College Bulletin 2022-2023

May 17, 2024

College Bulletin 2022-2023 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

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Philosophy
	PHIL 021. Social and Political Philosophy: Founding Philosophies This course understandings “founding philosophies” in two senses. On the one hand, it refers to the texts that are said to constitute the canon of “Western civilization”: the philosophies of ancient Greece and Rome, the scholastic theology of Medieval Western Christendom, and the revolutionary thought of the Enlightenment era. On the other hand, it refers to those thinkers and texts that most inspired the radical vision of the American founders and which continue to shape conversations about what it means to be “American” today. To varying degrees, the thinkers in our syllabus explore the following questions: what is the purpose law? How should a state be organized? Who counts as a member of the political body? Importantly, our list of readings is populated by figures who have historically defined the “Western canon,” for which reason there is a stark lack of non-European and non-male thinkers in the syllabus. Our responsibility is to be cognizant of these omissions both by keeping in mind those whose voices are conspicuously absent and, more importantly, by appraising what these absences mean in the context of the texts themselves. The hope is that a close engagement with these writings and ideas will not only allow us to better understand the development of Western political thought, but also identify the deficiencies and gaps in the system that we have inherited so that we are better equipped to critique it. Prerequisite: First- and second-year students must complete one introductory level PHIL course before enrolling in this course. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for GLBL-core Spring 2023. Ahmed. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 023. Metaphysics God, Freedom, and Immortality introduce the traditional metaphysical problems that raise specific issues about causation, necessity, and personal identity, as well as some more general, no less challenging problems of reality and its categories. Fortunately, we are aided by burgeoning current work on all these issue as well as by classical and early modern sources. Prerequisite: First- and second-year students must complete one introductory level PHIL course before enrolling in this course. Humanities. 1 credit. Fall 2024. Raff. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 024. Theory of Knowledge This course selects key texts in the theory of knowledge by epistemologists such as Socrates, Plato, Sextus Empircus, Hume, Moore, and Wittgenstein on topics that include that nature and extent of human knowledge, disagreement, faith, and self-knowledge, among others. Prerequisite: First- and second-year students must complete one introductory level PHIL course before enrolling in this course. Humanities. Writing course. 1 credit. Eligible for COGS Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 029. Philosophy of Nature (Cross-listed as ENVS 048) The question of how we conceive of nature and our relationship to it is one that has become increasingly pressing as we deal with environmental issues that are rapidly reaching a critical point. There has been a resurgence of interest in views like process philosophy-a view that suggests that unless we take interconnected becoming into account we cannot explain the novelty of life; panpsychism-a view that suggests that consciousness may be a fundamental component of the universe rather than an emergent effect of brains; biosemiotics-a view that suggests that even at the level of cells and unicellular organisms life operates through meaning-making rather than merely as mechanisms; and “new” materialism-a view that suggests that even matter instead of being viewed as inert could be conceived as having a kind of agency of its own. These views, among others, in updated forms that take up again questions silenced at earlier points in time in new contexts-along with cross-cultural views that have never succumbed to the Western binaries of nature/culture, human/animal, and self/other-in light of the radical challenges facing us, are rich resources for rethinking our relationship to nature in ways that could foster the kind of shifts in self-understanding and investment in our relations to others and our surroundings that we need to survive. Prerequisite: First- and second-year students must complete one introductory level PHIL course before enrolling in this course. Humanities. 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 030. Buddhist Philosophy This course explores some of the central arguments and debates in Indian Buddhist philosophy from the second to the eleventh centuries. Topics include the problem of human suffering, the existence of the self and the external world, the sources of knowledge, epistemological skepticism, moral responsibility, and the problem of other minds. Students will have the opportunity to reconstruct and critically analyze the arguments of Buddhist philosophers in their historical contexts, as well as ask what we can learn from them today. Prerequisite: First- and second-year students must complete one introductory level PHIL course before enrolling in this course. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for ASIA. Fall 2022. Picascia. Spring 2024. Picascia. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 031. Advanced Logic A survey of various technical and philosophical issues arising from the study of deductive logical systems. Topics are likely to include extensions of classical logic (e.g., the logic of necessity and possibility [modal logic], the logic of time [tense logic], etc.); alternatives to classical logic (e.g., intuitionistic logic, paraconsistent logic); metatheory (e.g., soundness, compactness, Gödel’s incompleteness theorem); philosophical questions (e.g., What distinguishes logic from non-logic? Could logical principles ever be revised in the light of empirical evidence?). Prerequisite: PHIL 012, or PHIL 012A or PHIL 012B Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for COGS Spring 2024. Baker. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 032. History of Analytic Philosophy This course, first, attends to 20^th century philosophy’s initial innovations, led by Moore, Russell, Wittgenstein, as well as Frege and Ramsey. Secondly, we follow developments advanced under banners both of “Logical Positivism,” led by Carnap, Ayer and Quine, and of “Ordinary Language,” by Ryle, Austin, Strawson. We arrive at still current 20^th century achievements and philosophical controversies among late Wittgenstein, McDowell, Appiah, Kripke, and Lewis ‘62. Prerequisite: First- and second-year students must complete one introductory level PHIL course before enrolling in this course. Humanities. 1 credit. Fall 2023. Raff. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 034. Marx, Marxism, & Race Few figures have inspired as much admiration and detestation-and even fewer have had as global a reception-as Karl Marx. Movements for justice and emancipation throughout the 20^th century embraced Marxist ideals as alternatives to the hegemonic and totalizing logics of capitalism and liberalism that had (and has) kept the majority of the world’s population in chains, both literally and metaphorically. A study of Marx’s core insights-that the contradictions inherent in capitalism will lead to its (and perhaps our) eventual demise-remains critical if we are to interrogate the resurgence of white supremacist fascism, the logics of neocolonial exploitation, and the origins of the looming climate catastrophes that define our present moment. In this course, we will interrogate the philosophical assumptions regarding history, subjectivity, and alienation that underpin Marx’s critique of capitalism, and assess the many ways these ideas have been taken up, challenged, and reimagined by thinkers working in the service of antifascist, antiracist, and anticolonial struggles for liberation. Alongside those of Marx himself, we will engage with the writings of such thinkers as Antonio Gramsci, W.E.B. DuBois, Amílcar Cabral, Vivek Chibber, Silvia Federici, and C.L.R. James, as well as several contemporary reflections on racial capitalism. Prerequisite: First- and second-year students must complete one introductory level PHIL course before enrolling in this course. Humanities. 1 credit. Fall 2023. Ahmed. Fall 2024. Ahmed. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 035. Environmental Ethics Environmental ethics deals with normative moral and political questions and issues concerning the environment. Here are some questions we will examine. Who counts in environmental ethics: only humans, all animals, plants, too, or all forms of life, even ecosystems? Should species, natural habitats, or wilderness be preserved for their own sake? What ethical questions does climate change raise and how could and should we answer them? How should we think about our relation to nature and our use of technology in general? Prerequisite: First- and second-year students must complete one introductory level PHIL course before enrolling in this course. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for ENVS, ESCH, GLBL-core Fall 2022. Thomason. Spring 2025. Baumann. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 037. Contemporary Political Philosophy (Cross-listed as POLS 037 ) Prerequisite: First- and second-year students must complete one introductory level PHIL course before enrolling in this course. Humanities. 1 credit. Spring 2024. Thakker. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 038. Origins of Indic Thought Cross-listed as CLST 28 Origins of Indic Thought is designed to give students a foundation in various major philosophical schools that have emerged in the Indian subcontinent by studying their origin stories. These schools include Buddhism, Jainism, Sāṅkhya, Yoga, Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika, Vedānta, and Sikhism. Students will learn the fundamental arguments that each school makes and understand the ongoing conversation between the various schools about the nature of and relationship between the Self, the World, and God. Prerequisite: First- and second-year students must complete one introductory level PHIL course before enrolling in this course. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for ASIA. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 039. Existentialism In this course, we will examine existentialist thinkers such as Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Heidegger, Sartre, Beauvoir, and Camus to explore themes of contemporary European philosophy, including the self, responsibility and authenticity, and the relationships between body and mind, fantasy and reality, and literature and philosophy. Prerequisite: First- and second-year students must complete one introductory level PHIL course before enrolling in this course. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for INTP, GLBL-Paired Fall 2022. Lorraine. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 040. Semantics (Cross-listed as LING 040 ) Note: This is not a writing course for PHIL. Prerequisite: First- and second-year students must complete one introductory level PHIL course before enrolling in this course. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for COGS Fall 2022. Staff. Spring 2023. Staff. Fall 2023. Staff. Spring 2024. Staff. Fall 2024. Staff. Spring 2025. Staff. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 041. Peace and Political Philosophy (Cross-listed as PEAC 41) How might we establish a peaceful world? What is the relationship between peace, justice, and individual rights? Can war ever be justified and, if so, under what circumstances? How can societies that have experienced violent conflict transition into peace? This course examines these questions from the perspective of political philosophy. We will ask what a peaceful world might look like and what would be required to bring it about. Prerequisite: First- and second-year students must complete one introductory level PHIL course before enrolling in this course. Humanities 1 credit. Eligible for PEAC. