Hoos’ List

Introduces the interrelationships of linguistic, cultural, and social phenomena with emphasis on the importance of these interrelationships in interpreting human behavior. No prior knowledge of linguistics is required.

Reviews key findings in the study of language variation. Explores the use of language to express identity and social difference.

Examines the evolution of our capacity for language along with the development of human ways of cooperating in engaged social interaction. Course integrates cognitive, cultural, social, and biological aspects of language in comparative perspective. How is the familiar shape of language today the result of evolutionary and developmental processes involving the form, function, meaning and use of signs and symbols in social ecologies?

An introduction to the study of language relationships and linguistic structures. Topics covered the basic elements of grammatical description; genetic, areal, and typological relationships among languages; a survey of the world's major language groupings and the notable structures and grammatical categories they exhibit; and the issue of language endangerment. Prerequisite: One year study of a world language or permission of instructor.

Looks historically at speech and language in Hollywood movies, including the technological challenges and artistic theories and controversies attending the transition from silent to sound films. Focuses on the ways that gender, racial, ethnic, and national identities are constructed through the representation of speech, dialect, and accent. Introduces semiotics but requires no knowledge of linguistics, or film studies.

In this course, students rethink assumptions about what "language" and "environment" are. Both depend on living systems to be rendered meaningful, and together we will wrestle with how these two ideas can be brought into relation and the implications associated with different frames of understanding. There are many perspectives on the issues raised in this course, and you will receive a broad introduction to that diversity.

Covers Jewish languages Yiddish, Judeo-Arabic, Ladino, and Hebrew from historical, linguistic, and literary perspectives. Explores the relations between communities and languages, the nature of diaspora, and the death and revival of languages. No prior knowledge of these languages is required. This course is cross-listed with MEST 2470.

Topics to be announced prior to each semester, dealing with linguistics.

The study of pidgins and creoles emerged as a subfield of linguistics in the latter half of the 20th century. Its ideas have been borrowed, notably by anthropologists, to analyze the increased diversity and fusion we confront in a globalizing world. Where did such ideas come from? What are their (un)intended consequences? This course will trace the epistemological development of Creole studies and consider its historical and contemporary impacts.

Introduces the native languages of North America and the methods that linguists and anthropologists use to record and analyze them. Examines the use of grammars, texts and dictionaries of individual languages and affords insight into the diversity among the languages.

Introduction to peoples, languages, cultures and histories of the Middle East. Focuses on Israel/Palestine as a microcosm of important social processes-such as colonialism, nationalism, religious fundamentalism, and modernization-that affect the region as a whole. This course is cross-listed with MEST 3470. Prerequisite: Previous course in anthropology, linguistics, Middle East Studies or permission of instructor.

This course covers the basic principles of diachronic linguistics and discusses the uses of linguistic data in the reconstruction of prehistory.

Language and Thought

Topics to be announced prior to each semester, dealing with linguistics.

Survey of modern schools of linguistics, both American and European, discussing each approach in terms of historical and intellectual context, analytical goals, assumptions about the nature of language, and relation between theory and methodology.

Investigates the grammatical structure of non-European language on the basis of data collected in class from a native speaker. A different language is the focus of study each year.

An introduction to the theory and analysis of linguistic sound systems. Covers the essential units of speech sound that lexical and grammatical elements are composed of, how those units are organized at multiple levels of representation, and the principles governing the relation between levels.     

Survey of modern schools of linguistics, both American and European, discussing each approach in terms of historical and intellectual context, analytical goals, assumptions about the nature of language, and relation between theory and methodology.

Considers how languages change as part of social systems and affected by historical processes. We will contrast language change through internal processes of drift and regular sound change with contact-induced language change involving multilingualism and code switching, language shift and lexical borrowing, the emergence of pidgin, creole, and intertwined languages, language endangerment, and computational tools for historical linguistics.

This course explores the theoretical, practical, and ethical foundations of language documentation and linguistic fieldwork, forms of research that can hardly be separated in this era of global language loss.

