Philosophy
Our dual degree program pairs intensive study of philosophy with another, in-progress graduate degree program in a complimentary field. Many students opt for a master's in religious studies, or another approved discipline. Our approach provides you with an interdisciplinary lens on philosophical thought and methodology. Our faculty specialize in the history of Western thought, interpretive and critical theory, practical philosophy, meta-philosophy, and studies in creative and critical reasoning about human nature and values.
The program culminates in a portfolio paper and oral exam to prepare you to take your knowledge into the field. Upon graduating, students pursue doctoral study or a range of career options from math and science to civil service, law and communications that involve problem-solving and reasoning skills..
Our dual degree program pairs intensive study of philosophy with another, in-progress graduate degree program in a complimentary field. Many students opt for a master's in religious studies, or another approved discipline. Our approach provides you with an interdisciplinary lens on philosophical thought and methodology. Our faculty specialize in the history of Western thought, interpretive and critical theory, practical philosophy, meta-philosophy, and studies in creative and critical reasoning about human nature and values.
The program culminates in a portfolio paper and oral exam to prepare you to take your knowledge into the field. Upon graduating, students pursue doctoral study or a range of career options from math and science to civil service, law and communications that involve problem-solving and reasoning skills.
Why Study Philosophy at DU?
Our courses, grounded in historic tradition, reimagine how philosophy speaks to the most significant issues of the 21st century, including its ethics, politics, and scientific and artistic implications.
Our faculty emphasize collaboration, creating opportunities for students to work alongside faculty-scholars on research and projects.
Our dual-degree approach, and close ties with other departments at DU, lets you synthesize concepts across disciplinary boundaries in order to more deeply understand the field of philosophy.
Explore philosophical interests across disciplinary boundaries through our dual-degree program.
Are you ready to learn more about philosophy at DU?
Featured Courses
PHIL 3111
Contemporary Continental Philosophy: The Figure of the Migrant
About this Course
The 21st century has been described as the century of "people on the move" by UNHCR High Commissioner Antonio Guterres. Some 11 million people are refugees worldwide, fleeing political violence and/or persecution at home; whole more than 20 million are internally displaced within the borders of their own countries. Accordingly, the figure of the migrant/refugee has emerged as one of the most important, if not the most important, political figures of contemporary continental philosophy. Despite differences in philosophical orientation, thinkers such as Gilles Deleuze, Judith Butler, Jacques Ranciere, Julia Kristeva, Alain Badiou, and Jacques Derrida have all written at length on the centrality of the figure of the migrant for contemporary political thought. Not only does the figure of the migrant define the people of our time, according to many of these authors, it also defines a positive political way forward. This course thus provides not only a survey of the different traditions in contemporary European philosophy over the last twenty years (post-structuralism, deconstruction, neo-classicism, post-Marxism, third-wave feminism) but also offers a thematic look at the politico-philosophical figure of the migrant and other issues related to migration (human rights, borders, camps, sovereignty, territory, nomadism, and resistance).
PHIL 3152
Philosophy Meets Mysticism: A Greek, Jewish and Islamic Neoplatonic Journey
About this Course
Neoplatonism is a unique genre--somewhere between philosophy and mysticism. In this course, we investigate some of the leading themes of Neoplatonism, tracing the Greek ideas of Plotinus (the third century “father of Neoplatonism”) into later Jewish and Islamic textual traditions. As part of our journey, we will investigate a host of philosophical writings, including the Theology of Aristotle and the Liber de Causis, as well as works by Plato, Plotinus, Proclus, Ibn Tufayl, Acecenna, Isaac Israeli, Solomon Ibn Gabirol, and Abraham Ibn Ezra. Themes to be covered include emanation and creation, apophatic discourse, divine desire, the theological significance of imagination, inward reflection and the call to virtue. Prerequisite: junior standing or instructor's permission.
ECON 3620
Philosophical Perspectives on Economics and Social Sciences
About this Course
This course provides an advanced survey of conceptual and methodological issues that lie at the intersection of philosophy, economics, and the social sciences. More specifically, the main goal is to engage in a critical discussion of how sciences such as psychology, sociology, and neuroscience can challenge and modify the foundations and methodology of economic theories. The course is structured around three broad modules. After a brief introduction, we begin by discussing the emergence of rational choice theory which constitutes the foundation of classical and neoclassical economics and present some paradoxical implications of expected utility theory. The second module focuses on the relationship between economics and psychology. More specifically, we examine the emergence of behavioral economics, the study of the social, cognitive, and emotional factors on the economic decisions of individuals and institutions and their consequences for market prices, returns, and resource allocation. Finally, the third module focuses on the implications of neuroscience on decision making. We discuss some recent developments in neuroeconomics, a field of study emerged over the last few decades which seeks to ground economic theory in the study of neural mechanisms which are expressed mathematically and make behavioral predictions.
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