Courses

Please note that if you need advising you should contact Prof. Chad Kidd ( ckidd@ccny.cuny.edu ). Office hours are by appointment.


Spring 2024 Philosophy Courses


City College of New York
—Questions? Feel free to reach out to Prof. Chad Kidd, Philosophy academic advisor:
ckidd@ccny.cuny.edu


PHIL 10200 - Introduction to Philosophy
several sections, please check CUNYFirst for times & instructors—both in person and online
options available


An introduction to some of the central questions of philosophy, concerning our knowledge of the external world, causation, God, mind and body, freedom, justice, and moral judgment, via analysis of classical and contemporary philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Locke, Hume, Mill, Kant, Russell, Wittgenstein and Rawls.


PHIL 20100 - Logical Reasoning
Several sections, please check CUNYFirst for times & instructors


This course provides students with an introduction to the elements of logical reasoning. Basic rules and methods of assessing validity and proving arguments as they occur in natural language are introduced (such as truth tables and rules of inference). The goal of the course is to enable students to translate and evaluate arguments in natural language using the basic tools of modern logic. The focus of this course enables it to serve as an excellent form of preparation for SATs, LSATs and other standardized tests, as well as an analytic resource for further academic studies.


PHIL 20600 - Philosophy of Science Fiction
Three options, all online!
Fr 9:00AM - 11:30AM, 12:00PM - 2:30PM or 3:00PM - 5:30PM— Online-Synchronous —Instructor: Prof. Natallia Schabner


An analysis of some of the central questions of philosophy as they are represented in science fiction (and occasionally, science fact). Selections from science fiction works will range over topics such as space and time, infinity and eternity, identity, knowledge of other minds; artificial intelligence; moral dilemmas and technology; the meaning of life.


PHIL 30500 - History of Philosophy I: Ancient Philosophy
Two options, one in person, another online!

MoWe 12:30PM - 1:45PM — In Person — Instructor: Prof. Sergey Trostyanskiy
MoWe 6:30PM - 7:45PM — Online-Synchronous — Instructor: Prof. Sergey Trostyanskiy


A survey of early Greek philosophy, centered on the figures of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Some attention is paid to pre-Socratic philosophers (e.g. Heraclitus, Parmenides) and to at least one current of thought after Aristotle (e.g. Stoicism, Skepticism, neo-Platonism, or early Christian theology).


PHIL 30600 - History of Philosophy II: Modern Philosophy
MoWe 2:00PM - 3:15PM — In Person — Instructor: Prof. David Weissman


The formulation of the subjects and methods of modern philosophy in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Rationalism: Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz. Empiricism: Locke, Berkeley, Hume. Transcendental idealism: Kant. Topics include the human mind, free will and determinism, knowledge of the external world and God.


PHIL 30800 – Ethics
Two options, all online!

Tu 6:00PM - 8:30PM & We 6:00PM - 8:30PM — Online-Synchronous — Instructor: Prof. Aaron
Finbloom


Analysis of the concepts employed in moral reasoning, such as good, right, duty, obligation, virtue, freedom and choice. Critical study of various theories of moral justification-such as utilitarianism, deontological ethics, virtue ethics-and of status of moral judgments-such as subjectivism, objectivism, relativism and skepticism. The relation between morality and religion, moral dilemmas, and some problems in practical ethics (abortion, famine, the environment, etc.).


PHIL 31114 - Cities & Urban Life
MoWe 3:30PM - 4:45PM — In Person—Instructor: Prof. David Weissman

Cities are known by their profiles: bridges, streets, or skyline: Venice, Paris, or New York. Every city joins stability to flux in ways peculiar to itself, though each resembles others because the elements of social structure are common to all. Each is a web of social relations, a clamorous machine of systems and networks; none is merely an aggregate of people going their separate ways. No one doubts the reality of individuals or the whole: yet core systems—families, businesses, schools, and churches—do a society’s work while supplying contexts for personal development and the initiatives expressing individual character and talent. Discount systems while emphasizing individuality and you ignore the contexts where people live, work, and dream. Discount networks of overlapping systems—each defended against all or some others—and you fail to see barriers that divide and stratify societies. These features are common to settlements of every size, though cities express them in distinctive ways: orchestras play music too elaborate for a quartet; city densities promote collaborations unachievable in simpler towns. The class will consider cities as they are, and ought to
be.


PHIL 31135 – Existentialism: Sartre, Beauvoir, and Fanon
TuTh 11:00AM - 12:15PM — In Person—Instructor: Prof. Chad Kidd

Existentialism is a widely influential philosophical view. However, perhaps because of its popularity, it is also widely misunderstood, even amongst philosophers. This class aims to counter this misunderstanding by examining the initial development of existentialism in the writings of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, contrasting these with their critical reception by those who rejected the label “existentialist” (such as Albert Camus and Martin Heidegger). We will chart how existentialism evolved in the writings of its founders, due primarily to Beauvoir’s objections to Sartre’s conception of human freedom, which also helped spur the development of feminist philosophy—an influence we will study in some detail. We will conclude the course by using this early history of existentialism as a framework for understanding the philosophy of Frantz Fanon, who applied (and critically revised) existentialism in his analysis of racial oppression, psychiatry, and political activism.


