Programs | Courses

Philosophy

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Programs | Courses

Philosophy

 

NOTE: All courses in the major must be completed with a "C" grade or higher or "ass" in all courses required for the major.

 

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Associate in Arts in Philosophy for Transfer (AA-T)

 

Associate in Arts in Philosophy for Transfer (AA-T)

 

A total of 18 units are required to fulfill the major portion of
this degree. This degree reflects the Transfer Model Curriculum (TMC) supported by the statewide Academic Senate Students must also complete the California State University (CSU) General Education Breadth requirements or the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) (see the “General Education Requirements and Transfer Information” section of the catalog) A student may apply for this degree in conjunction with an Associate in Arts in Philosophy degree provided the courses taken meet the requirements of both degrees Students should speak with a Counselor to verify that the requirements for either or both degrees have been met In addition, students planning to transfer to SDSU should consult with a counselor.

 

Transfer Requirements

The following requirements must be met to be awarded an
Associate in Arts in Philosophy Transfer (AA-T) degree:


(1) Completion of 60 semester units or 90 quarter units that are eligible for transfer to the California State University, including both of the following:

 

(A) The Intersegmental General Education
Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) or the California State University General Education-Breadth Requirement.

(B) A minimum of 18 semester units or 27 quarter units
in a major or area of emphasis, as determined by the community college district


(2) Obtainment of a minimum grade point average of 2.0. Students are also required to earn a “C” grade or higher or “Pass” in all courses required for the major.

 

 

Program Requirements

 

Core Requirements

Select 2 of the following:

 

Course

Title

Units

Philosophy 130

Logic

3

Philosophy 110

A General Introduction to Philosophy

3
OR

Philosophy 140

Problems in Ethics

3

Total Required

6

 

 

 

List A

Select 1 of the following:

 

Course

Title

Units

Philosophy 112

The Classical Mind

3

Philosophy 114

The Medieval Mind

3

Philosophy 116

The Modern Mind

3

Philosophy 118

The Contemporary Mind

3

Total Required

3

 

 

 

List B

Select 2 of the following courses.  Any course from List A not already used or:

 

Course

Title

Units

Philosophy 105

Early Western Civilization

3

Philosophy 106

Modern Western Civilization

3

Philosophy 125

Critical Thinking

3

Total Required

6

 

 

 

List C

Select 2 of the following courses.  Any course from List A or B not already used or:

 

 

Course

Title

Units

Philosophy 111

Philosophy & Popular Culture

3

Philosophy 120

Asian & Pacific Philosophies

3

Philosophy 141

Bioethics

3

Philosophy 145

Social & Political Philosophy

3

Philosophy 150

The Philosophy of Art

3

Philosophy 155

The Philosophy of Science

3

Philosophy 160

Latin American Philosophy

3

Total Required

3

 

 

 

Total Requirements

 

Units for the major

18

Units for CSU GE or IGETC

37 - 39

Total Units required for the degree

60

 

Complete transferable units as needed to reach 60.  *Students completing IGETC may be awarded the degree, but they must complete a course from Area 1C: Oral Communication to meet CSU admission requirements

 

 

 

† This course meets all Title 5 standards for Associate Degree Credit.

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PHIL - 110 †

 

A General Intro to Philosophy

 

3 Units

 

Students in this course explore fundamental philosophical issues by investigating theories and problems about the nature of reality, human knowledge, and values. Familiar and unfamiliar views are examined, which exhibit various philosophic methodologies, and such views are related to our actions and experiences. Students will have the opportunity to assess their own views in light of the answers provided by philosophers, past and present. 

 

Requisites:

None

 

Transfers to:
Transfers to both UC/CSU

 

Degree / Transfer areas:
(AA/AS-C, CSU-C2, IGETC-3B)


 

 

 

PHIL - 111 †

 

Philosophy and Popular Culture

 

3 Units

 

Philosophy and Popular Culture is designed to render relevant the insights, theories and conclusions of philosophers through the ages to the 21st Century American thinker. In contemporary times, people find themselves confronted with a unique set of dilemmas: moral and political relativism, ethical dilemmas, gender issues, consumerism, economic inequalities, the rising distrust of intellectualism and the dissolution of the American Dream. In this course, we investigate how the philosophical tradition has evaluated such developments and how philosophical thinking of the past can be a valuable tool in the quest to live an autonomous and meaningful life amidst these apparently dehumanizing trends. 

