The Philosophy Department is committed to the study of a range of traditions and approaches in philosophy. It requires that each student receive broad training in all basic areas of the discipline. Joint courses and programs are available with several other departments.
The Department of Philosophy offers a Shared-Credit Undergraduate/Graduate Degrees Program. The Program enables completion of the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Philosophy and the M.A. in Philosophy in five years of study. Refer to the Philosophy: Undergraduate Program section of this Catalog for specific admission and coursework requirements.
A detailed explanation of all requirements for M.A. in Philosophy and of the functions of the departmental Graduate Advisory Committee is available upon request. Prospective students are urged to secure this material.
In addition to the general requirements for Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) students described in the Graduate Program section of this Catalog, the Philosophy Department requires that each Ph.D. student complete 48 credit hours with one language requirement, enroll in a minimum number of graduate-level seminars, demonstrate reading competence in one foreign language, and satisfactorily complete a preliminary and a comprehensive examination.
A detailed explanation of all requirements for Ph.D. in Philosophy and of the functions of the departmental Graduate Advisory Committee is available upon request. Prospective students are urged to secure this material.
Students must meet the following requirements (beyond the minimum requirements given in the Graduate Program section of this Catalog) in order to receive a graduate minor in Philosophy:
Courses
PHIL 1115. Introduction to Philosophy. (3)
In this course, students will be introduced to some of the key questions of philosophy through the study of classical and contemporary thinkers. Some of the questions students might consider are: Do we have free will? What is knowledge? What is the mind? What are our moral obligations to others? Students will engage with and learn to critically assess various philosophical approaches to such questions.
Meets New Mexico General Education Curriculum Area 5: Humanities.
PHIL 1120. Logic, Reasoning, and Critical Thinking. (3)
The purpose of this course is to teach students how to analyze, critique, and construct arguments. The course includes an introductory survey of important logical concepts and tools needed for argument analysis. These concepts and tools will be use to examine select philosophical and scholarly texts. (I)
Meets New Mexico General Education Curriculum Area 1: Communication.
PHIL 1996. Topics. (1-6, no limit Δ)
A course exploring a topic not covered by the standard curriculum but of interest to faculty and students in a particular semester.
PHIL 2140. Professional Ethics. (3)
This course focuses on some of the ethical issues that arise in the context of professional life. Beginning with an overview of several major ethical theories, the course will consider how these theories, which traditionally concern personal morality, apply to life in a professional setting. The course will focus on issues that might include lying and truth-telling, whistleblowing, confidentiality, the obligations of businesses toward the public, and the ethical concerns of privacy in journalism. Using a combination of readings, case studies, and discussion, students will explore these issues by critically evaluating ethical principles and also applying them to real-world settings.
PHIL 2210. Early Modern Philosophy. (3)
This course is an introductory survey of early modern Western philosophy. Through an in-depth reading of primary source material, this course will examine the traditions of Rationalism and Empiricism that emerged during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Concepts to be discussed might include theories of knowledge and metaphysics, early modern scientific thought, and theories of the self. (I)
Meets New Mexico General Education Curriculum Area 5: Humanities.
PHIL 2220. Greek Philosophy. (3)
This course is an introductory survey of early and classical Greek philosophy. The course will include discussion of such philosophers as the Pre-Socratics, the Sophists, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Topics to be discussed may include the beginnings of scientific thought, theories of the self, the concept of being, virtue ethics, happiness, and theories of justice. (I)
PHIL 2225. Greek Thought. (3)
An introductory survey of early and classical Greek philosophy, literature, and history. Figures: the Presocratics, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle; Homer and Sophocles; Herodotus and Thucydides. (I)
Meets New Mexico General Education Curriculum Area 5: Humanities.
PHIL 2240. Introduction to Existentialism. (3)
The aim of this course is to introduce students to the tradition of existential philosophy through a careful reading of philosophical texts by authors, such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre, de Beauvoir, and Heidegger. (I)
PHIL 2996. Topics. (1-6, no limit Δ)
A course exploring a topic not covered by the standard curriculum but of interest to faculty and students in a particular semester.
