The Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy

Total Course Requirements for the Bachelor's Degree: 120 units

See Bachelor's Degree Requirements in the University Catalog for complete details on general degree requirements. A minimum of 39 units, including those required for the major, must be upper division.

A suggested Major Academic Plan (MAP) has been prepared to help students meet all graduation requirements within four years. You can view MAPs on the Degree MAPs page in the University Catalog or you can request a plan from your major advisor.

General Education Pathway Requirements: 48 units

See General Education in the University Catalog and the Class Schedule for the most current information on General Education Pathway Requirements and course offerings.

Diversity Course Requirements: 6 units

See Diversity Requirements in the University Catalog. Most courses taken to satisfy these requirements may also apply to General Education .

Upper-Division Writing Requirement:

Writing Across the Curriculum (Executive Memorandum 17-009) is a graduation requirement and may be demonstrated through satisfactory completion of four Writing (W) courses, two of which are designated by the major department. See Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning and Writing Requirements in the University Catalog for more details on the four courses.  The first of the major designated Writing (W) courses is listed below.

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Sustainable	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
PHIL 303W	History of 19th Century Philosophy (W)		3.0	FA	GE  W
Western philosophical thought from Kant through the twentieth century, including the phenomenological and analytic traditions in western philosophy. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved Writing Course. This is an approved General Education course. (007183)
PHIL 323W	Moral Issues in Parenting (W)		3.0	FS	GE  GC  W
A philosophical investigation of the moral and legal dimensions of parenting. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved Writing Course. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (021242)
PHIL 327W	Health Ethics (W)		3.0	FS	GE  W
Inquiry into ethical issues faced in the pursuit of individual and social health. Topics include alternative ideas of health, ethical theories, responsibilities of health professionals, access to health care, and environmental health. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved Writing Course. This is an approved General Education course. (021351)
PHIL 337W	Philosophy of Race (W)		3.0	FS	GE  USD  W
Prerequisite: 45 lower-division units. This course introduces and analyzes the predominant philosophical, cultural, and scientific views on race and examines the issue of racism primarily in contemporary American culture. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved Writing Course. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved US Diversity course. (021267)
PHIL 340W	Social and Political Philosophy (W)		3.0	SP	GE  W
A philosophical examination of the nature and function of the human community and the political state, and of the implications for individual life of alternative conceptions of society and politics. 3 hours seminar. This is an approved Writing Course. This is an approved General Education course. (007198)
PHIL 341W	Justice and Global Issues (W)		3.0	FS	GE  GC  W
Inquiry into different theories of justice, and their implications for contemporary political issues. Topics include inequality, crime policy, taxes, immigration, globalization, war, and sustainability. 3 hours seminar. This is an approved Writing Course. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (021243)
PHIL 370W	Philosophy of Science (W)		3.0	FS	GE  W
An examination of the philosophical issues raised by scientific inquiry. Topics include the logical empiricist view of science, perception, and discovery, scientific paradigms, and the implications of reductivism. 3 hours seminar. This is an approved Writing Course. This is an approved General Education course. (021717)
PHIL 420W	Contemporary Moral Theory (W)		3.0	S1	GW  W
Prerequisite: Completion of GE Written Communication (A2) requirement. An analysis of twentieth-century ethical theory. 3 hours seminar. This is an approved Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement course; a grade of C- or higher certifies writing proficiency for majors. This is an approved Writing Course. (007270)
PHIL 421W	Seminar in Special Issues in Social and Political Philosophy (W)		3.0	SP	GW  W
Prerequisites: Completion of GE Written Communication (A2) requirement. Intensive reading and discussion of special issues in social and political philosophy. 3 hours seminar. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. This is an approved Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement course; a grade of C- or higher certifies writing proficiency for majors. This is an approved Writing Course. (007319)
PHIL 339W	Confronting the Animal: Theory, Culture, and Practice (W)		3.0	FS	GE  W
This course is also offered as RELS 339W. Draws on religion, philosophy, ethics, cultural analysis, and science to explore the nature and roles of the animal in religious, cultural, scientific, and ethical beliefs and practices. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved Writing Course. This is an approved General Education course. (021362)
RELS 339W	Confronting the Animal: Theory, Culture, and Practice (W)		3.0	FS	GE  W
This course is also offered as PHIL 339W. Draws on religion, philosophy, ethics, cultural analysis, and science to explore the nature and roles of the animal in religious, cultural, scientific, and ethical beliefs and practices. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved Writing Course. This is an approved General Education course. (021362)

The second major-designated Writing course is the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GW) (Executive Order 665). Students must earn a C- or higher to receive GW credit. The GE Written Communication (A2) requirement must be completed before a student is permitted to register for a GW course.