 

Requisites:

None

 

Transfers to:
Transfers to both UC/CSU

 

Degree / Transfer areas:
(AA/AS-C, CSU-C2, IGETC-3B)

 

 

 

PHIL - 112 †

 

The Classical Mind

 

3 Units

 

Classical philosophy is concerned with the emergence of what we understand as a systematic attempt to grasp the nature of humanity and the world. This study is an exploration of the significant figures and movements within Greek philosophy and surveys the ideas that have shaped and guided Western civilization for 2500 years. 

 

 

Requisites:

None

 

Transfers to:
Transfers to both UC/CSU

 

Degree / Transfer areas:

(AA/AS-C, CSU-C2, IGETC-3B)

 

 

PHIL - 114 †

 

The Medieval Mind

 

3 Units

 

Medieval philosophy begins with the decline of classical thought and ends in the 16th century. It is distinguished by an attempt to incorporate classical philosophy, predominately Plato and Aristotle, into the doctrine of Christianity. The medieval (scholastic) school of philosophy focuses on the relation between philosophy and theology. 

 

Requisites:

None

Transfers to:
Transfers to both UC/CSU

 

Degree / Transfer areas:
(AA/AS-C, CSU-C2, IGETC-3B)

 

 

PHIL - 116 †

 

The Modern Mind

 

3 Units

 

The Modern Mind surveys the significant philosophers and theories beginning with the Renaissance and continuing through the nineteenth century, from Descartes to Kant. This period of ideas coincides with the development of the scientific method and the discovery of the new world. The study presents the growth of modern ideas and the response to the new world. It attends to the problem of how humanity, with its system of values, fits into a world of neutral, indifferent facts. 

 

Requisites:

None

 

 

Transfers to:
Transfers to both UC/CSU

 

Degree / Transfer areas:
(AA/AS-C, CSU-C2, IGETC-3B)

 

 

PHIL - 116 †

 

The Contemporary Mind

 

3 Units

 

Contemporary philosophy is an effort to trace new paths of meaning when traditional sources (religion, science, and society) are questioned. This course is a survey of the major trends in philosophy in the late 19th and 20th centuries. It also examines the recent developments in the early 21st century. Three of the most significant schools of thought are: 1) the analytic movement of Moore, Russell, and Wittgenstein; 2) the existential/ phenomenological thought of Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, and Sartre; and 3) the pragmatic tradition beginning with Pierce, James and Dewey. 

 

Requisites:

None  

Transfers to:
Transfers to both UC/CSU

 

Degree / Transfer areas:

(AA/AS-C, CSU-C2, IGETC-3B)

 

 

PHIL - 120 †

 

Asian and Pacific Philosophies

 

3 Units

 

This course examines major Asian and Pacific philosophies, with focus on metaphysical, epistemological, and ethical questions. Special attention is given to family and the just society, and alternative conceptions of the self, time, and reality are also explored. Asian Pacific thought is an alternative to that of the Occident. These differences manifest in the larger cultural and socio-political contexts of the respective peoples. Students will emerge from this course with a greater understanding of the sources of their own fundamental beliefs. 

 

Requisites:

None

 

Transfers to:
Transfers to both UC/CSU

 

 

Degree / Transfer areas:

(AA/AS-C, CSU-C2)

 

 

PHIL - 125 †

 

Critical Thinking

 

3 Units

 

Students will focus on the development of fundamental critical reasoning skills and the application of those skills to important areas of life. The analysis and construction of both inductive and deductive arguments are emphasized. Students learn how to use reasoning skills to make sound decisions, evaluate claims and assertions, and avoid logical errors 

 

Requisites:

None.

 

Transfers to:
Transfers to both UC/CSU

 

Degree / Transfer areas:

(AA/AS GE, CSU, CSU GE, UC)

 

 

PHIL - 130 †

 

Logic

 

3 Units

 

Logic is the study of the principles of correct reasoning. These principles deal with the nature of rational thought and the criteria for making critical judgments. The course undertakes the analysis of human thinking using both natural language and symbolic language. Students will develop logical skills to evaluate their opinions and beliefs and will apply these skills to the practical problems of everyday life. 

