Courses

PHIL 100. Introduction to Critical Reasoning (4)

Prerequisites: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Not open to students who have completed PHIL 200. Introduction to the identification, analysis, and evaluation of arguments. Students will learn to critically assess a variety of kinds of arguments, with attention to deduction and induction in real-world critical reasoning. Questions may include: What is an argument? What is the point of making arguments? What makes an argument good or bad? Can bad arguments be persuasive, and why? (Available for General Education, Basic Skills A3 Critical Thinking.) … (read more)

PHIL 110: Logic through Puzzles and Games (3)

Emphasizes the development and application of critical reasoning skills through logic puzzles and games. Students will use games to express logical relationships and properties; develop strategies to solve inductive and deductive logic puzzles; learn how to make ‘good’ guesses and reasonable inferences; and approach complex problems in fun and creative ways. (Available for GE Basic Skills A3 Critical Thinking).

PHIL 135. Reasoning with Numbers (3)

How is our everyday understanding of the world shaped by our encounters with data? How do you calculate a risk? Can numbers lie? This course is a critical assessment of the uses and misuses of numbers in popular media and everyday life. Students will learn how to handle quantitative data visually and creatively and will practice critical reasoning to assess how the language of math can be used to inform and mislead. Special attention is paid to quantitative and statistical reasoning in media, politics, health, and finance. (Available for General Education, Basic Skills B4 Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning.) … (read more)

PHIL 150. Introduction to Philosophy (3)

Introduction to some of the main topics and methods of philosophy, with attention to both contemporary and historical texts. Questions may include: What is a self? What does it mean to live a good life?  Is right and wrong just a matter of opinion? What is justice? What is freedom? Do we have free will? (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities) … (read more)

PHIL 165. Ethics for the 21st Century (3)

Introduction to the philosophical examination of contemporary ethical issues. Questions may include: When, if ever, should we boycott an institution? Is it OK to eat meat? Are fetuses or artificial intelligences persons? Is genetic enhancement a good idea? What are our responsibilities to the environment? Is there such a thing as a just war? (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities or E Lifelong Learning.) (IC) … (read more)

PHIL 170. Philosophy and Popular Culture (3)

Introduction to the philosophical analysis of popular culture, including the examination of philosophical themes in TV shows, music, games, film, or other popular media. Topics might include the moral, aesthetic, and political value of mass culture, or the philosophy of video games, comic books, food, fashion, or street art. (Available for General Education, C1 Arts or C2 Humanities.) … (read more)

PHIL 180. Human Nature and the Meaning of Life (3)

Examination of historical and contemporary theories of human nature and the meaning of life, with a view to examining ourselves and our relationship to the surrounding world. Questions might include: Are human beings naturally good or bad? Why are we here? What makes for a good or happy or meaningful life? Is it bad to die? (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities or E Lifelong Learning.) … (read more)

PHIL 200. Critical Reasoning (3)

Prerequisites: Completion of the lower division writing requirement; GE section B4 Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning or MATH 210. Not open to students who have completed PHIL 100. Examination of the relationship between logic and language. Accelerated introduction to the concepts essential to the identification, analysis and evaluation of arguments, with attention to deduction, induction and common fallacies. Emphasis on the application of these concepts. (Available for General Education, Basic Skills A3 Critical Thinking.) … (read more)

PHIL 201. Ancient Western Philosophy (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Critical examination of selected topics in ancient Western philosophical thought, such as ancient conceptions of the soul, virtue, and the good life; Greek and Roman political philosophy; or theories concerning the nature of mind, knowledge, or reality. Readings are drawn from texts, dialogues, and fragments from the 6th century B.C.E. to the 3rd century C.E., with particular attention to the writings and influence of Plato and Aristotle or to specific schools of thought, such as Stoicism or Cynicism. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.) … (read more)

PHIL 202. Modern Philosophy (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Critical examination of philosophical writings from the 16th through the 19th centuries. Topics may include theories of knowledge, reality, or human nature; concepts of liberty and personhood; the rights of women; arguments against slavery; the relation between mind and body; and the rights and duties of citizens. Readings are selected from the work of such figures as Michel de Montaigne, René Descartes, Immanuel Kant, Mary Wollstonecraft, Ottobah Cugoano, and Karl Marx. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.) … (read more)

