School of Humanities
Philosophy Undergraduate Course Descriptions
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Philosophy
Summer 2025
PHI 151
Introduction to Philosophy
Online
Aristotle says, “For it is owing to their wonder that people both now begin and at
first began to philosophize”.
Philosophy begins in wonder. It’s about asking fundamental questions—questions like,
“Does God exist?”; “What is the nature of reality?”; “Is what I perceive really the
way things are?”; “What is a Self?”; “Am I the same person over time?”; “What makes
an action morally right?” “What is justice?”
Study philosophy and unlock your mind!
REL 131
Comparative Religion
Online
How can we talk about what matters most to people? How can we think about what is
sacred to us? How can we encounter strangers in space and time on their own terms?
For centuries, the term “religion” has been used to include ideas of what is sacred,
what is forbidden, what is out of this world, and what is everyday, and the stories
and ideas that inspire us to think these ways. This is a class for everyone curious
about religion, both the religion they know and what they want to know more about.
Because this class is part of our general education curriculum, we’ll also be thinking
critically about how to make the most of our education in the world we live in.
Fall 2025
PHI 151
Introduction to Philosophy
2 sections: M/W 9:30 – 10:45 AM; M/W 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM
Dr. Paula Smithka
Aristotle says, “For it is owing to their wonder that people both now begin and at
first began to philosophize”.
Philosophy begins in wonder. It’s about asking fundamental questions—questions like,
“Does God exist?”; “What is the nature of reality?”; “Is what I perceive really the
way things are?”; “What is a Self?”; “Am I the same person over time?”; “What makes
an action morally right?” “What is justice?”
Study philosophy and unlock your mind!
PHI 151
Introduction to Philosophy
Online, multiple sections
Susan Mullican
PHI 151
Introduction to Philosophy
Online, multiple sections
Dr. Michael DeArmey
NATURE OF THE COURSE: This is an online course. An introduction to the most basic
questions human beings ask about themselves and the world, and the answers philosophers
have developed in response to these questions. What does it mean to know something?
What is real? What is the mind? Self? Is there a God? What makes an object an art
object? How can I tell what is right and what is wrong? What is evil? There will
be lectures, and possible homework and/or reports.
.
PHI 151
Introduction to Philosophy
Online, multiple sections
Dr. Sam Bruton
What is real? What is it to know something? What makes me me? Do I have free will?
What’s the difference between right and wrong? These are some of the classic philosophical
puzzles to be explored in this class. Learn how great philosophers from the past
and the best contemporary minds have answered these questions and find out how their
answers apply to real world issues we all confront daily. The class fulfills GEC
requirements.
PHI 151
Introduction to Philosophy
M/W 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM
Susan Mullican
**GULF PARK CAMPUS**
PHI 171
Ethics and Good Living
T/TH 2:30 – 3:45 PM
Susan Mullican
**GULF PARK CAMPUS**
PHI 171
Ethics and Good Living
Online
Dr. Ian Dunkle
What is it to live well? This is one of the oldest and most foundational questions
in philosophy, and for good reason: what could be more important than understanding
how to live well?—Maybe, actually living well!—Granted. But how can we hope to live
well unless we have at least some idea of what that is? Answering this question is
hard, though, for several reasons, including these: First, it seems to be ambiguous
(to live uprightly? to maximize self-interest?). Second, common answers are ambiguous;
there are different senses in which something might be good for you. Third, popular
opinions on the good life contradict one another (consider what your parents tell
you about the importance and non-importance of pursuing a lucrative career). But where
else can we get a footing on the question except in popular opinions? This course
explores the central philosophical puzzles and controversies regarding the good life
and introduces students to major accounts offered in both the history of philosophy
and in contemporary value-theory. Throughout the course students will also develop
skills of critical thinking and argument analysis.
PHI 351
Critical Thinking
T/TH 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM
Dr. Ian Dunkle
How is it possible to learn what you don’t already know; how do we acquire knowledge?
