Skip NavigationCSU East Bay Logo Philosophy Department
  Course Descriptions
   Schedule & Catalog    Campus Directories
   Library    Colleges/Depts.
 
Skip Top Level Menus About CSUEB Why Cal State East Bay? Office of the President Welcome Message University Mission Our Regional Role About the President University WASC Accreditation Diversity & Equal Opportunity Visitor information Visitor Information Hayward Hills Campus Map Concord Campus Map Oakland Center Map Public Transportation Driving Directions Visitor Accommodations Take A Tour Campus Building Hours Academic Programs & Services Fields of Study Undergraduate Admissions Graduate Admissions Student Services Continuing Education Programs Education Credential Programs General Education Program PACE Online Programs Testing University Life University Life Student Life Online & Computing Services University Facts Office of University Communications University Employment Faculty Employment Staff Employment Facilities Reservations WASC Accreditation CSUEB Foundation, Inc. University Calendar Becoming a Student Home Student Housing Concord Campus Programs Continuing Education International Students Special Programs Student Orientation Open University Program for Accelerated College Education (PACE) For Students Home Athletics Online Services Online Services Home Blackboard e-Sailor Web Registration Horizon E-Mail MyInfo NetID Schedule & Catalog Transcripts & Records Associated Students Campus Hours Concord Campus Enrollment Services Financial Aid & Scholarships Library Pioneer Bookstore Student Affairs Student Affairs Home Student Life Programs Alumni & Friends Home Support CSUEB University News and Events Alumni Association Cal State East Bay Magazine The View Transcript Requests Faculty Home Staff Home Online Directory Webmail UCal Administration & Business Affairs Administrative Offices Human Resources Human Resources Home Procurement DegreeWorks Computing Services The View Apply Online
Beginning left navigation bar links.  Click here to skip.
 
 
Banner showing Plato, Kant, and the building where the Philosophy Department is housed

Undergraduate Courses

The course prefix for the following courses is PHIL.
 
Lower Division Critical Thinking Courses
 
1000  
 
Workshop in Clear Thinking (4)
Development of clarity and focus in thinking, with attention to rigor, modes of explanation, validity of reasoning, etc. (A)
 
1001  
 
Introduction to Logic (4)
Beginning study of the forms of valid inference, including informal fallacies, syllogistic logic and symbolic logic. (A)
 
 
Lower Division Philosophy Courses
 
1101  
 
Contemporary Social and Ethical Issues (4)
Topics of contemporary concern, e.g. human rights, roots of social injustice, affirmative action, sexism and racism. May be repeated for credit when content varies. (Y)
 
1103  
 
Science, Ethics, and Technology (4)
The ethical implications of various technologies, such as biotechnology, medical technologies, environmental technologies, and informational technologies.
 
1401  
 
Religions of the World (4)
Comparative study of religions from around the world, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. (Y)
 
1605  
 
Introduction to Asian Thought (4)
The thought of China, India, and Japan, past and present, as expressed in philosophical texts. Not open to students with credit for PHIL 2605.
 
2001  
 
Introduction to Philosophy (4)
Major themes, thinkers and methods in philosophy. Topics include the history of philosophy, the nature of philosophical questioning, God, reality, truth and the self.
 
2002  
 
Introduction to Ethics (4)
Introduction to philosophical ethics. Topics include major ethical theories, virtue, vice, evil, character, moral education and relativism. Impact of cultural diversity on ethical discourse.
 
2040  
 
Early Modern World Philosophies (4)
Evolution of religious and philosophical traditions of early modern Europe, Middle East, and Asia. Impact of Islam on Judeo-Christian thought; philosophical debates regarding conquest and colonization of the Americas; changing perspectives on race and gender; the Enlightenment in global perspective.
 
2605  
 
Asian Thought (4)
Buddhist thought of India, Southeast Asia, and Japan as expressed in its philosophical texts, visual art and music, and literature; demonstration of the interconnections among these disciplines. Not open to students with credit for PHIL 1605.
 
 
Upper Division Critical Thinking Courses
 
3002  
 
Modern Logic (4)
Advanced course in symbolic logic. Students without a mathematical background are encouraged to first take PHIL 1001. (Y)
 
3010  
 
Critical Legal Reasoning (4)
Development of ability to think clearly and rationally with focus on legal reasoning. Argument by analogy, use of precedent, interpretation of court opinions, and LSAT preparation.
 
