Philosophy is a fundamental academic discipline which is related to all areas of human concern. Philosophy courses will be helpful to students in each of the arts and sciences, as well as in professional fields of study. The major and minor programs in philosophy are designed to serve several different functions: 1) the central focus of a liberal arts degree program; 2) a key component in an interdisciplinary program; 3) preparation for graduate work in education, law, medicine, politics, social work and theology; and 4) preparation for graduate work in philosophy. Students are invited to discuss with the departmental undergraduate advisor the role philosophy courses might play in specific programs of study.
Courses
PHIL 101.
Introduction to Philosophy.
(3)
Philosophical issues and methodology illustrated through selected problems concerning values, knowledge, reality; and in social, political and religious philosophy. Meets New Mexico Lower-Division General Education Common Core Curriculum Area V: Humanities and Fine Arts (NMCCN 1113). (I)
PHIL 102.
Current Moral Problems.
(3)
Ethical issues arising in contemporary society, e.g., sexual morality, preferential treatment, racism, punishment, war, world food distribution. (I)
PHIL 108.
Introduction to Asian Philosophies.
(3)
Philosophical issues and methodology illustrated in relation to South and East Asian thought: Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. (I)
PHIL 156.
Reasoning and Critical Thinking.
(3)
The purpose of this course is to help students learn how to analyze, critique and construct arguments in context, in other words, how to read and write argumentative essays. Meets New Mexico Lower-Division General Education Common Core Curriculum Area V: Humanities and Fine Arts. (I)
PHIL 201.
Greek Philosophy.
(3)
An introductory survey of early and classical Greek philosophy. Figures: the Presocratics, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Topics: beginnings of scientific thought; theories of the self; the concept of being; ethical relativism, happiness, theories of justice. (I)
PHIL 202.
From Descartes to Kant.
(3)
An historical study of philosophical trends and controversies that characterize the development of early modern philosophy. This survey will cover the philosophies of Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant. (I)
PHIL 204.
Greek Civilization.
(3)
(Also offered as HIST, ARTH 204)
An interdisciplinary introduction to the ancient world as the foundation of modern civilization. Lectures on classical art, history, literature and philosophy.
{Spring}
PHIL 205.
Roman Civilization.
(3)
(Also offered as HIST, ARTH 205)
An interdisciplinary introduction to ancient Rome. Lectures on Roman literature, history, art and philosophy.
PHIL 244.
Introduction to Existentialism.
(3)
An examination of the works of writers such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Kafka and Sartre who emphasize such issues as death, decision, rebellion and faith. (I)
PHIL 245.
Professional Ethics.
(3)
Examination of social and ethical problems associated with the business, engineering, medical and legal professions. Meets New Mexico Lower-Division General Education Common Core Curriculum Area V: Humanities and Fine Arts. (I)
PHIL 333.
Buddhist Philosophy.
(3)
(Also offered as RELG 343)
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)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
PHIL 334.
Indian Philosophy.
(3)
Upanishads, Bhagavad-gita, Jainism, Buddhism, the six Hindu systems and recent developments. (B)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
PHIL 336.
Chinese Philosophy.
(3)
The development of Chinese thought from pre-Confucian times through the T’ang dynasty. (B)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy
PHIL 341.
Topics in Philosophy.
(3)
An investigation of some important philosophic debates. (T)
PHIL 342.
Selected Philosophers.
(3 to a maximum of 12 Δ)
A treatment of the thought of a major philosopher. (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: 201 or 202 or 244
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: 202
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: 101 or 201 or 202
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: 101 or 102 or 201 or 202
PHIL 360.
Classical Christian Thought.
(3)
(Also offered as RELG 360)
A study of major writings in the Christian tradition, written by such persons as Origen, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin and Teresa of Avila. (B)
Prerequisite: one course in Religious Studies or 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: 101 or 201
PHIL 372.
Modern Social and Political Philosophy.
(3)
From Hobbes to present. (B)
Prerequisite: 101 or 202 or 371
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: 358
PHIL 389.
Latin American Thought I.
(3)
(Also offered as HIST, RELG 389)
Pre-Columbian thought through independence ideologies. (B)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
PHIL 390.
Latin American Thought II.
(3)
(Also offered as HIST, RELG, SOC 390)
Positivism through contemporary thought. (B)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
PHIL *402.
Plato.
(3)
PHIL *403.
Aristotle.
(3)
PHIL 404 / 504.
Augustine.
(3)
(Also offered as RELG 404)
(AI)
Prerequisite: 201 or RELG 360
PHIL *406.
Descartes.
(3)
PHIL *408.
Medieval Philosophy.
(3)
Major thinkers from Augustine through Ockham. (AS)
Prerequisite: 201
PHIL *409.
Hume.
(3)
PHIL *410.
Kant.
(3)
PHIL *411.
Hegel.
