10/31/2025 4:32:03 AM	PHIL 20 Course Outline as of Summer 2003	Changed Course
CATALOG INFORMATION
Discipline and Nbr:  PHIL 20	Title:  HIST WEST PHIL: ANCIENT
Full Title:  History of Western Philosophy: Ancient & Medieval
Last Reviewed:1/28/2019

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:  PHIL 20.1

Catalog Description:

History of Western philosophy from classical Greek philosophy to Descartes, concentrating on Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.

Prerequisites/Corequisites:

Recommended Preparation:
Eligibility for ENGL 1A or equivalent

Limits on Enrollment:

Schedule of Classes Information
Description:

History of Western Philosophy from classical Greece to Descartes, concentrating on Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.

(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 1980	Inactive:	Fall 2025
Area:	E L3 E	Humanities Arts and Humanities Humanities
CSU GE:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
	C2	Humanities		Fall 1986
IGETC:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
	3B	Humanities		Fall 1986
CSU Transfer:	Transferable	Effective:	Fall 1980	Inactive:
UC Transfer:	Transferable	Effective:	Fall 1980	Inactive:
C-ID:
CID Descriptor: PHIL 130	History of Ancient Philosophy	SRJC Equivalent Course(s): PHIL20

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 philosophical views of the major pre-Socratic

   philosophers, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and the major Hellenistic

   and Medieval philosophers.

2.  Describe how the views of the philosophers of this period developed

   out of, or in response to, the ideas of their predecessors and

   contemporaries.

3.  Critically evaluate the arguments and viewpoints of the philosophers

   studied.

4.  Compare and contrast the major thinkers, philosophical movements and

   ideas during this period.

5.  Describe the historical and cultural contexts in which these

   philosophies were developed.

6.  Analyze representative samples of the most significant.

   philosophical literature of this period (e.g. Plato's APOLOGY

   EUTHYPHRO, and CRITO, Plato's REPUBLIC).

Topics and Scope

A typical Philosophy 20 course covers the following topics in

approximately the following sequence.

1.  Introduction - historical and geographical introduction to the

   world of ancient Greece; overview of ancient Greek mythology.

2.  The origins of Western philosophy in Miletus.

3.  Heraclitus - flux and strife.

4.  The Eliatic philosophers - Oneness and Changeless (Parmenides and

   Zeno).

5.  Empedocles and Anaxagoras - early pluralists.

6.  The Pythagoreans - natural law and mathematics.

7.  The Atomists - a mechanical description of nature.

8.  The Sophists - the relationship between rhetoric and philosophy.

9.  Socrates - the pursuit of human excellence.

10. Plato - the life of Plato; the influence of Socrates, Pythagoras

   and Parmenides; the theory of forms.

11. Aristotle - Aristotle's response to Plato; theology in physics and

   astronomy; religion and the Unmoved Mover.

12. Hellenistic philosophers - historical developments in Greece and

   Rome; the Epicureans; the stoics; the cynics; the skeptics.

13. Medieval philosophers - origins and spread of Christianity; the

   question of God's existence, the question of faith vs. reason.

Assignments:

Assignments for Philosophy 20 vary but typically include the following:

1.  Regular reading assignments from course text and supplementary

   materials. (25-50 pages/week)

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.

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.

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

   a philosophical issue raised in class.

6.  Students will be encouraged to participate 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%
Multiple choice, Essay exams
Other: Includes any assessment tools that do not logically fit into the above categories.		Other Category 10 - 20%
CLASS PARTICIPATION.

Representative Textbooks and Materials:

A HISTORY OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY:  THE CLASSICAL MIND, 2nd ed.,

  Harcourt Brace Javanovich, 1970.

PHILOSOPHY:  HISTORY AND PROBLEMS by Samuel Stumpf, 3rd ed., McGraw Hill,

  1983.

THE GREAT CONVERSATION:  A HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY,

  Norman Melchert, Mayfield, Publishing Company, 2000.

THE VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY:  A HISTORY OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY,

  William F. Lawhead, 1st ed., Wadsworth, 1996.

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