This course introduces students to the literature pertaining to the development of Artificial Intelligence, especially as this pursuit entails questions of Language, Data, Ecology, and Epistemology. Together we will discuss touchstone pieces tied to these issues and work towards developing resources that will eventually inform the development of an undergraduate gateway course on Language, AI, and Society.

There is more to language acquisition than learning vocabulary and grammar; one also becomes an appropriate user of language as one is socialized into being a competent member of a speech community. This course explores learners¿ understandings of what speech is and how it functions, and how communicative encounters shape speakers sense of who they are and how they should act or feel, thereby serving as a locus for the transmission of culture.

In anthropology, where identity has become a central concern, language is seen as an important site for the construction of, and negotiation over social identities. In linguistics, reference to categories of social identity helps to explain language structure and change. This seminar explores the overlap between these converging trends by focusing on the notion of discourse as a nexus of cultural and linguistic processes.

Students build knowledge and practice of analysis of peoples' joint-engagement in embodied interactions. How does action weave together multiple sensory modalities into semiotic webs linking interactions with more durative institutions of social life? Course includes workshops on video recording, and the transcription and coding of verbal and non-verbal actions. Prior coursework in Linguistics, Anthropology or instructor permission recommended.

This course surveys ethnographic and linguistic literature on literacy, focusing on the social meanings of speaking vs. writing (and hearing vs. reading) as opposed communicative practices, looking especially at traditionally oral societies.

Discourse analysis looks at the patterns in language and language-use above the level of sentence grammar and seeks to apply the micro-level analysis of communicative interactions to understanding the macro-level processes of social and cultural reproduction. Topics include: symbolic interactionism, conversation analysis, critical discourse analysis, interactional sociolinguistics, discourse prosody, and digital analysis techniques.

Topics to be announced prior to each semester, dealing with linguistics.

An advanced introduction to the study of language from an anthropological point of view. No prior coursework in linguistics is expected, but the course is aimed at graduate students who will use what they learn in their own anthropologically-oriented research. Topics include an introduction to such basic concepts in linguistic anthropology as language in world-view, the nature of symbolic meaning, language and nationalism, universals and particulars in language, language in history and prehistory, the ethnography of speaking, the nature of everyday conversation, and the study of poetic language. The course is required for all Anthropology graduate students. It also counts toward the Theory requirement for the M.A. in Linguistics.

Survey of modern schools of linguistics, both American and European, discussing each approach in terms of historical and intellectual context, analytical goals, assumptions about the nature of language, and relation between theory and methodology.

The study of pidgins and creoles emerged as a subfield of linguistics in the latter half of the 20th century. Its ideas have been borrowed, notably by anthropologists, to analyze the increasing diversity and mixedness we confront in a globalizing world. But where did such ideas come from, and what are their (un)intended consequences? In this course, we trace the epistemological development of Creole studies and consider its historical and contemporary impacts.

Surveys the classification and typological characteristics of Native American languages and the history of their study, with intensive work on one language by each student. Some linguistics background is helpful.

Language and Culture in the Middle East

This course covers the basic principles of diachronic linguistics (the study of how languages change over time) and the uses of linguistic data in the reconstruction of prehistory. Considered is the use of linguistic evidence in tracing prehistoric population movements in demonstrating contact among prehistoric groups and in the reconstruction of daily life. To the extent that the literature permits, examples and case studies will be drawn from the Mayan language area of Central America, and will include discussion of the pre-Columbian Mayan writing system and its ongoing decipherment. Fulfills the comparative-historical requirement for Linguistics graduate students.

Analyzes particular aspects of language structure and use. Topics vary from year to year.

Describes spoken English and ASL (American Sign Language) on five levels: phonological, morphological, lexical, syntactic, and discourse and compares/contrasts them using real-world examples. Describes major linguistic components and processes of English and ASL. Introduces basic theories regarding ASL structure. Emphasizes ASL's status as a natural language by comparing/contrasting similarities and unique differences between the two languages.

