This Course and Program Catalogue is effective from May 2024 to April 2025.

Not all courses described in the Course and Program Catalogue are offered each year. For a list of course offerings in 2024-2025, please consult the class search website.

The following conventions are used for course numbering:

  • 010-099 represent non-degree level courses
  • 100-699 represent undergraduate degree level courses
  • 700-999 represent graduate degree level courses

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80 Results

PHIL 110.6: Introduction to Philosophy

This course explores some central problems of philosophy through modern and historical texts. Questions covered include: Is the world as you experience it? How do you know what you think you do? Does God exist? What ought we to do? What is beauty? What is a mind? Philosophy proceeds by the presentation and evaluation of reasons for alternative answers to fundamental questions and leads to improved critical, evaluative, and writing skills.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Note: No previous training in philosophy is required or presupposed. Students with credit for PHIL 120 or 133 may not take this course for credit. Students with credit for PHIL 120 or PHIL 133 should take the one they are missing for equivalency to PHIL 110.


PHIL 120.3: Knowledge Mind and Existence

This course explores philosophical questions regarding consciousness and personal identity, the nature of reality, knowledge and justification, the existence of God, freedom, and the nature of the self. Philosophy proceeds by the presentation and evaluation of reasons for alternative answers to fundamental questions and leads to improved critical, evaluative, and writing skills.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Note: Students with credit for PHIL 110 may not take this course for credit.


PHIL 121.3: Introduction to World Philosophies

Is reason universal? Is human nature universal? Or are these particular to specific languages and cultures? This course will address these questions through the study of a variety of different world philosophies. This course will look at the way in which a selection of world cultures (East Asian, Indigenous, Latin American, Islamic and African) approach basic questions of philosophy (What is the ultimate nature of reality? What is truth? What is a human being? What is our place in the world? What is good?)

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours


PHIL 133.3: Introduction to Ethics and Values

This course explores fundamental questions regarding morality, justice, life’s meaning, or beauty. Questions covered may include: What makes a society just? Do we have obligations regarding what is right? What makes acts good? Are values merely relative? What makes something a work of art? Philosophy proceeds by the presentation and evaluation of reasons for alternative answers to fundamental questions and leads to improved critical, evaluative, and writing skills.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Note: Students with credit for PHIL 110 may not take this course for credit.


PHIL 140.3: Critical Thinking

This course is an introduction to principles of logic and reasoning. It is designed to develop skills in critical thinking, including the analysis, evaluation, and development of arguments. The course will cover topics in informal logic, deductive logic, and inductive logic, which may include argument analysis, fallacies, categorical logic, natural deduction, causality, Bayesian probability theory, and scientific reasoning.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Note: Students with credit for PHIL 240, 241, 243 or CMPT 260 may not take this course for credit. To receive credit for PHIL 140, 240, 241, 243, or CMPT 260, students must take PHIL 140 prior to the above mentioned courses.


PHIL 202.3: Philosophy of Religion

This course explores philosophical questions regarding religion, such as the existence of God, the problem of evil, religious language, religious experience, faith and reason, and morality and religion.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 206.3: Early Modern Philosophy

An examination of key authors and texts from Descartes to Hume. Early modern philosophy covers one of the central historical periods of philosophy and saw the emergence of science and development of modern theories of mind and knowledge. This course covers rationalist and empiricist explanations of reality, knowledge, consciousness, and the origin of ideas, as well as the challenge of and responses to skepticism.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.
Note: PHIL 206 is required for all Philosophy major programs.


PHIL 208.3: Ancient Philosophy Presocratics to Plato

A study of the origins of philosophical reasoning in ancient Greece to its most extensive development in the philosophy of Plato. Classical views of the ultimate nature of reality, the scope and limits of human knowledge, and the grounds for aesthetic and moral evaluations will be examined.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 209.3: Ancient Philosophy Aristotle to Plotinus

The development of philosophy in ancient Greece and Rome from the time of Aristotle to the emergence of Christianity. In addition to a survey of several of the most important aspects of Aristotle's philosophy, this course will examine such schools of thought as Stoicism, Epicureanism, and Neoplatonism.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 210.3: Medieval Philosophy I From Rome to Baghdad and Paris

