Philosophy Course Descriptions

PHIL - 110. Great Philosophical Questions (4)

An Introduction to the classic texts of philosophy, focused on major philosophical issues including the problem of knowledge, the existence of God, the mystery of evil, free choice vs. determinism, and the essence of human nature. Offered intermittently.

PHIL - 195. Lovers of Wisdom (4)

Freshman Seminar: An interesting introduction to a topic in the field of philosophy.

PHIL - 210. Origins: Ancient Philosophy and Development (4)

Prerequisite: Majors and minors only. This course will examine the origin of Western philosophy with the Greeks, and some Medieval developments of it by Islamic, Jewish, and Christian thinkers. It will also explore the origin and development of an Asian philosophical tradition. Thus, it will introduce students to some of the inter-cultural conversations. Offered every Fall.

PHIL - 212. Modern Philosophy (4)

Prerequisite: Majors and minors only. Revolutionary changes in science and politics from the 16th century onwards reconstituted central issues in what is now called Modern Philosophy. This course focuses on knowledge and political community in the works of Descartes, Hobbes, Hume and Kant, among others. Offered every Spring.

PHIL - 213. Human Person (for Majors and Minors) (4)

Prerequisite: Majors and minors only. This is a course on the nature of human personhood, designed for majors and minors in philosophy. It explores key historical and contemporary philosophical discussions of personal identity, agency, and freedom. Offered every Fall.

PHIL - 215. Ethics for Majors (4)

Prerequisite: Majors and minors only. This is an ethics course for majors and minors in philosophy. It provides a foundation and orientation for their other electives in this area and a common set of reference terms. It addresses central ethical issues through consideration of historical and contemporary philosophers. Offered every Spring.

PHIL - 219. Logic (4)

This course includes the study of traditional logic, fallacies in ordinary language, and an introduction to modern symbolic language.

PHIL - 230. Philosophy of the Human Person (4)

Special attention to analyzing the meaning of the human person and selfhood: topics include the immortality and nature of the soul, the mind-body dualism and its critique, the relational and social aspects of the self, free will, and some contemporary debates in philosophy of mind, such as the meaning of consciousness and sociobiological theory of the human being. Offered every semester.

PHIL - 231. Philosophy of the Human Person: Race Issues (4)

This course varies from the Philosophy of the Human Person course, with special attention to analyzing the intellectual, political, and social history of race. The topics include the reality or irreality of race, the ethics of racial categorization, and the meaning of racial identity and racism. Offered every semester.

PHIL - 240. Ethics (4)

This course critically analyzes ethical arguments and various positions on contemporary ethical issues. (There are also course sections devoted entirely to medical and business issues.) The course will be composed of three focus areas: Ethical Theory, Social Issues, and Ethics of Everyday life. Approximately one-third of the course will be devoted to each area. Offered every semester.

PHIL - 251. Mind, Freedom, and Knowledge (4)

An examination of three central questions in philosophy: What is the nature of the mind? Do we have free will? How can we know anythng at all? Texts by current and historical philosophers.

PHIL - 252. Plato (4)

A seminar devoted to the careful study and discussion of Plato's Dialogues. Topics to be investigated include the nature of human beings, the character of their knowledge, and the basis for the good life of individuals and the state. Offered intermittently.

PHIL - 253. Problems in Democracy (4)

An introduction to the philosophy of democratic government. The importance of articulating such a philosophy will be cast in terms of current challenges to democratic society, such as multiculturalism, postmodernism, and the problem of determining the meaning of the Constitution posed by abortion and physician-assisted suicide and same-sex marriage. Offered every year.

PHIL - 255. Philosophy of Education (4)

An introduction to philosophy that emphasizes classic and contemporary ideas that ground the theoretical foundation of educational theory, focusing on broad philosophical questions rather than education policy issues.

PHIL - 256. Existentialism (4)

This course is an inquiry into the meaning of human existence with particular emphasis on the self. Our experiences with absurdity, alienation, anxiety, freedom, being and God are investigated, with direction provided by philosophers such as Nietzsche, Sartre, Kierkegaard, Camus, Beauvoir, Dostoevsky, and Heidegger. Through reading, discussion, and reflection students come to understand their beliefs about the meaning of human existence.