PHIL 333. Buddhist Philosophy. (3)
This course traces the evolution of such topics as karma and rebirth and the nature of the liberated mind as discussed in the Buddhist traditions of India, Tibet, East Asia and the modern West. (B)
PHIL 334. Indian Philosophy. (3)
Upanishads, Bhagavad-gita, Jainism, Buddhism, the six Hindu systems and recent developments. (B)
PHIL 336. Chinese Philosophy. (3)
The development of Chinese thought from pre-Confucian times through the T’ang dynasty. (B)
PHIL 341. Topics in Philosophy. (1-3, no limit Δ)
An investigation of some important philosophic debates. (T)
PHIL 343. Contemporary Continental Philosophy. (3)
A survey of main themes in Dilthey, Husserl, Scheler, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Sartre, Hermeneutics, Structuralism, Deconstruction and the Frankfurt School. (B)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
PHIL 350. Philosophy of Science. (3)
This course is a survey of the main epistemological, ontological and conceptual issues that arise from or concern the methodology and content of the empirical sciences. (B)
PHIL 352. Theory of Knowledge. (3)
An examination of the nature and possibility of knowledge. Topics include skepticism, the analysis of knowledge, and the nature and structure of epistemic justification. (B)
Prerequisite: 2210.
PHIL 354. Metaphysics. (3)
Problems and theories of metaphysics. Topics may include: investigation into the structure of things and their properties, identity and individuation, causation, necessity and possibility, universals, mind and body, space and time, God, truth and naturalism. (B)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
PHIL 356. Symbolic Logic. (4)
(Also offered as MATH **356)
This is a first course in logical theory. Its primary goal is to study the notion of logical entailment and related concepts, such as consistency and contingency. Formal systems are developed to analyze these notions rigorously. (B)
PHIL 358. Ethical Theory. (3)
Inquiry concerning goodness, rightness, obligation, justice and freedom. (B)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
PHIL 361. Modern Christian Thought. (3)
(Also offered as RELG 361)
Background of the intellectual issues facing Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions today. (B)
Prerequisite: one course in Religious Studies or Philosophy.
PHIL 363. Environmental Ethics. (3)
Close reading of contemporary writings by naturalists, lawyers, theologians and philosophers on the philosophical aspects of environmental problems. (B)
PHIL 365. Philosophy of Religion. (3)
(Also offered as RELG 365)
Philosophic analysis of some major concepts and problems in religion. (B)
Prerequisite: one course in Religious Studies or Philosophy.
PHIL 368. Biomedical Ethics. (3)
A survey of recent work on bioethics. Topics may include: allocation of scarce resources, autonomy and consent, end of life and beginning of life, killing and letting die, genetic engineering, future therapies. (B)
PHIL 371. Classical Social and Political Philosophy. (3)
From Plato to Hobbes. (B)
Prerequisite: 1115 or 2220 or 2225.
PHIL 372. Modern Social and Political Philosophy. (3)
From Hobbes to present. (B)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
PHIL 381. Philosophy of Law. (3)
Examination of philosophical issues pertaining to law, including the nature of law, responsibility, rights, justice, the justification of punishment, and the justification of state interference with individual liberty. (B)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
PHIL 390. Latin American Thought. (3)
Positivism through contemporary thought. (B)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
PHIL 410 / 510. Kant. (3)
A study of Kant’s philosophical thought that typically focuses on a close reading of significant portions of the Critique of Pure Reason. Topics may include: a priori knowledge, causality, and idealism. (AI)
Prerequisite: 2210.
PHIL 411 / 511 [*411]. Hegel. (3)
A study of Hegel’s philosophical thought focused on a close reading of texts such as Phenomenology of Spirit and Encyclopedia Logic. Topics may include: Hegel’s conceptions of metaphysics, ethics, social theory, and the method and aims of philosophy.
Prerequisite: 2210.
PHIL 414 / 514 [*414]. Nietzsche. (3)
A study of Nietzsche’s philosophical thought. Topics may include: Nietzsche’s ethical critiques; the will to power thesis; agency and free will; truth; meaning; eternal recurrence and the affirmation of life. (AI)
Prerequisite: 6 credit hours Philosophy course work.