The study of major thinkers of the early middle ages, including Augustine, Boethius, Eriugena, Anselm, and Abelard. Background will be provided to Neoplatonic themes that shape this period. Topics include free will, happiness, the existence of God, theories of truth, and the problem of universals.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy; or RLST 112 and CTST 200; or completion of 18 credit units at the university level; or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 211.3: Philosophy and Faith Medieval Philosophy II

The study of major Jewish, Muslim, and Christian thinkers of the high middle ages, including Moses Maimonides, Avicenna, Averroes, Bonaventure, Thomas Aquinas, Duns Scotus, and William of Ockham. Background to Aristotle and his tradition will be provided. Topics include the relation of faith and reason, existence and nature of God, human nature, voluntarism, and the critique of metaphysics.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 216.3: 20th Century Philosophy The Analytic Tradition

This course is a survey of the historical origins of analytic philosophy (circa 1900–1960). Central philosophers include Bertrand Russell, G. E. Moore, Ludwig Wittgenstein, A. J. Ayer, Rudolf Carnap and W.V.O. Quine. Central themes include logical atomism and logical positivism in metaphysics and science, external world skepticism and empiricism in epistemology, perception and behaviourism in the philosophy of mind, meaning and reference in the philosophy of language, emotivism in ethics, and verificationism in the philosophy of science.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 12 credit units at the university.


PHIL 218.3: Existentialism

An introduction to 19th and 20th Century existentialist thought from Kierkegaard and Nietzsche to Sartre. Issues to be explored concern the human quest for meaning in existence and include the nature of the human self, truth, freedom, mortality, the significance of God, and the possibility of interpersonal relations.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 219.3: Phenomenology

Phenomenology is the systematic study of human experience. It aims at breaking through some of our ingrained thinking habits and prejudices in order to reveal various aspects of our lived experience. Whether these prejudices come from psychology, philosophy, or an overly theoretically-laden civilization, the goal of phenomenology is to restore the world as it is actually experienced by us or, as Sartre describes it, to restore to things both their horror and their charm. This course will examine iconic figures in phenomenology such as Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, and Levinas.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 222.3: Philosophy in the Digital World

Most of us spend a significant portion of our lives immersed in digital worlds of one form or another, whether through social media, online gaming, or in virtual communities. Our identities and relationships have always reflected our wider social networks; how has life in the digital world changed how we think about these things? In this course we will seek to understand and evaluate digital worlds and how we inhabit them from a variety of philosophical perspectives. Topics to be discussed may include: Online identity (both individual and social), anonymity and accountability, digital citizenship, piracy and file sharing, cyberbullying, cybersex, hacking and ‘hactivism’, and internet addiction.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 224.3: Philosophy of Sexuality

What counts as sex? Does being in a sexual relationship with one person restrict our interactions with others? Is it ever okay to objectify someone? Should society endorse certain kinds of sexual relationship and not others? The focus is on philosophical perspectives on sex, sexuality, gender, and erotic love as we consider questions such as the nature of sex, perversion, masturbation, orientation and identity, homosexuality, objectification, pornography, prostitution, and other moral and political issues regarding sexuality.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 226.3: Environmental Philosophy

Philosophical issues concerning the human relationship with the natural environment, including ethical and political questions about how we interact with the physical world and its inhabitants and about the interpretation of the natural. Topics may include the value and rights of nonhumans, environmental aesthetics, the identification of the "natural," ecotopias, and global environmental justice.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 228.3: Critical Social Philosophy

Behind many of the criticisms made of contemporary society, whether criticisms of its excessive consumerism, bureaucracy and control, surveillance, one-dimensional thinking or its more general malaise, are influential philosophers such as Adorno, Horkheimer, Foucault, Marcuse, Arendt, and Taylor. This course will examine the philosophical basis for common criticisms of society originating in post-Marxist thinkers and extending beyond.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 231.3: Moral Problems

This course examines a variety of moral issues, such as human sexuality, abortion, euthanasia, war and revolution, environmental ethics and animal rights, and prejudice and discrimination.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 232.3: Ethics and Professional Responsibility in Computer Science

