PHIL - Philosophy
An introduction to basic concepts, methods and issues in philosophy, and a consideration of representative types of philosophical thought concerning human nature, the world, knowledge, and value.
A study of the principles of correct reasoning and the types of fallacious reasoning. Includes an examination of the philosophical and historical context of logic, and the application of logical methods to philosophical questions.
Open only to students in the Honors College. A special honors section of PHIL 110P.
Open only to students in the Honors College. An Honors version of PHIL 150P.
What is the meaning of life, and what role might the end of life play in living meaningfully? This course provides an introduction to philosophy and religious studies through an investigation of different views on death and the meaning of life from diverse cultures and identities. (Cross-listed with REL 150P)
What ways of thinking, feeling, and acting are essentially human? This course focuses on some of the most influential and fascinating philosophical and religious accounts of human nature from diverse cultural perspectives. Topics may include the nature of human beings in relation to God, society, ethics, politics, knowledge, the environment, freedom, evolution, the mind, language, race, gender, and technology. (Cross-listed with REL 155E)
This course provides training in how to speak up in defense of moral concerns in a STEM organizational context, and how to do so in an effective and productive way.
This course is the study abroad equivalent of PHIL 110P, an introduction to basic concepts, methods and issues in philosophy, and a consideration of representative types of philosophical thought concerning human nature, the world, knowledge, and value.
This course provides an in-depth introduction to information literacy from library and information science, information ethics, and computer science perspectives along with applications to cybersecurity research and professional activity. This course is aligned with Old Dominion University’s general education learning outcomes for information literacy.
Open only to students in the Honors College. A special Honors section of PHIL 250E.
Open only to students in the Honors College. A special Honors section of PHIL 230E.
An introduction to the study of ethics through philosophical reflection on a variety of moral issues of contemporary significance. Topics covered will vary by semester and instructor, and may include issues drawn from professional fields such as business, medicine, and information technology, plus matters of public concern like the environment, the treatment of animals, the use of military force, social justice, and civil and human rights.
Is love universal or culturally bound? Is sexual desire biologically driven or learned? This course provides an introduction to Philosophy and Religious Studies through an investigation of love, sex, and desire vis-a-vis ethical values and societal norms. (Cross-listed with REL 235E)
A survey of philosophical problems common to the sciences, including an analysis of key concepts and an examination of science in its historical and cultural context.
A comparative and philosophical study of major world religions in the Eastern and Western traditions with particular attention being paid to their views about the basis of right action and the nature of good and evil. Other points of comparison include the foundations of religious knowledge and belief, the meaning of human life, divinity, and death and immortality.
What is truth? How do we know when something is real or fake? Are you certain that other people perceive the world in the same way you do? In this course we’ll try to answer questions like these and more through an exploration of the relationship between our minds, our bodies, and the world around us.
This course provides practical training in information access, critical information assessment, and ethical information use in a theoretically-oriented research context, as well as a theoretical exploration of issues in information literacy, the ethics and politics of online informational spaces, and the philosophy of digital culture.
A study of selected topics designed for non-majors. These courses will appear in the course schedule, and will be more fully described in information distributed to academic advisors.
Metaphysics is the study of the ultimate nature of reality and epistemology is the study of what we can know about reality. This introduction to metaphysics and epistemology will engage with views of what exists and how we can know about it from a diverse collection of traditions and figures.
An examination of the philosophical foundations of ethical inquiry from a diverse collection of traditions and figures, including historically marginalized voices. Various ethical systems are considered, and different views of metaethics and moral psychology may be as well.
A philosophical examination of ethical issues that arise in business and commerce. Topics discussed will vary by semester and instructor, but may include affirmative action, ethical versus unethical sales and marketing techniques, the obligations of business to society (if any), and the moral foundations of capitalism.
An analytical and critical consideration of the philosophical foundations of religion. Such topics as the existence of God, the problem of evil, theism and atheism, prayer, and immortality are discussed.
A study of the various theories of art and human creativity in the context of historical and cultural backgrounds.
