Philosophy

For a complete list of courses and course descriptions please see the University Catalog.  For further questions please contact the department.

PHI 100 0001-LEC 44373, Contemporary Moral Problems, MWF 1:00-1:50pm, Lord Hall 100, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 40, Instructor: Jessica Miller
Course Description: Examines a variety of moral problems causing controversy in contemporary society. Focuses on evaluating arguments for and against competing solutions to these problems. Also discusses different philosophical strategies for thinking about moral obligations and relationships. Topics surveyed may include: sustainability, racial injustice, gun control, abortion, assisted death, and social media and mental health. Gen Ed: Ethics, West Cult Trad, and Social Context & Inst. 

PHI 100 0990-LEC 44376, Contemporary Moral Problems, Web-Online, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 39, Instructor: Derek A Michaud
Course Description: Examines a variety of moral problems causing controversy in contemporary society. Focuses on evaluating arguments for and against competing solutions to these problems. Also discusses different philosophical strategies for thinking about moral obligations and relationships. Topics surveyed will include: abortion, euthanasia, eating animals, feminism, and misogyny. Assignments will include discussion posts and quizzes. Gen Ed: Ethics, West Cult Trad, and Social Context & Inst. 

PHI 100 WINT-LEC 44375, Contemporary Moral Problems, WINTER-Web-Online, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 39, Instructor: Derek A Michaud
Course Description: Examines a variety of moral problems causing controversy in contemporary society. Focuses on evaluating arguments for and against competing solutions to these problems. Also discusses different philosophical strategies for thinking about moral obligations and relationships. Topics surveyed will include: abortion, euthanasia, eating animals, feminism, and misogyny. Assignments will include discussion posts and quizzes. Gen Ed: Ethics, West Cult Trad, and Social Context & Inst. 

PHI 102 0001-LEC 44377, Introduction to Philosophy, MWF 9:00-9:50am, Shibles Hall 217, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 40, Instructor: Derek A Michaud
Course Description: An introduction to philosophical thought and critical thinking through a reading of works from the world’s philosophical traditions. Readings will include selections from works by Plato, Aristotle, Nagarjuna, Zhuangzi, Mengzi, Descartes, Elizabeth of Bohemia, and others. Questions will be asked about the nature of wisdom and knowledge, the essence of reality and of ideas, human nature, virtue and community, justice, and political life. Assignments will include discussion posts, and quizzes.  Gen Ed: Ethics and West Cult Trad. 

PHI 102 0002-LEC 44378, Introduction to Philosophy, MWF 11:00-11:50am, Williams Hall 203, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 40, Instructor: Derek A Michaud
Course Description: An introduction to philosophical thought and critical thinking through a reading of works from the world’s philosophical traditions. Readings will include selections from works by Plato, Aristotle, Nagarjuna, Zhuangzi, Mengzi, Descartes, Elizabeth of Bohemia, and others. Questions will be asked about the nature of wisdom and knowledge, the essence of reality and of ideas, human nature, virtue and community, justice, and political life. Assignments will include discussion posts, and quizzes.  Gen Ed: Ethics and West Cult Trad. 

PHI 102 0190-LEC 45931, Introduction to Philosophy, Web-Online, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 39, Instructor: Joe Arel
Course Description: An introduction to philosophical thought and critical thinking through a reading of works from the philosophical tradition. Readings might include works from philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Descartes, Hume, Locke, Kant, Marx, Nietzche and/or other great works of philosophy. Questions will be asked about the nature of wisdom and knowledge, the essence of reality and of ideas, human nature, virtue and community, justice, and political life. Gen Ed: Ethics and West Cult Trad. 

PHI 102 0990-LEC 44382, Introduction to Philosophy, Web-Online, 8-week course – 03/04/2024 – 04/26/2024, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 39, Instructor: Don Beith
Course Description: Introduces students to major questions and methods of inquiry in philosophy. Methods of inquiry include clear and concise articulation, logical argument, and critical analysis. Course topics include epistemology (What is knowledge? What can we know? Does our social position affect our standing as knowers?), metaphysics (What is reality? Do we have free will? What is consciousness?), and practical philosophy (How should we live our lives? What is the meaning of life?).  Gen Ed: Ethics, West Cult Trad. 

