Please see the section on Course Description Symbols and Terms in the University Catalog for an explanation of course description terminology and symbols, the course numbering system, and course credit units. All courses are lecture and discussion and employ letter grading unless otherwise stated. Some prerequisites may be waived with faculty permission. Many syllabi are available on the Chico Web.

Philosophy Course Offerings

SUBJ NUM	Title	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 102	Logic and Critical Thinking	3.0	FS	GE
A practical course in clear thinking and sound reasoning, which includes training in recognizing and avoiding the most commonly made mistakes in reasoning. 3 hours discussion. This is an approved General Education course. (007151)
PHIL 102E	Logic and Critical Thinking -- ESL	3.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: For Students with English as a Second Language. A special section of Logic and Critical Thinking open only to students with English as a Second Language. Interested students should consult with international evaluations. 3 hours discussion. This is an approved General Education course. (007152)
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)
PHIL 129	Environmental Ethics	3.0	FS	GE
An examination of a variety of approaches to the development of an environmental ethic, including "shallow" and "deep" environmentalism, the balance of nature argument, and the Gaia hypothesis. 3 hours discussion. This is an approved General Education course. (021190)
PHIL 133	Philosophy and Video Games	3.0	FS	GE
In this course, we consider some philosophical topics through the lens of video games and gaming. Those topics include the purpose, benefits, and drawbacks of gaming; the line between reality and fiction games involve, the role of imagination, and how it affects our agency and sense of control; some common philosophical themes in video games, such as consciousness, personal identity, and triumph of good over evil; and the immersive experience of gaming, especially in virtual reality. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (021947)
PHIL 189	Philosophy Internship	1.0 -3.0	FS
9 hours supervision. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 15.0 units. (007178)
PHIL 198	Special Topics	1.0 -3.0	FS
Prerequisites: Department permission. This course is for special topics offered for 1.0-3.0 units. Typically the topic is offered on a one-time-only basis and may vary from term to term and be different for different sections. See the Class Schedule for the specific topic being offered. 3 hours supervision. (007180)
PHIL 201	History of Ancient Philosophy	3.0	FA
Western philosophical thought from the pre-Socratics through Stoicism, including movements and figures such as Pythagoreanism, Plato, Aristotle, and Epicureanism. 3 hours lecture. (007181)
PHIL 204	Science and Religion	3.0	FS	GE
This course is also offered as RELS 241. In this course we investigate the long and complicated relationship between science and religion by examining both the conflict and co-operation between theologians, philosophers, and scientists in the Western and Eastern worlds throughout history and into the modern age. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (007201)
PHIL 207	The Meaning of Life	3.0	FS	GE
Is there meaning or purpose to life? Does science help or hinder the search for meaning? This course examines philosophical and scientific perspectives on the meaning of life, the nature of happiness, and how to think about the value and purpose of your life. 3 hours discussion. This is an approved General Education course. (021531)
PHIL 217	Existentialism	3.0	FS	GE
An examination of existentialism from Kierkegaard and Nietzsche to Sartre, and de Beauvoir. An analysis of the basic forces, concepts, and figures which have shaped existentialism. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (021534)
PHIL 226	Latin American Philosophy	3.0	FS	GE GC
This course is also offered as LAST 226. Latin American Philosophy introduces students to the rich tradition of Latin American philosophical thought, broadly constructed as a field of philosophical reflection, analysis, debate and scholarship known as El Pensamiento Latinoamericano. In order to expose students to the fecund and variegated history of Latin American thought, we will read writings from Latin American academic philosophers, as well as literary theorists, essayists, religious figures, pedagogues, novelists, political leaders and semioticians. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (021781)
PHIL 302	History of Modern Philosophy	3.0	SP
Western philosophical thought from the Renaissance through Kant, including Bacon, Hobbes, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, and Hume. 3 hours lecture. (007182)
PHIL 303W	History of 19th Century Philosophy (W)	3.0	F1	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 304	Analytic Philosophy	3.0	INQ
Study of central figures in analytic philosophy, including Wittgenstein, Quine, Davidson, and Kripke, emphasizing philosophy of language and philosophy of mind. 3 hours seminar. (007203)
PHIL 305	Continental Philosophy	3.0	F2
A survey of key thinkers and movements in the 20th and 21st Century European tradition, such as phenomenology, existentialism, Marxism, post-structuralism, and post-colonialism with special focus on Heidegger and Sartre. 3 hours seminar. (007204)
PHIL 320	Ethics	3.0	FA
An introduction to moral theory, including such figures as Plato, Aristotle, Kant, and Mill. Alternative views concerning fundamental moral questions will be explored. 3 hours seminar. (007190)