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 042. Descartes in Contemporary Philosophy Responses to Descartes’ early modern philosophical innovations include basic contemporary work in philosophy of mind, epistemology, philosophy of religion, and metaphysics. Readings from Frege, Russell, Moore, Husserl, Ryle, Wittgenstein, Kripke, Plantinga, Stroud and others. Prerequisite: First- and second-year students must complete one introductory level PHIL course before enrolling in this course. Humanities. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 044. Comparative Theories of Knowledge What can we know? What should we believe? Are there good responses to skeptical arguments challenging our claims to knowledge and justified belief? Under what conditions can we acquire knowledge from what others tell us? Can there be reasonable disagreements among epistemic peers? This course looks at some of the major questions in both contemporary epistemology and classical Indian epistemology on the nature of knowledge and justified belief, skepticism, and topics in social epistemology. Students will be encouraged to think creatively about their own answers to these questions, while appreciating the influential answers coming from a diversity of voices and perspectives in the history of philosophy. This course was previously called ‘Epistemology without Borders’. If you have already taken that course, you cannot take this course, it is the same content, with a new name. Prerequisite: First- and second-year students must complete one introductory level PHIL course, before enrolling in this course. Humanities. 1 credit. Spring 2023. Picascia. Spring 2025. Picascia. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 047. Utopias “A map of the world that does not include Utopia is not worth even glancing at”, Oscar Wilde once said. The first part of the course is dedicated to reading and discussing some classical utopias by authors like Plato, Al-Farabi, T’ao Ch’ien, More, Campanella, Bacon, Cavendish, de Foigny, Mercier, Diderot, Olympe de Gouges, Pierre Prévost-Monfort, Li Ju-Chen, Fourier, Cabet, Marx, Engels, Edward Johnson, Du Bois, Kollontai, Marcuse, Martin Luther King jr., Callenbach, Suits and others. The second part of the course is dedicated to a discussion of different views on the nature and value of utopias. This includes contributions by authors like Berlin, Bloch, Dahrendorf, Horkheimer, Nozick, Popper, Rawls Prerequisite: First- and second-year students must complete one introductory level PHIL course before enrolling in this course. Humanities. 1 credit. Spring 2023. Baumann. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 049. Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud This course will examine the work of three 19th century “philosophers of suspicion” who instigated modern exploration into what conditions our reality, thus raising questions about how the embodied, human subject emerges out of and experiences a social reality that informs the subject in specific ways. Their investigations into one’s understanding of reality as impacted by class position (Marx), one’s understanding of truth as the effect of will-to-power (Nietzsche), and consciousness as the effect of unconscious forces (Freud) provide an important background to contemporary questions about he nature of reality, human identity, and social power. Prerequisite: First- and second-year students must complete one introductory level PHIL course before enrolling in this course. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for INTP, GMST Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 052. Bioethics Advances in medicine and biological research have no doubt contributed both to the body of human knowledge and to the advances of modern life. But these great strides are accompanied by serious ethical questions and those questions are the topic of this course. We will approach issues in bioethics from two perspectives. First, we will grapple with the ethical issues themselves, such as the use of human subjects in experimentation, physician-assisted suicide, and the rights of reproduction (among many others). Second, we will examine these issues at the level of policy: what can doctors, patients, researchers, and lawmakers actually do about any of these issues and how do we go about making those hard choices? Prerequisite: First- and second-year students must complete one introductory level PHIL course before enrolling in this course. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for ESCH Fall 2024. Thomason. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 069. Phenomenology-Then and Now In this course we will look at classic figures in phenomenology like Husserl, Heidegger, and Merleau-Ponty, along with contemporary theorists, in order to investigate the kind of light descriptions of the lived experience of specifically human bodies in all their variations might shed on questions we face in the 21st century about what it means to be human (as opposed to, say, non-human life or artificial intelligence), embodied cognition, interdependent living and environmental change. Prerequisite: First- and second-year students must complete one introductory level PHIL course before enrolling in this course. Humanities. Writing course. 1 credit. Eligible for INTP Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 072. Critical Philosophy of Race This course seeks to critically understand “race” as a historical construction and discursive practice that functions in social and political domains as well as in individual modes of embodiment and identity. Rather than analyze the viability of “race” as a category of human differentiation, we will approach the concept of race with a historical consciousness that is attentive to its enablement of domination and systemic oppression. Some of our themes of analysis may include the social construction of race, the phenomenology of racial embodiment, the carceral state as an apparatus of racial control, and the complex entanglements between race and (neo-)liberalism. Insofar as we are approaching race from a social and political lens, we will draw from a range of philosophical traditions spanning Marxism, existential phenomenology, feminist studies, and social epistemology. Prerequisite: First- and second-year students must complete one introductory level PHIL course before enrolling in this course. Humanities. 1 credit. Spring 2024. Ahmed. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 079. Poststructuralism This course will examine poststructuralist thinkers such as Foucault, Derrida, and Deleuze in light of contemporary questions about identity, embodiment, the relationship between self and other, and ethics. Prerequisite: First- and second-year students must complete one introductory level PHIL course before enrolling in this course. Humanities. Writing course. 1 credit. Fall 2024. Lorraine. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 086. Philosophy of Mind See PHIL 118 Prerequisite: First- and second-year students must complete one introductory level PHIL course before enrolling in this course. Humanities. 1 credit. Eligible for COGS Fall 2022. Raff. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 089. Philosophy and Speculative Fiction In a world where technology and our relations to our surroundings are rapidly changing, time itself can appear to be speeding up. Especially when events appear to be spinning out of our control, this can be disconcerting. In this course, we will consider different conceptions of time and the human along with their implications for how we experience our world, the parameters of reality, our mental health, and the future of the human race. We will read and watch classics in speculative fiction (taken in its broad sense as including, for example, science fiction, fantasy, and superhero fiction-although probably no horror fiction–in various forms including text and film) as well as more recent work alongside an exploration of philosophical texts on time, reality, consciousness, embodiment, what makes us human, and how we can adapt to swiftly changing circumstances in order to stretch our minds about what is and what could be for humanity in a time of change. Prerequisite: First- and second-year students must complete one introductory level PHIL course before enrolling in this course. Humanities. 1 credit. Spring 2023. Lorraine. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 093. Directed Reading Requires approval of a department faculty member sponsor. Humanities. 0.5 - 1 credit. Fall 2022. Staff. Spring 2023. Staff. Fall 2023. Staff. Spring 2024. Staff. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 096. Senior Course Thesis Requires approval of a department faculty member sponsor and the department. Humanities. 1 credit. Spring 2023. Staff. Spring 2024. Staff. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 099. Senior Course Study Required for all philosophy course majors. Humanities. 1 credit. Spring 2023. Staff. Spring 2024. Staff. Spring 2025. Staff. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 105. Foucault: Genealogy and Power The French philosopher Michel Foucault is widely regarded as one of the most important thinkers of the 20th century, and his thought continues to influence scholarship across the humanities and social sciences. This honors seminar provides a comprehensive introduction to Foucault’s critical method of genealogy and its role in the development of his political thought. While we will spend the majority of the semester reading Foucault’s work, we will devote some attention to the thinkers and traditions of thought-those pioneered by Marx, Nietzsche, and the critical theorists-from whom Foucault directly and indirectly drew inspiration. We will engage with these texts alongside Foucault’s own writings on knowledge, power, and subjectivity in order to better understand the centrality of genealogy in Foucault’s interrogation of the “history of the present.” In the final section of the course, we will focus our attention on contemporary scholars who have taken up, reimagined, and applied Foucault’s concepts and method to 21st-century questions of power, domination, and freedom. This seminar is intended for Seniors and Juniors, with priority given to honors students taking it as an honors preparation. Others should contact the instructor for permission to enroll. Humanities. 2 credits. Fall 2023. Ahmed. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
Philosophy - Seminars