PHI 102 WINT-LEC 45971, Introduction to Philosophy, WINTER-Web-Online, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 40, Instructor: Joe Arel
Course Description: An introduction to philosophical thought and critical thinking through a reading of works from the philosophical tradition. Readings might include works from philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Descartes, Hume, Locke, Kant, Marx, Nietzche and/or other great works of philosophy. Questions will be asked about the nature of wisdom and knowledge, the essence of reality and of ideas, human nature, virtue and community, justice, and political life. Gen Ed: Ethics and West Cult Trad. 

PHI 103 0001-LEC 83926, Methods of Reasoning, MWF 10:00-10:50am, Nutting Hall 102, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 40, Instructor: Robby Finley
Course Description: This course is an introduction to theories of good reasoning via a focus on arguments. Since arguments can vary so much with respect to purpose, rhetorical effectiveness, clarity, and language of expression (amongst other things), our approach is multiform: we will learn the rights sorts of terms and languages for rigorously talking about arguments, ways of categorizing common fallacies, precise theories for evaluating the strength of deductive and inductive arguments, psychological results that show where people tend to reason badly, and a variety of applications of the theories we learn. Learning these skills requires regular practice in class and through homework exercises, so that one can apply them in all domains of life. Gen Ed: West Cult Trad. 

PHI 104 0001-LEC 43921, Existentialism and Literature, TuTh 11:00am-12:15pm, Rogers Hall 206, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 40, Instructor: Kirsten Jacobson
Course Description: Existentialism is a revolutionary movement in 20th century philosophy that studies the ways in which it is up to us to make our lives and our world meaningful. The texts we read in this course will offer insightful and perspective-shifting studies of human nature in addition to challenging us to reflect personally on the values by which we live and, indeed, to ask ourselves whether we are honest with respect to how we live our lives. We will also consider works of contemporary literature that help to bring out these existentialist themes in particularly vivid and intimate ways through their content as well as their form of expression.  Gen Ed: Ethics, West Cult Trad, Artistic and Creative Expression. 

PHI 104 0002-LEC 43922, Existentialism and Literature, TuTh 9:30-10:45am, Stevens Hall 275, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 40, Instructor: Susan Bredlau
Course Description: Existentialism is a revolutionary movement in 20th century philosophy that studies the ways in which it is up to us to make our lives and our world meaningful. The texts we will read in this course will offer insightful and perspective-shifting studies of human nature in addition to challenging us to reflect personally on the values by which we live and, indeed, to ask ourselves whether we are honest with respect to how we live our lives. We will also consider works of contemporary literature that help to bring out these existentialist themes in particularly vivid and intimate ways through their content as well as their form of expression.  Gen Ed: Ethics, West Cult Trad, Artistic and Creative Expression. 

PHI 132 0001-LEC 45448, Life, Technology and Evolution, TuTh 9:30-10:45am, Jenness Hall 108, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 40, Instructor: Don Beith
Course Description: A philosophical study of both the emergence of life and the impact human technologies have on the course of biological evolution. We will consider how theories of biology (covering lifeforms, ecosystems, viruses and life in general) and technology shape our senses of personal identity. Special focus will be given to philosophically understanding the potentialities and limits for emerging technologies to deal with global crises, from social inequality, to the pandemic, to climate change. Gen Ed: Population & The Environment. 

