Philosophy (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).
102.
Current Moral Problems.
(3)
Ethical issues arising in contemporary society, e.g., sexual morality, preferential treatment, racism, punishment, war, world food distribution. (I)
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)
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. (I)
Meets New Mexico Lower-Division General Education Common Core Curriculum Area I: Communications.
201.
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 Lower-Division General Education Common Core Curriculum Area V: Humanities and Fine Arts.
202.
From Descartes to Kant.
(3)
A 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)
Meets New Mexico Lower-Division General Education Common Core Curriculum Area V: Humanities and Fine Arts.
211.
Greek Philosophy.
(3)
A survey of classical Greek Philosophy. The Presocratics, Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics. Concepts of nature and culture, theories of the self, concepts of being; happiness, virtue, and the good life. (I)
241.
Topics in Philosophy.
(3, no limit Δ)
An introductory survey of a philosophical tradition or topic of debate.
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)
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.
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)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
334.
Indian Philosophy.
(3)
Upanishads, Bhagavad-gita, Jainism, Buddhism, the six Hindu systems and recent developments. (B)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
336.
Chinese Philosophy.
(3)
The development of Chinese thought from pre-Confucian times through the T’ang dynasty. (B)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
341.
Topics in Philosophy.
(1-3, no limit Δ)
An investigation of some important philosophic debates. (T)
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.
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)
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.
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.
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)
358.
Ethical Theory.
(3)
Inquiry concerning goodness, rightness, obligation, justice and freedom. (B)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
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.
363.
Environmental Ethics.
(3)
Close reading of contemporary writings by naturalists, lawyers, theologians and philosophers on the philosophical aspects of environmental problems. (B)
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.
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)
371.
Classical Social and Political Philosophy.
(3)
From Plato to Hobbes. (B)
Prerequisite: 101 or 201 or 211.
372.
Modern Social and Political Philosophy.
(3)
From Hobbes to present. (B)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
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.
390.
Latin American Thought.
(3)
Positivism through contemporary thought. (B)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
410 / 510.
Kant.
(3)
*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.
*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.
*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.
*421.
Early Heidegger.
(3)
(AI)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
*422.
Wittgenstein.
(3)
(AI)
Prerequisite: 6 credit hours Philosophy course work.
*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: one course in Philosophy.
426.
Seminar in Asian Philosophers.
(3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
Figure varies.
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
*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: one course in Philosophy or Religious Studies.
*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: one course in Philosophy or Religious Studies.
*441.
Topics in Philosophical Figures and Movements.
(3 to a maximum of 12 Δ)
Topic varies. (OA)
Prerequisite: one Philosophy course 200-level or above.
442.
Seminar in Individual Philosophers.
(3 to a maximum of 12 Δ)
Figure varies. (OA)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
*444.
Nineteenth-Century Philosophy.
(3)
From Kant through Hegel, Marx, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Mill, Nietzsche. (AS)
Prerequisite: 202.
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)
454 / 554.
Seminar in Metaphysics and Epistemology.
(3 to a maximum of 12 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.
*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.
457 / 557.
Seminar in the History of Philosophy.
(3 to a maximum of 12 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.
458 / 558.
Seminar in Moral and Political Philosophy.
(3 to a maximum of 12 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.
462 / 562.
Seminar in American Philosophy.
(3 to a maximum of 12 Δ)
An intensive study of texts and movements in American philosophy from the eighteenth century to contemporary pragmatism. (OA)
Prerequisite: 12 credit hours Philosophy course work.
464 / 564.
Seminar in Philosophy of Religion.
(3 to a maximum of 12 Δ)
Advanced topics in philosophy of religion. (OA)
Prerequisite: 12 credit hours Philosophy course work.
466 / 566.
Seminar in Philosophy of Art and Aesthetics.
(3 to a maximum of 12 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.
*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.
468 / 568.
Seminar in Psychoanalytic Theory and Continental Philosophy.
(3 to a maximum of 12 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.
469 / 569.
Seminar in Continental Philosophy.
(3 to a maximum of 12 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.
*480.
Philosophy and Literature.
(3 to a maximum of 12 Δ)
Selected philosophical movements and their relationships to literary masterpieces. (AS)
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
486 / 586.
Seminar on Major Continental Philosopher.
(3 to a maximum of 12 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.
497.
Honors Seminar.
(3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
For departmental honors in philosophy. (OA)
{Offered upon demand}
498.
Reading and Research.
(1-3, may be repeated 3 times Δ)
499.
Senior Thesis.
(3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)
For departmental honors. (OA)
{Offered upon demand}
510 / 410.
Kant.
(3)
526.
Seminar in Asian Philosophers.
(3)
542.
Seminar in Individual Philosophers.
(3 to a maximum of 18 Δ)
551.
M.A. Problems.
(1-3, may be repeated 6 times Δ)
554 / 454.
Seminar in Metaphysics and Epistemology.
(3 to a maximum of 12 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 course work.
557 / 457.
Seminar in the History of Philosophy.
(3 to a maximum of 12 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 course work.
558 / 458.
Seminar in Moral and Political Philosophy.
(3 to a maximum of 12 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 course work.
562 / 462.
Seminar in American Philosophy.
(3 to a maximum of 12 Δ)
An intensive study of texts and movements in American philosophy from the eighteenth century to contemporary pragmatism. (GS)
Prerequisite: 12 credit hours Philosophy course work.
564 / 464.
Seminar in Philosophy of Religion.
(3 to a maximum of 12 Δ)
Advanced topics in philosophy of religion. (GS)
Prerequisite: 12 credit hours Philosophy course work.
566 / 466.
Seminar in Philosophy of Art and Aesthetics.
(3 to a maximum of 12 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 course work.
568 / 468.
Seminar in Psychoanalytic Theory and Continental Philosophy.
(3 to a maximum of 12 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 course work.
569 / 469.
Seminar in Continental Philosophy.
(3 to a maximum of 12 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 course work.
586 / 486.
Seminar on Major Continental Philosopher.
(3 to a maximum of 12 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 course work.
599.
Master's Thesis.
(1-6, no limit Δ)
(OM)
Offered on a CR/NC basis only.
651.
Ph.D. Problems.
(1-3, may be repeated 6 times Δ)
(OP)
Offered on a CR/NC basis only.
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)
679.
Seminar in Vedanta.
(3)
An in-depth study of major themes of the Vedanta tradition of Brahmanical thought, based on a reading of original Sanskrit texts of the two leading schools, Advaita and Visista Advaita. Knowledge of Sanskrit expected. (IP)
699.
Dissertation.
(3-12, no limit Δ)
(OP)
Offered on a CR/NC basis only.