Examines such topics as American deaf history; ASL linguistics; deaf education; cultural versus pathological views of deaf people; controversies over efforts to eliminate sign language and cure deafness; ASL poetry and storytelling; deafness in mainstream literature, film, and drama; deafness and other minority identities; and the international deaf community.

Languages as superficially different as English, Greek, Latin, and Sanskrit in fact all developed from a single "proto-language," called Proto-Indo-European. This course will explore the following questions: What was this proto-language like? How do we know what it was like? By what processes did it develop into the various daughter languages? How can we trace words as diverse as wit, idea, video, and Veda back to a common source?

This introduction to the Celtic inhabitants of Gaul and Britain unites two approaches, one literary, one linguistic. First, we will compare descriptions of the Celts found in Greek and Latin authors with readings of Celtic literature in translation, notably Ireland's great prose epic, the Táin Bó Cúailnge. Second, we will explore how the Celtic languages work, focusing on the basics of Old Irish as well as touching on Middle Welsh and Gaulish.

Languages as superficially different as English, Greek, Latin, and Sanskrit in fact all developed from a single "proto-language," called Proto-Indo-European. This course will explore the following questions: What was this proto-language like? How do we know what it was like? By what processes did it develop into the various daughter languages? How can we trace words as diverse as wit, idea, video, and Veda back to a common source?

The course examines principal concepts and procedures for the study of physiologic, perceptual and acoustic aspects of voice, speech and hearing. The course leads the student into the fascinating world of new applications in daily life, in business, and especially in education and clinical work.

This course focuses on the psychological processes that underlie the acquisition and the use of language. There is an emphasis on the interaction between linguistic skills and other cognitive skills. Topics include learnability, microgenesis of speech, bilingualism and variation, and a psycholinguistic approach to breakdowns (i.e., language pathology).

This course uses the students' personal experience and perceptions as a starting point to interpret and understand theories. The course introduces central concepts such as language contact, language dominance, language policies, creolization, bilingualism, language diversification, language dispersal, dialect, idiolect, and sociolect. The course also includes a focus on policies that can influence linguistic variation.

This course provides an introduction to discourse analysis theory and methodology as they relate to classrooms and other educational settings. Readings will provide an overview of discourse analysis approaches used in educational research, with a particular focus on micro-ethnographic and conversation-analytic approaches. Fieldwork and hands-on analysis of discourse will form a significant portion of the course.

This course is designed to provide you with an overview to key issues related to the education of linguistic minorities (labeled "English Learners," or "ELs") in K-12 settings in the United States. We will explore second language acquisition theory, language policy, pedagogical approaches, and the practices of ELs and their teachers.

Studies the development of English word forms and vocabulary from Old English to present-day English. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at https://english.as.virginia.edu/.

This course examines the communicative practices of African American Vernacular English (AAEV) to explore how a marginalized language dynamic has made major transitions into American mainstream discourse. AAEV is no longer solely the informal speech of many African Americans; it is the way Americans speak.

Studies the Old English language and the literature of early Medieval England. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://english.as.virginia.edu/.

Studies the development of English word forms and vocabulary from Old English to present-day English. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at https://english.as.virginia.edu/.

Studies the Old English language and the literature of early Medieval England. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://english.as.virginia.edu/.

Reviews pronunciation, phonetics, and phonology for undergraduates.

This course will include topics such as French outside France; regional French varieties; Romance dialectology; French socio-linguistics. Prerequisite: FREN 3031 and 3030.

Topics of specific interest to faculty and advanced undergraduate students. Prerequisite: FREN 3030, 3031, and one 4000-level course in French.

An introduction to the study of language relationships and linguistic structures. Topics covered the basic elements of grammatical description; genetic, areal, and typological relationships among languages; a survey of the world's major language groupings and the notable structures and grammatical categories they exhibit; and the issue of language endangerment. Prerequisite: One year study of a world language or permission of instructor.

Studies the theory, problems, and methods in teaching English as a second language, with attention to relevant areas of general linguistics and the structure of English.