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 328	Business Ethics and Social Policy	3.0	SP
An examination of ethical issues that arise in business decisions and the formulation of social policy involving business, e.g. employee rights, consumer and environmental protection, advertising, and affirmative action. Moral theory and alternative conceptions of justice will also be discussed. 3 hours lecture. (007226)
PHIL 332	Criminal Justice Ethics	3.0	FS
An investigation of contemporary moral issues involved in police work and corrections, such as deadly force, entrapment, undercover work, corruption, and prisoners' rights. 3 hours seminar. (021814)
PHIL 335	Regional Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl	3.0	FA
Preparation for the Regional Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl (RIEB) competition that includes review of moral theory, introduction to skills in moral problem solving, application of theory to moral dilemmas across a wide range of personal, social, and professional environments, and oral presentation of solutions to moral dilemmas. Require travel to and participation in the RIEB (one weekend during semester). 3 hours lecture. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 9.0 units. (020605)
PHIL 336	American Indian Environmental Philosophies	3.0	FS	GE USD
An exploration of traditional and contemporary American Indian thought regarding people in relationship to the human and nonhuman worlds, with focus on land ethic, animal ethics, sustainability. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved US Diversity course. (020644)
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 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)
PHIL 340W	Social and Political Philosophy (W)	3.0	SP	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. (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 357	Feminist Philosophy	3.0	F2	USD
How does the term 'feminist' (a political commitment) modify the term 'theory' (an intellectual practice)? This course addresses this question by surveying several feminist frameworks for thinking about sex, gender, and oppression. We consider whether there is a tenable distinction between sex and gender, what it means to say that a category is socially constructed, and how social constructions can be oppressive. We read a range of contemporary feminist theorists working to analyze the complex interrelations of social differences (gender, race, class, sexual orientation, species), and relations of social domination and economic exploitation in a globalized world. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved US Diversity course. (021818)
PHIL 360	Theory of Knowledge (Epistemology)	3.0	FA
Philosophical studies of the sources, nature, and criteria of knowledge; alternative approaches to problems of perception, meaning, and truth. 3 hours seminar. (007188)
PHIL 361	Metaphysics	3.0	SP
An examination of basic metaphysical problems, such as free will, the mind-body problem, life after death, and some of the systems of thought that attempt to deal with them. 3 hours seminar. (007189)
PHIL 367	Philosophy of Mind and Language	3.0	S2
Introduction to philosophical questions about the nature of mind and language, includes such topics as philosophical analysis of mental phenomena, philosophical theories of mind, theories of reference and meaning, mental representation, animal and computer minds, consciousness, the mind-body problem, the philosophical importance of language, and the role of language in thought. 3 hours lecture. (021648)
PHIL 370	Philosophy of Science	3.0	FS	GE
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 General Education course. (007193)
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 375	Philosophy of Psychology	3.0	F1
This course offers an overview of some of the issues in philosophy of psychology. We explore the nature and the organization of our mental capacities such as perception, reasoning, metacognition, and introspection; the extent of our rationality; the relation between perception and cognition; the methods of philosophy and psychology; and the overall architecture of the mind. 3 hours lecture. (021773)
PHIL 380	Intermediate Logic	3.0	FA
In this course students will learn classical propositional and predicate logic. The syntax, semantics and deductive systems of a few formal systems will be studied. 3 hours discussion. (007196)
PHIL 382	Sartre and Camus	3.0	S2
Intensive reading and discussion of the writing of Satre & Camus. 3 hours seminar. (007309)
PHIL 384	Aesthetics	3.0	S2
A philosophical study of the nature and significance of art, with references to relevant works. The course considers such themes as the beautiful, the sublime, comedy, tragedy and the social psychological dimensions of art as well as the periods of Romanticism, Modernism, Postmodernism. 3 hours lecture. (020624)
PHIL 389	Philosophy Internship	1.0 -3.0	FS
9 hours supervision. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 15.0 units. (007245)
PHIL 398	Special Topics	1.0 -3.0	FS
Investigation of special topics in philosophy. Open to upper-division students only. Variable content. 3 hours lecture. (007267)
PHIL 399	Special Problems	1.0 -3.0	FS
This course is an independent study of special problems offered for 1.0-3.0 units. You must register directly with a supervising faculty member. 9 hours supervision. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (007268)
