2nd Courses in Philosophy

Second courses in Philosophy are designed for non-majors who would like to pursue philosophical questions beyond their introduction to philosophy. These courses typically focus on a sub-field of philosophy, to enable students to focus in on areas of interest in a way which is not possible in the typical introduction to philosophy.

We offer courses across every major field of philosophy; among the most commonly offered courses have been courses in the philosophy of science, in ethics and political philosophy, and in the philosophy of religion. All of the courses listed below satisfy the University Philosophy Requirement.

Fall 2023 Courses

Introduction to Philosophy
20101 01 (20497)
Bischof
3:30-4:45 TR

This course covers central philosophical questions: ‘what can I know?’, ‘what ought I do?’, ‘what can I hope?’, and ‘what is the human being?’. We will read both classical and modern texts answering these questions. Authors include philosophers, such as Aristotle, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Thomas Aquinas, and even a few literary writers, such as Shakespeare and Dostoevsky. These texts will be discussed in detail, often with close attention to important passages. Critical interpretive reading is encouraged, and the appraisal of major positions on knowledge and reality, good and evil, theism and atheism, and the nature of human persons will be central concerns. At the end of the course, you will have a better understanding of the human condition. Along the way, you will be trained in the liberal arts of language – grammar, logic, and rhetoric – so that you can effectively engage with arguments in both writing and speaking.

Introduction to Philosophy
20101 02 (20498)
Zhao
9:30-10:45 TR

A general introduction to philosophy, which may cover introductory topics in either topically or historically, with a focus on introducing students to some of the perennial problems and texts of philosophy. Specific course content varies by semester and by instructor. See https://philosophy.nd.edu/courses/1st-courses-in-philosophy/ for further details of specific sections offered this semester.

God and the Good Life
20111 01 (20499)
Blaschko
12:30-1:20 MW

Should you practice a religion? What do you owe other people? What would it take for your life to be meaningful?And how should you decide what to believe when it comes to big questions like these?In God and the Good Life, we're searching for answers. We'll read the best philosophical arguments addressing these questions. We'll share our reactions to the proposals in blogs and social media editorials. We'll come together as a large group to debate real world case studies that bear on these questions, hearing periodically from guest speakers making headlines in current debates about religion, morality and meaning. And we'll meet in small Sustained Dialogue groups to discuss our religious and moral identities and develop virtuous friendships (to borrow Aristotle's terminology). If you are excited about developing philosophical skills in an intense, creative community format---this is the course for you. Learn more about GGL at our course website: godandgoodlife.org. Or watch our course trailer: https://youtu.be/EMKbtSC3-2I This course fulfills the first philosophy requirement. The 20111 sections are restricted to sophomores and higher.

Augustine's Confessions
20206 01 (20500)
D. Cory
9:30-10:45 MW

An in-depth examination of the philosophical themes, ideas, and arguments in Augustine's classic Confessions, with attention to historical, theological, and literary context.

The Philosophy of Simone Well
20210 01 (21801)
Rogers
3:30-4:45 MW

Simone Weil (1909-1943) was one of the most radical and uncompromising philosophers and persons of the 20th century. Her life was, from the very beginning to the very end, dedicated to the suffering of others (or “affliction,” as she came to call it), always in such a way that that dedication cost her personally as much as possible. Through it all, she was a philosopher, trying to make sense of her ethical and political commitments, her readings of ancient Greeks, and so on. This life and these thoughts led her to a surprising place – to the Catholic Church, or at least right up to the edge of it, since she never formally joined. Many of her last and most powerful pieces of writing – essays, letters, notebooks – deal with the relationship of humans to God, of what it means to be obedient to God. In this course, we will read a wide range of her writings, along with excerpts from the great texts of Greek and Christian thought that influenced her most profoundly. Among the topics to be discussed: what does it mean to be oppressed? What makes work dignified, or not? Why does God allow us to suffer, and what obligations does the suffering of others place on us? Is membership in a particular church community necessary for a full relationship with God? All the while, we’ll also ask: who was Simone Weil, and how does the way she lived speak to the challenges we face now in the 21st century?

