To see a complete list of courses offered and their descriptions, visit the online course catalog.
The courses listed below are provided by Student Information Services (SIS). This listing provides a snapshot of immediately available courses within this department and may not be complete. Course registration information can be found at https://sis.jhu.edu/classes.
Column one has the course number and section. Other columns show the course title, days offered, instructor's name, room number, if the course is cross-referenced with another program, and a option to view additional course information in a pop-up window.
Course # (Section)
Title
Day/Times
Instructor
Room
PosTag(s)
Info
AS.100.295 (01)
American Thought since the Civil War
MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 10:00AM - 10:50AM
Burgin, Angus
Gilman 119
HIST-US
American Thought since the Civil War AS.100.295 (01)
A survey of major developments in American philosophy, literature, law, economics, and political theory since 1865. Among other subjects, readings will explore modernism and anti-modernism, belief and uncertainty, science and tradition, uniformity and diversity, scarcity and surfeit, and individualism and concern for the social good.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 10:00AM - 10:50AM
Instructor: Burgin, Angus
Room: Gilman 119
Status: Open
Seats Available: 1/20
PosTag(s): HIST-US
AS.100.295 (02)
American Thought since the Civil War
MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 11:00AM - 11:50AM
Burgin, Angus
Gilman 119
HIST-US
American Thought since the Civil War AS.100.295 (02)
A survey of major developments in American philosophy, literature, law, economics, and political theory since 1865. Among other subjects, readings will explore modernism and anti-modernism, belief and uncertainty, science and tradition, uniformity and diversity, scarcity and surfeit, and individualism and concern for the social good.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 11:00AM - 11:50AM
Instructor: Burgin, Angus
Room: Gilman 119
Status: Open
Seats Available: 9/10
PosTag(s): HIST-US
AS.150.205 (01)
Introduction to the History of Modern Philosophy
MW 9:00AM - 9:50AM, F 9:00AM - 9:50AM
Connolly, Patrick
Gilman 17
PHIL-MODERN, MSCH-HUM, INST-GLOBAL, INST-PT
Introduction to the History of Modern Philosophy AS.150.205 (01)
An overview of philosophical thought in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. We shall focus on fundamental questions in epistemology (knowledge, how we acquire it, its scope and limits), metaphysics (the ultimate nature of reality, the relation of mind and body, free will), and theology (the existence and nature of God, God’s relation to the world, whether knowledge of such things is possible): all questions that arose in dramatic ways as a result of the rise of modern science. The principal philosophers to be discussed are Descartes, Locke, Hume and Kant, though we shall also make the acquaintance of Spinoza, Leibniz and Berkeley.
An overview of philosophical thought in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. We shall focus on fundamental questions in epistemology (knowledge, how we acquire it, its scope and limits), metaphysics (the ultimate nature of reality, the relation of mind and body, free will), and theology (the existence and nature of God, God’s relation to the world, whether knowledge of such things is possible): all questions that arose in dramatic ways as a result of the rise of modern science. The principal philosophers to be discussed are Descartes, Locke, Hume and Kant, though we shall also make the acquaintance of Spinoza, Leibniz and Berkeley.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 9:00AM - 9:50AM, F 11:00AM - 11:50AM
This course begins by reviewing canonical texts in modern political philosophy beginning with Thomas Hobbes and John Locke and ends by exploring classic questions in contemporary debates in race, gender, and identity.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 11:00AM - 11:50AM, F 11:00AM - 11:50AM
Instructor: Lebron, Christopher Joseph
Room: Gilman 55
Status: Open
Seats Available: 3/20
PosTag(s): PHIL-ETHICS, INST-PT
AS.150.240 (02)
Intro-Political Philosop
MW 11:00AM - 11:50AM, F 1:30PM - 2:20PM
Lebron, Christopher Joseph
Gilman 55
PHIL-ETHICS, INST-PT
Intro-Political Philosop AS.150.240 (02)
This course begins by reviewing canonical texts in modern political philosophy beginning with Thomas Hobbes and John Locke and ends by exploring classic questions in contemporary debates in race, gender, and identity.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 11:00AM - 11:50AM, F 1:30PM - 2:20PM