This course provides a practical introduction to ethics and professionalism for students enrolled in Computer Science programs. Students will be introduced to forms of ethical decision making as well as some of the basic legal frameworks of information technology domain, and will become conversant with professional codes of ethics in their discipline. Specific topics to be addressed may include privacy, intellectual property, and security in information technology. Attention will also be paid to the practical aspects of how computing professionals are expected to deal effectively with conflicts of interest, professional communications, and various stakeholder relationships in professional practice.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Restriction(s): Restricted to students in the Computer Science and Interactive Systems Design programs.
Prerequisite(s): Completion of at least 6 credit units in 100-level CMPT


PHIL 233.3: Ethical Theory

What makes an action morally right? Does it depend on what a moral being is? What makes us morally responsible? This course is an investigation of some of the most historically important theories, an examination of their fundamental commitments, and some discussion of contemporary versions of those theories. Philosophers studied will include Aristotle, Kant, and Mill, and others.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 234.3: Biomedical Ethics

An examination of contemporary biomedical ethical issues such as the definition of a person, determination of life and death, euthanasia, abortion, prenatal diagnosis and intervention, problems in the physician-patient relationship, reproductive technologies, genetic engineering and accessibility to health care.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 236.3: Ethics and Technology

An overview of ethical issues related to the impact of modern technology on society, on scientific research, on the activities of corporations and professionals, and how technology affects our understanding of ethical responsibility. Specific topics that may be considered include issues in biotechnology (including genetic engineering and genomic medicine), information technology (including data privacy and the use of encryption technologies), as well as related issues such as intellectual property rights and risk assessment.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 237.3: Law and Morality

An introduction to philosophical issues regarding law and its relation to morality. Issues to be explored concern the nature and validity of law and the law's proper limits in relation to topics such as freedom of expression, pornography, the definition of family and marriage, civil disobedience, abortion and capital punishment.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 238.3: Ethical Issues in Scientific Research

Introduction to ethical issues related to scientific research requiring institutional ethics review and approval. Theoretical approaches in ethics and their relationship to national and institutional guidelines governing research protocol compliance are considered. Topics include Aristotelian, Kantian and Utilitarian ethics, ethical standards in designing research protocols, and protection of research subjects.

Weekly hours: 2 Lecture hours and 1 Tutorial hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 239.3: Pacifism and the Possibility of Just Wars

What is a just cause to go to war? Are there moral ways to fight a war? Is the only morally defensible position to oppose war altogether and embrace pacifism? How does morality even apply in a time of weapons of mass destruction and global terrorism? This course will examine just war theory and consider challenges presented by pacifists, moral sceptics and by the contemporary nature of war itself.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 241.3: Introduction to Symbolic Logic I

An introduction to modern logic. The syntax, semantics, and proof theory of truth-functional statement logic and first order predicate logic. Formalization of natural language statements and arguments.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.
Note: Students with credit for PHIL 242 or 243 may not take this course for credit, nor may students take PHIL 241 and 243 concurrently. To receive credit for both PHIL 241 and 243 students must take PHIL 241 prior to PHIL 243.


PHIL 243.3: Introduction to Symbolic Logic II

A continuation of the logic covered in PHIL 241. A brief review of semantics and proof theory for propositional logic, followed by its metatheory; introduction to modal logics and their philosophical significance; polyadic predicate logic with identity; definite descriptions; elementary set theory; time permitting, topics on non-standard elementary logic.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): PHIL 241 or CMPT 260.
Note: Students with credit for PHIL 242 may not take this course for credit.


PHIL 251.3: Philosophy of Science

An introduction to the nature, extent and significance of scientific knowledge. Problems about the nature of scientific theories and models, scientific explanation and prediction, scientific growth, and issues about the relationship between science, religion and morality will be discussed.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or 6 credit units in science or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 262.3: Social and Political Philosophy

An examination of philosophical theories of political organization. Such issues as justice and power, rights, freedom and the public good will be discussed.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 265.3: Decision and Choice Theory

An examination of rational choice in individual and collective decision-making. Topics include: decisions under certainty, risk and uncertainty, and probability, belief and value as utilized in choice principles. The course will explore maximization of expected utility, minimal loss/regret, optimism-pessimism, basic game theory and applications in moral, social and political decision-making.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 271.3: Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art

This course explores basic issues in aesthetics. What is art? Are aesthetic judgments objective or merely subjective matters of taste and feeling? Is it possible to have standards of criticism? Is art fictional and if so can it be true? What is the place of art in human life?