Through this course, students focus on teaching oral English as another language, while gaining experience in the practice of English-language teaching to international students, faculty, and staff at the University. This is an excellent opportunity to gain teaching experience under the supervision of an experienced mentor. For every 1 hour of credit, students must meet with an instructor for 5 classroom & practice 33 hours.

Through this course, students focus on culture in ESL, while gaining experience in the practice of English-language teaching to international students, faculty, and staff at the University. This is an excellent opportunity to gain teaching experience under the supervision of an experienced mentor. For every 1 hour of credit, students must meet with an instructor for 5 classroom & practice 33 hours

Through this course, students focus on the topic of writing in an L2, while gaining experience in the practice of English-language teaching to international students, faculty, and staff at the University. This experience is an excellent opportunity to gain teaching experience under the supervision of an experienced mentor.

Introduces students to the descriptive grammar of English and applied methods for reasoning about linguistic structure through community-engaged group research introducing linguistics to Virginia High School students. Covers units of sound and phonemic transcriptions, word building and inflection, lexical categories, basic sentence types, common phrase and clause patterns, and syntactic transformations structural analysis and use of evidence.

New course in the subject of linguistics

New course in the subject of linguistics.

Linguistic typologists study the patterns of grammatical forms and relations as they vary and converge across the diversity of the world's languages. Students in this course examine and critically evaluate definitions, methods and results of typological research, and gain practice analyzing linguistic data through typological lenses.

In this course, we explore the cognitive faculties that enable us to interpret language in context. This requires us to critically examine a variety of linguistic theories which fall into two basic categories: those that ask what kinds of categories words/constructions denote (semantics) and those that ask how linguistic form is related to discourse context (pragmatics). Studying patterns cross-linguistically allows us to critically analyze the theories and arrive at generalizations on meaning.

Conducted by students under the supervision of an instructor of their choice.

In this course students will work closely with a professor on an ongoing research project.

A two-semester course in which the student prepares a thesis under the supervision of a Linguistics faculty member. Prerequisite: Participants in the Distinguished Majors Program in Linguistics.

A two-semester course in which the student prepares a thesis under the supervision of a Linguistics faculty member. Prerequisite: Participants in the Distinguished Majors Program in Linguistics.

Studies the theory, problems, and methods in teaching English as a second language, with attention to relevant areas of general linguistics and the structure of English.

Through this course, students focus on the topic of language in an L2, while gaining experience in the practice of English-language teaching to international students, faculty, and staff at the University. This experience is an excellent opportunity to gain teaching experience under the supervision of an experienced mentor. For every 1 hour of credit, students must meet with an instructor for 5 classroom & practice 33 hours. Prerequisite: 3250

Through this course, students focus on the topic of culture in ESL, while gaining experience in the practice of English-language teaching to international students, faculty, and staff at the University. This experience is an excellent opportunity to gain teaching experience under the supervision of an experienced mentor. For every 1 hour of credit, students must meet with an instructor for 5 classroom & practice 33 hours. Prerequisite: 3250

Through this course, students focus on the topic of writing in an L2, while gaining experience in the practice of English-language teaching to international students, faculty, and staff at the University. This experience is an excellent opportunity to gain teaching experience under the supervision of an experienced mentor. For every 1 hour of credit, students must meet with an instructor for 5 classroom & practice 33 hours.

Investigates the grammatical structure of non-European language on the basis of data collected in class from a native speaker. A different language is the focus of study each year.

In this course on phonetics, students will explore the acoustic properties of different segment types, formants, pitch, intensity, spectra, and voice pulsing, among other phenomena. The emphasis is on parameters that influence speech intelligibility, the correlates of language variation (comparison between languages, effects of dialects), as well as some aspects of phonetic pathology. Prerequisites: LNGS 3250 or Instructor Permission

An introduction to the theory and analysis of linguistic sound systems. Covers the essential units of speech sound that lexical and grammatical elements are composed of, how those units are organized at multiple levels of representation, and the principles governing the relation between levels.     

