4/25/2024 5:06:27 PM	PHIL 21 Course Outline as of Fall 2012	Changed Course
CATALOG INFORMATION
Discipline and Nbr:  PHIL 21	Title:  HIST WEST PHIL: MODERN
Full Title:  History of Western Philosophy: Modern
Last Reviewed:12/10/2018

Units		Course Hours per Week			Nbr of Weeks	Course Hours Total
Maximum	3.00	Lecture Scheduled	3.00		17.5 max.	Lecture Scheduled	52.50
Minimum	3.00	Lab Scheduled	0		6 min.	Lab Scheduled	0
		Contact DHR	0			Contact DHR	0
		Contact Total	3.00			Contact Total	52.50
		Non-contact DHR	0			Non-contact DHR Total	0

Total Out of Class Hours:  105.00

Total Student Learning Hours: 157.50

Title 5 Category:  AA Degree Applicable
Grading:  Grade or P/NP
Repeatability:  00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP
Also Listed As: 
Formerly:  PHIL 20.2

Catalog Description:

History of Western philosophy from the Renaissance through the Twentieth Century.

Prerequisites/Corequisites:

Recommended Preparation:
Completion of English 1A or equivalent

Limits on Enrollment:

Schedule of Classes Information
Description:

History of Western philosophy from the Renaissance through the Twentieth Century.

(Grade or P/NP)
Prerequisites:
Recommended:Completion of English 1A or equivalent
Limits on Enrollment:
Transfer Credit:CSU;UC.
Repeatability:00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP

ARTICULATION, MAJOR, and CERTIFICATION INFORMATION

Associate Degree:		Effective:	Fall 1980	Inactive:
Area:	E	Humanities
CSU GE:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
	C2	Humanities		Spring 1987
IGETC:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
	3B	Humanities		Spring 1987
CSU Transfer:	Transferable	Effective:	Fall 1980	Inactive:
UC Transfer:	Transferable	Effective:	Fall 1980	Inactive:
C-ID:
CID Descriptor: PHIL 140	History of Modern Philosophy	SRJC Equivalent Course(s): PHIL21

Certificate/Major Applicable: Major Applicable Course

COURSE CONTENT

Outcomes and Objectives:
At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

1.  Describe the evolution of Western philosophical thought from the Renaissance, through the Enlightenment period, and into the twentieth century  including such thinkers as: Descartes, Hobbes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Marx, the Utilitarians, the Existentialists, the Logical Positivists, and the Pragmatists.

2.  Describe how the views of the philosophers of this period reflected the historical and cultural contexts of the time.

3.  Interpret and critique representative samples of the most significant philosophical literature of this period (e.g. Descartes' Meditations, Berkeley's Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous, Locke's an essay concerning human understanding, and Marx's Das Kapital).

Topics and Scope

I.     Introduction

        A.      The transition from the Medieval era to the end of the Enlightenment

        B.      Modern period (the Renaissance, religion and science)

II.    Rene Descartes

        A.      The method of doubt

         B.      Cogito

        C.      Rationalism

        D.      Mind

        E.      God

        F.      Matter

III.   Thomas Hobbes

        A.      Mechanistic materialism

        B.      Egoism

        C.      State of nature

        D.      Social contract

IV.   Baruch Spinoza

        A.      Monism

        B.      Pantheism

        C.      Rationalism

        D.      Psychology

        E.      Ethics

V.    Gottfried Leibniz

        A.      Logic

        B.      Principle of sufficient reason

        C.      Pre-established harmony

        D.      God

        E.      Monads

VI.   John Locke

        A.      Origins of empiricism

        B.      Origins of modern political liberalism

VII.   George Berkeley

        A.      Immaterialism

        B.      Empiricism

        C.      Philosophy of religion

VIII.  David Hume

        A.      Empiricism

        B.      Critique of causality

        C.      Induction and personal  identity

        D.      Religion

        E.      Ethics

IX.    Immanuel Kant

        A.      Synthetic a priori judgments

        B.      Space

        C.      Time

        D.      Categories of the understanding

        E.      The categorical imperative

        F.      Freedom

        G.      God

X.     Georg Hegel

        A.      Absolute idealism

        B.      God

        C.      Dialectic

        D.      Philosophy of history and politics

XI.    Arthur Schopenhauer

        A.      Critique of Hegel

        B.      The Will

        C.      Pessimism

        D.      Philosophy of art

XII.   Karl Marx

        A.      Alienation

        B.      Class

        C.      Historical materialism

        D.      Dialectical

        E.      Materialism

        F.      Revolution

XIII.   Utilitarians

        A.      The principle of utility

        B.      Jeremy Bentham

        C.      John Stuart Mill and liberty

XIV.   Existentialists and their predecessors

        A.      Friedrich Nietzsche

        B.      Soren Kierkegaard

        C.      Martin Heidegger

        D.      John-Paul Sartre

XV.    Pragmatists

        A.      Charles Sanders Peirce

        B.      John Dewey

        C.      Henry James

XVI.   Twentieth Century analytic philosophy

        A.      Logical positivism

        B.      Bertrand Russell

        C.      Ludwig Wittgenstein

Assignments:

1. Regular reading assignments (20-50 pages) from course texts and/or supplementary  materials.

2. (10-20)  learning assessments which cover the assigned readings.

3. Term paper(s) of 10-30 pages in which philosophical issues raised in class are explored.

4. At least two mid-term examinations. Each exam is approximately one hour long. Students must write in-class essays in response to questions on material covered in class and in texts.

5. A final examination including written essay(s) in response to questions on material covered in class and in texts.  

6. Participation in class discussions.

Methods of Evaluation/Basis of Grade.

Writing: Assessment tools that demonstrate writing skill and/or require students to select, organize and explain ideas in writing.		Writing 65 - 75%
Written homework, term papers
Problem solving: Assessment tools, other than exams, that demonstrate competence in computational or non-computational problem solving skills.		Problem Solving 0 - 0%
None
Skill Demonstrations: All skill-based and physical demonstrations used for assessment purposes including skill performance exams.		Skill Demonstrations 0 - 0%
None
Exams: All forms of formal testing, other than skill performance exams.		Exams 15 - 25%
Tests and exams will include multiple choice and essay questions
Other: Includes any assessment tools that do not logically fit into the above categories.		Other Category 10 - 20%
Attendance and participation

Representative Textbooks and Materials:

A Historical Introduction to Philosophy by Fieser, James and Lillegard, Norman.  Oxford University Press:  2002. (Classic)

The Great Conversation:  A Historical Introduction to Philosophy.  Melchert, Norman.  Mayfield Publishing Company:  2004.

Philosophy: History and Problems, 7th ed.  Stumpf, Samuel Enoch and Fieser, James.  McGraw Hill:  2008.

Seven Masterpieces of Philosophy. Cahn, Steven M. Pearson Educations Inc.:  2008.

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