This course is a study of the thought of the classical Greek philosophers from the sixth century B.C.E. to the fifth century C.E.
This course is a survey of the rise of modern philosophy in the 17th and early 18th centuries in Europe.
This course examines the significant contributions of medieval philosophers to the development of philosophy of religion as well as other fields, including philosophy of language, logic, and ethics. Students examine the writings of medieval philosophers from Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions.
This course is a survey of modern philosophy in the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe, addressing figures such as Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Marx, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche.
A study of the basic concepts and methods of logic as they occur in ordinary language, formal logical arguments, and an elementary logical system. Traditional Logic is emphasized, but some elements of Modern Logic are also introduced.
An examination of the nature and basis of human obligations for the welfare of the environment with special attention to the foundations of ethical decision making.
An examination of the philosophical foundations of ethical decision making in biology, medicine, and the life sciences.
This course introduces students to several key religious traditions originating in Asia, such as Hindu traditions in India; Confucianism, Daoism, and popular religion in China, Buddhism and Shinto in Japan; and Buddhist traditions of China, Tibet, and Mongolia. Students will read and analyze primary sources in English translation. By examining artifacts from literature, art, and poetry, students will also learn about cultural history. Throughout the course, students will employ hermeneutical methods in the field of religious studies, such as methods of comparisons.
This course examines ethical issues relevant to computing and information technology, including: privacy; freedom of speech and content control on the Internet; individual and social responsibility; cybersecurity; cybercrimes; social impact of computers and other digital technologies; and ethical obligations of IT professionals. Students will gain a broad understanding of central issues in cyberethics and the ways that fundamental ethical theories relate to these core issues.
This course explores, from a philosophical perspective, ethical questions arising from collecting, drawing inferences from, and acting on data, especially when these activities are automated and on a large scale. This course will provide students a framework for considering the ethical implications of data usage. Emphasis will be placed on discussing how historic and contemporary examples of potentially unethical practice could be altered to reduce harm and increase equity. Topics to be covered may include, but are not limited to, systematic approaches to assessing ethical issues; privacy and confidentiality; defining research and the responsibilities associated with conducting ethical research; implicit and structural biases in data collection and analysis; freedom of speech; and consent to data collection.
This course is a survey introduction to major African-American philosophical thinkers and will address themes such as: What is the nature of race, and what is the nature of racism? What is the nature of the good? What does the good life look like, how should we make sense of beauty, and are those values different for each of us? And how should we make sense of social and civil life and of social and civic obligations in the context of deep and persisting injustice?
This course will draw on historical and contemporary scholarship to explore the evolution of the concept of race in relation to different theories of power. Topics may include how to define race, how people are racialized, genocide and social death, the use of racial epithets, cultural appropriation, ally-ship, and the role of activism.
A structured work experience using analytical, research, and communication training from philosophy in a relevant industry, such as law, tech, finance, libraries, or in the public or nonprofit sectors. May be paid or unpaid. Criteria for evaluation will be determined by work supervisor and cooperating faculty advisor. May be repeated for credit. Available for pass/fail grading only.
The course offers three forms of practical experience for philosophy majors: Professional (for students anticipating careers in relevant professions, including philosophy); Classroom (for students anticipating graduate study and a teaching career); Civic/Social Affairs (for students interested in grassroots activism). Consult the department for details and certain specific prerequisites.
An intensive study of the basic teachings of Hinduism as manifested in its sacred writings.
A study of the origin, historical development, and contemporary status of Buddhism, in terms of its religious and philosophical elements and its influence in Asian cultures.
This course engages in a critical exploration of what technology is as a human practice and how it develops over time in ways that influence and are influenced by society, culture, and human values.
A study of selected topics designed for nonmajors, or for elective credit within a major. These courses will appear in the course schedule, and will be more fully described in information distributed to academic advisors.
A study of selected topics designed for nonmajors, or for elective credit within a major. These courses will appear in the course schedule, and will be more fully described in information distributed to academic advisors.
