10/19/2026
Spring 2027 Philosophy Courses
PHI 100 0001-LEC 46884 Contemporary Moral Problems, TTh 11:00am-12:15pm, Little Hall 100, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 50, Instructor: Derek Michaud
Course Description: Examines a variety of moral problems causing controversy in contemporary society. Focuses on evaluating arguments for and against competing solutions to these problems. Also discusses different philosophical strategies for thinking about moral obligations and relationships. Topics surveyed may include abortion, affirmative action, euthanasia, feminism, the environment, capital punishment, welfare, and aid to the needy, technology, war and racism, among others. Core Curriculum: Ethics.
PHI 100 0990-LEC 46887 Contemporary Moral Problems, Web Online Only-12/28/26-1/15/27, 3 cr.
PHI 100 0991-LEC 46886 Contemporary Moral Problems, Web Online Only-3/8/27-4/30/27, 3 cr.
PHI 100 0991-LEC 46885 Contemporary Moral Problems, Web Online Only-1/19/27-4/30/27, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 49, Instructor: Joe Arel
Course Description: Examines a variety of moral problems causing controversy in contemporary society. Focuses on evaluating arguments for and against competing solutions to these problems. Also discusses different philosophical strategies for thinking about moral obligations and relationships. Topics surveyed may include abortion, affirmative action, euthanasia, feminism, the environment, capital punishment, welfare, and aid to the needy, technology, war and racism, among others. Core Curriculum: Ethics.
PHI 102 0001-LEC 46888, Introduction to Philosophy, TTh 12:30-1:45pm, Merrill Hall 330, 3 cr.
PHI 102 0002-LEC 46889, Introduction to Philosophy, TTh 9:30-10:45am, Merrill Hall 330, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 40, Instructor: Robby Finley
Course Description: This course is an introduction to the fundamental ideas and methods of the western philosophical tradition. Students will engage in close, guided readings of significant texts from this tradition and will be given the tools necessary to develop their own original ideas in response to it. Additionally, readings for this course will be presented and organized thematically rather than chronologically, so students can expect to encounter a wide variety of sources within western philosophy. Students should come away from this course with a strong grasp of the core themes of the western philosophical tradition, as well as the ability to articulate their own original ideas regarding it. Core Curriculum: Ethics.
PHI 102 0003-LEC 46890, Introduction to Philosophy, MWF, 1:00-1:50pm, Barrows Hall 119, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 40, Instructor: Mike Devito
Course Description: An introduction to philosophical thought and critical thinking through an engagement of ideas from the world’s philosophical traditions. Questions will be asked about the nature of wisdom and knowledge, the essence of reality and of ideas, human nature, virtue and community, justice, and political life. Assignments will include reflection papers and exams. Core Curriculum: Ethics.
PHI 102 0990-LEC 46892, Introduction to Philosophy, Web Online Only 3/8/27-4/30/27, 3 cr.
PHI 102 0991-LEC 46891, Introduction to Philosophy, Web Online Only 1/19/27-4/30/27, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 39, Instructor: Joe Arel
Course Description: Introduction to Philosophy is an introduction to the academic discipline of Philosophy. This course introduces students to major questions and methods of inquiry in Philosophy. Methods of inquiry include clear and concise articulation, logical argument, critical analysis, and synthesis. In addition to basic logic, topics include epistemology (what is knowledge), metaphysics (what is reality), and practical philosophy (how should we live our lives?). Core Curriculum: Ethics.
PHI 103 0001-LEC 45376, Think!, MWF, 11:00-11:50am, Shibles Hall 217, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 40, Instructor: Mike Devito
Course Description: A study of principles used to distinguish correct from incorrect reasoning including the nature of thought, uses of language, recognition of arguments, informal fallacies, purposes and types of definition, deduction and induction. Emphasis on understanding and mastering through practice some fundamental techniques for testing the soundness of many different kinds of reasoning. Core Curriculum: Human Cultural Traditions.
