2009 Course Catalog

Note: Make sure to check back frequently and sign up for course updates.

Currently Displaying: Philosophy Courses (15)

Show All Courses | Show All Courses as a List (Useful for a Quick Scan)

Science Biology Technology Medicine Career Exploration Economics Finance Physics Chemistry Uniquely Brown Mathematics Film English Cultural Studies Modern Culture and Media Anthropology Writing Music Foreign Languages Classics History Art History Egyptology Archaeology and Ancient World Psychology Engineering Communications Leadership Sociology Political Science Global Studies Philosophy Legal Studies Visual Art Environmental Studies Geological Sciences Women's Studies Computer Science English as a Second Language (ESL) Theatre and Performing Arts American Civilization Public Health Religious Studies

Themes from Existentialism (PL904-3A)

Program: Pre-College

Based on Brown's most popular philosophy course, this course explores some of the central themes of existentialism. Existentialist philosophy is distinguished by its focus on issues... (more »)

3 Weeks
June 1
July 1
Aug. 1
Aug. 31

The Meaning of Life (PL909-1B)

Program: Pre-College

The question of the meaning of life is one of the most important questions you will ever ask. You're probably already started to wrestle with it, and if you haven't yet, you will... (more »)

1 Week
June 1
July 1
Aug. 1
Aug. 31

Science, Perception and Reality (PL902-3B)

Program: Pre-College

Modern science throws light on many of the perennial questions of philosophy, sometimes seeming to confirm or refute old answers and sometimes suggesting new ones. Are sensory... (more »)

3 Weeks
June 1
July 1
Aug. 1
Aug. 31

To Be Human: Minds, Robots, Clones and Zombies (PL905-2A)

Program: Pre-College

What it is that makes us characteristically human has been a crucial question for a long time. In ancient Greece, 'featherless biped' was tried out as a definition, but a plucked... (more »)

2 Weeks
June 1
July 1
Aug. 1
Aug. 31

Mind and Matter (PL907-1A)

Program: Pre-College

This course will focus on what is known as the mind-body problem, the problem of understanding the relationship between the mind and the brain. Your entire mental life-everything... (more »)

1 Week
June 1
July 1
Aug. 1
Aug. 31

Skepticism (PL903-2C)

Program: Pre-College

Things are not always what they seem. Take it with a grain of salt. Don't judge a book by its cover. Skepticism is not some esoteric intellectual enterprise, but rather it's... (more »)

2 Weeks
June 1
July 1
Aug. 1
Aug. 31

Critical Reasoning (PHIL 0100)

Program: Summer Session Credit

A study of the techniques and principles of correct reasoning and effective communication. Topics may include deduction and induction, meaning and definition, fallacies in reasoning,... (more »)

7 Weeks
June 1
July 1
Aug. 1
Aug. 31

Giants of Philosophy (PL906-3B)

Program: Pre-College

Take a guided tour through works by some of the greatest thinkers of all time: Plato, Aristotle, Rene Descartes, John Locke, David Hume, Immanuel Kant, John Stuart Mill, Karl Marx,... (more »)

3 Weeks
June 1
July 1
Aug. 1
Aug. 31

An Introduction to Philosophy (PL913-3A)

Program: Pre-College

Philosophy focuses around questions we all think about, and which can evidently only be answered by thinking rather than by observing or experimenting or acting. Can we know anything?... (more »)

3 Weeks
June 1
July 1
Aug. 1
Aug. 31

Existentialist Questions of the Heart: What is Love and How Can I Find Myself? (PL918-1D)

Program: Pre-College

In 1993, Haddaway asked, “What is love?” A decade later, Eminem implored those seeking authenticity: “Lose yourself in the moment.” The techno question... (more »)

1 Week
June 1
July 1
Aug. 1
Aug. 31

Freedom and Responsibility (PL901-2B)

Program: Pre-College

If the course's title interests you, it is very likely that you have considered the following sort of story and wondered how it ought to be evaluated: A young man is raised in... (more »)

2 Weeks
June 1
July 1
Aug. 1
Aug. 31

Ethical Dilemmas in Foreign Policy (PS908-3A)

Program: Pre-College

Foreign policy decision-making is rarely morally neutral or ethically unproblematic. More often than not, foreign policy decision-makers struggle with complex moral questions in... (more »)

3 Weeks
June 1
July 1
Aug. 1
Aug. 31

Classic Fairy Tales Reconsidered (EL901-2A)

Program: Pre-College

Originally, fairy tales were not intended for children but throughout much of their history were told among adult audiences for entertainment and instruction. During Romanticism,... (more »)

2 Weeks
June 1
July 1
Aug. 1
Aug. 31

Bioethics (PL910-1B)

Program: Pre-College

This course will introduce students to current controversies in bioethics concerning the use of biotechnologies to enhance human traits. We will discuss the ethical issues raised... (more »)

1 Week
June 1
July 1
Aug. 1
Aug. 31

Environmental Ethics (PL911-3B)

Program: Pre-College

Environmental ethics is a subfield of philosophy that asks what our moral obligations are with regard to the environment. This course is divided into two halves. In the first... (more »)

3 Weeks
June 1
July 1
Aug. 1
Aug. 31