PHIL *415. History and Philosophy of Mathematics. (3)
(Also offered as MATH **415)
A historical survey of principal issues and controversies on the nature of mathematics. Emphasis varies from year to year. (AS)
Prerequisite: 356 or MATH 1440 or MATH 1522 or MATH **356.
PHIL 421 / 521 [*421]. Early Heidegger. (3)
Martin Heidegger (1889–1976) is widely considered one of the most original and important philosophers of the 20th century. This seminar will focus on his most famous and influential work, Being and Time (1927).
(AI)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
PHIL 422 / 522 [*422]. Wittgenstein. (3)
A survey of Wittgenstein's thought and work typically including close reading of his Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus as well as portions of his later writings (1929 and after). Topics may include Wittgenstein's conception of philosophical methodology, philosophy of language, and philosophy of mind.
(AI)
Prerequisite: 6 credit hours Philosophy course work.
PHIL 423 / 523 [*423]. Later Heidegger/Post-Heideggerian Philosophy. (3)
This course will examine the “later” (post-1937) Heidegger and/or some major critical appropriations of Heidegger’s later thinking by Badiou, Baudrillard, Blanchot, Cavell, Derrida, Dreyfus, Foucault, Irigaray, Lacan, Levinas, Marcuse, Rorty, Vattimo, Zizek, or others. (AI)
Prerequisite: three credits in Philosophy.
PHIL 426. Seminar in Asian Philosophers. (3, may be repeated once Δ)
Course emphasizes investigation, evaluation, and discussion of areas of specialized knowledge or inquiry relevant to the profession or field of study. Figure varies.
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
PHIL *441. Topics in Philosophical Figures and Movements. (3, may be repeated four times Δ)
A course exploring a topic not covered by the standard curriculum but of interest to faculty and students in a particular semester. Topic varies. (OA)
Prerequisite: one Philosophy course 200-level or above.
PHIL 442. Seminar in Individual Philosophers. (3, may be repeated four times Δ)
Figure varies. (OA)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
PHIL 453. Asian Studies Thesis. (3)
(Also offered as COMP, HIST, POLS, RELG 453)
Supervised research in one or more disciplines leading to an undergraduate thesis for the major in Asian Studies. (AT)
PHIL 454 / 554. Seminar in Metaphysics and Epistemology. (3, may be repeated three times Δ)
This seminar offers graduate and advanced undergraduate students exposure to contemporary literature and current professional discussion on issues in metaphysics and/or epistemology. (OA)
Prerequisite: 12 credit hours Philosophy course work.
PHIL 455 / 555 [*455]. Philosophy of Mind. (3)
A study of certain issues connected with the nature and status of minds. Topics include the mind-body problem, intentionality, consciousness, and mental causation. (AS)
Prerequisite: 2210.
PHIL 457 / 557. Seminar in the History of Philosophy. (3, may be repeated three times Δ)
A close and critical examination of issues in the history of philosophy. Emphasis may be placed on a particular philosophical figure or on the development of a particular trend in the history of philosophy. (OA)
Prerequisite: 12 credit hours Philosophy course work.
PHIL 458 / 558. Seminar in Moral and Political Philosophy. (3, may be repeated three times Δ)
A study of advanced topics in ethics. Possible topics include: practical reason; the connection between ethics and agency; metaethics; the nature of normativity. (OA)
Prerequisite: 12 credit hours Philosophy course work.
PHIL 464 / 564. Seminar in Philosophy of Religion. (3, may be repeated three times Δ)
Advanced topics in philosophy of religion. (OA)
Prerequisite: 12 credit hours Philosophy course work.
PHIL 466 / 566. Seminar in Philosophy of Art and Aesthetics. (3, may be repeated three times Δ)
An in-depth examination of the genesis of modern aesthetics in the 18th and early 19th centuries, with a special focus on the aesthetic theory of Immanuel Kant. (OA)
Prerequisite: 12 credit hours Philosophy course work.
PHIL 467 / 567 [*467]. Philosophy of Art and Aesthetics. (3)
Philosophical investigation of concept and theories of art and literature. Possible topics include the nature, definition and criteria of art; its functions; form and content; aesthetic experience; evaluation; artist’s/author’s status; meaning; reception; hermeneutics and representation. (AS)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
PHIL 468 / 568. Seminar in Psychoanalytic Theory and Continental Philosophy. (3, may be repeated three times Δ)
This seminar offers students an in-depth introduction to psychoanalysis considered in relation to philosophy. It focuses on Freudian and/or Lacanian versions of analytic thought and their consequences for various philosophical discussions. (OA)
Prerequisite: 12 credit hours Philosophy course work.