	PHIL 101. Moral Philosophy This seminar focuses on one of the age-old questions in philosophy: what is the right thing to do? We start with an in-depth look at some of the major historical figures in moral philosophy rom both western and estern traditions. We then move into contemporary discussions of responsibility, practical reason, moral emotions, and moral skepticism. This seminar is intended for Seniors and Juniors, with priority given to honors students taking it as an honors preparation. Others should contact the instructor for permission to enroll. Humanities. 2 credits. Spring 2023. Thomason. Fall 2024. Thomason. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 102. Ancient Philosophy For the Greeks and Romans, philosophy was a way of life and not merely an academic discipline. With this perspective in mind, we will examine topics in ethics, metaphysics, aesthetics, epistemology, and theology through close readings of Plato’s Republic and Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics. We will also look more briefly at the thought of the Presocratics and the Stoics. This seminar is intended for Seniors and Juniors, with priority given to honors students taking it as an honors preparation. Others should contact the instructor for permission to enroll. Humanities. 2 credits. Eligible for CLST Fall 2022. Ledbetter. Fall 2024. Ledbetter. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 103. Selected Modern Philosophers One or more philosophers or philosophical works of the 17^th and 18^th Centuries selected for systematic treatment. Most recently: Descartes’s Meditations selected for systematic exploration of Descartes’s seminal contributions to modern and contemporary epistemology, philosophy of mind, and philosophical theology. Additional readings from early modern and commentary commentators and critics, including Kant, Brentano, Russell, Ryle, Wittgenstein, among others. This seminar is intended for Seniors and Juniors, with priority given to honors students taking it as an honors preparation. Others should contact the instructor for permission to enroll. Humanities. 2 credits. Spring 2024. Raff. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 104. Topics in Metaphysics Traditional metaphysical issues about God, Freedom, and Immortality raise specific issues about, among others, causation, modality, and personal identity, as well as some more general, no less challenging problems of ontology and its categories. The metaphysicians include Parmenides and Heraclitus (change), Plato and Aristotle (reality), Anselm and Aquinas (God), Descartes and Locke (selves), and our contemporaries Kripke and Lewis’62 (modality), Jon Shaffer and Karen Bennett (ontology). This seminar is intended for Seniors and Juniors, with priority given to honors students taking it as an honors preparation. Others should contact the instructor for permission to enroll. Humanities. 2 credits. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 113. Topics in Epistemology What is knowledge? Can we have it? If not, why not? If yes, how? What does it mean to have evidence, justification or reasons for ones beliefs? How rational or irrational are we? Can we have a priori, “armchair” knowledge? Is cognition essentially social? We will discuss classic and contemporary answers to such questions. This seminar is intended for Seniors and Juniors, with priority given to honors students taking it as an honors preparation. Others should contact the instructor for permission to enroll. Humanities. 2 credits. Eligible for COGS Fall 2022. Baumann. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 116. Language and Meaning (Cross-listed as LING 116 ) Language is an excellent tool for expressing and communicating thoughts. You can let your friend know that there will probably be fewer than 25 trains from Elwyn to Gladstone next Wednesday - but could you do this without using language (have you tried?)? Even more interesting is the question how you can do this using language. How can the sounds I produce or the marks that I leave on this sheet of paper be about the dog outside chasing the squirrel? How can words refer to things and how can sentences be true or false? Where does meaning come from? Philosophy has dealt with such questions for a long time but it was only a bit more than 100 years ago that these questions have taken center stage in philosophy. We will read and discuss such more recent authors, starting with the „classics” Frege, Russell and Wittgenstein and leading up to authors like Austin, Carnap, Davidson, Grice, Kripke, Ludlow, Putnam, Quine Searle, Strawson, Waismann and Whorf. This seminar is intended for Seniors and Juniors, with priority given to honors students taking it as an honors preparation. Others should contact the instructor for permission to enroll. Humanities. 2 credits. Eligible for COGS Fall 2024. Baumann. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 117. Aristotle: Ethics and Politics (Cross-listed as POLS 117 ) NOTE: This seminar cannot be used as a PHIL honors preparation, or for the PHIL ancient distribution requirement. But it will count toward the PHIL history distribution requirement, and toward your PHIL elective credits. Spring 2023. Thakker. Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 118. Philosophy of Mind The course is divided into three principal sections, focusing on philosophy of mind, artificial intelligence, and cognitive science. Section 1 covers four core positions in the philosophy of mind “dualism, behaviorism, materialism, and functionalism,” and it serves as an overview of traditional philosophy of mind. Section 2 explores how the philosophical ideas developed above connect to ongoing research in artificial intelligence. Section 3 concerns the philosophy of cognitive science, a field that investigates the biological and neurophysiological underpinnings of human mentality. Part of the aim is to clarify the goals and methods of cognitive science and to investigate ways in which advances in cognitive science may yield philosophical insights into the nature of mind. This seminar is intended for Seniors and Juniors, with priority given to honors students taking it as an honors preparation. Others should contact the instructor for permission to enroll. Humanities. 2 credits. Eligible for COGS Spring 2025. Baker. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 119. Philosophy of Science A study of philosophical problems arising out of the presuppositions, methods, and results of the natural sciences, focusing particularly on the effectiveness of science as a means for obtaining knowledge. Topics include the difference between science and pseudoscience; the idea that we can “prove” or “confirm” scientific theories; explanation and prediction; the status of scientific methodology as rational, objective, and value free; and the notion that science aims to give us (and succeeds in giving us) knowledge of the underlying unobservable structure of the world. This seminar is intended for Seniors and Juniors, with priority given to honors students taking it as an honors preparation. Others should contact the instructor for permission to enroll. Humanities. 2 credits. Spring 2024. Baker. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 121. Social and Political Philosophy Over the last five hundred years, the state has been the privileged object of philosophico-political analysis, serving as both the theater of human sociality and the primary instrument of domination over man and nature. From the contractarian vision of the state as the product of rational consensus to the Weberian idea of the state as the entity with a claim to the legitimate use of force, however, there is no unified conception of what, precisely, the state is or should be. This honors seminar will take up the concept of the “state” from a historical and material perspective by examining the foundational modern and contemporary theories of the state as a form of organized political power. Readings may be drawn from works by Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Immanuel Kant, Karl Marx, Max Weber, Carl Schmitt, Michel Foucault, Charles Mills, and Wendy Brown, among others. This seminar is intended for Seniors and Juniors, with priority given to honors students taking it as an honors preparation. Others should contact the instructor for permission to enroll. Humanities. 2 credits. Spring 2025. Ahmed. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 135. Topics in Indian Philosophy In this seminar, we will engage with some of the great debates in Indian philosophy. We will situate these debates in their historical contexts and inquire into what we can learn from them today. Topics include the sources of knowledge, the nature of persons and consciousness, the metaphysics of momentariness, the nature and meaning of language, and moral motivation. This seminar is intended for Seniors and Juniors, with priority given to honors students taking it as an honors preparation. Others should contact the instructor for permission to enroll. Humanities. 2 credits. Eligible for ASIA. Fall 2024. Picascia. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 139. Phenomenology, Existentialism, and Poststructuralism In this course, we will examine the themes of reality, truth, alienation, authenticity, death, desire, and human subjectivity as they emerge in contemporary European philosophy. We will consider thinkers such as Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Derrida, Irigaray, and Deleuze to place contemporary themes of poststructuralist thought in the context of the phenomenological and existential tradition out of which they emerge. This seminar is intended for Seniors and Juniors, with priority given to honors students taking it as an honors preparation. Others should contact the instructor for permission to enroll. Humanities. 2 credits. Eligible for INTP, GMST Spring 2023. Lorraine. Spring 2025. Lorraine. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 155. Philosophy of Law In this seminar, we will examine in-depth philosophical approaches to the theory and practice of law. We begin with the classical theoretical questions. We cover the foundations of law as explained through legal positivism, natural law, and critical legal theory. We examine the roles of lawmakers, citizens, and judges. We then move to questions with a more practical dimension. We discuss the foundation for criminal law and punishment as well as issues of racism and sexism in law. Other topics include individual rights, paternalism, policing, privacy, and technology This seminar is intended for Seniors and Juniors, with priority given to honors students taking it as an honors preparation. Others should contact the instructor for permission to enroll. Humanities. 2 credits. Fall 2023. Thomason. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 180. Senior Honors Thesis A thesis may be submitted by majors in the department in place of one honors paper, on application by the student and at the discretion of the department. Requires a department faculty member sponsor 2 credits. Spring 2023. Staff. Spring 2024. Staff. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHIL 199. Senior Honors Study Required of all philosophy honors students. 1 credit majors; 0.5 credit minors. Spring 2023. Staff. Spring 2024. Staff. Spring 2025. Staff. Catalog chapter: Philosophy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/philosophy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
Physics
	PHYS 001C. Climate Change: Science and Responses (Cross-Listed with ENVS 010 ) A study of the complex interplay of factors influencing conditions on the surface of the Earth. Basic concepts from geology, oceanography, and atmospheric science lead to an examination of how the Earth’s climate has varied in the past, what changes are occurring now, and what the future may hold. Besides environmental effects, the economic, political, and ethical implications of global warming are explored, including possible ways to reduce climate change. (Cross-Listed with ENVS 010 ) Natural sciences and engineering. 1 credit. Eligible for ENVS, GLBL-Core, ESCH Fall 2022. Jensen. Fall 2023. Jensen. Fall 2024. Staff. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 002E. First-Year Seminar: Energy This seminar will cover both the physics and policy of energy in all its forms. Topics include the physical basis for energy; thermodynamics and engines; energy sources (fossil fuels, solar, photovoltaics, nuclear); transportation; the electric grid; and climate change. Prerequisite: High school algebra. Natural sciences and engineering. 1 credit. Eligible for ENVS Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 003. General Physics I Topics include vectors, kinematics, Newton’s laws and dynamics, conservation laws, work and energy, oscillatory motion, systems of particles, and rigid body rotation. Possible additional topics are special relativity and thermodynamics. Prerequisite: (or Concurrently) MATH 015 Natural sciences and engineering practicum. Lab required. 1 credit. Fall 2022. Ko. Fall 2023. Hackler. Fall 2024. Staff. