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PHILOSOPHY

College of Arts and Letters

• BACHELOR OF ARTS
• HONORS PROGRAM
• MINOR
• CAREER POSSIBILITIES
• FACULTY
• CONTACT
• COMPLETE COURSE LISTING

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The subject of philosophy encompasses such fundamental issues as the scope and limits of human knowledge, the ultimate constituents of reality, the sources of value and obligation, and the nature of logic and correct reasoning. Philosophy utilizes the findings of many other academic disciplines and, in its method, it stresses clear, rigorous, and systematic thought. The application of philosophical ideas to the practical problems of life has always been a part of the subject.

Sacramento State offers the Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Philosophy as well as a Philosophy minor. Philosophy is an excellent vehicle for refining one's skills in critical reasoning and rational decision-making, making it a useful major for a wide variety of career goals. For instance, Philosophy is good preparation for the study and practice of law. Philosophy majors who plan a career in teaching at the college or university level must commit themselves to a program of graduate study upon completion of the BA.

Concentrations

• BA: General Major / Applied Ethics and Law / Logic and Philosophy of Science

Special Features

• The Philosophy Department faculty are active scholars who have presented many written papers and public lectures. Most have published important articles and books in their respective areas of specialty.
• Flexible major and minor requirements allow students to choose electives to fit their specific interests and career objectives. The minor offers an excellent complement to many other majors. The Department has prepared a brochure with recommended sequences of minor courses for various majors. This brochure is available in the Department office. The Department also prepares a free booklet describing the upcoming semester's courses in detail, along with each professor's specific texts and course requirements. These booklets are always made available prior to the registration period before the end of each semester.
• Students are encouraged to take part in the Philosophy Club. Its monthly meetings are designed to promote group discussions about philosophical topics of interest. Club speakers have included students, philosophy faculty, professors from other departments on campus, and professors from other universities.
• The Philosophy Department is committed to a program of regular evening and night class offerings. Students who attend exclusively in evening or night hours will be able to complete general major requirements within a three-year period. A three-year schedule of offerings is available in the Department office. Some required courses will be offered only once in a given three-year period.
• The Philosophy Department offers a Philosophy Major Honors Program for qualified students. This program provides motivated students with an opportunity to expand their philosophy education, develop their writing, pursue philosophical research, prepare for graduate studies or law school, or enhance their career preparations. Honors students will complete 9 units of 100 or higher level philosophy courses with at least 3 of those units at 190 or higher in addition to the major requirements, and they will write a supervised Honors thesis. They will be recognized with a certificate in the department, they will be acknowledged at graduation, and their transcripts will show an Honors designation. Students must apply and be accepted into the program and plan a course of study with the Department Honors Committee. Any Philosophy major who has a 3.5 or better cumulative GPA and a 3.7 or better philosophy GPA, and who has completed his or her lower division philosophy courses may apply. Honors students must maintain their 3.5 overall GPA and get a B or better in their Honors classes. Contact the Philosophy Department for further details.

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS

Requirements - Bachelor of Arts

Units required for the Major: 36-45
Minimum total units required for the BA: 120

Courses in parentheses are prerequisites.

Students should choose from one of the three concentrations below.

Seniors are required to submit a sample philosophy essay to the Philosophy Department. This essay submission requirement is for the purpose of program assessment, not individual assessment, so it is not graded. The essay should be an example of the student's best work at Sacramento State. Ordinarily the essay should have been written for an upper division philosophy course, but an exception may be made for work done outside a course. The deadline for submission is the end of the first week of student's final semester or of the semester immediately following completion of 105 units, whichever is first. Further information on this graduation requirement is available at the Philosophy Department Web page.

Requirements - Bachelor of Arts Degree - General Major Concentration

Units required for the Major: 36

This general concentration forms an excellent basis for a broad liberal arts education and has been the chosen mode of preparation for successful careers in such diverse areas as university teaching, government, education, medicine, consulting, publishing, business, and finance.