 
Upper Division Philosophy Courses
 
3100  
 
Ethics (4)
Major theories about ethics or morality and their relation to different social systems, institutions and cultures of the world. (Y)
 
3151  
 
Environmental Ethics (4)
Philosophical conceptions of nature and the environment, and human responsibilities towards it, drawn from different historical and cultural traditions. (Y)
 
3152  
 
Biomedical Ethics (4)
Ethical issues in biology and medicine, such as euthanasia, abortion, truth-telling, genetic engineering, cloning, distribution of medical resources. (Y)
 
3153  
 
Biology and Ethics (4)
Conceptual and ethical issues arising from new developments in biology. Topics may include cloning, genetic engineering, biodiversity, the evolution/creation debate.
 
3161  
 
Philosophy and Sex (4)
A philosophical examination of conceptual and ethical issues raised by sexuality and sexual love. Possible topics include love and sexuality, promiscuity, prostitution, adultery, homosexuality, sexual harassment, pornography, and same-sex marriage.
 
3201  
 
Aesthetics (4)
Theories of art, such as imitation, formalism and expressionism; the contrast between representational and abstract art. (Y)
 
3213  
 
Ethics and Fiction (4)
Fiction, film, and philosophy are the materials for this exploration of different accounts of morality. The fictional sources, from ancient through modern times, provide examples. Any necessary background to philosophical reading supplied in lectures. (Y)
 
3216  
 
Philosophy and Science Fiction (4)
Philosophical views about topics contained implicitly in science fiction writing and film.
 
3230  
 
Art and Philosophy of the East (4)
An interdisciplinary investigation of the relationship between art and philosophy of Asia, with particular emphasis on Hinduism and Buddhism. Team taught by faculty from the Art and Philosophy departments, Cross-listed with ART 3230.
 
3301  
 
Theory of Knowledge (4)
An exploration of such issues as skepticism, relativism, truth, and the nature of understanding. May be repeated for credit when content varies. (Y)
 
3305  
 
Fundamental Questions: Self, Nature, and God (4)
Topics such as the mind-body problem, freedom versus determinism, and the nature of truth, faith, and reason.
 
3311  
 
Metaphysics (4)
An exploration of the nature of matter, mind, space, time, truth, and the real. May be repeated for credit when content varies. (Y)
 
3321  
 
Philosophy of the Human Sciences (4)
Philosophical study of theories, methods and problems in the social and behavioral sciences. May be repeated for credit when content varies. (Y)
 
3322  
 
Philosophy of Language (4)
An exploration of fundamental issues concerning language and discourse, such as truth, communication, meaning, representation, understanding, metaphor, and irony. (Y)
 
3325  
 
Cultural Studies (4)
Analysis of philosophical problems and assumptions raised by the study of culture, including, but not limited to, the relations between reason, human freedom and culture. May be repeated once for major credit when content varies.
 
3331  
 
History of Science (4)
A general survey of the history of science, including origins of scientific thought, the scientific revolution, the legacy of Darwin, and selected topics from nineteenth and twentieth century science. Cross-listed with HIST 3331. (W)
 
3332  
 
Philosophy of Science (4)
The nature of scientific explanation, scientific methods, and conceptual revolutions in science. (Sp)
 
3335  
 
Science, Technology and Values (4)
Nature of scientific reasoning and its relation to technology. Historical development of modern technology. Examples of technological systems: communications, data processing, materials, energy generation. Impact on the environment and on human society. Relation to moral reasoning. Cross-listed with SCI 3335.
 
3341  
 
Philosophy of Cognition and Artificial Intelligence (4)
Philosophical study of the nature of cognition and of human and machine intelligence. Explores such questions as: "What is thinking?" "What is intelligence?" "Can computers understand ordinary language?" Recent trends and prospects of the quest for truly intelligent machines. (Y)
 
3400  
 
Philosophy of Religion (4)
Philosophical issues such as the existence of God, the problem of evil, the paradox of free will, the nature of religious experience and mysticism. May be repeated for credit when content varies. (Y)
 
3401  
 
Contemporary Religious Thinkers (4)
The religious philosophies of one or more major thinkers of the Twentieth Century from different cultures or religious traditions of the world. May be repeated for credit when content varies. (Y)
 
3403  
 
Philosophies of the East (4)
Eastern thought as expressed in its great religious philosophies such as Confucianism, Taoism, Hinduism and Buddhism. (Y)
 
3410  
 
Comparative Themes in Eastern and Western Philosophy (4)
Critical and comparative study of themes from Western philosophy and from Indian, Chinese and other Eastern philosophies. May be repeated for credit when content varies. (Y)
 
3411  
 
Jewish Philosophy (4)
Readings on themes of Jewish philosophy including suffering, evil, love, alterity or otherness, and the question of Jewish identity.
 
