Graduate Program
Graduate Courses 2011-2012
567a, u, Mathematical Logic. Sun-Joo Shin
M, W, 11:35 – 12:25; 1 HTBA
An introduction to the metatheory of first-order logic, up to and including the completeness theorem for the first-order calculus. Introduction to the basic concepts of set theory.
570b, u, Epistemology. Keith DeRose
T, Th, 11:35 – 12:50
Introduction to current topics in the theory of knowledge The analysis of knowledge, justified belief, rationality, certainty, and evidence.
600a, u, GREK 727a, Aristotle’s Metaphysics XII. John Hare, Verity Harte
W, 3:30 – 5:20
Reading and discussion of the Greek text of Aristotle's Metaphysics, book XII. Consideration of philosophical issues raised by Aristotle's investigation into substance, in which he sets out to prove and to characterize the existence of a divine substance.
601b, u, CLSS 888b, HUMS 343 Ancient Philosophy of Science. Barbara Sattler
M, 3:30 – 5:20
A study of notions central to the philosophy of science that developed in ancient times. Topics include time, space, motion, matter, continuity, and infinity. Focuse on the discussion of these topics in the Presocratics, Plato and Aristotle.
602b, u, CLSS 850b, Plato’s Philebus. Verity Harte
W, 3:30 – 5:20
The seminar will read, in translation, and discuss Plato’s Philebus, the late work in which he examines the competing claims of pleasure and reason to be the basis of human happiness and provides a portrait of the best human life.
604a, u, The Philosophy of Spinoza. Michael Della Rocca
W, 1:30 – 3:20
An in-depth study of Spinoza’s major work, the Ethics, with some attention to his earlier writings. Focus on Spinoza’s views in metaphysics and the philosophy of mind.
605a, u, Hume. Kenneth Winkler
W, 7:00 – 8:50
A study of Hume's epistemology and metaphysics and his science of human nature. Topics include our knowledge of space and time; inductive reasoning; the nature and representation of causation; the origin and justification of belief in an external world; personal identity; the normative bearing of naturalized epistemology; the explanation and justification of religious belief; and the attractions and limits of skepticism. Readings in Book I of A Treatise of Human Nature, An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding, and Dialogues concerning Natural Religion.
625b, Frege's Philosophy of Logic and Language. Susanne Bobzien
F, 1:30 – 3:20
Reading and evaluation of selected articles by Gottlob Frege, including "On Sense and Reference," "Function and Concept," "Thought," and "Negation." Focus on Frege's contributions and relevance to modern philosophical logic (as opposed to his contributions to the philosophy of mathematics).
627b, u, Computability and Logic. Sun-Joo Shin
T, 1:30 - 3:20
A technical exposition of Gödel’s first and second incompleteness theorems and of some of their main consequences in proof theory and model theory, such as Lob’s theorem, Tarski’s undefinability of truth, provability logic, and nonstandard models of arithmetic.
629b, u, Monism Michael Della Rocca
W, 1:30 – 3:20
The resilience of monism -- the thesis that there is only one thing -- despite its apparent refutation by the observed multiplicity of things. Focus on the viability of various forms of monism. Attention to topics such as relations, dependence, existence, and modality, as well as to relevant topics in philosophy of language
630b, u, PSYC 427b, CGSC 430b, Mind Perception. Joshua Knobe
T, 7:00 – 8:50
Consideration of how people make the distinction between things that have minds and things that do not. Topics include the attribution of minds to machines and robots, to group agents such as corporations, to God, and to people from other genders or racial groups.
631a, u, Cognitive Architecture: Belief and Modularity. Eric Mandelbaum
M, 7 – 8:50 PM
An investigation of cognitive architecture is an attempt to create a model of the mind in the broadest sense. In this seminar we will examine multiple possible models of the mind using modular models as the basic starting point. The goal of the course will be to peruse workable models of central cognition, in particular focusing on the roles that belief acquisition and belief storage have on constraining models of central cognition.
