Course Descriptions in Philosophy

Lower Division Courses (100-200 level)

100 Introduction to Philosophy (3)
100W Introduction to Philosophy (4)
Scope, basic principles, and a brief analysis of major problems of philosophy.
100W includes 3 hours lecture and one hour seminar/discussion. Not open to students with credit in 100.
160 Introduction to Ethics (3)
160W Introduction to Ethics (4)
Concepts of right and wrong, good and bad, and the application of moral principles to problems of everyday life. 160W includes 3 hours lecture and one hour seminar/discussion. Not open to students with credit in 160.
170 Critical Reasoning (3)
Elements of clear, straight, orderly and valid thought, including deductive and inductive reasoning and the accurate use of language. This course explores practical applications of logic.
203 History of Early Philosophy (3)
From Thales to the Renaissance including the thought of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, and their influence on European philosophy through the medieval period.
204 History of Modern Philosophy (3)
From the Renaissance to the 20th Century, including the development of modern scientific processes, and the philosophical systems of empiricism, rationalism, idealism, etc.
270 Symbolic Logic I (3)
Introduction to the formal techniques of evaluating arguments.
296 Methods of Philosophical Study (3)
Prerequisite: Three units of Philosophy. This course prepares the student for philosophical study through education in its research methods and technical vocabulary, by instructing students how to write a successful philosophical essay, and explaining the scope and nature of some of the central issues of philosophy.

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Upper Division Courses (300-400 level)

General Education Category A must be completed prior to taking any upper division course except upper division language courses where students meet formal prerequisites and/or competency equivalent for advanced study. This requirement has been monitored by way of the registration process since Fall semester 1995.
The philosophy upper division courses fall into several curricular sub-groups, as follows:

*Early Philosophy
*Modern Tradition
*Twentieth Century Philosophy
*Metaphysical Studies
*Epistemological Studies
*Studies in Logic and Semantics
*Studies in Value and Evaluation

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Early Philosophy
306 Philosophies of China and Japan
Historical and critical study of the philosophical thought of China and Japan.
307 Philosophies of India
Historical and critical survey with emphasis on basic ideas and traditions.
421/521 Plato
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy to include PHIL 203, or consent of instructor. Close study of Plato's thought, based primarily on readings from his works.
422/522 Aristotle
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy to include PHIL 203, or consent of instructor. Close study of Aristotle's thought, based primarily on readings from his works.
490/590 Special Topics -- Early Philosophy
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy or consent of instructor. Detailed and intensive study of figures, periods or issues in ancient or medieval philosophy. Specific issues, period or figures will be announced in the Schedule of Classes. Sample titles:
Pre-Socratic Philosophy, Post-Aristotelian Philosophy, Medieval Philosophy. May be repeated for credit to a maximum of nine units with different topics.

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Modern Tradition
413/513 Continental Rationalism
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy to include PHIL 204, or consent of instructor. Close study of such major figures as Descartes, Spinoza and Leibniz.
414/514 British Empiricism
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy to include PHIL 204, or consent of instructor. Close study of such major figures as Locke, Berkeley, and Hume.
423/523 Kant
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy to include PHIL 204, or consent of instructor. Intensive study of Kant's Critique of Pure Reason.
424/524 Hegel
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy to include PHIL 204, or consent of instructor. Study of Hegel's Philosophy of Mind and Logic, and selected writings by Hegel and other topics.
425/525 Wittgenstein
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy to include PHIL 204, or consent of instructor. Close study of the later philosophy of Wittgenstein, centering on Philosophical Investigations.
451I Liberty and Justice: Race, Ethnicity, and Gender in American Law (3)
491/591 Special Topics -- The Modern Tradition
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy or consent of instructor. Detailed and intensive study of a significant philosopher or of some issue or theme of the modern (1600-1900) philosophical era. Specific titles will be announced in the Schedule of Classes. Sample titles: Hobbes, German Idealism, Nietzsche. May be repeated for credit to a maximum of nine units with different topics.