PHIL 210. Reasoning in the Sciences (3)

Prerequisites: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Examination of the concepts, methods, and limitations of the process of reasoning in the sciences, including in computer and data science. Questions may include: What is the difference between science and pseudo-science? Who counts as a scientific expert? How should we evaluate extraordinary claims, such as the existence of “miracle cures,” UFOs, or life after death? Can computers help us reason? (Available for General Education, Basic Skills, A3 Critical Thinking.) … (read more)

PHIL 225. Evolutionary Reasoning (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Emphasizes the development and application of critical reasoning skills, such as argument identification, argument analysis, and argument evaluation, in the context of reasoning about evolution. Questions may include: What is a scientific theory? How can competing theories be evaluated? What is meant by evolutionary concepts like fitness, complexity, function, theory, or law? Are these terms useful for explaining phenomena outside of the field of biology? (Available for General Education, Basic Skills A3 Critical Thinking.) … (read more)

PHIL 230. Introduction to Formal Logic (3)

Prerequisites: Completion of the lower division writing requirement; GE section B4 Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning or MATH 210. Introduction to modern deductive logic, including sentential and first-order logic. Students will learn how to translate from English to symbolic language, and will use truth tables, proofs, and other techniques to determine the validity of arguments and identify other logical properties. (Available for General Education, Basic Skills A3 Critical Thinking.) … (read more)

PHIL 240. Environmental Ethics (3)

Examines the meaning and value of nature and the environment from a variety of ethical perspectives, including feminist and de-colonial perspectives. Questions can include: How should human beings relate to the natural world? How can we build sustainable interactions with the natural world? Do we have moral obligations toward non-human animals and other parts of nature? What do we owe to other beings, including future generations, with respect to the environment? In the face of catastrophic climate change, is it moral to procreate or to eat meat? (Cross-listed with SUST 240.) (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.) … (read more)

PHIL 250. Philosophy of Technology (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Introduction to the main issues in the philosophy of technology, such as the nature of technology, the distinction between technology and science, the relationship between technology and society, and feminist approaches to the philosophy of technology. Questions may include: What is technology? What factors have shaped technology and our relationship to it? Does technology have politics? (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities or E Lifelong Learning.) … (read more)

PHIL 260. Sexual Ethics (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Examination of ethical issues concerning sexuality and sexual conduct. Topics may include consent; pornography and sex work; kink; sexual and dating violence; the ethics of having children; gender and sexuality; monogamy and polyamory; and queer perspectives on sex and sexuality. Students who have taken PHIL 303 will not receive credit for PHIL 260. (Available for General Education C2 Humanities) … (read more)

PHIL 265. Medical Ethics (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Introduction to the main issues in medical ethics, including the critical examination of the concepts of life, death, health, and dis/ability. Topics may include debates over reproduction, medical research, end-of-life decisions, genetics, racial disparities accessing and receiving medical care, and the doctor-patient relationship. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.) (IC) … (read more)

PHIL 280. Philosophy of Sport and Games (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower-division writing requirement. An introduction to the history and central questions of the philosophy of sport and games. Topics may include the nature of play, games, and sport; the morality of sports, gamesmanship, and athletic enhancement; the relationships among gender, dis/ability, and athleticism; and the relationship between sports and art. (Cross-listed with KIN 280) (Available for General Education C2 Humanities or E Lifelong Learning) (IC) … (read more)

PHIL 296A-Z. Experimental Topics in Philosophy (3-4)

Selected topics in philosophy, with course content to be determined. … (read more)

PHIL 305. Business Ethics and Public Policy (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Examination of private and public economic institutions through the lens of moral philosophy. Emphasis on real world issues that concern the conduct of individuals and businesses in contemporary society, such as hiring and job discrimination, unionization, exploitation, workplace conditions, automation, corporate responsibility, or the environment. Regular written assignments are required. (Available for General Education, D1 Social Sciences or E Lifelong Learning.) … (read more)