PHIL - 275. Asian American Philosophy (4)

Prerequisite: SOC - 228. Building upon the historical and conceptual framework of Asian American Culture and society (SOC 228), this course analyzes the most significant issues that engage the Asian Pacific American community today. These include but are not limited to: affirmative action, media images of Asian American men and women, the glass ceiling, interracial dating, immigration, hate crimes, coalition-building, mental health, aesthetic and literary sensibilities, and the model minority myth. Offered Spring.

PHIL - 302. Philosophy of Religion (4)

What counts as a "religion"? Must it affirm the existence of God? What do most people and cultures seem to mean by "God"? Can the existence of God be demonstrated? The course takes up these and related questions, ponders the answers given by classical and contemporary thinkers, and discusses them.

PHIL - 303. Social and Political Philosophy (4)

This course will examine significant philosophical contributions to an understanding of politics and society. Among the questions it will address are: What is the nature and basis of the state? Which form of government is best? How do we determine whether political institutions are just? What conceptions of human nature underlie various political philosophies? The course will draw from classical, modern, and contemporary sources in political philosophy. Offered every year.

PHIL - 304. Philosophy of Science (4)

A critical examination of conflicting interpretations of scientific practice. Major issues include the nature of scientific explanation, the development of instrumentation and experimental techniques, how scientific knowledge is validated, whether theories are to be interpreted as literally true or as instrumentally adequate, scientific revolutions, and the rationality of science. Offered every year.

PHIL - 307. Philosophy of Art (4)

Using a multimedia and historical approach, this class offers an introduction to the different theories of art that have shaped the Western Tradition. Class meetings will be organized around readings dealing with theories of the beautiful, slide presentations that will give students a sense of the works being produced, and, when appropriate, music. Offered regularly.

PHIL - 308. Liberation Philosophies (4)

This course addresses questions of revolution and social transformation in a post-colonial and multi-cultural world. Studying texts and movements from a variety of historical and geopolitical spaces, the course focuses on secular and post-secular theories and practices of liberation from racism and colonialism.

PHIL - 309. Aesthetics (4)

Traditional and contemporary theories of art and aesthetic experience; a study of selected problems in philosophy of art. Offered intermittently.

PHIL - 310. Symbolic Logic (1-4)

Proof theory and model theory for the propositional and predicate calculi. Discussion of semantic aspects of logical systems. Can be taken as a directed reading course.

PHIL - 311. Philosophy of Social Science (4)

A critical examination of the social sciences' enduring relation to the fundamental problems of philosophy, organized around the issue of whether the social sciences should be modeled on the natural sciences or whether the study of human beings requires a completely distinctive approach because human behavior cannot be predicted and explained as other natural phenomena can be. Major issues include social explanation and laws, functionalism and behaviorism, interpretation and meaning, rationality (cross-cultural and understanding), individualism and holism. Examples will be provided from economics, psychology, sociology, political science, history and anthropology. Offered regularly.

PHIL - 315. Metaphysics (4)

Prerequisite: PHIL - 210. A seminar study of metaphysical systems and theories from ancient Greece to the twentieth century. Topics include metaphysical inquiry and method, the nature of metaphysical discourse, representative schools and metaphysical issues, such as being, essence and existence, personhood, knowledge, freedom, and God. Offered every other year.

PHIL - 316. Philosophy of Knowledge (4)

Prerequisite: PHIL - 212. A seminar study of classical and contemporary theories of knowledge. Topics include the nature of knowledge, skepticism, perception, theories of justification, a priori knowledge, theories of truth, with close attention given to moderate realism and its relation to contemporary epistemology. Offered every other year.

PHIL - 317. Philosophy of Emotion (4)

This seminar explores current philosophical work on emotion, though both classic philosophical works and empirical studies will be discussed. Topics may include: the nature and value of emotion, the (un)justifiability of nasty emotions, and the emotional bases of social practices (e.g. resentment and legal retribution). Offered regularly.

PHIL - 319. Philosophy of Psychology (4)

A philosophical assessment of the history of early psychology and modern empirical psychology, including topics like methodology, therapy and counseling, personhood, and the social implications of psychological theory. The deep connections between philosophy, the study of wisdom, and psychology, the study of the mind, will also be explored. Offered intermittently.

PHIL - 328. Kant (4)

A study of the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, with readings from his major works in metaphysics and epistemology, ethics, aesthetics, and politics. Offered intermittently.