Instructor: Lebron, Christopher Joseph
Room: Gilman 55
Status: Open
Seats Available: 17/20
PosTag(s): PHIL-ETHICS, INST-PT
AS.150.401 (01)
Greek Philosophy: Plato and His Predecessors
TTh 10:30AM - 11:45AM
Bett, Richard
Gilman 288
PHIL-ANCIEN
Greek Philosophy: Plato and His Predecessors AS.150.401 (01)
A study of pre-Socratic philosophers, especially those to whom Plato reacted; also an examination of major dialogues of Plato with emphasis upon his principal theses and characteristic methods. Cross-listed with Classics.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: TTh 10:30AM - 11:45AM
Instructor: Bett, Richard
Room: Gilman 288
Status: Waitlist Only
Seats Available: 0/15
PosTag(s): PHIL-ANCIEN
AS.150.460 (01)
Rawls and His Critics
F 1:30PM - 4:00PM
Bok, Hilary
Gilman 288
INST-PT, PHIL-ETHICS
Rawls and His Critics AS.150.460 (01)
John Rawls was the most important moral and political thinker of the 20th century. In this course we will look at his two main works, A Theory of Justice and Political Liberalism, along with some of the more influential criticisms of his ideas. Main topics will include the derivation of principles of justice, the role of the good in liberal political theory, and the nature of reasonable pluralism.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: F 1:30PM - 4:00PM
Instructor: Bok, Hilary
Room: Gilman 288
Status: Open
Seats Available: 8/15
PosTag(s): INST-PT, PHIL-ETHICS
AS.150.118 (02)
Introduction to Formal Logic
MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 11:00AM - 11:50AM
Achinstein, Peter
Gilman 50
PHIL-LOGSCI, COGS-PHLMND
Introduction to Formal Logic AS.150.118 (02)
An introduction to symbolic logic and probability. In the first two parts of the course we study formal ways of determining whether a conclusion of an argument follows from its premises. Included are truth-functional logic and predicate logic. In the third part we study the basic rules of probability, and learn how to make probability calculations and decisions in life.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 11:00AM - 11:50AM
Instructor: Achinstein, Peter
Room: Gilman 50
Status: Open
Seats Available: 3/20
PosTag(s): PHIL-LOGSCI, COGS-PHLMND
AS.150.118 (01)
Introduction to Formal Logic
MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 10:00AM - 10:50AM
Achinstein, Peter
Gilman 50
PHIL-LOGSCI, COGS-PHLMND
Introduction to Formal Logic AS.150.118 (01)
An introduction to symbolic logic and probability. In the first two parts of the course we study formal ways of determining whether a conclusion of an argument follows from its premises. Included are truth-functional logic and predicate logic. In the third part we study the basic rules of probability, and learn how to make probability calculations and decisions in life.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 10:00AM - 10:50AM
Instructor: Achinstein, Peter
Room: Gilman 50
Status: Open
Seats Available: 1/20
PosTag(s): PHIL-LOGSCI, COGS-PHLMND
AS.150.118 (03)
Introduction to Formal Logic
MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 12:00PM - 12:50PM
Achinstein, Peter
Gilman 50
PHIL-LOGSCI, COGS-PHLMND
Introduction to Formal Logic AS.150.118 (03)
An introduction to symbolic logic and probability. In the first two parts of the course we study formal ways of determining whether a conclusion of an argument follows from its premises. Included are truth-functional logic and predicate logic. In the third part we study the basic rules of probability, and learn how to make probability calculations and decisions in life.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 12:00PM - 12:50PM
Instructor: Achinstein, Peter
Room: Gilman 50
Status: Open
Seats Available: 1/20
PosTag(s): PHIL-LOGSCI, COGS-PHLMND
AS.150.220 (01)
Introduction to Moral Philosophy
MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 12:00PM - 12:50PM
Velleman, David David
Shaffer 304
PHIL-ETHICS
Introduction to Moral Philosophy AS.150.220 (01)
An introduction to moral philosophy through in-depth and critical reading of selected texts from the history of philosophy. The philosophers whose texts will be discussed include Aristotle, Kant, Mill, and Hannah Arendt.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 12:00PM - 12:50PM
Instructor: Velleman, David David
Room: Shaffer 304
Status: Open
Seats Available: 1/15
PosTag(s): PHIL-ETHICS
AS.150.220 (02)
Introduction to Moral Philosophy
MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 3:00PM - 3:50PM
Velleman, David David
Shaffer 304
PHIL-ETHICS
Introduction to Moral Philosophy AS.150.220 (02)
