HELP 2022-2023 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG] Philosophy, Department of Print-Friendly Page (opens a new window) Facebook this Page (opens a new window) Tweet this Page (opens a new window)

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Department Chair

Emily S. Lee

Department Office/Website

Humanities 230
657-278-3611
philosophy.fullerton.edu

Faculty

Matthew Calarco, Amy Coplan, John Davis, Joshua DiPaolo, Brady Heiner, Andrew Howat, Emily S. Lee, JeeLoo Liu, Ryan Nichols

Introduction

Philosophy began when people first questioned the accounts poets and priests had handed down about the structure of the world and the meaning of human life. Since then, philosophers have helped create and explore virtually every aspect of our cultural life, including science, religion, art and politics. To study philosophy, therefore, is to engage in a classic form of liberal education in which reasoning and conceptual analysis are explicitly developed. The study of philosophy includes: (1) the development of critical thinking and writing skills; (2) the investigation of conceptual problems encountered in the course of reflecting about experience; (3) the assessment of assumptions underlying other sciences and arts; and (4) the exploration of political and ethical theory. Philosophy is not a “high unit” major. It is possible for many students to obtain the benefits of a philosophically based liberal education while also majoring in another discipline. The Philosophy Department also encourages minors, which can be tailored to the student’s individual interests or other fields of study. Majoring or minoring in philosophy is an excellent way of preparing for law school and other careers that involve facility in reasoning, analysis and information processing.

Degree Description

The Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy provides comprehensive learning experiences for the conceptual development of periods of historical philosophy, major currents of 20th century philosophical investigation and methodologies employed by philosophers. Specifically, the program provides opportunities for students to expand their knowledge and skills so that they will have the credentials for entering graduate programs in philosophy, in other disciplines, in law schools or for advancement in their chosen career paths. Students with philosophy training can present themselves as articulate reasoners with advanced critical thinking and logical analysis. They will also be exposed to issues of culture, ethnicity and gender, and will be able to cultivate a global perspective. Students shall have the ability to examine and critically assess normative standards governing social relations, practices and institutions, including a wide range of human activities dependent upon value judgments.

Learning Goals and Student Learning Outcomes

• Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy

Transfer Credit

Work completed in philosophy at other institutions may be counted toward the major, subject to the rules of the university and the following departmental rules: (1) only seminars can fulfill the seminar requirement; (2) only upper-division work can fulfill upper-division requirements; (3) in no case can more than six units of lower-division work taken at another institution count toward the major requirement of 39 units. Six units of philosophy taken at another university may be counted toward the minor.

Programs and Courses Offered

Programs

• Philosophy, B.A.
• Philosophy, Social, Moral, and Legal Philosophy for the Professions Concentration, B.A.

• Philosophy Minor

Courses

Courses are designated as PHIL in the class schedule.

• PHIL 100 - Introduction to Philosophy (3)
• PHIL 101 - Meaning, Purpose, and the Good Life (3)
• PHIL 105 - Critical Thinking (3)
• PHIL 106 - Introduction to Logic (3)
• PHIL 110 - Religions of the World (3)
• PHIL 120 - Introduction to Ethics (3)
• PHIL 224 - Existentialism as a Way of Life (3)
• PHIL 227 - Video Games, the Arts and Philosophy (3)
• PHIL 290 - History of Philosophy: Greek Philosophy (3)
• PHIL 291 - History of Philosophy: Medieval Philosophy (3)
• PHIL 300 - History of Philosophy: Rationalism and Empiricism (3)
• PHIL 301 - History of Philosophy: Kant and the 19th Century (3)
• PHIL 302 - Introduction to Women’s Studies (3)
• PHIL 303 - Introduction to the Philosophy of Science (3)
• PHIL 311 - Aesthetics: Philosophy of Art and Beauty (3)
• PHIL 312 - Business and Professional Ethics (3)
• PHIL 313 - Environmental Ethics (3)
• PHIL 314 - Medical Ethics (3)
• PHIL 315 - Philosophical Argument and Writing (3)
• PHIL 316 - Research Ethics (3)
• PHIL 320 - Contemporary Moral Issues (3)
• PHIL 323 - Existentialism (3)
• PHIL 325 - Philosophy of Sex and Love (3)
• PHIL 333 - Evolution and Creation (3)
• PHIL 342 - Experimental and Empirical Philosophy (3)
• PHIL 343 - Philosophy of Feminism (3)
• PHIL 345 - Social and Political Philosophy (3)
• PHIL 349 - Philosophy, Literature and Cinema (3)
• PHIL 350 - Asian Philosophy (3)
• PHIL 355 - Philosophy and Law in America (3)
• PHIL 368 - First Course in Symbolic Logic (3)
• PHIL 375 - Meaning and Mind (3)
• PHIL 377 - Philosophical Approaches to Race, Class, and Gender (3)
• PHIL 379 - American Philosophy (3)
• PHIL 380 - Analytic Philosophy (3)
• PHIL 382 - Marx and Marxism (3)
• PHIL 383 - Postmodernism (3)
• PHIL 390 - Time and Consciousness (3)
• PHIL 399 - Directed Study (1-3)
• PHIL 409 - The Nature of Morality (3)
• PHIL 410 - Ethical Theory (3)
• PHIL 420 - Metaphysics (3)
• PHIL 425 - Phenomenology (3)
• PHIL 430 - Epistemology (3)
• PHIL 435 - Philosophy of Language (3)
• PHIL 440 - Philosophy of Mind (3)
• PHIL 450 - Normative Theory and Public Affairs (3)
• PHIL 455 - Seminar in Values (3)
• PHIL 470 - Seminar in Metaphysics and Epistemology (3)
• PHIL 480 - Seminar in the History of Philosophy (3)
• PHIL 490 - Seminar in Contemporary Philosophy (3)
• PHIL 493 - Senior Internship in Ethics and Society (3)
• PHIL 499 - Independent Study (1-3)

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