Session Details

There will be ten sessions, meeting each week during the quarter.

Course Description

This course introduces students to basic concepts in two major domains of philosophy: ethics and philosophy of mind. In the first 5 sessions, we will explore three basic models for thinking about questions of ethics, each associated with a particular school of philosophy. We will also consider contemporary and applied ethics, analyzing how these models continue to shape the decision-making of millions of people around the world.

The last 5 sessions probe some of the hardest questions in philosophy of mind:

• What is a good definition of consciousness?
• What is the relationship between mind and body?

Through targeted reading and discussion, we will grapple with some of these basic questions that have obsessed philosophers for centuries.

Session Details

There will be ten sessions, meeting on Thursday evenings.

Course Description

In this course, students will become familiar with the various modes and techniques used in writing poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. Through a broad range of reading samples from both creative and expository points of view, and their ensuing discussions, my hope is for students to gain a better understanding of their own potential as writers as well as an overall appreciation for the creative process. The course aims to focus on the development as a writer and a reader, with the hope that they become more confident and effective in communicating their own thoughts on the page. 

It is essential for a writer to read voraciously, so we will dedicate a portion of course time to reading excellent examples from many styles, forms, and traditions. Though much of our writing is driven by the imagination, all good writers must have a thorough knowledge of craft. We will look at different modes of creating poems, writing stories, and telling our own. We will learn how to sharpen our words with metaphor, sound, meter, rhythm and imagery.

Instructor

Courtney Kampa

Session Details

There will be ten sessions, meeting on Wednesday evenings.

Description

This course introduces students to basic concepts in two major domains of philosophy: ethics and philosophy of mind. In the first 5 sessions, we will explore three basic models for thinking about questions of ethics, each associated with a particular school of philosophy. We will also consider contemporary and applied ethics, analyzing how these models continue to shape the decision-making of millions of people around the world. The last 5 sessions probe some of the hardest questions in philosophy of mind: what is a good definition of consciousness? What is the relationship between mind and body? Through targeted reading and discussion, we will grapple with some of these basic questions that have obsessed philosophers for centuries.

Instructors 

Nick Romeo

Session Details

There will be ten sessions, meeting on Thursday evenings.

Description

Can be moral claims be true or false? If moral claims can be true or false, are any of them true? That is, are there moral facts? If there are moral facts, in virtue of what are they true? If there are moral truths, what are they? That is, what are the general principles moral behavior? Is moral behavior right or wrong because of the consequences it brings out? Or are some actions right or wrong irrespective of their consequences? Or is morality about being virtuous, i.e., having moral character? How do these questions and answers bear on some particular moral questions? For example: what is the moral status of non-human animals? What, if anything, justifies the institution of punishment? What are the ethics of gene manipulation? 

Instructors 

Greig Mulberry and Taylor Madigan