PHIL 310. Philosophical Problems (3)

Prerequisites: Completion of the lower division writing requirement; 3 units of Philosophy. Introduction for upper division students to such central philosophic problems as knowledge, truth, reality and mind. Regular written assignments will be required. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.) (WI) … (read more)

PHIL 314. Philosophy of Film and Literature (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Investigation of philosophical concepts and problems relating to and expressed through film and literature. Questions may include: Why do we care about fictional characters? Do fictional characters exist? What is the relation of author to text? Do films have authors? Do creators’ intentions matter when we interpret a film or text? Regular written assignments will be required. Students who have taken PHIL 313 will not receive credit for PHIL 314. (Available for General Education, C1 Arts or C2 Humanities.) … (read more)

PHIL 316: Philosophy and the U.S. Constitution (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Examination of the U.S. Constitution through a philosophical lens, with particular attention to the philosophies of the framers and to the philosophical influences on their thought. Students will use the tools of philosophy to evaluate the Constitution and other founding documents, addressing questions such as: How were concepts such as sovereignty, democracy, freedom, liberty, or right understood by the framers? Who are “We the People”? What does it mean for something to be “self-evident”? What are the limits of Constitutional remedies for injustice or inequality? How have interpretations of the Constitution changed over time? (Available for General Education D3/D4 Constitution of the United States/State and Local Government.) (WI)

PHIL 317. History of American Philosophy (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Introduction to the history of American philosophy, with such emphases as American pragmatism, American transcendentalism, and American Indian and African American thought. Key themes may include the relationship between the individual and community; the meaning and value of nature; pluralism and democracy; the meaning of American identity; or the pursuit of economic and social freedom. Particular attention paid to philosophies that have shaped American institutions and ideals. Regular written assignments will be required. (Available for General Education, C3 American History, Institutions and Ideals.) … (read more)

PHIL 325. Philosophy of Biology (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Addresses philosophical issues central to the life sciences, with particular attention to the social implications of contemporary biological theories. Topics may include the existence of biological laws, the distinction between natural and social kinds, and the relationship between biology and technology. The course also introduces basic concepts in philosophy of science, such as demarcation, scientific explanation, and the scientific method, which are necessary for examining the above issues. (Available for General Education, B5 Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning or C2 Humanities.) … (read more)

PHIL 330. Philosophy of Science (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Philosophical investigation of the nature of science and the ideas and practices used within the sciences. Questions may include: What is (a) science, and how does science differ from other disciplines? How do scientists explain and help us understand the world around us? How do they support their conclusions? What is the role of science in society? Should scientists be sensitive to social concerns? Regular written assignments will be required. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.) (WI) … (read more)

PHIL 333. American Indian Philosophy (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Survey of American Indian philosophy from issues arising out of oral traditions to recent work on knowledge, value, and being. Topics may include concepts of personhood and consciousness; Indigenous impacts on American democracy and pragmatism; sovereignty; decoloniality; Indigenous ways of knowing; and Indigenous perspectives on the environment. Regular written assignments will be required. (Cross-listed with AIS 333.) (Available for General Education, F Comparative Cultural Studies.) … (read more)

PHIL 337. Philosophy of Religion (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Philosophical examination of conceptual problems posed by religious claims. Questions may include: What is religion? What is distinctive about religious experiences like revelation and religious ecstasy? What is faith? Should we be skeptical about someone’s claims to have performed or experienced miracles? What is evil? Is there an ultimate reality we can relate to, and if so, what is its nature? Regular written assignments will be required. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities or E Lifelong Learning.) (WI) … (read more)

PHIL 343. Indian Philosophy (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Survey of key movements in Indian philosophy from the Vedic period to the modern era, with attention to relationships among India’s philosophies, history, and culture. Topics may include Hindu, Tantric, Vedic, or Brahminical philosophy, Jainism and Buddhism, or the social and political movements of Gandhi. Regular written assignments will be required. (Available for General Education, F Comparative Cultural Studies.) (WI) … (read more)

