Philosophy
Undergraduate Program Information
A major in philosophy serves not only as preparation for further graduate study in philosophy but also as an area of concentration in a liberal arts program. A philosophy major is appropriate for students planning to attend medical school as well as for those students interested in a career that requires critical reading and argument analysis. Such careers include business, theology and above all, law. For students who are especially interested in careers in law, politics, or public policy, the Department also offers a major in Justice, Political Philosophy, and Law.
While the course requirements for these majors should meet the ends of the liberal arts student, those students interested in graduate study in philosophy or in a career in law are encouraged to seek advice from a faculty advisor as early in their career as possible.
A minor program in philosophy requiring 18 hours of course work is also offered as well as a minor in Ethics and a minor in Justice, Political Philosophy, and Law. For more information visit the Department of Philosophy’s web page at philos.nmsu.edu.
Timothy Cleveland, Department Head
Professors Cleveland, Walker, Keleher Associate Professors Vessel, Klockseim College Professor Noonan
Philosophy Courses
PHIL 1115G. Introduction to Philosophy
3 Credits (3)
In this course, students will be introduced to some of the key questions of philosophy through the study of classical and contemporary thinkers. Some of the questions students might consider are: Do we have free will? What is knowledge? What is the mind? What are our moral obligations to others? Students will engage with and learn to critically assess various philosophical approaches to such questions.
Learning Outcomes
- Comprehend and differentiate between various philosophical approaches to questions within fields such as metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and aesthetics.
- Critically evaluate various philosophical arguments and positions.
PHIL 1120G. Logic, Reasoning, & Critical Thinking
3 Credits (3)
The purpose of this course is to teach students how to analyze, critique, and construct arguments.The course includes an introductory survey of important logical concepts and tools needed for argument analysis. These concepts and tools will be use to examine select philosophical and scholarly texts.
Learning Outcomes
- Comprehend components of arguments.
- Acquire a general understanding of the essential logical concepts needed for argument analysis, such as validity, soundness, deduction, and induction.
- Critically assess arguments with an aim toward identifying what constitutes effective and reasonable argument strategies.
- Learn to identify common logical fallacies.
- Apply knowledge of argumentation principles to philosophical and scholarly texts
PHIL 1140G. Philosophy and World Religions
3 Credits (3)
A philosophical enquiry into the religious life; an introduction to philosophical questions about religions focused on consideration of some of the traditional approaches to God and what it means to be religious. May be repeated up to 3 credits.
Learning Outcomes
- Identify and describe philosophical theories regarding religion.
- Develop and enhance your critical thinking skills, particularly in the evaluation of arguments about the truth or applicability of particular religious or secular viewpoints.
- Analyze the teachings of world religions by describing their similarities and differences.
- Explain the philosophical beliefs, practices, and ethical standards of the major world religions as well as emerging religious movements.
- Explain how each religion evolved historically, philosophically, and spiritually as well as the contemporary ideas and practices each religion.
PHIL 1145G. Philosophy, Law, and Ethics
3 Credits (3)
An introduction to practical problems in moral, social, political, and legal philosophy. Topics to be discussed may include ecology, animal rights, pornography, hate speech on campus, same-sex marriage, justice, abortion, terrorism, treatment of illegal immigrants, and New Mexican Aboriginal Peoples' land claims.
Learning Outcomes
- The aim of this course is to familiarize students with some of the ethical and philosophical issues that arise in connection with laws/legality in general and criminal and constitutional law in the U.S. in particular.
- It examines issues in moral philosophy, political philosophy, and philosophy of law.
