Philosophy           1

PHILOSOPHY

Philosophy examines the big questions of life. Do we have free will?Does God exist? What makes something right or wrong? How couldwe ever know the truth about these questions? And what is truthanyway? Students will learn to use logic and critical thinking to identifyassumptions, evaluate arguments, write clearly, and ask better questions.

The most common career opportunities with a baccalaureate degreeinclude any position that requires analytic and abstract thinking such aslaw, education, journalism, civil service, public relations, non-profit work,ministry, business management and the arts.

Transfer requirements in Philosophy are available in the CounselingDepartment. In all cases, students should consult with a counselor forspecific transfer requirements.

Contact InformationPhilosophy Faculty Contact

Dr. Timothy Houk | timothyho@cos.edu

Timothy Linehan | timothyl@cos.edu

Social Sciences Division Chair

Marla Prochnow | (559) 730-3723 | socialsciencechair@cos.edu

Catherine Medrano | (559) 730-3950 | socialsciencechair@cos.edu

Dean of Business, Social Science, and Consumer Family Studies

Jesse Wilcoxson, Ed.D. | (559) 737-6281 | jessew@cos.edu Kern: 716 | Visalia Campus

Associate Degree• Associate in Arts in Philosophy for Transfer (AA-T) (https://

catalog.cos.edu/areas-study/philosophy/associate-arts-philosophy-transfer-aa-t/)

For a complete list of courses and descriptions visit: COURSES (https://catalog.cos.edu/course-descriptions/)

PHIL 001 Introductory Philosophy 3unit(s)Hours: 3 Lecture/DiscussionStudents study the methods and ideas of philosophy. Students writeargumentative papers on topics such as the scope and limits ofknowledge, the nature of reality, the nature of self, ethics, science,religion, or political theory. (C-ID PHIL100)Prerequisites: ENGL 261 with a minimum grade of C.

PHIL 005 Ethics 3unit(s)Hours: 3 Lecture/DiscussionEthics is an introduction to theories that answer questions such as "Howought I live?" and "What is best for me and others?" Students will analyzebasic ethical theories such as utilitarianism, deontology and virtue ethicsand apply these theories to moral problems such as abortion, animalrights, euthanasia, and pornography. (C-ID PHIL120)Prerequisites: ENGL 261 or equivalent college course with a minimumgrade of C or eligibility for ENGL 001 as determined by COS PlacementProcedures (https://catalog.cos.edu/placement-procedures/).

PHIL 012 Comparative Religion 3unit(s)Hours: 3 Lecture/DiscussionComparative Religion is an introduction to major religions such asHinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Students readboth sacred texts and modern writings in the religion to compare ideasabout ethics, life after death and the role of women.Prerequisites: ENGL 261 or equivalent college course with a minimumgrade of C or eligibility for ENGL 001 as determined by COS PlacementProcedures (https://catalog.cos.edu/placement-procedures/).

PHIL 020 Introductory Logic 3unit(s)Hours: 3 Lecture/DiscussionThis course gives students the opportunity to slow down and develophabits of disciplined, structured thinking, rather than settling for thespontaneous and haphazard association of ideas. It encourages precisethinking: students will translate ordinary language into symbols to useformal methods of sentence and predicate logic—including proofs — toidentify valid arguments. (C-ID PHIL210)Advisory on Recommended Preparation: MATH 230 or equivalent collegecourse with a minimum grade of C.Prerequisites: ENGL 261 or equivalent college course with a minimumgrade of C or eligibility for ENGL 001 as determined by COS PlacementProcedures (https://catalog.cos.edu/placement-procedures/).

PHIL 025 Critical Thinking 3unit(s)Hours: 3 Lecture/DiscussionThis course gives students the opportunity to learn how to make strongarguments for their views and learn to think about the arguments aboutmajor public issues. Students will identify arguments, define terms, finderrors in thinking patterns, and develop strong deductive and inductivearguments. Students are required to write a minimum of 6,000 words.Prerequisites: ENGL 001 or equivalent college course with a minimumgrade of C.

PhilosophyHouk, Timothy, Ph.D.A.A., Sierra CollegeB.A., California State University, SacramentoM.A., Biola UniversityPh.D., University of California, Davis

Linehan, TimothyB.A., Taylor University, IndianaM.A., Texas Tech University, Texas

2021-2022 College of the Sequoias Catalog

2        Philosophy

M.A., University of California, Santa BarbaraC. Phil., University of California, Santa Barbara

2021-2022 College of the Sequoias Catalog