Philosophy

• CAS PH 484: Topics in Speculative Philosophy
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: any one philosophy course from CAS PH 440-447, or consent of instructo r. - Topic for Fall 2015: Meaning.
• CAS PH 485: Topics in Philosophy of Value
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASPH 450 OR CASPH 451 OR CASPH 452 OR CASPH 453 OR CASPH 454 OR CASPH 455 OR CASPH 457) any one philosophy course from CASPH 450-457, or consent of instructor. - Topics vary from year to year. Topic for Spring 2021: What is happiness? How can we achieve a balanced, healthy, fulfilling life? Classical thinkers such as Aristotle, Plato, Chuang Tzu; Stoic, Confucian, Buddhist, Taoist paths; comparison with contemporary studies of happiness and mindfulness.
• CAS PH 487: Topics in the Philosophy of Science
  A discussion-based introduction to core issues in the philosophy of science, focusing on the topics of scientific realism, theory change, reductionism, explanation, models, and natural kinds.
• CAS PH 491: Directed Study
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior or senior standing, consent of instructor and department, and a pproval of CAS Academic Advising. - Individual or small group tutorial instruction and directed research on selected topics.
• CAS PH 492: Directed Study
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior or senior standing, consent of instructor and department, and a pproval of CAS Academic Advising. - Individual or small group tutorial instruction and directed research on selected topics.
• CAS PH 493: Meaning, Memory, and History
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing. - Explores central issues in the philosophy of history, from Kant, Hegel, and Nietzsche to Collingwood, Popper, and Danto. Topics include: is history a science' If so, what kind' How does it differ from tradition and memory' Does it have a meaning' Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
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  • Historical Consciousness
  • Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
• CAS PH 495: Philosophy and Mysticism: Jewish and Islamic Perspectives
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar; and one course from among the following: P hilosophy, Religion, Core Curriculum (CC101 and/or CC102) - A thematic introduction to mysticism and philosophy, with a focus on the dynamics of religious experience. Readings will be drawn from medieval Jewish and Islamic philosophy; Sufi mysticism and philosophy; Kabbalah, Sufi poetry, Hebrew poetry from the Golden Age of Muslim Spain. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing- Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
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  • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
  • Writing-Intensive Course
• CAS PH 496: Topics in Religious Thought
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASWR 120 or equivalent and one course from among the following: Religion, Philosophy, Core Curriculum (CASCC 101 and/or CC 102). - Topic for Spring 2025: Happiness, East and West. What is happiness? How can we achieve a balanced, healthy, fulfilling life? Classical thinkers such as Aristotle, Plato, Chuang Tzu; Stoic, Confucian, Buddhist paths; comparison with contemporary studies on happiness and mindfulness. Effective Spring 2023 this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
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  • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
  • Writing-Intensive Course
• CAS PH 525: Judith Butler
  Undergraduate prerequisites: two previous XL, WS, or PH courses; or consent of instructor. Graduate prerequisites: graduate standing. - An intensive study of Judith Butler's philosophical thought and social theory from the 1990s to the present, with an emphasis on the continuities and discontinuities between Butler's early work on gender performativity and more recent writings on racial justice, war, and violence.