Active Outline
General Information
- Course ID (CB01A and CB01B)
- PHILD020C
- Course Title (CB02)
- History of Western Philosophy - 1800-the Present
- Course Credit Status
- Credit - Degree Applicable
- Effective Term
- Fall 2024
- Course Description
- This course introduces major philosophers of the Western tradition from 1800 to the present with an emphasis on the problems of knowledge, reality, truth, value, and human existence. Students will also learn about the application of these philosophical ideas to the sciences and other fields.
- Faculty Requirements
- Discipline 1
- [Philosophy]
- FSA
- [FHDA FSA - PHILOSOPHY]
- Course Family
- Not Applicable
Course Justification
This course is a transfer-level course for both the CSU and UC systems. The course meets a general education requirement for °®¶¹´«Ã½, CSU GE, and IGETC. This course is part of the Philosophy AA-T degree at °®¶¹´«Ã½. The course is the third in a sequence of courses in the history of Western philosophy. As such, it prepares students for advanced and upper-division study in the discipline of philosophy.
Foothill Equivalency
- Does the course have a Foothill equivalent?
- No
- Foothill Course ID
Formerly Statement
Course Development Options
- Basic Skill Status (CB08)
- Course is not a basic skills course.
- Grade Options
- Letter Grade
- Pass/No Pass
- Repeat Limit
- 0
Transferability & Gen. Ed. Options
- Transferability
- Transferable to both UC and CSU
| °®¶¹´«Ã½ GE | Area(s) | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2GC2 | °®¶¹´«Ã½ GE Area C2 - Humanities | Approved |
| CSU GE | Area(s) | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| CGC2 | CSU GE Area C2 - Humanities | Approved |
| IGETC | Area(s) | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| IG3B | IGETC Area 3B - Humanities | Approved |
Units and Hours
Summary
- Minimum Credit Units
- 4.0
- Maximum Credit Units
- 4.0
Weekly Student Hours
| Type | In Class | Out of Class |
|---|---|---|
| Lecture Hours | 4.0 | 8.0 |
| Laboratory Hours | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Course Student Hours
- Course Duration (Weeks)
- 12.0
- Hours per unit divisor
- 36.0
Course In-Class (Contact) Hours
- Lecture
- 48.0
- Laboratory
- 0.0
- Total
- 48.0
Course Out-of-Class Hours
- Lecture
- 96.0
- Laboratory
- 0.0
- NA
- 0.0
- Total
- 96.0
Prerequisite(s)
Corequisite(s)
Advisory(ies)
EWRT D001A or EWRT D01AH or ESL D005.
Limitation(s) on Enrollment
Entrance Skill(s)
General Course Statement(s)
(See general education pages for the requirements this course meets.)
Methods of Instruction
Lecture and visual aids
Discussion of assigned reading
Discussion and problem solving performed in class
Discussion and problem solving performed in class
In-class exploration of Internet sites
Quiz and examination review performed in class
Homework and extended projects
Guest speakers
Collaborative learning and small group exercises
Collaborative projects
Assignments
- Reading
- Assigned reading from required texts which introduce students to the primary writings of the major contemporary thinkers. In so doing, students will identify and assess the central figures, questions and themes of contemporary philosophy in the Western tradition.
- Assignments should help students apply the concepts learned in this class to one’s own existence in the world. Towards this goal, there will be assigned reading (when available) from required texts which foster students' awareness of cultural and gender diversity.
- Writing
- Essay type assignments. Assignments will assess and analyze arguments and approaches to philosophical problems as found in contemporary philosophical texts. In addition, essay assignments will foster skills that will enable students to articulate and defend one's own stance on at least one contemporary philosophical problem, figure or theory from contemporary philosophy.
- Group writing assignments
- Oral
- Participation in small group discussions of assigned texts and projects.
- Participate in large group discussions of course materials.
Methods of Evaluation
- Grading of assignments that reflect understanding of, and critical reflection upon, the assigned readings. Written assignments, essays, quizzes, multiple choice, or project--showing ability to analyze, argue, synthesize, and present philosophical ideas found in the readings. Course will include a final exam or project.
- Evaluation of writing by way of papers, homework, exams, final exams, or final projects that develop writing skills, as well as critical thinking. Essay components should require that students summarize, integrate, critically analyze and apply concepts examined throughout the course.
- Participation in, and contributions to, class discussions (small group and large group). Active class participation (for which evaluation criteria are clearly stated on course syllabus).
Essential Student Materials/Essential College Facilities
Essential Student Materials:Â
- None
- None
Examples of Primary Texts and References
| Author | Title | Publisher | Date/Edition | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G.W.F. Hegel. Trans. Terry Pinkard. | Phenomenology of Spirit | Cambridge University Press | 2019 | 978-1108730082 |
| Friedrich Nietzsche. Trans. Maudemarie Clark and Alan J. Swensen. | On the Genealogy of Morality | Hackett Publishing | 1998 | 978-0-87220-283-2 |
| Gottlob Frege. Michael Beaney (ed.) | The Frege Reader | Blackwell | 1997 | 978-0631194453 |
| G.E.M. Anscombe | Intention | Harvard University Press | 2000/2nd | 978-0674003996 |
| Iris Murdoch | The Sovereignty of Good | Routledge | 2013 | 978-0415854733 |
Examples of Supporting Texts and References
None.