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Twentieth Century Philosophy
416/516 Pragmatism
Prerequisite: Three units of philosophy or consent of instructor. Development of pragmatism as exemplified in the philosophies of Peirce, James, Dewey and Mead.
417/517 Phenomenology
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy or consent of instructor. Study of one of the major movements of contemporary philosophy. Themes treated may include knowledge, meaning, emotionality, embodiment, language, sociality, freedom and religion. Philosophers treated may include Husserl, Scheler, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty and Ricoeur.
418/518 Existentialism
Prerequisites: Three units of philosophy or consent of instructor. Intensive study of such issues as self-as-existence, freedom and responsibility in their ethical, religious, political and aesthetic dimensions. Philosophers treated may include Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Marcel, Jaspers, Sartre and Camus.
419/519 Analytic Philosophy
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy to include PHIL 270, or consent of instructor. Critical analysis of major movements in the development of Anglo-American philosophy in the twentieth century, such as logical atomism, logical positivism and ordinary language philosophy. Intensive study of the contributions of such philosophers as Moore, Russell, Wittgenstein, Ayer, Ryle, Austin, Strawson, and Quine.
492/592 Special Topics -- Twentieth Century Philosophy
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy or consent of instructor. Detailed and intensive study of a significant philosopher or of a school or movement of the twentieth century. Specific title will be announced in the Schedule of Classes. Sample titles: Wittgenstein, Heidegger, Russell, Process Philosophy. May be repeated for credit to a maximum of nine units with different topics.

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Metaphysical Studies
330 Philosophy of Religion
Nature and function of religion and of fundamental religious concepts and ideals.
342 Metaphysics
Prerequisite: 3 units of philosophy or consent of instructor. Problems of ontology and cosmology including such concepts as matter and energy, time and space, evolution and causality.
483/583 Philosophical Psychology
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy or consent of instructor. Nature of the mind. Psychological concepts such as intention, consciousness, action, motive, imagination, belief and purpose.
493/593 Special Topics -- Metaphysical Studies
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy or consent of instructor. Seminar study of a selected metaphysical topic. Sample topics: Time, Personal Identity, Philosophical Theology, Philosophy of Action, Process Philosophy. Specific topic will be announced in the Schedule of Classes. May be repeated for credit to a maximum of nine units with different topics.

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Epistemological Studies
381 Philosophy of Science
Problems, methods and fundamental concepts of the sciences, including the relationships of the sciences to each other, to mathematics and to philosophy.
382 Theory of Knowledge
Prerequisite: Three units of philosophy. Investigation of such concepts as knowledge, belief, certainty. Critical study of theories concerning such issues as our knowledge of the external world, the past, other minds.
482I Introduction to Cognitive Science
Prerequisites: Completion of all Foundation courses; at least one Exp;lorations course; upper-division standing; at least six units in two areas chosen from Computer Science, Linguistics, Philosophy, and Psychology. Introduction to cognitive science including historical development, foundational philosophical presuppositions, core topics, underlying theoretical framework, explanatory goals, different methodologies and theoretical contributions of its constitutive disciplines. Same course as PSY 382
494/594 Special Topics -- Epistemological Studies
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy or consent of instructor. Seminar study of a selected epistemological topic. Sample topics: Philosophy of History, Philosophy of Perception. Specific topic will be announced in the Schedule of Classes. May be repeated for credit to a maximum of nine units with different topics.

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Studies in Logic and Semantics
470/570 Symbolic Logic II
Prerequisite: PHIL 270 or MATH 330 or consent of instructor. Philosophical consideration of deductive systems.
484/584 Philosophy of Language
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy or consent of instructor. Philosophical thought about language and meaning.

