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Philosophy

Overview Degrees/Certificates Courses

Philosophy is the critical, rational examination of fundamental questions that people have pondered for more than 2500 years. These include, but are not limited to, questions such as: What is reality? What is the nature of the self? Does God exist? What is good and just? What ought I to do? Philosophy courses are directed towards an understanding of these and other fundamental questions, often through reading and studying philosophers who have addressed these questions in the past, with appreciation of the historical and cultural contexts in which these questions are raised and answered. Philosophy courses help students to develop good logical and critical reasoning skills, expose hidden preconceptions, encourage open debate and independent thought, and provide opportunity to apply valuable insights gained to contemporary life.

Degrees Offered

A.A.-T. in Philosophy

Dean Kathy Sorensen
Department Chair Dr. Dylan Mirek Popowicz
Phone (916) 484-8283
Email AskHB-PCS@arc.losrios.edu

Associate Degree for Transfer

A.A.-T. in Philosophy

This program provides lower-division preparation for students interested in transferring into baccalaureate philosophy programs.

The Associate in Arts degree in Philosophy for Transfer provides students with a major that fulfills the general requirements of the California State University for transfer. Students with this degree will receive priority admission with junior status to the California State University system. The Associate in Arts degree in Philosophy for Transfer (AA-T) may be obtained by the completion of 60 transferable, semester units with a minimum 2.0 GPA, including (a) the major or area of emphasis described in the Required Program outlined below (earning a C or better in these courses) and (b) either the Inter-segmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) or the California State University General Education Breadth Requirements.

Catalog Date: August 1, 2024

Degree Requirements

Course Code	Course Title	Units
PHIL 300	Introduction to Philosophy	3
PHIL 310	Introduction to Ethics	3
PHIL 320	Logic and Critical Reasoning	3
PHIL 324	Symbolic Logic (3)	3
or MATH 320	Symbolic Logic (3)
A minimum of 6 units from the following:		6
Select 3 units from Philosophy Electives and 3 units from either Philosophy Electives or Humanities Electives.
*Philosophy Electives*
PHIL 315	Contemporary Moral Issues (3)
PHIL 330	History of Classical Philosophy (3)
PHIL 331	History of Modern Philosophy (3)
PHIL 350	Philosophy of Religion (3)
PHIL 360	Social/Political Philosophy (3)
*Humanities Electives*
ENGLT 310	English Literature I (3)
ENGLT 311	English Literature II (3)
ENGLT 320	American Literature I (3)
ENGLT 321	American Literature II (3)
ENGLT 340	World Literature I (3)
ENGLT 341	World Literature II (3)
HIST 300	History of Europe and the Mediterranean to 1500 (3)
HIST 302	History of Europe Since 1500 (3)
HIST 305	Women in Western Civilization (3)
HIST 307	History of World Civilizations to 1500 (3)
HIST 308	History of World Civilizations, 1500 to Present (3)
HIST 340	History of California through 1879 (3)
HIST 341	History of California: 1879 to Present (3)
HIST 364	Asian Civilization (3)
HIST 365	Asian Civilization (3)
HIST 367	History of Russia (3)
HIST 373	History of Mexico (3)
HIST 480	History of Western Civilization - Honors (3)
HIST 481	History of Western Civilization - Honors (3)
HUM 301	Introduction to the Humanities (3)
HUM 310	Modern Humanities (3)
HUM 320	Asian Humanities (3)
HUM 326	Middle Eastern Humanities (3)
HUM 330	Humanities of the Americas (3)
RLST 301	Introduction to World Religions (3)
RLST 302	Introduction to Atheism (3)
RLST 310	Introduction to the Hebrew Bible (3)
RLST 311	Introduction to the New Testament (3)
Total Units:		18

The Associate in Arts in Philosophy for Transfer (AA-T) degree may be obtained by completion of 60 transferable, semester units with a minimum overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.0, including (a) a minimum grade of "C" (or "P") for each course in the major or area of emphasis described in the Required Program, and (b) either the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) or the California State University General Education-Breadth Requirements.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, the student will be able to:

identify and express arguments found in philosophical and non-philosophical sources.
analyze arguments from philosophical and non-philosophical sources into their constituent premises and conclusions.
evaluate the cogency of arguments from philosophical and non-philosophical sources with respect to structure and content.
critically discuss and evaluate important concepts and theories in ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology.
develop and defend personal views concerning important philosophical issues.

Career Information

Because of continuing social and technological changes, today's graduates are more likely to change their jobs/careers than ever before. Job skills learned today for a specific career may be too specific to transfer to other jobs or simply become outdated. The technical skills and knowledge required by many fields are also changing, requiring constant updating to stay current. One advantage to studying philosophy is that it focuses on broader issues such as the nature of knowledge, values, the use of language, and the application of logic and critical reasoning: content that transfers across specific jobs/careers. The analytic skills developed in the study of philosophy are valuable in problem solving and effectively communicating ideas clearly and precisely. Finally, philosophy provides an excellent pre-law preparation, as philosophy majors generally score amongst the highest on the LSAT (Law School Admission Test).

Philosophy (PHIL) Courses

PHIL 300 Introduction to Philosophy

Units:3
Hours:54 hours LEC
Prerequisite:None.
Advisory:Eligible for ENGRD 310 or ENGRD 312 AND ENGWR 300; OR ESLW 340.
Transferable:CSU; UC
General Education:AA/AS Area I; CSU Area C2; IGETC Area 3B
C-ID:C-ID PHIL 100
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This course examines some of the perennial questions that have been addressed in the history of philosophy. Some of these include: Do we have free will? Is there a God? What is knowledge? What is the fundamental nature of reality? What makes actions right or wrong? This examination includes a critical analysis of fundamental concepts involved in the issues addressed by these questions, as well as an evaluation of reasoning used to defend various answers to them.