An examination of the metaphysical, aesthetic, and ethical philosophical issues that accompany the creation, play, and critique of video games. Students will learn and analyze theories about what games are. They will think about and discuss the aesthetic qualities of video games and critically engage with attempts to fit video games into the larger art world. Students will engage with moral issues that arise from creating and consuming video games with morally problematic content. Finally, students will learn how to think critically about and interpret larger philosophical problems raised by video games and their themes.
Provides training in inclusive and social-critical technology development and product design methodologies intended to directly transfer to use in industrial and organizational settings. The course's work-based learning is grounded in foundational work in philosophy of technology. Topics covered include SCOT (social construction of technology), ANT (actor-network theory), VSD (value-sensitive design), CBPR (community-based participatory research), and postphenomenological methodologies.
A philosophical survey of approaches to understanding gender and gender differences. The course will also serve as an introduction to feminist philosophy, with a particular emphasis on feminist ethics.
This course is an examination of the writings of some of the major philosophers in the Existentialist and Phenomenology movements of the 19th and 20th centuries.
This course is an examination of the writings of some of the major American philosophers in the Pragmatist tradition.
This course is a study of the history of the Analytic tradition in philosophy up through the 20th century.
This course explores French philosophy from the 20th century to today, examining how geopolitical events, technological change, and social movements have shaped and been shaped by key currents in French philosophical thought. Themes could include technology, biopolitics, deconstruction, feminism, May 1968, secularism, existentialism, postmodernism, and psychoanalysis, with a focus on whether there is a distinct 'French' approach to these topics.
A philosophical analysis of the relation between man, society, and the state, studying about a dozen philosophers since Plato on such topics as justice, authority, law, freedom, and civil rights.
This course is an examination of intellectual currents in postmodernism and post-structuralism as they pertain to central questions in social and political thought.
An examination of the nature of law and philosophical issues concerning the law.
This course addresses feminist philosophy as a distinctive field of philosophy, offering a pluralist survey of both analytic and Continental approaches to feminist epistemology, ontology, phenomenology, ethics, and politics. Importantly, students will develop an intersectional lens of analysis to consider the lived reality and politics of gender, race, sexuality, disability, and other entwining marginalized identities.
This course is an examination of the philosophical writings of Hume and Kant and their influence.
This course is an examination of the philosophical writings of Hegel and Marx and their influence.
This course is an examination of Nietzsche’s attempt to provide a life-affirming philosophy after laying waste to many traditional Western efforts to find life meaningful.
This course provides students with a problem-oriented, critical, and comparative understanding of problems in contemporary epistemology. Topics include skepticism and responses thereto, analyses of knowledge, the externalist versus internalist debate, foundationalism and coherentism, and social approaches to knowledge including contextualism and feminism.
An examination of various ways in which the mind has been understood in philosophy and in psychology and of the methods that have been used in the study of the mind.
A study of the concepts and philosophical problems in the sciences: scientific reasoning, confirmation, explanation, laws, meaning, theories, revolutions, progress, and values.
An intensive examination of ethical issues in a particular field or profession; an emphasis on ethical theory underlying practical decisions.
This course explores whether and how ethical AI is possible by examining moral standards as they apply to the various dimensions of AI development and use. It reviews the major ethical theories and discusses how principles such as transparency, privacy, safety, non-discrimination, and sustainability should govern the creation and use of AI technologies. Moreover, it considers how these principles could serve as the ethical framework for the social and policy structures that regulate and shape the future development of these technologies.
An in-depth study of the core topics of philosophy of information, including the nature of information across its primary forms (e.g. semantic, physical, biological, economic), personal and social impacts of information and information transfers, formulation of information as data, theory-ladenness of data, problematics of data analytics, and inferential validity of prior data. Project-based assessment is structured to provide individualized work-based learning.