Independent study conducted by the student under the supervision of, and with agreement of, instructor.

New course in the subject of linguistics.

Course explores cognitive faculties that enable people to interpret and use language. We look closely and critically at theories that ask what categories, words and constructions denote (semantic theories) and theories that ask how linguistic form relates to discourse-conversation (pragmatic theories). Students should have taken a prior Linguistics class to succeed in this course.

Linguistic typologists study the patterns of grammatical forms and relations as they vary and converge across the diversity of the world's languages. Students in this course examine and critically evaluate definitions, methods and results of typological research, and gain practice analyzing linguistic data through typological lenses.

This course focuses on the psychological processes that underlie the use of language and speech. Is language competence different from other human skills? Is language a biological, a psychological, a cultural phenomenon, or all of these? Why do people speak with an accent? Why do we forget words (and why do we remember them)?

This course provides students with a foundation in the grammar of the English language. Topics include phonology, morphology, syntax, with a focus on structural analysis. Students will gain confidence in discussing the form, function, & usage of linguistic structures. These topics will also be related to the teaching & tutoring of English as a second language including error correction & feedback which will be reflected in advanced final papers.

New course in the subject of linguistics.

Examines such topics as American deaf history; ASL linguistics; deaf education; cultural versus pathological views of deaf people; controversies over efforts to eliminate sign language and cure deafness; ASL poetry and storytelling; deafness in mainstream literature, film, and drama; deafness and other minority identities; and the international deaf community.

Preparation for Master's Research, no thesis director.

For Master's thesis, taken under the supervision of a thesis director.

Special Areas Students should choose electives in one or more of the following areas: anthropology, Asian and Middle Eastern languages and Cultures, comparative Latin and Greek, English language study, Germanic linguistics, Indic linguistics, philosophy, psychology, Romance linguistics, Slavic linguistics.

Introduces the history and structure of what has been termed Black English Vernacular or Black Street English. Focuses on the sociolinguistic factors that led to its emergence, its present role in the Black community, and its relevance in education and racial stereotypes.

An examination of the structure, history, and sociolinguistics of the English spoken in the southeastern United States.

Introduces sign systems, language as a sign system, and approaches to linguistics description. Emphasizes the application of descriptive techniques to data.

An introduction to the nature and causation of variation in linguistic systems over time, with attention to the comparative and internal reconstruction of systems no longer attested but assumed to have existed. LNGS 3250 or Instructor Permission

Syntax and Semantics

This course introduces students to language as a system and the theoretical underpinnings of the analytic procedures used by linguists. It proceeds from the assumption that the goal of language is to communicate (i.e., to convey meaning via messages), and investigates assumptions relating to the manner in which it accomplishes this goal. This course is required for all Linguistics graduate students. 

An introduction to the nature, causation, and theory of variation in linguistic systems over time, with attention to the theoretical underpinnings and implementation of the methods of internal and comparative reconstruction. Prerequisite: LNGS 7010 or instructor permission.

Introduces the history and structure of what has been termed Black English Vernacular or Black Street English. Focuses on the sociolinguistic factors that led to its emergence, its present role in the Black community, and its relevance in education and racial stereotypes.

A discuss of the structure and history of the English spoken in the Southeastern United States. Prerequisites: Instructor Permission.

Covers Jewish languages Yiddish, Judeo-Arabic, Ladino, and Hebrew from historical, linguistic, and literary perspectives. Explores the relations between communities and languages, the nature of diaspora, and the death and revival of languages. No prior knowledge of these languages is required. This course is cross-listed with ANTH 2470.

Introduction to peoples, languages, cultures and histories of the Middle East. Focuses on Israel/Palestine as a microcosm of important social processes-such as colonialism, nationalism, religious fundamentalism, and modernization-that affect the region as a whole. This course is cross-listed with ANTH 3470. Prerequisite: Prior coursework in anthropology, middle east studies, or linguistics, or permission of the instructor.

