| Philosophy Courses |
General Descriptions |
| 101 Introduction to Philosophy | Philosophical
issues and methodology illustrated through selected problems concerning
values, knowledge, reality, and in social, political and religious
philosophy. Meets New Mexico Lower Dvision General Education Common
Core Curriculum Area V: Humanities and Fine Arts (NMCCN 1113).
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| 102 Current Moral Problems | Ethical
issues arising in contemporary society, e.g., sexual morality,
preferential treatment, racism, punishment, war, world food distribution.
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| 108 Introduction to Asian Philosophies | Philosophical
issues and methodology illustrated in relation to South and East
Asian thought: Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism.
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| 156 Reasoning and Critical Thinking | 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.
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| 201 Greek Philosophy | 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.
|
| 202 From Descartes to Kant | Formerly
titled 'Modern Philosophy.' 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. |
| 204 Greek Civilization | An
interdisciplinary introduction to the ancient world as the foundation
of modern civilization. Lectures on classical art, history, literature
and philosophy.
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| 205 Roman Civilization | An
interdisciplinary introduction to ancient Rome. Lectures on Roman
literature, history, art and philosophy.
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| 244 Introduction to Existentialism | An
examination of the works of writers such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche,
Kafka and Sartre who emphasize such issues as death, decision,
rebellion and faith.
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| 245 Professional Ethics | 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.
|
| Basic Survey Courses | |
| 333 Buddhist Philosophy | 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. Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy. |
| 334 Indian Philosophy | Upanishads,
Bhagavad-gita, Jainism, Buddhism, the six Hindu systems and recent
developments.
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
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| 336 Chinese Philosophy | The
development of Chinese thought from pre-Confucian times through
the T’ang dynasty.
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
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| 343 Contemporary Continental Philosophy | A
survey of main themes in Dithey, Husserl, Scheler, Heidegger,
Merleau-Ponty, Sartre, Hermeneutics, Structuralism, Deconstruction
and the Frankfurt School.
Prerequisite: 201 or 202 or 244.
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| 350 Philosophy of Science | 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.
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| 352 Theory of Knowledge | An
examination of the nature and possibility of knowledge. Topics
include skepticism, the analysis of knowledge, and the nature
and structure of epistemic justification.
Prerequisite: 202.
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| 354 Metaphysics | 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. Prerequisite: 101 or 201 or 202.
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| 356 Symbolic Logic | 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.
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| 358 Ethical Theory | Inquiry
concerning goodness, rightness, obligation, justice and freedom.
Prerequisite: 101 or 102 or 210 or 202.
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| 360 Classical Christian Thought | A
study of major writings in the Christian tradition, written by
such persons as Origen, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin and
Teresa of Avila.
Prerequisite: one course in Religious Studies or Philosophy.
|
| 361 Modern Christian Thought | Background
of the intellectual issues facing Roman Catholic and Protestant
traditions today.
Prerequisite: one course in Religious Studies or Philosophy.
|
| 363 Environmental Ethics | Close
reading of contemporary writings by naturalists, lawyers, theologians
and philosophers on the philosophical aspects of environmental
problems.
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| 365 Philosophy of Religion | Philosophic
analysis of some major concepts and problems in religion.
Prerequisite: one course in Religious Studies or Philosophy.
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| 368 Biomedical Ethics | A
survey of recent work on Bioethics. Topics may include: allocation
of scarce rewources, autonomy and consent, end of life and beginning
of life, killing and letting die, genetic entineering, future
therapies.
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| 371 Classical social and Political Philosophy | From
Plato to Hobbes. Prerequisite: 101 or 201.
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| 372 Modern Social and Political Philosophy | From
Hobbes to Present. Prerequisite: 101 or 202.
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| 381 Philosophy of Law | 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.
Prerequisite: 358.
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| 389 Latin American Thought I | Pre-Columbian
thought through independence ideologies.
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
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| 390 Latin American Thought II | Positivism
through contemporary thought.
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
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| Undergraduate Topics Courses | |
| 341 Topics in Philosophy | An
investigation of some important philosophic debates.
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| 342 Selected Philosophers | A
treatment of the thought of a major philosopher.
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| Advanced
Undergraduate Survey Courses
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| *408 Medieval Philosophy | Major
thinkers from Augustine through Ockham.
Prerequisite: 201.
