Information about the Department of Philosophy

Office

Engineering and Technology A432
Phone: (323) 343-4180
Fax: (323) 343-4193
E-mail: gcarlis2@calstatela.edu
Advisement E-mails: philba@calstatela.edu or philma@calstatela.edu
Website: Department of Philosophy

Chair

David Pitt
E-mail: dpitt@calstatela.edu
Phone: (323) 343-4180

Overview

Philosophy engages students in thinking about the fundamental questions of human life-life’s meaning and the ways in which we understand the world and our place in it. Philosophy students read and discuss writings of the world’s great thinkers, both in the history of philosophy and in the contemporary arena. Studies include ethics, political and social thought, logic, theory of knowledge, philosophy of science, philosophy of art and film, philosophy of law, philosophy of religions, metaphysics, feminist philosophy, philosophy and race, biomedical ethics, existentialism, postmodern thought, philosophy of language and philosophy of mind.

Those who study philosophy are valued by employers, graduate schools and professional schools in a wide range of fields for their analytic skills, their clear thinking and writing, their creative imagination, and the broad base of their background and knowledge. Philosophy is an appropriate field of study for students hoping to attend law school.

An undergraduate major can be taken in Philosophy with either of two options: General and Prelaw. An undergraduate minor in Philosophy with General and Prelaw options is available for students majoring in other fields.

The Master of Arts degree in Philosophy offers students a broad background in both the history of philosophy and contemporary thought. The program is designed to accommodate various student goals, for example, preparation for further graduate study or for community college teaching, as well as self-enrichment. In some specific areas of philosophy, career opportunities are available in institutions engaged in basic research.

Philosophy students have many opportunities to interact informally with faculty members and to work with each other. There is a student Philosophy Club and a student journal, Philosophy in Practice.

The Faculty

Professors: Mohammed Abed, Mark Balaguer, Talia Bettcher,  Richard Dean, David Pitt (Chair), Michael Shim
Associate Professors: Foad Dizadji-Bahmani, Katie Howard
Emeriti: Sharon Bishop, Donald R. Burrill, Ann Garry, Ricardo J. Gomez, Henry R. Mendell, Sheila Price, Kayley Vernallis

Programs

• Philosophy, B.A.

• Minor in Classics
• Minor in Philosophy General
• Minor in Philosophy Prelaw

• Philosophy, M.A.

Courses

• PHIL 5001 - Journal Editing and Production
• PHIL 5002 - Graduate Philosophical Writing and Journal Production
• PHIL 5100 - Seminar: History of Philosophy
• PHIL 5110 - Seminar: History of Ancient Philosophy
• PHIL 5130 - Seminar: History of Modern Philosophy
• PHIL 5150 - Seminar: 18th and 19th Century Philosophy
• PHIL 5210 - Seminar: Logic
• PHIL 5230 - Seminar: Philosophy of Language
• PHIL 5250 - Seminar: Philosophy of Science
• PHIL 5310 - Seminar: Metaphysics
• PHIL 5320 - Seminar: Theory of Knowledge
• PHIL 5330 - Philosophy of Mind
• PHIL 5420 - Seminar: Aesthetics
• PHIL 5430 - Seminar: Ethics
• PHIL 5440 - Seminar: Social and Political Philosophy
• PHIL 5810 - Projects in Teaching Philosophy
• PHIL 5960 - Comprehensive Examination
• PHIL 5980 - Graduate Directed Study
• PHIL 5990 - Thesis

• PHIL 1080 - Quantitative Reasoning: Proof and Probability
• PHIL 1081 - Quantitative Reasoning: Proof and Probability with Lab
• PHIL 1510 - Introduction to Philosophy
• PHIL 1520 - Philosophical Ideas: Human Values
• PHIL 1600 - Critical Thinking and Composition
• PHIL 2000 - Introduction to Comparative Religions (also listed as RELS 2000)
• PHIL 2100 - The Self in Philosophy and Literature
• PHIL 2200 - Contemporary Moral and Social Issues: An Intersectional Approach
• PHIL 2230 - Diversity and Justice
• PHIL 2300 - Meanings of Human Life: An Intersectional Approach
• PHIL 2400 - Philosophy of Film
• PHIL 2500 - Introduction to Symbolic Logic and Composition II
• PHIL 3000 - Philosophical Research and Writing
• PHIL 3007 - Philosophy of Sport
• PHIL 3040 - Ethics I
• PHIL 3110 - History of Ancient Philosophy
• PHIL 3130 - History of Modern Philosophy
• PHIL 3210 - Ancient Thought and its Modern Legacy
• PHIL 3250 - Violence and Ethics
• PHIL 3270 - Philosophy, Gender and Culture: An Intersectional Approach
• PHIL 3290 - Philosophy, Race, and Ethnicity: An Intersectional Approach
• PHIL 3330 - Engaged Philosophy: An Intersectional Approach
• PHIL 3400 - Moral Issues in Science and Technology
• PHIL 3540 - Special Topics in Philosophy
• PHIL 3690 - The Philosophy of Sex: An Intersectional Approach
• PHIL 3710 - The Nature of Consciousness
• PHIL 3720 - Philosophy and the Emotions
• PHIL 3730 - Adult Life and Aging
• PHIL 3800 - Ancient and Modern Science (also listed as CHEM 3800, HIST 3800)
• PHIL 3850 - Measurement of Human Difference (also listed as ANTH 3850)
• PHIL 3900 - The Birth of Modern Physics
• PHIL 3950 - Philosophy in Practice: Internships and Service Learning
• PHIL 4001 - Journal Editing and Production
• PHIL 4002 - Advanced Philosophical Writing and Journal Production
• PHIL 4040 - Inductive Logic
• PHIL 4050 - Symbolic Logic
• PHIL 4060 - Advanced Logic
• PHIL 4100 - Social and Political Philosophy
• PHIL 4130 - Issues in Feminist Philosophy (also listed as WGSS 4130)
• PHIL 4150 - Philosophy of Religion
• PHIL 4200 - Ethics II
• PHIL 4270 - Environmental Ethics
• PHIL 4280 - Ethics and Genetics
• PHIL 4290 - Bioethics
• PHIL 4330 - Latin American Philosophy
• PHIL 4360 - South Asian Philosophy
• PHIL 4370 - East Asian Philosophy
• PHIL 4450 - Existentialism
• PHIL 4460 - Phenomenology
• PHIL 4470 - Hermeneutics and Critical Theory
• PHIL 4480 - Postmodernism
• PHIL 4490 - Phenomenology and Existentialism
• PHIL 4510 - Aristotle
• PHIL 4515 - Ancient Thought: Topics in Philosophy, Science, Mathematics, Politics, Aestheti
• PHIL 4520 - Medieval Philosophy
• PHIL 4540 - Islamic Philosophy
• PHIL 4580 - Major Figures in Modern Philosophy
• PHIL 4590 - 19th Century Philosophy
• PHIL 4600 - Metaphysics
• PHIL 4700 - Theory of Knowledge
• PHIL 4710 - Philosophy of Mind
• PHIL 4750 - Aesthetics
• PHIL 4800 - Philosophy of Language
• PHIL 4850 - Philosophy of Science
• PHIL 4900 - Philosophy of Law
• PHIL 4950 - Proseminar: Selected Works in Philosophy
• PHIL 4960 - Senior Seminar
• PHIL 4990 - Undergraduate Directed Study