Introduces a broad spectrum of philosophical problems and approaches. Topics include basic questions concerning morality, skepticism and the foundations of knowledge, the mind and its relation to the body, and the existence of God. Readings are drawn from classics in the history of philosophy and/or contemporary sources. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/

This class explores the intersection of philosophy with issues concerning VR, computer simulation, AI, etc. Can traditional philosophical problems be seen through the lens of VR and AI- and do VR and AI raise new and distinctive philosophical issues? This will show how reflection on modern technologies can help with ancient philosophical questions and how philosophy can help in the development of new technologies and society's response to them.

Analyzes the structure of informal arguments and fallacies that are commonly committed in everyday reasoning. The course will not cover symbolic logic in any detail. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

Discussion groups devoted to some philosophical writing or topic. Information on the specific topic can be obtained from the philosophy department at course enrollment time. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

Examines a wide variety of theories of human nature, with the aim of understanding how we can fulfill our nature and thereby live good, satisfying and meaningful lives. Focuses on the questions of whether it is in our nature to be rational, moral and/or social beings. Readings are taken from contemporary and historical sources. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

Examines some of the central problems of moral philosophy and their sources in human life and thought. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

Studies the fundamental principles underlying contemporary and historical discussions of such issues as abortion, euthanasia, suicide, pacifism, and political terror. Examines Utilitarian and anti-Utilitarian modes of thought about human life and the significance of death. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

Examines and evaluates some basic practices and principles of Anglo-American law. Discusses the justification of punishment, the death penalty, legal liability, good samaritan laws, and the legal enforcement of morality. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

Survey of the history of philosophy from the Pre-Socratic period through the Middle Ages. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

Surveys the history of modern philosophy, beginning with Descartes and extending up to the nineteenth century. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

This course surveys foundational issues in the philosophy of cognitive science. Part 1 asks, what is a mind? Are minds brains? Computers? Do minds extend into the body & environment? What it would take to make a machine with a mind? Part 2 turns to the problem of personal identity over time. Once you were a kid, now you're an adult, and one day you'll grow old. What (if anything) makes you the same person over your life.

Introduces the concepts and techniques of modern formal logic, including both sentential and quantifier logic, as well as proof, interpretation, translation, and validity. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

A lecture series on the various topics central to Philosophy.

Seminars aimed at showing how philosophical problems arise in connection with subjects of general interest. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

In this class, we will examine philosophical puzzles about our ability to make rational choices that affect or determine our own happiness. How can we rationally decide to undergo a significant experience - such as having a child or moving to a new country - when have no way of knowing what that experience will be like? How can we rationally choose to make decisions about our future?

Other species seem to represent objects in their environments, think about the thoughts of their conspecifics, and perhaps even use language. Some seem to have long-term memory, emotion, and self-awareness. Do they in fact do all of these things, and if so, how, and in what sense? We will engage philosophically with the best scientific evidence available to answer these and similar questions before considering their ethical implications.

Considers the problems raised by arguments for and against the existence of God; discussion of such related topics as evil, evidence for miracles, and the relation between philosophy and theology. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

This course will consider three central questions in political philosophy: Why do political societies exist? What kind of political society is best? And, what is the proper role of the state in the social and economic affairs of its citizens? Rather than a comprehensive overview of the subject, this course will offer a chance to carefully examine some of the most influential attempts to answer to these core questions.

A survey of the political ideas and theories of the ancient Greeks and Romans, including such works as Plato's REPUBLIC, Aristotle's POLITICS and Cicero's DE RE PUBLICA. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

In this class, we'll discuss philosophical theories of health and explore difficult issues in the measurement and treatment of health-related issues

This course investigates the history and the scientific and philosophical implications of Darwin's revolutionary idea that the wholly unguided process of natural selection could explain the magnificent variety and adaptedness of living things and their descent from a common ancestor. One of the philosophical topics we will explore is how scientific theories are supported by evidence and how science yields knowledge

Introduces the philosophy of Plato through careful examination of selected Platonic dialogues. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

An introduction to the philosophy of Aristotle, covering his major works in ethics, political philosophy, metaphysics, theory of knowledge, and literary theory. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

Examines the continued development of philosophy from after Aristotle to the end of the Middle Ages. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

Studies the central philosophers in the rationalist tradition.

