Philosophy
Chair
Professors
- James Duerlinger, Richard Fumerton, Diane Jeske, Gregory Landini, David Stern
Associate professors
- David Cunning, Evan Fales
Assistant professors
- Asha Bhandary, Jovana Davidovic, Carrie Figdor, Ali Hasan, Katarina Perovic
Professors emeriti
- Laird Addis, Panayot Butchvarov, Phillip Cummins
Undergraduate minor: philosophy
Graduate degrees: M.A. in philosophy; Ph.D. in philosophy
Web site: http://clas.uiowa.edu/philosophy/
The Department of Philosophy offers programs of study for undergraduate and graduate students. It also administers the interdisciplinary undergraduate major in ethics and public policy, which it offers jointly with the Departments of Economics and Sociology; see Ethics and Public Policy in the Catalog.
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Undergraduate Programs of Study
- Major in philosophy (Bachelor of Arts)
- Minor in philosophy
Undergraduate courses in philosophy are designed to impart knowledge of fundamental issues and main developments in philosophy while strengthening logical and analytic skills. A major in philosophy develops abilities useful for graduate or professional work in many fields—law, for example—and for any situation requiring clear, systematic thinking. Students who intend to teach philosophy in a college setting must earn a graduate degree.
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Bachelor of Arts
The Bachelor of Arts with a major in philosophy requires a minimum of 120 s.h., including at least 27 s.h. of work for the major. Courses numbered 026:061 (PHIL:2061) Introduction to Philosophy through 026:198 (PHIL:5798) Topics in Philosophy count toward the major. The final 12 s.h. in philosophy courses used to complete the major must be earned at The University of Iowa; the department may make exceptions for students who pursue approved study abroad during their senior year.
Students must complete the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences General Education Program.
The major in philosophy requires the following courses.
Both of these:
One of these:
And:
In addition to prerequisites listed for individual courses, considerations such as the order in which historical courses are taken are relevant to the effective structuring of the undergraduate major in philosophy. A student's department advisor or the director of undergraduate studies can provide more information.
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Four-Year Graduation Plan
The University of Iowa Four-Year Graduation Plan is being revised. The original Four-Year Graduation Plan continues to apply to students who have already signed it. Students who commit to the four-year plan beginning fall 2013 will be held to the revised requirements. For information about the plan, visit Four-Year Graduation Plan on the First-Year Experience web site.
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Honors in the Major
The department administers an honors program for undergraduate students of superior ability. In order to be admitted to the honors program in philosophy, a student must have taken and passed three courses required for the philosophy major and must be a member of the University of Iowa Honors Program, which requires students to maintain a cumulative University of Iowa g.p.a. of at least 3.33 and to fulfill other requirements; visit Honors at Iowa to learn about the University's honors program.
In order to graduate with honors in the philosophy major, a student must complete the regular requirements for the major with a g.p.a. of at least 3.40 in philosophy courses and must write an acceptable honors thesis on a significant topic in philosophy that interests him or her. Contact the department's honors advisor for more information.
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Minor
The minor in philosophy requires a minimum of 15 s.h. in philosophy courses, including 12 s.h. in 100-level courses offered by the Department of Philosophy at The University of Iowa. Students must maintain a g.p.a. of at least 2.00 in the minor. Course work in the minor may not be taken pass/nonpass. Contact the undergraduate studies director for more information.
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Graduate Programs of Study
- Master of Arts in philosophy
- Doctor of Philosophy in philosophy
The Department of Philosophy grants admission only for the Ph.D. program. The M.A. is not offered as a terminal degree; it is awarded to students as they work successfully toward the Ph.D.
The graduate program is designed to train teachers and scholars in philosophy. The main areas in the graduate curriculum are metaphysics, epistemology, history of philosophy, logic, philosophy of science, and value theory.
Applicants must meet the admission requirements of the Graduate College; see the Manual of Rules and Regulations of the Graduate College or the Graduate College section of the Catalog.
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Master of Arts
The Master of Arts in philosophy requires a minimum of 30 s.h. of graduate credit and is offered without thesis. The M.A. is not offered as a terminal degree; it is awarded to students as they work successfully toward the Ph.D. Requirements include courses in metaphysics, epistemology, history of philosophy, ethics, logic, philosophy of science, and value theory. There is no foreign language requirement. Students must take an oral final examination. Contact the graduate studies director for more information.
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Joint M.A./J.D.
The Department of Philosophy and the College of Law offer a joint Juris Doctor/Master of Arts degree program. M.A./J.D. students may count 12 s.h. earned in the joint program toward both degrees. They must earn 18 of the 30 s.h. required for the M.A. in graduate-level philosophy courses (the usual requirement is 24 s.h.). They also must earn a minimum of 36 s.h. in undergraduate and graduate philosophy courses, combined (the usual requirement is 42 s.h.).
Separate application to each degree program is required. Applicants must be admitted to both programs before they may be admitted to the joint degree program.