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 003L. General Physics I: Motion, Forces, and Energy with Biological and Medical Applications This course discusses the topics from the first semester of introductory physics with the greatest biological, biochemical, and medical relevance, namely motion, forces (both statics and dynamics), torques (primarily statics), work, conservation of energy and momentum, oscillations, fluid statics and dynamics, and thermal and statistical phenomena. A core goal is to develop connections between physics and the other sciences. The course addresses the appropriate medical school competencies in conjunction with PHYS 004L . Prerequisite: MATH 015 (may be taken concurrently). Natural sciences and engineering practicum. Lab required. 1 credit. Fall 2022. Hackler. Fall 2023. Hackler. Fall 2024. Crouch. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 004. General Physics II Topics include wave phenomena, geometrical and physical optics, electricity and magnetism, and direct and alternating current circuits. Possible additional topics may be added. Prerequisite: PHYS 003 or the permission of the instructor. Corequisite: MATH 025 or equivalent. Natural sciences and engineering practicum. Lab required. 1 credit. Spring 2023. Ko. Spring 2024. H. Smith Spring 2025. Staff. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 004L. General Physics II: Electricity, Magnetism, and Optics with Biochemical and Biomedical Applications PHYS 004L will cover the same topics as PHYS 004 but will emphasize biological, biochemical, and medical applications of those topics. The course will meet medical school requirements (in conjunction with PHYS 003 or PHYS 003L ) and will include a weekly laboratory. Students who wish to take PHYS 004L before PHYS 003 or PHYS 003L must have some high school physics background and obtain permission from the instructor. Prerequisite: MATH 015 or a more advanced calculus course; PHYS 003 or PHYS 003L or permission of the instructor. Natural sciences and engineering practicum. 1 credit. Spring 2023. Geller. Spring 2024. Geller. Spring 2025. Geller. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 005. The World of Particles and Waves This course presents an introduction to optics and quantum theory. Students will explore the counterintuitive consequences of quantum mechanics for our understanding of the subatomic world, where our notions of absolute properties such as the position or speed of a particle are replaced by probabilities. The course will introduce multiple ways to model light, from classical waves to quantum photons. It is the usual entry point to majoring or minoring in astronomy, astrophysics, or physics, and is a pre or co-requisite for the sophomore-level physics major curriculum; it welcomes both non-majors and prospective majors who are interested in engaging rigorously and deeply with both the mathematical and conceptual descriptions of physics. Not eligible for NSEP credit. Natural sciences and engineering. 1 credit. Fall 2022. Smith. H and Geller. Fall 2023. Crouch. and Smith, H. Fall 2024. Crouch. and Geller. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 006. Foundations of Contemporary Physics. Special relativity and the statistical basis of thermodynamics were two of the key discoveries early in the 20th century that launched the development of contemporary physics. Half of this course covers the counterintuitive consequences of special relativity for our understanding of space and time. Half of the course introduces thermodynamics, both macroscopic thermodynamics and introductory statistical mechanics; topics include energy, heat, work, entropy, temperature (the First, Second and “Third” Laws of Thermodynamics), heat capacity, ideal gases, paramagnetism, phase transitions, and the chemical potential. Physics 6 is the usual second course in the sequence for majoring or minoring in astronomy, astrophysics, or physics. It is also suitable for non-majors with appropriate mathematical and problem-solving preparation from a previous quantitative NSE course (physics, engineering, or chemistry). Prerequisite: MATH 015 Corequisite: MATH 025 1 credit. Spring 2023. Hyde. Spring 2024. Smith, T. Spring 2025. Smith, T. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 007. Introductory Mechanics An introduction to classical mechanics. This course is suitable for potential majors, as well as students in other sciences or engineering who would like a course with more mathematical rigor and depth than PHYS 003 . Includes the study of kinematics and dynamics of point particles; conservation principles involving energy, momentum and angular momentum; rotational motion of rigid bodies, and oscillatory motion. Lab used for hands-on experimentation and occasionally for workshops that expand on lecture material. Prerequisite: MATH 025 and PHYS 005 or permission of the instructor. Natural sciences and engineering practicum. Lab required. 1 credit. Fall 2022. Hackler. Fall 2023. Hyde. Fall 2024. Raithel. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 008. Electricity, Magnetism, and Waves A sophisticated introductory treatment of wave and electric and magnetic phenomena, such as oscillatory motion, forced vibrations, coupled oscillators, Fourier analysis of progressive waves, boundary effects and interference, the electrostatic field and potential, electrical work and energy, D.C. and A.C. circuits, the relativistic basis of magnetism, Maxwell’s equations, and geometrical optics. Prerequisite: PHYS 007 (or permission of instructor); MATH 033 or MATH 034 (can be taken concurrently). Natural sciences and engineering practicum. Includes one laboratory weekly. 1 credit. Spring 2023. Rivera. Spring 2024. Brown. Spring 2025. Staff. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 021. Capstone: Cultural Dimensions of Scientific Thought (Cross-listed as INTP 091 ) This seminar will explore the deep and often overlooked connections between physical and cultural ways of understanding the universe. To that end, we will be taking a historical and cross-cultural view of scientific forms of thought in order to examine the multiple, complex relationships that obtain between individual human agents and their social milieus in the processes of creating and advancing scientific theories of the universe. How, for example, do we take the measure of what we don’t know? How do we ascribe differential values to scientific questions and solutions? In other words, what makes one question more important than another? What makes a scientific theory “elegant” or “beautiful,” and why do (Western) scientists place epistemological value on such aesthetic considerations? Potential course topics include: the role of myth in the oral transmission of astronomical knowledge among Aboriginal Australians; the materialization of astronomical knowledge in ancient Mesoamerican architecture; early cultures of number and numerology; the technological conditions for advances in scientific thought; the role of social desire in scientific discovery and invention (of the infinitesimally small, of photography, or of relativity, for example); and the role of intercultural interaction in the creation of new approaches to scientific problems. Non-distribution. 1 credit. Eligible for INTP. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 062. Physics Journal Club Reading and discussion of selected research papers from the physics literature. Techniques of journal reading, use of abstract services, Arxiv, and search engines to stay aware of the current literature. Graded CR/NC. Prerequisite: PHYS 008 and PHYS 013 0.5 credit. Fall 2022. H. Smith. Fall 2023. H. Smith. Fall 2024. Brown. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 064. Techniques for Scientific Computation An introduction to techniques in scientific computing used to visualize and analyze data such as plotting, curve fitting, solving equations, image analysis, monte carlo and numerical integration. Students will write programs in Python using commonly available scientific libraries. This is a 0.5-credit course with priority given to majors in physics, astrophysics, or astronomy. There are no prerequisites although for most students it will build on the lab experience in Physics 7. It is open to first-year students, though expected to be typically taken concurrently with Physics 8 by second-year majors. Prerequisite: None 0.5 credit. Spring 2023. Jacobs and Rivera Spring 2024. Jacobs and Rivera Spring 2025. Jacobs and Rivera Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 093. Directed Reading This course provides an opportunity for an individual student to do special study, with either theoretical or experimental emphasis, in fields not covered by the regular courses and seminars. The student will present oral and written reports to the instructor. 0.5, 1, or 2 credits. Fall 2022. Staff. Spring 2023. Staff. Fall 2023. Staff. Spring 2024. Staff. Fall 2024. Staff. Spring 2025. Staff. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 094. Research Project Initiative for a research project may come from the student, or the work may involve collaboration with ongoing faculty research. The student will present a written and an oral report to the department. 0.5, 1, or 2 credits. Fall 2022. Staff. Spring 2023. Staff. Fall 2023. Staff. Spring 2024. Staff. Fall 2024. Staff. Spring 2025. Staff. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 095. Introduction to Science Pedagogy: Theory and Practice (Cross-listed as EDUC 075) This course is designed for students who are interested in learning about issues surrounding science education, particularly at the high school and college level. How do students most effectively learn science? How can we facilitate this learning process as instructors and educators? How do we best assess whether such learning is happening? Since the course will integrate educational theory with concrete, practical strategies for becoming better teachers, it will be particularly relevant for students currently serving as Science Associates (or those who are interested in being Science Associates.) We will touch on issues related to students’ conceptual development and conceptual change, collaborative learning, as well as practical issues encountered when engaging in responsive, interactive teaching. This is a seminar course where students are responsible for weekly readings (1-2 papers per week from the education research literature), in class discussions, and brief written reflections. Students will be encouraged to bring to the discussion their own unique experiences as both science students and science teachers. Prerequisite: Instructor approval for enrollment. 0.5 credit. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 096. Thesis Theoretical or experimental work culminating in a written thesis. Also includes an oral presentation to the department. This is not an Honors Program thesis. Graded CR/NC. Natural sciences and engineering. 1 credit. Fall 2022. Staff. Spring 2023. Staff. Fall 2023. Staff. Spring 2024. Staff. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 097. Senior Conference This half-credit course is required of all physics, astronomy, and astrophysics course majors and serves as preparation for and completion of the College’s comprehensive requirement (“comps”) for senior course majors, with a goal of enabling students to integrate various aspects of their Swarthmore education into a single, cohesive project. Students will create, edit, and practice presenting a poster on a research topic of their choosing and then present it at an event at the end of the semester. The weekly course meetings will enable students to delve more deeply into research paper reading, data display, scientific communication, and other topics related both to the subject matter and professional practices in physics and astronomy. This course will be offered every fall, is intended for seniors who are majors, and must be taken at Swarthmore in order for students to meet the comps requirement. 0.5 credit Fall 2022. Geller. Fall 2023. Cohen. Fall 2024. Brown. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 107. Quantum Mechanics. An introductory course in quantum mechanics. Topics include waves, photons, the Schrodinger equation, Dirac notation, one-dimensional potentials, quantized angular momentum, and central potentials. Prerequisite: PHYS 005 , PHYS 008 , multivariable calculus (MATH 033 , MATH 034 , or MATH 035 ) Natural Sciences and Engineering. 1 credit Fall 2023. Smith, T. Fall 2024. Smith, T. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