Studies the central philosophers in the empiricist tradition.

Primarily a study of Kant's metaphysics and epistemology, followed by a brief look at the views of some of Idealist successors. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.philosophy.virginia.edu.

A comprehensive study of the philosophy of Nietzsche, with an examination of his views on life, truth, philosophy, art, morality, nihilism, values and their creation, will to power, eternal recurrence, and more. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/. Prerequisite: instructor permission (previous course in philosophy preferred)

An introduction to the philosophy of Hegel. Students will explore Hegel's distinctive method of dialectical reasoning and his systematic approach to metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, politics, art, and history. The course situates Hegel within the broader context of German Idealism, examining his responses to Kant, Fichte, and Schelling, while also tracing his lasting impact on later traditions such as Marxism, Existentialism, Phenomenology, and Critical Theory.

Examines central metaphysical issues such as time, the existence of God, causality and determinism, universals, possibility and necessity, identity, and the nature of metaphysics. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

Studies problems concerned with the foundations of knowledge, perception, and rational belief. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

Studies some basic problems of philosophical psychology. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

What distinguishes science from pseudoscience, or from other human practices more generally? How does evidence confirm theories? What does it mean for a scientific theory to explain some aspect of the world? Should we believe scientific theories are true? How do values and social forces shape scientific inquiry? Such questions point to core issues in philosophy of science. In this course, we will examine these and similar topics drawing on both historical and contemporary scientific research.

An introduction to systems of non-classical logic, including both extensions and revisions to classical logic.

Topics change from semester to semester and year to year. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

Studies some recent contemporary philosophical movement, writing, or topic. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

Science fiction is a distinctively philosophical genre. Science fiction stories can cause us to question the bounds of what is possible, explore ethical questions that arise in alien circumstances, explore the nature of the self and the very nature of reality, and so on. This course will investigate philosophical questions via science fiction literature, and use philosophy to explore the nature of science fiction.

Words have power. They can inform and deceive, delight and hurt. They can be rousing, illuminating, poignant or hilarious. Written words encode our laws and transmit knowledge and testimony across generations. Questions covered may include: How do the words we use get their meanings? By what mechanism do sequences of arbitrary sounds combine to express thoughts and feelings? How does language enable you to express a new thought you had, even if it has never been thought before?

This course will consider three central questions in political philosophy: Why do political societies exist? What kind of political society is best? And, what is the proper role of the state in the social and economic affairs of its citizens? Rather than a comprehensive overview of the subject, this course will offer a chance to carefully examine some of the most influential attempts to answer to these core questions.

Economics is the study of how the various goods and resources that members of a community need are produced and distributed. This course will study various fundamental questions that concern economic thinking. Questions addressed can include: what is the relationship between economy and society? What is market value, and how does it relate to other kinds of value? What kinds of economic arrangements are required as a matter of justice?

History of modern ethical theory (Hobbes to Mill) with especial emphasis on the texts of Hume (Treatise, Book III) and Kant, (Grundlegung), which will be studied carefully and critically. Among the topics to be considered: Is morality based on reason? Is it necessarily irrational not to act morally? Are moral standards objective? Are they conventional? Is it a matter of luck whether we are morally virtuous? Is the morally responsible will a free will? Are all reasons for acting dependent on desires? For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

Studies Anglo-American ethics since 1900. While there are selected readings from G. E. Moore, W. D. Ross, A. J. Ayer, C. L. Stevenson and R. M. Hare, emphasis is on more recent work. Among the topics to be considered: Are there moral facts? Are moral values relative? Are moral judgments universalizable? Are they prescriptive? Are they cognitive? What is to be said for utilitarianism as a moral theory? What against it? And what are the alternatives? For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

In this class, we'll first examine the question 'What is gender?' Then we'll look at ways in which gender can interact with traditional philosophical topics, including epistemology, philosophy of language, political philosophy, etc.