PHIL 469 / 569. Seminar in Continental Philosophy. (3, may be repeated three times Δ)
This seminar offers graduate and advanced undergraduate students an in-depth engagement with a specific philosopher or philosophical orientation situated in the context of twentieth-century Europe. It focuses on French and/or German philosophies in particular. (OA)
Prerequisite: 12 credit hours Philosophy course work.
PHIL 480 / 580 [*480]. Philosophy and Literature. (3, may be repeated four times Δ)
Selected philosophical movements and their relationships to literary masterpieces. (AS)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
PHIL 486 / 586. Seminar on Major Continental Philosopher. (3, may be repeated three times Δ)
A close reading of a leading figure in contemporary continental philosophy, typically focusing on that thinker’s most influential work, such as Sartre’s Being and Nothingness, Levinas’s Totality and Infinity, Gadamer’s Truth and Method, etc. (OA)
Prerequisite: 12 credit hours Philosophy course work.
PHIL 497. Honors Seminar. (3, may be repeated once Δ)
For departmental honors in philosophy. (OA)
{Offered upon demand}
PHIL 498. Reading and Research. (1-3, may be repeated three times Δ)
A faculty-supervised course culminating in a comprehensive paper or research proposal that integrates knowledge attained through coursework, research, and experience. (OA)
PHIL 499. Senior Thesis. (3, may be repeated once Δ)
For departmental honors. (OA)
{Offered upon demand}
PHIL 510 / 410. Kant. (3)
A study of Kant’s philosophical thought that typically focuses on a close reading of significant portions of the Critique of Pure Reason. Topics may include: a priori knowledge, causality, and idealism.
(AI)
PHIL 511 / 411. Hegel. (3)
A study of Hegel’s philosophical thought focused on a close reading of texts such as Phenomenology of Spirit and Encyclopedia Logic. Topics may include: Hegel’s conceptions of metaphysics, ethics, social theory, and the method and aims of philosophy.
PHIL 514 / 414. Nietzsche. (3)
A study of Nietzsche’s philosophical thought. Topics may include: Nietzsche’s ethical critiques; the will to power thesis; agency and free will; truth; meaning; eternal recurrence and the affirmation of life. (AI)
Prerequisite: 6 credit hours Philosophy course work.
PHIL 521 / 421. Early Heidegger. (3)
Martin Heidegger (1889–1976) is widely considered one of the most original and important philosophers of the 20th century. This seminar will focus on his most famous and influential work, Being and Time (1927).
(AI)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
PHIL 522 / 422. Wittgenstein. (3)
A survey of Wittgenstein's thought and work typically including close reading of his Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus as well as portions of his later writings (1929 and after). Topics may include Wittgenstein's conception of philosophical methodology, philosophy of language, and philosophy of mind.
(AI)
Prerequisite: 6 credit hours Philosophy course work.
PHIL 523 / 423. Later Heidegger/Post-Heideggerian Philosophy. (3)
This course will examine the “later” (post-1937) Heidegger and/or some major critical appropriations of Heidegger’s later thinking by Badiou, Baudrillard, Blanchot, Cavell, Derrida, Dreyfus, Foucault, Irigaray, Lacan, Levinas, Marcuse, Rorty, Vattimo, Zizek, or others. (AI)
Prerequisite: three credits in Philosophy.
PHIL 526. Seminar in Asian Philosophers. (3)
(GS)
Course emphasizes investigation, evaluation, and discussion of areas of specialized knowledge or inquiry relevant to the profession or field of study.
PHIL 542. Seminar in Individual Philosophers. (3, may be repeated five times Δ)
Course emphasizes investigation, evaluation, and discussion of areas of specialized knowledge or inquiry relevant to the profession or field of study. (GS)
PHIL 551. M.A. Problems. (1-3, may be repeated six times Δ)
Individual research into an area proposed by the student and conducted under the direction of a faculty member. (OM)
PHIL 554 / 454. Seminar in Metaphysics and Epistemology. (3, may be repeated three times Δ)
This seminar offers graduate and advanced undergraduate students exposure to contemporary literature and current professional discussion on issues in metaphysics and/or epistemology. (GS)
Prerequisite: 12 credit hours Philosophy coursework.
