Courses
Philosophy Courses
PHL 8 Beginning Philosophy
This course is an introductory exploration of basic issues raised by the great philosophers.
Readings focus on questions about human nature, God, knowledge, values, meaning and purpose.
Every Semester, 3 units
PHL 10 Life and Death
This course covers fundamental philosophical questions about life and death.
Topics may include the following: surrogate motherhood and reproductive technologies, abortion, euthanasia, suicide, artificial prolongation of life and the concept of death with dignity, immortality and the concept of the soul.
On Occasion, 3 units
PHL 13 Human Values
This course is an introduction to human values that focuses on such ethical, social and aesthetic questions as: What is the basis of right and wrong? How can one gain knowledge of good and evil? How do we judge beauty? What do we mean by justice? What makes life worth living?
Every Semester, 3 units
PHL 14 Symbolic Logic
This course is an introduction to the techniques and problems of symbolic logic. This course is of special interest to pre-law students, science majors and students who expect to take additional courses in Philosophy.
Every Semester, 3 units
PHL 15 Philosophy of Education
This course is an examination of the major topics in the philosophy of education. Readings from the major philosophers of education (Plato, Rousseau, Schiller, Dewey, William James, Whitehead, Buber) and from other important traditional and contemporary theorists (Piaget, Montessori, A.S. Neill, Chomsky, Coles, Illich, Freire, Kozol, Goodman, Gilligan) are discussed. Topics include: the world of the child, play and imagination, the acquisition of language, the maturation of mind, ethics and the education of character, the social and political role of education.
On Occasion, 3 units
PHL 16 Aesthetics and the Philosophy of the Arts
This course is an examination of the major topics in traditional and contemporary philosophy of art: the nature of aesthetic experience, artistic creation, aesthetic judgment, objectivity and truth in art, the meaning of beauty, the social role of art and art criticism. These issues are examined in connection with the practice and appreciation of the various arts including: literature, theatre, painting and sculpture, architecture, dance, music, photography and film.
On Occasion, 3 units
PHL 18 Social and Political Philosophy
This course is an examination of traditional and contemporary theories of the relation between individuals and the state or community. Topics include: the nature of the state, political obligation, distributive justice, social contract theory, individual rights and majority rule, the relation between political and legal power and punishment, the concept of ideology, civil disobedience, revolution, alienation. Representative selections from the writings of traditional and contemporary political philosophers are discussed.
On Occasion, 3 units
PHL 19 Medical Ethics
This course explores philosophical issues raised by modern medical technology and practice such as experiments on humans and animals, genetic engineering, trans- plants, the responsibility of the hospital to the community, decisions about who gets limited medical resources, the issues surrounding AIDS, mental illness and behavior control and patient rights which includes the right to the truth.
Fall Semester, 3 units
PHL 20 Philosophy of Religion
This course is an examination of such topics in the philosophy of religion as the varieties of religious experience, arguments for and against the existence of God, the relation of faith to reason, the problem of evil, the concept of the soul and its immortality, the relation of religion to science, ethics and the arts. Some attention is given to non-Western traditions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and the world of Islam.
On Occasion, 3 units
PHL 21 Philosophy and the Novel
This course is an examination of the novel as a medium of philosophical expression. Readings from works of major novelists such as Melville, Dostoevsky, Proust, Kafka, Joyce, Mann, Faulkner, Lawrence, Hesse, Camus, Calvino and Kundera are included.
On Occasion, 3 units
PHL 22 War and Peace
The continued inability of people to make peace worldwide and the ever threatening possibility of nuclear war causes thinking people everywhere to ask philosophical questions about war and peace. Is lasting peace possible or is war inevitable? What kinds of moral issues are raised by contemporary war technology? Is nuclear war a rational option? Is pacifism defensible? Course materials come from philosophy, films, fiction and other sources.
On Occasion, 3 units
PHL 25 History of Ancient Philosophy
This course is an examination of the writings of the great Western philosophers: the pre-Socratics, Plato and Aristotle, the Stoics, Epicureans and neo-Platonists. Some attention is given to non-Western traditions such as Buddhism and Hinduism.
Annually, 3 units
PHL 26 History of Modern Philosophy
This course is an examination of the major movements in early modern philosophy beginning with Descartes and the rise of modern science and concluding with the critical philosophy of Kant. The focus is on the Continental rationalist and British empiricist traditions.
Annually, 3 units
PHL 27 Philosophy of History
This course is an examination of the topics in traditional and contemporary philosophy of history. Topics include: the meaning and nature of history, causes in history, historical explanation and interpretation, progress in history, the hero in history. Representative selections from such philosophers of history as Augustine, Hegel, Marx, Kant, Vico, Nietzsche, Cassirer, Freud, Sartre, Hook and N.O. Brown are included.
On Occasion, 3 units
PHL 28 Philosophy and the Environment
The contemporary environmental crisis raises profound philosophical questions about the relationship of the human person to the natural world. How can we balance control over the environment with reverence for it? Is technology necessarily exploitative? Are there limits beyond which humans should not go in their control of the environment? Is an aesthetic environment a human need? What can philosophy contribute to an understanding of ecology?