632a, u, Convention. Zoltan Szabo
T, 7:00 – 8:50
An exploration of the nature of convention, with special emphasis on linguistic convention. Topics include: objectivity, normativity, coordination, rule-following, and relativism.
633b, u, Post-Kantian Themes in Analytic Philosophy. Paul Franks
M, 1:30 – 3:20
An examination of themes in analytic philosophy that are connected to Kantian and post-Kantian traditions, with a view to assessing the viability of contemporary analytic versions of Kantian, Fichtean and Hegelian positions. Themes such as a priori knowledge; psychologism; scepticism; holism; translational indeterminacy and supervenience; unity of consciousness and multiple realizability; conceptual and non-conceptual content; idealism and realism. Readings include Brandom, Carnap, Davidson, Fichte, Frege, Hegel, Kant, McDowell and Quine.
634b, u, Propositional Attitudes. Bruno Whittle
T, 3:30 – 5:20
A survey of approaches to modeling propositional attitudes, of challenges faced by these approaches. Topics will include Fregean and Russellian propositions, possible worlds models of attitudes, de se attitudes, semantic relationism, and the context sensitivity of attitude ascriptions.
650b, u, Animal Ethics. Shelly Kagan
Th, 1:30 – 3:20
Exploration of the moral status of nonhuman animals, and the nature of our moral obligations toward them. Focus on theoretical issues, such as what the major approaches to ethics imply about the status of animals, with some attention to practical questions such as vegetarianism or the use of animals in research.
652a, u, Recognition. Stephen Darwall, Matthew Smith
W, 3:30 – 5:20
Exploration of theories of recognition, the relationship that two equal moral beings bear toward one another. Origins of recognition theory in questions about property rights: the normative structure of the relation between a rights holder and someone against whom he can make a claim. Development of broad questions concerning the basic moral relationship, expressed in Kant, post-Kantian German idealists such as Fichte and Hegel, and recent moral and political philosophers.
653b, u, Metaethics. Matthew Smith
Th, 1:30 – 3:20
A study of moral theorizing and moral discourse. The linguistic role of words like "good," "bad," "right," and "wrong"; whether propositions that use these terms can be true or false. What ethical claims mean, if anything, and what kinds of reasoning or evidence might justify such claims.
654b, u, Kant’s Ethical Theory. Sonny Elizondo
M, 7 – 8:50 PM
An assessment of Kant's ethical theory. Special attention to Kant's conception of the aims and methods of moral philosophy and how this conception bears on his substantive ethical views.
655b, u, Normative Ethics. Shelly Kagan
T, 1:30 - 3:20
A systematic examination of normative ethics, the part of moral philosophy that attempts to articulate and defend the basic principles of morality. The bulk of the course surveys and explores some of the main normative factors relevant in determining the moral status of a given act or policy (features that help make a given act right or wrong). Brief consideration of some of the main views about the foundations of normative ethics (the ultimate basis or ground for the various moral principles).
456a, G, Freedom of Expression. Jonathan Gilmore
Th, 1:30 – 3:20
The history and theory of freedom of expression examined from the standpoints of philosophy, law, art history, and literary criticism. Topics include censorship of art and literature, self-expression and self-realization, First Amendment interpretation, autonomy, paternalism, and rights.
457b, G, Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art. Jonathan Gilmore
M, 3:30 – 5:20
The nature and significance of works of art. Topics include aesthetic judgment, art and morality, depiction and cognition, fictions and emotions, imagination, originality and forgery, intention and interpretation, artistic style, and freedom of expression.
458b, G, Art Criticism: History, Theory, Practice. Jonathan Gilmore
Th, 1:30 – 3:20
This course treats the nature of art criticism. Readings will be drawn from historical and contemporary sources. Students will be asked to compose their own critical responses to works of art and art exhibitions in New Haven and New York.
459a. G, Philosophy and Literature. Jonathan Gilmore
M, 1:30 – 3:20
This course addresses some of the major philosophical questions about knowledge, the self, happiness and how one should live, as they emerge in certain canonical literary works of imaginative art.
