Please also note that many courses offered by the Department of Philosophy have limited enrolment.
You can access the class schedule for 2011-12 now on Minerva.
Current courses
PHIL 201
Intro to Philosophy 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An introduction to some of the major problems of philosophy. This course does not duplicate PHIL 200.
Offered by: Philosophy
- Philosophy students may use either PHIL 200 or PHIL 201 towards their program requirements, but not both. Students may, however, take both for credit (using the second as an elective), as the content in PHIL 201 does not overlap with PHIL 200
201b12.pdf
PHIL 237
Contemporary Moral Issues
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An introductory discussion of central ethical questions (the value of persons, or the relationship of rights and utilities, for example) through the investigation of currently disputed social and political issues. Specific issues to be discussed may include pornography and censorship, affirmative action, civil disobedience, punishment, abortion, and euthanasia.
Offered by: Philosophy
237b12.pdf
PHIL 310
Intermediate Logic
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: A second course in Logic. NB. The course will be technical in nature, and some mathematical aptitude is essential. The emphasis is on the expressive properties of standard logical systems, including implications for the philosophy of mathematics. We will study the Completeness of First-Order Logic, then the 'limitative' theorems of Tarski and Gödel.
Offered by: Philosophy
310b12.pdf
332b12.pdf
PHIL 350
Hist & Phil of Ancient Sci
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: Topics in ancient pure mathematics (geometry and number theory), "mixed mathematics" (astronomy, music theory, optics, mechanics), and/or natural science (including medicine), studied with a view to philosophical issues raised by the content of ancient science and/or by the logic of scientific argument.
Offered by: Philosophy
PHIL 353
The Presocratic Philosophers
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An examination of the surviving fragments of the presocratic philosophers and schools of philosophy, as well as later reports of their views.
Offered by: Philosophy
PHIL 355
Aristotle
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An examination of selected works by Aristotle. The course considers issues in moral philosophy as well as those found in the logical treatises, the Physics and Metaphysics, and in the philosophy of mind.
Offered by: Philosophy
355b12co.pdf &
355b12sylnew.pdf
PHIL 360
17th Century Philosophy
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An examination of the work of such seventeenth-century philosophers as Descartes, Hobbes, Gassendi, Malebranche, Leibniz, and the Cambridge Platonists.
Offered by: Philosophy
PHIL 361
18th Century Philosophy
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: A survey of eighteenth century philosophy, especially British philosophy. Attention is given to fundamental metaphysical, epistemological, and moral issues as reflected in the work of such philosophers as Locke, Shaftesbury, Berkeley, Hutcheson, Butler, Hume and Reid.
Offered by: Philosophy
PHIL 367
19th Century Philosophy
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An examination of the works of such 19th century philosophers as Mach, Helmholtz, Dedekind, Frege, Marx, Kierkegaard, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Mill and Bradley.
Offered by: Philosophy
- Prerequisite: A previous course in philosophy is recommended
367b12.pdf
PHIL 411
Topics in Phil of Logic & Math
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: A course focusing on some philosophical issue (e.g., the nature of numbers or the relation of truth to provability) as it arises in the study of mathematics and logic.
Offered by: Philosophy
- Prerequisites: PHIL 210 or the equivalent, and one intermediate course in philosophy
411b12.pdf
PHIL 442
Topics in Feminist Theory
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: Advanced discussion of topical and central themes in feminist theory.
Offered by: Philosophy
- Prerequisite: PHIL 242 and one intermediate course in philosophy
442b12co.pdf,
442b12syl.pdf,
442b12_listofreadings.pdf
PHIL 445
19th Century Political Theory
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An examination of various strands of political theory since Rousseau, concentrating on such themes as the understanding of modernity and theories of liberal society.
Offered by: Philosophy
- Prerequisite: at least one course in political philosophy
- Restriction: Not open to students who have taken POLI 434
PHIL 446
Current Issues in Pol. Phil.
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: Selected issues in contemporary political philosophy.
Offered by: Philosophy
- Prerequisite: at least one course in political philosophy
- Terms
- Instructors
- Gregory Matthew Mikkelson
446b12.pdf
PHIL 453
Ancient Metaphys&Naturl Phil
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An examination of central themes of ancient metaphysics and/or natural philosophy as treated by two or more contrasting philosophers or philosophical traditions - probably including Plato and/or Aristotle, and possibly including some Hellenistic or post-Hellenistic schools.
Offered by: Philosophy
PHIL 460
Major Philosophers 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: This seminar will give detailed attention to the work of one philosopher or to a single philosophical theme addressed by several philosophers. Emphasis will be placed on understanding how the metaphysical, epistemological, and moral views of a figure or figures are internally related.