- A question to which we repeatedly return is whether the law does and/or ought to have some necessary relation to the demands of justice and morality. Among the topics we’ll cover are: What is a law? Natural law vs. positive law and legal positivism vs. natural law theory; Utilitarian, divine command, Kantian, and natural law theories of moral rightness/wrongness; The distinction between the normative and the non-normative; Is there a moral duty to obey the law? Plato’s Crito and R.P. Wolff’s “philosophical anarchism."; J.S. Mill and classical liberalism; Mill’s “harm principle” (“the state should restrict the liberty of competent adults via the criminal law only to prevent them from wrongfully harming other persons”); Legal paternalism. Should the state make it harder for citizens to smoke tobacco and/or marijuana, for their own good?; Should voluntary euthanasia be legal? Is there a constitutional “right to die”?; How should judges determine the meaning of vaguely worded constitutional requirements (e.g. “free exercise of religion,” no “unreasonable search and seizure,” no “cruel and unusual punishment,” etc.)? Originalist vs. nonoriginalist approaches; The First Amendment, free speech, and freedom of religion; The death penalty and “cruel and unusual punishment”; The insanity defense in criminal law; Does the 14th Amendment’s requirement of “equal protection” under the law compel states to recognize same sex marriage?; The Fourth Amendment and its prohibition of “unreasonable search and seizure.”
PHIL 2110G. Introduction to Ethics
3 Credits (3)
This course introduces students to the philosophical study of morality and will explore questions concerning our human obligations to others and related issues. Students may be asked to relate various approaches to ethics to present-day ethical debates and their own lives.
Learning Outcomes
- Differential between various ethical theories, which may include virtue ethics, deontology, and consequentialism.
- Critically evaluate various ethical theories and positions.
PHIL 2230G. Philosophical Thought
3 Credits (3)
In this course, students will grapple with some of the key questions of philosophy through the study of classical and contemporary thinkers. Students will become familiar with the perennial problems in subfields of philosophy such as metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and aesthetics. They will learn to approach these problems both critically and sympathetically.
Learning Outcomes
- Comprehend and differentiate between various philosophical approaches to questions within fields such as metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and aesthetics.
- Critically evaluate various philosophical arguments and positions.
- Identify the differences that characterize the major subfields of philosophy.
PHIL 305. Philosophy and Literature
3 Credits (3)
Examination of philosophical ideas as presented in selected literary works and literary criticism.
PHIL 306. Philosophy Through Film
3 Credits (3)
An exploration of a range of philosophical issues through the use of film. Topics include personal identity and memory, faith and the problem of evil, free will and moral responsibility, and the meaning of life. Films may include The Prestige, Memento, The Third Man, A Clockwork Orange, Fight Club, and Synecdoche, New York.
PHIL 312. Formal Logic
3 Credits (3)
Introduction to symbolic logic and its application in the analysis of arguments in scientific and ordinary discourse.
PHIL 315. Philosophy of Language
3 Credits (3)
A critical examination of philosophical inquiries into the syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic dimensions of language.
PHIL 316. Philosophy of Mathematics
3 Credits (3)
Survey of traditional philosophical problems and views concerning the nature of mathematics including such questions as: What is the nature of mathematical knowledge? What is mathematical truth? What is a number? What is proof? What is the relationship between logic and mathematics?
PHIL 320. Social and Political Philosophy
3 Credits (3)
This course critically examines such fundamental concepts as liberty, equality and human rights.
PHIL 322. Environmental Ethics
3 Credits (3)
Explores the ethical and topical issues raised by mining and grazing, air and water pollution, factory farming, global warming, and treatment of animals. It also studies some recent ecological movements such as ecofeminism, social ecology, and deep ecology.
PHIL 328. Applied Ethics
3 Credits (3)
Examines the implications of utilitarianism, Kantian ethics, natural law theory, and other moral theories for controversial moral issues such as the death penalty, euthanasia, abortion, genetic engineering, gay marriage, affirmative action, and pornography.
PHIL 331. Philosophy of Religion
3 Credits (3)
The nature, fundamental concepts, and problems of religion. Emphasis on the significance of religion for creative and practical value.
PHIL 332. Ethics and Global Poverty
3 Credits (3)
Philosophical scrutiny of and moral reflection on various aspects of global poverty and foreign aid. For example: Is poverty fundamentally a lack of income, or can it be understood as a failure to meet basic needs, or as a lack of valuable freedom? Do human rights exist? What, if any, are the moral obligations of rich countries to poor countries? Can foreign aid be immoral? How should the answers to these questions influence public policy? Restricted to: Main campus only.
