Upcoming & Current Courses in Philosophy

Here are the courses the department is offering next semester, along with their instructors' descriptions. General descriptions of all DePauw courses in philosophy, along with major and minor requirements, may be found under Majors, Minor, & Catalog of Courses.

PHILOSOPHY COURSES FOR FALL 2025

(Descriptions for spring 2025 courses are below.)

PHIL 101A: Introduction to Philosophy: Big Questions (area: AH)
Professor Jeremy Anderson, 2:50-3:50 MWF
Does God exist, and can we prove it? What can we know about the world outside our minds? Are we free? How should we live? We will read, discuss, and critique philosophical works on these questions from ancient times to the present. Requirements will include written responses to readings, short papers, exams, and participation.

PHIL 101B: Introduction to Philosophy: Get It, Girl (area: AH)
Professor Jennifer Everett, 8:00-9:00 MWF
This course aims to introduce the field of philosophy in a way that's explicitly attuned to voices that have been missing or marginalized in the Western canon.  This class is for students of any race, gender, culture, etc. who are curious about philosophy.  You must be willing to study challenging texts  - including but not limited to works considered part of the Western canon - and to think hard, discuss collegially, and write extensively about the difficult questions they raise concerning knowledge, reality, ethics, and society.  The relevance of social identities, structures, and power relations to such questions will be a consistent theme.

PHIL 197A: First-Year Seminar: Heart of Darkness
Professor Erik Wielenberg, 10:20-11:20 MWF
Every human being has within them the capacity for evil. In this course, we will seek to increase our understanding of human nature, particularly our capacity for evil, including the causes of the capacity for evil as well as resources for resisting or overcoming this capacity. We will launch our investigation of evil with Joseph Conrad's classic 1899 novella “Heart of Darkness”, which tells the story of the apparently noble and "civilized" Kurtz's descent into savagery and evil, and with Chinua Achebe's important critical response to Conrad's novella, “An Image of Africa.” In our quest to understand our own dark hearts, we will draw on philosophy, psychology, literature, and other relevant fields.

Phil 197B: First-Year Seminar: (TBA)
Professor Richard Cameron, 9:10-10:10 MWF
(TBA)

PHIL 209A Topics: Ethics Bowl (ETS)
Professor Marcia McKelligan, 7-9:50 PM T, 3 additional hours ARR
In this class, we will engage in a variety of activities to prepare for the regional Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl competition at Marian University in Indianapolis, which will take place on November 22, 2025. I hope to have two teams of 5-6 enter the competition. To prepare we will cover the basics of ethical theory and then explore the particular moral and social policy questions raised in the 9 cases that will be made available in early September. All cases will be discussed in detail by all members of the class. We will meet as a group for 6 hours a week (perhaps more once in a while, perhaps less sometimes). Students will write several drafts of papers that will form the basis of their case presentations. Those drafts will be energetically, charitably and constructively critiqued by me and by other members of the class. One goal will be for a DePauw team to win or place highly enough in the regional competition to earn a bid to the national competition in St. Louis, MO, in early 2026. Other significant goals will be to learn in depth about timely and important moral issues, hone your research and argumentative skills, and gain experience and confidence in the oral presentation and defense of your ideas. It is possible to enroll in the class as an auditor rather than for credit. The instructor's permission is required to enroll in the course. Please see me as soon as possible so that I can answer your questions and we can determine if this class is a good option for you. You can learn more about Ethics Bowl at APPE IEB® (appe-ethics.org)

PHIL 209B Topics: Free Market Capitalism & Human Nature (interdisciplinary: BUS)
Professor Erik Wielenberg, 1:40-2:40 MWF
Traditional economics seems to assume that human beings have generally stable preferences, that we are well-off to the extent that those preferences are satisfied, and that we always act so as to maximize the satisfaction of our preferences. Behavioral economists argue that this is an inaccurate (or at least incomplete) view of human nature. We will first briefly examine the origins and (some of the) central principles of traditional economics. We will then consider some of the ways that, according to behavioral economists, traditional economics rests on a mistaken view of human nature. Finally, we will draw on ideas from behavioral economics to explore some important ways in which the free market and human nature interact, including: (1) the on-going “obesity epidemic”, (2) the impact of American-style free market capitalism on families and children, (3) the rise of “bullshit jobs”.