Learning Outcomes and Objectives
Course Objectives
- Examine and evaluate the disciplines and methods of philosophy, with an emphasis upon the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Appraise the historical background to the movements and thinkers undergirding the movements and thinkers of said centuries.
- Examine and analyze the metaphysical claims of various nineteenth and twentieth century thinkers.
- Examine and compare various epistemological claims, theories, and methodologies in nineteenth and twentieth century philosophy.
- Examine and evaluate and evaluate different nineteenth and twentieth century claims concerning value theory--particularly ethics, morality, aesthetics, and value theory.
- Examine and evaluate different nineteenth and twentieth century socio-economic models and claims and their impact upon traditional philosophical concepts.
- Examine and evaluate various religious concepts and ideas within the thinking of various theistic and secular 19th and 20th century philosophers.
- Examine the influence of various nineteenth and twentieth century philosophical movements upon the arts and sciences, as well as other traditions and cultures.
CSLOs
- Identify and assess the central figures, questions and themes of 19th and 20th century philosophy in the western tradition.
- Assess and analyze arguments and approaches to philosophical problems as found in 19th and 20th century philosophical texts.
- Articulate and defend one's own stance on at least one 19th and 20th century philosophical problem, figure or theory.
- Exhibit an application of the concepts learned in this class to one's own existence in the world.
Outline
- Examine and evaluate the disciplines and methods of philosophy, with an emphasis upon the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Appraise the historical background to the movements and thinkers undergirding the movements and thinkers of said centuries.
- Analyze and evaluate the historical origins of contemporary philosophy, such as Greek philosophy, Modern philosophy, and Romanticism.
- Identify and assess the origins of key contemporary philosophical puzzles and figures.
- Appraise contemporary philosophical methods and strategies as well as their differences from past traditions and non-Western traditions.
- Examine and analyze the metaphysical claims of various nineteenth and twentieth century thinkers.
- The positions of Realism, Anti-Realism, relativism, etc. in contemporary and nineteenth and twentieth century metaphysics and meta-ethics.
- Analysis and comparison of the concepts of existence and essence in various nineteenth and twentieth century philosophical traditions and possible non-Western correlates.
- Analyze and interpret the ontological status, problems, and features of existence, human existence, and the relation(s) between persons and non-persons.
- Examine and compare various epistemological claims, theories, and methodologies in nineteenth and twentieth century philosophy.
- Appraise, assess, and analyze various theories involving the nature, structure, and essence of knowledge.
- Analyze and interpret various nineteenth and twentieth century philosophies of freedom of the will and human agency. Compare and contrast differing conceptions of human freedom and formulate arguments to support one's own views on free will and agency.
- Summarize differing conceptions of consciousness and conscious experience relevant to nineteenth and twentieth century philosophies of mind.
- Examine and evaluate and evaluate different nineteenth and twentieth century claims concerning value theory--particularly ethics, morality, aesthetics, and value theory.
- Analysis of value(s) in relation to human beings' search for truth and meaning.
- Analysis and examination of (the possibility of) culturally determined values and the impact that such determinations have on human experience.
- Analysis and examination of gender, gender concepts, sex-roles, and their metaphysical and social dimensions.
- Examine and evaluate different nineteenth and twentieth century socio-economic models and claims and their impact upon traditional philosophical concepts.
- Compare and evaluate various socio-economic models that emerged during nineteenth and twentieth century philosophy. Analyze the philosophical assumptions behind such models as well as their philosophical import.
- Analyze, appraise, and assess various issues involving technology and its meaning within (and for) human society, particularly as the close of the 20th century develops into the "Information Age."
- Identify, summarize, compare and contrast various theories that aim at resolving various socio-economic issues, as well as sex and gender problems / dynamics within the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
- Examine and evaluate various religious concepts and ideas within the thinking of various theistic and secular 19th and 20th century philosophers.
- Compare, contrast, and evaluate differing views of religious experience in relation to non-religious experience.
- Analyze and appraise the main ideas of transcendence and other mystical concepts (Western and non-Western) intended to describe spiritual experience or a higher domain of religious life.
- Examine, compare, and contrast various conceptions of knowledge and faith within human experience.
- Examine the influence of various nineteenth and twentieth century philosophical movements upon the arts and sciences, as well as other traditions and cultures.
- Analyze feminist criticisms of traditional western ideas about reason and emotion, and feminist criticisms of science.
- Assess the influence of nineteenth and twentieth century philosophy upon the disciplines of literature, art, music, and film (both Western and non-Western).
- Appraise the political and environmental impacts of nineteenth and twentieth century philosophies upon various cultures and groups throughout the world.