See "Juris Doctor" and "Joint J.D./Graduate Degrees" in the College of Law section of the Catalog.
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Doctor of Philosophy
The Ph.D. requires a minimum of 72 s.h. of graduate credit. Candidacy for the doctoral program is determined by a formal vote of the entire Department of Philosophy faculty, usually after the student has completed three semesters of graduate study in residence.
Requirements include courses in metaphysics, epistemology, history of philosophy, logic, philosophy of science, and value theory. Students are required to take a comprehensive examination that covers their area of specialization and includes both written and oral components. Upon successfully completing the exam, they begin work on a prospectus for their dissertation. There is no foreign language requirement. Contact the graduate studies director for more information.
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Courses
For more detailed descriptions of undergraduate and graduate courses offered during a given semester or summer session, visit the University's ISIS web site before early registration.
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For Undergraduates
The following courses are open only to undergraduates.
| 026:001 (PHIL:2401) Matters of Life and Death | 3 s.h. |
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Important ethical controversies with life and death implications (abortion, capital punishment, torture, terrorism and war) discussed and analyzed using philosophical reasoning.
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| 026:026 (PHIL:1010) First-Year Seminar | 1 s.h. |
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Small discussion class taught by a faculty member; topics chosen by instructor; may include outside activities (e.g., films, lectures, performances, readings, visits to research facilities).
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| 026:033 (PHIL:1033) The Meaning of Life | 3 s.h. |
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Philosophical investigation of the nature of human life and of what makes human life valuable and/or meaningful.
GE: Historical Perspectives. | | |
| 026:034 (PHIL:1034) Philosophy and the Just Society | 3 s.h. |
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The nature of individuals and governments and the obligations they have to each other; philosophical and historical examination of theories from Plato through the 19th century.
GE: Historical Perspectives. | | |
| 026:036 (PHIL:1636) Principles of Reasoning: Argument and Debate | 3 s.h. |
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Elementary logic and its application to evaluation of arguments and debates.
GE: Quantitative or Formal Reasoning. | | |
| 026:061 (PHIL:2061) Introduction to Philosophy | 3 s.h. |
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Issues and arguments; topics may include rational belief, evidence, the self, causation, and the presuppositions of religion.
GE: Values, Society, and Diversity. | | |
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For Undergraduate and Graduate Students
The following courses are closed to first-year students.
| 026:102 (PHIL:2402) Introduction to Ethics | 3 s.h. |
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Analytical and historical introduction to ethical theories about issues such as the nature of goodness, the nature of right conduct. Requirements: sophomore or higher standing.
GE: Values, Society, and Diversity. | | |
| 026:103 (PHIL:2603) Introduction to Symbolic Logic | 3 s.h. |
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Main ideas and techniques of formal deduction. Requirements: sophomore or higher standing.
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| 026:104 (PHIL:3604) Introduction to Philosophy of Science | 3 s.h. |
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Fundamental issues in scientific method, inductive reasoning, explanation, the distinctive nature of science. Requirements: sophomore or higher standing.
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| 026:110 (PHIL:3110) Philosophy of Ancient Greece and Rome | 3 s.h. |
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Ancient Greek and Roman philosophy from its inception in Ionia in sixth century B.C.E. through the Neoplatonic philosophy of Plotinus in third century C.E., encompassing philosophies of Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics and Epicureans, and later Platonists.
Same as 20E:138 (CLSA:3338). | | |
| 026:111 (PHIL:3111) Ancient Philosophy | 3 s.h. |
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Main trends and major figures, such as Plato and Aristotle. Requirements: sophomore or higher standing.
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| 026:114 (PHIL:2214) Seventeenth-Century Philosophy | 3 s.h. |
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Main trends, central arguments, major positions; Bacon and Descartes to Leibniz and Locke. Requirements: sophomore or higher standing.
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| 026:115 (PHIL:2215) Modern Philosophy | 3 s.h. |
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Main trends and major figures from Descartes to Kant. Requirements: sophomore or higher standing.
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| 026:116 (PHIL:2216) Eighteenth-Century Philosophy | 3 s.h. |
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Main trends, central arguments, and major positions; Berkeley to Kant.
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| 026:118 (PHIL:3318) Twentieth-Century Philosophy | 3 s.h. |
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Main trends and major figures. Requirements: sophomore or higher standing.
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| 026:130 (PHIL:3430) Philosophy of Human Rights | 3 s.h. |
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Philosophical and legal understanding of the concept of human rights; questions addressed (What are sources of human rights? Are they moral or legal rights? What sorts of rights fall under this category and how do we justify calling some, while not other, rights "human rights"?); focus on particular human rights including women's rights, children's rights, social and economic rights, and more.
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| 026:131 (PHIL:3431) Aesthetics | 3 s.h. |
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Major problems in philosophy of the arts. Requirements: sophomore or higher standing.
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| 026:132 (PHIL:3432) Introduction to Political Philosophy | 3 s.h. |
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Major problems. Requirements: sophomore or higher standing.