This course will provide students with an introduction to Native American philosophies with a focus on issues of identity, genocide, personhood, gender, sovereignty, and decolonization. Topics will be approached though a consideration of Native American philosophical methodologies and Native views regarding metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. (Cross-listed with REL 451)
A study of Chinese thought emphasizing Early and Classical Confucianism and Taoism, Chinese Buddhism, and NeoConfucianism. Modern currents of Chinese thought is also discussed.
A study of the religious and philosophical traditions of Japan. Emphasis will be given to Shintoism, Buddhism, and Neo-Confucianism and their contemporary status and influence in Japanese culture.
Intensive examination of the thought of one major philosopher or philosophical movement. This is a writing intensive course.
The advanced study of selected topics designed to permit small groups of qualified students to work on subjects of mutual interest which, due to their specialized nature, may not be offered regularly. These courses will appear in the course schedule, and will be more fully described in information distributed to all academic advisors.
The advanced study of selected topics designed to permit small groups of qualified students to work on subjects of mutual interest which, due to their specialized nature, may not be offered regularly. These courses will appear in the course schedule, and will be more fully described in information distributed to all academic advisors.
Independent reading and study of a topic to be selected under the direction of an instructor. Conferences and papers as appropriate.
Independent reading and study of a topic to be selected under the direction of an instructor. Conferences and papers as appropriate.
An examination of the metaphysical, aesthetic, and ethical philosophical issues that accompany the creation, play, and critique of video games. Students will learn and analyze theories about what games are. They will think about and discuss the aesthetic qualities of video games and critically engage with attempts to fit video games into the larger art world. Students will engage with moral issues that arise from creating and consuming video games with morally problematic content. Finally, students will learn how to think critically about and interpret larger philosophical problems raised by video games and their themes.
Provides training in inclusive and social-critical technology development and product design methodologies intended to directly transfer to use in industrial and organizational settings. The course's work-based learning is grounded in foundational work in philosophy of technology. Topics covered include SCOT (social construction of technology), ANT (actor-network theory), VSD (value-sensitive design), CBPR (community-based participatory research), and postphenomenological methodologies.
A philosophical survey of approaches to understanding gender and gender differences. The course will also serve as an introduction to feminist philosophy, with a particular emphasis on feminist ethics.
This course is an examination of the writings of some of the major philosophers in the Existentialist and Phenomenology movements of the 19th and 20th centuries.
This course is an examination of the writings of some of the major American philosophers in the Pragmatist tradition.
This course is a study of the history of the Analytic tradition in philosophy up through the 20th century.
This course explores French philosophy from the 20th century to today, examining how geopolitical events, technological change, and social movements have shaped and been shaped by key currents in French philosophical thought. Themes could include technology, biopolitics, deconstruction, feminism, May 1968, secularism, existentialism, postmodernism, and psychoanalysis, with a focus on whether there is a distinct 'French' approach to these topics.
A philosophical analysis of the relation between man, society, and the state, studying about a dozen philosophers since Plato on such topics as justice, authority, law, freedom, and civil rights.
This course is an examination of intellectual currents in postmodernism and post-structuralism as they pertain to central questions in social and political thought.
An examination of the nature of law and philosophical issues concerning the law.
This course addresses feminist philosophy as a distinctive field of philosophy, offering a pluralist survey of both analytic and Continental approaches to feminist epistemology, ontology, phenomenology, ethics, and politics. Importantly, students will develop an intersectional lens of analysis to consider the lived reality and politics of gender, race, sexuality, disability, and other entwining marginalized identities.
This course is an examination of the philosophical writings of Hume and Kant and their influence.
This course is an examination of the philosophical writings of Hegel and Marx and their influence
This course is an examination of Nietzsche’s attempt to provide a life-affirming philosophy after laying waste to many traditional Western efforts to find life meaningful.
This course provides students with a problem-oriented, critical, and comparative understanding of problems in contemporary epistemology. Topics include skepticism and responses thereto, analyses of knowledge, the externalist versus internalist debate, foundationalism and coherentism, and social approaches to knowledge including contextualism and feminism.
An examination of various ways in which the mind has been understood in philosophy and in psychology and of the methods that have been used in the study of the mind.
