Philosophy Courses
These listings are sourced from Curricunet, and some courses may not be offered every semester. For additional information, contact the academic department, speak with counseling or refer to the current Class Schedule and College Catalog.
PHIL 50 - Introduction to Philosophy
( 3.00 - Units )
Introductory course in philosophy. Philosophy is an activity rather than a set of beliefs. It is thinking critically, systematically, and creatively about fundamental and important questions about knowledge, values, and reality that include the following and more: What do I know, and how do I know it? What is justice? Does God exist? Do I have free will? What is the nature of the mind and self?
Student Learning Outcomes (SLO)
- employ the methods of philosophical inquiry, especially the principles of logic and critical thinking;
- convey understanding of major philosophical questions, theories, and concepts in the areas of metaphysics (nature of reality), epistemology (knowledge), and axiology (value theory);
- reconstruct, analyze, and evaluate arguments and counterarguments for and against major philosophical positions;
- explicate and analyze globally significant texts from the history of philosophy.
PHIL 55 - Symbolic Logic
( 3.00 - Units )
This course is an introduction to symbolic logic. Symbolic logic is the formal study of good and bad reasoning. Central to this study is the concept of and criteria for validity. Sentential and predicate logic symbolization, semantics, and proof methods will be examined. NOTE: This course is required for nearly all philosophy majors and is excellent preparation for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT).
Student Learning Outcomes (SLO)
- demonstrate understanding of the concept of and criteria for deductive validity.
- translate natural language (e.g., ordinary English) into the languages of sentential and predicate logic and vice versa.
- employ formal techniques for determining the validity or invalidity of arguments in sentence and predicate logic, including the truth table, counterexample, and proof methods.
PHIL 60 - Ethics
( 3.00 - Units )
This is an introductory course in ethics. To study ethics is to think critically about morality, and address questions like: What is justice? Are there universal, absolute, or objective moral rules? Is human nature inherently good or evil? What’s the relationship between moral responsibility and free will? This course examines several competing, historically important, and still prominent theoretical approaches to ethics, including Kant’s deontology, Mill’s utilitarianism, and Aristotle’s virtue ethics. These theories will be applied to contemporary moral problems, including those stemming from wealth inequality, artificial intelligence, the treatment of animals, and the limits of free speech.
Student Learning Outcomes (SLO)
- employ the methods of philosophical inquiry, especially the principles of logic and critical thinking;
- convey understanding of the major ethical theories, arguments, and concepts expressed in at least two of the following: Kant’s deontology, Mill’s and Bentham’s utilitarianism, and Aristotle’s virtue ethics;
- analyze and apply ethical theories to moral problems;
- explicate and analyze globally significant texts from the history of moral philosophy.
PHIL 65 - Introduction to Philosophy: Theory of Knowledge
( 3.00 - Units )
Primary works of philosophy in the areas of knowledge, truth, and thought. Systematic analysis of documents that constitute the major statements in the theory of knowledge—the functions of reasoning, intuition, and sense experience.
Student Learning Outcomes (SLO)
- Examine and analyze pernnial problems and views in epistemology.
- Understand and emply the methods of philosophical inquiry as demonstrated in particular works of consequence.
- Demonstrate understanding of key theoretical contributions of at least two of the following: Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Locke, Hume, and Kant.
PHIL 70 - Introduction to Political and Social Philosophy
( 3.00 - Units )
Philosophical-political analysis of value conflicts in the area of political thought and theory. Philosophical investigation of political principles which affect our lives as well as the role of theory in regard to the nature of the individual in a modern technological democracy. (Formerly PHIL 25)
Student Learning Outcomes (SLO)
- Examine and analyze perennial problems and views in political and social philosophy.
- Understand and emply the methods of philosophical inquiry as demonstrated in particular works of consequence.
- Demonstrate understanding of key theoretical contributions of at least two of the following: Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli or Hobbes, Locke or Rousseau, Kant, Marx, and Rawls.