 

Requisites:

None

 

Transfers to:
Transfers to both UC/CSU

 

Degree / Transfer areas:

(AA/AS-A3, CSU-A3)

 

 

PHIL - 140 †

Problems in Ethics

 

3 Units

 

This course is an introduction to ethics in theory and in practice. This study involves the exploration of moral theories and principles in order to see how they apply to the individual and society. We will critically examine some of the major schools of moral thought in Western philosophy, as well as some Eastern philosophy. These theories will be applied to some of the primary ethical problems that we face, as individuals and as societies, and will continue to confront. 

 

 

Requisites:

None

 

Transfers to:
Transfers to both UC/CSU

 

Degree / Transfer areas:
(AA/AS-C, CSU-C2, IGETC-3B)

 

 

PHIL - 141 †

 

Bioethics

 

3 Units

 

This course introduces students to the range of issues that define bioethics, the fundamental moral issues that arise in medicine, health, and biotechnology. These philosophical issues involve critical dilemmas at the intersections of law, society, culture, public policy, religion and economics 

 

 

Requisites:

None

Transfers to:
Transfers to both UC/CSU

 

Degree / Transfer areas:
(AA/AS-C, CSU-C2, IGETC-3B)

 

 

PHIL - 145 †

 

Social & Political Philosophy

 

3 Units

 

A philosophical examination into the nature of the relationship between morality, politics and social justice from a multi-cultural perspective. Topics may include: the political significance of religion and culture, the concept of natural law, the existence and nature of rights, the obligation of citizens to their society; the nature of a just society; and theories of reward and punishment. Focus will be on the topics of: justice, equality, liberty, human rights and the nature and limits of authority 

 

 

Requisites:

None

 

Transfers to:
Transfers to both UC/CSU

 

Degree / Transfer areas:
(AA/AS-C, CSU-C2, IGETC-3B)

 

 

 

PHIL - 150 †

 

The Philosophy of Art

 

3 Units

 

Human beings make aesthetic judgments every day. Why do we decide that something is either beautiful or ugly? What criteria do we use to decide if a movie is good or not? Do our likes and dislikes connect to moral and intellectual judgments? This course is an introduction to major theories in aesthetics designed to help the students clarify and evaluate their own aesthetic judgments. 

 

 

Requisites:

None

 

Transfers to:
Transfers to both UC/CSU

 

Degree / Transfer areas:

(AA/AS-C, CSU-C2, IGETC-3B)

 

 

PHIL - 155 †

 

The Philosophy of Science

 

3 Units

 

Philosophy of science is a branch of epistemology (theory of knowledge) which deals with the truths of science. As a theory of knowledge it asks what it means for a theory to be true and how does science yield knowledge? It is an investigation into the nature and methods of scientific reasoning, in order to evaluate the truth claims of science. It also forces us to distinguish between scientific and non-scientific methodology. 

 

 

Requisites:

None

 

Transfers to:
Transfers to both UC/CSU

 

Degree / Transfer areas:

(AA/AS-C, CSU-C2, IGETC-3B)

 

 

PHIL - 160 †

 

Latin American Philosophy

 

3 Units

 

The course begins with the indigenous philosophies of Latin America, such as that of the Maya, and proceeds to the colonial period, under which students will learn of imported philosophies such as Scholasticism and Enlightenment thought. The curriculum then turns to the striving for independence in the post-colonial period, and the uneasy tension between positivism and inclusion. As the course turns to the thought of the Twentieth Century, the philosophies of liberation, postmodernism and globalism are explored. The conclusion of this course is a survey of the Latin American philosophies of our century, including those arising in the United States. 

 

Requisites:

None

 

Transfers to:
Transfers to both UC/CSU

 

Degree / Transfer areas:

(AA/AS-C, CSU-C2, IGETC-3B)

 

 

 

PHIL - 199 

 

Special Studies/Projects Philosophy

CSLE

 

1 - 3 Units

 

Future course description coming

 

 

Requisites:

Prerequisite: Consent of instructor

Must be completed prior to taking this course
 

 

Transfers to:

 

Degree / Transfer areas:

 

 

 

PHIL - 299 †

 

Selected Topics in Philosophy

CSLE

 

1 - 3 Units

 

Future course description coming

 

Requisites:

None

 

Transfers to:

 

Degree / Transfer areas:

 

 

 

 

Philosophy - Logo