Current Undergraduate Courses in Philosophy
PHIL 210 - Critical Thinking (note: this an online, eConcordia course)
Instructor: Paul Catanu
This course is an introduction to argumentation and reasoning. It focuses on the kinds of arguments one is likely to encounter in academic work, in the media, and in philosophical, social, and political debate. The course aims to improve students’ ability to advance arguments persuasively and their ability to respond critically to the arguments of others. Students will find the skills they gain in this course useful in virtually every area of study. NOTE: Students who have received credit for PHIZ 210 or under a PHIZ 298 number may not take this course for credit.
PHIL 201 - Problems of Philosophy
Instructor: Ulf Hlobil
In this course, students are introduced to philosophical problems such as: What is the nature of reality? How does one know what is real, and how is it distinct from misleading appearances or illusion? What is knowledge? Does knowledge require certainty? How is knowledge distinct from belief? Are people free? That is to say, do they choose their actions or are their actions determined by causes beyond their control? If people are not free, then how can they be held responsible for their actions? Can God’s existence be proven? How is the mind related to the body, if at all? What is it to be a morally good person? NOTE: Students who have received credit for PHIZ 201 may not take this course for credit.
PHIL 210 - Critical Thinking (note: this an online, eConcordia course)
Instructor: TBA
This course is an introduction to argumentation and reasoning. It focuses on the kinds of arguments one is likely to encounter in academic work, in the media, and in philosophical, social, and political debate. The course aims to improve students’ ability to advance arguments persuasively and their ability to respond critically to the arguments of others. Students will find the skills they gain in this course useful in virtually every area of study. NOTE: Students who have received credit for PHIZ 210 or under a PHIZ 298 number may not take this course for credit.
PHIL 214 - Deductive Logic
Instructor: TBA
This course presents the modern symbolic systems of sentential and predicate logic. Students transcribe English sentences into a logical form, analyze the concepts of logical truth, consistency, and validity, as well as learn to construct derivations in each system. NOTE: This course may not be taken for credit by students who have taken PHIL 212.
PHIL 216 - Introduction to the Philosophy of Language
Instructor: TBA
This course provides an introduction to the main problems in the philosophy of science. These include the structure of scientific theories, various models of scientific method and explanation, and the existence of unobservables. NOTE: Students who have received credit for INTE 250 or PHIL 228 may not take this course for credit.
PHIL 232 - Introduction to Ethics
Instructor: Katharina Nieswandt
Philosophical discussions of ethics have both practical significance (What should one do?) and theoretical interest (What does it mean to say “That’s the right thing to do”?). In this course, students are introduced to some representative approaches to ethical thought and action. General questions about the nature of ethical reasoning are also considered. For example: Are there objective ethical truths or are ethical judgments merely relative to social norms? An effort is made to incorporate those ethical issues which are of specific importance to contemporary society. NOTE: Students who have received credit for PHIZ 232 may not take this course for credit.
PHIL 235 - Biomedical Ethics (note: this an online, eConcordia course)
Instructor: Anna Brinkerhoff
This course is primarily concerned with contemporary biomedical debates, many of which are of current social and political significance: euthanasia and physician assisted suicide, patients’ rights, animal experimentation, organ donation and transplantation, palliative care, abortion, genetic engineering, and new reproductive technologies. NOTE: Students who have received credit for PHIZ 235 may not take this course for credit.
PHIL 241 - Philosophy of Human Rights
Instructor: TBA
This course investigates basic philosophical questions regarding human rights, such as their status between morality and law, their scope and the problem of relativism, the concept of human dignity, their relation to democracy, whether national or cosmopolitan, and the debate over the justifiability and feasibility of socio-economic rights as human rights.
NOTE: Students who have received credit for this topic under a PHIL 298 number may not take this course for credit.
PHIL 260 - Presocratics and Plato
Instructor: Emily Perry
This course is a study of ancient Greek philosophy from its beginnings to Plato.
PHIL 263 - Introduction to Epistemology
Instructor: Murray Clarke
An introduction to the basic concepts and problems in epistemology, including belief, knowledge, scepticism, perception, and intentionality. NOTE: This course will be delivered in a blended format, with an in-class and a pre-recorded video component on Moodle.
PHIL 266 - Introduction to Philosophy of Religion (note: this an online, eConcordia course)
Instructor: TBA
This course examines the nature of religion and spirituality, and their role in human experience. It addresses topics such as the existence of sacred reality; whether belief in the divine can be rational; the self, rebirth, and reincarnation; evil and divine justice; and religious pluralism. These topics are explored through a wide range of theistic and non-theistic religious traditions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Daoism, and Indigenous religions.
