All Courses

Course System Home All Areas of Study

Select Filters and then click Apply to load new results

Term
Time & Day Offered
Level
Credits
Course Duration

Philosophical Reasoning — PHI2109.01

Fall 2019
Instructor: Paul Voice
Credits: 4
What is the difference between belief and knowledge? What makes me the same person now and in the future? Is there a purpose in life? These are some of the questions this first course in philosophy asks. It has two aims: To introduce you to the methods and procedures of philosophical argument and, second, to engage you in a critical dialogue with three central problems in
Society Culture and Thought

Philosophical Reasoning — PHI2109.01

Fall 2020
Instructor: Catherine McKeen
Credits: 4
What is the difference between belief and knowledge? What is truth? What is the good? These are some of the questions this first course in philosophy asks. It has two aims: To introduce you to the methods and procedures of philosophical argument and, second, to engage you in a critical dialogue with three central problems in philosophy - knowledge, metaphysics, and meaning in
Society Culture and Thought

Philosophical Reasoning — PHI2109.01

Fall 2024
Instructor: Catherine McKeen
Credits: 4
What is the difference between belief and knowledge? What is it to have a mind? Is theism rational? Are our actions free? These are some of the questions this first course in philosophy asks. Our investigation will center on the 17th-19th c., a watershed period in Western Europe marked by major political, scientific, religious, and intellectual revolutions. This course has two
Society Culture and Thought

Philosophical Zombies and Super-Intelligent Robots — PHI2106.01) (day/time updated as of 10/6/2023

Spring 2024
Instructor: Catherine McKeen
Credits: 2
There is a 3 lb. grayish-white, fatty organ inhabiting your skull. All of your thoughts, dreams, hopes, beliefs, and memories originate, in some way, in this organ. But how does this meat in your head think? How is your brain capable of having conscious experiences? How does your brain allow you to taste a strawberry or hear more cowbell? And, don’t look now, but the
Society Culture and Thought

Philosophical Zombies and Super-intelligent Robots — PHI2106.01

Spring 2023
Instructor: Catherine McKeen
Credits: 2
There is a 3 lb. grayish-white, fatty organ inhabiting your skull. All of your thoughts, dreams, hopes, beliefs, and memories originate, in some way, in this organ. But how does this meat in your head think? How is your brain capable of having conscious experiences? How does your brain allow you to taste a strawberry or hear more cowbell? And, don’t look now, but the
Society Culture and Thought

Philosophies and Formal Elements of Animation and the Moving Image — MA4104.01

Fall 2018
Instructor: Robby Gilbert
Credits: 4
Zoetropes, phenakistascopes, pepper’s ghosts, puppets, VR, film, projection, games, music, dance, and animation are just a few examples of ways to explore the elements of movement in time-based media. In this course, we delve into the formal elements of the illusion of motion and apply these concepts to the creation of kinetic works in a variety of formats. Emphasis will be
Visual Arts

Philosophies and Formal Elements of Animation and the Moving Image — MA4104.02) (canceled

Fall 2020
Instructor: Sue Rees
Credits: 4
Zoetropes, phenakistascopes, pepper’s ghosts, puppets, VR, film, projection, games, music, dance, and animation are just a few examples of ways to explore the elements of movement in time-based media. In this course, we delve into the formal elements of the illusion of motion and apply these concepts to the creation of kinetic works in a variety of formats. Emphasis will be
Drama Visual Arts

Philosophy Biography: Wittgenstein — PHI4105.01

Fall 2013
Instructor: Paul Voice
Days & Time: TBA
Credits: 4
Ludwig Wittgenstein is one of the most influential and important of twentieth century philosophers and one of its most enigmatic characters. In this course you will read two of Wittgenstein's central works, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus and Philosophical Investigations. We will arrive at a detailed understanding of Wittgenstein's philosophy, its themes, arguments and
Social Science

Philosophy Biography: Wittgenstein — PHI4105.01

Fall 2019
Instructor: Paul Voice
Credits: 4
Ludwig Wittgenstein is one of the most influential and important of twentieth century philosophers and one of its most enigmatic characters. In this course you will read two of Wittgenstein's central works, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus and Philosophical Investigations. We will arrive at a detailed understanding of Wittgenstein's philosophy, its themes, arguments and
Society Culture and Thought

Philosophy and Biography: Wittgenstein — PHI4105.01

Fall 2016
Instructor: Paul Voice
Credits: 4
Ludwig Wittgenstein is one of the most influential and important of twentieth century philosophers and one of its most enigmatic characters.  In this course you will read two of Wittgenstein's central works, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus and Philosophical Investigations.  We will arrive at a detailed understanding of Wittgenstein's philosophy, its themes, arguments
Society Culture and Thought

Philosophy of Art and Language — PHI4215.01

Fall 2013
Instructor: Theresa Morris
Days & Time: TBA
Credits: 4
This course in aesthetics begins with the Ancient Greeks and then follows a predominantly Continental trajectory to contemporary philosophers of aesthetics.  While we will investigate thinkers writing on art, music, and drama, our eventual focus will be the philosophy of language and literature, beginning with Plato’s Phaedrus and including selections from Heidegger,
Unknown

