Abstract

Where do new philosophy courses come from? Traditionally, the answer to this question has involved generating a new course that fits into one of the following species of philosophy courses: “historical,” “problems-based,” and “skills-based.” This paper gives a more heterogeneous answer to this question and describes a new type of course (“Topics in Philosophy: The University in Society”), which investigates the nature and function of the university and its relation to three important topics: human cloning, the impact of new information technologies, and the changing shape of the American family. In addition to providing an overview of the course, the paper outlines what role the instructor should take, how students were evaluated, what readings were used, and what conclusions students came to concerning the university's role in society.