12/3/2024 9:09:54 AM	PHIL 12 Course Outline as of Fall 2024	Changed Course
CATALOG INFORMATION
Discipline and Nbr:  PHIL 12	Title:  ENVIRONMENTAL PHIL
Full Title:  Environmental Philosophy
Last Reviewed:4/10/2023

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: 

Catalog Description:

Students will explore philosophical views about what makes the natural environment valuable and how these philosophies apply to selected environmental issues.

Prerequisites/Corequisites:

Recommended Preparation:
Eligibility for ENGL 1A or equivalent

Limits on Enrollment:

Schedule of Classes Information
Description:

Students will explore philosophical views about what makes the natural environment valuable and how these philosophies apply to selected environmental issues.

(Grade or P/NP)
Prerequisites:
Recommended:Eligibility for ENGL 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 1994	Inactive:
Area:	E H	Humanities Global Perspective and Environmental Literacy
CSU GE:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
	C2	Humanities		Fall 1997
IGETC:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
	3B	Humanities		Fall 1997
CSU Transfer:	Transferable	Effective:	Fall 1994	Inactive:
UC Transfer:	Transferable	Effective:	Fall 1994	Inactive:
C-ID:

Certificate/Major Applicable: Major Applicable Course

COURSE CONTENT

Student Learning Outcomes:
At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

1. Accurately describe and contrast theories in environmental philosophy from the fields of ethics, aesthetics, political philosophy and, when relevant, epistemology and metaphysics.

2. Critically evaluate theories in environmental philosophy from the fields of ethics, aesthetics, political philosophy and, when relevant, epistemology and metaphysics.

3. Examine how environmental value frameworks can and do exacerbate or mitigate contemporary environmental challenges.

 

Objectives:

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

1. Explain the relationship between environmental philosophy and environmental science.

2. Describe and assess canonical Western ethical and political philosophies that are relevant to environmental ethics, such as utilitarianism, deontology, natural law theory, virtue ethics, and feminist ethics.

3. Describe and assess other ethical and political frameworks for governing the human use of, and relationship with, the natural world, such as kincentrism ('indigenous' perspective), biocentrism, ecocentrism, and the land ethic.

4. Explain the extent to which the theories in 2 and 3 above place value upon and/or give moral standing to various aspects of the natural environment, including humans, animals, plants, species, ecosystems, and the biosphere as a whole.

5. Describe and assess the intersection between environmental philosophy and oppressive systems such as colonialism, racism, patriarchy, and classism.

6. Describe and evaluate various theories in environmental aesthetics.

7. Compare and contrast how various environmental philosophies apply to selected global and/or local environmental issues or problems.

Topics and Scope

I. Environmental Philosophy in Relation to Environmental Science

    A. The role of philosophy in environmental studies

    B. The role of science in environmental studies

    C. The relationship between philosophy and science in environmental studies

II. Canonical Western Ethical Theories with Environmental Implications

    A. Utilitarianism

    B. Rights theory

    C. Contractarian theory

    D. Natural Law theory

    E. Deontology

    F.  Virtue Ethics

    G. Feminist Ethics

III. Alternatives to Anthropocentrism

    A. Sentientism

    B.  Biocentrism

    C.  Ecocentrism

    D. The Land Ethic

    E.  Kincentrism

IV. Economic, Political and Social Issues in Environmental Philosophy

    A. Environmental justice/environmental racism

    B. Social ecology

    C. Ecofeminism

V. The Value of Nature and Wilderness

    A. Aesthetic and spiritual value

    B. Cognitive and emotional value

    C. Generative and protective value

VI. Confronting Biosphere Limits & Environmental Injustice

    A. Environmental racism

    B. Climate change

    C. Loss of biodiversity

    D. Pollution

    E. Resource exhaustion

Assignments:

1. Regular reading assignments (20-30 pages a week)

2. Regular reading assessment, such as reading logs, brief summaries, brief response papers, or comprehension quizzes

3. Midterm assessment(s), such as examinations or short papers which demonstrate student ability to describe and critically evaluate positions in environmental philosophy and/or apply environmental philosophy to current environmental issues

4. Final assessment, such as exam, paper, or project that demonstrates student ability to describe and critically evaluate positions in environmental philosophy and/or apply environmental philosophy to current environmental issues

5. May include (up to 10%) a creative assignment (e.g. original poetry, art, performance) that involves creatively expressing or illustrating an environmental perspective

6. May include (up to 10%) participation

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 30 - 100%
Reading assessments; midterm assessment(s); final assessment
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 0 - 70%
Midterm assessment(s); final assessment; comprehension quizzes
Other: Includes any assessment tools that do not logically fit into the above categories.		Other Category 0 - 20%
Participation; creative project

Representative Textbooks and Materials:

Reflecting on Nature: Readings in Environmental Ethics and Philosophy. 2nd ed. Gruen, Lori and Jamieson, Dale. Oxford University Press. 2012 (classic).

Moral Ground: Ethical Action for a Planet in Peril. Moore, Kathleen and Nelson, Michael. Trinity University Press. 2011 (classic).

Environmental Ethics: The Big Questions. Keller, David. Wiley-Blackwell. 2010 (classic).

Environmental Philosophy: From Animal Rights to Radical Ecology. 4th ed. Zimmerman, Michael and Callicott, Baird and Clark, John. Pearson. 2004 (classic).

Environmental Ethics: Divergence and Convergence. 3rd ed. Armstrong, Susan and Botzler, Richard. McGraw Hill. 2003 (classic).

Braiding Sweetgrass. Kimmerer, R. W. Milkweed Editions. 2015 (classic).

Second Treatise of Government. Locke, John. 1689 (classic).

All We Can Save. Johnson, Ayana Elizabeth and Wilkinson, Katherine, One World. 2020.

Required Reading: Climate Justice, Adaptation, and Investing in Indigenous Power. Frederick, Kailea. Loam. 2021.

"Kincentric Ecology: Indigenous Perceptions of the Human-Nature Relationship" (pp. 1327-1332 ). Vol 10, No.5. Salmón, Enrique. Ecological Applications. 2000 (classic).

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