Department of Philosophy

Course Offerings

An interdisciplinary discipline 

Courses in the Philosophy department reflect a commitment to the disciplinary nature of philosophy, as well as the importance of interdisciplinary education.  In addition to specific courses that introduce foundational philosophical topics such as philosophy itself (PHIL 121: The Examined Life), and the nature of ethical and political life (PHIL 125: Ethics and the Good Life, PHIL 228: Social and Political Philosophy), we offer courses that reflect faculty specializations:

  • Biomedical Ethics (PHIL: 223)
  • Business Ethics (PHIL: 225)
  • Creation and Evolution (PHIL: 253)
  • Philosophy, Animals, and the Environment (PHIL: 230)
  • Existentialism and the Meaning of Life (PHIL: 238)
  • Formal Logic (PHIL: 233)
  • God, Faith and Reason (PHIL: 350)
  • Women and Philosophy (PHIL: 220)

The department also offers three significant courses that are designed to expose faculty members' interest and expertise that falls beyond the regular courses listed above. These three courses, which are intentionally designed to offer maximal flexibility, can be taken more than once.

  • PHIL 330: Studies in the History of Philosophy.  This course allows the department to teach a broad range of courses from the various periods in the history of philosophy that shape the discipline itself.  For example, we offer Ancient Philosophy, Early Modern Philosophy and Nineteenth Century philosophy.
  • PHIL 332:  Themes in Contemporary Philosophy.  This course focuses on themes primarily in the 20th and 21st century, paying special attention to current philosophical orientations and their interrelation.  We offer, for examples, courses on Analytic, Pragmatist and Continental traditions that take up, among other things, the contemporary relevance of these traditions.  Here courses include Introduction to Continental Philosophy, Pragmatism and The Analytic Tradition.
  • PHIL 353: Topics in Philosophy.  Not all courses fall easily within the purview of historical studies and contemporary movements.  There are pertinent issues that courses under this rubric take up, courses that while perhaps drawing from the history of philosophy and contemporary permutations to develop an issue, still have as their focus a specialized topic.  We offer, for instance, courses on the relation between science and philosophy, human rights, philosophy of war, and other topically formed courses.  As examples we offer Philosophy of Science, The Philosophy of Human Rights, and Philosophy of Social Science.
Finally, the department offers PHIL 499: Senior Capstone.  This course is offered to philosophy majors yearly and taught by each faculty member on a rotating basis.  Even though majors are often consulted, the course of study is finally at the discretion of the faculty member teaching the course.  Capstones in the past have been Well-Being, Philosophy of Food, John Rawls, Religious Pluralism and Deconstruction and Justice.

Department of Philosophy, Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma WA 98447