PHIL 555 / 455 . Philosophy of Mind. (3)
A study of certain issues connected with the nature and status of minds. Topics include the mind-body problem, intentionality, consciousness, and mental causation. (AS)
PHIL 557 / 457. Seminar in the History of Philosophy. (3, may be repeated three times Δ)
A close and critical examination of issues in the history of philosophy. Emphasis may be placed on a particular philosophical figure or on the development of a particular trend in the history of philosophy. (GS)
Prerequisite: 12 credit hours Philosophy coursework.
PHIL 558 / 458. Seminar in Moral and Political Philosophy. (3, may be repeated three times Δ)
A study of advanced topics in ethics. Possible topics include: practical reason; the connection between ethics and agency; metaethics; the nature of normativity. (GS)
Prerequisite: 12 credit hours Philosophy coursework.
PHIL 564 / 464. Seminar in Philosophy of Religion. (3, may be repeated three times Δ)
Advanced topics in philosophy of religion. (GS)
Prerequisite: 12 credit hours Philosophy coursework.
PHIL 566 / 466. Seminar in Philosophy of Art and Aesthetics. (3, may be repeated three times Δ)
An in-depth examination of the genesis of modern aesthetics in the 18th and early 19th centuries, with a special focus on the aesthetic theory of Immanuel Kant. (GS)
Prerequisite: 12 credit hours Philosophy coursework.
PHIL 567 / 467. Philosophy of Art and Aesthetics. (3)
Philosophical investigation of concept and theories of art and literature. Possible topics include the nature, definition and criteria of art; its functions; form and content; aesthetic experience; evaluation; artist’s/author’s status; meaning; reception; hermeneutics and representation. (AS)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
PHIL 568 / 468. Seminar in Psychoanalytic Theory and Continental Philosophy. (3, may be repeated three times Δ)
This seminar offers students an in-depth introduction to psychoanalysis considered in relation to philosophy. It focuses on Freudian and/or Lacanian versions of analytic thought and their consequences for various philosophical discussions. (CP)
Prerequisite: 12 credit hours Philosophy coursework.
PHIL 569 / 469. Seminar in Continental Philosophy. (3, may be repeated three times Δ)
This seminar offers graduate and advanced undergraduate students an in-depth engagement with a specific philosopher or philosophical orientation situated in the context of twentieth-century Europe. It focuses on French and/or German philosophies in particular. (CP)
Prerequisite: 12 credit hours Philosophy coursework.
PHIL 580 / 480. Philosophy and Literature. (3, may be repeated four times Δ)
Selected philosophical movements and their relationships to literary masterpieces.
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
PHIL 586 / 486. Seminar on Major Continental Philosopher. (3, may be repeated three times Δ)
A close reading of a leading figure in contemporary continental philosophy, typically focusing on that thinker’s most influential work, such as Sartre’s Being and Nothingness, Levinas’s Totality and Infinity, Gadamer’s Truth and Method, etc. (CP)
Prerequisite: 12 credit hours Philosophy coursework.
PHIL 599. Master's Thesis. (1-6, no limit Δ)
Faculty-supervised investigative study that results in the development and writing of a master’s thesis. (OM)
Offered on a CR/NC basis only.
PHIL 651. Ph.D. Problems. (1-3, may be repeated six times Δ)
Individual research into an area proposed by the student and conducted under the direction of a faculty member. (OP)
Offered on a CR/NC basis only.
PHIL 670. Seminar in Sanskrit Philosophical Texts. (3, may be repeated once Δ)
This course is designed to give students at the intermediate to advanced level practice in reading philosophical literature in Sanskrit. The texts chosen will be those that are most relevant to the students' research interests. (IP)
PHIL 699. Dissertation. (3-12, no limit Δ)
Faculty-supervised investigative study that results in the development and writing of a doctoral dissertation.
(OP)
Offered on a CR/NC basis only.