The Stained Imagination: Adventures in Catholic Aesthetics
20211 01 (2207)
O'Connor
9:30-10:45 TR

Art and literature in the last two centuries have raised with special intensity old questions about beauty, both its enchantments and its temptations. This course will consider these questions anew, drawing from two giants of modern Catholic thought, the French philosopher Jacques Maritain, an explicit follower of St. Thomas Aquinas, and the English novelist J.R.R. Tolkien, an implicit follower of St. John Henry Newman. Among the artists likely to be considered are Plato, Dante, Shakespeare, Richard Wagner, Friedrich Nietzsche, Thomas Mann, and Flannery O'Connor.

Meaning of Life
20235 01 (20501)
Seachris
9:30-10:45 MW

We are natal—we were born. We are mortal—we will die. In between cradle and grave we embody and
experience the human condition, a drama that motivates us to ask what it all means as we live our lives in this
complex, awe-inspiring, painful, beautiful, enigmatic world. That, quite simply, is the focus of this course.
Have you ever wondered (or worried) about the meaning of life? It may come as a surprise, but many
philosophers are suspicious of the topic. And there is no shortage of parodies and jokes in pop culture
making fun of it. Yet, the question—What is the meaning of life?—remains of deep and abiding human concern.
In this class, we will give this question the attention it deserves by investigating answers to questions like the
following:
*What does it mean to be born?
*What are we asking when we ask, “What is the meaning of life?”
*Are we significant? Do we matter?
*Does life (or my life) make any sense?
*Does life have a purpose?
*Is God necessary for meaning?
*Is a happy life the same as a meaningful life?
*Can a profoundly immoral life still be meaningful?
*Can I be wrong about what constitutes a meaningful life?
*Is a meaningful life all about “big ticket” items and accomplishments?
*Can meaning be found in the mundane and every day?
*Can you lead a meaningful life without others?
*What might experiences “at the margins” (e.g., solitary confinement, poverty, etc.) reveal about
meaning?
*Can I be too focused on accomplishing goals?
*In what ways does technology enhance meaning? Threaten meaning?
*Should I work for money or meaning or both?
*What does it mean to die? Does death threaten meaning? Does death enhance meaning? Is death
necessary for meaning?
*Would immortality be good or bad news for us?

We will not limit ourselves to philosophy. Given that this is humanity’s question, others both from within and
outside of the Academy have as much to say—theologians, scientists, novelists, poets . . . parents,
grandparents, and children. We will expand our investigation of life’s meaning beyond the written medium to
include film as we carefully listen to some of the rich complexity of voices speaking on life’s grandest
question.
Classes will consist of a combination of lecture, large-group discussion, small-group discussion and activities,
short-form media, and the occasional longer documentary.

Ethics
20401 01 (20502)
Rodriguez
12:50-1:40 MWF

This ethics course is aimed at students with no background in ethics. We will survey three main moral frameworks (utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics) and their approaches to answering the kinds of ethical questions that you are likely to face in your life, e.g., How should I use money? What and how should I eat? Is abortion morally permissible? Is it ever good to be angry? Is life meaningful? We will read some of the best, philosophical answers to these questions while also reading fiction that engages with their ideas and trying out experiments in ethical living that give students a taste of the ethical approaches we are studying. Students will be asked to reflect on these experiences alongside the texts. (Students will be given choices in what experiments to try and will not be required to do anything that violates their conscience.) Although we will study a variety of ethical approaches, the most time and emphasis will be given to Christian virtue ethics. Texts will include the Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis, Glittering Vices by Rebecca DeYoung, and many short, primary sources. In place of exams, students will be asked to write regular reflection assignments. Feel free to ask me for a syllabus.