PHIL 328 - Intermediate Philosophy of Science
Instructor: Murray Clarke
Prerequisite: Students must have completed three credits in Philosophy prior to enrolling. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required. This course provides an in-depth study of the nature of justification in science, theories of scientific explanation, the rationality of theory change, and debates concerning realism and antirealism.
PHIL 330 - Contemporary Ethical Theory
Instructor: Jing Hu
Prerequisite: Students must have completed PHIL 232 or PHIL 233 or PHIL 235 or PHIL 236 or PHIL 241 prior to enrolling. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required. This course provides an examination of contemporary ethical theories such as deontology, utilitarianism, virtue theory, feminist ethics, and narrative ethics.
PHIL 360 - Early Modern Philosophy I: 17th Century
Instructor: Emily Perry
Prerequisite: Students must have completed 12 credits in Philosophy including PHIL 260 and PHIL 261 prior to enrolling. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required. This course is a study of central metaphysical, epistemological, and ethical themes in the work of authors such as Descartes, Hobbes, Cavendish, Spinoza, Conway, Malebranche, Locke, and Leibniz.
PHIL 374 - Kant and 19th Century Philosophy
Instructor: Emilia Angelova
Prerequisite: Students must have completed six credits in Philosophy prior to enrolling. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required. This course examines Kant and some of the main currents of post‑Kantian philosophy, possibly including Hegel and post‑Hegelians, the romantic reaction, positivism, and pragmatism.
PHIL 430 – Advanced Studies in Ethics: Ethics of Death
Instructor: Anna Brinkerhoff
Prerequisite: The following course must be completed previously: PHIL 232 or PHIL 330. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required. This seminar will survey a variety of issues related to the moral dimension of death and dying including: the badness of death, euthanasia, killing vs. letting die, the value of immortality, the allocation of scarce medical resources, death vs.pre-natal non-existence, posthumous harms, and grief.
PHIL 441 – Philosophical Foundations of Biology
Instructor: Matthew Barker
Prerequisite: Students must have completed 12 credits in Philosophy prior to enrolling. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required. This course helps students critically engage biology’s philosophical foundations. Topics typically include the nature of scientific reasoning, testing, and evidence in biology; how best to discover, define, and apply biological concepts; and how to structure the aims of biology to fit our diverse and changing societies.
PHIL 473 – Advanced Topics in Continental Philosophy: Radical Democracy
Instructor: Matthias Fritsch
Prerequisite: Students must have completed 12 credits in Philosophy including PHIL 374 or PHIL 377 prior to enrolling. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required. This course will study conceptions of radical democracy, mostly in post-war European thought. We will read texts by authors such as Claude Lefort, Jean-Luc Nancy, Etienne Balibar, Jacques Rancière, Ernesto Laclau, Chantal Mouffe, and Jacques Derrida.
PHIL 484 – Advanced Topics in World Philosophy: Moral Psychology and Asian Philosophy
Instructor: Jing Hu
Prerequisite: Students must have completed 12 credits in Philosophy prior to enrolling. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required. This course offers an in-depth exploration of selected topics in world philosophy that hold significant relevance to our modern society. It addresses issues such as moral agency across various philosophical traditions, perspectives on artificial intelligence, and cultural views on aging and caregiving.
PHIL 486 – Hegel: Hegel on the State
Instructor: Katharina Nieswandt
Prerequisite: Students must have completed 12 credits in Philosophy prior to enrolling. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required. This year’s seminar discusses Hegel’s political philosophy. Hegel’s lectures on the Philosophy of Right (1821) are often regarded as the origin of social-constructivist concepts, such as that of an institution, thereby shaping modern political thought, from conservative to Marxist. We shall read §§ 142–360 and contextualizing literature.
PHIL 201 - Problems of Philosophy
Instructor: TBA
In this course, students are introduced to philosophical problems such as: What is the nature of reality? How does one know what is real, and how is it distinct from misleading appearances or illusion? What is knowledge? Does knowledge require certainty? How is knowledge distinct from belief? Are people free? That is to say, do they choose their actions or are their actions determined by causes beyond their control? If people are not free, then how can they be held responsible for their actions? Can God’s existence be proven? How is the mind related to the body, if at all? What is it to be a morally good person? NOTE: Students who have received credit for PHIZ 201 may not take this course for credit.
