You are in the official 2001-2002 General Catalog
for California State University, Fresno.
Department of Philosophy
COURSES
Philosophy (PHIL)
1. Introduction to Philosophy (3)
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)
2. Exploring Religious Meaning (3)
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.
10. Self, Religion, and Society (3)
Conceptions of human nature; nature and varieties of religion;
personal and social implications and values of religion. G.E.
Breadth C2.
20. Moral Questions (3)
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.
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.
26. Reasoning and Religion (3)
No credit if taken after PHIL 25, 27, or 45. An introduction to
principles and methods of critical thinking utilizing as source
material the claims, arguments, and theories of major Western
and non-Western religious traditions.
27. Reasoning About Values (3)
No credit if taken after PHIL 25, 26, or 45. An introduction to
principles and methods of critical thinking, utilizing as source
material claims and arguments concerning values, ethics, social,
and political issues.
28. Critical Thinking in the Classroom (3)
Open to liberal studies majors only. Prerequisite or corequisite:
EHD 50. Principles and methods of good reasoning, including identifying
arguments, developing deductive/inductive reasoning skills, assessing
observations/testimony reports; common fallacies; and applications
to K-8 teaching. (Students completing PHIL 28 cannot receive credit
for PHIL 25 or 45.) G.E. Foundation A3.
31. World Faiths (3)
A survey of the major world religions, their historical development,
their aesthetical expression and selections of primary texts.
Emphasis is given to Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism,
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
120. Contemporary Conflicts of
Morals (3)
(Same as A ETH 100.) 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.
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?
122. Introduction to Professional
Ethics (3)
(Same as A ETH 101.) 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.
125. Issues in Political Philosophy (3)
Not open to students who take PHIL 118. 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.
127. Philosophy of Law (3)
Nature and functions of law; methods of justifying legal systems;
logic of legal reasoning; analysis of fundamental legal concepts.
129. Marxism (3)
Examination of basic ideas of Marx inherent in his writings and
a consideration of later developments now called "Marxist."
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.
131. Comparative Religion (3)
Survey of the major religions of the world, their history and
teachings, with emphasis on Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism,
Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
132. Religion and the Margin (3)
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.
133W. Literature of the New Testament
(3)
(Same as ENGL 115W.) Prerequisite: satisfactory completion (C
or better) of the ENGL 1 graduation requirement. Discussion and
close written analyses of selected texts from the New Testament.
Meets upper-division writing skills requirement for graduation.
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.
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.
136. Buddhism (3)
Introduction to Buddhism. Life and teachings of Gautama Siddhartha
Buddha; development of Buddhism after death or mahanirvana of
the Buddha.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
150. Foundations of Knowledge (3)
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.
151. Cognitive Science: Mind (3)
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.
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.
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.
165T. Special Topics (1-3; max total 9 if no topic repeated)
Topics of current or interdisciplinary interest or requiring special
background.
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.
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.
190. Independent Study (1-3; max total 6)
See Academic Placement -- Independent
Study. Approved for SP grading.
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.
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.
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.
Philosophy Degrees