Physics - Advanced Seminar
	PHYS 111. Analytical Dynamics Intermediate classical mechanics. Motion of a particle in one, two, and three dimensions; Kepler’s laws and planetary motion; phase space; oscillatory motion; Lagrange equations and variational principles; systems of particles; collisions and cross sections; motion of a rigid body; Euler’s equations; rotating frames of reference; small oscillations; normal modes; and wave phenomena. Offered every Fall. Prerequisite: PHYS 008 , and one of PHYS 007 , ENGR 006 , or strong performance in PHYS 003 . Natural sciences and engineering. 1 credit. Fall 2022. Brown. Spring 2024. Bester. Spring 2025. Bester. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 112. Electrodynamics Electricity and magnetism using vector calculus, electric and magnetic fields, dielectric and magnetic materials, electromagnetic induction, Maxwell’s field equations in differential form, displacement current, Poynting theorem and electromagnetic waves, boundary-value problems, radiation and four-vector formulation of relativistic electrodynamics. Offered every Fall. Prerequisite: PHYS 008 and PHYS 017 Natural sciences and engineering. 1 credit. Fall 2022. Hyde. Fall 2023. Brown. Fall 2024. Brown. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 114. Statistical Physics The statistical behavior of classical and quantum systems; temperature and entropy; equations of state; engines and refrigerators; statistical basis of thermodynamics; microcanonical, canonical, and grand canonical distributions; phase transitions; statistics of bosons and fermions; black body radiation; electronic and thermal properties of quantum liquids and solids. Offered every Spring. Prerequisite: Any one of PHYS 111 , PHYS 113 , or PHYS 107 . Corequisite: PHYS 017 and PHYS 018 . The student must have either completed or be concurrently enrolled in both PHYS 17 and PHYS 18 Natural sciences and engineering. 1 credit. Spring 2023. Brown. Spring 2024. Smith, H. Spring 2025. Raithel. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 115. Modern and Quantum Optics A modern treatment of matrix optics, interference, polarization, diffraction, Fourier optics, coherence, Gaussian beams, resonant cavities, optical instruments. The quantization of the electromagnectic field, single mode coherent and quadrature squeezed states. The interaction of light with atoms using second quantization and dressed states. Spontaneous emission. Prerequisite: PHYS 107 Natural sciences and engineering. 1 credit. Spring 2025. Staff. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 130. General Relativity Newton’s gravitational theory, special relativity, linear field theory, gravitational waves, measurement of space-time, Riemannian geometry, geometrodynamics and Einstein’s equations, the Schwarzschild solution, black holes and gravitational collapse, and cosmology. Prerequisite: PHYS 111 and PHYS 112 . Natural sciences and engineering. 1 credit. Spring 2025. Smith, T. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 132. Nonlinear Dynamics. Nonlinear mappings, stability, bifurcations and catastrophe, conservative and dissipative systems, fractals, and self-similarity in chaos theory. Prerequisite: PHYS 111 . Natural Sciences and Engineering. 1 credit. Fall 2024. Bester. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 134. Computational Physics To be added soon Prerequisite: will be listed soon Natural sciences and engineering. Spring 2025. Raithel. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 135. Condensed Matter Physics Condensed matter physics applies the physical laws of quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and electromagnetism to describe the physical properties of materials. This course explores the physics of metals, insulators, semiconductors, and superconductors by examining their structure, energy bands, and thermal, magnetic, electronic, and optical properties. Topics include: crystal structure and diffraction, the reciprocal lattice and Brillouin zones, lattice vibrations and normal modes, phonon dispersions, scattering, Einstein and Debye models for specific heat, free electrons and the Fermi surface, electrons in periodic structures, the Bloch Theorem, band structure, semiclassical electron dynamics, semiconductors, magnetic and optical properties of solids, and superconductivity. Corequisite: PHYS 113 Natural sciences and engineering. 1 credit. Spring 2023. Smith, H. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 137. Cosmological Physics An introduction to cosmology which includes the study of the origin, evolution, and content of the universe: isotropy, homogeneity, and geometry of the universe; gravitational collapse and formation of proto-galactic structures; statistical mechanics and fluid dynamics in an expanding universe; observational tests of the standard cosmology model; extensions to the standard cosmological model including scalar field dark matter and modified theories of gravity. Prerequisite: Pre-Requisite PHYS 112 and Co-Requisite PHYS 111 Natural sciences and engineering 1 credit. Spring 2024. Smith, T. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 138. Plasma Physics An introduction to the principles of plasma physics. Treatment will include the kinetic approach (orbits of charged particles in electric and magnetic fields, statistical mechanics of charged particles) and the fluid approach (single fluid magnetohydrodynamics, two fluid theory). Topics may include transport processes in plasmas (conductivity and diffusion), waves and oscillations, controlled nuclear fusion, and plasma astrophysics. Prerequisite: PHYS 112 . Natural sciences and engineering. 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 139. Biophysics Cross-Listed with CHEM 114 This seminar will provide an introduction to the study of biological systems using the tools of the physical sciences. Topics will include the role of statistical phenomena in life; feedback and control processes in biological networks; biological electricity; fluid dynamics as they pertain to organisms (both unicellular and multicellular), and topics chosen from the literature by the members of the seminar. Prerequisite: PHYS 008 , 013 , and 017 ; or PHYS 004 or 004L , CHEM 044 , and CHEM 055 ; or permission of the instructor. Also BIOL 001 or CHEM 038 , or permission of the instructor. Students who have not previously taken an honors seminar in the physics department should discuss class format and expectations with the instructor before registering. Natural sciences and engineering. 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 180. Honors Thesis Theoretical or experiment work culminating in a written honors thesis. Also includes an oral presentation to the department. This course must be completed by the end of, and is normally taken in, the fall semester of the student’s final year. 1 or 2 credits. Fall 2022. Staff. Fall 2023. Staff. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
Physics - Physics Laboratory Program
	PHYS 063. Procedures in Experimental Physics Techniques, materials, and the design of experimental apparatus; shop practice; printed circuit design and construction. This is a 0.5-credit course open only to majors in physics, astrophysics, or astronomy. 0.5 credit. Fall 2022. Jacobs and Palmer. Fall 2023. Jacobs and Palmer. Fall 2024. Jacobs and Palmer. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 081. Advanced Laboratory I This is the first of a two-semester sequence designed to fulfill the physics major advanced laboratory requirement. Students will perform projects in digital electronics. They will also perform experiments chosen from among the areas of thermal and statistical physics, solid state, atomic, plasma, nuclear, biophysics, condensed matter physics, and advanced optics. Prerequisite: PHYS 018 . It is strongly recommended that students are also co-enrolled in either PHYS 113 or PHYS 114 while taking Physics 081; please discuss requests to take advanced lab before either Physics 113 or 114 with the department chair. Writing course. 0.5 credit. Fall 2022. H. Smith. Spring 2023. Hackler. Fall 2023. Brown. Spring 2024. Crouch. Fall 2024. Bester. Spring 2025. Brown. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 082. Advanced Laboratory II This is the second of a two-semester sequence designed to fulfill the physics major advanced laboratory requirement. Students will perform projects in digital electronics. They will also perform experiments chosen from among the areas of thermal and statistical physics, solid state, atomic, plasma, nuclear, biophysics, condensed matter physics, and advanced optics. When both PHYS 081 and PHYS 082 are taken, students will receive credit for having completed a writing (W) course. When both PHYS 081 and PHYS 082 are taken, students will receive credit for having completed a writing (W) course. Writing course. 0.5 credit. Fall 2022. H. Smith. Spring 2023. Hackler. Fall 2023. Brown. Spring 2024. Crouch. Fall 2024. Bester. Spring 2025. Brown Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	PHYS 083. Advanced Laboratory I and II This course is designed to fulfill the physics major advanced laboratory requirement for students who have already had sufficient experience with digital electronics (ENGR 072 or the equivalent). Students will perform experiments chosen from among the areas of thermal and statistical physics, solid state, atomic, plasma, nuclear, biophysics, condensed matter physics, and advanced optics. Writing course. 0.5 credit. Fall 2022. H. Smith. Spring 2023. Hackler. Fall 2023. Brown. Spring 2024. Crouch. Fall 2024. Bester. Spring 2025. Brown. Catalog chapter: Physics and Astronomy Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/physics-astronomy Access the class schedule to search for sections.
Political Science
	POLS 002. American Politics (AP) How do American institutions and political processes work? To what extent do they produce democratic, egalitarian, or rational outcomes? The course examines the exercise and distribution of political power. Topics include presidential leadership and elections; legislative politics; the role of the Supreme Court; federalism; parties, interest groups, and movements; public policy; the politics of class, race, and gender; voting; mass media; and public discontent with government. Social sciences. 1 credit. Fall 2023. Schwarz. Spring 2024. Reeves. Fall 2024. Schwarz. Spring 2025. Staff. Catalog chapter: Political Science Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/political-science Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	POLS 003. Politics Across the World (CP) This course teaches students how to analyze and compare the politics and societies of countries around the world. Topics vary by instructor but may include the origins of the contemporary system of nation-states, the consolidation and breakdown of democratic and authoritarian political regimes, the ways that the “rules of the game” in politics structure competition and favor certain groups over others, the politics of economic development and globalization, the nature and dynamics of social movements, revolutions and civil wars, and the role of identities, ideologies, and religious beliefs in shaping patterns of political development, and conflict, and inclusion/exclusion. The course also provides an introduction to some of the main theories, concepts, and methods used by political scientists who engage in the art of comparative politics. To explore these themes, we draw examples from a variety of countries and regions across the world. Comparative Social sciences. 