5/11/2025 5:53:57 AM	PHIL 12 Course Outline as of Fall 1997	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		17.5 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:

An examination of various philosophical views about what makes the natural environment worth valuing.  The course will consider whether the natural environment is valuable only in so far as it is useful to humans or whether non-human animals, plants or ecosystems are also valuable in and of themselves.  These issues will be approached not only from the perspective of ethics but also from the perspective of various secular and religious philosophies which are grounded in metaphysics or aesthetics.

Prerequisites/Corequisites:

Recommended Preparation:

Limits on Enrollment:

Schedule of Classes Information
Description:

An examination of various philosophical views about what makes the natural environment worth valuing.

(Grade or P/NP)
Prerequisites:
Recommended:
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: Not Certificate/Major Applicable

COURSE CONTENT

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

The student will be able to:

(1)  Identify the various traditional and contemporary ethical theories

relevant to environmental ethics.

(2)  Explain how these ethical theories apply not only to humans, but

also to non-human animals, plants, and ecosystems.

(3)  Critically evaluate these various environmental theories, using the

tools of ethics.

(4)  Explain and critically evaluate how the application of ethics to

environmental issues has been criticized by recent environmental

philosophies.

(5)  Explain and critically evaluate the alternative philosophical

approaches recommended by deep ecology, ecofeminism and social ecology.

(6)  Explain and critically evaluate significant secular environmental

philosophies which are rooted in metaphysics or aesthetics.

(7)  Explain and critically evaluate environmental philosophies which

are rooted in the spiritual beliefs of a variety of cultures throughout

the world, including Western, Eastern, and non-literate cultures.

Topics and Scope

A typical course in environmental philosophy will include the following

components:

(1)  A brief overview of the status of the global natural environment.

(2)  A brief examination of traditional human-centered ethical theories,

for example utilitarianism and the ethical theory of Immanuel Kant.

(3)  Discussion of the philosophies which attempt to extend those theories

to questions about human responsibilities toward non-human animals.  Exam-

ination of the view that certain non-human animals have intrinsic value.

Utilitarian zoocentric philosophers such as Peter Singer and rights-based

zoocentric philosophers such as Tom Regan will be studied.

(4)  Discussion of those ethical theories which claim that not only

animals, but also all individual life forms, including plants, have

intrinsic value.  Biocentric philosophers such as Albert Schweitzer,

Kenneth Goodpaster and Paul Taylor will be studied.

(5)  Examination of holistic ethical theories which claim that not only

individual living things, but also whole ecosystems (inter-related webs

of non-living and living components which form a natural community) have

intrinsic value.  Ecocentric philosophers such as Aldo Leopold and J.

Baird Callicott will be studied.

(6)  Examination of the ecofeminist critique of environmental ethics, and

discussion of the alternative approaches to environmentalism favored by

ecofeminist philosophers such as Karen Warren.

(7)  Study of deep ecology's critique of environmental ethics and eco-

feminism, and a survey of the alternative approaches to environmentalism

favored by deep ecologists such as Arne Naess.

(8)  Examination of the views of social ecologists such as Murray Bookchin

and a discussion of their criticisms of environmental ethics and deep

ecology.

(9)  Discussion of aesthetic approaches to environmental philosophy

adopted by philosophers such as Eugene Hargrove and Allen Carlson.

(10)  Study of secular, metaphysical approaches to environmental

philosophy -- such as the philosophy of Spinoza.

(11)  Survey of the spiritual environmental philosophies which have

developed out of various Western, Eastern and non-literate cultures

including religious traditions such as Christian Environmentalism,

Taoism, Buddhism, and Native American philosophy.

Assignments:

Assignments for Philosophy 12 vary but typically include the following:

1.  Regular reading assignments from course texts and supplementary

materials.

2.  Regular or occasional quizzes which cover the assigned readings.

Quizzes may be either multiple choice or short essay.

3.  At least two midterm 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.  Exams may also include a

multiple-choice section.

4.  A final examination--approximately 2-3 hours long.  Students must

write in-class essays in response to questions on material covered in

class and in texts.  Exams may also include a multiple-choice section.

5.  Students may also be required to write a term paper in which they

research an issue raised in class and defend a particular position on

that issue.

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 75 - 90%
Essay exams
Problem solving: Assessment tools, other than exams, that demonstrate competence in computational or non-computational problem solving skills.		Problem Solving 5 - 25%
Quizzes
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 5 - 25%
Multiple choice
Other: Includes any assessment tools that do not logically fit into the above categories.		Other Category 0 - 0%
None

Representative Textbooks and Materials:

"Environmental Philosophy:  From Animal Rights to Radical Ecology,"

    edited by Michael Zimmerman,

    Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1993;

"Earthbound: New Introductory Essays in Environmental Ethics,"

    edited by Tom Regan,

    Random House, NY, 1984;

"Environmental Ethics: Divergence and Convergence,"

    edited by Susan Armstrong and Richard Botzler,

    McGraw Hill, NY, 1993.

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