PHIL 31173 - Philosophy and Liberation
MoWe 11:00AM - 12:15PM —In Person—Instructor: Prof. Sean Apparicio


What does it mean to be liberated? For some, it might mean an end to police repression. For others, simply being able to make decisions about their bodies. Can liberation be achieved through democratic means? Or does liberation demand radical changes to our social world? If so, this might require profound changes to our institutions, how we relate to each other, and even to our sense of self. These are some of the issues we will be exploring in this course. We will first consider the general question of what do we mean by liberation, reviewing how it was conceived in past social movements. We will then examine current theoretical analysis of key issues such as domination and oppression, ideology, social structures, agency, autonomy, and what it means to be in community. We will then be in a position to ask: is liberation even possible? If yes, how so?


PHIL 31404 - Philosophy & Film
Fr 12:00PM - 2:30PM — In Person—Instructor: Prof. and professional film-maker Yuval Adler

This course explores topics in metaphysics and the philosophy of language via themes from film theory: film and reality, film as a language, the ontology of the medium, psychoanalytical approaches, the gaze. Selections will be drawn from classic film theory and philosophical texts, narrative films, and video essays. 


PHIL 32200 - Philosophy of Science
MoWe 12:30PM - 1:45PM — In Person — Instructor: Prof. Massimo Pigliucci

A critical survey of philosophical theories of scientific explanation and development. The course will focus on topics such as inductive and hypothetico-deductive accounts of scientific method; confirmation and falsification of scientific theories; the logic of scientific explanation; theories and models; the structure of scientific revolutions.


PHIL 33400 - Phil Artificial Intelligence
Two options, all online!
TuTh 3:30PM - 4:45PM & 5:00PM - 6:15PM — Online-Synchronous — Instructor: Prof. Louis
Marinoff

This course covers foundational and contemporary issues in philosophy of AI, grouped into three sections. Section #1 looks at the nature of digital computers and computing, developing the idea of the Universal Turing Machine. It assesses the logical limitations of AI in light of Cantor’s and Gödel’s revelations, which terminate the Hilbert program and thus impose constraints on the UTM. Section #2 examines two main epistemological/cognitive problems of AI. First is the Turing Test, and the debate it engenders among functionalists, reductionists, and holists. Second is the Frame Problem, and the challenges it poses for learning machines and robots. Section #3 surveys ethical, legal, social, and political issues in robotics. It juxtaposes predictive scenarios of classic science fiction—e.g. Shelley’s Frankenstein, Asimov’s I, Robot, and Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey—with contemporary real-world dilemmas produced by self-driving cars, data tracking and mining, shadow-banning and censorship by tech oligarchs, and the internet of things, among other issues.


PHIL 34105 - Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics
TuTh 2:00PM - 3:15PM — In Person — Instructor: Prof. Elise Crull


In this course we investigate the historical and philosophical foundations of quantum mechanics, considering how certain physical, metaphysical and epistemological puzzles have been tackled by physicists and philosophers alike over the last century—from Planck's 1901 suggestion that light behaves in a “quantized” way, to cutting-edge research in relativistic quantum theories.


PHIL 34403 - Indian Philosophy
TuTh 6:30PM - 7:45PM — Online-Synchronous — Instructor: Louis Marinoff


This course will survey the foundations of Indian Philosophy, primarily through readings and class
discussions of canonical texts. We will also briefly survey the so-called "heterodox" philosophy of Buddhism, which emerged from the orthodox Hindu schools in the 6th century BCE and became a world religion in its own right. As well, we will briefly examine Gandhi's successful application of Thoreau's philosophy of non-violent civil disobedience, which culminated in India's political independence. Ultimately, we will develop an appreciation of Indian philosophy within the broader contexts of Indian history, sociology, culture, science, mathematics, and literature, and also with respect to India's current role in globalization, as an emerging economic power.


PHIL 34905 - Biomedical Ethics
Multiple options both online and in person!
Fr 9:00AM - 11:30AM, 12:00PM - 2:30PM & 3:00PM - 5:30PM— Online-Synchronous —Instructor:
Prof. Jenny Schiff
TuTh 11:00AM - 12:15PM, 2:00PM - 3:15PM & 3:30PM - 4:45PM — In Person—Instructor: Prof.
Christina Weinbaum


Biomedical Ethics is a philosophical overview of leading theories, principles, and problems in the field of bioethics. Ethical theories and principles are examined to provide a theoretical structure for analysis of concrete ethical problems. The course considers the ethics of the doctor-patient relationship, including paternalism, informed consent, confidentiality, and truth telling, as well as larger systemic issues of social justice and access to health care. Topics in reproductive ethics, end-of-life ethics, and some of the newest developments in the field arising from genetics and neuroscience are also discussed. Extensive use is made of case studies.


PHIL 34906 - Environmental Ethics
TuTh 3:30PM - 4:45PM — In Person — Prof. Steven Hernandez


This course addresses our ethical relationships to our environment and the living and nonliving nonhuman beings found in our environment. Do we have obligations to the environment and the beings in it? If we do, are these obligations just obligations to take care of resources needed by humans in the future? Or are these obligations to take care of intrinsically valuable places and creatures which would remain valuable even there were no humans to use or appreciate them? This class explores questions like these


Philosophy Department, North Academic Building (NAC 5/144C)
160 Convent Avenue, New York, NY 10031
Phone: (212) 650-7291
E-mail: philosophy@ccny.cuny.edu

Last Updated: 10/30/2023 11:31