PHIL - 329. Critics of Modernity (4)

Prerequisites: PHIL - 212 or PHIL - 303 or PHIL - 256. This course discusses revisions and rejections of enlightenment conceptions of history, autonomy, reason, and freedom. The inherited philosophical legacy of colonialism and eurocentrism is rethought through figures ranging from Marx and Nietzsche to Marcuse and Dussel.

PHIL - 335. Feminist Thought (4)

An introduction to a variety of feminist theories and approaches with emphasis on the arts, philosophy, politics, and media. Offered every Spring. Cross Listed With: MS - 335

PHIL - 340. Asian Philosophy (4)

This course examines both the historical development and contemporary debates of the philosophical traditions of Asia. The topics include metaphysical, epistemological, and ethical questions raised in Indian, Chinese, Buddhist, and Japanese philosophies. References will also be made to the larger cultural and political issues that are relevant in these traditions today. Offered regularly.

PHIL - 341. Jewish Philosophy (4)

An introductory course to both the history and major themes within modern Jewish thought from the early Enlightenment to our contemporary era, the intention of this course is to present an overview of the major thinkers who have shaped Jewish thought as well the major themes within modern Jewish history. The course will specifically focus on the themes of universalism, hope, and redemption within the context of Judaism's encounter with modernity as reflected on by Jewish intellectuals within the Western philosophical tradition.

PHIL - 342. Latin America Philosophy (4)

This course introduces students to the major figures and movements in the five hundred year history of philosophical production in Latin America. Along the way, we will examine many of the major themes in Latin American philosophy: human nature, race and personal identity, knowledge, freedom, liberation, colonialism, and perhaps most significantly, what it means to do philosophy.

PHIL - 343. African American Philosophy (4)

This course surveys a selection of key figures and texts in classic and contemporary African American and African Caribbean philosophy. It includes a selection of the central debates in African American philosophy, such as slavery, race, racism, civil disobedience, revolution, self-respect, affirmative action, and reparations.

PHIL - 345. Feminist Philosophy (4)

A study of selected classical philosophical readings on women, and an examination of several philosophical issues of contemporary feminism such as sex equality, sexual harassment, and feminine versus feminist ethics. Offered intermittently.

PHIL - 355. The Scientific Revolution (4)

A study of the Copernican Revolution and its culmination in the works of Galileo. Offered intermittently.

PHIL - 362. Philosophy of Mind (4)

Prerequisites: PHIL - 219, PHIL - 213 (or corequisites). This is an advanced survey of analytic accounts of mind and metaphysics, including both historical and contemporary analyses. Special topics will be explored as well, and they may include: artificial intelligence, consciousness, intentionality, emotion, and the role of philosophy in the science of the mind. Offered regularly.

PHIL - 367. Philosophy of History (4)

Prerequisites: PHIL - 212, PHIL - 213. This seminar course examines universal, critical, and hermeneutic approaches to history in an attempt to discern if human existence has meaning, and if so, what that meaning is. Discussion will focus on the works of such philosophers as Nietzsche, Augustine, Hegel, Oakeshott, Collingwood, and Dilthey. Offered regularly.

PHIL - 370. Philosophy of Action (4)

Prerequisite: PHIL - 213 (or corequisite). Investigates the nature of human agency in the world, as distinct from those parts of the world incapable of action and robust agency. Possible topics include: what it is to act for a reason, how agency fits with a causal picture of the world, the nature of free will and whether we have it, weakness of will, addiction, autonomy, and the nature of the psychological elements of human acts (such as motivation, deliberation, belief, and intention). The course may also focus on the significance of these distinctions for practical moral and legal decision-making.

PHIL - 372. Philosophy of Law. (4)

Prerequisite: PHIL - 213 (or corequisite). A study of classic and contemporary texts dealing with different theories of the nature of law and the meaning of related concepts such as justice, authority, and legal obligation. Offered intermittently.

PHIL - 373. Contemporary Ethical Problems (4)

Prerequisite: PHIL - 215. An in-depth study of a selection of contemporary normative and meta-ethical issues. Offered intermittently.

PHIL - 375. Prisons and Punishment (4)

In this course, students will examine philosophical justifications for punishment and the morality of imprisonment, as well as the genealogy of the prison-industrial complex. As a Service Learning course, students engage in community service with one of a number of Bay Area prisoner-support or prison-activist organizations.