An introduction to moral philosophy through in-depth and critical reading of selected texts from the history of philosophy. The philosophers whose texts will be discussed include Aristotle, Kant, Mill, and Hannah Arendt.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 3:00PM - 3:50PM
Instructor: Velleman, David David
Room: Shaffer 304
Status: Open
Seats Available: 4/15
PosTag(s): PHIL-ETHICS
AS.150.220 (04)
Introduction to Moral Philosophy
MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 12:00PM - 12:50PM
Velleman, David David
Shaffer 304
PHIL-ETHICS
Introduction to Moral Philosophy AS.150.220 (04)
An introduction to moral philosophy through in-depth and critical reading of selected texts from the history of philosophy. The philosophers whose texts will be discussed include Aristotle, Kant, Mill, and Hannah Arendt.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 12:00PM - 12:50PM
Instructor: Velleman, David David
Room: Shaffer 304
Status: Waitlist Only
Seats Available: 0/15
PosTag(s): PHIL-ETHICS
AS.150.114 (01)
Introduction to Environmental Ethics
MW 3:00PM - 3:50PM, F 3:00PM - 3:50PM
Brown, Simon Alexander Burns
Shaffer 303
MSCH-HUM, ENVS-MAJOR, ENVS-MINOR, PHIL-ETHICS
Introduction to Environmental Ethics AS.150.114 (01)
Some of the most pressing moral issues of our time arise from our impact on the environment. We will explore questions such as: What obligations, if any, do we have to future generations, other species, or ecosystems? What does it mean for something to be natural, and is being natural desirable? What is sustainability, and is it desirable? What does justice look like in a world where alleviating poverty may require worsening climate change? What kinds of actions (if any) are ethically required of us as individuals: should we leave action on environmental issues to the state, billionaires, and corporations, or ought we to make drastic changes in our own lifestyles? Is violent or destructive action appropriate to avert disasters that could kill millions? How can ordinary individuals determine which experts to listen to on complex issues, and can we deal with such issues within a liberal democratic society?
Introduction to Environmental Ethics AS.150.114 (04)
Some of the most pressing moral issues of our time arise from our impact on the environment. We will explore questions such as: What obligations, if any, do we have to future generations, other species, or ecosystems? What does it mean for something to be natural, and is being natural desirable? What is sustainability, and is it desirable? What does justice look like in a world where alleviating poverty may require worsening climate change? What kinds of actions (if any) are ethically required of us as individuals: should we leave action on environmental issues to the state, billionaires, and corporations, or ought we to make drastic changes in our own lifestyles? Is violent or destructive action appropriate to avert disasters that could kill millions? How can ordinary individuals determine which experts to listen to on complex issues, and can we deal with such issues within a liberal democratic society?
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 3:00PM - 3:50PM, F 12:00PM - 12:50PM
An introduction to symbolic logic and probability. In the first two parts of the course we study formal ways of determining whether a conclusion of an argument follows from its premises. Included are truth-functional logic and predicate logic. In the third part we study the basic rules of probability, and learn how to make probability calculations and decisions in life.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 10:00AM - 10:50AM, F 1:30PM - 2:20PM
Instructor: Achinstein, Peter
Room: Gilman 50
Status: Open
Seats Available: 2/20
PosTag(s): PHIL-LOGSCI, COGS-PHLMND
AS.150.220 (03)
Introduction to Moral Philosophy
MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 1:30PM - 2:20PM
Velleman, David David
Shaffer 304
PHIL-ETHICS
Introduction to Moral Philosophy AS.150.220 (03)
An introduction to moral philosophy through in-depth and critical reading of selected texts from the history of philosophy. The philosophers whose texts will be discussed include Aristotle, Kant, Mill, and Hannah Arendt.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Lower Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 12:00PM - 12:50PM, F 1:30PM - 2:20PM
Instructor: Velleman, David David
Room: Shaffer 304
Status: Open
Seats Available: 3/15
PosTag(s): PHIL-ETHICS
AS.150.375 (01)
Majors Seminar: Philosophy of Language (Proper Names and Descriptions)