PHIL 212A: History of Western Philosophy: Ancient (area: AH)
Professor Richard Cameron, 10:00-11:30 TR
According to one ancient Western philosopher, Socrates, our class will be “about this (and what would even a person of little intelligence take more seriously than this?), about the way we're supposed to live.”  The course will introduce you to the ‘giants’ upon whose shoulders Socrates was standing when he developed his philosophy as well as the Greek thinkers – Plato, Aristotle, the hedonists, the Stoics, the skeptics – whom he influenced.  Join us in getting deeper into questions those with great intelligence have thought we ought to take most seriously as we set out living our lives.  Come investigate the education every free person should have.

PHIL 230A: Ethical Theory (area: AH; interdisciplinary: PACS, ETS, GLH)
Professor Jeremy Anderson, 12:30-1:30 MWF
The question, “What should I do?” is unavoidable for us. In many situations, some choices are clearly better than others. In this course we will consider some major types of ethical theory -- that is, accounts of why some choices are better than others -- and examine their features, merits, and weaknesses. We will also discuss whether there is an objective basis for ethical rules and, if time permits, we may also consider various controversial issues such as abortion, euthanasia, and war. Requirements will include written responses to readings, exams, papers, a presentation, and participation.

PHIL 230A: Ethical Theory (area: AH; interdisciplinary: PACS, ETS, GLH)
Professor David Holiday, 10:00-11:30 TR
Ethical issues are some of the most important, and difficult, ones in our lives. We live under the concepts of good and evil, right and wrong, and many of us will dwell on big ethical questions like: “What should I do?”; “What kind of person should I strive to be”; and “What makes a human life good?” This course offers a seminar-style survey of major texts and problems in ancient, modern, contemporary, and non-Western moral philosophy. The course will involve lots of close, critical reading of canonical texts, classroom discussion, and some written assignments (short tests and essays).

PHIL 232A: Environmental Ethics (area: AH; interdisciplinary: PACS, ETS, GLH)
Professor Jennifer Everett, 10:20-11:20 MWF
Environmental ethics is a practical, interdisciplinary field concerned with identifying and facilitating environmentally ethical behaviors, policies, and social systems.  It asks, for example, how much we are each obligated to do to address climate change; how gender, race, and class intersect with environmental problems; how far we should be willing to go to save species from extinction; and how we ought to eat if we intend to heal the world.  It is also a subfield of philosophy that studies the nature of and grounds for our moral obligations regarding the more-than-human world.  What are our duties to other animals?  Do non-sentient beings like trees have value in themselves that we should respect apart from their usefulness?  Does nature or “naturalness” give us moral reasons to do or not do certain things?  This course helps students identify, scrutinize, and develop their own ethical views on both practical and theoretical levels.

PHIL 233A/BUS 290BD: Ethics & Business (interdisciplinary: ETS, GLH, BUS)
Professor Tucker Sechrest, 2:20-3:50 T Th
The course examines the ways the market impacts our social and political relations and the ways in which our legal institutions constrict and enable the market. Is the market a friend or foe of equality? What kind of freedom does the free market give us? Do businesses have an obligation to support socially desirable ends? Much of the coursework will be dedicated to tying Supreme Court case opinions to classical and contemporary political philosophy.

PHIL 251A: Logic (area: SM; competence: Q)
Professor Ashley Puzzo, 1:40-2:40 MWF
Logic is the study of inference: What follows from what and why? We shall begin with a treatment of elementary propositional logic. This sets the foundation for the study of quantificational logic. We discuss semantics, syntax, and the relationship between them. No prior courses in philosophy are required. This is a Q course! For questions or sample syllabus, email me: ashleypuzzo@depauw.edu.

Phil 340A: Classical Political Philosophy (interdisciplinary: ETS, PACS)
Professor Alex Richardson, 12:40-2:10 TR
This course begins with the foundations of classical political philosophy in ancient Greece and traces the development of key ideas about justice, freedom, and governance through subsequent eras. Building on these historical underpinnings, we’ll explore the advent of political liberalism and consider how social contract theories, conceptions of individual rights, and various critiques of these ideas—from communitarian, anarchist, feminist, and critical race perspectives—have reshaped our understanding of politics. The course also investigates radical democratic alternatives to liberalism that propose new methods of collective decision-making, as well as epistocratic critiques that question whether political power should be allocated based on knowledge or expertise. By closely examining political liberalism and its critics, students will gain a richer perspective on how classical political philosophy both informs and is challenged by contemporary debates. This course requires a prerequisite of one prior course in philosophy, or instructor permission for enrollment.

