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Undergraduate Courses Fall 2006

Intensive Introductory Courses

V83.0010-001
Central Problems in Philosophy
TR 2-3:15
Yuval Avnur
An introduction to some of the central topics in philosophy, including: Skepticism about the external world (can I know anything about how the world me?), Personal Identity (what kind of thing am I? Will I live on after my body dies?), Morality (how should I live? What makes something Right or Wrong?), and other topics if time permits.  

V83.0015-001
Minds and Machines
TR 11-12:15
Elizabeth Vlahos
An intensive introduction to the discipline of philosophy, by way of study of conceptual issues in cognitive science, focusing on the conflict between computational and biological approaches to the mind. Topics covered include whether a machine could think, the reduction of the mind to the brain, connectionism and neural nets, mental representation, and whether consciousness can be explained materialistically.

Group I: History of Philosophy

History of Ancient Philosophy
V83.0020-001
TR 9:30-10:45
Matt Evans
Western philosophy owes its birth to Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. In their care many of the foundational questions in ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, and philosophy of mind were raised for the first time and developed in striking and sophisticated ways. We will try to determine which questions they asked, what their answers were, and whether we should accept their answers as correct even now.  

V83.0021-001
History of Modern Philosophy
MW 11-12:15
Timothy Rosenkoetter
In this course, we will read excerpts from the key metaphysical and epistemological texts of the greatest thinkers of what is often called philosophy’s Golden Age: Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant.  

Group II: Ethics, Value, and Society

V83.0040-001
Ethics
MW 12:30-1:45
Thomas Nagel
The course will cover central topics in ethical theory on the basis of readings from the seventeenth century to the present day, including Hobbes, Hume, Kant, Mill, Rawls, Singer, Thompson, and Scanlon. Topics will include: the relation between morality and human motivation; the objectivity or subjectivity of moral judgments; the relation between interpersonal obligations and self-interest; the basis of individual rights; the relative importance of reason, emotion, and convention in morality.
Sections: Sign up for one of the following six sections:
V83.0040-002 W 2-2:50
V83.0040-003 R 4:55-5:45
V83.0040-004 W 3:30-4:20
V83.0040-005 R 12:30-1:20
V83.0040-006 T 2-2:50
V83.0040-007 T 11-11:50

V83.0045-001
Political Philosophy
MW 2-3:15
A.J. Julius
Examines fundamental issues concerning the justification of political institutions. Topics may include democratic theory, political obligation and liberty, criteria of a just society, human rights, and civil disobedience.  

V83.0050-001
Medical Ethics
TR 11-12:15
William Ruddick
In the first part of the course we will consider a number of ethical issues that arise in the practice of medicine.  We will discuss confidentiality, truthfulness, informed consent, competence, refusal of treatment, assisted suicide, decisions for children, and professional obligations.  In the second part of the course we will consider ethical issues that are related to health care systems, public policies, and social institutions.  We will discuss the allocation of scarce resources, social justice, international obligations, environmental responsibility, and civic engagement.  Throughout the course we will reflect on different philosophical approaches to issues in medical ethics.

V83.0102-001
Topics in Ethics and Political Philosophy
MW 11-12:15
Peter Unger
Prerequisite: Two course in Philosophy, including either V83.0040, V83.0041, V83.0045, or V83.0052.
Even as compared to what he or she can do, almost all well-to-do people do little, or nothing, over the course of their lifetime, to prevent the early deaths and great suffering of people in the poorest parts of the world. Is it wrong for a well-to-do person to behave like this - perhaps about as horribly wrong as committing negligent homicide, as with fatal drunken driving? The course will center on this question, though it will also involve us in many other moral questions. In about equal measure, this will be a course in both normative ethics and in applied ethics. (By contrast, little will be said about metaethics and, most likely, not much about political philosophy, either.)

Group III: Metaphysics, Epistemology, Mind, Language, and Logic

V83.0070-001
Logic
MW 3:30-4:45
Ray Buchanan
Introduces the techniques, results, and philosophical import of 20th century formal logic. Principal concepts include those of sentence, set, interpretation, validity, consistency, consequence, tautology, derivation, and completeness.  

V83.0072-001
Advanced Logic
TR 2-3:15
Kit Fine
We shall cover the basics of classical metalogic.  The focus will be on providing a rigorous account of the syntax and semantics for first-order logic and of proving completeness.  Some attention will also be given to issues of philosophical interest [May be taken by graduate students as an independent study to satisfy logic requirement]

V83.0076-001
Belief, Truth and Knowledge
MW 9:30-10:45
Dana Evan
This course is an inquiry into the nature of inquiry. We often seek answers to questions—e.g., Who was responsible for the Sept 11 attacks? Will the Knicks win tonight? 837+655=?—and take ourselves to know the answers, or have rational opinions, or to have good evidence for our views. Rather than answer these questions, we will step back and ask, What is the nature of evidence? and, What it is to know something or to be rational? In answering these questions, we will examine versions of, and responses to Skepticism: that there is very little we can know or have reason to believe.    

