Kopeikin, Zak Alexander

Research

keywords

Metaphysics and epistemology of value, ethical methodology, metaphilosophy, bioethics, value theory, applied ethics

Teaching

courses taught

PHIL 1000 - Introduction to Philosophy
Primary Instructor - Summer 2018
Discusses fundamental questions concerning human existence and the nature of reality. Questions may include: Does God exist? Am I the same person I was when I was born? Will I survive the death of my body? Do I have free will? How do I know whether the world around me really exists? What is knowledge? What is truth? What is morality, and how do I know what�s right to do?
PHIL 1100 - Ethics
Primary Instructor - Spring 2018 / Spring 2022 / Summer 2022 / Fall 2022 / Spring 2023 / Summer 2023 / Fall 2023 / Spring 2024 / Summer 2024 / Fall 2024
Introduces students to moral philosophy by having them study and evaluate prominent moral theories and their application to a selection of real-world moral problems. Theories studied may include utilitarianism, rights theory, virtue ethics, social contract theory, divine command theory, cultural relativism, and natural law theory. Social problems covered may include abortion, world poverty, animal rights, reparations for slavery, gun rights, or similar such controversies.
PHIL 1160 - Introduction to Medical Ethics
Primary Instructor - Spring 2019
Introduces students to moral dilemmas in medical practice, biomedical research, and health policy, placing them in the context of comprehensive ethical theories and core principles of bioethics. Topics may include: euthanasia; abortion; organ procurement; moral status; research on nonhuman animals; navigating cultural differences between patients and health professionals; and the fair distribution of healthcare resources; as well as the bioethical issues arising from technological advances in medicine, including genetic engineering, cloning, and assistive reproductive technologies.
PHIL 1200 - Contemporary Social Problems
Primary Instructor - Spring 2020 / Fall 2020 / Spring 2021 / Fall 2021
Examines competing positions in debates over a wide variety of controversial moral, social and political issues. Topics may include: abortion, world poverty, animal rights, immigration, physician-assisted suicide, freedom of religion, hate speech, cloning, income inequality, pornography, gun rights, racial profiling, capital punishment, overpopulation, prostitution, drug legalization, torture. Formerly titled 'Philosophy and Society.'
PHIL 1400 - Philosophy and the Sciences
Primary Instructor - Summer 2019
Considers philosophical topics and concepts related to the natural sciences, such as the following: science and pseudo-science; scientific method; the nature of explanation, theory, confirmation, and falsification; the effect of science on basic concepts like mind, freedom, time, and causality; ethics of experimentation; and the relation of science to society.

PHIL 1440 - Critical Thinking
Primary Instructor - Fall 2018
Develops students' skills in evaluating arguments and other aspects of critical thinking, focusing on the ways people reason and attempt to justify their beliefs. Activities may include modeling arguments, detecting common fallacies, examining the use (and misuse) of scientific evidence, and learning the basics of symbolic logic. Formerly titled "Introductory Logic."

PHIL 2160 - Ethics and Information Technology
Primary Instructor - Spring 2022
Examines contemporary ethical issues concerning the use, misuse, and development of information technologies, with particular focus on the consequences such changes may have on the lives of individuals and on the shape of societies. Topics may include hacking and cyber crime; artificial intelligence; robotics and automation technologies, such as drones and self-driving cars; mass surveillance; use of personal information by corporate, law enforcement, and media interests; as well as gaming and virtual reality.

PHIL 2270 - Philosophy and Race
Primary Instructor - Fall 2021
Explores the historical relationship between western philosophy and race and investigates the ways in which philosophy can be used to address contemporary racial issues.

PHIL 3100 - Ethical Theory
Primary Instructor - Summer 2020 / Fall 2020 / Spring 2021 / Summer 2022
Examines important doctrines and arguments in various areas of theoretical ethics, such as the normative ethics of behavior, axiology, virtue theory, and metaethics. Recommended prerequisite: 6 hours of philosophy course work.

PHIL 3160 - Bioethics
Primary Instructor - Spring 2022 / Fall 2022 / Spring 2023 / Summer 2023 / Fall 2023 / Spring 2024 / Summer 2024 / Fall 2024
Analysis of ethical problems involved in such issues as abortion, euthanasia, organ transplants, eugenics, treatment of the patient as a person and the institutional nature of the health care delivery system. Recommended prerequisite: 6 hours of philosophy coursework.

PHIL 3190 - War and Morality
Primary Instructor - Summer 2021
Focuses on moral issues raised by war. When, if ever, can war be morally justified? Are rules of war globally applicable, or are they affected by local religious and cultural frameworks? Are colonized nations bound by the same rules of war as their colonizer states? Are states ever obligated to intervene to stop massacres or genocides in other states? Recommended prerequisite: 6 hours of PHIL coursework.

PHIL 3480 - Critical Thinking/Writing in Philosophy
Primary Instructor - Fall 2022 / Fall 2023 / Fall 2024
Focuses upon the fundamental skills, methods, concepts and distinctions that are essential for the study of philosophy. Basic skills covered include the writing of philosophy papers, the reading of articles and the extraction and evaluation of arguments. Recommended prerequisites: 6 hours of philosophy course work.

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Background

education and training

Ph.D., University of Colorado Boulder 2020
M.A., University of Colorado Boulder 2015
B.A., University of California-Santa Barbara 2013

VIVO

Positions

Research Areas