Browse all Philosophy courses →
Red: department · Gray: UW–Madison
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.
Grades have not been recorded for this term. Historical results remain in the overview above.
No released grades for this term.
37 courses
In-depth study of ethical issues from applying modern biotechnology to microorganisms, plants, animals, and humans, informed by empirical research and ethical theory.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Robert Streiffer
The course required heavy reading, with pop quizzes testing specific details from over twenty pages of material.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2026–Spring 2026 · limited sampleExamines conceptions of teaching and learning in classical philosophical works and contemporary literature on the philosophy of education.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Fall 2024 · limited sampleEnvironmental Ethics examines the adequacy of ethical theories in handling wrongs like harm to the land, posterity, endangered species, and ecosystems.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Frederic Neyrat
In a summer section, the entire course grade was determined by four assignments, with students noting the instructor was knowledgeable but not a pushover.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2025–Fall 2025 · limited sampleAdvanced course examining moral and political issues in AI and Data Ethics through contemporary case studies and applied philosophical research.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Examines ethical issues arising from new biomedical technologies including genetic screening, prenatal diagnosis, in vitro fertilization, psychosurgery, and transplantation.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Robert Streiffer
A past student rated the difficulty as moderate, though they did not provide specific details about weekly hours or assessment intensity.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Introduction to Philosophy covers various philosophical questions and the strategies philosophers use to address them.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Alexander Roberts
Grading focused on only a few assignments, such as in-class essays and section participation, while students also received credit for showing up.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Develops critical skills in evaluating arguments and reasoning within mass communication media contexts.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Gregory Nirshberg
Gregory Nirshberg’s section involved nine problem sets, two midterms, and a non-cumulative final, covering tough material.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Elementary Logic covers the formal characteristics of logical truth and inference.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Peter Vranas
In-class material was easier than the problem sets and exams, which required hours of work and still resulted in low grades for some students.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Introductory Ethics covers moral problems, ethical theory, moral skepticism, practical ethics, and the evaluation of social institutions.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Russ Shafer-Landau
Russ Shafer-Landau provided test questions in advance and selected from them, allowing students to skip readings if they paid attention in lecture.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Ethics in Business examines case studies of moral issues in business and the types or reasons appealed to for their settlement.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Casey Rufener
One student reported there was no homework, allowing them to focus on lecture content, while another described the two exams as pretty easy.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Introductory course on AI and Data Ethics covering moral/political issues, technical concepts like bias/variance tradeoff, and applications in medicine and law.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Burgandy Basulto
Past students found the workload easy and the grading lenient, with generous extensions. The final assessment was an essay, allowing students to choose between an argumentative piece or a media connection essay.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2025–Spring 2026Topics in Philosophy: Humanities examines selected topics in philosophy.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Anat Schechtman
Readings were not very hard, and students could pass by scanning texts or relying on in-class explanations.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Fall 2024 · limited sampleA philosophical study of major moral issues in contemporary society, including abortion, euthanasia, punishment, property, politics, sex, nuclear disarmament, and world hunger.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Harry Brighouse
The course involved two exams, two essays, and weekly discussion posts. One student noted it was not an easy A class, while another found the overall difficulty manageable.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026History of Ancient Philosophy covering presocratics to Stoics and Epicureans with emphasis on Plato and Aristotle.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Paula Gottlieb
One student reported that the entire grade was based on three relatively easy tutorials, allowing them to skip lectures and still perform well.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026History of Modern Philosophy covers various philosophers from the 17th century through the early 20th century.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Existentialism course studying classic texts on Western civilization's decadence and values, featuring Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, Camus, and De Beauvoir.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Fall 2025 · limited sampleClassical Philosophers offers intensive study of one or more classical philosophers, movements, or problems.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Special Topics in the Theory of Knowledge covers one or more special topics in the Theory of Knowledge or one or more major theories of knowledge with variable content.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2025–Spring 2025 · limited sampleMethods of Logic covers selected topics in philosophical logic and its application to philosophical problems, with variable content.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026 · limited sampleExplores the nature and function of language, covering theories of meaning, semantic and syntactic paradoxes, proper names, private languages, rules, and linguistic relativity.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Modern Ethical Theories covers ethical theories and problems from the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026GREAT MORAL PHILOSOPHERS covers major themes of moral philosophy from Plato and Aristotle to Bentham and Mill, with critical study of outstanding works.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Explores the nature of mind and its relation to physical states, emphasizing recent advances in philosophy and psychology.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Sarah Paul
One student noted the readings were fairly dense and hoped for clarification, while describing the 40-person course as functioning like an open discussion.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Directed Study (PHILOS 599) is an independent study arranged with a faculty member.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2026–Spring 2026 · limited sampleSenior Honors Thesis is an individual mentored study for seniors completing theses for honors in the major, as arranged with a faculty member.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Individual mentored study for seniors completing theses for honors in the major, as arranged with a faculty member.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Senior Thesis (PHILOS 691) is individual mentored study for seniors completing theses, as arranged with a faculty member.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Individual mentored study for seniors completing theses, as arranged with a faculty member.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Independent study in philosophy arranged with a faculty member.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Directed Study is an independent study course in Philosophy arranged with a faculty member.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history