Sure, you could just find someone who does know and listen passively to what they
say. But how will you know that they know what they’re talking about? And even if
they do, is having the ability to parrot someone else’s knowledge the same as having
that knowledge yourself? Acquiring knowledge seems paradoxical.
The solution: we acquire knowledge by building on prior knowledge through logical
inference. The purpose of this course is to study and master the art of advancing
knowledge through inference. We will study formal logical inference, informal logical
rules and fallacies, statistical inference, and causal reasoning. Unlike in a logic
course, our focus will always be on applying these skills to actual questions we all
care about.
Two main learning objectives of this course are: (1) to be able to analyze arguments,
represent them in standard form, and evaluate them; and (2) to become competent in
the sort of reasoning required for excelling on the LSAT.
PHI 406/506/480
Philosophy of Human Nature
M/W 2:30 – 3:45 PM (online for online-only students)
Dr. Paula Smithka
‘Philosophy of Human Nature’ could be taken to mean a variety of things, given the
many facets of human existence and our nature (if there is such a thing). However,
in this class, we will focus on the nature of the self (if there is one), personal
identity, the nature of mind and its relation to the body, and the nature of consciousness,
all of which are central questions for our existence.
PHI 440/540
American Philosophy
Online
Dr. Michael DeArmey
Nature of the Course: This is an online course. An examination of selected highlights
of American philosophy from the Colonial Period to the early 1900s. One central focus
of the course is the so-called “Golden Age of American Philosophy,” which includes
Emerson, Charles Peirce, William James, and John Dewey. A primary interest in this
course is John Dewey’s analysis of democracy--his articulation and defense of participatory
and experimental democracy, which incorporates self-realization ethics and empirical
naturalism. For 60 years he was the #1 American philosopher, loved by people all
over the world. Also included in our course are selections from Professor DeArmey’s
new book, just published, The Constitution of the United States Revised and Updated.
PHI 457
Environmental Ethics
Online CHAT: M/W 9:30 – 10:45 AM
Susan Mullican
PHI 452/552
Health Care Ethics
T/TH 2:30 – 3:45 PM
Dr. Ian Dunkle
In this course, students will learn how to reach morally sound decisions in healthcare.
The course will begin with moral theory as it applies to medical decision making.
Then we will consider each of the four general principles of biomedical ethics in
turn, surveying specific issues that arise in the application of each: these principles
are Respect for Patient Autonomy, Justice, Beneficence, and Non-maleficence. Some
of the specific issues we’ll cover along the way include how to respect the autonomy
of intellectually disabled persons; whether the use of AI in medical technology can
enhance healthcare professionals’ ability to promote autonomy; the extent to which
reproductive healthcare serves to benefit the patient; to which contraceptive healthcare
is compatible with non-maleficence; and to which various disabilities represent illnesses
or harms.
PHI 453
Philosophy of Law
M/W 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM
Dr. Sam Bruton
This class introduces students to pivotal issues in the philosophy of law: the nature
of legal authority, the relationship between law and morality, and debates about the
appropriate balance between legal regulation and individual liberty. The special
emphasis in Fall 2025 will be the moral justification of legal punishment, focusing
especially on the nature and legitimacy of capital punishment. This course satisfies
a required option for Philosophy majors in the Pre-law emphasis track, and it is recommended
for legal studies students, political science students and Human Rights minors.
REL 131
Comparative Religion
T/TH 9:30 – 10:45 AM
Dr. Amy Slagle
REL 131
Comparative Religion
Multiple sections: M/W 9:30 – 10:45 AM; 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM
Dr. Timothy Gutmann
How can we talk about what matters most to people? How can we think about what is
sacred to us? How can we encounter strangers in space and time on their own terms?
For centuries, the term “religion” has been used to include ideas of what is sacred,
what is forbidden, what is out of this world, and what is everyday, and the stories
and ideas that inspire us to think these ways. This is a class for everyone curious
about religion, both the religion they know and what they want to know more about.
Because this class is part of our general education curriculum, we’ll also be thinking
critically about how to make the most of our education in the world we live in.
REL 335
Life of Jesus
T/TH 1:00 – 2:15 PM
Dr. Amy Slagle