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy, or 6 credit units in fine arts or LIT, or completion of 18 credit units at the university level, or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 274.3: Philosophy of Music

What do we really experience when we listen to music? Why do we appreciate the music we do? Do we appreciate music because of the objective properties in the music? Does it have to be beautiful? Or is music appreciation more a matter of subjectivity? Does music cause pleasure? Does it express something? Does it mean something? Is it like a language? How is music related to technology? Does music make us better or worse? What role does it play in society? What role should it play in society? These are some of the questions we will address in this class devoted to the philosophy of music.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy, or 6 credit units in fine arts or LIT, or completion of 18 credit units at the university level, or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 275.3: Philosophy of Film

This course explores philosophical questions that arise concerning film, including those involving the value, meaning, and ontology of film. Questions covered may include: What is the nature of film? What is the role of theory in the filmmaking process? Why do viewing audiences have the kinds of experiences that they do? What is the purpose of filmmaking? Is film a suitable medium for engaging in the practice of philosophy? What is the connection between the value of a film and its moral content? What role do the filmmaker’s intentions play in the correct interpretation of a film? The questions and theories considered may be addressed from the points of view of filmmakers, critics, philosophers, and viewing audiences.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 281.3: Theory of Knowledge

Examines the status and extent of our knowledge of the world, of ourselves, and other people. Problems about the nature of knowledge, the justification of claims of knowledge, the relationship of knowledge to belief and truth, perception, and the viability of scepticism will be discussed.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 285.3: Persons Minds and Bodies

An introduction to the Philosophy of Mind. Topics include: consciousness, thought, intentionality, emotions, action and the will, other minds (human and artificial), the concept of the self and theories about the nature of the mind.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 292.3: Metaphysics Reality Existence and Change

An investigation into some central problems of metaphysics regarding the nature of reality. Questions to be considered may include: What exists and how does it continue through time? What is time? What are things? Are humans free? What are causes? Are there selves and can they remain the same if they change?

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 293.3: Philosophy of Death

Death is inevitable. This course examines the philosophical significance of this by considering a variety of issues surrounding the meaning, reality, and moral and political implications of death and dying. Some of the following questions may be studied: Would it be good to be immortal? Does anything survive the bodily death of a person? What does it mean to be dead? Is death an evil? How should an understanding of my own mortality influence the way I live my life?

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 294.3: Philosophy of Human Nature

A philosophical examination of whether there is a human nature, through both historical and contemporary discussions. Will include topics such as the importance of narrative, biology and evolution, selfishness, gender, race, freedom, and personhood.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 295.3: Moving Doing and Being

Am I my body or is my body mine? This course provides a philosophical exploration of the body and embodiment. Questions to be covered may include: Is there a self without a body? Do different bodies shape different selves? How are bodies disabled, raced, gendered, or sexed? How are selves expressed through sport, play, and performance? How does embodied experience change over time? What makes bodies and their movements beautiful?

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 298.3: Special Topics

Offered occasionally by visiting faculty and in other special situations to cover, in depth, topics that are not thoroughly covered in regularly offered courses.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours


PHIL 299.6: Special Topics

Offered occasionally by visiting faculty and in other special situations to cover, in depth, topics that are not thoroughly covered in regularly offered courses.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours


PHIL 302.3: Contemporary Philosophy of Religion

A study of major topics in recent analytic and/or continental philosophy of religion. Topics include the rationality of religious belief, the nature of God, religious language, the problem of evil, critiques of religion, and the interface of major world religions.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy at the 200-level or above, and completion of 24 credit units at the university level; or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 303.3: Aquinas Philosophy of God and the Human Person

Thomas Aquinas, widely considered the greatest and most influential thinker of the medieval period, advanced a philosophical project of such depth and coherence that it still influences and informs the thought of many philosophers today. Drawing upon the basic metaphysical framework Aquinas sets out, this course will examine his thought about God and the nature of the human person and consider its continuing relevance today.

Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy at the 200-level or above, and completion of 24 credit units at the university level; or permission of the instructor.
Note: Students who have taken PHIL 412.3 Philosophy of Thomas Aquinas I cannot take this course for credit.