PHIL 341. Ancient Philosophy
3 Credits (3)
Introduction to the philosophies of the pre-Socratics, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, with brief discussion of the Epicureans and Stoics.
PHIL 344. Modern Philosophy
3 Credits (3)
Foundations of contemporary thought: introduction to the philosophies of Descartes, Bacon, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Kant, and Hegel.
PHIL 346. Philosophy of Mind
3 Credits (3)
Examination of some of the most influential accounts of the mind, focusing on such issues as the relation between the mind and the body, mental causation and consciousness.
PHIL 350. Epistemology
3 Credits (3)
Introduction to epistemology. The philosophical critique of alleged ways of knowing. An examination of the nature of truth.
PHIL 351. Philosophy of Science
3 Credits (3)
Philosophical examination of the methodology of science. The logical, metaphysical, epistemological, and ethical critique of science and its impact on human affairs.
PHIL 361. Special Topics
3 Credits (3)
Specific subjects announced in the Schedule of Classes. May be repeated for a maximum of 9 credits.
PHIL 363. Independent Studies
1-3 Credits
For students with some background in philosophy. Independent work in a specific area. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits.
Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
PHIL 373. Ethical Theory
3 Credits (3)
The critical examination of the justification of ethical theories with particular attention to the language of moral discourse.
PHIL 376. Philosophy of Law
3 Credits (3)
Ethical, logical, and epistemological implications of law, together with an analysis of the rhetoric of legal practice.
PHIL 380. Metaphysics
3 Credits (3)
Introduction to metaphysics: a treatment of such issues as the meaning of existence, the mind-body problem, the problem of universals, and free will versus determinism.
PHIL 385. Human Nature and the Good Life
3 Credits (3)
An examination of some of the most historically and philosophically influential conceptions of human nature and corresponding accounts of the good life.
PHIL 397. Existentialism
3 Credits (3)
The origins of existentialist thought in philosophy and literature, including the thought of Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Dostoyevsky, Camus, and Sartre. The course covers topics in ethics and political philosophy, metaphysics, philosophical psychology, philosophy of religion, and other sub-disciplines of philosophy.
PHIL 435. Internship in Philosophy and Law
3 Credits (3)
Supervised hands-on experience for Justice, Political Philosophy, and Law majors to gain professional expertise of the law working with lawyers or judges in law offices, court rooms, and other professional legal settings. Student must be in junior and above standing to enroll. May be repeated up to 6 credits.
Prerequisite: Completion of 12 Philosophy credits; 2.5 GPA;.
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate practical knowledge, analytical ability and critical thinking of professional legal work by becoming familiar with such legal tasks as: preparing pleadings; preparing discovery, responding to discovery; controlling and organizing documents, information; preparing trial notebooks; preparing motions; contacting and responding to clients, witnesses, courts.
PHIL 448. Writing Philosophy
3 Credits (3)
A workshop on writing philosophy papers. Includes how to read and understand philosophical writing, organize a paper effectively, present a clear and forceful argument, and avoid common mistakes.
Prerequisite(s): completed 18 hours of philosophy credit.
PHIL 463. Independent Studies
1-3 Credits
For students with a strong background in philosophy. Independent work in a specific area. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits.
Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
PHIL 532. Advance Studies in Ethics and Global Poverty
3 Credits (3)
Advanced philosophical scrutiny of and moral reflection on various aspects of global poverty and foreign aid. For example: Is poverty fundamentally a lack of income, or can it be understood as a failure to meet basic needs, or as a lack of valuable freedom? Do human rights exist? What, if any, are the moral obligations of rich countries to poor countries? Can foreign aid be immoral? How should the answers to these questions influence public policy? Restricted to: Main campus only.
Name: Dana Barksdale, Administrative Assistant
Office Location: Breland Hall Room 330
Phone: (575) 646-4616
Website: philos.nmsu.edu