Social and Political Philosophy

Spring 2023 Courses

Undergraduate Courses

PHIL 130 - Political and Social Philosophy

In this course, we will explore some of the fundamental issues in political and social philosophy, including the role of government, law and litigation, punishment, rights, the social and economic value of work, and equality.

Course Attributes:

  • D1: Social Sciences
  • Am. Ethnic & Racial Minorities
  • Social Justice

PHIL 150 - Contemporary Moral/Political Issues

Theories of the good life, ethics, rights, and justice through the examination of contemporary moral issues including capital punishment, affirmative action, abortion, racial and sexual equality, privacy, pornography, and environmental protection.
(This course is offered as PHIL 150 and PLSI 150. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

Course Attributes:

  • C2: Humanities
  • Social Justice

PHIL 330 - Political Philosophy

Explore the forms, purposes, and justification of political orders; theories of human nature, value, and history. In this course you will ponder the foundations of political philosophy, perusing the thought of such writers as Plato, Hobbes, Mill, and Marx.

Course Attributes:

  • Social Justice
  • UD-C: Arts and/or Humanities

PHIL 375 - Peace Law and Human Rights in the U.S 

Can legal institutions help protect human rights? Can legal institutions advance democracy? Can legal institutions help bring about a more peaceful world? We will look at the development of international law, the increased legal protection of human rights on a regional and international scale over the past three-quarters of a century, and the creation of agreements and institutions aimed at bringing about a criminal law applying to the perpetrators of the most serious crimes on earth. And, of course, we will look at the failures and limitations of these agreements and institutions, and how they could be improved or replaced by something better.

(This course is offered as GPS 375 and PHIL 375. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

Course Attributes:

  • Social Justice
  • UD-D: Social Sciences
  • Global Perspectives

PHIL 494 - Philosophy and Personal Development

For many philosophers the main task of philosophy is to transform our perspective and orientation to the world. These thinkers have been interested in the practical question of how we live our lives as rational moral agents, especially with reference to desired attainments such as happiness or well-being. Philosophers interested in this core question have given special attention to how we manage our thoughts, emotions, outward actions, relations to other people, and decisions and life plans. Is there a way of optimizing these aspects of our lives in a way that contributes to our development as persons and in the interest of living well? This question connects philosophy, psychology, and many of the great spiritual traditions of the world. In this course, we’ll examine different approaches to this central question from the viewpoint of western and eastern philosophical traditions. We’ll also explore the practices such traditions regard as vital to a changed orientation toward the world. Our exploration will include the western philosophy of Stoicism and the eastern traditions of Vedanta, Buddhism, and Daoism, with a focus on their relevance in the contemporary world.

Course Attributes:

  • E1 LLD Pre-Fall 2019
  • UD-C: Arts and/or Humanities
  • Global Perspectives

Graduate Courses

PHIL 851 - Feminist Ethics and Political Philosophy

This seminar will explore several cutting-edge themes, ideas, and debates in contemporary feminist ethics and political philosophy. In particular, we will examine recent work by feminist philosophers, critical race theorists, and other cultural critics on five interrelated, normative concepts: oppression, white supremacy, misogyny, epistemic injustice, and dehumanization. In addition to gaining a thorough understanding of these concepts, we will assess their usefulness for diagnosing and theorizing a number of pressing, present-day issues, including state violence, toxic public discourse, attacks on reproductive rights, sexual assault and victim blaming, misogynoir, transmisogyny, and willful epistemic ignorance. We will round out the course by discussing various forms of resistance to injustice, focusing on epistemic activism, solidarity, and self-care.

PHIL 858 [01]

Contemporary Political Philosophy

This seminar will focus on the topic of policing in the United States and the special problems it, and law enforcement generally, pose for our democratic structures. We will make our way through Barry Friedman's Unwarranted: Policing without Permission (2017). Graduate students enrolled for a grade must (a) lead discussion on one assigned reading throughout the semester and (b) write a short 7-10 page original research paper on a related topic.

PHIL 890-01

Current Issues in Philosophy: Moral Psychology

This seminar will focus on the moral psychology of love, dependency, and vulnerability. As a branch of moral philosophy, moral psychology is concerned with the psychological concepts that are relevant to moral life. For example, moral psychology is concerned with what kinds of motivation and character deserve praise or criticism and what sorts of psychological capacities are necessary for moral judgment or action. The particular focus of this seminar will lead us through discussions of intimate relationships and ideals for how we psychologically relate to one another (in contrast with, say, how we should distribute relationship goods within society or how we should structure our relationships). Questions we may discuss include: • What is love? • What makes love good or bad? • How do dependency and vulnerability relate to love? • How should we understand the relative value of autonomy, dependency, and vulnerability in our relationships?

Related Content

Values in Society Affinity Circle is concerned with all things value theory; we are interested in aesthetics, ethics, political, and social philosophy, including topics like feminist philosophy, philosophy of race, ethics of liberation, decoloniality, and various topics in applied ethics. The group is open to all faculty and MA students in the department (and relevantly adjacent departments). If you are interested in presenting your work to the group, whether it’s completed or in progress, please reach out to one of the facilitators!

Faculty Leadership:

Macy Salzberger
 Jamie Lindsay 
Caitlin Dolan
Values in Society Affinity Circle
  • PHIL 130 - Political & Social Philosophy
  • PHIL 150 - Contemporary Moral/Political Issues
  • PHIL 330 - Political Philosophy
  • PHIL 384 - Philosophy of Research Ethics 
  • PHIL 395 - Ethical Issues: Science & Technology
  • PHIL 450 - Ethics
  • PHIL 451 - Feminist Moral Issues
  • PHIL 470 - Environmental Ethics
  • PHIL 890 - Seminar in Current Issues in Philosophy
    • Previous topics:
      • Issues in Political and Social Philosophy 
      • Philosophy of Moral Psychology 
      • Well Being