Philosophy of Love and Friendship — PHI2123.01

Spring 2015
Instructor: Paul Voice
Credits: 4
Arthur C. Danto remarks, "How incorrigibly stiff philosophy is when it undertakes to lay its icy fingers on the frilled and beating wings of the butterfly of love." There is something both true and false in this remark. The philosopher cannot, as the poet can, convey the particularities of a love lived, suffered and enjoyed, but romantic love and friendship are an aspect of our
Social Science

Philosophy of Mind — PHI4170.01

Spring 2017
Instructor: Eileen Scully
Credits: 4
What could we possibly know better than our own mind? It turns out to be a pretty complicated question.  What is the nature of mind? Is it fundamentally non-physical? Is it just the brain?  If not, how can it make a difference in the world? If it is, can we account for the richness of conscious experience? We’ll talk about these questions along with issues such as the
Society Culture and Thought

Philosophy of Science — PHI2130.01

Fall 2016
Instructor: Kimberly Van Orman
Credits: 4
Science provides a particular way of knowing about our world. In this course we will examine the benefits, pitfalls and limits of this knowledge.  Topics will include the nature of scientific explanation, causation, and how those ideas can help us distinguish science from pseudoscience.  We will discuss questions such as whether science is objective and whether it’s
Society Culture and Thought

Philosophy of the Performing Arts — PHI2131.01

Fall 2014
Instructor: karen gover
Days & Time: TBA
Credits: 2
Philosophers of art and aesthetics tend to focus on visual art at the expense of other art forms. In this course we will look at the philosophical puzzles and particularities of the performing arts: dance, music, theater, and "performance art." What is the difference between unique and repeatable artworks? What kind of object is a symphony? Are dancers artists, or just highly
Social Science

Philosophy Senior Seminar — PHI4401.01

Fall 2014
Instructor: karen gover, paul voice
Days & Time: TBA
Credits: 4
This course requires students to develop and research a substantial piece of philosophical work based on a previous essay they have written. In addition, students will read a selection of important articles and texts in the analytical and continental philosophical traditions.
Social Science

Photo Documentation for Artists — PHO2203.01

Fall 2017
Instructor: Jon Barber
Credits: 1
his course is intended for upper level VA students who work primarily in non-photographic media. No previous experience with photographic technique is required. The course will demonstrate and provide practice in techniques used in effective documentation of art pieces using digital still photography. Students will have access to camera equipment and our lighting studio,
Visual Arts

Photo Now — PHO2141.01

Spring 2020
Instructor: Jonathan Kline
Credits: 2
This course explores the evolution of contemporary photography from the late 20th century to the present day. We will be looking at a wide range of influences from identity politics, TV and film, social media, and the move from analog to digital technologies. The class format will be weekly faculty lectures accompanied by student research and presentations. Students will keep a
Visual Arts

Photo Zines — PHO2502.01

Fall 2021
Instructor: Michael Giannitti
Credits: 2
This course will explore the many facets of zine making and look into the contemporary BIPOC zine scenes. Students will learn how to sequence photographs to better suit a book format and gain a comfortable understanding of Adobe InDesign to digitally lay out their images for printing. Using inkjet and laser printers, students will experiment with different output methods and
Visual Arts

Photobooks — PHO4371.01

Spring 2026
Instructor: Luiza Folegatti
Days & Time: FR 8:30am-12:10pm
Credits: 4

This course explores how photographers translate artistic concepts into the materiality of bookmaking, giving students insight into the basic steps of creating a photobook. The course will experiment with different book designs, paper qualities, digital printing, binding techniques, sequencing exercises,

Photography

Photobooks — PHO4371.01

Spring 2025
Instructor: Luiza Folegatti
Credits: 4
This course explores how photographers work with the materiality of the medium to create representations of desired realities and interrogate “official histories,” especially those connected to colonization, migration, and gender. The course will look at techniques for intervened photography and photo-collage and apply them to creating photobooks. Students will be encouraged to
Visual Arts

Photographic Narratives — PHO4128.01

Spring 2019
Instructor: Terry Boddie
Credits: 4
In this course, students will be guided through the process of creating a series of assignments that explore the photograph as a narrative device. Students will learn how to explore the photographic narrative through class discussions and peer critique of their work. Structurally the assignments can take a traditional documentary form or a linear or thematic narrative. Image
Visual Arts

Photographic Narratives — PHO2108.01

Fall 2021
Instructor: Carly Rudzinski
Credits: 4
In this course, students are guided through the process of creating a series of assignments that explore the photograph as a narrative device. Students learn how to explore the photographic narrative through class discussions and peer critique of their work. Structurally the assignments may take a traditional documentary format or a linear or thematic narrative. Image editing
Visual Arts

Photographic Portraiture: Friends and Strangers — PHO4262.01

Fall 2015
Instructor: Elizabeth White
Days & Time: TBA
Credits: 4
This studio/ seminar explores historical and contemporary practices in photographic portraiture, considering how photographers negotiate their relationships with their subjects and reflect on notions of identity. Assignments invite students to explore formal and conceptual strategies while readings provide theoretical context and encourage critical thinking about questions of
Visual Arts