An introduction to philosophy through the examination of a number of classic philosophical works, with an evaluation of the positions and arguments offered in each.
NOTE Also offered online. Consult Arts and Science Online. Learning Hours may vary.

Representative basic philosophical issues will be explored, such as: good and bad arguments, the source of moral obligation, the justification of knowledge claims, free will and determinism, the social enforcement of gender roles, taking responsibility for the environment, and the meaning of life.

An examination of some major milestones in the development of philosophical thought. The course will involve both the exposition of texts and discussion of the philosophical issues which they raise.
NOTE Also offered at the Bader International Studies Centre, Herstmonceux. Learning Hours may vary.

An introduction to political philosophy which explores the relationship between state and citizen. Issues include: civil disobedience, nationalism, the welfare state, anarchism and the capitalist state.

An introduction to ethics via an examination of controversial moral issues. Special topics: abortion; animal rights; euthanasia.
NOTE Also offered online. Consult Arts and Science Online.

The relationship between philosophical traditions and medical theory will be explored, as will the impact on philosophy of medical discoveries (such as anaesthesia and antibiotics) and diseases (such as the Black Death and AIDS). Emphasis is on concepts of disease from antiquity to the present.

Philosophical issues - both epistemological and ethical - involved in specific debates about the relationship between science and social issues. The course may focus, for instance, on recent 'popular' sociobiology efforts by biologists and others to establish scientific theories of human nature and human potential.
NOTE Also offered online. Consult Arts and Science Online. Learning Hours may vary.

An examination of whether life has 'meaning', and a consideration of different philosophical interpretations of the meaning of life, the significance of death for the meaning of life, and whether it even makes sense to speak of life as having meaning.
LEARNING HOURS: Learning hours may vary

This is a bioethics introductory course. It requires no prerequisites because students will use the first four weeks of the course to get a better understanding of what ethics is, we take a closer look at various influential competing ethical theories, zoom in on bioethics itself, and get clarity on common mistake people make in bioethical argument.

This course explores philosophical ideas through science fiction. Possible topics include personal identity, time and memory, robot rights, machine intelligence, scientists' moral responsibilities, privacy and autonomy, race and gender, eco-justice. Course materials will be a mix of canonical and non-canonical novels, films, graphic novels, games.

This course will introduce students to a selection of major themes, figures, or movements within the black intellectual tradition, which spans Africa and the African diaspora. Potential focuses include African Sovereignty, Slave Revolts, Maroon Societies, Black Religious Fraternities, Black Loyalists, and Black Abolitionists.

This course will survey central works of Ancient Greek Philosophy from Thales and the other Pre-Socratics through the seminal works of Plato and Aristotle, and may include examples of later works by Post-Hellenic Philosophers including Plotinus, the Stoics, and the Skeptics.

An examination of key issues and texts in the philosophy of education. Possible topics include the nature and aims of the learning process, progressive and conservative education, the politics of education, and contemporary debates regarding the canon.
NOTE Also offered online. Consult Arts and Science Online. Learning Hours may vary.

This course will subject a range of issues in practical ethics to philosophical scrutiny. Topics may include obligations to future generations, the ethics of war and self-defence, whether torture is ever permissible, the ethics of deception, the morality of genetic enhancement, the nature of exploitation, and moral objections to organ sales.

An examination of the development of central debates in epistemology and metaphysics from the early modern period to the present. Focusing on the work of thinkers like Descartes, Kant, Wittgenstein and Quine, such questions as the nature and justification of knowledge, mind and body, personhood and community, truth and meaning will be discussed.

Representative figures from Kierkegaard to de Beauvoir will be the focus of attention in this overview of the main ideas of existentialism, a vital movement in contemporary philosophy. The foundations of existential thought, its distinctive style of argumentation and its relationship to the perennial concerns of philosophy will be explored.

A study of problems in moral and/or political philosophy from the ancient or early modern period to the present.

A discussion of the general principles of reasonable discourse, with a focus on persuasive and cogent writing.
NOTE Also offered online. Consult Arts and Science Online. Learning Hours may vary.
NOTE Also offered at the Bader International Studies Centre, Herstmonceux. Learning Hours may vary.

When we uncover the formal structure of our thoughts and utterances, we gain a deeper understanding of what we think and say. When we study the formal structures themselves, we learn something of the processes underlying cognitive activity in general.

A discussion of some ontological and epistemological problems associated with mathematics.