(3)
A close study of Hegel’s Phenomenology and Elements of the Philosophy of Right, emphasizing his conception of the method and aims of philosophy, and the fundamentals of his metaphysics, ethics, and social theory. (AI)
Prerequisite: 202
PHIL *413.
Kierkegaard.
(3)
(Also offered as RELG *413)
(AI)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy or Religious Studies.
PHIL *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: 202
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 163 or MATH 181 or MATH 356
PHIL *421.
Early Heidegger.
(3)
(AI)
Prerequisite: 201 or 202 or 244
PHIL *422.
Wittgenstein.
(3)
(AI)
Prerequisite: 201 or 352 or 354 or 445
PHIL *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: 201 or 202 or 244 or 421
PHIL *431.
Ch’an and Zen.
(3)
(Also offered as RELG *431)
An examination of key writings by Chinese Ch’an teachers (e.g., Huineng and Tung Shan), medieval Japanese Zen teachers (e.g., Eisai and Dogen) and modern Japanese thinkers (e.g., Suzuki and Nishitani). (AT)
Prerequisite: 333 or 334 or 336 or RELG 263 or RELG 343
PHIL *432.
American Philosophy.
(3)
A survey of American philosophical thought, emphasizing transcendentalism and pragmatism. Coverage of such figures as Emerson, Thoreau, Peirce, James, Dewey, Rorty, Putnam and Cavell. (AS)
Prerequisite: 201 or 202
PHIL *434.
South Asian Mystical Traditions.
(3)
(Also offered as RELG *434)
This course will examine a wide range of mystical thought and experience in South Asia from the first millennium BCE through the medieval period in Hindu and Buddhist traditions. (AT)
Prerequisite: 333 or 334 or RELG 263 or RELG 343
PHIL *438.
Indian Buddhist Philosophy.
(3)
(Also offered as RELG *438)
A survey of Hinayana and Mahayana philosophical thought as it developed in South Asia, together with its religious, historical and social context. (AT)
Prerequisite: 333 or 334 or RELG 343
PHIL *440.
Summer Seminar in Buddhism.
(3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
(Also offered as RELG *440)
Two-week, intensive summer course at Jemez Bodhi Manda Zen Center. Study of both theory and practice with visiting professors from various universities. Opportunity for directed meditation for interested participants. (AT)
Prerequisite: 333 or 334 or 336 or RELG 263 or RELG 343
PHIL *441.
Topics: Figures and Movements.
(3 to a maximum of 12 Δ)
Topic varies. (OA)
Prerequisite: one Philosophy course 200-level or above.
PHIL 442.
Individual Philosophers.
(3 to a maximum of 12 Δ)
Figure varies. (OA)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
PHIL *444.
Nineteenth-Century Philosophy.
(3)
From Kant through Hegel, Marx, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Mill, Nietzsche. (AS)
Prerequisite: 202
PHIL *445.
Philosophy of Language.
(3)
Philosophies of meaning with special attention to the relations between language, thought, and world. (AS)
Prerequisite: 352 or 354 or 356
PHIL *446.
Twentieth-Century Philosophy.
(3)
A survey of major movements of twentieth-century philosophy: phenomenology, existentialism, analytic philosophy, and pragmatism. (AS)
Prerequisite: 202 or 352 or 354
PHIL *448.
Comparative Philosophy.
(3)
A comparative study of the Buddhist, Chinese, European, Indian and Islamic philosophical traditions with reference to ontology, epistemology, axiology and sociopolitical thought. (AT)
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 & Epistemology.
(3 to a maximum of 6 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: 15 hours Philosophy coursework.
PHIL *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: 202
PHIL 457 / 557.
Seminar in the History of Philosophy.
(3 to a maximum of 6 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: 15 hours Philosophy coursework
PHIL 458 / 558.
Seminar in Moral and Political Philosophy.
(3 to a maximum of 9 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: 15 hours Philosophy coursework
PHIL 462 / 562.
Seminar in American Philosophy.
(3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
An intensive study of texts and movements in American philosophy from the eighteenth century to contemporary pragmatism. (OA)
Prerequisite: 15 hours Philosophy coursework
PHIL 464 / 564.
Seminar in Philosophy of Religion.
(3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
(Also offered as RELG 464)
Advanced topics in philosophy of religion. (OA)
Prerequisite: 15 hours Philosophy or Religious Studies coursework.
PHIL 466 / 566.
Seminar in Philosophy of Art and Aesthetics.
(3 to a maximum of 6 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: 15 hours Philosophy coursework.
PHIL *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 to a maximum of 6 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: 15 hours Philosophy coursework.
PHIL 469 / 569.
Seminar in Continental Philosophy.
(3 to a maximum of 6 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: 15 hours Philosophy coursework.
PHIL *480.
Philosophy and Literature.