Phil 360A: Philosophy of Science
Professor Ashley Puzzo, 2:50-3:50 MWF
Can science infer truths about unobservable entities? If science can, how and with what kind of reliability? How, if it all, is inductive reasoning justified? The Philosophy of Science is an exciting branch of philosophy dovetailing with metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and the history of philosophy. We investigate the foundations, methods, limits, implications, and history of science writ large. Our course shall examine the demarcation between science and nonscience, the reliability of scientific theories, the problem of induction, and more. We shall deploy some elementary probability concepts requiring only minimal algebra, all developed from the ground up. For questions email me: ashleypuzzo@depauw.edu

PHIL 469A: Philosophical Problems: Humility
Professor Erik Wielenberg, 2:20-3:50 TR
While identified as a tremendously important virtue in the Christian tradition, humility is a somewhat controversial trait outside of a religious context. We will first examine humility as a Christian virtue, focusing on how humility is construed within Christianity and why it is viewed as so important in that tradition. We will next turn to some critical discussions of humility outside of Christianity before considering what Confucian thought has to say about humility’s nature and importance. Finally, we will examine contemporary work on humility by philosophers and psychologists. In addition to understanding and evaluating a number of views and arguments about humility, we will seek an answer to the following questions: (1) what would it mean for us to be humble? (2) should we be humble – and if so, why? Requirements include two short papers, a final paper, and two exams. Pre-requisites: any two courses in philosophy or permission of instructor. 

PHILOSOPHY COURSES FOR SPRING 2025

(Descriptions for fall 2025 courses are above.) 

PHIL 101A: Introduction to Philosophy: Big Questions (area: AH)
Professor Jeremy Anderson, 2:50-3:50 MWF
Does God exist, and can we prove it? What can we know about the world outside our minds? Are we free? How should we live? We will read, discuss, and critique philosophical works on these questions from ancient times to the present. Requirements will include written responses to readings, short papers, exams, and participation.

PHIL 101B: Introduction to Philosophy: Big Questions (area: AH)
Professor Erik Wielenberg, 10:20-11:20 MWF
This course introduces students to some of the central topics and methods of philosophy. The course will focus on these questions: What should we do about injustice? How well do we know ourselves? Where does consciousness come from? Does God exist? The readings for the course are drawn from a bewildering variety of classic and contemporary sources. Requirements include tests, papers, and several unannounced quizzes.

PHIL 101C: Introduction to Philosophy: The Examined Life (area: AH)
Professor Richard Cameron, 9:10-10:10 MWF
Is the unexamined life really not worth living (Socrates) or is ignorance life’s extremist bliss (Sophocles)?  What is such examination supposed to involve, anyway?  We’ll be doing philosophy in the first (rather than the third) person in this course, trying to figure out for ourselves what it takes to make our lives worth living given the issues that face us – race and racism, climate change, a post-truth media environment, and questions about who’s to say with regard to this or that controversial issue.  Requirements include short daily written assignments and essays throughout the semester.

PHIL 209A: Power, Privilege, and Diversity (PPD; competence: W)
Professor Richard Cameron, 10:20-11:20 MWF
This course focuses on one main philosophical project: analyzing and understanding important concepts, in this case, the concepts underlying DePauw's Power, Privilege, and Diversity requirements. By the end of the course, we'll hope to have a better understanding of the range of meanings associated with each of these concepts, some understanding of how allies who share broad goals may nonetheless differ with regard to each concept, and a better sense of how 'outsiders' or 'critics' of such concepts and their application at the University understand and critique them. To do our work we'll be looking at historical and contemporary theoretical perspectives on the concepts, applications of them to practical issues, and both friendly inter-theoretical critiques as well as work that is more highly critical of whole approaches.

PHIL 209B Topics: Philosophy for Children
Professor Alex Richardson, 8:30-11:20 T
This course will provide extended engagement with both the theory and practice of engaging children in philosophical discussion. Topically, students will explore issues in traditional areas of philosophy such as ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology, as well as more specific questions about the philosophical and developmental nature of childhood and the purposes of education. This theoretical work will be supplemented with the development of age-appropriate pedagogies for introducing philosophical ideas to young people through children’s literature. Students will apply their work outside the classroom by leading and facilitating periodic discussion workshops with local children in grades 3-5 at Greencastle’s Tzounakis Intermediate School.

PHIL 209C Topics: The Ethics Project
Professor Jeffrey Dunn, 8:20-9:50 TR
The highlight of this class is a semester-long, experiential project called the Ethics Project. The idea is simple: Think of something good to do and that adds value to the world. Then do it.
To help you implement your project, the Prindle Institute for Ethics will make available to each group at least $600 in funding. This project gives you great freedom to be entrepreneurial, but also great responsibility. At the end you will need to justify the way you spent your time and money. How do you know you added value to the world? Why does it matter? The course content will complement the Ethics Project. In class we will think about different kinds of value, about how values might be measured, and the promise and dangers therein. We will address questions about cooperation and self-interest, as well as foundational questions about the role of business, the role of government regulation, and the role of markets. Thinking about these foundational questions and then implementing the Ethics Project is excellent career preparation. In some jobs, people tell you what to do. But as you advance in your career, you will have jobs where you have to identify what the most important problems are, and then solve them. That is what we will do in this class.