PHIL 210 - Critical Thinking (note: this an online, eConcordia course)
Instructor: TBA
This course is an introduction to argumentation and reasoning. It focuses on the kinds of arguments one is likely to encounter in academic work, in the media, and in philosophical, social, and political debate. The course aims to improve students’ ability to advance arguments persuasively and their ability to respond critically to the arguments of others. Students will find the skills they gain in this course useful in virtually every area of study. NOTE: Students who have received credit for PHIZ 210 or under a PHIZ 298 number may not take this course for credit.
PHIL 214 - Deductive Logic
Instructor: TBA
This course presents the modern symbolic systems of sentential and predicate logic. Students transcribe English sentences into a logical form, analyze the concepts of logical truth, consistency, and validity, as well as learn to construct derivations in each system. NOTE: This course may not be taken for credit by students who have taken PHIL 212.
PHIL 220 - Introduction to the Philosophy of Science
Instructor: Matthew Barker
This course provides an introduction to the main problems in the philosophy of science. These include the structure of scientific theories, various models of scientific method and explanation, and the existence of unobservables. NOTE: Students who have received credit for INTE 250 or PHIL 228 may not take this course for credit.
PHIL 232 - Introduction to Ethics
Instructor: Katharina Nieswandt
Philosophical discussions of ethics have both practical significance (What should one do?) and theoretical interest (What does it mean to say “That’s the right thing to do”?). In this course, students are introduced to some representative approaches to ethical thought and action. General questions about the nature of ethical reasoning are also considered. For example: Are there objective ethical truths or are ethical judgments merely relative to social norms? An effort is made to incorporate those ethical issues which are of specific importance to contemporary society. NOTE: Students who have received credit for PHIZ 232 may not take this course for credit.
PHIL 235 - Biomedical Ethics (note: this an online, eConcordia course)
Instructor: Jing Hu
This course is primarily concerned with contemporary biomedical debates, many of which are of current social and political significance: euthanasia and physician assisted suicide, patients’ rights, animal experimentation, organ donation and transplantation, palliative care, abortion, genetic engineering, and new reproductive technologies. NOTE: Students who have received credit for PHIZ 235 may not take this course for credit.
PHIL 236 - Environmental Ethics
Instructor: Matthias Fritsch
This course examines recent developments in ethical theories as they are applied to questions of environmental practices. Topics discussed may include the moral significance of nonhuman nature, duties to respond to climate change, economics and sustainable environmental protection, and environmental justice. NOTE: Students who have received credit for this topic under a PHIL 298 or 398 number may not take this course for credit.
PHIL 261 - Aristotle and Hellenistic Philosophy
Instructor: Emily Perry
Prerequisite: The following course must be completed previously: PHIL 260. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required. This course is an introduction to Aristotle and the main lines of thought in Hellenistic philosophy, including Stoicism, Epicureanism and Scepticism.
PHIL 265 - Introduction to Metaphysics
Instructor: Murray Clarke
This course is an introduction to metaphysics and the attempt to understand a mind-independent reality. This involves distinguishing those aspects of reality that are dependent on the mind from those aspects that are independent of the mind. For example, are colours mind-independent properties? Are there universal values and if so, are they mind-independent? Is there a God, and if so, what must that God be like?
PHIL 275 – From Modern to Postmodern: Philosophical Thought and Cultural Critique
Instructor: TBA
This course focuses on key developments in modern and postmodern philosophy and their cultural influences. The course provides an introduction to philosophers (such as Kant, Nietzsche, and Foucault) and philosophical movements (such as empiricism, existentialism, and post‑structuralism) of the modern era. It also introduces students to the tremendous influence that philosophical theory has had on the arts, on social and political movements, and on virtually every field of study in the humanities and social sciences.
PHIL 298 – Introductory Topics in Philosophy: Happiness and Well-Being
Instructor: Anna Brinkerhoff
Happiness matters - we all want to be happy. But what, exactly, is happiness? Is it a state of mind? An emotion? Or something else? And what’s so good about being happy, anyway? To what extent does happiness contribute to well-being?
PHIL 318 - Philosophy of Biology
Instructor: Matthew Barker
Prerequisite: Students must have completed three credits in Philosophy prior to enrolling. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required. This course examines a variety of philosophical issues in biology. Topics covered may include: fitness, function, units of selection, the nature of species, reductionism, biological explanation of human behaviour and the ethical and epistemological consequences of evolutionary theory.
