Philosophy
6 courses · San Jose City College · 2026-2027 Catalog
Classes: Summer 2026 · Fall 2026 · Spring 2027
PHIL 010 Introduction to Philosophy
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 3
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- PHIL 100
Students are introduced to the philosophical history and disciplines of metaphysics and epistemology from Socrates to Wittgenstein. They will examine the ideas and methods of Western philosophy concerning knowledge, reality, and values through the examination of primary texts. Topics include the sources and limits of knowledge and the nature of reality. Other topics that will be examined from a philosophical perspective include the nature of the self, truth, ethics, religion, science, language, beauty and art, and political theory.
PHIL 012 Introduction to Existentialism
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 3
- Advisory
- Completion of PHIL 010
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
Students will focus on various forms of existentialism as expressed in philosophy and literature, the spectrum of its meanings, and its relevance to the development of individual and collective human values. Selected readings range from Dostoevsky to Heidegger.
PHIL 055 Critical Thinking and Academic Writing
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 3
- Prerequisite
- Take ENGL-C1000; minimum grade C
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
Students will develop the practices of academic writing and critical thinking founded upon the Ancient Greek philosophical tradition through the study of critical reasoning, inquiry-driven research, formal argumentation, and argumentative writing addressing various philosophical issues. The development and refinement of critical thinking skills necessary for the evaluation and production of both academic and argumentative writing will be emphasized. This includes the study of the application of these skills in everyday situations such as moral thinking, problem-solving, belief formation, and decision-making. Additionally, arguments will be studied within the context of philosophical perspectives, texts, subject matter, and approaches to epistemology.
PHIL 060 Logic and Critical Thinking
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 3
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
Students are introduced to formal and informal logic. Students will be instructed in the methodology and the applications of formal logic including symbolic and sentential logic with emphases on truth tables, validity, categorical propositions, Venn diagrams, syllogism, inductive and deductive reasoning, and critical thinking. Emphasis will be given on the logic systems entailed by language, word-functions, definition, and common logical fallacies.
PHIL 065 Introduction to Ethics
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 3
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- PHIL 120
Students will learn the various theories of the philosophy of ethics and how these theories provide analytic tools to investigate contemporary moral issues. Selected readings range from Aristotle to John Rawls.
PHIL 070 Comparative Religions
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture Hours: 3
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
Students are introduced to a philosophical survey of living religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity, and indigenous religions. Students will study the meaning of religious experience, the forms its expression may take, and what the religious experience may offer humanity, using a comparative approach.