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Studies in Value and Evaluation
302I Molecular Biology and Bioethics
Prerequisites: ENGL100 and upper division status. A systematic study of some of the profound advances in Molecular Biology and the main genetic and ethical issues these advances have raised. Same course as MICR 302I.
351 Political Philosophy
Analysis of fundamental political concepts such as the legitimacy of government, the relation of justice to coercive power, the morality of war, political obligation, and sovereignty; and/or a study of political ideologies such as socialism, classical liberalism, and conservatism.
352 Philosophy of Law
Study of the historical development of the philosophy of law and examination of the problems in the field ranging from general theories to analysis of fundamental legal concepts and normative issues.
354 Feminism and Philosophy
A study of feminist thinking and writing about philosophy with special emphasis on feminism's re-examination of the methodology and subject matter of classical and contemporary metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of science, philosophy of language, political philosophy, ethics and aesthetics. Traditional grading only. Same course as W/ST 354.
360 Ethics and Ecology
Philosophical look at ecological problems. Survey of a number of ethical positions held by the great philosophers will be made and current ecological problems will be looked at from the points of view of the ethical positions studied. Not open to students with credit in E/ST 360.
361 Philosophy of Art and Beauty
Discussion of central problems in aesthetics, such as the possibility of objectivity in criticism, modern and traditional definitions of a work of art, truth and meaning in the fine arts, natural beauty and its relationship to excellence in music, architecture, etc.
362I Ethics and Computer Technology
Prerequisite: 3 units in philosophy. Speculative and critical examination of moral dilemmas, legal issues, and social values pertaining to new developments in computer technology, with particular emphasis on how computer technology informs, and is informed by, human relationships and human needs.
363 Ethical Theory
Prerequisite: 3 units of philosophy. In-depth discussion of such issues as obligation, responsibility, social justice, and personal ideals.
401 Philosophy in Education
Prerequisites: Completion of the GE Foundation; at least six units of philosophy. Exploration of the intersection between philosophy and education. Students read and discuss selections from classical philosophical works on education, analyze historical and contemporary reasons for common exclusion of philosophy from K-12 curriculum, explore ways of integrating philosophy into curriculum for young students. Each student will be placed in a local school district classroom to lead weekly philosophy sessions with a teaching partner. Service-Learning.
403I Medical Ethics
Prerequisites: Completion of the GE Foundation; at least one Explorations course. Covers several of main areas of bioethics: reproductive rights and liberties, definitions of health, disease, and disability, end of life care, fair distribution of health care, goals of health care. Philosophical texts, journal articles from medical humanities, ethics, medicine, and case studies used to raise and examine issues.
405I Philosophy in Literature
Prerequisites: Completion of the 13-unit Foundation; at least one Exploration course in philosophy, literature, theater arts; upper-division standing required. Intensive exploration of philosophical ideas in selected literature with special attention to both philosophical and literary ways of reading and appreciating a text. Not open to students with credit in PHIL 305 (discontinued as of 2002).
451I Liberty and Justice: Race, Ethnicity, and Gender in American Law
Prerequisites: Completion of GE foundtion requirements, one or more Explorations courses, upper-division standing; and 6 units of philosophy, or consent of instructor. Junior standing required; Senior standing recommended. Philosophical and legal analysis of how liberty and justice for different races, ethnic groups and genders have been treated in American law. Human Diversity course.
452I/552 Law, Philosophy, and the Humanities
Prerequisites: Completion of GE Foundation requirements, one or more Explorations courses, upper-division standing (junior standing required; senior standing recommended), six units of philosophy or consent of instructor. A comparison of how the law is considered by various disciplines; primary focus is on philosophical methods and legal methods, with some consideration of other humanities disciplines, such as literature.
455/555 Philosophical Perspectives on Sex and Love (3)
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy or consent of instructor. Philosophical perspectives on sex and love explores philosophical issues concerning sex, gender and love through readings and discussion of classical and contemporary philosophical sources. Topics such as sexual perversion, romantic love and gender discrimination are examined. Same course as W/ST 455.
455/555 Philosophical Perspectives on Sex and Love
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy or consent of instructor. Philosophical perspectives on sex and love explores philosophical issues concerning sex, gender and love through readings and discussion of classical and contemporary philosophical sources. Topics such as sexual perversion, romantic love and gender discrimination are examined. Same course as W/ST 455.
461I Diversity in Criticism and Analysis of the Arts
Prerequisites: Completion of all Foundation courses; at least one Explorations course; upper-division standing (junior standing required; senior standing recommended). Philosophical and critical consideration of the arts by different races, ethnic groups, and genders in the United States.
489 Philosophy Internship/Pre-Law
Prerequisites: Consent of Philosophy Department Chair; completion of a minimum of 15 upper-division units required for the Philosophy major. Internship with private organizations and governmental agencies with law-related focus. A CSU Summer Internship in Washington, D.C. also meets this requirement. Work done under the joint supervision of the program sponsor and CSULB Philosophy Pre-Law Advisor. A mid-term and final report and internship conferences are required.
496/596 Special Topics - Value and Evaluation
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy or consent of instructor. Seminar study of a selected topic in value or evaluation. Sample topics: Theories of Value, Freedom and Determinism. Specific topics will be announced in the Schedule of Classes. May be repeated for credit to a maximum of nine units with different topics.

