Undergraduate courses

It’s vital to consider human happiness, especially since the past few years have been so challenging. Luckily, many philosophers, psychologists and social theorists have lots to say on the subject. Indeed, we even have impressive, expensive, detailed annual reports on which countries are the happiest and why. This course will be an interdisciplinary meditation on the nature of happiness. Our investigations will go beyond traditional concerns with individual belief and action—personal psychology, as it were—to more contemporary awareness of the impact of social institutions on human well-being. Questions which will concern us include: what is happiness and its components? Are there objective elements to human well-being, or is it all subjective preference and pleasure? Can we make happiness a deliberate goal of action, and succeed in becoming happier—or do powerful forces of biology and social structure make such pursuit an illusion? How does happiness get frustrated and thwarted, resulting in either “mere” unhappiness or even deep, darkening depression? Why do some societies report much higher levels of average happiness than others? Is concern for happiness selfish and trivial, in comparison to what some have called “a life of meaning and purpose”? We will draw upon a stimulating variety of multi-media sources, and can look forward to rewarding conversations about a subject of central concern to us all.

The philosophy of economics is concerned with conceptual, methodological, and ethical issues in economic theory and practice: 

• What can the philosophy of science teach us about economic methodology? 
• What makes a particular conclusion in economics justified? 
• How do economic models work? Is economics a science? 
• How do value-based considerations play a role in economic reasoning and policy? 
• What are the implications of using economics to model racial and gender inequality? 

Science fiction depicts alternate and weird possibilities. It can also uncritically reproduce biases of its time. In both cases, through its depiction of alternate and weird possibilities, we will use science fiction (short stories, novel/novellas, comic books, television, and film) to explore philosophical questions about what it means to be human, what the world is really like, and how we might make our world better. 

The sciences are widely considered to be one of our best sources of knowledge about the world. In this course we will investigate the nature and status of scientific knowledge. We will study several different accounts of the methods used by scientists, including accounts proposed by Carnap, Popper, and Kuhn. We will also ask whether science describes reality. Does the real world actually contain electrons or genes, for example, or is a literal interpretation of our scientific theories unwarranted?

The ancient Greeks developed scientific theories that were influential for over a thousand years.  Their worldview was different from ours, but they sought to explain some of the same phenomena that we grapple with today.  In this course, we’ll study ancient Greek theories and methodologies in physics, astronomy, mathematics, meteorology, cosmology, and geography.

Have you ever wondered whether your dog loves you, what is going through Rover’s mind when she’s checking her ‘pee-mail,’ or what the best way to train a dog is? Scientists have conducted research on these questions! There are more pet dogs than school-aged children in Canada, and research on dogs is a rapidly growing area of scientific investigation. Because of the relationships between people and dogs, this research is also an excellent way to examine the interactions between science and society.

This course examines the social and ethical dimensions of science by investigating scientific research with dogs. Through reading and discussing philosophical, scientific, and policy work, as well as engaging popular media, students will develop their understanding of research ethics, scientific practice, and the interactions between science and social values while learning about the relationships between humans and our canine companions.

Utilitarianism says that the right ethical action is the one that maximizes good consequences. Utilitarian decision-making is said to be a more rational and objective than appealing to ethical judgments, because ethical judgments may be culturally variable, based on feelings rather than logic, and arbitrary. But utilitarianism faces famous objections: its conclusions are seen as violating the requirements of justice and equity, as recommending lying and cheating, as entailing discrimination against people with disabilities, and as facilitating colonialism on the part of wealthier countries. This course will consider utilitarianism and its alternatives from theoretical, practical, and political perspectives.