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| *415 History and Philosophy of Mathematics | An
historical survey of principal issues and controversies on the
nature of mateematics. Emphasis varies fromyear to year.
Prerequisite: 356 or MATH 163 or MATH 181 or MATH 356.
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| *432 American Philosophy | A
survey of American philosophical thought, emphasizing transcendentalism
and pragmatism. Coverage of such figures as Emerson, Thoreau,
Peirce, James, Dewey, Rorty, Putnam, and Cavell. Prerequisite:
201 or 202.
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| *444 Nineteenth-Century Philosophy | FromKant
through Hegel, Marx, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Mill, Nietzsche.
Prerequisite: 202.
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| *445 Philosophy of Language | Philosophies
of meaning with special attention to the relations between language,
thought, and world.
Prerequisite: 352 or 354 or 356.
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| *446 Twentieth-Century Philosophy | A
survey of Major movements of twentieth-century philosophy: phenomenology,
existentialism, analytic philosophy, and pragmatism.
Prerequisite: 202 or 352 or 354.
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| *455 Philosophy of Mind | A
study of certain issues connected with the nature and status of
minds. Topics include the mind-body problem, intentionality, consciousness,
and mental causation.
Prerequisite: 202.
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| *467 Philosophy of Art and Aesthetics | 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.
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
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| *480 Philosophy and Literature | Selected
philosophical movements and their relationships to literary masterpieces.
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
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| 485 Philosophical Foundations of Economic Theory | Prerequisite:
ECON 105 and ECON 106.
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| Advanced
Undergraduate Courses of Individual figures in the History of Philosophy
|
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| *402 Plato | Prerequisite:
201.
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| *403 Aristotle | Prerequisite:
201.
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| 404 Augustine | Prerequisite:
201 or RELG 360.
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| *406 Descartes | Prerequisite:
202.
|
| *409 Hume | Prerequisite:
202.
|
| *410 Kant | Prerequisite:
202. |
| *411 Hegel | 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.
Prerequisite: 202.
|
| *413 Kierkegaard | Prerequisite:
one course in Philosophy or Religious Studies. |
| *414 Nietzsche | 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.
Prerequisite: 202.
|
| *421 Early Heidegger | Prerequisite:
201 or 202 or 244.
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| *422 Wittgenstein | Prerequisite:
201 or 352 or 354 or 445.
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| *423 Later Heidegger/Post-Heideggerian Philosophy | This
course will exam 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.
Prerequisite: 201 or 202 or 244 or 421.
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| Advanced
Undergraduate Courses in Asian Thought
|
|
| *431 Ch'an and Zen | 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).
Prerequisite: 333 or 334 or 336 or RELG 263 or RELG 343.
|
| *434 South Asian Mystical Traditions | This
course will examine a wide range of mystical thought and experience
in South Asia form the first millennium BCE through the medieval
period in Hindu and Buddhist traditions.
Prerequisite: 333 or 334 or RELG 263 or RELG 343.
|
| *438 Indian Buddhist Philosophy | A
survey of Hinayana and Mahayana philosophical thought as it developed
in South Asia, together with its religious, historical and social
context.
Prerequisite: 333 or 334 ir 336 or RELG 263 or RELG 343.
|
| *440 Summer Seminar in Buddhism | 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.
Prerequisite: 333 or 334 or 336 or RELG 263 or RELG 343.
|
| *448 Comparative Philosophy | A
Comparative study of the Buddhist, Chinese, European, Indian and
Islamic philosophical traditions with reference to ontology, epistemology,
axiology and sociopolitical thought.
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
|
| 453 Asian Studies Thesis | Supervised
research in one or more disciplines leading to an undergraduate
thesis for the major in Asian Studies.
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| Other
Advanced Undergraduate Courses
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| *441 Topis: Figures and Movements | Topic
Varies
Prerequisites: one Philosophy course 200-level or above.
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| 442 Individual Philosophers | Figure
Varies.
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
|
| 454 Seminar in Metaphysics & Epistemology | This
seminar offers graduate and advanced undergraduate students exposrue
to contemporary literature and current professional discussion
on issues in metaphysics and/or epistemology.
Prerequisite: 15 hours of Philosophy Coursework.
|
| 457 Seminar in the History of Philosophy | 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.
