INDEPENDENT STUDIES
Each term, depending on my other responsibilities, I agree to do some
"Independent Studies" with undergraduates (498F/498G), graduate
students in other Departments (798), and philosophy graduate students
(898 for topics possibly leading to work on a dissertation; otherwise,
798). These can sometimes be connected to a course I'm currently
teaching, such as a course which is at the wrong level for a given
student or has reached maximum enrollement, or a course I teach at
other times that a student can't fit into his/her schedule. They
also may involve further work on a general area or special topic within
my range of academic interests on which a course is not currently
available, or on which a student has already completed one of my
courses and wishes to do further, more concentrated work.
An Independent Study can be taken either for graded credit or
pass/fail, for a maximum of 6 credits per student per term. They
typically involve meeting with me at intervals during the term to
discuss readings and/or to present work done on a paper or
papers. Besides a formal term paper options for written work
include exegeses of readings and entries in a philosophical journal.
Suitable topics include the following:
- normative ethics: all
levels and major fields. Here I can offer an organized schedule
of readings worked out in a prior term for a graduate student in
English., along with readings focusing on special topics such as
contractualism or virtue ethics
- metaethics: suitable only
for advanced philosophy students
- action theory (including
free will): typically limited to advanced philosophy students, though
I'll also consider reasonable requests from others. Subtopics
include weakness of will, rationality/irrationality; criminal
responsibility; work by Michael Bratman, Harry Frankfurt, Gary Watson,
Joseph Raz, etc.
- moral psychology
(including emotions): typically limited to advanced philosophy
students, though I'll also consider reasonable requests from others.