(3 to a maximum of 12 Δ)
(Also offered as ENGP 480)
Selected philosophical movements and their relationships to literary masterpieces. (AS)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
PHIL 485.
Philosophical Foundations of Economic Theory.
(3)
(Also offered as ECPH 485)
(AS)
Prerequisite: ECON 105 and ECON 106
PHIL 486 / 586.
Seminar on Major Continental Philosopher.
(3 to a maximum of 6 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: 15 hours Philosophy coursework.
PHIL 497.
Honors Seminar.
(3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
For departmental honors in philosophy. (OA)
{Offered upon demand}
PHIL 498.
Reading and Research.
(1-3, may be repeated 3 times Δ)
PHIL 499.
Senior Thesis.
(3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
For departmental honors. (OA)
{Offered upon demand}
PHIL 504 / 404.
Augustine.
(3)
(Also offered as RELG 504)
(OM)
PHIL 520.
Graduate Proseminar in Philosophy.
(1-3)
The course serves as an introduction to graduate study in philosophy at the University of New Mexico. This includes introduction to the faculty and their research interests, as well as an opportunity for scholarly interaction with fellow graduate students. (OM)
Offered on a CR/NC basis only.
PHIL 526.
Seminar in Asian Philosophers.
(3)
PHIL 542.
Seminar in Individual Philosophers.
(3 to a maximum of 18 Δ)
PHIL 551.
M.A. Problems.
(1-3, may be repeated 6 times Δ)
PHIL 554 / 454.
Seminar in Metaphysics & Epistemology.
(3 to a maximum of 6 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: 15 hours Philosophy coursework.
PHIL 557 / 457.
Seminar in the History of Philosophy.
(3 to a maximum of 6 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: 15 hours Philosophy coursework
PHIL 558 / 458.
Seminar in Moral and Political Philosophy.
(3 to a maximum of 9 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: 15 hours Philosophy coursework
PHIL 562 / 462.
Seminar in American Philosophy.
(3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
An intensive study of texts and movements in American philosophy from the eighteenth century to contemporary pragmatism. (GS)
Prerequisite: 15 hours Philosophy coursework
PHIL 564 / 464.
Seminar in Philosophy of Religion.
(3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
(Also offered as RELG 464)
Advanced topics in philosophy of religion. (GS)
Prerequisite: 15 hours Philosophy or Religious Studies coursework.
PHIL 566 / 466.
Seminar in Philosophy of Art and Aesthetics.
(3 to a maximum of 6 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: 15 hours Philosophy coursework.
PHIL 568 / 468.
Seminar in Psychoanalytic Theory and Continental Philosophy.
(3 to a maximum of 6 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: 15 hours Philosophy coursework.
PHIL 569 / 469.
Seminar in Continental Philosophy.
(3 to a maximum of 6 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: 15 hours Philosophy coursework.
PHIL 586 / 486.
Seminar on Major Continental Philosopher.
(3 to a maximum of 6 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: 15 hours Philosophy coursework.
PHIL 599.
Master’s Thesis.
(1-6, no limit Δ)
(OM)
Offered on a CR/NC basis only.
PHIL 651.
Ph.D. Problems.
(1-3, may be repeated 6 times Δ)
(OP)
Offered on a CR/NC basis only.
PHIL 670.
Seminar in Sanskrit Philosophical Texts.
(3 to a maximum of 6 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 675.
Seminar in Madhyamaka.
(3)
The heart of this course will be a study of Nāgārjuna's Mūla-madhyamaka-kārikā and its principal commentaries by comparing several translations with the original Sanskrit texts and key modern interpreters. Knowledge of Sanskrit expected. (IP)
PHIL 676.
Seminar in Vasubandhu.
(3)
The topic of this course will be the thought of Vasubandhu, excerpts of whose works will be read in Sanskrit or English translation, along with reflections on his work by modern scholars. Knowledge of Sanskrit expected. (IP)
PHIL 677.
Seminar in Dignāga and Dharmakīrti.
(3)
The thought of Dignāga and Dharmakīrti, excerpts of whose works will be read in Sanskrit or English translation, along with reflections on their work by several modern scholars. Knowledge of Sanskrit expected. (IP)
PHIL 678.
Seminar in Nyāya and Vaiśesika.
(3)
This is a study of major themes of the Nyāya and Vaiśesika schools of Indian philosophy based on a reading of the Vaiśeskasūtra, Nyāyasūtra and Nyāyabhāsya in Sanskrit. Knowledge of Sanskrit expected. (IP)
PHIL 679.
Seminar in Vedānta.
(3)
An in-depth study of major themes of the Vedānta tradition of Brahmanical thought, based on a reading of original Sanskrit texts of the two leading schools, Advaita and Viśista Advaita. Knowledge of Sanskrit expected. (IP)
PHIL 699.
Dissertation.
(3-12, no limit Δ)
(OP)
Offered on a CR/NC basis only.