PHIL 344. Chinese Philosophy (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Survey of Chinese philosophy from Confucius to the People’s Republic, with attention to relationships between China’s philosophies, history and culture. Regular written assignments required. (Available for General Education, F Comparative Cultural Studies.) … (read more)

PHIL 348. Feminist Philosophy (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Critical study of issues and central concepts in feminist philosophy, such as the nature of oppression, intersectionality, equality and justice, liberation, resistance, and the relationships among sex, gender, and sexuality. Questions may include: How do cultural norms and values affect our understandings of sex and gender? How have histories of racism and colonialism shaped sexist oppression? What unique concepts and methods can feminist philosophies offer to combat sexism in all its forms? What is the significance of Black, trans, Latinx, and decolonial feminist philosophies? (Available for General Education, F Comparative Cultural Studies.) (WI) … (read more)

PHIL 349. Contemporary Social and Political Issues (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Philosophical examination of one or more issues of current public debate. Topics might include social and economic inequality, biotechnology, environmental justice, housing and homelessness, trans rights, or the abolition of prisons and police. Regular written assignments will be required. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.) (IC) (WI) … (read more)

PHIL 350. Philosophy of Knowledge (3)

Prerequisites: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Examination of key issues, positions, and controversies in the philosophical study of knowledge, such as the nature of belief; the reliability of the senses; refutations of skepticism; or the concept of epistemic injustice. Questions may include: What does it mean to know? What is the relationship between knowledge and belief? What is the nature of truth? Regular written assignments will be required. … (read more)

PHIL 352. Philosophy of Reality (3)

Prerequisites: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Philosophical examination of key issues concerning the nature and meaning of existence, such as personal identity; the reality of sex and gender; the existence of external reality; the existence of multiverses; or the reality of numbers and ideas. Attention is paid to both traditional and contemporary views, as well as to controversies in the field. Questions may include: What is a self? What is the nature of time? Why is there something instead of nothing? Do we have free will?  Regular written assignments will be required. … (read more)

PHIL 353. Existentialism (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Study of philosophical and literary works of the major existentialist thinkers of the 19th and 20th centuries, with the aim of discovering the fundamental tenets of existentialism. Questions might include: What is the meaning of human existence? Is there such a thing as human nature? What is the source of human values? Is death bad? Key thinkers may include Friedrich Nietzsche, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Frantz Fanon, with emphasis on existentialism’s influence on and relevance to contemporary thought. Regular written assignments will be required. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.) (WI) … (read more)

PHIL 354. Kierkegaard and Nietzsche (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Study of 19th century European philosophy through analysis of the lives and writings of Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche. Compares their views on issues of central importance to both thinkers, such as: What is the role of the individual in society? What does it mean to lead a meaningful life? What is the relation between science and religion? What is the purpose of existence? Is there such a thing as objective truth? Regular written assignments will be required. (Available for General Education, C2 Humanities.) (WI) … (read more)

PHIL 355. Philosophy of Mind (3)

Prerequisites: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Examination of traditional and contemporary views concerning the mind and its relation to the brain, body, and world. Addresses issues and controversies in the field, such as the nature of consciousness; the prospects and limitations of artificial intelligence; the nature of mental causation; or the problem of animal minds. Questions may include: What is the distinction between human and machine ‘intelligence’? Can computers think? What is the role of technology and other artifacts in reasoning and cognition? What have philosophers said about robots, zombies, and cyborgs? Regular written assignments will be required. … (read more)

PHIL 360. Ethical Theory (3)

Prerequisites: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Survey of classical and contemporary theoretical approaches to moral philosophy. Covers major philosophical frameworks for the evaluation of human conduct, such as utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics, ethical relativism, or the ethics of care, and addresses topics such as the meaning of virtue, vice, and the good life; the source of moral values; the concepts of duty and obligation; or the relation of ethics, politics, and the law. Questions may include: What is the nature or character of moral reasoning? What makes an action right or wrong? Can selfishness be a virtue? Regular written assignments will be required. … (read more)

PHIL 365. Social and Political Philosophy (3)