Prerequisite: 15 hours of Philosophy coursework.
|
| 458 Seminar in Moral and Political Philosophy | A
study of advanced topics in ethics. Possible topics include: practical
reason; the connection between ethics and agency; metaethics;
the nature of normativity.
Prerequisite: 15 hours of Philosophy coursework.
|
| 462 Seminar in American Philosophy | An
intensive study o ftexts and movements in American philosophy
from the eighteenth century to contemporary pragmatism.
Prerequisite: 15 hours of Philosophy coursework.
|
| 464 Seminar in Philosophy of Religion | Advanced
topics in philosophy of religion.
Prerequisite: 15 hours of Philosophy coursework.
|
| 466 Seminar in Philosophy of Art and Aesthetics | 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.
Prerequisite: 15 hours of Philosophy coursework.
|
| 468 Seminar in Psychoanalytic Theory and Continental Philosophy | 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.
Prerequisite: 15 hours of Philosophy coursework.
|
| 469 Seminar in Continental Philosophy | 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.
Prerequisite: 15 hours of Philosophy coursework.
|
| 486 Seminar on Major Continental Philosophyer | 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.
Prerequisite: 15 hours of Philosophy coursework.
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| 497 Honors Seminar | For
departmental honors in Philosophy.
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| 498 Reading and Research | Undergraduate
Independent Study
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| 499 Senior Thesis | For
departmental honors in Philosophy
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| Graduate
Seminars
|
|
| 554 Seminar in Metaphysics & Epistemology | This
seminar offers graduate and advanced undergraduate students exposure
to contemporary literature and current professional discussion
on issues in metaphysics and/or epistemology.
Prerequisite: 15 hours of Philosophy Coursework.
|
| 557 Seminar in the History of Philosophy | 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.
Prerequisite: 15 hours of Philosophy coursework.
|
| 558 Seminar in Moral and political Philosophy | A
study of advanced topics in ethics. Possible topics include: practical
reason; the connection between ethics and agency; metaethics;
the nature of normativity.
Prerequisite: 15 hours of Philosophy coursework.
|
| 562 Seminar in American Philosophy | An
intensive study of texts and movements in American philosophy
from the eighteenth century to contemporary pragmatism.
Prerequisite: 15 hours of Philosophy coursework.
|
| 564 Seminar in Philosophy of Religion | Advanced
topics in philosophy of religion.
Prerequisite: 15 hours of Philosophy or Religious Studies coursework.
|
| 566 Seminar in Philosophy of Art and Aesthetics | An
in-depth examination of the genesis of modern aesthetics in the
18th and 19th centuries, with a special focus on the aesthetic
theory of Immanuel Kant.
Prerequisite 15 hours of Philosophy coursework.
|
| 526
Seminar in Asian Philosophers
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| 542
Seminar in INdividual Philosophers
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| Graduate
Seminars in Continental Philosophy
|
|
| 568 Seminar in Psychoanalytic Theory and Continental Philosophy | 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.
Prerequisite: 15 hours of Philosophy coursework.
|
| 569 Seminar in Continental Philosophy | 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.
Prerequisite: 15 hours of Philosophy coursework.
|
| 586 Seminar on Major Continental Philosophyer | 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.
Prerequisite: 15 hours of Philosophy coursework.
|
| Other
M.A. Courses
|
|
| 504 Augustine | |
| 520 Graduate Proseminar in Philosophy | This
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.
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| 551 M.A. Problmes | |
| 599
Master's Thesis
|
|
| Ph.D.
Seminars/Tutorials in Indian Philosophy
|
|
| 670 Seminar in Sanskrit Philosophical Texts | 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.
|
| 675 Seminar in Madhyamaka | The
heart of this course will be a study of Nāgārjuna’s Mūlamadhyamaka-kārikā
and its principal commentaries by comparing several translations
with the original Sanskrit texts and key modern interpreters.
Knowledge of Sanskrit expected.
|
| 676 Seminar in Vasubandhu | The
topic of this course will be the thought of Vasubandhu, excerpts
of whose works will be read in Sanskrti or English translation,
along with reflections on his work by modern scholars. Knowledge
of Sanskrit expected.
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| 677 Seminar in Dignāga and Dharmakīrti | 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.
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| 679 Seminar in Vedānta | 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.
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| Other
Ph.D. Courses
|
|
| 651 Ph.D. Problems | |
| 699 Dissertation | |