Course Titles & General Descriptions
General & Introductory Courses
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).
102 Current Moral Problems
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).
108 Introduction to Asian Philosophies
Philosophical issues and methodology illustrated in relation to South and East Asian thought: Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism.
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.
201 Greek Thought
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)
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.
205 Roman Civilization
An interdisciplinary introduction to ancient Rome. Lectures on Roman literature, history, art and philosophy.
211 Greek Philosophy
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)
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.
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.
336 Chinese Philosophy
The development of Chinese thought from pre-Confucian times through the T’ang dynasty.
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
358 Ethical Theory
Inquiry concerning goodness, rightness, obligation, justice and freedom.
Prerequisite: 101 or 102 or 210 or 202.
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.
365 Philosophy of Religion
Philosophic analysis of some major concepts and problems in religion.
Prerequisite: one course in Religious Studies or Philosophy.
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.
371 Classical Social and Political Philosophy From Plato to Hobbes.
Prerequisite: 101 or 201.
372 Modern Social and Political Philosophy From Hobbes to Present.
Prerequisite: 101 or 202.
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.
389 Latin American Thought I
Pre-Columbian thought through independence ideologies.
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
390 Latin American Thought II
Positivism through contemporary thought.
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
Undergraduate Topics Courses
341 Topics in Philosophy
An investigation of some important philosophic debates.
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Advanced Undergraduate Survey Courses
*408 Medieval Philosophy
Major thinkers from Augustine through Ockham.
Prerequisite: 201.
*415 History and Philosophy of Mathematics
An historical survey of principal issues and controversies on the nature of mathematics. Emphasis varies from year to year.
Prerequisite: 356 or MATH 163 or MATH 181 or MATH 356.
*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.
*444 Nineteenth-Century Philosophy From Kant through Hegel, Marx, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Mill, Nietzsche.
Prerequisite: 202.
*445 Philosophy of Language
Philosophies of meaning with special attention to the relations between language, thought, and world.
Prerequisite: 352 or 354 or 356.
*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.
*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.
*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.
*480 Philosophy and Literature
Selected philosophical movements and their relationships to literary masterpieces.
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
485 Philosophical Foundations of Economic Theory
Prerequisite: ECON 105 and ECON 106.
Advanced Undergraduate Courses of Individual figures in the History of Philosophy
*402 Plato
Prerequisite: 201.
*403 Aristotle
Prerequisite: 201.
404 Augustine
Prerequisite: 201 or RELG 360.
*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.
*422 Wittgenstein
Prerequisite: 201 or 352 or 354 or 445.
*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.
*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
*441 Topics: Figures and Movements
Topic Varies.
Prerequisites: one Philosophy course 200-level or above.
442 Individual Philosophers
Figure Varies.
Prerequisite: one course in Philosophy.
454 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.
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 Philosopher
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.
497 Honors Seminar
For departmental honors in Philosophy.
498 Reading and Research Undergraduate Independent Study
499 Senior Thesis For departmental honors in Philosophy
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
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 Philosopher
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.
551 M.A. Problems
599 Master's Thesis
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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.
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.
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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