A. Required Lower Division Courses (9 units)

(3)	PHIL 25	History of Ancient Philosophy
(3)	PHIL 27	History of Early Modern Philosophy
(3)	PHIL 60	Symbolic Logic I

B. Required Upper Division Courses (9 units)

(3)	PHIL 112	History of Ethics (GWAR Certification before Fall 09, or WPJ score of 80+, or C or higher grade in ENGL 109M/W, or C- grade in ENGL 109M/W or WPJ score 70/71 and ENGL 109X co-requisite) OR
	PHIL 152	Ethical Theory
(3)	PHIL 180	Theory of Knowledge (6 units in philosophy or instructor permission)
(3)	PHIL 181	Metaphysics (6 units in philosophy or instructor permission)

C. Electives (18 units)

Additional courses to a total minimum of 27 upper division units in Philosophy. At least 9 units (of the additional 18 units) must be selected from courses numbered 150 or above. Elective courses should be selected in consultation with an advisor.

Requirements - Bachelor of Arts Degree - Applied Ethics and Law Concentration

Units required for the Major: 36

The concentration in Applied Ethics and Law is designed as a preparation for the study of law as well as for advanced professional study in applied ethics. It is also intended to give undergraduates a foundation in rational decision-making, embodying the conviction that such an intellectual capacity has broad application.

The concentration gives students an understanding of the theories behind moral and legal principles as well as training in the process of decision-making applying those principles. Students will be called upon to make decisions in particular cases; state the facts impartially; convey their decisions and their reasoning cogently and persuasively; and justify their decisions by showing how they are both a reasonable consequence of those principles and not overturned by overriding conflicting principles. There will be a particular emphasis on clear and effective writing.

A. Required Lower Division Courses (6 units)

(3)	PHIL 25	History of Ancient Philosophy OR
	PHIL 27	History of Early Modern Philosophy
(3)	PHIL 60	Symbolic Logic I

B. Required Upper Division Courses (9 units)

(3)	PHIL 180	Theory of Knowledge (6 units in philosophy or instructor permission)
(3)	PHIL 181	Metaphysics (6 units in philosophy or instructor permission)
(3)	Select one of the following:
	PHIL 153	Philosophy of Mind (3 units in philosophy or instructor permission)
	PHIL 154	Philosophy of Language
	PHIL 160	Symbolic Logic II (MATH 31, PHIL 60, or instructor permission)
	PHIL 176	20th Century Anglo-American Philosophy

C. Ethical and Political Theory (6 units)

(3)	PHIL 112	History of Ethics (GWAR Certification before Fall 09, or WPJ score of 80+, or C or higher grade in ENGL 109M/W, or C- grade in ENGL 109M/W or WPJ score 70/71 and ENGL 109X co-requisite) OR
	PHIL 152	Ethical Theory

(3)	PHIL 122	Political Philosophy OR
	PHIL 155	Philosophy of Law

D. Applied Ethics (6 units)

(6) Select two of the following:
	PHIL 100	Ethics and Personal Values
	PHIL 101	Ethics and Social Issues (GWAR Certification before Fall 09, or WPJ score of 80+, or C or higher grade in ENGL 109M/W, or C- grade in ENGL 109M/W or WPJ score 70/71 and ENGL 109X co-requisite)
	PHIL 103	Business and Computer Ethics
	PHIL 104	Bioethics

E. Electives (9 units)

(3) Select one of the following:
	PHIL 190 series course	Seminar: Major Philosopher (6 units in philosophy or instructor permission)
	PHIL 192 course	Seminar: Philosophical Theme (6 units in philosophy or instructor permission)
	PHIL 196	Experimental Offerings in Philosophy
(6)	Choose some combination of the following:
	Up to six units of any upper division philosophy courses (including courses listed above that have not been taken to satisfy the above requirements). Up to six units of the upper division elective requirement may be satisfied, with the prior approval of the student's advisor, by taking concentration-related courses in disciplines other than philosophy: business administration, government, sociology, environmental studies, or other relevant fields. Up to six units of the upper division elective requirements may be satisfied, with the prior approval of the program coordinator or Department Chair, by participating in a relevant internship.