A consideration of traditional and/or contemporary religious conceptions and arguments. Possible topics include: the nature and existence of God, and bases of religious claims.

A survey of the contribution of philosophy to the cognitive sciences. The focus will be on providing a synthesis of the different perspectives brought by each of the disciplines, in particular, cognitive psychology, computer science, neurophysics, and linguistics, through an investigation of how the various approaches ultimately frame and answer our questions about the mind.
NOTE Each week, students will be assigned a number of articles or chapters for reading and will be expected to be able to discuss the readings in class.

A broad introduction to philosophical method and the nature of philosophical issues through a consideration of philosophic assumptions and theses present in important literary works.

This lecture course provides an analysis of key figures and texts in nineteenth-century continental European philosophy. Possible figures include Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Soren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Wilhelm Dilthey. Possible topics include post-Kantian idealism, existentialism, and hermeneutics.

What is at stake in how we think about gender, sex, and love? How do these concepts inform each other? What else defines them? Using classic and contemporary philosophical texts we examine presuppositions and alternative possibilities. Old and new insights are explored. Emphasis is on careful reading and critical thinking skills.

An introduction to philosophical issues regarding sexism, racism, ageism, homophobia, classism, imperialism and other forms of oppression.
NOTE The course is intended to prepare students for upper level courses in feminist philosophy and the philosophy of culture.

An introduction to environmental philosophy through a study of readings that have exercised a formative influence on Western thinking about the relationship between humans and the rest of nature, and hence also about human nature itself. The course will offer an environmental perspective on the history of philosophy from ancient to recent times.
NOTE Bus fare and entrance fee: estimate cost $20.

This course introduces students to historical and contemporary debates regarding the treatment of nonhuman animals within Western societies, and explores our ethical responsibilities toward them. The course examines a range of human-animal relations, involving domesticated, working, research subjects and wild animals.

An investigation of some moral issues arising in connection with health care, including: the relationship between patient and health care provider; reproductive decision-making; euthanasia and the nature of death; and the development of health care policy.

An examination of the moral principles involved in the evaluation of business institutions, practices and decisions. Sample topics include: liberty, efficiency and the free market ideal; the market and justice in distribution.

Specific topics in or traditions within Latin American and Caribbean Philosophy.

This course examines philosophical issues in the field of Global Development, such as what is meant by 'development', 'freedom' and 'quality of life'. 

A philosophical understanding of the background to psychology. Topics may include the nature of mental representation, the place of 'folk psychology,' individualism in psychology, the nature of mental causation and explanation.

This course will be concerned with questions such as these: What is creativity? Is there a general structure to the creative process? In what sense, if any, does creativity involve freedom? Could a computer program be creative? What role, if any, does creativity play in living well, or in moral thought or action? Is there any truth to the popular idea that mental illness is linked to creative genius? Can creativity be measured? Can it be explained? Can it be learned? Can it be taught? Readings will be drawn from philosophy as well as cognitive science.

A study of what is involved in enjoying, understanding and interpreting works of art, and of the place of the arts in human culture. Writings of artists and critics, as well as those of philosophers, will be used.

A survey of the central issues in the philosophy of law including a consideration of current jurisprudential controversies about the nature of law and philosophical treatments of problems arising from within the law such as paternalism, privacy, responsibility, and civil liberties. 

This course will be an in-depth exploration of one or more major themes, figures, or movements within the black intellectual tradition, which spans Africa and the African diaspora. Potential focuses include the Haitian Revolution, the Back to Africa Movement, Black Nationalism, Black Anti-Colonial Movements, and Black Power.

A study of selected topics in ancient philosophy.

A study of selected topics in early modern philosophy.

An examination of perennial topics and/or important authors and schools of thought within the History of Philosophy. While the course will target material that has proven important to contemporary thinking, the emphasis will be on understanding the topics/authors/movements within their historical milieu.

A comparative study of Greek, Chinese and Indian philosophies, 6th cent. BCE - 2nd cent. CE. Themes may include metaphysics, mind, self and non-self, logic, ethics, and political philosophy. Authors/texts to be studied may include Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Kongzi (Confucius), Mengzi (Mencius), Xunzi, the Dhammapada, Kautilya, and Nagarjuna.

An examination of the Critique of Pure Reason.

An examination of some of the principles and theories to which appeal is commonly made when social institutions and practices (and the policies associated with their establishment and maintenance) are subjected to critical scrutiny.