PHIL 304.3: Aquinas Moral Political and Legal Philosophy

Thomas Aquinas, widely considered the greatest and most influential thinker of the medieval period, advanced a philosophical project of such depth and coherence that it still influences and informs the thought of many philosophers today. This course will examine Aquinas's conception of moral philosophy – an account of how we should think about human choices and actions, laws, and the state – and consider its continuing relevance for human living and flourishing today.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy at the 200-level or above, and completion of 24 credit units at the university level; or permission of the instructor
Note: Students who have taken PHIL 413.3 Philosophy of Thomas Aquinas II cannot take this course for credit.


PHIL 306.3: Topics in Early Modern Philosophy

A seminar in early modern philosophy focussing on the work of a specific philosopher or a philosophical topic.

Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy at the 200-level or above, and completion of 24 credit units at the university level; or permission of the instructor.
Note: Historical and Topical content will vary from year to year. See department for latest details. Students may take this course more than once for credit, provided the topic or period covered in each offering differs substantially. Students must consult the department to ensure that the topics covered are different.


PHIL 312.3: Great Philosophers I Historical Figures

Detailed reading in the work of a major philosopher such as Aristotle, Descartes, or Hume.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy at the 200-level or above, and completion of 24 credit units at the university level; or permission of the instructor.
Note: Historical and Topical content will vary from year to year. See department for latest details. Students may take this course more than once for credit, provided the topic or period covered in each offering differs substantially. Students must consult the department to ensure that the topics covered are different.


PHIL 313.3: Great Philosophers II Contemporary Figures

Consists of detailed reading in the work of some major philosopher.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy at the 200-level or above, and completion of 24 credit units at the university level; or permission of the instructor.
Note: Historical and Topical content will vary from year to year. See department for latest details. Students may take this course more than once for credit, provided the topic or period covered in each offering differs substantially. Students must consult the department to ensure that the topics covered are different.


PHIL 314.3: Kant

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) is generally regarded as one the greatest philosophical thinkers of the Enlightenment, and of all time. This course will offer an examination of the Kant’s philosophical thought, including the critical system developed in Critique of Pure Reason, and a study of his practical philosophy.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy at the 200-level or above, and completion of 24 credit units at the university level; or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 319.3: Topics in Recent Continental Philosophy

Examines specific issues or authors in current continental philosophy. Areas of discussion might include critical theory, aesthetics, or hermeneutics, and authors such as Foucault, Habermas, Derrida, or Gadamer.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy at the 200-level or above, and completion of 24 credit units at the university level; or permission of the instructor.
Note: Historical and Topical content will vary from year to year. See department for latest details. Students may take this course more than once for credit, provided the topic or period covered in each offering differs substantially. Students must consult the department to ensure that the topics covered are different.


PHIL 320.3: Studies in Philosophy

The topic, movement or philosophers studied will vary from year to year.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy at the 200-level or above, and completion of 24 credit units at the university level; or permission of the instructor.
Note: Historical and Topical content will vary from year to year. See department for latest details. Students may take this course more than once for credit, provided the topic or period covered in each offering differs substantially. Students must consult the department to ensure that the topics covered are different.


PHIL 333.3: Metaethics

Concerned with topics such as the cognitive status of judgements about what is right and good, about the grounds of ethical judgement and the logic of ethical argument, and about the role of rules and principles in ethical dispute.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy at the 200-level or above, and completion of 24 credit units at the university level; or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 334.3: Topics in Moral Philosophy

A seminar in moral philosophy that will focus every year on a different issue, philosopher or theories.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units PHIL courses at the 200-level or above and completion of at least 24 credit units at the university level; or permission of the instructor.
Note(s) Topical content will vary from year to year. See department for latest details. Students may take this course more than once for credit, provided the topic or period covered in each offering differs substantially. Students must consult the department to ensure that the topics covered are different.


PHIL 337.3: Philosophy of Law

A critical examination of attempts to provide theories of the nature of law. This course will examine the debate between legal positivists and natural law theorists, as well as the reaction to this debate (e.g. Dworkin, legal realists, critical legal theorists, and feminists).

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy at the 200-level or above, and completion of 24 credit units at the university level; or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 362.3: Topics in Political Philosophy

The topic, political philosopher, movement or theories studied will vary from year to year.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy at the 200-level or above, and completion of 24 credit units at the university level; or permission of the instructor.
Note: Historical and Topical content will vary from year to year. See department for latest details. Students may take this course more than once for credit, provided the topic or period covered in each offering differs substantially. Students must consult the department to ensure that the topics covered are different.