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Graduate Courses (500-600 level)

513/413 Continental Rationalism (3)
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy to include PHIL 204, or consent of instructor. Close study of such major figures as Descartes, Spinoza and Leibniz.
514/414 British Empiricism (3)
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy to include PHIL 204, or consent of instructor. Close study of such major figures as Locke, Berkeley, and Hume.
516/416 Pragmatism (3)
Prerequisite: Three units of philosophy or consent of instructor. Development of pragmatism as exemplified in the philosophies of Peirce, James, Dewey and Mead.
517/417 Phenomenology (3)
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy or consent of instructor. Study of one of the major movements of contemporary philosophy. Themes treated may include knowledge, meaning, emotionality, embodiment, language, sociality, freedom and religion. Philosophers treated may include Husserl, Scheler, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty and Ricoeur.
518/418 Existentialism (3)
Prerequisites: Three units of philosophy or consent of instructor. Intensive study of such issues as self-as-existence, freedom and responsibility in their ethical, religious, political and aesthetic dimensions. Philosophers treated may include Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Marcel, Jaspers, Sartre and Camus.
519/419 Analytic Philosophy (3)
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy to include PHIL 270, or consent of instructor. Critical analysis of major movements in the development of Anglo-American philosophy in the twentieth century, such as logical atomism, logical positivism and ordinary language philosophy. Intensive study of the contributions of such philosophers as Moore, Russell, Wittgenstein, Ayer, Ryle, Austin, Strawson, and Quine.
521/421 Plato (3)
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy to include PHIL 203, or consent of instructor. Close study of Plato's thought, based primarily on readings from his works.
522/422 Aristotle (3)
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy to include PHIL 203, or consent of instructor. Close study of Aristotle's thought, based primarily on readings from his works.
523/423 Kant (3)
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy to include PHIL 204, or consent of instructor. Intensive study of Kant's Critique of Pure Reason.
524/424 Hegel (3)
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy to include PHIL 204, or consent of instructor. Study of Hegel's Philosophy of Mind and Logic, and selected writings by Hegel and other topics.
525/425 Wittgenstein (3)
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy to include PHIL 204, or consent of instructor. Close study of the later philosophy of Wittgenstein, centering on Philosophical Investigations..
552 Advanced Studies in Law, Philosophy, and the Humanities (3)
Prerequisites: Graduate standing. Comparison of how the law is considered by various disciplines; primary focus is on philosophical methods and legal methods, with some consideration of other humanities disciplines, such as literature.
570/470 Symbolic Logic II (3)
Prerequisite: PHIL 270 or MATH 330 or consent of instructor. Philosophical consideration of deductive systems.
583/483 Philosophical Psychology (3)
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy or consent of instructor. Nature of the mind. Psychological concepts such as intention, consciousness, action, motive, imagination, belief and purpose.
583/484 Philosophy of Language(3)
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy or consent of instructor. Philosophical thought about language and meaning.
590/490 Special Topics: Early Philosophy (3)
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy or consent of instructor. Detailed and intensive study of figures, periods or issues in ancient or medieval philosophy. Specific issues, period or figures will be announced in the Schedule of Classes. Sample titles: Pre-Socratic Philosophy, Post-Aristotelian Philosophy, Medieval Philosophy. May be repeated for credit to a maximum of nine units with different topics.
591/491 Special Topics: Modern Tradition(3)
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy or consent of instructor. Detailed and intensive study of a significant philosopher or of some issue or theme of the modern (1600-1900) philosophical era. Specific titles will be announced in the Schedule of Classes. Sample titles: Hobbes, German Idealism, Nietzsche. May be repeated for credit to a maximum of nine units with different topics.
592/492 Special Topics: Twentieth Century Philosophy (3)