1 credit. Eligible for GLBL-Core Fall 2023. Handlin. Spring 2024. Kimya. Fall 2024. Handlin. Spring 2025. White. Catalog chapter: Political Science Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/political-science Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	POLS 004. Introduction to International Relations (IR) In this course, we will explore the fundamental concepts of the field of international relations. Students will learn the basic facts about international conflict, the international economy, international law, development, and the world environment, among other things. Furthermore, we will study the fundamental theoretical concepts and theories of international relations. Using these theories, students will be able to sort through arguments about various topics in international relations and make judgment calls for yourself. Finally, students will learn how these concepts have evolved over time and how we can use them to hypothesize what lies ahead for international relations. Social sciences. 1 credit. Eligible for GLBL-Core, PEAC Fall 2023. Paddon Rhoads. Spring 2024. Tierney Fall 2024. Staff. Spring 2025. Staff. Catalog chapter: Political Science Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/political-science Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	POLS 011. Ancient Political Thought (TH) This course offers an introduction to one of the most fascinating periods in the history of political thought, when Classical Athens, in a time of great rivalry with Sparta, gave birth both to democracy and to the critique of democracy. We will read philosophical texts by Plato and Aristotle, literary texts by Sophocles and Aristophanes, and historical texts by Thucydides and Plutarch, paying close attention to rhetorical and argumentative detail as well as institutional context, with the aim of bringing ancient ideas and arguments to bear on our own political lives. Topics include realism and idealism; nature and convention; family and gender; the relative merits of different constitutions such as monarchy, aristocracy, democracy; the responsibilities of leaders; and the value of studying the history of political thought. This course would constitute ideal preparation for an honors seminar on Plato or Aristotle. Social sciences. 1 credit. Eligible for INTP Fall 2023. Thakkar. Fall 2024. Staff. Catalog chapter: Political Science Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/political-science Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	POLS 012. Modern Political Thought (TH) This course introduces some of the major concepts and themes of modern political thought through a close reading of texts from the 16th to the early 20th century. The starting point of the course is Machiavelli’s novel “science” of statecraft, which identified the state as the focal point of political activity, and announced that a good politician must be prepared to act immorally, or even love his city more than his soul. In other words, we begin with the thought of politics as a distinct sphere of activity, centered around the state, and separable from other spheres such as morality and religion. The problem of the modern state and the relationship of the political to other domains of life will guide our exploration of the fundamental concepts and debates of modern political thought. Other themes we will discuss include secularism and toleration, absolutist and popular sovereignty, constitutionalism and individual rights, theories of war and colonialism, and the relationship between social and political forms of domination. Authors include Niccolò Machiavelli, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Immanuel Kant, Alexis de Tocqueville, John Stuart Mill, Mary Wollstonecraft, Karl Marx, Max Weber and W.E.B. Dubois. Social sciences. 1 credit. Eligible for INTP Spring 2024. Arlen. Spring 2025. Staff. Catalog chapter: Political Science Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/political-science Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	POLS 013. Constitutional Law & Politics I: Institutional Powers (AP) This course provides a close examination of constitutional conflicts over institutional authority in the U.S. political system. Specific areas of study will include the scope of congressional power, interbranch conflicts, bureaucratic authority, and federalism. Although we will spend much of our time analyzing Supreme Court decisions, we will also examine the broader political context in which the Court operates and how actors outside the Court have played important roles in shaping constitutional meaning. Social Sciences. 1 credit Fall 2023. Snead. Department website: swarthmore.edu/political-science Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	POLS 014. Constitutional Law & Politics II: Civil Rights & Civil Liberties (AP) This course provides a close examination of constitutional conflicts over individual rights and liberties in the United States. Throughout the class, we will look closely at the Bill of Rights and Reconstruction Amendments as we trace how rights and liberties have waxed and waned throughout American history. Although we will spend much of our time analyzing Supreme Court decisions, we will also examine the broader political context in which the Court operates, how actors outside the Court have played important roles in shaping constitutional meaning, and alternate constitutional visions advanced by political reformers but not enshrined into law by the Supreme Court. Social Sciences. 1 credit. Spring 2024. Snead. Catalog chapter: Political Science Department website: swarthmore.edu/political-science Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	POLS 017. Civil Rights and the Courts (AP) When drafting the Constitution, the founders thought that the courts would be the “least dangerous” branch of government. Yet, traditional wisdom suggests that courts have played a significant role in creating and enforcing civil rights. Moreover, recent developments on the Supreme Court suggest that the Court is exercising power in a relatively unconstrained way, departing from traditional principles like stare decisis. This course considers the ways in which case law and judicial politics have shaped civil rights in the United States. Specific topics of consideration include: levels of Constitutional scrutiny under the Equal Protection Clause, reproductive rights & substantive due process, the effects of the commerce clause on civil rights law, and statutory reforms like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (including Title VII, the Fair Housing Act and Title IX) and the Americans with Disabilities Act. We will also discuss the ways that courts can curtail civil rights reforms through procedural rules and judicial norms like standing. This course does not presuppose prior legal knowledge; however, a basic understanding of the US federal government and federal powers will be useful. Catalog chapter: Political Science Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/political-science Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	POLS 023. Slavery and Its Legacy for U.S. Politics (AP) This course examines the legacy of slavery for American political institutions and U.S. politics. Substantively, we will explore the signicance of slavery for American statebuilding over time, beginning with the founding period and the antebellum era and stretching all the way to today’s political landscape. We will discuss both the legacy of slavery for American political institutions and processes but also its persistent impact on political attitudes, participation, and public opinion over time. This is an upper-class course with a unique set-up. In addition to the traditional seminar-style discussion of substantive readings, the course includes a lab component that allows students to gain applied research experience. The lab component is designed to guide students through the typical process of conducting independent political science research: from finding a research question to identifying a suitable research design to collecting and managing data. Weekly meetings will consist of two-thirds substantive discussion and one-third lab activities. As part of the lab component of the class, students will be asked to help with the data collection for a field project on remembrance culture in the United States that is part of Swarthmore’s new Historical Political Economy (HPE) Lab (www.hpe-lab.com). Research activities will be complemented with educational events and meetings (e.g., museum visits, conversations with local historians and community leaders) on topics related to the aftermath of slavery, the Civil War, and their meaning for U.S. politics and society today. Social sciences. 1 credit. Spring 2024. Schwarz. Spring 2025. Schwarz. Catalog chapter: Political Science Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/political-science Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	POLS 024. Judicial Politics (AP) The United States has one of the most powerful judiciaries in the world. This course will provide a broad overview of the U.S. judicial system and how courts shape American politics and society. Throughout the semester, we will look at several facets of the U.S. judiciary including the judiciary’s relationship to other governing institutions, what factors motivate judicial behavior, and how courts affect public policy. Students will be asked to think critically about the role of law in American politics and the democratic implications of judicial power. Although much of the course will examine the U.S. Supreme Court, lower federal courts and state courts will also be discussed. Social Sciences. 1 credit. Spring 2024. Snead. Catalog chapter: Political Science Department website: swarthmore.edu/political-science Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	POLS 026. Politics of The Wire (AP) Utilizing the award-winning HBO series, ‘The Wire,’ this interdisciplinary, upper-level seminar will explore the complex political, social, economic, cinematic, and aesthetic aspects that are at the root of the depiction of urban inequality, interpersonal violence, concentrated poverty, and crime. This course is application only. Prerequisite: Recommended to have previously taken POLS 002 Only open to 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year students Open to course majors only, not honors. Social Sciences. 1 credit. Eligible for FMST. Fall 2023. Reeves. Catalog chapter: Political Science Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/political-science Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	POLS 027. Gender and American Politics (AP) This course considers the ways in which gender has shaped American politics from the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the present. What is “gender” and what are its implications for U.S. politics? How and why did women gain the right to vote but lose the battle for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)? What would it mean for women if a woman was elected President of the United States? This course considers these questions and more from the perspective of the growing body of literature concerning gender and politics. This course will be divided into four units, aiming to answer different questions. First, we will discuss what it means to talk about gender. Second, we will consider watershed moments in the movements for women’s rights, such as battles for women’s suffrage, the non-passage of the ERA, and contemporary judicial retrenchment of reproductive rights. Third, we will consider whether it makes sense to talk about women having distinct political preferences, as some scholars have argued. In this portion of the course, we will focus in detail on how political preferences emerge and how/why gender shapes women’s experiences of the political world across partisan divides. Finally, we will consider the concept of representation and the stakes of having diverse gender representation in various governing institutions and levels of government. Social Sciences. 