Ethics
20401 02 (20503)
Rodriguez
2-2:50 MWF

Ethics
20401 04 (22304)
Barnett
12:30-1:45 TR

Research Ethics
20413 01 (22048)
Canfield
12:30-1:45 MW

This course examines the ethical underpinnings of responsible human subjects research in both medicine and technology. We will utilize philosophical concepts and methods to wrestle with both contemporary cases and historical events that have shaped modern research ethics. To grapple with practical problems, we will consider and evaluate both well-established ethical research principles along with less common ethical frameworks. We will consider materials provided by philosophers, practitioners, and narratives that center research participants. Topics we will cover include: pediatric research, global research, research with vulnerable populations, pandemic research, and AI research.

Political Philosophy
20441 01 (21758)
Jensen
8:00-9:15 MW

A critical examination (either historical or topical) of central works and topics in political philosophy. For information on the works and topics covered in a specific section, please consult https://philosophy.nd.edu/courses/2nd-courses-in-philosophy/

Political Philosophy
20441 02 (21757)
Jensen
9:30-10:45 MW

Medical Ethics
20602 01 (20504)
Warfield
10:30-11:20 MW

An exploration from the point of view of ethical theory of a number of ethical problems in contemporary biomedicine. Topics discussed will include euthanasia, abortion, the allocation of scarce medical resources, truth-telling in the doctor-patient relationship, the right to medical care and informed consent, and human experimentation.

Philosophy of Science
20617 01 (21777)
Murphy
2:00-3:15 MW

Critical survey of selected topics, themes, positions, and arguments in the philosophy of science. Content varies by semester. For current semester, see https://philosophy.nd.edu/courses/2nd-courses-in-philosophy/.

This course will examine central questions in philosophy of science, with a particular focus on scientific modeling, representation, and idealization. Models and representations are a crucial part of scientific practice, but there are many philosophical issues surrounding the relationships between these models and the real-world systems that they represent. For example: can scientific models tell us how the world “really” or “literally” is? Do idealized or simplified models represent their targets accurately, or are they merely useful falsehoods? How do representational techniques and traditions influence the ways that scientists represent their target systems? We will read and discuss texts from the philosophy of science as well as the philosophy of art in order to think critically about both the nature of representation in general and the particular ways that science deploys models to represent systems and phenomena in the world.

The Ethics of Emerging Weapons Technology
20628 01 (21879)
Gamez & Latiff
11:00-12:15 TR

This course explores the ethical challenges posed by the ongoing revolution in the technology of war. After learning about some general, philosophical approaches to ethical decision making, we will examine a wide range of new weapons technologies, from "smart" bombs, drones, and robots to em (electromagnetic) weapons, cyberwar, and bio-enhancement, asking the question whether the existing framework of Just War Theory and the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) are adequate for war as it will be fought in the 21st century.

The Ethics of Emerging Weapons Technology
20628 02 (21880)
Gamez & Latiff
12:30-1:45 TR

Philosophy of Religion
20801 01 (20505)
Rodriguez
3:30-4:20 MWF

This course will examine principal questions in the philosophy of religion relating to the nature and existence of God, religious beliefs, religious experience, divine hiddenness, religious pluralism and exclusivism, immortality, the relationship between God and ethics, and other questions. For details about specific sections in a particular semester, see https://philosophy.nd.edu/courses/2nd-courses-in-philosophy/.

Aquinas & Scotus
20803 01 (22050)
LaMantia
2:00-3:15 TR

This course will investigate the thought of arguably the two greatest medieval philosophers and Catholic philosophers--St. Thomas Aquinas and Bl. John Duns Scotus. They will be our guides for investigating questions concerning such topics as the possibility of change, the metaphysical structure of the world, whether natures are common (e.g., do all humans share one human nature?), the existence of God and His attributes, and the value of their thought today. We will pay attention to their points of agreement and disagreement, evaluating their arguments and positions.

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