PHIL 216A: History of Western Philosophy: Early Modern (area: AH)
Professor Jeremy Anderson, 12:30-1:30 MWF
Expect to be challenged as you join in some of the more ambitious projects in Western philosophical history, and begin to see the universe in radically different ways through the eyes of brilliant people. This course is a survey of some major Western philosophers from the 17th and 18th centuries: Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant, especially their metaphysics and epistemology--that is, their attempts to figure out what the universe is really like, and what we can and cannot know. Classes include lecture and discussion, and there will be exams and possibly papers.

PHIL 230A: Ethical Theory (area: AH; interdisciplinary: PACS, GLH, ETS; competence: W)
Professor Erik Wielenberg, 1:40-2:40 MWF
This course is devoted to an examination of some of the central questions in theoretical ethics. Specifically, we will consider each of the following questions: What makes a human life good for the one who lives it? What is the nature of good (and evil) character? What makes morally right acts right? What is the relationship, if any, between living a moral life and living a life that is good for you? We will critically examine both historical and contemporary attempts to answer each of these questions. The readings include some classics of ethical philosophy by Plato, Aristotle, Confucius, Immanuel Kant, and John Stuart Mill, some works of fiction, such as Octavia Butler’s “Bloodchild” and Ursula Le Guin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”, plus a smattering of shorter pieces from philosophy and psychology. The requirements include tests, papers, and unannounced quizzes.

PHIL 230B: Ethical Theory (area: AH; interdisciplinary: PACS, GLH, ETS)
Professor Jennifer Everett, 8:00-9:00 MWF
This course addresses the most fundamental question faced by human beings: how ought we to live? Each of us wants to do the right thing, live a good life, be an honorable person. We want to live in a just and flourishing society. To approach such matters philosophically is inevitably to confront theoretical questions about morality’s nature, purpose, and practice. During the first part of the course we address meta-level questions: What methods of reasoning should we employ in ethics? How are race and gender relevant to understanding ethics? Can moral questions have any objectively correct answers, or is it all “a matter of opinion”? In the second part, we explore the landscape of normative ethical theory, competing efforts to explain at a general level why certain outcomes are good or bad, why particular acts are right or wrong, or why certain traits of character are worth developing.  Readings include both mainstream and marginalized voices, drawn mainly but not exclusively from the Western tradition; requirements include daily homework, formal papers, and scheduled exams.

PHIL 233A/BUS 290BD: Ethics & Business (interdisciplinary: BUS, PACS, ETS)
Professor Tucker Sechrest, 2:20-3:50 T Th
The course examines the ways the market impacts our social and political relations and the ways in which our legal institutions constrict and enable the market. Is the market a friend or foe of equality? What kind of freedom does the free market give us? Do businesses have an obligation to support socially desirable ends? Much of the coursework will be dedicated to tying Supreme Court case opinions to classical and contemporary political philosophy.

PHIL 251A: Logic (area: SM; competence: Q)
Professor Ashley Puzzo, 1:40-2:40 MWF

PHIL 251B: Logic (area: SM; competence: Q)
Professor Ashley Puzzo, 2:50-3:50 MWF
Logic is the study of inference: What follows from what and why? We shall begin with a treatment of elementary propositional logic. This sets the foundation for the study of quantificational logic. We discuss semantics, syntax, and the relationship between them. No prior courses in philosophy are required. This is a Q course! For questions or sample syllabus, email me: ashleypuzzo@depauw.edu.

PHIL 309A Topics: Feminist Philosophy (interdisciplinary: ETS, WGGS)
Professor Jennifer Everett, 8:20-9:50 TR
This course introduces feminist philosophy as a gender-conscious approach to some of the problems of philosophy (e.g.: What is real? What is a self? What can we know? How should we live? What would constitute a just social order?) as well as a philosophical approach to some of the problems of feminist theory (e.g.: What is/are gender(s)?  What is sexism, and how does it intersect with racism and other forms of oppression?  What are the social and political goals of feminism, and how should they be pursued?)  Students will gain exposure to feminist critiques of the traditional, Western canon of philosophy and will become familiar with the contributions of several important feminist thinkers, as well as the debates between them.  Prerequisite: One course either in Philosophy or in Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies, or instructor permission.

