Philosophy - Courses

You are in the official 2008-2009 General Catalog
for California State University, Fresno.

Department of Philosophy

COURSES

Philosophy (PHIL)

PHIL 1. Introduction to Philosophy (3)
Prerequisite: G.E. Foundation A2. 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. G.E. Breadth C2. (CAN PHIL 2) FS

PHIL 2. Exploring Religious Meaning (3)
Prerequisite: G.E. Foundation A2. Introduction to exploration of the many dimensions of religions. Topics include tools and resources of the academic study of religion, the sacred/holy, symbolism, myth, ritual, religious origin, and destiny. G.E. Breadth C2. FS

PHIL 10. Self, Religion, and Society (3)
Prerequisite: G.E. Foundation A2. Conceptions of human nature; nature and varieties of religion; personal and social implications and values of religion. G.E. Breadth C2. FS

PHIL 20. Moral Questions (3)
Prerequisite: G.E. Foundation A2. Introduction to ethics and its place in human experience. Ethical theory; methods of reasoning about values. Typical issues include euthanasia, privacy, work ethics, sex, happiness, capital punishment, censorship, social justice, and environment. Non-Western perspectives; materials from arts and humanities (e.g., literature, film). G.E. Breadth C2. FS

PHIL 25. Methods of Reasoning (3)
Principles and methods of good reasoning. Typical topics: identification of argument structure, development of skills in deductive and inductive reasoning, assessing observations and testimony reports, language and reasoning, common fallacies. (PHIL 25 and PHIL 45 cannot both be taken for credit.) G.E. Foundation A3. FS

PHIL 45. Introduction to Logic (3)
Basic concepts and methods of logic; development of skills in deductive and inductive reasoning, with emphasis on deduction. Elementary formal techniques for propositional logic; categorical logic, fallacies, and language. (PHIL 45 and PHIL 25 cannot both be taken for credit.) G.E. Foundation A3.

PHIL 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.

PHIL 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.

PHIL 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.

PHIL 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.

PHIL 108. Roman Philosophy (3)
Study of major figures and schools of philosophy in the Roman world. Special emphasis upon Epicurean, Stoic, and Skeptic traditions, with consideration of other major contributions.

PHIL 110. Feminist Philosophy (3)
Introduction to feminist approaches to philosophy and to specifically philosophical approaches to gender. Several philosophical issues will be explored at some depth. These might be drawn from the following areas: personal identity; values and society; political authority; knowledge and reality.

PHIL 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.

PHIL 118. Social and Political Theory (3)
Examination of traditional and contemporary theories of society and government. Analysis of basic concepts such as the common good, social contract, authority, justice, and natural rights.

PHIL 120. Contemporary Conflicts of Morals (3)
(Same as AETH 100.) Prerequisites: G.E. Foundation and Breadth Area C. Exploration of moral issues through great works, such as philosophy, novels, dramas, or films. Looks at questions such as, "What is it to be moral? Why be moral? Why care about others? How should scarce resources be distributed? What is integrity?" G.E. Integration IC. FS

PHIL 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?

PHIL 122. Introduction to Professional Ethics (3)
Survey of ethical issues and standards facing a range of professionals in their careers, including engineering, law, medicine, the media, science, agriculture, education, and business. Introduction to basic ethical theories and methods of reasoning about moral dilemmas.

PHIL 125. Issues in Political Philosophy (3)
Examination of prominent political philosophies and contemporary issues of politics and public policy. Policy issues may include the scope and limits of government authority, the role of government in the economy, foreign policy, health care, education, agriculture, and the environment.

PHIL 127. Philosophy of Law (3)
Nature and functions of law; methods of justifying legal systems; logic of legal reasoning; analysis of fundamental legal concepts.

PHIL 129. Marxism (3)
Examination of basic ideas of Marx inherent in his writings and a consideration of later developments now called "Marxist."

PHIL 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.