3417  
 
The Philosophy of Islam (4)
Islamic cosmology as articulated in the Quran, the teachings of Muhammad, Muslim law, and major Muslim philosophers. (Y)
 
3421  
 
Atheism (4)
Philosophical examination of atheism, focusing on the reasons, if any, for being an atheist. Topics may include agnosticism, faith, morality, meaning of life, science and religion, nature of spirituality.
 
3502  
 
Social and Political Philosophy (4)
Intensive study of the philosophical theories underlying or justifying public policy issues, such as individual freedom and government protection of the rights of others; freedom of speech and religious, racial or sexual prejudice; affirmative action and reverse discrimination; and violence, personal responsibility and the roots of social injustice. (Y)
 
3503  
 
Philosophy of Law (4)
Introduction to the main schools of jurisprudence and legal philosophy. Cross-listed with POSC 3503. (Y)
 
3510  
 
Human Rights and Social Justice: Cultural Groups and Women in the U.S. (4)
Philosophical perspectives on human rights and social justice as they apply to the lived experiences of cultural groups and women in the U.S. (A)
 
3511  
 
Philosophy of Human Rights and Global Justice (4)
Explores human rights theory and its global application from a philosophical perspective. Considers whether the following concepts can be applied globally: the nature of rights, individualism, liberalism, the social contract, cosmopolitanism, postmodernity, multiculturalism, materialism, and the nature of power.
 
3515  
 
Race and Social Justice (4)
A philosophical examination of race, racism, racial identity and experience, through the narratives of U.S. cultural groups. Possible topics include race as an epistemological and ethical category, racism, racial identity formation, and how to secure social justice.
 
3536  
 
Economic Justice (4)
Ethical issues arising from economic practices and social structures. Topics may include globalization, fair contracts, discrimination, economic inequality and the relationship between markets and democracy.
 
3543  
 
Evil (4)
Survey of traditional and contemporary philosophical debates on the nature, origin, and existence of evil. Topics may include cruelty, genocide, torture, war, slavery.
 
3560  
 
Business and Professional Ethics (4)
Team-taught by a philosopher and a social scientist. Explores current ethical issues in business and other professions: preferential hiring vs. equal opportunity, environmental regulation vs. property rights, truthfulness in business communications, economic efficiency vs. social responsibility. Cross-listed with MGMT 3560.
 
3601  
 
Ancient and Medieval Philosophy (4)
Western philosophy from the ancient Greeks (including Socrates, Plato and Aristotle) through the philosophers and theologians of the Middle Ages (including St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas). (F)
 
3602  
 
Modern Philosophy (4)
Seventeenth and eighteenth century Western philosophy, especially rationalism (Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz) and empiricism (Locke, Berkeley, Hume). (W)
 
3603  
 
Thinkers of the Enlightenment (4)
Themes stemming from the Enlightenment such as autonomy, critique, and idealism in philosophers from Kant to Hegel. (Sp)
 
3604  
 
Roots of Contemporary Philosophy (4)
Study of one or more twentieth century philosophical traditions, such as logical positivism, analytic philosophy (including Wittgenstein), pragmatism, existentialism, phenomenology, process philosophy, the Frankfurt School. May be repeated for credit when content varies. (F)
 
3605  
 
Studies in Contemporary Philosophy (4)
Various figures or topics in contemporary philosophy. May be repeated for credit when content varies. (W)
 
3701  
 
Philosophy of Education (4)
Philosophical analysis of contemporary theories and methods of education through examination of major works offering contrasting perspectives on the nature of knowledge, competing value systems, and ethical and multicultural concerns in the educational process. Seminar approach emphasizing student participation and presentations. (Y)
 
3720  
 
Feminist Philosophy (4)
Major themes, theories, and different schools of feminist philosophy; the influences of Marxism, psychoanalysis, existential phenomenology, postmodernism, and theories of difference, with special reference to American feminist thought.
 
3925  
 
Contemporary Ethical Issues (4)
An examination of ethics as applied to issues of current concern. May include discussion of abortion, affirmative action, animal rights, euthanasia, torture, and the death penalty.
 
3999  
 
Issues in Philosophy (4)
Readings, discussion, and research on contemporary and/or significant issues in philosophy. May be repeated for credit when content varies.
 
4606  
 
Seminar in Philosophy (4)
Intensive study of an individual philosopher, school, movement or problem in philosophy. May be repeated for credit when content varies. (Sp)
 
4900  
 
Independent Study (1-4)
 
Philosophy Department - 4006 Meiklejohn Hall, CSUEB, Hayward, CA 94542 (510) 885-3225
Webmaster E-mail