This course will examine the western philosophical tradition as manifested in the works of prominent European and/or American philosophers of the 20th century. Philosophers such as Ryle, Ayer, Heidegger, Sartre, Wittgenstein, Merleau-Ponty, Habermas, Foucault, and Derrida may be included among others. Topics may include but are not limited to: the nature of the mind, human freedom, the nature of language and interpretation, and the construction of meaning.