Fall & Spring Semester Courses
PHIL 173 - Philosophy of Education (Spring 2017)
Philosophy of education is the branch of philosophy that explores philosophical questions concerning the aims, nature, and problems of education. Some of the guiding questions of this course include: What are the (appropriate) goals and ideals of education? How should we evaluate the outcomes of educational practices and institutions? Can teaching be distinguished from indoctrination? Who should be taught, and what should they be taught? What is the proper scope of parental and state authority, and how are these constrained by children's rights? How do the practices and aims of education relate to the wider society in which they are embedded? And lastly, who is in position to answer these questions? Throughout we will be exploring these questions while also examining the underlying philosophical assumptions of current education practices. The aim of this course is to deepen our understanding of these key concepts, philosophical frameworks, and difficult questions through the careful study of diverse texts and other media. Using classic and contemporary texts, this course will give you the opportunity to interrogate various approaches to the philosophy of education in light of their real-world manifestations and your own personal experience. Some of the authors we will read include: Plato, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Mary Wollstonecraft, W.E.B. Du Bois, John Dewey, Paolo Freire, bell hooks, Martha Nussbaum, and many more. Evaluation will be done on the basis of three short (approx. 4-7 pages) philosophical papers, one 1-page reflection paper, a class presentation, brief reading responses, short in-class quizzes, and active class participation. See below for more detail on these requirements.
PHIL 146 - Ethics of Speech (Fall 2016)
A commitment to free speech is embedded deeply in most liberal societies. However, there is a general agreement that some speech rightly falls outside the bounds of a right to free speech. In this course we will study the philosophical arguments that underlie the right to free speech, as well those that demonstrate how speech itself can perform many harmful acts. To guide our thinking on these ideas, we will read foundational work in ethics and political philosophy—including Kant and Mill—as well as the philosophy of language—such as Austin and Langton. The course begins with a study of classic texts that aim to outline the ethical foundations of a robust freedom of speech—focusing primarily on Mill & Taylor’s On Liberty. In this section of the course, the aim is to bring out the diversity of arguments and values meant to demonstrate the special importance of free speech. These include epistemic arguments, democratic values, and autonomy-based concerns. We will then consider how well these arguments fit together with more recent work that understands speech most fundamentally as an action, and an action that can oppress, subordinate, silence, and cause harm, among other things. To understand these ideas, we will consider a range of linguistic expressions and case studies, including lies, propaganda, pornography, so-called ‘dog-whistles,’ and more or less overt utterances of hate speech. With these ideas behind us, we will then consider how, why, and when resistance to the harmful aspects of speech is possible, and perhaps morally required. Our guiding question throughout will be that between our intuitive ideas of free speech and hate speech lies a lot of rich and interesting philosophical material, and understanding how to balance the competing values and harms involved in real-life cases of conflict is worthy of sustained study.
PHIL 115 - Oppression & Justice (Spring 2016)
The theme for this course will be an examination of three major concepts in moral philosophy: oppression, exploitation, and injustice. Although these terms are widely used and have powerful rhetorical force, they are often left under-defined. Therefore, in this course, we will aim to develop a clearer conception of what these terms mean. What are the features of oppressive social relationships? How do we determine who is oppressed and who is an oppressor? What duties might follow from these identifications, and do these duties fall on individuals or broader groups, such as the state? Throughout, we will be considering how injustice and social oppression relate to material inequality, and furthermore, to the possible exploitation of one group/individual by another. To get clearer on this issue, we must ask: what is exploitation, is it wrong, and if so, why? We will look at a variety of responses to these questions, drawing on both contemporary and historical writers, including Aristotle, Rousseau, Kant, and Mill. The aim of this course will be to deepen our understanding of these key concepts, philosophical frameworks, and ethical questions through the study of high quality philosophy texts as well as short films. Evaluation will be done on the basis of three short (approx. 4-7 pages) papers, brief reading responses, and class participation.
PHIL 105 - Bioethics (Fall 2015)
This course serves as an introduction to contemporary bioethics, a fundamentally interdisciplinary field that draws from philosophy, biology, medicine, law, sociology, and many other areas to probe questions that arise in medical practice, health policy, biological research, and more. While philosophical ethics provides the main theoretical tools to be implemented in this course, our attention will be thoroughly practical, focusing on pressing moral issues drawn from real life involving real human—and non-human—lives.
Topics covered with specific attention in this course will include: research ethics, at both the local and global level; end-of-life issues, including doctor-assisted suicide; beginning- and pre-beginning-of-life issues, such as abortion, contraception, and the ethics of procreating itself; as well as questions concerning the distribution of scarce healthcare resources, again, in both the local and global context.