Grading Requirement:

All courses taken to fulfill major course requirements must be taken for a letter grade except those courses specified by the department as Credit/No Credit grading only.

Course Requirements for the Major: 36 units

Completion of the following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, is required of all candidates for this degree.

Lower-Division Requirements: 6 units

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM	Title	Sustainable	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
PHIL 101	Introduction to Philosophy		3.0	FS	GE
An introduction to philosophical thought and skills. Issues that traditionally have been of central importance in philosophical inquiry, such as the nature of knowledge, reality, and values, will be emphasized. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (007155)
PHIL 104	The Good Life		3.0	FS	GE
A critical survey of different theories of happiness and meaning in life, including discussion of the roles of moral values, mental health, art, music, and food and drink in living well. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (007163)

1 course required:

Upper-Division Requirements: 30 units

3 courses required:

1 course selected from:

1 course selected from:

3 courses selected from:

6 units selected from:

Any philosophy (PHIL) courses (except PHIL 102) selected in consultation with the Philosophy Department advisor.

Philosophy and Law Advising Cluster

Those students majoring in philosophy who plan to enter law school should consider, as part of or in addition to the regular degree requirements the following cluster of courses. See the Undergraduate Advisor for additional information.

Note: Enrollment in POLS 451B and POLS 453 must be concurrent for the purposes of satisfying the requirements of the Philosophy and Law advising cluster.

Electives Requirement:

To complete the total units required for the bachelor's degree, select additional elective courses from the total University offerings. You should consult with an advisor regarding the selection of courses which will provide breadth to your University experience and possibly apply to a supportive second major or minor.

Advising Requirement:

Advising is mandatory for all majors in this degree program. Consult your undergraduate advisor for specific information.

Honors in the Major:

Honors in the Major is a program of independent work in your major. It requires 6 units of honors course work completed over two semesters.

The Honors in the Major program allows you to work closely with a faculty mentor in your area of interest on an original performance or research project. This year-long collaboration allows you to work in your field at a professional level and culminates in a public presentation of your work. Students sometimes take their projects beyond the University for submission in professional journals, presentation at conferences, or academic competition. Such experience is valuable for graduate school and professional life. Your honors work will be recognized at your graduation, on your permanent transcripts, and on your diploma. It is often accompanied by letters of commendation from your mentor in the department or the department chair.

Some common features of Honors in the Major program are:

• You must take 6 units of Honors in the Major course work. All 6 units are honors classes (marked by a suffix of H), and at least 3 of these units are independent study (399H, 499H, 599H) as specified by your department. You must complete each class with a minimum grade of B.
• You must have completed 9 units of upper-division course work or 21 overall units in your major before you can be admitted to Honors in the Major. Check the requirements for your major carefully, as there may be specific courses that must be included in these units.
• Your cumulative GPA should be at least 3.5 or within the top 5% of majors in your department.
• Your GPA in your major should be at least 3.5 or within the top 5% of majors in your department.
• Most students apply for or are invited to participate in Honors in the Major during the second semester of their junior year. Then they complete the 6 units of course work over the two semesters of their senior year.
• Your honors work culminates with a public presentation of your honors project.

While Honors in the Major is part of the Honors Program, each department administers its own program. Please contact your major department or major advisor to apply.

Honors in Philosophy:

To graduate with Honors in Philosophy a student must:

1. Fulfill all requirements for a major in Philosophy.

2. Write a Senior Honors Thesis. (See PHIL 499HW)

3. Achieve a grade point average of at least 3.66 in those courses taken to fulfill the requirements for the major and PHIL 499HW.

4. Pass satisfactorily an oral examination on the thesis.