Course Schedule and Catalog
Course Schedule - Spring Semester 2026
Meeting location information can now be found on student schedules in ESTHER (for students) or on the Course Roster in ESTHER (for faculty and instructors).Additional information available here.
Meeting location information can now be found on student schedules in ESTHER (for students) or on the Course Roster in ESTHER (for faculty and instructors).Additional information available here.
PHIL 102 001 (CRN: 25533)
HISTORY OF ETHICS
Long Title: INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY OF ETHICS
Department: Philosophy
Instructor: Theunissen, Nandi
Meetings:
11:00AM - 11:50AM MW (12-JAN-2026 - 24-APR-2026)
11:00AM - 11:50AM F (12-JAN-2026 - 24-APR-2026)
Part of Term: Full Term
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Language of Instruction: Taught in English
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Method of Instruction: Face to Face
Credit Hours: 3
Course Syllabus:
Course Materials: Rice Campus Store
Restrictions:
Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s):
Undergraduate Professional
Visiting Undergraduate
Undergraduate
Section Max Enrollment: 25
Section Enrolled: 17
Total Cross-list Max Enrollment: 50
Total Cross-list Enrolled: 19
Waitlisted: 0 (Max 198)
Current members of the waitlist have priority for available seats.
Enrollment data as of: 25-NOV-2025 12:56PM
Final Exam: Scheduled Final Exam-OTR Room
Description: This is an introduction to the history of ethics with a focus on Aristotle, Kant, and John Stuart Mill. We read the primary texts together with classic contemporary papers that elucidate, develop and critique them. We focus on Aristotle’s distinctive version of the view that everyone desires the good, and his striking account of happiness. We spend time with Kant’s ambitious aim to give ethics a pure foundation in reason. We examine Kant’s famous claim that humanity has special value. We try to make up our minds about Mill’s distinction between active and passive pleasure, and his argument that some pleasures are better than others. We also think through his argument for everyone’s pleasure as the highest good. Students can expect to receive training and guidance in how to read difficult texts from the history of philosophy and this serves as an excellent foundation for the study of any subject in philosophy. Cross-list: PHIL 102.