PHIL242
PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE
- Department
- Philosophy
- Terms offered
- 10
- Data refreshed
- Jun 30, 2026
Description
A philosophical examination of topics concerning the character and meaning of referring expressions and propositions. We focus on the nature of reference and meaning in the case of names, indexicals, and natural kind terms. Representative readings include works by Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, Strawson, Quine, Putnam, Kaplan, and Kripke (namely, Naming and Necessity). Some background in logic is very helpful though not strictly necessary.
Syllabi
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Offering history & forecast 2015–2025
1998 2025
| Year | Fall | Spring | Summer | Intersession |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2030 | 2030 Fall: 16% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 1 of 9 fall terms since 2018. | 2030 Spring: 16% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 2 of 9 spring terms since 2018. | 2030 Summer: 7% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 9 summer terms since 2018. | 2030 Intersession: 8% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 6 intersession terms since 2020. |
| 2029 | 2029 Fall: 18% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 2 of 10 fall terms since 2017. | 2029 Spring: 16% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 2 of 10 spring terms since 2017. | 2029 Summer: 6% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 10 summer terms since 2017. | 2029 Intersession: 7% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 7 intersession terms since 2017. |
| 2028 | 2028 Fall: 18% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 2 of 11 fall terms since 2016. | 2028 Spring: 16% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 2 of 11 spring terms since 2016. | 2028 Summer: 5% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 11 summer terms since 2016. | 2028 Intersession: 7% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 7 intersession terms since 2017. |
| 2027 | 2027 Fall: 18% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 2 of 12 fall terms since 2015. | 2027 Spring: 17% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 3 of 12 spring terms since 2015. | 2027 Summer: 5% chance, high confidence. Offered in 0 of 12 summer terms since 2015. | 2027 Intersession: 6% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 7 intersession terms since 2017. |
| 2025 | 1 section | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered |
| 2024 | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered |
| 2023 | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered |
| 2022 | Not offered | 1 section | Not offered | Not offered |
| 2021 | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered |
| 2020 | Not offered | 1 section | Not offered | Not offered |
| 2019 | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered | No data for this term |
| 2018 | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered | No data for this term |
| 2017 | 1 section | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered |
| 2016 | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered | No data for this term |
| 2015 | Not offered | 1 section | Not offered | No data for this term |
Forecast Under 15% 15–39% 40–69% 70–89% 90%+ Not enough history
Fall Spring Summer Intersession Darker means more sections Not offered No data for term
Future estimates combine recent offering frequency with detected multi-year cycles. Hover a cell for confidence and evidence; low-confidence estimates are marked with ~.
Meeting times
Most recent first- Tue, Fri, 2:50 PM–4:05 PM ES414 2025
- Mon, Thu, 1:25 PM–2:40 PM Jefferson Academic Center JF222 2010
- Mon, Wed, 11:00 AM–12:15 PM Philosophy House PHSEM 20022001
- Tue, Thu, 4:05 PM–5:20 PM JC204 1998
| Term | Professor | Type | Credits | Enrollment | CRN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | Scott Hendricks | Lecture | 1 | 8 of 20 enrolled | 23848 |
| Spring 2022 | Scott Hendricks | Lecture | 1 | 10 of 20 enrolled | 31718 |
| Spring 2020 | Scott Hendricks | Lecture | 1 | 18 of 20 enrolled | 37857 |
| Fall 2017 | Scott Hendricks | Lecture | 1 | 9 of 20 enrolled | 25941 |
| Spring 2015 | Scott Hendricks | Lecture | 1 | 10 of 20 enrolled | 34117 |
| Fall 2012 | Scott Hendricks | Lecture | 1 | 12 of 20 enrolled | 22105 |
| Spring 2010 | Scott Hendricks | Lecture | 1 | 16 of 20 enrolled | 37374 |
| Spring 2002 | Scott Hendricks | Lecture | 1 | 4 of 35 enrolled | 35267 |
| Spring 2001 | Michael Pakaluk | Lecture | 1 | 3 of 99 enrolled | 35267 |
| Spring 1998 | Michael Pakaluk | Lecture | 1 | 6 of 99 enrolled | 32583 |