DePaul University Course Schedule

Fall Quarter 2021

  • Philosophical Inquiry: Philosophy of Race (100 level Honors).
  • Latin American Philosophy: Liberation Philosophy (300 level).

Recent Courses

Liberation Philosophy

This seminar is an overview of the Latin American philosophical movement known as “liberation philosophy.” This is a movement that emerged in Argentina in the early 1970’s, both as a theoretical answer to the question “What is Latin American philosophy?” and a practical response to rise of dictatorial politics in the continent. While inclusive of thinkers such as Juan Carlos Scannone, Rodolfo Kusch, Horacio Cerutti, Arturo Roig, among others, this seminar focuses on the main exponent of liberation philosophy: Enrique Dussel. The first half of the course will offer a brief overview of this movement and Dussel’s life work, as well as an examination of the imperial and colonial legacies of “Latin America” and “modernity.” These analyses will set the stage for the second half of the course, an in-depth reading of one of Dussel’s most important works, The Philosophy of Liberation – paying attention to the feminist criticisms of such approach. We will conclude by arriving at the present stage of liberation philosophy: the articulation of global South-South inter-cultural dialogues towards the overcoming of modernity/coloniality. Instruction will consist of lectures and classroom discussion.

Philosophy of Race 

This course introduces students to philosophical inquiry by way of recent philosophical work on the concept of race. We will start by outlining the task of philosophy and the value of philosophizing through lived experience. Subsequently, we will focus on race as a lens through which to do philosophy. We will therefore explore the metaphysics of race, the place of race in the history of modern Western philosophy, the phenomenological and existential import of race, as well as ethical, political, and aesthetic considerations such as the morality of racism and racial injustice, and the racialization of beauty. Instruction will consist of brief lectures and classroom discussion.

French Existentialism in a Historical Context

This course is an introduction to existentialism through a study of its historical foundations and principal exponents. We will start with a historical grounding in the works of Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Martin Heidegger, all of whom were influential sources in what would go on to become 20th century existential philosophy. In the remaining part of the course, we will explore the work of three leading existential philosophers: Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Frantz Fanon. Our analysis will center on some of the principal concepts of existential philosophy, such as freedom, meaninglessness, alienation, authenticity, faith, and death. Instruction will consist of brief lectures and classroom discussion.

Student Work

See a sample of creative final projects for my HON 105 course “Philosophy of Race” here.