Prerequisites: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Covers classical and contemporary theoretical approaches in the philosophical study of human social and political organization, addressing topics such as taxation, reparations, immigration, private property, voting, secession, or war.  Questions may include: What is justice? Is governmental power legitimate? What is freedom? Does freedom require a certain form of government or a certain type of economy? What is the nature of oppression? What should be done to make up for historical injustices, such as genocide or slavery? Regular written assignments will be required. … (read more)

PHIL 380. Aesthetics (3)

Prerequisites: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. Examination of key issues in the philosophical study of art and design, such as the nature of art and aesthetic experience, the concepts of beauty and ugliness, the relationship of art to morality, and the place of aesthetics in everyday life. Questions may include: What is art? Can we enjoy artworks we find ugly or painful, and if so, why? What are we doing when we evaluate a work of art, such as a painting, building, poem, or piece of music? Is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ art just a matter of taste? Regular written assignments will be required. … (read more)

PHIL 391. Philosophy of Law (3)

Prerequisite: Completion of the lower division writing requirement. An overview of philosophical questions arising from the analysis and evaluation of concepts and theories connected with law, including the nature of judicial reasoning and the relationship between law and society. Addresses major theories in normative jurisprudence, including legal formalism, legal realism, legal positivism, Natural Law theory, and/or critical legal studies with attention to their historical and contemporary social context(s). Questions may include: What is justice? What does it mean to be a responsible agent? Must we obey the law? What is the nature of judicial authority? Regular written assignments will be required. Students who have taken PHIL 390 will not receive credit for PHIL 391. (Available for General Education, D1 Social Sciences.) … (read more)

PHIL 396A-Z. Experimental Topics in Philosophy (3-4)

Selected topics in philosophy, with course content to be determined. … (read more)

PHIL 401. Advanced Ancient Philosophy (3)

Prerequisites: 6 units of Philosophy. Detailed study of one or more works of ancient philosophy, such as the Republic of Plato or Aristotle’s Metaphysics; advanced survey of ancient philosophical traditions beyond Greece and Rome, such as ancient Egyptian or Yoruba philosophy; or advanced examination of a key issue or concept in ancient thought, such as the nature of the soul, ancient skepticism, or the relation of myth and politics. … (read more)

PHIL 402. Advanced Modern Philosophy (3)

Prerequisites: 6 units of Philosophy. Detailed study of one or more significant works of modern philosophy, such as Descartes’ Meditations or Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason, or advanced examination of a key issue or concept in modern thought, such as the relation of reason and the emotions, the rights and duties of citizens, or early modern conceptions of life. … (read more)

PHIL 403. Contemporary Philosophy (3)

Prerequisites: 6 units of Philosophy, including PHIL 350, PHIL 352, PHIL 355, PHIL 360, or PHIL 365. An examination of selected contemporary philosophical writings. … (read more)

PHIL 406. Advanced Topics in Sex, Gender, or Sexuality (3)

Prerequisites: PHIL 260 or PHIL 348, or QS 301 or QS 302. Advanced examination of one or more issues in the philosophy of sex, gender, or sexuality, with emphasis on non-normative sex, gender, or sexuality. Topics may include trans philosophy, intersectionality, queer bioethics, gender performativity, the social construction of sex, or the ethics of kink. … (read more)

PHIL 423. Continental Philosophy (3)

Prerequisites: 6 units of coursework in philosophy. Overview of Continental Philosophy, including its roots in 19th-century thought. Emphasis on key methods and movements in the history of Continental thought, such as existentialism, phenomenology, deconstruction, Critical Theory, postmodernism, post-structuralism, de-colonial thought, Black philosophy, or French feminism. Key figures may include: G.W.F. Hegel, Karl Marx, Theodor Adorno, Michel Foucault, Judith Butler, Aimé Césaire, Frantz Fanon, Simone de Beauvoir, Jacques Derrida. Available for graduate credit. … (read more)

PHIL 425. Seminar in Philosophy of Biology (3)

