Philosophy (Phil)
1. Introduction to Philosophy (4)
Introduction to the basic issues, disputes, and methods of traditional and
contemporary philosophy, including theory of knowledge, ethics, metaphysics,
religion, and social theory. Development of skills in analysis, logical
thinking, and self-expression.
10. Self, Religion, and Society (3)
Conceptions of human nature; nature and varieties of religion; personal
and social implications and values of religion.
25. Methods of Reasoning (4)
Principles and methods of valid inference. Typical topics: forms of deductive
inference, basic types of inductive inference, common pitfalls in moral
reasoning, problems in reasoning due to the nature of language, and common
fallacies found in arguments in everyday life.
45. Elementary Deductive Logic (4)
Basic concepts and methods of deductive logic with emphasis on truth-functional
logic. Development of skills in deductive techniques.
100. Philosophy of Life (3)
Survey of principal perspectives and contributions of philosophers to problems
and issues concerning the nature and quality of human life. Topics discussed
include; meaning of life, examination of life styles, God and the supernatural,
death and immortality, nature of morality.
101. Ancient Philosophy (3)
Development of Western Philosophy from its beginning; the emergence of critical
theory, doctrines, and schools of thought in Greek and Roman culture. Topics
considered may include: "pre-Socratic" philosophy; the work of
Plato and Aristotle; Epicurus and the Atomists; Stoicism.
102. Medieval Philosophy (3)
Consideration of Western Philosophy -- its development, principal figures
and schools of thought-from late classical times through the Middle Ages;
Neo-Platonism, Augustine to Anselm; Abelard; Theology, "scholastic"
thought and revival of Aristotle; Aquinas; the rise of nominalism; William
of Ockharn.
103. Bacon to Kant (3)
Development of early modern philosophy: the search for new scientific methods
-- Bacon, Descartes, Spinoza, Newton, and Locke; empiricism and skepticism
-- Berkeley and Hume; rational ist metaphysics -- Leibniz; influences on
moral and political thought -- the Enlightenment; Rousseau; Kant's critical
philosophy.
104. Nineteenth Century Philosophy (3)
Consideration of the principal figures and systems of thought in philosophy
after Kant; the development of idealism; Hegel and his critics; influential
concepts of evolution and historical change; Marxism; Comte's positivism;
J. S. Mill; irrationalist currents; Kierkegaard and Nietzsche.
105. Twentieth Century Philosophy (3)
Principal developments in philosophy after 1900. Figures and movements include:
logical atomism, logical positivism, linguistic analysis, pragmatism, phenomenology,
existentialism, G. E. Moore, Russell, Wittgenstein, Whitehead, Dewey, Santayana,
Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Austin, Ryle, Strawson, Carnap, Ayer.
106T. Topics in History of Philosophy (1-3; max total 9 it no topic
repeated)
Consideration of special historical issues or individual philosophers.
107. Existentialism (3)
Examination of roots of existentialism in Kierkegaard and Nietzsche; study
of such 20th century existentialists as Sartre, Heidegger, Jaspers, Buber.
Typical problems examined: nature of mind, freedom, the self, ethics, existential
psychoanalysis.
115. Ethical Theory (3)
Introduction to the fundamental concepts and problems of moral theory. Examination
of various ethical theories, including relativism, egoism, utilitarianism,
intui tionism, and non-cognitivism; the meaning of ethical terms.
116. History of Ethics (3)
Development of the main ethical doctrines of Western Philosophy from Socrates
and the Sophists to Hegel and Mill.
117. Philosophy of Art (3)
Investigations of selected topics in the philosophy of art; the nature
of the artistic process and the work of art; expression and creativity;
aesthetic judgment in criticism and experience; the relation of art to moral
and political theory.
119T. Topics in Valuation and Obligation (1-3; max total 9 if no topic
repeated)
Investigation of selected topics in ethics, value theory, political and
social philosophy, aesthetics.
120. Contemporary Conflicts of Morals (3)
Introduction to ethical theory and its application to contemporary moral
problems. Discussion to include: business ethics, medical ethics, sexual
morality, abortion, mercy killing; pot, drugs, and alcohol; crime and punishment,
civil disobedience, revolutionary violence, rights of women and minorities.
121. Ethics in Criminal Justice (3)
Philosophical issues concerning society's treatment of criminal behavior.
Topics discussed include: morality and law; punishment or rehabilitation;
safe vs. repressive society, and what types of deviant behavior should be
regarded as criminal?
125. Social and Political Philosophy (3)
Representative view of function and value of social and political institutions;
analysis of fundamental concepts involved, tar example, the common good,
authority, justice, natural law, natural rights, the state, power, freedom,
equality, responsibility and democracy.
127. Philosophy of Law (3)
Nature and functions of law; methods of justifying legal systems; logic
of legal reasoning; analysis of fundamental legal concepts.
128. Feminist Theory (3)
(Same as W S 128). Philosophical issues pertaining to the life and status
of women in contemporary society. Theories of feminism. Topics to include
relationships between culture and nature, androgyny and feminism, economic
equality, preferential treatment, abortion, sex roles, sexual morality,
marriage. Male participation welcome.