PHIL 398.3: Special Topics

Offered occasionally by visiting faculty and in other special situations to cover, in depth, topics that are not thoroughly covered in regularly offered courses.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours


PHIL 399.6: Special Topics

Offered occasionally by visiting faculty and in other special situations to cover, in depth, topics that are not thoroughly covered in regularly offered courses.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours


PHIL 404.3: Advanced Problems in Philosophy and Theology

Philosophical aspects of contemporary psychological and theological problems treated at an advanced level. Selected readings in Freud, Jung, Ryle, Merleau-Ponty, Marcel, Ricoeur and others.

Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hours
Prerequisite(s): 6 credit units in philosophy at the 200-level or above, and completion of 24 credit units at the university level; or permission of the instructor.


PHIL 420.3: Topics in Philosophy

An advanced seminar in contemporary philosophy primarily for honours students. Focuses on a recent important book or a set of related journal articles on a central philosophical subject. Emphasis will be on student presentations and discussion.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): 6 credit units in philosophy at the 200-level or above, and completion of 24 credit units at the university level; or permission of the instructor.
Note: Historical and Topical content will vary from year to year. See department for latest details. Students may take this course more than once for credit, provided the topic or period covered in each offering differs substantially. Students must consult the department to ensure that the topics covered are different.


PHIL 433.3: Topics in Ethics

An advanced course in value theory. The topic, ethical philosopher, movement or theories studied will vary from year to year.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): 6 credit units in philosophy at the 200-level or above, and completion of 24 credit units at the university level; or permission of the instructor.
Note: Historical and Topical content will vary from year to year. See department for latest details. Students may take this course more than once for credit, provided the topic or period covered in each offering differs substantially. Students must consult the department to ensure that the topics covered are different.


PHIL 446.3: Philosophy of Language

An introduction to philosophical problems about language and linguistic approaches to philosophy. How language represents reality; how language colours our thoughts about reality; language as a vehicle of communication. Traditional accounts of truth, meaning, reference, predication and expression will be discussed, as well as methodology in language study and linguistic philosophy.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): 6 credit units in philosophy at the 200-level or above, and completion of 24 credit units at the university level; or permission of the instructor.
Note: Students with credit for PHIL 846 will not receive credit for this course.


PHIL 462.3: Advanced Topics in Social and Political Philosophy

An advanced seminar in social and political philosophy that will focus every year on a different issue, philosopher or theories.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): 6 credit units in philosophy at the 200-level or above, and completion of 24 credit units at the university level; or permission of the instructor.
Note: Topical content will vary from year to year. See department for latest details. Students may take this course more than once for credit, provided the topic or period covered in each offering differs substantially. Students must consult the department to ensure that the topics covered are different.


PHIL 485.3: Topics in Philosophy of Mind

Advanced Topics in the Philosophy of Mind: topic will vary from year to year, and will include issues such as meaning and mental representation, intentionality, phenomenal consciousness and qualia, folk psychology and propositional attitudes, supervenience and reduction, mental imagery, other minds and personal identity.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): 6 credit units in philosophy at the 200-level or above, and completion of 24 credit units at the university level; or permission of the instructor.
Note: Historical and Topical content will vary from year to year. See department for latest details. Students may take this course more than once for credit, provided the topic or period covered in each offering differs substantially. Students must consult the department to ensure that the topics covered are different.


PHIL 492.3: Topics in Metaphysics

Advanced topics in Metaphysics; topics such as the nature of metaphysics, personal identity, universals, skepticism, substance, properties and relations, and necessity and possibility.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Prerequisite(s): 6 credit units in philosophy at the 200-level or above, and completion of 24 credit units at the university level; or permission of the instructor.
Note: Historical and Topical content will vary from year to year. See department for latest details. Students may take this course more than once for credit, provided the topic or period covered in each offering differs substantially. Students must consult the department to ensure that the topics covered are different.


