Philosophy and Religious Studies

Phil 191:
Philosophy, Identity and Colonialism in Latin America
Professor Natalie Cisneros
Tuesday and Thursday 9:30 – 10:45

As an introductory survey of Latin American philosophy, this course will explore the intellectual contributions of Latin American thinkers and the philosophical debates that have shaped Latin American thought. We will examine Latin American philosophy from colonization through the present, paying particular attention to philosophical questions about coloniality and decoloniality; identity, gender, race and ethnicity; social justice and politics; history, time and memory; exile and border culture. We also discuss the relationship between literature and philosophy and the configuration of Latin American, Hispano American, and Afro Hispanic identities. Finally, towards the end of our semester-long investigation, we will (re)consider the identity, value and future of Latin American Philosophy.

Phil/English 190
Film and Philosophy
Professors Eric Boynton & Lloyd Michaels
Tuesday and Thursday 3:00 – 4:15

A team-taught, interdisciplinary exploration of how “films think”—how narrative films embody complex ideas, how concrete images can expose existential and ethical questions, and how certain movies can attain the status of art. Students examine connections between Plato’s description of the philosopher’s task and the filmmaker’s re-creation of the world in the movie theater.  Major texts studied include Plato’s Republic, Nietzsche’s Twilight of the Idols, Levinas’ Totality and Infinity, Weir’s Truman Show, Kieslowski’s A Short Film About Love, and Allen’s Crimes & Misdemeanors.