PHIL 361 - Early Modern Philosophy II: 18th Century
Instructor: Ulf Hlobil
Prerequisite: Students must have completed 12 credits in Philosophy including PHIL 260 and PHIL 261 to enrolling. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required. This course is a study of central metaphysical, epistemological, and ethical themes in the work of authors such as Locke, Leibniz, Astell, Masham, Wolff, Berkeley, du Châtelet, Hume, Reid, and Kant.
PHIL 371 – Philosophy of Feminism
Instructor: Anna Brinkerhoff
Prerequisite: The following course must be completed previously: PHIL 232 or PHIL 263. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required. This course provides an introduction to some of the central issues in contemporary feminist philosophy. The key arguments in feminist epistemology, feminist ethics, and sex and gender studies are discussed from a variety of perspectives.
PHIL 377 - 20th Century Continental Philosophy
Instructor: Matthias Fritsch
Prerequisite: Students must have completed six credits in Philosophy prior to enrolling. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required. This course examines 20th-century French and German philosophy. Philosophers examined may include Husserl, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Foucault, Derrida, and Habermas.
PHIL 385 - Marxism
Instructor: Katharina Nieswandt
This course provides a critical analysis of the ideas of Marx and their modern development.
PHIL 465 – Current Research in Metaphysics: Modularity and Concepts
Instructor: Murray Clarke
Prerequisite: Students must have completed 12 credits in Philosophy including PHIL 263 or PHIL 265 or PHIL 364 or PHIL 365 prior to enrolling. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required. In this course we will investigate the contemporary literature in cognitive science on the nature of concepts. Beginning with the classical theory of concepts, Definitionism, we then move on to consider prototype theory and the theory-theory. Finally, we evaluate Fodor's conceptual atomism and Prinz's empiricist account of concepts.
PHIL 474 – Current Research Topics in Continental Philosophy: Deleuze and Kristeva
Instructor: Emilia Angelova
Prerequisite: Students must have completed 12 credits in Philosophy including PHIL 374 or PHIL 377. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required. This course is an advanced study of problems in the philosophy of values and norms, in the framework of ethics as transformed by post-structuralism and psychoanalysis in late 20th century Continental philosophy. We begin with Deleuze’s Nietzsche and Philosophy. We move on by studying Deleuze and Guattari’s philosophy of difference, the processes of subjectivation and the emergence of the new category of “actuality,” which brings this category close to Nietzsche’s notion of the instant of monumental time. We will pay special attention to themes of the event, experience and experimentation as part of the critique of representation and new forms of constructing subjectivity. In the last third of this course, we turn to exploring sublimation, love’s labour and the constitution of subjectivity in psychoanalysis as part of developments in French post-structuralism. In this part we read Julia Kristeva’s work in psychoanalysis, specifically on narrative, trauma and the abject.
PHIL 481 – Aristotle: Aristotle's Physics
Instructor: Emily Perry
Prerequisite: Students must have completed 12 credits in Philosophy including PHIL 260 and PHIL 261 prior to enrolling. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required. In this course we will read Aristotle’s Physics with a view to understanding the argument of the work as a whole. Topics may include Aristotle’s responses to the paradoxes of Parmenides and Zeno; Aristotle’s conception of nature, motion, and body; Aristotle’s argument for the existence of a single, continuous motion and a first, unmoved mover.
PHIL 485 – Kant: Kant's Practical Philosophy
Instructor: Pablo Gilabert
Prerequisite: Students must have completed 12 credits in Philosophy prior to enrolling. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required. This seminar is devoted to a close critical reading of Immanuel Kant’s main ethical and political writings, and to an assessment of their contemporary relevance. This class has three objectives. First, we will seek to understand Kant’s moral and political thought by engaging in a careful reading of his texts. Second, we will consider the significance of Kant’s views for contemporary moral and political philosophy (e.g. regarding the contrast between deontology and consequentialism in normative ethics, moral constructivism, and the illumination of ethical and political issues about gender, race, and class). To do this we will read recent interpretations and discussions of Kant's work. Finally, we will engage in a critical assessment of the central claims and arguments advanced in those texts by asking whether they should be retained, reformulated or abandoned. The format of the class, encouraging both careful reconstruction of the texts and active critical discussion of the themes, theses and arguments raised in them, is geared toward satisfying these objectives.
PHIL 498 – Advanced Topics in Philosophy: Aesthetics
Instructor: Ulf Hlobil
Prerequisite: Students must have completed 12 credits in Philosophy prior to enrolling. If prerequisites are not satisfied, permission of the Department is required. This is a course on the philosophy of art. We will focus on Arthur Danto’s The Transfiguration of the Commonplace.