SYLLABI

Philosophy of Sport (here)

Brief Course Description: Sports often play a significant role in people’s lives. Most have participated in some form of sporting activity or have at least had the chance to watch and root for their favorite teams on TV. Sport is a multibillion dollar international industry that shapes everything from our communities to our politics. That being said, sport has gained little attention within philosophy, despite it raising many important philosophical issues. This course serves as an introduction to the study of the philosophy of sport, particularly with regard to metaphysical, epistemic and ethical questions that have arisen in recent decades. We will attempt to answer questions like, What is sport? Is it right to separate sports according to sex? Are dangerous sports valuable? What does it mean for a game to be fair? What’s wrong with doping? and many others.

​

Introduction to Ethics (here)

Brief Course Description: We sometimes say that an action is morally right or wrong. In this course we will ask a number of questions about such claims in order to better grasp the nature of morality. What is right, what is wrong, and why? When is it good for you to get what you want? To what extent are we morally obliged to respect the rights and needs of others? What do we owe the poor, the oppressed, or our loved ones? With respect to all of the questions we will investigate competing answers and critically engage with them to examine their strengths and weaknesses. This course is an introduction to moral philosophy and is intended for the student who has had little or no prior exposure to philosophy.  It will provide a broad overview of central ethical and metaethical concepts as well as cover the important philosophical debates found in the fields of metaethics and normative theory.

​

Contemporary Moral Issues (here)

Brief Course Description: The focus of this course is to provide an introduction to important issues that arise in contemporary public debate concerning matters of social justice and what we owe to one another. Topics will include: animal rights, environmental ethics, reproduction and the family, and economic inequality amongst others. Throughout the semester we will consider multiple points of view on these topics and you will be given guidance in analyzing and deconstructing the moral frameworks informing these conflicting positions. The ultimate goal of the course is to provide the basis for respectful and informed discussion of matters of common moral concern. This course is an introduction to moral philosophy and is intended for the student who has had little or no prior exposure to philosophy.  It will provide a broad overview of central ethical concepts as well as cover the important philosophical debates found in the fields of normative ethics and applied ethical theory.