129. Marxism (3)
Examination of basic ideas of Marx inherent in his writings and a consideration
of later developments now called "Marxist."
130. Philosophy of Religion (3)
The nature and function of religious faith, belief, and practice; relations
between religion and morals; existence of God; problem of evil; nature and
significance of religious experience.
131. Comparative Religion (3)
Survey of the major religions of mankind, their history and teachings, with
emphasis on Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity,
and Islam.
133. Literature of the New Testament (3)
(Same as Engl 115.) Prerequisite: satisfactory completion (C or better)
of the Engl 1 graduation requirement. Discussion and close written analyses
of selected texts from the New Testament.
134. Literature of the Old Testament (4)
(Same as Engl 116.) Discussion and written analyses of selected texts from
the Hebrew Bible. Special attention to the sources and styles of biblical
literary techniques.
136. Buddhism (3)
Introduction to Buddhism. Life and teachings of Gautama Siddhartha Buddha;
development of Buddhism after death or mahanirvana of the Buddha.
137. Hinduism (3)
Introduction to the development and ideas of Hinduism.
138. Chinese Thought (3)
Classical religions, ethical and political thought, in ancient China; probable
emphasis on Confucianism and Taoism.
139T. Topics in Religious Issues (1-3; max total 9 if no topic repeated)
Investigations of selected topics in philosophy of religion and comparative
religion.
145. Symbolic Logic (3)
Prerequisite: Phil 25 or 45 or permission of instructor. Theory of deductive
inference; includes propositional logic, predicate logic, relations, identity,
definite description, nature of axiom systems.
146. Philosophy of Language (3)
Nature and uses of language; theories of meaning; concepts of reference,
predication, truth, name, ambiguity, vagueness, definition, metaphor; relationships
between methodology in philosophy and theories of language.
150. Foundations of Knowledge (3)
Nature, sources, and limits of human knowledge; roles of perception, reason,
memory, authority, and intuition in the justification of beliefs in all
areas; for ex ample: science, math, ethics, religion, the past, other minds.
151. Philosophy of Science (3)
Methods and presuppositions of empirical science; scope and limits of science;
logic of scientific explanation and theory construction; inductive inference
and probability; clarification of such concepts as causality. law. theory,
probability, determinism, teleology.
156. Philosophy of Mind (3)
Analysis of problems concerning the nature of mind and mental phenomena:
relation between mind and body, nature of the self and personal identity,
free will, action and behavior, thinking machines, knowledge of other minds;
concepts of mind, intention, desire, emotion.
157. Freedom, Fate, and Choice (3)
Nature of human action, free will and determinism, free will and moral responsibility;
analysis of basic concepts; for example, will, action, freedom, determinism,
fatalism, chance, choice, decision, intention, reason, desire, belief; implications
for everyday life.
159T. Topics in Logic, Epistemology, and Metaphysics (1-3; max total
9 if no topic repeated)
Investigations of selected topics in logic, epistemology, and metaphysics.
160. Philosophy in Literature (3)
A study of the philosophical content of important literary works.
161. Philosophy and Psychology (3)
Investigation of basic philosophical issues concerning the nature of self
and mind, and the relation of the individual to other persons, society and
technology. These issues investigated as they emerge in the humanistic,
existential, Freudian and behaviorist approaches to psychology.
165T. Special Topics (1-3; max total 9 if no topic repeated)
Topics of current or interdisciplinary interest or requiring special background.
170T. Seminar in Philosophical Issues (1-4; max total 12 if no topic
repeated)
Prerequisites: one upper-division philosophy course. Intensive investigation
of selected problems, major figures, or a historical period in philosophy.
Extensive writing and supervised research.
171T. Seminar in Valuation and Obligation (4; max total 12 if no topic
repeated)
Prerequisite: one upper division philosophy course, and one unit of independent
study. Intensive investigation of problems in ethics, aesthetics, social
and political philosophy. Extensive writing and supervised research. (Former
Phil 170T)
172T. Seminar in Religious Issues (1-4; max total 12 if no topic repeated)
Prerequisite: one upper-division philosophy course. Intensive investigation
of problems in philo sophical theology, comparative religion, and culture.
Extensive writing and supervised research.
173T. Seminar in Logic, Epistemology, and Metaphysics (4; max total
12 if no topic repeated)
Prerequisite: one upper division philosophy course, and one unit of independent
study. Intensive investigation of selected problems in logic, epistemology,
and metaphysics. Extensive writing and supervised research. (Former Phil
165T)
174T. Seminar in Special Topics (4; max total 12 if no topic repeated)
Prerequisite: one upper division philosophy course, and one unit of independent
study. Intensive investigation of topics of an interdisciplinary nature
or those having special prerequisites. (Former Phil 180T)
190. Independent Study (1-3; max see reference)
See Academic Placement -- Independent Study.
192. Directed Reading (1-3; max total 6)
Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Supervised readings in a selected
philosopher or field of philosophy. Combined units of Phil 190 and 192 may
not exceed 6 units.