Examines disagreements about educational justice, substantive accounts of equality, and required policies using moral and political philosophy tools.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2025–Fall 2025 · limited sample Explore prerequisite map →
Browse all Philosophy courses →
The department at a glance
All recorded grades average GPA
A / AB grades
letter grades
How grades break down
Grades over time
Red: department · Gray: UW–Madison
About these statistics
GPA and percentages are weighted by recorded letter grades. UW comparisons use the same terms. Cross-listed courses count once within this department and once across UW; department totals should not be added together. Grade counts are not unique students. Offering counts reflect captured records, not a complete historical schedule.
Fall 2026
Recorded this termcourses with offerings
instructors recorded
Grades have not been recorded for this term. Historical results remain in the overview above.
Find your next class
39 coursesHistorical grades cover up to five years through the selected term. Grade sorting prioritizes courses with at least 100 letter grades.
ENVIRST/PHILOS 441
Environmental Ethics
3–4 creditsENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS examines the adequacy of ethical theories in addressing harms to the land, posterity, endangered species, and the ecosystem itself.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Frederic Neyrat: Neyrat's summer section required four assignments for the entire grade, with moderate difficulty.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2025–Fall 2025 · limited sampleExamines moral and philosophical issues raised by the Holocaust, including rescue, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
The course requires a significant volume of reading, described as a ton of work, though students report learning a lot from the material.
No recorded grade history
MATH/PHILOS 571
Mathematical Logic
3 creditsCovers basics of logic, mathematical proofs, propositional and first order logic, and undecidability.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Steffen Lempp: Homeworks are tough due to a lack of in-class examples, making preparation challenging.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2024–Fall 2024 · limited sampleMEDHIST/PHILOS 344
Food Ethics
3 creditsExplores food ethics issues from personal and policy perspectives.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
PHILOS 101
Introduction to Philosophy
3–4 creditsPHILOS 101 introduces students to various philosophical questions and the strategies philosophers use to address them.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
The course involves three essays and exams, with grading heavily weighted toward writing assignments and participation, though study guides are provided for tests.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026PHILOS 141
The Meaning of Life
3–4 creditsPHILOS 141 introduces philosophy by exploring the meaning of life through classical and contemporary texts.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
One historical reviewer reported low difficulty, noting they did well without reading the material and only attending lectures.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2024–Fall 2024PHILOS 210
Reason in Communication
3–4 creditsTeaches critical skills in comprehending, evaluating, and engaging in contemporary reasoning, focusing on argument in mass media.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Farid Masrour, Gregory Nirshberg, Katie Deaven: Workload includes problem sets, midterms, and a final, with a probability unit for QRA credit. Reviews suggest exams rely on in-class practice and homework patterns, requiring focused attendance to understand material not covered in slides.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026PHILOS 211
Elementary Logic
3–4 creditsELEMENTARY LOGIC covers the formal characteristics of logical truth and inference.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Bruno Whittle, Peter Vranas: Workload varies by instructor. Peter Vranas’s problem sets and exams were reported as extremely difficult and time-consuming relative to lecture content. Bruno Whittle’s homework is generally considered reasonable, with practice sets mirroring exams, though some students found the material information-heavy or abstract in later sections.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026PHILOS 241
Introductory Ethics
3–4 creditsCovers moral problems, ethical theory, skepticism, and practical ethics.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Grading relies on three difficult papers, though readings are optional.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026PHILOS 243
Ethics in Business
3–4 creditsPHILOS 243 examines moral issues in business through case studies and the reasons used to settle them.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Aaron Yarmel, Arun Baxter, Casey Rufener: Workload varies by instructor. Some require minimal weekly assignments and easy exams, while others demand difficult readings and multiple open-note tests. Attendance policies also differ, ranging from highly encouraged to mandatory.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026PHILOS 244 introduces contemporary moral and political issues in AI and Data Ethics, integrating technical concepts with case studies on privacy, automation, and algorithmic justice.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Burgandy Basulto: Reviewers characterize the workload as easy with lenient grading and extension policies, though one notes a final essay project requiring a choice between argumentative or media connection formats.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2025–Spring 2026PHILOS 304