Th 1:30PM - 4:00PM
Bledin, Justin
Gilman 288
PHIL-LOGSCI, PHIL-SEM
Majors Seminar: Philosophy of Language (Proper Names and Descriptions) AS.150.375 (01)
In talking with each other, we often use proper names like 'Juliet' and definite descriptions like 'The most beautiful fresco in Italy' to pick out persons and objects in our world. But what do these expressions mean exactly? In this seminar, we'll slowly and carefully work through some classic philosophical texts that address this issue. These texts will provide an introduction to the philosophy of language, and to analytic philosophy in general.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: Th 1:30PM - 4:00PM
Instructor: Bledin, Justin
Room: Gilman 288
Status: Waitlist Only
Seats Available: 0/20
PosTag(s): PHIL-LOGSCI, PHIL-SEM
AS.150.300 (01)
Prometheus Editorial Workshop
T 7:00PM - 8:00PM
Cummings, Cara Rei
Gilman 288
Prometheus Editorial Workshop AS.150.300 (01)
Prometheus is an international undergraduate philosophy journal published by students at Johns Hopkins University. The purpose of the journal is to promote philosophic discourse of the highest standard by offering students an opportunity to engage in open discussion, participate in the production and publication of an academic journal, and establish a community of aspiring philosophers. Students enrolled in this workshop will act as the staff readers for the journal. For more information, please visit
https://prometheus.students.jh.edu/
Prerequisite: MUST have taken one philosophy course
Credits: 1.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: T 7:00PM - 8:00PM
Instructor: Cummings, Cara Rei
Room: Gilman 288
Status: Open
Seats Available: 12/28
PosTag(s): n/a
AS.150.436 (01)
Philosophy of Gender
MW 3:00PM - 4:15PM
Taylor, Elanor J.
Smokler Center 301
PHIL-MIND, MSCH-HUM
Philosophy of Gender AS.150.436 (01)
In this class we will examine philosophical questions about gender, and about the intersections between gender and other social categories including race, class and sexuality. We will focus specifically on questions about the metaphysics of gender and other social categories.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: MW 3:00PM - 4:15PM
Instructor: Taylor, Elanor J.
Room: Smokler Center 301
Status: Open
Seats Available: 6/20
PosTag(s): PHIL-MIND, MSCH-HUM
AS.150.417 (01)
Kant's 'Critique Of Pure Reason'
W 4:30PM - 7:00PM
Allais, Lucy
Gilman 288
PHIL-MODERN
Kant's 'Critique Of Pure Reason' AS.150.417 (01)
An examination of the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, with emphasis on The Critique of Pure Reason.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: W 4:30PM - 7:00PM
Instructor: Allais, Lucy
Room: Gilman 288
Status: Waitlist Only
Seats Available: 2/15
PosTag(s): PHIL-MODERN
AS.150.479 (01)
The Ethics of Making Babies
T 1:30PM - 4:00PM
Rieder, Travis N
Krieger 180
MSCH-HUM, PHIL-BIOETH, PHIL-ETHICS
The Ethics of Making Babies AS.150.479 (01)
In this class, we will investigate many aspects of the ethics of making babies, asking not only which children we should create and how we should create them, but whether we should make any more people at all. Investigating these questions will take us through large chunks of moral theory, bioethics, and public health ethics. For more information, or to request permission of the instructor (for those who do not meet the prerequisite requirements), email Travis Rieder at trieder@jhu.edu.
Recommended Course Background: One course in ethics or bioethics, or permission of the instructor.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: T 1:30PM - 4:00PM
Instructor: Rieder, Travis N
Room: Krieger 180
Status: Open
Seats Available: 4/30
PosTag(s): MSCH-HUM, PHIL-BIOETH, PHIL-ETHICS
AS.150.484 (01)
Knowledge, Meaning and Necessity: Themes from Wilfrid Sellars
T 1:30PM - 4:00PM
Williams, Michael
Gilman 288
PHIL-MIND
Knowledge, Meaning and Necessity: Themes from Wilfrid Sellars AS.150.484 (01)
Wilfrid Sellars was one of the most original American philosophers of the second half of the last century, notable for combining systematic theorizing with a deep and wide knowledge of the history and of philosophical problems. This seminar will involve close reading of some of Sellars’s most important essays, including "Inference and Meaning, “Empiricism and the Philosophy of Mind,” and "Philosophy and the Scientific Image of Man". Time and interest permitting, we may look at the reception and development of some of Sellars’s central ideas in the work of contemporary philosophers, Robert Brandom and John McDowell.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: T 1:30PM - 4:00PM
