加州州立大學長灘分校

The Major in Philosophy provides an intellectually rigorous program of study in a supportive environment. The Major in Philosophy at Cal State Long Beach is a superlative foundation for later intellectual pursuits, or for developing skills, or simply for those with an interest in Philosophy. It is also an excellent choice for a double-major. Students can shape the major to their particular interests and needs.

STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES

The Department of Philosophy at Cal State Long Beach is the primary agency of the university with respect to providing quality instruction in logic, critical reasoning, and ethics.

Philosophical training is intrinsically valuable, and an essential component of any University. It is also extrinsically valuable, teaching students the skills they need to develop, establish, reconstruct, and evaluate arguments in any field or endeavor. Philosophical training also helps students seek general explanatory principles, reflect upon what really matters, look for alternatives to widely-accepted views, and learn to distinguish what is significant from what is not. Philosophy students are expected to express their ideas and arguments in written form, and learn to improve their analytical writing skills. Philosophical discussions in the classroom are expected to foster listening and speaking skills and to provide practice at exploring, defending, and constructively criticizing ideas and claims with others. Students also become familiar with some of the major figures and schools of thought in the intellectual tradition, and develop an appetite for further study and learning.

Learning Outcomes

Students completing a BA in Philosophy are expected to achieve learning outcomes grouped into the following four primary areas:

Symbolic Logic

Knowledge of the formal techniques of evaluating arguments and deductive systems

History of Philosophy and History of Ideas

Knowledge of western philosophers, major movements, issues and philosophical systems of the ancient world
Knowledge of western philosophers, major movements, issues and philosophical systems of the medieval era
Knowledge of western philosophers, major movements, issues and philosophical systems of the early modern era
Knowledge of western philosophers, major movements, issues and philosophical systems of the modern era
Knowledge of non-western philosophers and philosophical systems

Metaphysics and Epistemology

Knowledge of major movements and issues of philosophy of science
Knowledge of major movements and issues of philosophy of religion
Knowledge of major philosophical movements and issues in ontology and causality
Knowledge of major philosophical movements and issues in theories of knowledge
Knowledge of current developments and issues in philosophy of mind and language

Values and Evaluation

Knowledge of ethical theory
Knowledge of ways in which ethical theory is applied to specific disciplines and/or issues, including:

Business
Sciences
Medicine
Technology
Feminism and gender issues
Philosophy of law
Political philosophy
Philosophy in literature
Philosophy of art
Philosophy in education

Learning Outcomes Competencies

Students completing a BA in Philosophy should achieve the following competencies:

Ability in critical thinking skills. This skill is carried through all Philosophy courses at lower and upper division levels.
Understanding of concepts of right, wrong, good and bad; understanding of moral principles and their application in everyday life. These skills are largely, but not exclusively, applied in our Values and Evaluation classes, particularly Ethics and Applied Ethics classes and our Philosophy of Law classes.