On Occasion, 3 units
PHL 29 Philosophical Psychology
This course is an examination of the topics in contemporary philosophical psychology. These include: the nature of consciousness, the relationship between the mind and the brain; mental causation; intentionality; the perception of time; space and color; the significance of artificial intelligence; the nature and roles of memory, will, imagination, and desire; dreams and the concept of the unconscious; personal identity. Representative selections from the most important contemporary philosophers and others working in this area are discussed.
On Occasion, 3 units
PHL 30 Existentialism
This course is an examination of the writings of the major existentialist philosophers such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau- Ponty, Camus and Buber. Some attention is given to the literary existentialists such as Dostoevsky, Kafka, Hesse, Rilke and Beckett and to the influence of existentialist philosophy on the other disciplines such as psychology and the arts specifically literature, film and painting. Topics include: the meaning of death, existential freedom, authenticity and bad faith, absurdity and rebellion, time and history, the quest for Being, subjectivity and the lived body, the critique of religion and morality.
On Occasion, 3 units
PHL 31 Philosophy of the Nineteenth Century: Hegel to Nietzsche
This course is an examination of the major movements of 19th century European and American philosophy. Topics include: Hegel and German idealism; critiques of Hegelian idealism by Feuerbach, Marx and Kierkegaard; the utilitarianism of J.S. Mill; the transcendentalism of Emerson and Thoreau; the idealism of Schopenhauer, Royce and Bradley; the early pragmatism of C.S. Peirce; the new psychology of William James; and Nietzsche's critique of Western philosophy and culture.
Annually, 3 units
PHL 32 Philosophy of the Twentieth Century
This course is an examination of the major movements in 20th century philosophy including logical positivism, ordinary language philosophy, pragmatism, phenomenology and existentialism. Selections from such 20th century philosophers as Russell, Wittgenstein, Moore, Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau- Ponty, James, Dewey, Whitehead and Quine are discussed.
Annually, 3 units
PHL 33 Philosophy and Film
What philosophical questions does the experience of film present? How can film sharpen or even change consciousness about reality? How may film be used as a medium of ideas? This course draws on the recent literature on film and includes screenings of major motion pictures.
Prerequisite: 6 units in Philosophy or permission of the chair.
On Occasion, 3 units
PHL 34 Philosophies of Love and Sex
This course examines the nature and meaning of romantic love and human sexuality. Observations by philosophers, psychologists and psychoanalysts as well as by writers, film-makers and painters are studied in attempting to clarify our thoughts about love and sex.
On Occasion, 3 units
PHL 35 Philosophy of Law
This course covers the relation of law to individual rights, power and authority and moral values. Policy issues in civil and criminal law, law enforcement and punishment are considered. This course is of special interest to pre-law students.
On Occasion, 3 units
PHL 37 American Philosophy
This course is an examination of the major topics and trends in classical and contemporary American philosophy. Representative selections from the writings of America's greatest philosophers such as Emerson, Thoreau, Peirce, James, Dewey, Royce, Santayana, Whitehead, Mead and Quine are read. The emphasis is on the pragmatic movement in America including its major critics and its resurgence in recent years both at home and abroad. Some attention is given to the relationship between American philosophy and American culture and the similarities and differences between the American and other modern and contemporary philosophical traditions.
Not open to students who have had PHL 47.
On Occasion, 3 units
A minimum of two courses in Philosophy (6 units) or permission of the chairman is required for the following advanced courses.
PHL 41 History and Philosophy of Science
This course is an examination of the major topics in the history and philosophy of science. Topics include: the logic and ethics of scientific method and discovery; scientific revolutions and their creators (e.g., Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, Darwin, Einstein); the relationship between theory and observation, theoretical laws and definitions; the status of thought experiments and theoretical entities; the role of paradigms and models in science; experimental design and theory testing; the relationship between the natural and social sciences, science, ethics, and politics; the relationship between science and the arts. Representative works by traditional and contemporary philosophers of science are read.
On Occasion, 3 units
PHL 43 Knowledge and Truth
What is involved in knowing, believing, perceiving, meaning and truth, according to the great philosophers? Their theories are investigated along with contemporary perspectives on these issues. Such topics provide the core for a study of not only philosophy, but also psychology and theories of learning. Claims made for nonscientific ways of knowing specifically in connection with the arts, religion and morality are also considered.
Fall, 3 units
PHL 44 Metaphysics
This course examines the most fundamental questions of philosophy. Why is there something rather than nothing? Is there a God? What is the self? What is the relationship of human life to the surrounding universe? Are human actions free or determined?
Prerequisite: 6 units in Philosophy or permission of the chair.
Spring, 3 units
PHL 46 Moral Philosophy
This course is an examination of the major topics in traditional and contemporary moral philosophy. Topics include: the logic of moral reasoning, the idea of the good life, vices and virtues, the objectivity of moral judgments, the nature of moral obligation, rights, and duties, the legal enforcement of morality, the relations between science, religion and ethics, the role of morals in society and history. Representative selections from the major works in traditional and contemporary moral philosophy are read.