PHIL - 376. Philosophy of Social Justice (4)

Designed to fulfill the Service Learning requirement, this course investigates philosophical theories of social justice and the conception of a common good, as well as their connection to practice, by incorporating community service work into the classroom discussions.

PHIL - 381. Advanced Social and Political Philosophy (4)

This course is a philosophical exploration of three interrelated concepts: equality, justice, and rights. It will examine their various meanings and the reasons given to support the values they represent. It will also demonstrate the prominent roles they play in a number of contemporary ethical and political debates. Offered intermittently.

PHIL - 397. Problems in Philosophy (6)

Problems in Philosophy is a two-semester, six-unit course in which a group of up to six students works to resolve a philosophical problem. The first semester is devoted to work in classical texts, the second focuses on contemporary philosophy. At the end of each semester, the students give a public presentation to faculty and students on the results of their research. Open only to majors and minors in philosophy.

PHIL - 398. Honors Thesis (4)

Open only to senior philosophy majors with a 3.3 cumulative GPA and a 3.75 GPA in Philosophy together with departmental approval of a prospectus, which must be submitted to the Department at the end of the semester prior to its being written.

PHIL - 399. Directed Reading and Research (1-4)

Written permission of the instructor, department chair, and dean is required. Offered as needed.

PHIL - 402. Phenomenology (4)

Prerequisites: PHIL - 212, PHIL - 213. This course focuses on the challenge to enlightenment rationality mounted by twentieth-century philosophers such as Husserl, Heidegger, and Merleau-Ponty. Through close readings and discussions of primary texts, students will learn to understand the phenomenological texts that influence contemporary philosophies as well as to think carefully about consciousness, perception, and experience.

PHIL - 403. Pragmatism (4)

Prerequisite: PHIL - 212. A study of the classic American Pragmatist philosophies of Charles Sanders Pierce, William James, and John Dewey. Pragmatic strains in earlier and later American philosophy will also be examined. Offered intermittently.

PHIL - 404. Contemporary Thomism (4)

Prerequisite: PHIL - 210. This course studies the Thomistic revival of the 20th century, which began with Aeterni Patris and culminated in the work of Maritain, Gilson, Pieper, and Lonergan. It may cover the whole movement or focus on a figure within it. Offered regularly.

PHIL - 405. Analytic Philosophy: Frege to Wittgenstein (4)

Prerequisite: PHIL - 212. An historical introduction to the analytic tradition in philosophy, with emphasis on its neo-Kantian roots, the critique of traditional philosophy, the influence of science on philosophy and on the relation of philosophy to avant-garde art, and other cultural movements in the 20th century. Offered every other year.

PHIL - 406. Postmodernism (4)

Prerequisites: PHIL - 212 or PHIL - 329. This is a variable topics course for in-depth study of figures and issues in postmodern critical theory or post-structuralist philosophy. Primary figures might include Foucault, Derrida, Negri, or Agamben. Issues might include the deconstruction of western philosophy, critiques of language as representation, biopolitics and the end of modernity, the death of the subject, or postmodern conceptions of sovereignty and the political.

PHIL - 480. Topics in Contemporary Philosophy (4)

An intensive study of selected problems in philosophy. Subject matter will vary with instructor. May be repeated for credit each time a different topic is covered. Offered intermittently.

PHIL - 481. Topics in Philosophy of Race (4)

Prerequisite: PHIL - 213 or permission of instructor. Much talk about race relies upon philosophical concepts such as identity, personhood, and social construction. This course analyzes them as they pertain to race, racism, and anti-racism. Offered regularly.

PHIL - 482. Topics in the History of Philosophy (4)

Prerequisite: PHIL - 212 or permission of instructor. An intensive study of selected historical philosophers. Subject matter will vary with instructor. May be repeated for credit each time a different topic is covered. Offered intermittently.

PHIL - 483. Topics in Political Philosophy (4)

Prerequisites: PHIL - 212 or PHIL - 303 or permission of instructor.. An intensive study of selected problems in social and political philosophy. Subject matter will vary with instructor. May be repeated for credit each time a different topic is covered. Offered intermittently.

PHIL - 484. Topics in Ethics (4)

Prerequisite: PHIL - 215 or permission of instructor. An intensive study of selected problems in ethics. Subject matter will vary with instructor. May be repeated for credit each time a different topic is covered. Offered intermittently.