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| 026:133 (PHIL:3633) Philosophy of History | 3 s.h. |
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Major problems: objectivity, historiographic methods and theory of interpretation, nature of historical explanations, reduction. Requirements: sophomore or higher standing.
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| 026:134 (PHIL:2534) Philosophy of Religion | 3 s.h. |
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Medieval to contemporary treatments of central issues: the nature of faith; the existence and nature of God; religion and ethics; the interpretation of religious texts. Requirements: sophomore or higher standing.
Same as 032:146 (RELS:2834). | | |
| 026:136 (PHIL:3436) The Nature of Evil | 3 s.h. |
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The nature of evil explored through philosophical works, case studies of individuals, videos, and films. Requirements: sophomore or higher standing.
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| 026:137 (PHIL:3437) Introduction to Metaphysics | 3 s.h. |
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How metaphysics inquires about ultimate nature of reality and our place in it; fundamental categories of being and relationships; the nature of time, whether time travel is possible, conditions of persistence through time of persons and material objects; the nature of causation and human freedom. Requirements: sophomore or higher standing.
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| 026:138 (PHIL:3538) Philosophical Problems of Artificial Intelligence | 3 s.h. |
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Major issues and controversies. Requirements: sophomore or higher standing.
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| 026:140 (PHIL:3342) Philosophical Controversies: Multiculturalism and Toleration | 3 s.h. |
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Meaning of multiculturalism as a political policy and as a personal attitude of respect; nature of cultural disagreement, cultural minority rights, immigrant group rights, gender justice, toleration, and respect.
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| 026:141 (PHIL:3341) Existentialist Philosophy | 3 s.h. |
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Main ideas of existentialism; emphasis on Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre. Requirements: sophomore or higher standing.
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| 026:143 (PHIL:3143) Philosophy East and West | 3 s.h. |
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Comparative analysis of ideas in Eastern and Western philosophy. Requirements: sophomore or higher standing.
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| 026:147 (PHIL:4047) Philosophical Issues | 3-4 s.h. |
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A philosophical topic or controversy. Requirements: sophomore or higher standing.
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| 026:148 (PHIL:4048) Readings in Philosophy | arr. |
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Requirements: honors standing and sophomore or higher standing.
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| 026:149 (PHIL:4049) Undergraduate Seminar in Philosophy | 3 s.h. |
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Selected problems. Requirements: sophomore or higher standing.
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| 026:156 (PHIL:4050) Topics in Indian Philosophy | 3 s.h. |
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Varied topics related to Indian Philosophy.
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| 026:158 (PHIL:5258) Descartes | 3 s.h. |
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Major works, such as the Discourse on Method, as well as lesser known works, such as The World.
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| 026:163 (PHIL:5263) Berkeley and Hume | 3 s.h. |
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Comparative and critical examination of metaphysical and epistemological views of 18th‑century empiricists George Berkeley and David Hume; theory of ideas, perception, skepticism, limits of knowledge, scientific and philosophical method, role of God in Berkeley's and Hume's philosophical systems.
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| 026:173 (PHIL:5373) Heidegger | 3 s.h. |
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Main ideas and major texts of Heidegger; early and later periods, particular attention to Being and Time; focus on Heidegger's analyses of being and being‑in‑the‑world.
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| 026:181 (PHIL:4481) Issues in Philosophy of Law | 3 s.h. |
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Main debates in legal philosophy; nature of law, theories of natural law and positivism, the Hart‑Fuller debate; legal realism, critical legal theory, feminist legal theory, critical race theory; where legal and moral issues intersect (e.g., punishment, legal obligation, rights).
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| 026:182 (PHIL:5482) History of Ethics | 3 s.h. |
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Selected topics in the history of philosophical ethics.
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| 026:186 (PHIL:5586) Topics in Metaphysics | 3 s.h. |
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Fundamental topics; major works, both classical and contemporary.
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| 026:190 (PHIL:5590) Philosophical Foundations of Cognitive Science | 3 s.h. |
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Processes leading from stimulus to behavioral response in cognitive or mentalistic terms; motivations for cognitive explanations, nature of cognitive architecture, problem of mental representation; additional topics may include individuation of inputs and outputs, role of consciousness in cognition, relation between language and thought, nature of concepts.
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| 026:191 (PHIL:5691) Mathematical Logic | 3 s.h. |
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Presentation of central metatheorems relating to decidability, completeness, model theory; second‑order logic.
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| 026:192 (PHIL:5692) Modal Logic | 3 s.h. |
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Formal techniques developed and applied to problems in analysis and modal semantics; related philosophical issues.
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| 026:194 (PHIL:5694) Philosophy of Science | 3 s.h. |
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Central topics—for example, scientific explanation, confirmation, the meaning of scientific theories; survey of major 20th‑century developments in these areas.
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| 026:196 (PHIL:5696) Philosophy of the Human Sciences | 3 s.h. |
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Explanation and understanding, theories and reduction, values and ideology, freedom and causality.
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Primarily for Graduate Students
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