PHIL 309B Topics: Forgiveness & Revenge (interdisciplinary: PACS, ETS)
Professor David Holiday, 10:00-11:30 TR
What should we do after we, or our loved ones, have been wronged? After you have been abused, mistreated or suffered an injustice, or after your community has been subjected to an atrocity, how should you act towards the perpetrator(s)? Moral philosophers tell us that there is a natural and justified response to moral injury, resentment (or ressentiment). They also tell us that there are two options for how to move beyond resentment: to forgive the perpetrator; or to take revenge against them. And they are almost unanimously in favour of forgiveness and strongly against revenge. This course will explore these issues through engagement with the work of some classic philosophers (Nietzsche, Bacon, Butler and Arendt), as well as contemporary theorists of forgiveness and vengeance (Jeffrie Murphy, Peter French and Charles Griswold). We will explore the almost magical power of forgiveness to release us from an otherwise irreversibly ruined past, and the very real dangers of taking revenge. But we will also tackle difficult questions about the limits of forgiveness, whether forgiveness is possible in political or social-level wrongs, the possibility of unforgivable crimes, and some partial and wholehearted defences of vengeance. A note of caution: The class will involve a viewing of the hyper-violent South Korean revenge film Oldboy, and include readings from post-atrocity contexts such as the Holocaust, which some students may find unpleasant or disturbing. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy or permission of instructor.

Phil 309C Topics: Ethical Perspectives for Leadership (interdisciplinary: GLH, ETS, LEAD)
Professor David Holiday, 12:40-2:10 TR
The practice of leading involves the use of interpersonal influence, which means that leadership has substantial ethical aspects “built in.” Leadership must pursue socially elevating goals, and restrict collaborative teams to only good (or at least morally permissible) means to attain them. Leaders must resist various temptations to abuse their position, and their ability to influence others. Leadership tests moral character, and requires a commitment to consistently uphold shared values. It also requires respect, inclusivity and equitable treatment for all members of the team. This course offers students the core tools and concepts needed to grapple with the ethical questions at the heart of leadership. First, we study multiple moral frameworks needed to understand and practice ethical leadership. Then we will engage with case studies, and contemporary literature, considering ethical aspects of leadership including: privilege and diversity; gender and culture; unethical influence (coercion, exploitation and manipulation); bridging the gap between knowing something is wrong and actually speaking up against it; and whether leaders are ever right to make exceptions to practical principles or rules. (The course has no prerequisites, although students will be well served by having completed LEAD 228—Foundations of Leadership. It serves the Leadership minor, and may also count towards the major and minor in Philosophy.)

PHIL 469A Philosophical Problems: Philosophy of Mind
Professor Erik Wielenberg, 12:40-2:10 TR
In this course we will consider some central questions in contemporary philosophy of mind.  We will begin with an examination of Cartesian substance dualism, but much of the semester will be devoted to examining the works of thinkers who assume a physicalist framework according to which (i) there are no non-physical souls and (ii) every physical event that has a cause at all has a complete physical cause. We will consider three main questions that are particularly pressing within this physicalist framework:
1. What is consciousness, and how is it related to the physical world?
2. Can mental phenomena causally impact the physical world, and, if so, how?
3. Some mental states possess intentionality or “aboutness” in that they seem to represent or be about other things.  How does this occur?
Requirements include exams, some short papers, and a substantial final paper. Prerequisite: two courses in philosophy or permission of instructor. 

PHIL 469B Philosophical Problems: Forgiveness & Revenge (interdisciplinary: PACS, ETS)
Professor David Holiday, 10:00-11:30 TR
(See description for PHIL 309B above.)

PHIL 490: Senior Seminar (competence: S)
Professor Jeremy Anderson, 9:10-10:10 MWF
This class is the capstone course for majors in philosophy. It covers a broad range of advanced topics in philosophy. Typically three or four topics will be covered, and they may be treated historically or systematically. Students will be responsible for presentations and discussions or the material. Several papers will be assigned, and each student selects one which will be the subject of a formal presentation. May not be taken pass-fail. Open only to seniors. 

PHIL 491A:  Senior Thesis
Staff, Time Arranged
This course provides an opportunity for outstanding philosophy majors to produce a substantial (normally 30+ pages in length) research paper on an important topic in philosophy. Students who are planning to do graduate work in philosophy are encouraged to take this course. Students must apply to the department for approval to undertake this project. Accepted students will be assigned a thesis advisor who will set the schedule for the completion of the paper. The course culminates with an oral defense of the completed paper. Prerequisite: Major in philosophy, senior status and departmental approval. May not be taken pass-fail.