PHIL 131. Comparative Religion (3)
Prerequisites: G.E. Foundation and Breadth Area D. A study of major religions of the world, their traditions, teachings, influential texts, methodological and comparative approaches. Emphasis on major Western and non-Western religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. G.E. Multicultural/International MI. FS

PHIL 132. Religion and the Margin (3)
Prerequisites: G.E. Foundation and Breadth Area D. Exploration of elements facing religious studies that have been historically moved from the center to the side (marginalized), such as women's experience, ethnicity, gender, and class. Focus will include how religion has both supported and resisted this move. G.E. Multicultural/International MI. FS

PHIL 133W. Literature of the New Testament (3)
(Same as ENGL 115W.) Prerequisite: satisfactory completion (C or better) of the ENGL 5B and 10 graduation requirement. Discussion and close written analyses of selected texts from the New Testament. Meets upper-division writing skills requirement for graduation. FS

PHIL 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.

PHIL 135. Asian Religious Traditions (3)
A study of the major beliefs and values of the Asian religious traditions, including an examination of some of the classical texts central to Asian religions.

PHIL 136. Buddhism (3)
Introduction to Buddhism. Life and teachings of Gautama Siddhartha Buddha; development of Buddhism after death or mahanirvana of the Buddha.

PHIL 137. Hinduism (3)
Introduction to the development and ideas of Hinduism, including an examination of classical scriptural texts, e.g., Upanishads, Bhagavad-gita, as well as modern Hindu writings.

PHIL 138. Chinese Thought (3)
Introduction to the development of major ideas and systems of thought in China; emphasis on Confucian, Taoist, and Chinese Buddhist traditions.

PHIL 140. Advanced Reasoning Skills (3)
Development of skills in the analysis of arguments, thinking clearly, and reasoning well. Emphasis on problems and skills involving language (e.g., clarifying meaning, handling vagueness, handling verbal component of disputes), and on inductive inferences in everyday life.

PHIL 145. Symbolic Logic (3)
(Similar to MATH 110; consult department.) 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.

PHIL 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.

PHIL 150. Foundations of Knowledge (3)
Prerequisites: G.E. Foundation and Breadth Area C. Nature, sources, and limits of human knowledge; roles of perception, reason, testimony, and intuition in acquiring rational beliefs; e.g. science, mathematics, values, the arts, religion, social issues, and psychological states. G.E. Integration IC. FS

PHIL 151. Cognitive Science: Mind (3)
Prerequisites: G.E. Foundation and Breadth Area C. The interdisciplinary study of cognition and mind: cognition includes mental states and processes such as thinking, reasoning, remembering, language understanding and generation, visual perception, learning, consciousness, emotions, self-awareness, and our place in the world. G.E. Integration IC. FS

PHIL 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.

PHIL 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.

PHIL 165T. Special Topics (1-3; max total 9 if no topic repeated)
Topics of current or interdisciplinary interest or requiring special background.

PHIL 170T. Senior Seminar (1-4; max total 12 if no topic repeated)
Prerequisites: senior standing or permission of instructor and at least one upper-division philosophy course. Intensive investigation of selected problems, major figures, or a historical period in philosophy. Extensive writing and supervised research.

PHIL 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.

PHIL 190. Independent Study (1-3; max total 6)
See Academic Placement -- Independent Study. Approved for RP grading.

PHIL 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.

PHIL 198. Applied Ethics Internship (3)
Prerequisite: junior standing, PHIL 120, 122, or applied ethics courses and permission of instructor. Workstudy experience in community service, with a focus on ethical analysis and understanding. CR/NC grading only

PHIL 199. Fieldwork in Philosophy and Law (3)
Prerequisites: senior standing, permission of instructor. Practical community work-study experience in legal or paralegal setting. Student works under sponsorship of a law firm or law-related agency, meets periodically with instructor, and submits a written report on relevant issues in ethics, jurisprudence, or philosophy.