Courses

Please note that if you need advising you should contact Prof. Elise Crull ( ecrull@ccny.cuny.edu "> ecrull@ccny.cuny.edu ). Office hours are by appointment.

Spring 2025 Philosophy Courses

City College of New York
—Questions? Feel free to reach out to Prof. Elise Crull, Philosophy academic advisor:
ecrull@ccny.cuny.edu "> ecrull@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 11800 - Introduction to Jewish Philosophy                                                        
Meetings: T/Th 2:00pm - 3:15pm
Modality: In-person   [Instructor t.b.a]  

Explores the birth and development of Jewish philosophical systems in the contexts of, and in response to, the demands of their particular geographic, cultural, and historical environments from ancient Greece to present-day America.

PHIL 20100 - Logical Reasoning
Several sections, please check CUNYFirst for times & instructors are Prof Nick Pappas/ Prof. Ralph Jenkins

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 
TH 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 with Prof. Ben Vilhauer
Meetings: T/Th 3:30PM – 4:45PM
Modality: In-person 

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 
Prof. Jeffrey Blustein/Prof. Aaron Finbloom
Meetings: T/Th 9:30am – 10:45am with Blustein
          Tu 6:00PM – 8:30PM or W 6:00PM – 8:30PM with Finbloom
Modality: in person Blustein; Online synchronous 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 31124 – Metaphysics with Prof. Elise Crull
Meetings: T/Th 2:00PM – 3:15PM
Modality: In-person    

Metaphysics is arguably the most fundamental type of philosophy, for it is the subject area where one confronts entirely basic -- yet incredibly rich -- questions. For example, metaphysics is concerned with the very nature of being and existence, of time and change, personal identity, free will and determinism, and object-property or part-whole relations. This course introduces students to historical and contemporary debates on such metaphysical issues. Students will become acquainted with major positions on various key topics, learn how to critique and respond to arguments, and ultimately construct and defend their own positions within these debates.

PHIL 31127 – Africana Philosophy & Philosophy of Race  with Prof. Sean Apparicio
Meetings: M/W 9:30AM – 10:45AM
Modality: In-person    

Africana Philosophy is a relatively new area of philosophical research that seeks to examine and explore the problems faced by the people of the African diaspora, meaning those who have ancestors from the African continent. (Primarily from Africa, the Caribbean, and both North and South America.) In this course we will be considering the different ways Africana Philosophers sought to address various philosophical problems such as those arising from their struggle against racism, colonization, and the legacy of slavery. We will also pay particular attention to how they conceived of their racialized identity and what impact it may have had on their work. But first we’ll begin by briefly exploring what philosophers refer to as the metaphysics of race. In this section, we?ll try to get a sense of what we mean by race or races. Are races groups of people that share similar physical traits? Or does one’s ancestry determine one's race? Or are races merely something created by human social or cultural practices – and if so, how? As we know, racial classification is significant, because it can confer negative social and political values onto individuals by using their race as a means of regulating their socio-political life and as a rationale for their dehumanization. This will then help us get a better understanding of the issues raised by a people whose humanity has been challenged and called into question.

PHIL 31128 – The Ethics of Reproduction with Prof. Anna Hotter
Meetings: M/W 3:30PM -4:45 PM
Modality: In-person  

 
This course surveys central issues in the ethics of human reproduction. Topics include the morality of abortion; whether we can harm people by bringing them into existence; moral issues raised by assisted reproduction; genetic selection and enhancement; the impact of our reproductive choices on future generations. The course will introduce students to philosophical conceptions of personal identity, fundamental moral notions (e.g., harm, interests, autonomy, respect), and the standards of bioethical debate.

PHIL 31141 – Community with Prof. David Weissman
Meetings:  M/W 2:00PM - 3:15PM 
Modality:  In-person

Community is often invoked respectfully but without a clear referent. The word is said to be used ninety-four ways, evidence that its sense is diffuse. The class will clarify the word's principal expressions and the alternative ideological spaces--holistic and hierarchical or open and tolerant--in which communities form. Members bind in the interest of utility--jobs or schools--or because home and friendship are the focus of feeling and significance. These binders are social glue: they explain our dedication to communal aims and loyalty to fellow members. Autonomy in their context is socialized; its bases are the information, attitudes, and skills acquired when families and schools prepare us for roles in communities inherited or chosen. Yet community is fraught. Holistic societies are repressive; open societies are vulnerable. The members of successful communities--families, businesses, and schools--often thrive. Those excluded for want of luck or skill are abandoned and anonymous. Their isolation is one of an open society's two pathologies: collaboration is a social necessity when resources, space, and skills are scarce; competition turned visceral and murderous is a vice.
 

PHIL 31142 – Plato’s Republic with Prof. Nickolas Pappas
Meetings: M/W  11:00AM-12:15PM 
Modality: In-person

This course will conduct an intensive reading of Plato's Republic, and perhaps other works by Plato. The Republic brings the famously impractical subject of philosophy into close engagement with the cynical practicalities of politics. To make that engagement happen, Plato reimagines philosophy so that it can organize politics, but also reimagines politics so that it opens itself up to philosophical intervention. The result is a grand and mysterious dialogue that speaks to politics, ethics, psychology, education, the nature of art, and metaphysics. The course will undertake a sustained and close study of the Republic. Students will keep a journal, write some short response pieces, and construct bibliographies for further research.
 

PHIL 31195 – Consciousness                             
Meetings: T 6:00PM – 8:30PM 
Modality: Online Synchronous  [Instructor t.b.a]  

Explaining consciousness has been and continues to be one of the hot button issues in both philosophy and cognitive science in the last half century. This course introduces students to some of the core issues in the philosophy of consciousness, surveys a number of the scientifically and philosophically informed theories of consciousness, and investigates the scientific experiments that attempt to answer questions about what consciousness is, and what we are conscious of. Students of all levels of familiarity with issues of consciousness are invited to register

PHIL 32200 - Philosophy of Science
MoWe 12:30pM - 1:45AM — In Person — Instructor: Prof. Sean Apparicio

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 32300 – Philosophy of Mind with Prof. Chad Kidd
Meetings: T/Th 11:00AM -12:15PM 
Modality: In-person

Examination of some classical and contemporary problems relating to our concepts and theories of mind, and of psychological phenomena such as intelligence, rationality, and emotion. Topics are likely to include theories of the relation between mind and brain (varieties of dualism and materialism); self-knowledge and knowledge of other minds; psychopathology; artificial intelligence; and personal identity.

PHIL 32600 - Philosophy of Law with Prof. Alex Mendez                           
Meetings: M/W 12:30PM – 1:45PM 
Modality: In-person

A critical analysis of some central concepts employed in legal reasoning and judgment, such as justice, crime, evidence, responsibility, legal and civil rights, punishment, civil disobedience, and constitutional interpretation. Examination of major theories of law such as natural law theory, legal positivism and social realism, and of the relation between the law and morality.

PHIL 34905 - Biomedical Ethics
Multiple options both online and in person! Meetings: Various sections – see CUNYFirst for details
Modality: Various – see CUNYFirst for details

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.

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