Offered by: Philosophy
460b12.pdf
PHIL 474
Phenomenology
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: A study of phenomenology from a historical and thematic perspective. The course will typically involve the study of central thinkers such as Husserl, Heidegger, or Merleau-Ponty, with an examination of the nature and development of the phenomenological movement.
Offered by: Philosophy
- Prerequisite: one intermediate course in philosophy
PHIL 481
Topics in Philosophy
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy
Offered by: Philosophy
- Terms
- Instructors
- Carlos Fraenkel, Adam Daniel Etinson
481b12.pdf
PHIL 506
Seminar:Philosophy of Mind
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An advanced course devoted to specific topics in the philosophy of mind.
Offered by: Philosophy
- Prerequisite: PHIL 306.
- Restriction: Open only to students as indicated above and to Cognitive Science Minors
- Restriction: Seminars are open only to graduate students and final year Philosophy Majors, Honours and Joint Honours students, except by written permission of the Department.
PHIL 534
Seminar:Ethics
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy
Offered by: Philosophy
- Prerequisite: PHIL 334 or written permission of the instructor
- Restriction: Seminars are open only to graduate students and final year Philosophy Majors, Honours and Joint Honours students, except by written permission of the Department
534b12.pdf
PHIL 543
Seminar:Medical Ethics
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An advanced course devoted to a particular philosophical problem as it arises in the context of medical practice or the application of medical technology.
Offered by: Philosophy
- Prerequisite: PHIL 343 or written permission of the instructor
- Restriction: Seminars are open only to graduate students and final year Philosophy Majors, Honours and Joint Honours students, except by written permission of the Department
PHIL 567
Sem: 19th Century Phil
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An advanced course on 19th-century philosophy or philosophical issue.
Offered by: Philosophy
- Prerequisite: PHIL 366 or PHIL 367 or written permission of the instructor
- Restriction: Seminars are open only to graduate students and final year Philosophy Majors, Honours and Joint Honours students, except by written permission of the Department
567b12.pdf
PHIL 575
Sem:Contempory European Phil
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An advanced course on contemporary European philosophy or some important issue in the Continental tradition.
Offered by: Philosophy
- Prerequisite: PHIL 475 or written permission of the instructor
- Restriction: Seminars are open only to graduate students and final year Philosophy Majors, Honours and Joint Honours students, except by written permission of the Department
- Terms
- Instructors
- R Philip Buckley
- Alia Al-Saji
575b12.pdf
PHIL 198
FYS:Know&Ideas in EarlyModPhil
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An introduction to central issues in the philosophy of the early modern period through an examination of works by, for example, Descartes, Malebranche, Spinoza, Locke, Leibniz, Berkeley and Hume.
Offered by: Philosophy
- Restriction: Open only to newly admitted students in U0 or U1 who may take only one FYS
- Enrollment limit 25. Students who register for more than one First Year Seminar will be obliged to withdraw from all but one of them. Language of instruction is English.
198a11.pdf
PHIL 200
Intro to Philosophy 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: A course treating some of the central problems of philosophy: the mind-body problem, freedom, scepticism and certainty, fate, time, and the existence of God.
Offered by: Philosophy
- Philosophy students may use either PHIL 200 or PHIL 201 towards their program requirements, but not both. Students may, however, take both for credit (using the second as an elective), as the content in PHIL 201 does not overlap with PHIL 200
200a11.pdf
PHIL 210
Intro to Deductive Logic 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An introduction to propositional and predicate logic; formalization of arguments, truth tables, systems of deduction, elementary metaresults, and related topics.
Offered by: Philosophy
- Restriction: Not open to students who are taking or have taken MATH 318
210a11.pdf
PHIL 230
Intro to Moral Philosophy 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: A survey of a number of historically important and influential theories. Philosophers to be discussed may include Aristotle, Hume, Kant, Bentham, Mill, and Moore.
Offered by: Philosophy
230a11.pdf
PHIL 242
Intro to Feminist Theory
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An introduction to feminist theory as political theory. Emphasis is placed on the plurality of analyses and proposals that constitute contemporary feminist thought. Some of the following are considered: liberal feminism, marxist and socialist feminism, radical feminism, postmodern feminism, francophone feminism, and the contributions to feminist theory by women of colour and lesbians.
Offered by: Philosophy
242a11.pdf
PHIL 301
Philosophical Fundamentals
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An intensive study of basic philosophical skills; reading, writing, analysis, and argumentation.