Prerequisite: 6 units in Philosophy or permission of chair.
On Occasion, 3 units
PHL 63 Advanced Logic
A detailed development of both the sentential and predicate logic provides the basis for an examination of the philosophical issues raised by symbolic logic such as meaning and reference, logic and ontology, modal logic and theory of types.
Prerequisite: PHL 14 or permission of chair.
On Occasion, 3 units
PHL 81, 82 The Great Philosophers
This course is an in-depth study of the major works of one or more of the great Western philosophers.
Prerequisite: 6 units in Philosophy or permission of chair. May be taken for credit more than once if topics are different.
Annually, 3 units
PHL 98 Senior Colloquium
Open only to Philosophy majors, this course integrates the broad range of topics with which the advanced student of philosophy should be familiar. The course highlights the main themes of more than 2,000 years of philosophy.
Open only to students in their final year of study.
Prerequisite: 18 units of Philosophy courses.
Annually, 1 unit
PHL 99 Readings in Philosophy
Offered for one or two units by special arrangement.
Prerequisite: 6 units in Philosophy or permission of chair.
On Occasion, 1 or 2 units
PHL 100 Philosophical Issues
Each time this course is offered, it will concern itself with a different topic chosen by the instructor and announced in the Schedule of Classes. Specific course descriptions will be available from the Philosophy Department. This course may be repeated for credit only with the express approval of the chair.
On Occasion, 3 units
Courses in Religious Philosophy
RPHL 8 The American Religious Imagination
Explores the fertility of the American religious imagination, from the Puritans to the present. Topics include the central religious ideas of the classical American philosophic, theological, and literary traditions; challenges to normative ideas by multiculturalism, including the thought and practice of the Native American and African American traditions; the role of the arts in the development of the American religious imagination; the tradition of unbelief; the relationship between science and religion; and major spiritual voices of the contemporary United States.
On Occasion, 3 units
RPHL 9 The Problem of Evil
An examination of what has traditionally been termed the "problem" of evil; i.e., whether the existence of evil is compatible with the existence of a just and loving God. Are there evils so horrific that they call into question the existence of such a God? Consideration of pertinent philosophical and other literature, both Western and non-Western, including texts espousing the position of unbelief; contributions of the arts to our understanding of the problem of evil.
On Occasion, 3 units
RPHL 11 Ancient Egyptian Thought
This course centers around the life-after death theme and this belief is used as a springboard for discussion of other concepts such as physical and non-physical reality, truth, magic and the soul. The language of the ancient Egyptians is discussed in relation to their philosophy.
On Occasion, 3 units
RPHL 12 Zen Buddhism and Taoism
Major prose and poetic texts of the Zen and Taoist traditions. Attention to the influence of these traditions on Western intellectual and religious life, as well as on literature and the arts.
On Occasion, 3 units
RPHL 14 Medieval Philosophy and Religion: The Christian, Hebrew, and Islamic Traditions
This course is an examination of the topics and trends of the major medieval philosophical traditions. Representative readings from the great medieval philosophers such as Boethius, Bonaventure, Anselm, Erigena, Abelard, Augustine, Aquinas, Scotus, Occam, Maimonides, Averroes, Avicenna, Roger Bacon, Meister Eckart and Nicholas of Cusa are discussed. Topics include: the relation of faith and reason, the problem of universals, time and eternity, the metaphysics of light, free will and determinism, the nature of the soul, the problem of evil and proofs for the existence of God.
On Occasion, 3 units
RPHL 15 Sacred Mythologies of the Ancient World
Mythology consists of sacred stories that connect us to the origins of culture. Even modern individuals estranged from ancient worldviews are nourished by the persistence of the sacred, embedded in our myths, rituals, religions, and forms of artistic expression. This course explores generally overlooked potentials of human existence through a study of the myths of India, Tibet, Greece, and Scandinavia.
On Occasion, 3 units
RPHL 16 The Teachings of the Great Mystics
This course is an examination of the writings of the world's great mystics from the Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist, neo- Platonist, Christian, Islamic and Jewish traditions. Topics include: the nature of mystical experience, the possibility of mystical knowledge, the explainability of mystical experience, the possible artificial production of mystical states, the differences between mystical experience and other altered states of consciousness.
On Occasion, 3 units
RPHL 17 Philosophy and Religion of India
An examination of the major philosophical and religious ideas of the Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Topics include selfrealization theory of the Upanishads; Yoga psychology; the ethics of the Gita and Buddhism, including the belief that aggressive goodness is an effective counterforce to aggressive evil, and the reliance on "ahimsa" (non-violence) as a means of social change and reform.
On Occasion, 3 units
RPHL 18 Topics in Religious Philosophy
Each section concerns itself with a different topic to be chosen by the instructor and announced in the Schedule of Classes. Specific course descriptions are available from the Philosophy Department. This course may be repeated for credit only with the express approval of the chair.
On Occasion, 3 units