In this class, we'll be talking about philosophical issues at the intersection of sexuality, sexual experience, and gender experience. What is sexual consent? What is the relationship between sexual consent and sexual morality? What is sexual orientation, and what is its relationship to sex and gender? Is there such a thing as biological sex? Is there a difference between sex and gender?

This class explores philosophical issues in the nature of mental health and mental illness. Topics may include: What is the difference between a mental illness and a physical illness? How do we understand the difference between mental difference and mental dysfunction? Does our current approach to understanding mental health overly pathologize or medicalize people? What is a social contagion? What does it mean to be mentally healthy?

A heterodox belief is a belief that is held in opposition to received wisdom or status quo. Heterodox beliefs play an important role in challenging the status quo and advancing knowledge. But they are also central to conspiracy theories and misinformation. In this class, we'll discuss when and how heterodox beliefs can be warranted, and whether we can tell the difference between good and bad cases.

Examination of the nature and function of liberty in social theorists such as Adam Smith, JJ Rousseau, Ayn Rand, John Rawls, Robert Nozick. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

Topic changes from year to year. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/. Prerequisite: Philosophy majors.

For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

This class is about some of the fascinating and mind-bending issues that arise in the intersection of logic, philosophy, mathematics, and computer science. Some of the issues we will discuss are: the nature of infinity; set theory, including non-well-founded set theories; whether math is all about structure and what that might mean; Turing machines and the limits of computability and mathematical proof; Godel's incompleteness theorems; paradoxes and the nature of logic and truth.

For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

Independent study under the direction of a faculty member. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

Independent study under the direction of a faculty member. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

A survey of the political ideas and theories of the ancient Greeks and Romans.

A survey of the most important philosophers of the Modern Age.

Seminar on an Ethics Topic

A seminar on the ethical implications of biomedical research.

A seminar on political theory and how the topics of rights and freedoms are incorporated.

A seminar on the nature of being and the world

A seminar on the nature and scope of knowledge.

A seminar on logic features and reasoning.

Seminar for First Yr graduate students. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

Tutorial instruction. The student will attend lectures and cover the subjects of an undergraduate course, but will do additional reading and/or written work to strengthen their understanding of that philosophical area.

With the permission of the instructor, a student may arrange to take an undergraduate course for graduate credit under this designation. The student will attend lectures and cover the subjects of the undergraduate course, but will do additional reading and/or written work; the student's work in the course will be graded on a scale appropriate for graduate course work.

A survey of the political ideas and theories of the ancient Greeks and Romans.

A survey of the most important philosophers of the Middle Ages.

A survey of the most important philosophers of the Modern Age.

A survey of ethical theory and moral status.

A seminar on political theory and how the topics of rights and freedoms are incorporated.

A seminar on the nature of being and the world

A seminar on the various topics with in the Philosophy of Science.

A seminar on logic features and reasoning.

For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

The course addresses recent literature on the following questions: (1) what is the ontological nature of experience? (sense-data theories vs. state theories vs. disjunctivism); (2) is the phenomenal character of experience exhausted by its representational content? (representationalism vs. qualia realism); (3) does experience contain any nonconceptual representational content? (4) are the intrinsic features of experience introspectible?

A survey of the political ideas and theories of the ancient Greeks and Romans.

A survey of the most important philosophers of the Modern Age.

A survey of ethical theory and moral status.

A seminar on political theory and how the topics of rights and freedoms are incorporated.

A seminar on the nature of being and the world

A seminar on the nature and scope of knowledge.

For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

This course is designed for graduate students in their third or fourth year. It focuses on dissertation writing and the various skills relevant to professional development.

For doctoral research, taken before a dissertation director has been selected. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.

For doctoral dissertation, taken under the supervision of a dissertation director. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.