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Political Science Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/political-science Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	POLS 028. The Urban Underclass and Public Policy (AP) This course is a critical examination of some of the most pressing (and contentious) issues surrounding the nation’s inner cities today and the urban underclass: the nature, origins, and persistence of ghetto poverty; racial residential segregation and affordable public housing; social organization, civic life, and political participation; crime and incarceration rates; family structure; adolescent street culture and its impact on urban schooling and social mobility; and labor force participation and dislocation. We conclude by examining how these issues impact distressed urban communities, such as the neighboring city of Chester. Prerequisite: POLS 002 Social Sciences. 1 credit. Eligible for BLST. Catalog chapter: Political Science Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/political-science Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	POLS 029. Polling, Public Opinion, and Public Policy (AP) Public opinion polling has become an essential tool in election campaigning, public policy decision making, and media reporting of poll results. As such, this seminar focuses on helping students interested in these areas learn the fundamental skills required to design, empirically analyze, use, and critically interpret surveys measuring public opinion. Because the course emphasizes the application of polling data about public policy issues and the political process, we will examine the following topics: U.S. presidential leadership and the war in Ukraine; COVID-19 disinformation and vaccine hesistancy; abortion rights; racial prejudice and politics; gun rights and school safety; and finally, polling errors in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Prerequisite: POLS 002 or permission of the instructor. Social sciences. 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Political Science Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/political-science Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	POLS 031. Borders and Migration (CP) This course, taught in Philadelphia, offers an introduction to the causes and consequences of international migration and examines the political responses of different national communities to the phenomenon. In the first part of the course we will explore why and how people move from one country to another and analyze the strategies through which states attempt to manage mobility and exercise control over their territories. Students will learn about patterns of regular and irregular migration, including economic and undocumented migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. We will also interrogate the efficacy of border walls and other strategies of containment and control. In the second part of the course we consider how migration transforms both sending and receiving countries and evaluate how countries accommodate (or fail to accommodate) newcomers to their territories. The growing ethnic, religious, and linguistic diversity generated by international migratory flows has spawned fierce debates over national identity, social cohesion, and political stability. In order to make sense of these debates, we will analyze different regimes of immigrant integration, incorporation, and assimilation and evaluate the meaning of citizenship, social membership, and belonging. Classroom meetings will be supplemented with outside lectures and field trips in Philadelphia to observe immigration hearings and to meet with NGOs and community organizations working on issues surrounding migrant rights and refugee re-settlement. This course will be taught in Philadelphia as part of the Tri-Co Philly Program. Comparative Social Sciences. 1 credit. Eligible for GLBL-Core; INTP eligible; PEAC eligible Catalog chapter: Political Science Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/political-science Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	POLS 032. Social Philosophy (TH) What is a society and how does it differ from a community? Under what circumstances, if any, can we legitimately speak of a “we” as opposed to a collection of individuals? Can a society or a corporation have beliefs and desires? What are social structures and how do they relate to individual action? Are all social phenomena “constructed” and if so in what sense? What is social science and how might it differ from natural science? This course will raise these foundational questions in social philosophy before turning to the question of how different pictures of society and social phenomena shape our normative stances. Do liberalism, socialism and conservatism all follow from particular pictures of society, for instance? What about movements focusing on race and gender? Should we adopt a conception of social phenomena in light of our political commitments or the other way around? By raising and addressing such questions, this course aims to help students in the social sciences achieve greater self-consciousness about the objects and aims of their various disciplines, while also becoming more sophisticated in their normative reflections. Social sciences. 1 credit. Fall 2023. Thakkar. Catalog chapter: Political Science Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/political-science Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	POLS 033. Democracy and Technology New technologies are transforming democratic societies at warp speed. Social media apps like Facebook and Twitter have reshaped public discourse, while artificial intelligence, virtual reality, cryptocurrency, and bioengineering hold equally disruptive potential. This political theory course explores the political and ethical significance of these technological developments for democratic citizenship. We will explore the profound risks posed by these platforms: misinformation and fake news, threats to personal liberty and privacy, algorithmic injustice, racial and gender bias, corporate monopolies, and consolidation of economic power in a small tech elite. We will also explore how technology might be used, creatively, to expand democratic oversight, foster new experiments in living, and empower ordinary citizens to contest power. Our focus will be normative and philosophical, asking deep questions about the meaning of technology for human behavior, while drawing upon concrete empirical examples in both an American and global context. Social Sciences. 1 credit. Fall 2023. Arlen. Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	POLS 034. Capitalism and Socialism The words “capitalism” and “socialism” come up relatively often in discussions of politics, but their meaning is often left vague. After a brief survey of empirical work on the varieties of capitalism and socialism, this course will turn to the normative arguments for and against the two systems that have been made from the Enlightenment to the present day. Authors covered will include Adam Smith, J. G. Fichte, Karl Marx, Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman, as well as a smattering of utopians and anarchists. Students should expect a significant volume of reading, but there are no prerequisites. Social Sciences. 1 credit. Catalog chapter: Political Science Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/political-science Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	POLS 035. Democracy and Dictatorship (CP) This course covers two major themes: the origins of regime types, understood dichotomously as democracies and dictatorships, and the determinants of regime survival, usually understood as democratic consolidation versus authoritarian durability. The four outcomes we explore are thus democratic transitions, democratic breakdowns (reversion to authoritarianism), democratic survival, and authoritarian survival. We will read and survey the main theories of political regime change that are developed based on cases from Western Europe, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Islamic World. This course also examines the relationship between democracy and development, the power (and limitations) of the democracy promoting actors to spur democratization in other countries, the institutional foundations of strong dictatorships, and the notion that established democracies might be currently eroding. Comparative Social science. 1 credit. Eligible for GLBL-Core, LALS-eligible Fall 2023. Kimya. Spring 2025. Handlin. Catalog chapter: Political Science Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/political-science Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	POLS 037. Contemporary Political Philosophy (TH) PHIL 037 This course offers a survey of the major themes and questions that have emerged in Anglophone political philosophy since the Second World War. We will begin by analyzing fundamental concepts such as power, freedom, law and rights; then we will consider competing visions of the basic structure of society; and finally we will turn to pressing issues such as racial injustice, global injustice, immigration policy and the claims of tradition. The ultimate aim is for each student to test, refine and develop their own principles and judgements concerning politics by rigorously attending to the arguments given by leading philosophers. Social sciences. 1 credit. Spring 2024. Thakkar. Catalog chapter: Political Science Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/political-science Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	POLS 038. Designing and Doing Political Science Research (IR) (CP) (AP) An introduction into research design and drawing inferences from data. The first section covers theories, hypotheses, conceptualization and descriptive inference, and approaches to causal inference. The second section focuses on small-n research designs and qualitative methods, covering case studies, small-n comparative analysis, process tracing, and interviewing. The third section introduces students to some basic elements of quantitative research design and statistical analysis, including with both observational and experimental data. Please note, this course does not fulfill the POLS Theory Requirement (must take POLS 011 or 012). This course may only be counted toward one distribution requirement for the major/minor. Social sciences. 1 credit. Fall 2023. Schwarz. Fall 2024. Handlin. Catalog chapter: Political Science Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/political-science Access the class schedule to search for sections.
	POLS 039. The Courts and American Democracy (TH) What role should the courts play in a well-functioning democracy? From one perspective, the courts are an essential safeguard, securing fundamental rights and protecting vulnerable minorities. From another perspective, the courts can undermine democracy by affording unelected judges priority over the democratic public. These theoretical issues take a more concrete shape within the specific political and constitutional culture of the United States. Using the U.S. as our case study, we will think critically about the role of the judiciary in democracy. We shall read some American constitutional case law, while also exploring wider literature in philosophy of law, democratic theory, and American politics. We will focus on the judicial politics surrounding the Civil Rights movement, environmentalist movements, feminist movements, and LGBTQ movements. We will also focus on the judicial politics of economic regulation, immigration, national security, and elections/campaign finance. Throughout, we will ask tough questions about whether the courts truly can be mechanisms of democratic progress, or whether they are essentially conservative institutions that entrench the status quo. It is a course that therefore straddles the fields of political theory and American politics. Social sciences Catalog chapter: Political Science Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/department-political-science Access the class schedule to search for sections.