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy or consent of instructor. Detailed and intensive study of a significant philosopher or of a school or movement of the twentieth century. Specific title will be announced in the Schedule of Classes. Sample titles: Wittgenstein, Heidegger, Russell, Process Philosophy. May be repeated for credit to a maximum of nine units with different topics.
593/493 Special Topics: Metaphysical Studies(3)
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy or consent of instructor. Seminar study of a selected metaphysical topic. Sample topics: Time, Personal Identity, Philosophical Theology, Philosophy of Action, Process Philosophy. Specific topic will be announced in the Schedule of Classes. May be repeated for credit to a maximum of nine units with different topics.
594/494 Special Topics: Epistemological Studies (3)
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy or consent of instructor. Seminar study of a selected epistemological topic. Sample topics: Philosophy of History, Philosophy of Perception. Specific topic will be announced in the Schedule of Classes. May be repeated for credit to a maximum of nine units with different topics.
595/495 Special Topics: Logic and Semantics (3)
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy or consent of the instructor. Seminar study of selected topic in logic or semantics. Sample topics: Probability, Necessary Truth, Paradoxes, Philosophy of Mathematics. Specific topic will be announced in the Schedule of Classes. Course may be repeated for a maximum of 9 units with different topics.
596/496 Special Topics: Value and Evaluation (3)
Prerequisites: Six units of philosophy or consent of instructor. Seminar study of a selected topic in value or evaluation. Sample topics: Theories of Value, Freedom and Determinism. Specific topics will be announced in the Schedule of Classes. May be repeated for credit to a maximum of nine units with different topics.
552 Advanced Studies in Law, Philosophy, and the Humanities (3)
Prerequisites: Graduate standing. Comparison of how the law is considered by various disciplines; primary focus is on philosophical methods and legal methods, with some consideration of other humanities disciplines, such as literature.
599 Graduate Tutorial (1-3)
Prerequisite: Consent of the instructor. Supervised independent study. Seniors with a GPA of 3.0 or better may enroll with consent of Department. May be repeated for credit to a maximum of six units. Traditional grading only.
620 Seminar in History of Philosophy(3)
Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. Close study of selected subjects in the history of philosophy. The original language may be required. May be repeated with different subjects for a max. of 9 units. Traditional grading only.
630 Seminar in Philosophy of Religion (3)
Prerequisite: PHIL 330 or consent of instructor. Critical examination of selected issues, figures and movements. May be repeated for a maximum of six units, subject to suitable variation. Traditional grading only.
640 Seminar in Metaphysics (3)
Prerequisite: PHIL 342 or consent of instructor. Supervised research and discussion on recurrent metaphysical problems and systems on the basis of selected works. Course may be repeated for a maximum of 6 units credit with different topics. Traditional grading only.
663 Seminar in Ethics (3)
Prerequisite: PHIL 363 or consent of the instructor. Systematic examination of topics (such as human rights, pleasure) and theories (such as utilitarianism, contract theory) which are central to moral reasoning. Course may be repeated for a maximum of 6 units with different topics. Traditional grading only.
680 Seminar in Epistemology (3)
Prerequisite: PHIL 382 or consent of instructor. May be repeated for a maximum of six units, subject to suitable variation in course content. Traditional grading only.
681 Seminar in the Philosophy of Science (3)
Current issues in the philosophy of science. May be repeated for a maximum of six units, subject to suitable variation in course content. Traditional grading only.
690 Seminar in Selected Topics of Current Interest (3)
Presentation, discussion and critical evaluation of advanced work (which may include original research of faculty and graduate students) in selected topics of current interest to professional philosophers. If demand for more than one subject exists, multiple sections may be given in any one semester. May be repeated for a maximum of six units, subject to suitable variation of course content. Traditional grading only.
697 Directed Research (1-3)
Prerequisite: Consent of the student's advisor. Traditional grading only.
698 Thesis (1-6)
Prerequisite: Consent of graduate advisor. Preparation and completion of a thesis in philosophy and oral defense thereof.

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