Prerequisites: 6 units of Philosophy. Advanced examination of the nature of the biological sciences, including their relation to other sciences and theories, or advanced study of one or more key concepts in the philosophy of biology, such as adaptation, complexity, self-organization, fitness, function, species, unit of selection, or evolutionary development. … (read more)

PHIL 431. Philosophical Topics in Logic (3)

Prerequisites: 6 units of Philosophy, including PHIL 230. Recommended Preparatory: PHIL 350, PHIL 352, PHIL 355, PHIL 360, or PHIL 365. An examination of philosophical issues in logic, such as the nature of and choices between logical systems and the relation of logic to traditional philosophical issues. … (read more)

PHIL 439. Phenomenology (3)

Prerequisites: 6 units of Philosophy. Advanced introduction to phenomenology, which seeks to describe conscious experience from the first-person perspective. Topics may include the qualitative character of experience, the nature of consciousness, how conscious experiences can be meaningful, and the relationship between scientific and phenomenological descriptions of perception and the body. The focus will usually be on one or more historically significant phenomenologist, such as Edmund Husserl, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Frantz Fanon, or Jean-Paul Sartre, or on the applications of phenomenological methodologies to contemporary issues, such as gendered or trans embodiment or the phenomenology of race. … (read more)

PHIL 445. Philosophy of Language (3)

Prerequisites: 6 units of Philosophy. Advanced examination of one or more key issues, positions, and controversies in the philosophical study of linguistic meaning, such as the meaning of proper names; the politics of slurs; the relation of semantics to pragmatics; or speech acts and other forms of performative speech. … (read more)

PHIL 446. Advanced Social and Political Philosophy (3)

Prerequisites: 6 units of Philosophy. Advanced analysis and evaluation of one or more selected topics in social and political philosophy, such as embodiment, property rights, reparations, racial capitalism, taxation, distributive justice, or political epistemology. … (read more)

PHIL 450. Advanced Epistemology (3)

Prerequisites: 6 units of Philosophy. Advanced study of one or more selected topics in epistemology, such as epistemic disagreement, theories of knowledge and skepticism, the epistemology of perception, or the nature of epistemic injustice. The course may also focus on a specific epistemological framework or knowledge tradition, such as Buddhist epistemology, feminist or decolonial epistemology, logical positivism, or standpoint theory. … (read more)

PHIL 452. Advanced Metaphysics (3)

Prerequisites: 6 units of Philosophy. Advanced study of one or more selected topics in metaphysics, such as the nature of time, the metaphysics of sex and gender, or freedom of the will. … (read more)

PHIL 455. Advanced Philosophy of Mind (3)

Prerequisites: 6 units of Philosophy. Advanced study of one or more selected topics concerning the mind and its relations to reality, such as the nature of consciousness, mental causation, embodied and extended cognition, or the language of thought. … (read more)

PHIL 460. Advanced Ethical Theory (3)

Prerequisites: 6 units of Philosophy. Investigation of advanced topics in ethical theory, such as animal ethics, civility, moral responsibility, or the justification of punishment. The course may also focus on a specific ethical or metaethical framework, such as the ethics of care, Confucian ethics, emotivism, or moral realism. … (read more)

PHIL 495. Advanced Philosophy of the Sciences (3)

Prerequisite: 6 units of Philosophy. Advanced study of one or more key issues in philosophy of science, such as causality, theory evaluation, or values in the sciences; examination of philosophical issues in the special sciences, such as the philosophy of physics or the philosophy of psychology; or critical examination of the relation between the physical and social sciences. … (read more)

PHIL 496A-Z. Experimental Topics in Philosophy (3-4)

Selected topics in philosophy, with course content to be determined. … (read more)

PHIL 497. Senior Research Seminar (3)

Prerequisites: At least 3 units of 400-level Philosophy courses. Preparatory: Senior standing and least 21 units of Philosophy. Extended research project on a topic of the student’s choice. Team projects are encouraged. Focus is on formulating a thesis and pursuing appropriate means of developing it in a research project in philosophy. Class meetings focus on research methodologies and on students’ discussion of their projects. … (read more)

PHIL 499A-C. Independent Study (1-3)

Course may be repeated for credit. … (read more)