduct. (IV) | ||
| PHILOS (W26) | 5 CONTEMP MORAL PRBLM | PEDERNESCHI, A. |
| Selected moral issues of current interest, e.g., abortion, sexual morality, euthanasia, capital punishment, reverse discrimination, civil disobedience, or violence. (IV) | ||
| PHILOS (W26) | 10 HIST ANCIENT PHILOS | PERIN, C. |
| Examination of the central philosophical themes developed by the pre-Socratics, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, the Epicureans, and the Skeptics. (IV) | ||
| PHILOS (W26) | 12 HIST MODERN PHILOS | O'CONNELL, R. |
| A study of major developments in western philosophy from Descartes to Kant with readings from Descartes, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant. Prerequisite: Recommended: PHILOS 10 or PHILOS 11. (IV) | ||
| PHILOS (W26) | 22 INTRO LAW & SOCIETY | HELMREICH, J. |
| What constitutes a legal system? What does it mean for a society to have a system as a part of the social fabric? Examines the social status of law and its use as a tool for fashioning society. (III) | ||
| PHILOS (W26) | 30 INTR SYMBOLIC LOGIC | MEADOWS, T. |
| Visit the Logic and Philosophy of Science website for more information. | ||
| PHILOS (W26) | 31 INTRO INDUCT LOGIC | EASWARAN, K. |
| Visit the Logic and Philosophy of Science website for more information. | ||
| PHILOS (W26) | 41 SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY | MANCHAK, J. |
| Visit the Logic and Philosophy of Science website for more information. | ||
| PHILOS (W26) | 91 SEX, RACE & SCIENCE | WEATHERALL, J. |
| Visit the Logic and Philosophy of Science website for more information. | ||
| PHILOS (W26) | 101 INTR TO METAPHYSICS | KOSLOW, A. |
| A study of one or more of the problems of "first philosophy," e.g., substance, free will, causation, abstract entities, identity. | ||
| PHILOS (W26) | 105B METALOGIC | WEHMEIER, K. |
| Visit the Logic and Philosophy of Science website for more information. | ||
| PHILOS (W26) | 110 GDNS VIRTUE WISDOM | O'CONNELL, R. |
| In this class we shall look at the conceptions of goodness, virtue and wisdom that are articulated in the works of Plato and Aristotle. | ||
| PHILOS (W26) | 113 SLAVERY AND RACE | GARCIA TORRES, J. |
This course focuses on philosophical disputes on the interconnected notions of race and slavery during the 18th century. At the core of these discussions are the topics of natural rights, equality, and the value of liberty, and their relation to racial identity, racial bias, social power, and the epistemic consequences of oppression. We will be reading philosophical texts written by proponents and opponents of slavery, and people who were previously enslaved. | ||
| PHILOS (W26) | 114 NIETZSCHE MORALITY | PERIN, C. |
| Studies of some of the major figures after Kant (e.g., Hegel, Nietzsche, Marx, Kierkegaard), especially in German idealism and social thought. Repeatability: May be taken unlimited times as topics vary | ||
| PHILOS (W26) | 115 PRAGMATISM | BARRETT, J. |
| Visit the Logic and Philosophy of Science website for more information. | ||
| PHILOS (W26) | 115 TPCS ANALYT PHILOS | COLIVA, A. |
The course will pursue a two-fold aim. On the one hand, it will give advanced majors in philosophy (preferably seniors) the opportunity to interact with graduate students and the instructor to get a first-hand experience of how research in philosophy is conducted. On the other, this course will afford the opportunity to study the cutting-edge topic of "AI epistemology". Topics will include (but will not be limited to) AI, knowledge and understanding; trust and trustworthiness in relation to AI; AI and mathematical and scientific knowledge. Space will be limited. This course is offered in connection with the conference, "AI epistemology", which will be held at UCI (Feb. 6-7, 2026) and with Professor Pedersen's visit from Yonsei University (Seoul), as part of an exchange between the SOH and Underwood International College, led, for this year, by Professors Pedersen and Coliva, on the theme of "AI Epistemology". *Preference will be given to undergrads in their 4th year and students will have to be at least in their 3rd year. | ||
| PHILOS (W26) | 121 TPCS THEORY KNOWLED | PRITCHARD, D. |
Course Overview: This course will offer a comprehensive overview of the core area of philosophy known as epistemology. The topics covered include: theories of knowledge; modal epistemology; virtue epistemology; epistemic externalism/internalism; radical scepticism; epistemic value; understanding. There will also be some discussion of applied epistemology, which is the application of theoretical work in epistemology to particular domains, such as law or education. | ||
| PHILOS (W26) | 141D PROB & DETERMINISM | MANCHAK, J. |
| Visit the Logic and Philosophy of Science website for more information. | ||
| PHILOS (W26) | 145 PHILOS OF LANGUAGE | RITCHIE, K. |
In this course students will engage with foundational issues in the study of language. We will address questions including: How do language and the world relate? Do any expressions have persons or objects as their meanings? What is the relation between our thoughts and the language we speak (or the utterances we make)? What is conveyed when one reports on another’s mental states (e.g., when someone reports someone else’s beliefs)? Does the speaker determine what their words mean? Does convention in society determine what a speaker’s words mean? What can language do in addition to convey information? | ||