All students must have completed 9 units of philosophy courses numbered 150 or above, excluding PHIL 152, PHIL 180, and PHIL 181.

Requirements - Bachelor of Arts Degree - Logic of Philosophy and Science Concentration

Units required for the major: 36

The concentration in Logic and Philosophy of Science is designed for students who are interested in the general nature of scientific inquiry and/or philosophical problems that arise within specific fields like psychology, biology, and physics. It is a good choice for the science-oriented philosophy major and will help to prepare those who are interested in studying logic and philosophy of science at the graduate level. This concentration also provides an excellent double major opportunity for science students interested in broadening and deepening their grasp of their chosen field.

The concentration gives students an understanding of logical theory and how logic applies to scientific and philosophical reasoning. It will also provide an understanding of issues in the philosophy of science. These include the nature of scientific explanation, the nature of scientific evidence, and the process of confirming and revising scientific theories. Philosophy of science also explores traditional philosophical questions as they arise in the context of scientific inquiry. Some of these are: Do we really know that the theoretical entities of science exist? What is the difference between science and pseudo-science? Do different sciences give us fundamentally different ways of understanding the world? Is science converging on truth or will it always undergo revolutionary changes that reject widely accepted theories of the past? Does scientific inquiry have intrinsic value or are there questions that scientists should not ask?

A. Required Lower Division Courses (6 units)

(3)	PHIL 25	History of Ancient Philosophy
(3)	PHIL 27	History of Early Modern Philosophy

B. General Upper Division Courses (9 units)
(3)	PHIL 154	Philosophy of Language OR
	PHIL 176	20th Century Anglo-American Philosophy
(3)	PHIL 180	Theory of Knowledge (6 units in philosophy or instructor permission)
(3)	PHIL 181	Metaphysics (6 units in philosophy or instructor permission)

C. Logic (6 units)
(3)	PHIL 60	Symbolic Logic I
(3)	PHIL 160	Symbolic Logic II (MATH 31, PHIL 60, or instructor permission)

D. Philosophy of Science (9 units)
(3)	PHIL 104	Bioethics OR
	PHIL 105	Science and Human Values
(3)	PHIL 125	Philosophy of Science
(3)	PHIL 153	Philosophy of Mind (3 units in philosophy or instructor permission)

E. Upper Division Electives (6 units)

Any courses listed above that are not taken to satisfy the above requirements; other upper division philosophy courses; courses in other departments (with consent of Department Chair or program coordinator).

Requirements - Honors Degree Option

Total units required in addition to the required major units: 9 units
Specific course requirements are:

A. Upper Division Courses (9 Units)

Select 9 upper division units in Philosophy. Three of these units must be from courses numbered 190 or above. Upon admission into the Honors program, students must have a course plan approved by the Department Honors Committee.

B. Honors Thesis

Students must also write and submit an Honors Thesis based on that approved proposal to the Department Honors Committee for approval.

Students must then write a supervised Honors Thesis based on that approved proposal and the thesis must be approved by the Department Honors Committee.

Requirements - Minor

Total units required for Minor: 18
Specific course requirements are:

A. Lower Division Courses (9-12 Units)

Select at least three of the following:

(3)	PHIL 6	Introduction to Philosophy: Knowledge, World and Self
(3)	PHIL 25	History of Ancient Philosophy
(3)	PHIL 27	History of Early Modern Philosophy
(3)	PHIL 60	Symbolic Logic I
B. Upper Division Courses (6-9 Units)
Select upper division courses in Philosophy to complete 18 units. These can include Philosophy courses taken for GE. Note: Students who minor in Philosophy are free to plan a sequence of courses suited to their individual needs and interests. However, for a given major, the Department offers certain courses that have particular relevance. Contact Department advisors for course recommendations.

Career Possibilities

Law · Medicine · Government Administration · Labor Relations · Ministry · Publishing · Literary Criticism · Social Work · Educational Research · Educational Broadcasting · Library Science · Management · Teaching · Journalism · Criminal Justice

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