2007-08 - Pitzer College

198 PHILOSOPHY
PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy courses offered by the Pitzer Philosophy Field Group and the Philosophy
Departments of the other Claremont Colleges and CGU are designed to cultivate critical
thinking and to introduce the student to the history of philosophy, its traditional
problems and subject areas, and its connections with related subjects. In addition to
preparing students for graduate work in philosophy, philosophy courses are a natural
complement to the study of a wide variety of other subjects, and can be relevant to
preparation for careers in law, medicine, and a number of fields involving the natural and
social sciences, and the humanities.
Pitzer Advisor: B. Keeley.
Most courses numbered under 100 are suitable for students who have taken no college
level courses in philosophy. Although they do not satisfy any of the major requirements,
Philosophy 1, 2, 3 and 7 are especially recommended to introduce students to philosophy
and to prepare them for more advanced courses.
Requirements for the Major
The regular philosophy major is offered in cooperation with Pomona College. The
requirements include nine courses in philosophy consisting of the following:
(i) Five core courses: Philosophy 31 (History of Ethics) or Philosophy 32
(Ethical Theory); Philosophy 40 (Ancient); Philosophy 42 (Modern);
Philosophy 60 (Logic); and Philosophy 30 (Introduction to Mind,
Knowledge and Existence)
(ii) Three elective non-introductory courses in philosophy to be chosen
from the offerings of the 5 colleges and CGU in consultation with the
students' advisors;
(iii) A senior capstone project designed and completed in consultation with
the Pitzer Philosophy Field Group. Two ways of meeting this
requirement are: a)completing a senior thesis, normally involving
taking a one-credit "Senior Thesis" Independent Study; or b) taking a
senior seminar class in philosophy, which could be an appropriate
upper-division philosophy course. Note that completing a senior thesis
with distinction is a necessary condition for being nominated for
"Honors in Philosophy" upon graduation.
Pitzer students are also encouraged to design combined and special majors which include
philosophy. All such majors must be approved by the Pitzer Philosophy Field Group
before the second semester of the student's junior year.
Students who wish to major in philosophy or in a joint or special major which includes
philosophy must arrange to have a Philosophy Field Group advisor by the beginning of
the junior year. Special or joint majors choose a second advisor from Pitzer or any of the
other colleges.
PHILOSOPHY
Please note that History of Ideas courses that are not cross listed in Philosophy cannot be
used to satisfy requirements for the Philosophy major or minor.
Minor in Philosophy requires a total of 6 philosophy courses, no more than two of which
can be numbered below 10. No course for the minor may satisfy a requirement for a major.
In addition to the following, see course listings for Claremont Graduate University,
Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College, and Scripps College.
1. Problems of Philosophy. A study of selected problems in philosophy from such areas
as ethics, philosophy of religion, theory of knowledge, and metaphysics. Classical and
contemporary readings. Spring, N. Birondo (Pomona).
3. Philosophy Through Its History. Study of the development of philosophy in the West. Plato,
Descartes, Hume, Kant, and Nietzsche will be considered. Lecture and discussion. Fall, S. Erickson (Pomona).
4. Philosophy in Literature. Discussion of various aspects of the human condition,
personal and social, as presented in various works of literature. Fall, S. Erickson (Pomona).
5. Gods, Humans, and Justice in Ancient Greece. Focus on the fundamental questions in
ancient Greek moral thinking, such as the following: What is the best kind of life for a
human? Should I be good? Can I be good? Is morality objective, subjective, or relative to
one's society? What is the relation between gods and humans? Are we at the mercy of
fate? Readings from Greek literature and philosophy. Identical to Classics 64. R.
McKirahan (Pomona). [not offered 2007-08]
7. Introduction to Philosophy. What's so great about thinking and knowledge? In the
course of the semester, we will investigate that value of a philosophical life by taking a
journey through the history of Western philosophy, from Socrates & Plato to Sartre.
Along the way, we will consider perennial philosophical questions about the nature of
justice, the relationship between mind & body, free will, the problem of evil, and
arguments for the existence of God. [not offered 2007-08]
30. Introduction to Knowledge, Mind and Existence. Introduction to some of the central
issues regarding the nature of knowledge, the mind, and reality. Topics to be discussed
include skepticism, the analysis of knowledge, theories of epistemic justification, the
nature of consciousness and subjectivity, mental causation, dualism, reductive and nonreductive
physicalism, proofs for the existence of God, and personal identity.
Fall, B. Keeley (PI); Spring, P. Thielke (Pomona).
31. History of Ethics. Introduction to the major writings of several leading figures in the
history of moral philosophy. Focuses primarily on moral philosophy of the modern
period. Lecture and discussion. Spring, N. Birondo (Pomona).
32. Ethical Theory. Introduction to the central problems of philosophical ethics, including
the nature of value, the justification of moral principles, and the psychology of moral
choice. Classical and modern readings. Spring, N. Birondo (Pomona).
33. Social & Political Philosophy. Survey of conceptual and normative problems in
political and social theory, particularly issues involving freedom, equality, and rights.
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