PHI 104 0001-LEC 46419, Existentialism and Literature, TTh 9:30-10:45am, Williams Hall 211, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 40, Instructor: Susan Bredlau
Course Description: Existentialism is a revolutionary movement in 20th century philosophy that studies the ways in which it is up to us to make our lives and our world meaningful. The texts we will read in this course will offer insightful and perspective-shifting studies of human nature in addition to challenging us to reflect personally on the values by which we live and, indeed, to ask ourselves whether we are honest with respect to how we live our lives. We will also consider works of contemporary literature that help to bring out these existentialist themes in particularly vivid and intimate ways through their content as well as their form of expression. Core Curriculum: Artistic and Creative Expression.
PHI 204 0001-LEC 47042, Introduction to Political Theory, TuTh 9:30-10:45am, Boudreau Hall 237, 3cr.
Max Enrollment: 5, Instructor: Robert Ballingall
Course Description: An introduction to the fundamental questions of political philosophy–what is justice? how ought we to live our lives? what is the best regime?–through detailed study of a few central books in the history of political thought, such as Plato’s Republic and Machiavelli’s Prince. Core Curriculum: Civic Lit & Soc Con, Ethics.
PHI 232 0001-LEC 46128, Environmental Ethics, TTh 11:00am-12:15pm, Merrill Hall 330, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 40, Instructor: Don Beith
Course Description: A study of environmental ethical principles ranging from the history of Maine ecology to contemporary issues in environmental justice. We will study Thoreau’s The Maine Woods alongside traditional ecological knowledges and Wabanaki thinking, then read the ethics of the built environment through Alexander Wilson’s The Culture of Nature and other social constructivist thinkers, concluding our investigations with Rob Nixon’s Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor. We will also examine indigenous, ecofeminist and contemporary climate change thinkers. Core Curriculum: Ethics.
PHI 235 0001-LEC 45832, Biomedical Ethics, MWF 11:00-11:50am, Stevens Hall 365, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 40, Instructor: Jessica Miller
Course Description: Bioethics is an interdisciplinary field that explores the ethical dimensions of healthcare, scientific research, provider training, and health policy. Bioethics invites a critical examination of the historical, social, political, and cultural forces that shape the life sciences. Topics may include the clinician-patient relationship, access to healthcare, the fair allocation of scarce medical resources, beginning and end-of-life care, conflicts of interest, surrogate decision-making, and new biomedical technologies such as genetic engineering. Students will develop skills to identify and address ethical issues that arise in healthcare practice. Core Curriculum: Ethics.
PHI 240 0001-LEC 462225, Social & Political Philosophy, TTh, 12:30-1:45pm, The Maples 217, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 25, Instructor: Susan Bredlau
Course Description: What does it mean to be a citizen? What is the purpose of laws? What kinds of political practices promote human freedom? What justifies political authority?In this course, we will reflect on the political, economic, and social realities that inform our lives and examine the values they embody. In addition to texts from the history of westernphilosophy, we will also study work from contemporary post-colonial and indigenous thinkers. . Core Curriculum: Civic Literacy and Social Contexts.
PHI 305 0001-LEC 47047, Late Modern Political Thought, TTh, 2:00-3:15am, Boudreau Hall 237, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 5, Instructor: Robert Ballingall
Course Description: A survey of modern political philosophy from the French Revolution to the twentieth century through detailed study of selected writings of Rousseau, Marx, Mill, and Nietzsche. Core Curriculum: Writing Intensive.
PHI 308 0990-LEC 48026, Liberalism and its Critics, Web Online Only 1/19/27-4/30/27, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 5, Instructor: Robert Ballingall
Course Description: A study of landmark texts out of which modern liberalism and conservatism emerged, including works by Rousseau, Burke, Paine, and Wollstonecraft, which are compared to more the recent accounts of contemporary thinkers such as Francis Fukuyama, Patrick Deneen, and Leo Strauss.