A critical survey of some recent trends in moral philosophy. Study will begin with the emotive theory of ethics, and end with very recent works of importance in the field.

An examination of the concept of freedom of the will, with emphasis on the problems generated by causation and the notion of responsibility.

A discussion of concepts and issues in the philosophy of mind. Sample topics include identity, action, emotion, intention, belief and desire.

The nature and varieties of metaphysics, including rationalistic 'Platonist' and empirical/descriptive 'Aristotelian' approaches. Positivistic and pragmatic anti-metaphysical 'critiques' and verificationism. Contemporary analytical metaphysics after Quine and Strawson.

Central issues include: the distinction between language and speech; the syntax/semantics/pragmatics trio; reference, denoting, names and descriptions; meaning, truth and verifiability; realism and anti-realism; linguistic forms of pragmatism, behaviourism, idealism, etc.

From first-order monadic predicate calculus to polyadic predicate calculus with identity. Symbolization, rules of inference, derivation and refutation of arguments. Introduction to modal logics.

An examination of key Jewish thought from Philo to Fackenheim, exploring such themes as the relationship between philosophy, literature, law, and religion; developments within Jewish philosophy; non-Jewish influences on Jewish thought and vice-versa. Contributions to contemporary philosophical work such as those in bioethics and postmodernism may also be considered.

This lecture course provides an analysis of key figures and texts in continental European philosophy between 1900 and 1960. Possible figures include Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger, Karl Jaspers, Gabriel Marcel, Hannah Arendt, and Hans-Georg Gadamer. Possible topics include phenomenology, existentialism, and hermeneutics.

This lecture course provides an analysis of key figures and texts in continental European philosophy from 1960 to the present. Possible figures include Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, Jurgen Habermas, Emmanuel Levinas, Jean-Francois Lyotard, and Julia Kristeva. Possible topics include hermeneutics, postmodernism, critical theory and feminism.

An introduction to topics and issues in feminist philosophy. The influence of feminist perspectives on the framing and study of philosophical problems, and the contribution of philosophy to the development of feminist theory and practice will be central concerns. This course can be counted towards a minor, major or medial concentration in Gender Studies.

An in-depth exploration of one or more philosophical issues regarding intersectional identities (formed through the relation and interaction of sex, race, disability, age, sexuality, gender expression, class, and Indigeneity) and/or intersecting forms of oppression (such as sexism, racism, ableism, ageism, heterosexist, transphobia, classism, and colonialism).

Topics may include the nature of scientific method; the meaning of laws of nature; theoretical entities; scientific explanation; causality, induction, and probability.

Contemporary physics has revolutionized our understanding of space, time, and matter. This has raised many fascinating philosophical issues, such as: Is time real? Is time travel possible? Is reality determinate, or does it depend on human observation? We will examine these and other questions in the context of physical theory.

What is computation? What has computer science taught us about ourselves and the world? Topics to be addressed include: the relationship between computability, logic, and mathematics; computation and cognition; the simulation hypothesis; infinity and paradox; natural computation; the nature of information; artificial intelligence; and more.

A theoretical and applied inquiry into the nature of consciousness from a variety of perspectives including any or all of Buddhism, Stoicism, phenomenology, and embodied cognitive science. Alongside readings, discussion, and writing, students will develop a regular meditation practice, guided by both instruction and practice.

This is a skills course for students considering graduate study in philosophy. The fall term gives intensive training in philosophical writing. Its topic is one of the department's core areas: metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, political philosophy, or history. The winter term is a practicum: students serve as writing tutors for 1st-year Philosophy.
NOTE This course is capped at 15 students. Admission is by application: a letter of interest, a letter of reference from a Philosophy faculty member, and an informal transcript. Normally, successful applicants will (i) be registered in a Philosophy Major or Medial Plan and (ii) have a GPA of at least 3.0 in each of PHIL 250 and PHIL 257.

An examination of major issues in contemporary moral philosophy. Topics to be studied may include contractualism, objectivity, practical reason, relativism and value realism.

An examination of major issues in contemporary social and political philosophy. Possible topics to be studied include communitarianism, liberalism, multi-culturalism, the nation-state, and utopias.

This is an experiential learning course based on the Walls to Bridges program model, which brings together students from Queen's University ('outside students') with students from a local federal prison ('inside students') to learn and share knowledge based on their lived experience and critical analysis of academic scholarship. Topics may vary.
NOTE This course will take place off campus at a local federal prison, as part of the Walls to Bridges prison education program - http://wallstobridges.ca/.