Instructor: Williams, Michael
Room: Gilman 288
Status: Open
Seats Available: 4/15
PosTag(s): PHIL-MIND
AS.150.499 (01)
The Principle of Sufficient Reason
M 4:30PM - 7:00PM
Melamed, Yitzhak Yohanan
Gilman 288
PHIL-MODERN, PHIL-MIND
The Principle of Sufficient Reason AS.150.499 (01)
According to the Principle of Sufficient Reason every fact must have a reason, or explanation. In other words: there are no brute facts. If a certain penguin has three dots on its right wing - there must be a reason for this. If there are no penguins with precisely three dots on their right wings – there must be a reason for that as well. One half of the course will concentrate on works by the two philosophers who introduced the principle: Spinoza and Leibniz. In the other half, we will read texts by Kant, Maimon, and some contemporary analytic philosophers, and discuss the plausibility, implications, and justification of the principle, as well as its application to theories of grounding.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: M 4:30PM - 7:00PM
Instructor: Melamed, Yitzhak Yohanan
Room: Gilman 288
Status: Waitlist Only
Seats Available: 0/14
PosTag(s): PHIL-MODERN, PHIL-MIND
AS.150.424 (01)
Moral Emotions
M 4:30PM - 7:00PM
Allais, Lucy
Hodson 211
PHIL-MIND, PHIL-ETHICS
Moral Emotions AS.150.424 (01)
Certain emotions seem closely related to our regarding other people as moral agents, who are responsible for their actions. These include: resentment, forgiveness, trust, guilt, shame, shamelessness, gratitude, hope, contempt, respect, regret. After starting with a quick introduction to ways philosophers think about emotions, we will spend investigate these emotions and their role in responsibility attributions.
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: M 4:30PM - 7:00PM
Instructor: Allais, Lucy
Room: Hodson 211
Status: Reserved Open
Seats Available: 8/28
PosTag(s): PHIL-MIND, PHIL-ETHICS
AS.150.422 (01)
Axiomatic Set Theory
TTh 9:00AM - 10:15AM
Rynasiewicz, Robert
Gilman 288
PHIL-LOGSCI
Axiomatic Set Theory AS.150.422 (01)
A development of Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory (ZF), including the axiom of choice (ZFC), a system in which all of mathematics can be formulated (i.e., entails all theorems of mathematics). Although, we’ll do an exposure to transfinite ordinals and cardinals in general so that you can get a sense for how stupendously “large” these can be, the main thrust concerns certain simple, seemingly well-posed conjectures whose status appears problematic. For example, the Continuum Hypothesis (CH) is the conjecture that the cardinality of the real numbers is the first uncountable cardinality, i.e., the first cardinality greater than that of the set of natural numbers. Equivalently, there is no uncountable subset of real numbers strictly smaller in cardinality than the full set of reals. (You’d think that if there were one, you would be able eventually to find such.) Cantor thought that CH is true, but could not prove it. Gödel showed, at least, that if ZFC is consistent, then so is ZFC+CH. However, Paul Cohen later proved that if ZFC is consistent, then so is ZFC + the negation of CH. In fact, CH could fail in astoundingly many ways. For example, the cardinality of the continuum could be (weakly) inaccessible, i.e., of a cardinality that cannot even be proved to exist in ZFC (although the reals can certainly can be proved to exist in ZFC). So, are there further, intuitively true axioms that can be added to ZFC to resolve the cardinality of the continuum, and CH is definitely true or false? Or, as Cohen thought, does CH simply lack a definite truth value?
Credits: 3.00
Level: Upper Level Undergraduate
Days/Times: TTh 9:00AM - 10:15AM
Instructor: Rynasiewicz, Robert
Room: Gilman 288
Status: Open
Seats Available: 1/15
PosTag(s): PHIL-LOGSCI
AS.225.328 (01)
The Existential Drama: Philosophy and Theatre of the Absurd
W 4:30PM - 7:00PM
Martin, Joe
Gilman 277
The Existential Drama: Philosophy and Theatre of the Absurd AS.225.328 (01)
Existentialism, a powerful movement in modern drama and theatre, has had a profound influence on contemporary political thought, ethics, and psychology, and has transformed our very notion of how to stage a play. Selected readings and lectures on the philosophy of Kierkegaard, Nietszche, Camus and Sartre -- and discussion of works for the stage by Sartre, Ionesco, Genet, Beckett, Albee, Pinter, Athol Fugard (with Nkani & Nshone), Heiner Müller and the late plays of Caryl Churchill. Opportunities for projects on Dürrenmatt, Frisch, Havel, Witkiewicz, and Mrozek.