PHI 312 0001-LEC 45833, History of Modern Philosophy, MW 2:00-3:15pm, The Maples 217, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 20, Instructor: Hao Hong
Course Description: This course offers a survey of the philosophical theories raised by major "modern philosophers" in the 17th and 18th centuries. We will focus on these theories in three areas: metaphysics (the nature of substance and the mind-body relationship), epistemology (knowledge and perception), and ethics (moral rightness/wrongness). We will pay special attention to the women philosophers of the early modern period whose voices have been ignored in the history of philosophy. Core Curriculum:
PHI 315 0001-LEC 47479, 19th Century Philosophy, TTH, 2:00-3:15pm, The Maples 217, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 20, Instructor: Don Beith
Course Description: Explores the philosophical concept of repetition across the nineteenth century, staging encounters between revolutionary philosophers and radical storytellers. Together, we will analyze repetition as a limit of the mind in Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Judgment alongside Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”; we will take up history as repetition in Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel’s Introduction to the Philosophy of History paired with George Eliot’s (Mary Ann Evans’) The Lifted Veil; we will consider the absurdity of repetition as existential disruption in Søren Kierkegaard’s Repetition matched with Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”; we then evaluate habitual repetition as moral compulsion in Friedrich Nietzsche’s On the Genealogy of Morals met with Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market”; finally, we turn to transformative liberation in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Circles” and “The Method of Nature.” Discover how repetition shapes human desire, power, freedom and fate.
PHI 355 0990-LEC 48182, Music & Politics American Context, Web Online Only 1/19/27-4/30/27, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 5, Instructor: Mark Brewer
Course Description: Examines the intersections and interactions of music and politics in the United States. Topics of investigation and discussion include (but not limited to): the role of music in society, why the state might be interested in music, how music contributes to identity, and the political messages and activism produced by music. Core Curriculum: Artistic and Creative Expression.
PHI 465 0001-LEC 45853, Adv. Topics in Philosophy: Title: Gender and Psychoanalysis, MW 2:00-2:00pm, Williams Hall 219, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 3, Instructor: Qian Zhang
Course Description: In this era of anxiety, how should we make sense of our gender-related experiences? How can we continue thinking about and discussing gender issues without unconsciously repressing all kinds of emotions, including anxiety, shame, pleasure, guilt, etc.? What if we use those emotions as our vectors to theorize our desire and cultural and societal gender dynamics? By engaging with your experiences, alongside literature, film, video games, TV shows, and music, this course aims to introduce psychoanalytic gender theories. It provides an open space to explore gender and gender relations in contemporary societies across different cultures while encouraging refreshed perspectives. We will begin by recapping the classic discussions on subjectivity, femininity, and masculinity in psychoanalysis. Building on this foundation, we will expand our discussion on gender relations by examining contemporary issues, including the temporality of gender experience, maternal studies, and memory studies. This course aims to generate an intellectual exploration of our life experiences and encounters with various cultural productions—including literature, film, video, videogames, TV shows, and music.
PHI 475 0001-SEM 45882, Philosophy Capstone: Title: Epistemic Injustice MW 3:30-4:45pm, The Maples 217, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 20, Jessica Miller
Course Description: This seminar will focus on a topic at the intersection of epistemology, ethics, and political philosophy: epistemic injustice. In it, we will examine issues in social epistemology, with a focus on how social identities and standing affect knowledge production and reception. Topics will include: testimonial and hermeneutical injustice, standpoint epistemology, trust and self-trust, epistemologies of ignorance, and the politics of credibility. Core Curriculum: Writing Intensive and Capstone.
JST 205 0001-LEC 47924, Jewish History & Antisemitism, TuTh 11:00am-12:15pm, Merrill Hall 114, 3 cr.
Max Enrollment: 24, Bill Siemers
Course Description: This course is a history of antisemitism, describing its manifestations from pre-Christian Alexandria to the founding of the State of Israel. Students will be exposed to several academic and popular theories of antisemitism, exploring debates about its proper scope and development, and integrate these ideas with a study of the arc of Jewish history, read closely together in primary sources. Core Curriculum: Ethics.
For questions or permission, please contact: Philosophy at 207.581.3866 or email Jen Bowen at [email protected]