A study of the concepts and philosophical problems in the sciences: scientific reasoning, confirmation, explanation, laws, meaning, theories, revolutions, progress, and values.
An intensive examination of ethical issues in a particular field or profession; an emphasis on ethical theory underlying practical decisions.
This course explores whether and how ethical AI is possible by examining moral standards as they apply to the various dimensions of AI development and use. It reviews the major ethical theories and discusses how principles such as transparency, privacy, safety, non-discrimination, and sustainability should govern the creation and use of AI technologies. Moreover, it considers how these principles could serve as the ethical framework for the social and policy structures that regulate and shape the future development of these technologies.
An in-depth study of the core topics of philosophy of information, including the nature of information across its primary forms (e.g. semantic, physical, biological, economic), personal and social impacts of information and information transfers, formulation of information as data, theory-ladenness of data, problematics of data analytics, and inferential validity of prior data. Project-based assessment is structured to provide individualized work-based learning.
This course will provide students with an introduction to Native American philosophies with a focus on issues of identity, genocide, personhood, gender, sovereignty, and decolonization. Topics will be approached though a consideration of Native American philosophical methodologies and Native views regarding metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. (Cross-listed with REL 551)
A study of Chinese thought emphasizing Early and Classical Confucianism and Taoism, Chinese Buddhism, and NeoConfucianism. Modern currents of Chinese thought are also discussed.
A study of the religious and philosophical traditions of Japan. Emphasis will be given to Shintoism, Buddhism, and Neo-Confucianism and their contemporary status and influence in Japanese culture.
Intensive examination of the thought of one major philosopher or philosophical movement.
The advanced study of selected topics designed to permit small groups of qualified students to work on subjects of mutual interest which, due to their specialized nature, may not be offered regularly. These courses will appear in the course schedule, and will be more fully described in information distributed to all academic advisors.
The advanced study of selected topics designed to permit small groups of qualified students to work on subjects of mutual interest which, due to their specialized nature, may not be offered regularly. These courses will appear in the course schedule, and will be more fully described in information distributed to all academic advisors.
Independent reading and study of a topic to be selected under the direction of an instructor. Conferences and papers as appropriate.
Independent reading and study of a topic to be selected under the direction of an instructor. Conferences and papers as appropriate.
An evaluation of the field of art in relation to the rest of human culture, emphasizing the various approaches that may be used.
The advanced study of selected topics designed to permit small groups of qualifies students to work in subjects of mutual interest that, die to their specialized nature, may not be offered regularly.
Independent reading and study on a topic to be selected under the direction of an instructor. Conferences and papers as appropriate.
Independent reading and study on a topic to be selected under the direction of an instructor. Conferences and papers as appropriate.
A seminar providing foundations for and experience in the critical examination of technologies and their human and social impact. Topics will vary and may include AI, innovation, social media, robotics, healthcare, gaming, art, and music.
An investigation of ethical issues in public health policy, practice, and research. Students will develop a capacity for reasoned judgments in these matters by understanding and applying basic moral concepts, theories, and ideals.
A philosophical study of rights applicable to the international arena. Theories from the early Modern European period to the present day will be treated. Coverage includes international law, the rights of nations, and human rights.
The advanced study of special topics that may not be offered regularly.
Independent reading and study on a topic to be selected under the direction of an instructor. Conferences and papers as appropriate.
A seminar providing foundations for and experience in the critical examination of technologies and their human and social impact. Topics will vary and may include AI, innovation, social media, robotics, healthcare, gaming, art, and music.
An investigation of ethical issues in public health policy, practice, and research. Students will develop a capacity for reasoned judgments in these matters by understanding and applying basic moral concepts, theories, and ideals.
A philosophical study of rights applicable to the international arena. Theories from the early Modern European period to the present day will be treated. Coverage includes international law, the rights of nations, and human rights.
The advanced study of special topics that may not be offered regularly.
Independent reading and study on a topic to be selected under the direction of an instructor. Conferences and papers as appropriate.