Offered by: Philosophy
- Prerequisites: two previous courses in philosophy, one of which must be PHIL 210 or written consent of the Department
- Restriction: Open only to and required of Philosophy Honours and Joint Honours students
301a11.pdf
PHIL 327
Philosophy of Race
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An introduction to issues in the philosophy of race, for example: the metaphysical status of race; the biology of racial categories; the social construction of race; the relationship between race and racism; the phenomenology of racialized subjectivity; or, intersections of race, gender, and other identity categories.
Offered by: Philosophy
327a11.pdf
PHIL 334
Ethical Theory
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: A course focusing on central questions in ethical theory such as the nature of the good and the right and the factors which determine moral rightness and wrongness.
Offered by: Philosophy
334a11.pdf
PHIL 341
Philosophy of Science 1
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: A discussion of philosophical problems as they arise in the context of scientific practice and enquiry. Such issues as the philosophical presuppositions of the physical and social sciences, the nature of scientific method and its epistemological implications will be addressed.
Offered by: Philosophy
341a11.pdf
PHIL 343
Biomedical Ethics
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An investigation of ethical issues as they arise in the practice of medicine (informed consent, e.g.) or in the application of medical technology (in vitro fertilization, euthanasia, e.g.)
Offered by: Philosophy
343a11_.pdf
344.a11.pdf
PHIL 366
18th&Early 19th C German Phil
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An examination of the works of such philosophers as Kant, Fichte, Jacobi, Schelling, and Hegel.
Offered by: Philosophy
366a11.pdf
PHIL 370
Problems in Analytic Phil
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An introduction to the central questions in the analytic tradition, through the works of important early figures in that tradition. Philosophers to be discussed may include: Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, Ramsay, Carnap and the "logical positivists".
Offered by: Philosophy
370a11.pdf
PHIL 375
Existentialism
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: This course will examine the nature of existentialist thought as represented in various philosophical and literary texts. Particular themes to be examined include freedom, alienation, responsibility and choice, and the nature of self.
Offered by: Philosophy
- Prerequisite: one course in philosophy
375a11.pdf
PHIL 415
Philosophy of Language
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An examination of central notions in the philosophy of language (reference, meaning, and truth, e.g.), the puzzles these notions give rise to, and the relevance of these notions to such questions as: What is language? How is communication possible? What is understanding? Is language rule-governed.
Offered by: Philosophy
- Prerequisites: PHIL 210 or equivalent and one intermediate course in philosophy
415a11.pdf
PHIL 434
Ethics 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: Advanced discussion of one or more themes in ethics. Topics will vary from year to year but may include such issues as the nature of rights and duties, moral realism and anti-realism, or the place of reason in morality.
Offered by: Philosophy
- Prerequisite: PHIL 334 or written permission of the instructor
434a11.pdf
PHIL 475
Topics in Contem European Phil
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: Advanced discussion of selected themes in contemporary European philosophy.
Offered by: Philosophy
- Prerequisite: one intermediate course in philosophy
475a11.pdf
PHIL 510
Seminar:Advanced Logic 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy
Offered by: Philosophy
- Prerequisite: PHIL 310 or written permission of the instructor
- Restriction: Seminars are open only to graduate students and final year Philosophy Majors, Honours and Joint Honours students, except by written permission of the Department
510a11.pdf
PHIL 551
Seminar:Ancient Philosophy 2
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An advanced course on a philosopher or philosophical issue articulated in antiquity.
Offered by: Philosophy
- Prerequisite: at least one course in ancient philosophy and the specific requirements of individual instructors
- Restriction: Seminars are open only to graduate students and final year Philosophy Majors, Honours and Joint Honours students, except by written permission of the Department
551a11.pdf
PHIL 570
Sem:Contemporary Analytic Phil
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An advanced course on some major analytic philosopher, or some issue of central importance in the analytic tradition. Subject varies from year to year.
Offered by: Philosophy
- Prerequisite: PHIL 370 or PHIL 415 or written permission of the instructor
- Restriction: Seminars are open only to graduate students and final year Philosophy Majors, Honours and Joint Honours students, except by written permission of the Department
570a11.pdf
PHIL 575
Sem:Contempory European Phil
3 Credits
Offered in the:
- Fall
- Winter
- Summer
Philosophy: An advanced course on contemporary European philosophy or some important issue in the Continental tradition.
Offered by: Philosophy
- Prerequisite: PHIL 475 or written permission of the instructor
- Restriction: Seminars are open only to graduate students and final year Philosophy Majors, Honours and Joint Honours students, except by written permission of the Department
- Terms
- Instructors
- R Philip Buckley
- Alia Al-Saji
575a11.pdf
Past courses