Fall 2019
| Phil 5500A Joshua Shepherd | Advanced Philosophy of Psychology Thursdays, 11:30-2:30 The mind can be understood as a bundle of capacities: perception, memory, attention, action control, and more. Psychology studies these capacities in the lab, and builds theories about how these capacities work. Philosophy of psychology works alongside psychology, posing questions about the nature of these capacities in light of ongoing empirical work. What is perception? Memory? Metacognition? In this seminar we will read and discuss cutting edge work regarding the nature of mental capacities, with the aim of developing a sophisticated, empirically-based understanding of key components of the mind. |
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| Phil 5500B Gabriele Contessa |
The Proper Role of Markets Wednesdays, 11:30-2:30 What role should markets play in our society? A first possible answer is that markets should play a central role, as markets allocate resources efficiently and promote desirable values, such as prosperity and freedom. A second possible answer is that markets should play a limited role, as unfettered markets lead to unacceptable outcomes, such as the corruption of social norms or unjust inequalities. A third possible answer is that, while markets are not problematic in and of themselves, specific markets are problematic because they tend to lead to exploitation or they promote the wrong values. This seminar will explore some variations on these possible answers. |
| PHIL 5700 | Fall Colloquium Fridays, 1:00-2:30 Students prepare for and attend the departmental colloquium series (typically including 10 to 12 sessions in one term), submitting in writing a critical analysis of some aspect of the presentation or discussion for each colloquium they attend. |
| Phil 5850 Andrew Brook |
Proseminar, Philosophical Naturalism Mondays, 2:30-5:30 (Mandatory for first year MA students). Students in this seminar will engage with contemporary philosophical research by exploring relations and interactions between two broad fields: philosophy of mind, language, and knowledge; and moral, social, and political philosophy. Specific topics will vary from year to year. |
Winter 2020
| Phil 5000A Melissa Frankel |
Philosophy with Children Mondays, 11:30-2:30 Can children genuinely be philosophical? What, if anything, can we ourselves learn about philosophy by doing philosophy with children? The global movement that is sometimes called ‘philosophy for children’ (P4C), and sometimes – as in this seminar – called ‘philosophy with children,’ is a movement that takes seriously the capacity of children for engaging in philosophical inquiry and dialogue, and that lays out various methodologies for fostering this capacity. In this seminar, we will examine this movement from both a theoretical and a practical standpoint. We will consider the scholarly literature concerning philosophy with children, as well as surveying specific approaches that have been implemented globally for doing philosophy with various age groups. We will then travel to a local school to implement this theoretical literature by leading and engaging in philosophical discussions with elementary-aged students. |
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| Phil 5200A Eros Corazza |
Myself and I Mondays, 2:30-5:30 We will discuss myself and I. But mainly “myself” and “I”. You will not learn much about myself, but quite a bit about “myself”. Questions to be discussed will concern the nature of self-knowledge and what it means for a person to have a notion or concept of oneself and the way one can come to gain self-knowledge. In so doing we will touch on issues pertaining to personal identity, self-reference, etc. And why/how the pronoun “I” seems to play a central role in these enterprises. We will also touch on questions pertaining to herself and “herself” and what is now known as de se beliefs. Authors to be read include Castañeda, Chisholm, Perry, and Lewis. We will also try to make some connections with the classical works of Descartes, Locke and Leibniz. |
| Phil 5200B Myrto Mylopoulos | Skilled Action Wednesdays, 11:30-2:30 Reflection on skilled action in a range of areas, including sports, the performing arts, and everyday life, reveals a number of fascinating questions for philosophy of action, philosophy of mind, epistemology, and even moral psychology. Among the questions we will examine in this course are the following: What is the nature of skill, and how does it relate to automaticity, habit, and intentional action more generally? What is the best way to understand the species of knowledge that skilled performers possess, and that novices lack? Does an appeal to the notions of ‘knowledge how’ and ‘knowledge that’ help us here? What is the role, if any, of consciousness, attention, and metacognition in the control of skilled action? Do they simply interfere with the smooth execution of skill, as is commonly supposed, or might they be important, and even necessary for it? Finally, what can be said about the relationship between skill and moral capacities? Can the development of certain of these capacities, such as that for self-control, or virtue more generally, be usefully modelled as a form of skill acquisition? We will explore these questions, and others, through the lens of contemporary philosophy and, where relevant, cognitive psychology and neuroscience. |
| Phil 5350A Jay Drydyk |
Development Ethics Thursdays. 11:30-2:30 Students in this seminar will learn about the full range of ethical issues that arise in social and economic development. In response to decades of failed development projects, a consensus has developed about what development should be. Worthwhile development must enhance people’s well-being in ways that are equitable, empowering, and environmentally sustainable; it must also promote human rights and cultural freedom, with integrity (vs. corruption). By implication, these are also seven dimensions in which development can fail, ethically. The class will explore each of these dimensions in depth, including the philosophical debates about the key concepts. (For example, which conceptions of social justice are most illuminating for judging whether a particular development process has been ‘equitable’? This discussion will culminate in evaluating particular cases of development with these theoretical considerations in mind. |
| PHIL 5750W |
Winter Colloquium Fridays, 1:00-2:30 Students prepare for and attend the departmental colloquium series (typically including 10 to 12 sessions in one term), submitting in writing a critical analysis of some aspect of the presentation or discussion for each colloquium they attend. |
| Phil 5900W Christine Koggel |
Research Seminar Tuesdays, 2:30-5:30 Mandatory seminar course for all first-year MA students. The primary objective of this seminar is to develop topics for theses or research essays. This will be done in the following stages:
Students will consult with potential supervisors during this process. |