Topics in Philosophy: Humanities
3–4 creditsPHILOS 304 is a topics course examining selected subjects in philosophy, specifically within the humanities.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
The course is rated as having low difficulty, with a rating of 2.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Fall 2024 · limited samplePHILOS 341
Contemporary Moral Issues
3–4 creditsPHILOS 341: CONTEMPORARY MORAL ISSUES provides a philosophical study of major moral issues in contemporary society.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of David O'Brien, Harry Brighouse, Kevin Dewan, Marcos Picchio: Workload typically includes three papers, two exams or tests, and weekly discussion posts or short responses, which reviewers generally found manageable.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026PHILOS 430
History of Ancient Philosophy
3–4 creditsHISTORY OF ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY covers philosophers from the presocratics to the Stoics and Epicureans, with particular emphasis on Plato and Aristotle.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
The grade is based on three tutorials, which one reviewer found easy enough to skip lectures. Another noted that achieving an A requires doing well, and syllabus dates are not provided.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026PHILOS 432
History of Modern Philosophy
3–4 creditsPHILOS 432 covers various philosophers from the 17th century through the early 20th century.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026PHILOS 454
Classical Philosophers
3 creditsPHILOS 454 offers intensive study of selected classical philosophers, movements, or problems.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026PHILOSOPHY OF THE NATURAL SCIENCES examines the nature and functions of science and the logic of the scientific method.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Fall 2024 · limited samplePHILOS 530
Freedom Fate and Choice
3 creditsPHILOS 530 examines philosophical problems associated with free will.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Fall 2025 · limited samplePHILOS 541
Modern Ethical Theories
3 creditsPHILOS 541 explores ethical theories and problems from the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026PHILOS 549
Great Moral Philosophers
3 creditsGREAT MORAL PHILOSOPHERS covers major themes of moral philosophy from Plato and Aristotle to Bentham and Mill.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026PHILOS 551
Philosophy of Mind
3 creditsPHILOS 551 explores the nature of mind and mental states, examining their relationship to physical states through recent advances in philosophy and psychology.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Historical reviews of Farid Masrour, Sarah Paul: Readings are consistently characterized as dense, though Masrour simplifies them while Paul provided no clarification.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026PHILOS 553
Aesthetics
3 creditsPHILOS 553 (AESTHETICS) analyzes current philosophies of art and criticism.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2025–Fall 2025 · limited samplePHILOS 555
Political Philosophy
3 creditsPHILOS 555 (Political Philosophy) examines philosophical doctrines for justifying political decisions and analyzes concepts like justice, authority, and natural rights.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Fall 2025PHILOS 560
Metaphysics
3 creditsPHILOS 560 explores major problems in metaphysics including existence, universals, space and time, and substance.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Students who demonstrate effort and care for the class are likely to do well under his reasonable grading standards.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026PHILOS 599
Directed Study
1–3 creditsPHILOS 599 is a directed study course allowing students to pursue independent research or study topics arranged with a faculty member.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026 · limited samplePHILOS 681
Senior Honors Thesis
1–3 creditsPHILOS 681 is a mentored study course for senior Philosophy majors to complete honors theses.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
PHILOS 682
Senior Honors Thesis
3 creditsPHILOS 682 is a mentored study course for seniors completing honors theses in the Philosophy major.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited samplePHILOS 691
Senior Thesis
3 creditsPHILOS 691 is a mentored study course for seniors completing their theses, arranged individually with a faculty member.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
PHILOS 699
Directed Study
2–3 creditsPHILOS 699 is a directed study course allowing independent research arranged with a faculty member.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
Across course levels
Recorded this termNo released grades for this term.
Recorded offerings over time
Offering snapshots currently cover Fall 2026. Earlier grade records do not provide a complete offering history.