PHIL 310 Introduction to Ethics

Units:3
Hours:54 hours LEC
Prerequisite:None.
Advisory:Eligible for ENGRD 310 or ENGRD 312 AND ENGWR 300; OR ESLW 340.
Transferable:CSU; UC
General Education:AA/AS Area I; CSU Area C2; IGETC Area 3B
C-ID:C-ID PHIL 120
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This course is an introduction to ethics and moral philosophy. It includes a survey of various normative ethical theories including Aristotle's Virtue Ethics, Utilitarianism, and Kant's Deontological Ethics. It may also cover various meta-ethical issues such as ethical relativism vs. ethical objectivism, as well as questions of knowledge and justification of moral claims. It may also include the application of normative ethical theories to contemporary moral issues.

PHIL 315 Contemporary Moral Issues

Units:3
Hours:54 hours LEC
Prerequisite:None.
Advisory:Eligible for ENGRD 310 or ENGRD 312 AND ENGWR 300; OR ESLW 340.
Transferable:CSU; UC
General Education:AA/AS Area I; CSU Area C2; IGETC Area 3B
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This is an investigation into some of the moral issues our society presently faces. These issues may include abortion, euthanasia, genetic engineering, individual liberty and the collective good, sexuality/gender and society, war and terrorism, capital punishment, hunger/poverty and moral obligation, discrimination, and affirmative action.

PHIL 320 Logic and Critical Reasoning

Units:3
Hours:54 hours LEC
Prerequisite:None.
Advisory:Eligible for ENGRD 310 or ENGRD 312 AND ENGWR 300; OR ESLW 340.
Transferable:CSU; UC
General Education:AA/AS Area II(b); CSU Area A3
C-ID:C-ID PHIL 110
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This course introduces basic principles of good reasoning. It focuses on recognizing arguments and identifying their premises and conclusions. It examines the distinction between inductive and deductive standards of evaluation and includes an overview of types of inductive reasoning, deductive argument patterns, use and misuse of language, and fallacious reasoning. Practical application to everyday life is emphasized.

PHIL 324 Symbolic Logic

Same As:MATH 320
Units:3
Hours:54 hours LEC
Prerequisite:MATH 120, 125, 129, or 133 with a grade of "C" or better, or placement through the assessment process.
Transferable:CSU; UC
General Education:AA/AS Area II(b)
C-ID:C-ID PHIL 210
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This course is an introduction to symbolic logic. It includes a study of the logic of sentences (propositional logic) and the logic of classes and relations (predicate logic), together with an introduction to the nature of deductive systems. This course is not open to students who have completed MATH 320.

PHIL 330 History of Classical Philosophy

Units:3
Hours:54 hours LEC
Prerequisite:None.
Advisory:Eligible for ENGRD 310 or ENGRD 312 AND ENGWR 300; OR ESLW 340.
Transferable:CSU; UC
General Education:AA/AS Area I; CSU Area C2; IGETC Area 3B
C-ID:C-ID PHIL 130
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This course is a survey of classical Greek philosophy. Through a careful examination of primary sources, it begins with an overview of Pre-Socratic thought and focuses primarily on the philosophical ideas of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. An overview of Hellenistic and Roman philosophy may be included.

PHIL 331 History of Modern Philosophy

Units:3
Hours:54 hours LEC
Prerequisite:None.
Advisory:Eligible for ENGRD 310 or ENGRD 312 AND ENGWR 300; OR ESLW 340.
Transferable:CSU; UC
General Education:AA/AS Area I; CSU Area C2; IGETC Area 3B
C-ID:C-ID PHIL 140
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This course is an overview of important themes in the history of Western Philosophical thought from the Early Modern era to the turn of the nineteenth century. These themes may include the fundamental nature of reality, knowledge, values, society, God, and human nature.

PHIL 350 Philosophy of Religion

Units:3
Hours:54 hours LEC
Prerequisite:None.
Advisory:Eligible for ENGRD 310 or ENGRD 312 AND ENGWR 300; OR ESLW 340.
Transferable:CSU; UC
General Education:AA/AS Area I; CSU Area C2; IGETC Area 3B
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This course is an introduction to a philosophical examination of religion. This examination typically includes an analysis of basic religious concepts such as God, the afterlife, the soul, faith, karma, religious experience, good, and evil. The rationality of religious belief and the relation of religion to science may also be covered.

PHIL 360 Social/Political Philosophy

Units:3
Hours:54 hours LEC
Prerequisite:None.
Advisory:Eligible for ENGRD 310 or ENGRD 312 AND ENGWR 300; OR ESLW 340.
Transferable:CSU; UC
General Education:AA/AS Area I; CSU Area C2; CSU Area D7; IGETC Area 3B; IGETC Area 4G
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This course is a historical and topical survey of significant themes of social/political philosophy from Plato to the present. Topics may include freedom, government, justice, law, rights, punishment, war, authority, and the state.

PHIL 495 Independent Studies in Philosophy

Units:1 - 3
Prerequisite:None.
Transferable:CSU
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

PHIL 499 Experimental Offering in Philosophy

Units:0.5 - 4
Prerequisite:None.
Transferable:CSU
Catalog Date:August 1, 2024

This is the experimental courses description.