V83.0096-001
Philosophy of Religion
TR 3:30-4:45
Ryan Preston
The course will survey some central topics in the philosophy of religion.  These will include: The rationality of faith, arguments for the existence of God, the problem of evil, the possibility and significance of immortality, and theistic conceptions of the meaning of life.

V83.0103-001
Topics In Metaphysics and Epistemology
MW 12:30-1:45
Chris Meacham
The Metaphysics of Space and Time This class will explore topics in the nature of space and time, with an emphasis on the implications that modern physical theories have on our conceptions of space and time. Topics to be covered will include: (i) how time is different than space, (ii) whether sense can be made of the claim that time `passes', (iii) whether time has a privileged orientation, (iv) whether we should understand space and time as substances of a kind, or simply as an elaborate way for representing certain kinds of relations between objects and events, and (v) what kind of evidence could provide us with evidence for the nature of space time geometry.

V83.0201-001
Honors Seminar
Don Garrett

Philosophy Department – New York University

SILVER CENTER, 100 WASHINGTON SQUARE EAST, ROOM 503, NEW YORK, NY 10003-6688. (212) 998-8320. FAX: (212) 995-4179.

DIRECTOR OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES:

Professor John Richardson                   

            503C Silver Center                   Spring office hours: 

            Email:  jr8@nyu.edu                             M 10:30-12, Tu 2:30-3:30, Th 12:30-1:30

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF:

Debbie Bula:  db7@nyu.edu ; 998-8325

Anupum Mehrotra:  aqm4735@nyu.edu ; 998-8320

Melissa Makhmaltchi: mfm304@nyu.edu; 998-9056

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR:

The Department changed the major requirements last spring, by increasing the number of courses needed from 9 to 10.  However, the new requirements will only apply to students entering NYU in September 2005 and after.

Requirements for students who began at NYU before September 2005:

A major in philosophy requires nine 4-point courses in the department, with numbers higher than V83.0009 (so that Introduction to Philosophy and Ethics & Society do not count).  These nine courses must include (1) Logic, V83.0070; (2) History of Ancient Philosophy, V83.0020; (3) History of Modern Philosophy, V83.0021; (4) Ethics, V83.0040; or Nature of Values, V83.0041; or Political Philosophy, V83.0045; (5) Belief, Truth, and Knowledge, V83.0076; or Metaphysics, V83.0078; (6) Minds and Machines, V83.0015; or Philosophy of Mind, V83.0080; or Philosophy of Language, V83.0085; and (7) Topics in the History of Philosophy, V83.0101; or Topics in Ethics and Political Philosophy, V83.0102; or Topics in Metaphysics and Epistemology, V83.0103; or Topics in Language and Mind, V83.0104. No credit toward the major is awarded for a course with a grade lower than C.

Requirements for students who began at NYU in September 2005 and thereafter:

A major in philosophy requires ten 4-point courses in the department, with numbers higher than V83.0009 (so that Introduction to Philosophy and Ethics & Society do not count).  These ten courses must include (1) Logic, V83.0070; (2) History of Ancient Philosophy, V83.0020; (3) History of Modern Philosophy, V83.0021; (4) Ethics, V83.0040; or Nature of Values, V83.0041; or Political Philosophy, V83.0045; (5) Belief, Truth, and Knowledge, V83.0076; or Metaphysics, V83.0078; (6) Minds and Machines, V83.0015; or Philosophy of Mind, V83.0080; or Philosophy of Language, V83.0085; and (7) Topics in the History of Philosophy, V83.0101; or Topics in Ethics and Political Philosophy, V83.0102; or Topics in Metaphysics and Epistemology, V83.0103; or Topics in Language and Mind, V83.0104. Of the three honors courses, only the first two—the Junior Honors Proseminar and the Senior Honors Seminar—may be counted towards the ten courses required.  No credit toward the major is awarded for a course with a grade lower than C.

Recommendations on course sequence:

Students considering a major in philosophy are encouraged to begin with one of the Intensive Introductory Courses, or with one of the following: History of Ancient Philosophy, V83.0020; History of Modern Philosophy, V83.0021; Ethics, V83.0040; or Belief, Truth, and Knowledge, V83.0076. Logic, V83.0070, should be taken as soon as possible.  The Topics courses are the most advanced undergraduate courses, and presuppose coursework in their areas.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MINOR:

A minor in philosophy requires four 4-point courses, at least three beyond the Introductory Courses. One course must be History of Ancient Philosophy, V83.0020, or History of Modern Philosophy, V83.0021; one course each must come from Group 2 (Ethics, Value, and Society) and Group 3 (Metaphysics, Epistemology, Mind, Language, and Logic).  (Consult the Bulletin or the Department’s on-line course-list for the classification of courses in these Groups.)  No credit toward the minor is awarded for a course with a grade lower than C.

