We'll be reading a short novel written in 1998 called The Hours by Michael Cunningham. We'll be analyzing it in terms of authorial biography—i.e., how the personal details of the author's life gave rise to the unusual structure of the book—and in terms of craft. We will look also at the larger thematic issues that arise in the book and attempt to reconcile those issues with the major historical and intellectual landmarks of the 20th century.

In this lecture, we will ask the broadest kinds of questions about the nature of medicine. We will examine the metaphysics upon which the American medical system is found, and the quality-of-care crisis, especially in terms of ontology and shifting philosophical sensibilities. We will also think about the entities—bodies, disease, and drugs—that compose the medical worldview and their relation to patient care.

The word 'existential' is tossed around rather liberally in our culture, but do we know what it means? What did it originally mean to "have an existential crisis?" Contrary to popular belief, existentialism is a very specific and (I would argue) useful way of thinking about ourselves. In this course, we will examine some of the main claims of existentialist philosophy and the way in which these claims might inform our lives.

What can philosophy tell us about a television show like Family Guy? Or, conversely, what can a television show like Family Guy tell us about philosophy? Using examples from both philosophy and Family Guy, this lecture will challenge students to think not only about Peter's immoral shenanigans or Stewie's matricidal tendencies, but also about why philosophy is relevant to everyone.