This is an experimental learning course based on the Wall to Bridges model, which brings together students from Queen's University ('outside students') with students from a local federal prison ('inside students') to learn and share knowledge based on their lived experience and critical analysis of academic scholarship. Topics may vary.
NOTE This course takes place off campus at a local federal prison, as part of the Walls to Bridges prison education program - http://wallsto bridges.ca.

An examination of major issues in the philosophy of law. Possible topics to be studies include definitional questions, interpretivism, positivism, punishment and the relationship between law and morality.

This course examines issues and theorists in the History of Philosophy. Possible topics include the nature of substance, explanation, causality, rights and obligations, primary and secondary qualities. Possible theorists include, Descartes, Spinoza, Hegel, Frege.

An examination of major issues in the philosophy of culture. Possible topics to be studied include: the history of the philosophy of culture;  the relationship between culture and identity or the self; the relationship between culture and progress; and various forms of cultural relativism.

An examination of major issues in ethics. Possible topics to be considered include political violence, coercion, punishment, immigration, suicide, drug policy, leisure and akrasia.

An examination of major issues in ancient philosophy. Possible topics to be considered include the appearance/reality distinction, causation, the emotions, happiness (eudaimonia) and substance.

An examination of major issues in 20th century philosophy. Possible topics to be studied include debates about modality, the development of logic, the natural language movement, pragmatism and verificationism.

A unique experiential course for 3rd and 4th year Philosophy concentrators involving a volunteer internship in such fields as rehabilitation healthcare, local government, prisoners' advocacy, LGBTQ cultural activities, immigrant support, animal rescue, or speech therapy. The course also involves class meetings, regular reports, and a final essay.
NOTE Students are admitted by application: Admission is at the discretion of the instructor. Interested students will need to complete an application form, obtain a reference, and if shortlisted, come for interview.

An examination of the key ideas from a major figure in the history of philosophy.  Philosophers studied will vary from offering-to-offering, including Aristotle, Aquinas, Kant, Mill and Rawls.

An examination of major issues in contemporary epistemology. Possible topics include justification, internalism and externalism, foundationalism and coherentism, and social epistemology.

An examination of major issues in contemporary metaphysics. Possible topics include causation, properties, time, modal theory, and induction.

This course examines issues in Feminist Philosophy. Possible topics may include gender and sex; feminist ethics, epistemologies and metaphysics; disputes about essentialism; the intersections of gender, sexuality, racialization, imperialism, and class.

An examination of major issues in contemporary philosophy of language. Possible topics to be studied include: the nature of meaning; the relationship between language and the mind, as well as language and the world; and the syntax, semantics and pragmatics of natural language.

An examination of major issues in contemporary philosophy of mind. Possible topics to be considered include:  consciousness;  definitional questions (what is the mind?); mental causation; mental events; mental properties; and various theories about the nature of the mind.

An examination of major issues in the philosophy of art. Possible topics include: the definition of art, art and the emotions, art and interpretation, art and the aesthetic, and the philosophy of particular artforms (i.e., literature, film).

An examination of major issues in hermeneutics or the theory of interpretation. Possible topics to be studied include the history of hermeneutics, objectivity and relativism, critiques of ideology, semiotics, and pragmatism.

An examination of major issues in the philosophy of science. Possible topics to be considered include explanation, realism versus instrumentalism scientific progress, the social dimensions of science and the unity of the sciences.

An examination of epistemic issues arising from or pertaining to medicine. Possible topics to be considered include the nature of disease, concepts of scientific discovery as found in medicine, and the relationship between medical research and clinical practice.

An examination of major issues in the philosophy of logic. Possible topics to be considered include deviant logics, the nature of identity, modal logics and the paradoxes of material implication and strict conditionals.

This course examines issues in Ethics and the Environment. Possible topics include sustainable development, humans and nature, moral obligations to future generations.
NOTE Field Trip (Frontenac Park, Ontario): estimated cost $20.

This course examines issues in Ethics and Animals. Potential topics include animal rights, human consumption and other uses of non-human animals, the domestication of non-human animals.

This course involves a directed study of a philosophical topic. Topics chosen may be from any area of philosophy, and should be determined in consultation with a proposed supervising instructor.

This course involves a directed study of a philosophical topic. Topics chosen may be from any area of philosophy, and should be determined in consultation with a proposed supervising instructor.