700b, Agency and the Law. Facundo Alonso
In this course we will reflect on central questions in the philosophy of action and on their connection to important issues in the law. Some of these questions include: What is it for one to be an agent? What is it to act intentionally? What is intention? What is it to act for a reason? What is it for one to be an autonomous agent? What is it for us to act together? Connection to issues in criminal law, contract law, and jurisprudence.
701a, Weber to Derrida. Seyla Benhabib
W, 5:00 - 6:50
Topics discussed include: modernity and rationalization; science and the problem of values; the concept of public sphere; decisionism and the friend/foe distinction; Heidegger's ontology and politics; Derrida on cosmopolitanism and Habermas and Derrida on terror and philosophy. This course can only be taken in conjunction with the lecture course European Political Thought from Weber to Derrida (PHIL 328a, PLSC 604a), since it is not an independent seminar but the graduate seminar attached to the lecture course.
702b, Responsibility. Jules Coleman
703b, Epistemology. Keith DeRose
T, 3:30 – 5:20
A broad introduction to the theory of knowledge, covering many of the most important basic topics in epistemology. Designed to serve as a first graduate course in the area, preparing students both to take more focused seminars on particular topics in epistemology and to teach their own basic undergraduate epistemology courses.
704a, Topics in Epistemology. Keith DeRose
T, 1:30 – 3:20
A study of one to three prominent issues in current epistemology. Topics may include skepticism,
internalist vs. externalist accounts of knowledge and of justification, the structure of knowledge and
justification (foundationalism vs. coherentism), the nature of immediate justification, contextualism in epistemology, the epistemology of disagreement, knowledge-based analyses of other important philosophical concepts, and the "relevant alternatives" account of knowledge.
705a, Descent of the Logos. Karsten Harries
T, 1:30 – 3:20
At the very center of Heidegger’s thinking is a concern with logos and that means also with logic. But what logos and “logic” meant to him changed. Readings in Being and Time, "Phenomenology and Theology," "The Origin of the Work of Art," "Poetically Man Dwells," "Hölderlin and the Essence of Poetry," "Building Dwelling Thinking."
706b, Time and Value. Karsten Harries
T, 1:30 – 3:20
The seminar will begin with a consideration of Plato’s Symposium as the paradigmatic statement of what we can call an ethics of satisfaction. Other versions will be examined. All will be shown to be inseparable from a view of time which gives priority to the present. This view will be criticized and contrasted with another which gives primacy to the future. Its consequences for value theory will be examined. Readings in Plato, Augustine, Kant, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, Eliade, and Marcuse.
707b, Law 20576, PLSS 599, INRL 524, Global Health, Politics and Economics. Thomas Pogge, Jennifer Ruger
T, 10:10 - 12:00
Billions lack access to basic medical care, and global health inequalities are wide and growing. Such radical disparities cast doubt on the justice of supranational institutional arrangements (such as the TRIPS Agreement) and also pose ethical challenges for the global health community, especially international and domestic health and development institutions. Seeking to illuminate the normative issues involved, this course will feature a string of distinguished visitors, including academics as well as a few important representatives of international organizations, politics, foundations, NGOs, and relevant industries.
708a, First Year Seminar. George Bealer, Bruno Whittle
T, 5:00 – 6:50 PM
Required and limited to first year students in the philosophy Ph.D. program. Topic varies from year to year. Preparation for graduate work. Reading, writing and presentation skills.
709a, Work in Progress. Sun-Joo Shin
M, 3:30 – 5:20
In consultation with the instructors, each student will present a significant work in progress, e.g., a revised version of an advanced seminar paper or a dissertation chapter. Upon completion of the writing, the student will present the work in a mock colloquium format, including a formal question and answer period.
710a, Topics in Semantics: Pragmatic Models. Tamina Stephenson
T, 3:30 – 5:20
This seminar will explore formal pragmatic models of conversation, including the representation of common ground, speech acts, speaker commitments, and information structure.
750 a or b, Tutorial
