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Philosophy

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A statue of a man contemplating

Philosophy is the critical, rational examination of fundamental issues such as the scope and limits of human knowledge, the nature of the ultimate constituents of reality, and the source of our normative values and obligations. Most importantly, philosophy involves the study and utilization of logic and correct reasoning. Philosophy aims to clarify problems, and to refine the methods by which we solve these problems and investigate the world more broadly. Our courses aim to develop students’ critical and logical reasoning, encourage open debate and independent thought, and provide the opportunity for students to apply the insights they gain to contemporary life.

Roadmaps

Road maps lay out all of the courses you need to take for a given degree or certificate.

AA-T/AS-T Transfer Degrees

Dean Matt Wright
Department Chair Dr. Dylan Mirek Popowicz
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Associate Degree for Transfer

A.A.-T. in Philosophy

The Associate in Arts in Philosophy for Transfer (AA-T) provides students with a major that fulfills the general requirements for transfer to a California State University. Students with this degree will receive priority admission with junior status to the California State University system. Students should work closely with their American River College counselor to ensure that they are taking the appropriate coursework to prepare for majoring in Philosophy at the institution they wish to transfer to because major and general education requirements may vary for each CSU and the degree may only transfer to specific institutions.

Students must complete the following Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) requirements (pursuant to SB1440, §66746):
• 60 semester or 90 quarter CSU-transferable units
• the California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) pattern
• a minimum of 18 semester or 27 quarter units in the major or area of emphasis as determined by the community college district
• obtain a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0

All ADTs also require that students must earn a “C” or better in all courses required for the major or area of emphasis. A "P" (Pass) grade is also an acceptable grade for courses in the major if the course is taken on a Pass/No Pass basis.

Catalog Date: August 1, 2025

Degree Requirements

Course Code	Course Title	Units
Required Core:
A minimum of 3 units from the following:		3
PHIL 300	Introduction to Philosophy (3)
PHIL 310	Introduction to Ethics (3)
A minimum of 3 units from the following:		3
PHIL 320	Logic and Critical Reasoning (3)
PHIL 324	Symbolic Logic (3)
or MATH 320	Symbolic Logic (3)
List A:
A minimum of 3 units from the following:		3
Any course from the required core not already used or
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)
List B:
A minimum of 6 units from the following:		6
Any courses from List A not already used or
ADMJ 300	Introduction to Administration of Justice (3)
ADMJ 320	Concepts of Criminal Law (3)
ETHNS 300	Introduction to Ethnic Studies (3)
HIST 300	History of Europe and the Mediterranean to 1500 (3)
or HIST 480	History of Western Civilization - Honors (3)
HIST 302	History of Europe Since 1500 (3)
or HIST 481	History of Western Civilization - Honors (3)
POLS C1000	American Government and Politics (3)
or POLS C1000H	American Government and Politics - Honors (3)
RLST 301	Introduction to World Religions (3)
List C:
A minimum of 3 units from the following:		3
Any course from List A or B not already used or
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 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 364	Asian Civilization (3)
HIST 365	Asian Civilization (3)
HUM 300	Classical Humanities (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 302	Introduction to Atheism (3)
RLST 310	Introduction to the Hebrew Bible (3)
RLST 311	Introduction to the New Testament (3)
RLST 313	Introduction to Islam (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 2.0 GPA, including (a) the major or area of emphasis described in the Required Program, and (b) the California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) Requirement.

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:Eligibility for ENGL C1000/C1000H (formerly ENGWR 300/480) or ESLW 340
Transferable:CSU; UC
General Education:Local GE L1B (effective Fall 2025); Local GE L3 (effective Fall 2025); Cal-GETC Area 3B (effective Fall 2025)
C-ID:C-ID PHIL 100
Catalog Date:August 1, 2025

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.