PHI 222 0001-LEC 45595, Philosophy of Games, TuTh 12:30-1:45pm, Deering Hall 101C, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 25, Instructor: Robby Finley
Course Description: An introduction to the ways that philosophy can inform our understanding of games and the way games can provide new means for approaching philosophical problems. Topics include philosophical accounts of games, the aesthetic value and ethics of games, how formal theories of decision and games can be applied to philosophical problems, and how games can serve as a medium for addressing philosophical questions, with a focus on agency, personal identity, and meaning. Class preparation will require both reading philosophical texts and playing or watching play of assigned games.  Gen Ed: Artistic and Creative Expression and Western Cultural Tradition 

PHI 232 0001-LEC 43599, Environmental Ethics, TuTh 11:00am-12:150pm, Jenness Hall 108, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 40, Instructor: Don Beith
Course Description: A critical survey of major contemporary discussions of human relationships to nature and the causes of the environmental crisis. Special attention will be given to building an ethical vocabulary for interpreting the place of humans in relation to the non-human. Gen Ed: Ethics, Population & the Environment, and Social Context & Inst.   

PHI 235 0001 LEC 43247, Biomedical Ethics, TuTh 2:00-3:15pm, Boardman Hall 210, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 40, Instructor: Susan Bredlau
Course Description: We will investigate the ways we are always engaged in ethical decision making and how it is often those practices that we assume are helpful or good that most require ethical consideration. We will focus on experiences of illness, disability, and dying to consider how these experiences challenge common understandings of our bodies, health, and what it means to care for others. We will also examine how interactions between individuals are always situations within broader social and political contexts and reflect on how our understanding of disease, mental illness, and scientific research impedes or supports communal, as well as individual, well-being. Gen Ed: Ethics, West Cult Trad, and Social Context & Inst.  

PHI 262 0001-LEC 43600, Philosophy of Art, MW 2:00-3:15pm, Merrill Hall 114, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 25, Instructor: Kirsten Jacobson
Course Description: In this course, we will study works of philosophy that help us to think carefully and broadly about what art is and isn’t. In tandem with these texts, we will explore a rich variety of works of art and writings by artists to consider how art is deeply significant for human life–both at personal and social and political levels. No prior training in or significant exposure to art is expected!  Gen Ed: Western Cultural Tradition and Artistic and Creative Expression. 

PHI 310 0001-LEC 45606, Medieval & Renaissance Philosophy, TuTh 9:30-10:45am, The Maples 217, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 20, Instructor: Derek A Michaud
Course Description: An analysis of Arabic and Latin philosophy from late antiquity to the 16th century with emphasis on the developments in logic, epistemology, physics, and metaphysics that led to the birth of early modern philosophy in Europe. 

PHI 312 0001-LEC 43248, History of Modern Philosophy, MW 2:00-3:15pm, The Maples, 217, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 20, Instructor: Hao Hong
Course Description: This course offers a survey of the philosophical theories raised by major “modern philosophers” in the 17th and 18th centuries. We will focus on these theories in three areas: metaphysics (the nature of substance and the mind-body relationship), epistemology (knowledge and perception), and ethics (moral rightness/wrongness). We will pay special attention to the women philosophers of the early modern period whose voices have been ignored in the history of philosophy.  Gen Ed: Ethics and West Culture Tradition 

PHI 353 0001-LEC 43249, Minds and Machines, TuTh 2:00-3:15pm, Bryand Global Sciences Center 100, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 20, Instructor: Robby Finley
Course Description: A study of classic and recent work in the philosophy of mind and artificial intelligence. Topics include the relation between mind and body, the nature of consciousness, knowledge of other minds, neuroscience of free will, computational models of the mind, whether machines can have minds, and the limits of artificial intelligence. Gen Ed: Western Cultural Tradition and Social Contexts and Institutions 

PHI 475 0001-SEM 84477, Junior/Senior Seminar, W 4:00-6:50pm, The Maples 110, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 20, Instructor: Jessica Miller
Course Description: This seminar is an exploration of core concepts in feminist philosophy and an opportunity for students to generate their own independent research on a specific  topic in feminist philosophy. We will begin by investigating concepts such as sexism, oppression, misogyny, objectification, epistemic positionality, adaptive preferences, and intersectionality. Students will write a seminar paper on a topic of their choice, presenting their work to the class at semester’s end. Intermediate steps include working 1:1 with the instructor, meeting with other students in small groups for peer review, and leading class discussion on their chosen topic. 

For questions or permission, please contact: Philosophy at 207.581.3866 or email Jen Bowen at jennifer.bowen@maine.edu