This course will aim to develop both students’ understanding of traditional ethical theories—such as virtue ethics, Kantianism, and utilitarianism—as well as how these theories apply (or perhaps fail to apply) in concrete ethical situations. Students are responsible for three (approx. 5-7 pg.) papers and active class participation. There is no required text for this course, and readings will be provided through Blackboard.
Summer Semester Courses
PHIL 010 - Intro to Ethics (Summer 2019)
Philosophy, at its best, is a tool for helping us better understand and solve certain kinds of problems that emerge in concrete social and political contexts. As philosopher Elizabeth Anderson writes, the best philosophical reflection begins by considering any given problem “as it emerges in practice, in the experiences of the people who confront it.” To that end, this course serves as an introduction to a variety of philosophical topics in ethics, always with an eye to how these relate to the lived experience of real people. Throughout, we will be reading three short books that explore how philosophical reflection can be helpful in addressing both personal and societal conflicts. These are John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty (1859), Kwame Anthony Appiah’s Cosmopolitanism (2006), and Lisa Tessman’s When Doing the Right Thing is Impossible (2017). These and supplemental texts will serve as opportunities to explore a variety of philosophical questions, both practical and theoretical. Some of these include: What is the nature of morality? How might we resolve disagreement across culture, within a country, and in ourselves? What is knowledge? How do we justify our beliefs and actions to others, as well as ourselves? What’s the relationship between the individual and society, emotion and rationality? When does speech constitute action? and more. We’ll find that philosophical reflection and analysis is not only helpful for achieving a sharper understanding of the values at play in these various issues, but also that considering a concrete problem aids in the examination of theoretical questions. In the course of investigating these questions, we’ll draw on work in moral philosophy, feminist philosophy, epistemology, and philosophy of language. We’ll also draw from a diverse set of materials, from traditional philosophical articles, to opinion pieces, documentaries, short films, and more.
PHIL 020 - Intro to Philosophy (Summer 2018)
Philosophy, at its best, is a tool for helping us better understand and solve certain kinds of problems that emerge in concrete social and political contexts. As philosopher Elizabeth Anderson writes, the best philosophical reflection begins by considering any given problem “as it emerges in practice, in the experiences of the people who confront it.” To that end, this course serves as an introduction to a variety of philosophical topics, always with an eye to how these relate to the lived experience of real people.
We will begin by reading two short books—one new, one not so much—that demonstrate how philosophical reflection can be helpful in addressing both personal and societal conflicts. These are Lisa Tessman’s 2017 When Doing the Right Thing is Impossible, and John Stuart Mill’s 1859 On Liberty. These texts will serve as opportunities to explore a variety of philosophical questions, both practical and theoretical. Some of these include: What is knowledge? How do we justify our beliefs and actions to others, as well as ourselves? What’s the relationship between free will and moral responsibility, the individual and society, emotion and rationality? When does speech constitute action? and more.
Throughout, we will also explore several concrete problems that have emerged in the context of Georgetown University, such as: whether or not Georgetown owes reparations to the descendants of the 272 slaves it sold to pay off its debts; whether its athletic teams should wear apparel made in sweatshops; whether the University should host on campus speakers with racist, homophobic, or otherwise bigoted views; and more. We’ll find that philosophical reflection and analysis is not only helpful for achieving a sharper understanding of the values at play in these various issues, but also that considering a concrete problem aids in the examination of theoretical questions.
Readings in this course draw on work in moral philosophy, feminist philosophy, epistemology, and philosophy of language. And we’ll also draw from a diverse set of materials, from traditional philosophical articles, to opinion pieces, documentaries, and more.
PHIL 010 - Intro to Ethics (Summer 2017)
Philosophy, at its best, is a tool for helping us better understand and solve certain kinds of practical problems that emerge in concrete social and political contexts. As philosopher Elizabeth Anderson writes, the best philosophical reflection begins by considering any given problem “as it emerges in practice, in the experiences of the people who confront it.” To that end, this course will explore several concrete problems that have emerged in the context of Georgetown University, such as: whether or not Georgetown owes reparations to the descendants of the 272 slaves it sold to pay off its debts; whether its bookstore and athletic teams should sell or wear apparel made in sweatshops; whether the University should host on campus speakers with racist, homophobic, or otherwise bigoted views; and more. We’ll find that philosophical reflection and analysis is not only helpful for achieving a sharper understanding of the values at play in these various issues but also gives us the tools to take principled stances on them. In the course of investigating these questions, we’ll draw on work in moral philosophy, feminist philosophy, epistemology, and philosophy of language. We’ll also draw from a diverse set of materials, from traditional philosophical articles, to opinion pieces, documentaries, films, and more.