JOINT MAJOR IN LANGUAGE AND MIND:

This major, intended as an introduction to cognitive science, is administered by the Departments of Linguistics, Philosophy, and Psychology. Eleven courses are required (four in linguistics, one in philosophy, five in psychology, and one additional course) to be constituted as follows. The linguistics component consists of Language, V61.0001; Grammatical Analysis, V61.0013; Introduction to Cognitive Science, V61.0028; and one more course chosen from Computational Models of Sentence Construction, V61.0024; Phonological Analysis, V61.0012; and Introduction to Semantics, V61.0004. The philosophy component consists of one course, chosen from Minds and Machines, V83.0015; Philosophy of Language, V83.0085; and Logic, V83.0070. The psychology component consists of four required courses: Introduction to Psychology, A89.0001; Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences, V89.0010; The Psychology of Language, V89.0056; and Cognition, V89.0029; in addition, one course, chosen from Seminar in Thinking, V89.0026; Language Acquisition and Cognitive Development, V89.0300; and Laboratory in Human Cognition, V89.0028. The eleventh course will be one of the above-listed courses that has not already been chosen to satisfy the departmental components.

INDEPENDENT STUDY:

A student may sign up for an independent study course if he or she obtains the consent of a faculty member who approves the study project and agrees to serve as adviser. The student must also obtain the approval of either the department chair or the director of undergraduate studies. The student may take no more than one such course in any given semester and no more than two such courses in total, unless granted special permission by either the department chair or the director of undergraduate studies.

HONORS PROGRAM:

The Department has also made changes in its Honors Program, in particular by a) changing the credits for the senior honors courses from 2 to 4 points (per course), b) adding a third course, the Junior Honors Proseminar, and c) raising the grade point requirement (both overall and in philosophy courses) from 3.5 to 3.65.  (Note:  only the first of these changes applies to students who are seniors in 2005-6.)  Here is the description of the new program:

Honors in philosophy will be awarded to majors who (1) have an overall grade point average of 3.65 and an average in philosophy courses of 3.65, and (2) successfully complete the honors program. This program consists in the following 3 courses.  (Note:  of these courses, only the first two may be counted towards the 10 courses required for the major.)

1.  The Junior Honors Proseminar, to be taken in spring semester of junior year.  This course will play the dual roles of introducing students to core readings in some of the main areas of current philosophy, and of giving them an intensive training in writing philosophy.  Admission to this course usually requires a GPA, both overall and in philosophy courses, of at least 3.65, as well as the permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.  The Department will try to make alternative arrangements for students who wish to participate in the Honors Program but who will be studying abroad in this semester of their junior year.

2.  The Senior Honors Seminar, to be taken in fall semester of senior year.  Here students begin to develop their thesis projects, meeting weekly as a group under the direction of a faculty member, and presenting and discussing their thesis arguments.  Students will also select, and begin to meet separately with, their individual thesis advisors—faculty who work in the areas of their thesis projects.  Entry to this seminar depends on satisfactory completion of the Junior Honors Proseminar—or on the special approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.  It also usually requires a GPA of at least 3.65.

3.  Senior Honors Research, to be taken in spring semester of senior year.  The seminar no longer meets, but each student continues to meet separately with his/her individual thesis advisor, producing and discussing a series of rough drafts of the thesis.  The final version must be submitted by a deadline to be determined, in April.  It must be approved by the thesis advisor, as well as by a second faculty reader, for honors to be awarded.  The student must also finish with a GPA of at least 3.65—and here no exceptions will be made.  In addition, the thesis advisors will meet after the decisions by readers have been made, and award some students highest or high honors, based on thesis quality and other factors (including GPA in philosophy courses).

WHY STUDY PHILOSOPHY?

Philosophy has a reputation for being otherworldly and impractical – some say, “philosophy butters no bread”, but it doesn’t really deserve this label.  The purpose of philosophy is controversial, but at least one that it involves is the construction and evaluation of arguments.  The study of philosophy is a training of expressing thoughts clearly and precisely, in defending one’s ideas and evaluating the positions of others.  Quite simply, philosophy gives a training in thinking.  And this is a skill valuable in any professional field.

Philosophy has a special affinity with the legal profession in which arguments, and the application of general rules to cases, play central roles.  Many law schools recognize this connection and are especially receptive to philosophy majors.  But philosophical skills are valuable elsewhere as well.  In business, you must formulate and clarify problems, analyze potential solutions, and defend your approach in a clear and rational way.  All these abilities are improved by exercising in philosophical argument.  And finally, medical schools and professionals place increasing importance on the ability to reflect on the ethical issues that arise in their practice – and these are of course problems treated in moral philosophy.

Some of these practical beliefs seem reflected in the exceptional performance by philosophy majors on graduate admissions exams.  They show that philosophy majors scored higher than any other group on the verbal section of the GRE, and much higher than any other humanities majors on the quantitative section.  Philosophy majors are second only to math majors on the GMAT, and third only to math and economics majors on the LSAT.  Of course, training in philosophy majors may not be wholly responsible for these results – it may also be that brighter students are entering the field to begin with.  But in either case, the report suggests you’re not stupid if you join them.

But this still doesn’t touch on what surely remain the most important reasons for studying philosophy.  College years shouldn’t just be a professional training.  They are a best chance to think about basic human questions – about personal and social values, about the nature of reality and yourselves.  Studying philosophy can bring into view questions of lifelong relevance and interest.  It can acquaint you with the issues in debates that will always recur, and can help you toward argued positions on such issues.  In a very rare case, it might even help determine your direction through life.