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PHIL 021. Social and Political Philosophy: Founding Philosophies

PHIL 023. Metaphysics

PHIL 024. Theory of Knowledge

PHIL 029. Philosophy of Nature

PHIL 030. Buddhist Philosophy

PHIL 031. Advanced Logic

PHIL 032. History of Analytic Philosophy

PHIL 034. Marx, Marxism, & Race

PHIL 035. Environmental Ethics

PHIL 037. Contemporary Political Philosophy

PHIL 038. Origins of Indic Thought

PHIL 039. Existentialism

PHIL 040. Semantics

PHIL 041. Peace and Political Philosophy

PHIL 042. Descartes in Contemporary Philosophy

PHIL 044. Comparative Theories of Knowledge

PHIL 047. Utopias

PHIL 049. Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud

PHIL 052. Bioethics

PHIL 069. Phenomenology-Then and Now

PHIL 072. Critical Philosophy of Race

PHIL 079. Poststructuralism

PHIL 086. Philosophy of Mind

PHIL 089. Philosophy and Speculative Fiction

PHIL 093. Directed Reading

PHIL 096. Senior Course Thesis

PHIL 099. Senior Course Study

PHIL 105. Foucault: Genealogy and Power

PHIL 101. Moral Philosophy

PHIL 102. Ancient Philosophy

PHIL 103. Selected Modern Philosophers

PHIL 104. Topics in Metaphysics

PHIL 113. Topics in Epistemology

PHIL 116. Language and Meaning

PHIL 117. Aristotle: Ethics and Politics

PHIL 118. Philosophy of Mind

PHIL 119. Philosophy of Science

PHIL 121. Social and Political Philosophy

PHIL 135. Topics in Indian Philosophy

PHIL 139. Phenomenology, Existentialism, and Poststructuralism

PHIL 155. Philosophy of Law

PHIL 180. Senior Honors Thesis

PHIL 199. Senior Honors Study

PHYS 001C. Climate Change: Science and Responses

PHYS 002E. First-Year Seminar: Energy

PHYS 003. General Physics I

PHYS 003L. General Physics I: Motion, Forces, and Energy with Biological and Medical Applications

PHYS 004. General Physics II

PHYS 004L. General Physics II: Electricity, Magnetism, and Optics with Biochemical and Biomedical Applications

PHYS 005. The World of Particles and Waves

PHYS 006. Foundations of Contemporary Physics.

PHYS 007. Introductory Mechanics

PHYS 008. Electricity, Magnetism, and Waves

PHYS 021. Capstone: Cultural Dimensions of Scientific​ ​Thought

PHYS 062. Physics Journal Club

PHYS 064. Techniques for Scientific Computation

PHYS 093. Directed Reading

PHYS 094. Research Project

PHYS 095. Introduction to Science Pedagogy: Theory and Practice

PHYS 096. Thesis

PHYS 097. Senior Conference

PHYS 107. Quantum Mechanics.

PHYS 111. Analytical Dynamics

PHYS 112. Electrodynamics

PHYS 114. Statistical Physics

PHYS 115. Modern and Quantum Optics

PHYS 130. General Relativity

PHYS 132. Nonlinear Dynamics.

PHYS 134. Computational Physics

PHYS 135. Condensed Matter Physics

PHYS 137. Cosmological Physics

PHYS 138. Plasma Physics

PHYS 139. Biophysics

PHYS 180. Honors Thesis

PHYS 063. Procedures in Experimental Physics

PHYS 081. Advanced Laboratory I

PHYS 082. Advanced Laboratory II

PHYS 083. Advanced Laboratory I and II

POLS 002. American Politics (AP)

PHYS 021. Capstone: Cultural Dimensions of Scientific Thought