PHIL 420W	Contemporary Moral Theory (W)	3.0	S1	GW W
Prerequisite: 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 435	National Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl	3.0	SP
Prerequisite: PHIL 335 or faculty permission. Preparation for the National Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl (NIEB) competition that includes refining skills in moral problem solving, application of theory to moral dilemmas across a wide range of personal , social, and professional environments, and oral presentation of solutions to moral dilemmas. Requires travel to and participation in the NIEB (5-day block during semester). 3 hours lecture. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 9.0 units. (020606)
PHIL 438	Jurisprudence: Philosophy of Law	3.0	FS
This course is also offered as POLS 438. The philosophical nature and origins of law. Topics to be examined include theories of law, justice, the relationship of law to morality, natural law, responsibility, punishment, and other basic concepts. Approach is both theoretical and via case studies. 3 hours lecture. (007282)
PHIL 480	Advanced Logic	3.0	S1
Prerequisite: MATH 217, MATH 330, or PHIL 380, or faculty permission. Systematic treatment of truth functions and quantifiers; introduction to mathematical logic. Topics include syntax, semantics, and metatheory for the propositional and predicate calculi. Other topics may include non-classical logic, modal logic, the logic of counterfactuals. 3 hours discussion. (007195)
PHIL 489	Philosophy Internship	1.0 -3.0	FS
Prerequisites: Junior standing or above and either 9 units of philosophy or have declared philosophy as a major or minor, faculty permission. This course is an internship offered for 1.0-3.0 units. You must register directly with a supervising faculty member. Internships in Philosophy: (a) assisting instructors in lower-division courses; (b) assisting the department in preparation of Philosophy Forums, or department-sponsored discussions, debates, and multimedia presentations; (c) working outside the academic program in government, community, or business, in tasks appropriate for philosophy students; or (d) assisting faculty in research. A maximum of 6 units may be counted toward the major or minor in philosophy. 9 hours supervision. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 15.0 units. (007293)
PHIL 489T	Internship in Teaching Philosophy	3.0	FS
Prerequisites: Upper-division standing and faculty permission. Supervised collaborative training in teaching, normally completed in two consecutive semesters. Focus in the first semester is on developing class plans and instructional communication skills. Focus in the second semester is on creating syllabi and developing competence in assessment. Registration is by arrangement with a supervising faculty member. 9 hours supervision. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 15.0 units. (007294)
PHIL 490W	Senior Capstone Seminar (W)	3.0	SP	GW W
Prerequisite: GE Written Communication (A2) requirement; 12 units in Philosophy. Intensive reading, discussion, and writing that builds on knowledge and skills acquired in previous philosophy courses. Topics vary. Course includes review of key philosophical concepts and methods, peer feedback for oral and written work, reflection on experience of the major, and post-graduate plans. 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. (021650)
PHIL 498	Special Topics	3.0	INQ
Prerequisites: Department permission. This course is for special topics offered for 1.0-3.0 units. Typically the topic is offered on a one-time-only basis and may vary from term to term and be different for different sections. See the Class Schedule for the specific topic being offered. 3 hours lecture. (007330)
PHIL 499	Special Problems	1.0 -3.0	FS
Prerequisites: Faculty permission. This course is an independent study of special problems offered for 1.0-3.0 units. You must register directly with a supervising faculty member. 3 hours supervision. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (007331)
PHIL 499HW	Senior Honors Research Paper (W)	3.0	FS	GW W
Prerequisites: GE Written Communication (A2) requirement, acceptance into Honors in Philosophy, faculty permission. To provide opportunity for the student accepted for "Honors in the Major" to prepare and write a thesis on a topic germane to interests developed during the first three years of work in Philosophy. Research and writing will be done under supervision by a staff advisor and for the total of 6 units in consecutive semesters. 9 hours supervision. 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. (007332)
PHIL 689	Internship in Teaching Philosophy	3.0	FS
Prerequisites: Graduate standing and faculty permission. Supervised collaborative training in teaching, normally completed in two consecutive semesters. Focus in the first semester is on developing class plans and instructional communication skills. Focus in the second semester is on creating syllabi and developing competence in assessment. Registration is by arrangement with a supervising faculty member. 9 hours supervision. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. (007333)
PHIL 697	Independent Study	1.0 -3.0	FS
Prerequisites: Open only to students pursuing a Master of Arts Degree with a special major, faculty permission. This course is a graduate-level independent study offered for 1.0-3.0 units. You must register directly with a supervising faculty member. 9 hours supervision. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. (007341)