PHIL 498.3: Special Topics

Offered occasionally by visiting faculty and in other special situations to cover, in depth, topics that are not thoroughly covered in regularly offered courses.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours


PHIL 499.6: Special Topics

Offered occasionally by visiting faculty and in other special situations to cover, in depth, topics that are not thoroughly covered in regularly offered courses.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours


PHIL 813.3: Topics in 17th and 18th Century Philosophy

A seminar in early modern philosophy concentrating on one or more of the empiricists (Locke, Berkeley, Hume) or the rationalists (Descartes, Spinoza and Leibniz).

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours


PHIL 814.3: Advanced Kant Seminar

A seminar on Kant's critical philosophy, with an emphasis on his Critique of Pure Reason.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Note: Students may take this course more than once for credit, provided the topic or period covered in each offering differs substantially. Students must consult the department to ensure that the topics covered are different. This course is academically cross-listed with PHIL 314.


PHIL 815.3: Topics in 19th Century Philosophy

A seminar on one or more of the authors or themes that dominated philosophical thought in Europe during the Nineteenth Century, concentrating on the post-Kantian philosophers whose works were central in the development of modern European thought.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Note: Students may take this course more than once for credit, provided the topic or period covered in each offering differs substantially. Students must consult the department to ensure that the topics covered are different.


PHIL 816.3: Advanced Topics in Continental Philosophy

A seminar on modern existentialism, phenomenology or critical theory; including figures such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, Foucault and Habermas.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Note: Students may take this course more than once for credit, provided the topic or period covered in each offering differs substantially. Students must consult the department to ensure that the topics covered are different. This course is academically cross-listed with PHIL 319.


PHIL 820.3: Philosophical Texts

A seminar concentrating on an important recent philosophical text. The content will vary from year to year.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Note: Students may take this course more than once for credit, provided the topic or period covered in each offering differs substantially. Students must consult the department to ensure that the topics covered are different.


PHIL 826.3: Advanced Seminar in Philosophy of Mind

A seminar on topics in the philosophy of mind and cognitive science. Topics may include consciousness, mental representation, intentionality, qualia, supervenience, theoretical reduction, emotion, action and agency.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Note: Students may take this course more than once for credit, provided the topic or period covered in each offering differs substantially. Students must consult the department to ensure that the topics covered are different. This course is academically cross-listed with PHIL 485.


PHIL 833.3: Advanced Seminar in Ethics

A seminar in ethical theory and metaethics; topics include the cognitive status of moral judgements, the logic of ethical argument, and the nature of moral reasoning.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Note: Students may take this course more than once for credit, provided the topic or period covered in each offering differs substantially. Students must consult the department to ensure that the topics covered are different. This course is academically cross-listed with PHIL 433.


PHIL 845.3: Advanced Seminar in Metaphysics

A seminar on the nature of metaphysics; topics may include existence, ontology, substance, universals, necessity, identity and change, time and space, causation, and free will.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Note: Students may take this course more than once for credit, provided the topic or period covered in each offering differs substantially. Students must consult the department to ensure that the topics covered are different. This course is academically cross-listed with PHIL 492.


PHIL 846.3: Advanced Seminar in Philosophy of Language

A seminar on philosophical problems about language; topics may include how language represents reality, traditional accounts of meaning, reference, predication and expression.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Note: Students may take this course more than once for credit, provided the topic or period covered in each offering differs substantially. Students must consult the department to ensure that the topics covered are different. This course is academically cross-listed with PHIL 446.


PHIL 862.3: Seminar in Social and Political Philosophy

Examines a recent topic, political philosopher, movement or theory. Topics studied will vary from year to year.

Weekly hours: 3 Seminar/Discussion hours
Note: Students may take this course more than once for credit, provided the topic or period covered in each offering differs substantially. Students must consult the department to ensure that the topics covered are different.


PHIL 898.3: Special Topics

Offered occasionally in special situations. Students interested in these courses should contact the department for more information.


PHIL 899.6: Special Topics

Offered occasionally in special situations. Students interested in these courses should contact the department for more information.


PHIL 990.0: Seminar

The graduate seminar involves paper presentations on current research by graduate students, department and cognate faculty, and visiting scholars. Graduate students must register in and attend the seminar on a continuous basis, and are only eligible to graduate once they have successfully presented a seminar.


PHIL 994.0: Research – Thesis

Students writing a Master's thesis must register for this course every term.