The philosophical tradition from the Renaissance to the nineteenth century. Emphasis on new scientific models of human knowledge and human nature formulated in reaction to scientific and social revolutions. Positions of thinkers such as Descartes, Hume, Kant on basic questions: Can anything be known with certainty? Are there any justifiable moral principles? Is there any purpose to existence?
The origins of the philosophical-scientific tradition. Early attempts at rational explanations of the natural world. Socrates and the foundations of moral criticism. Plato: His articulation of the problems of knowledge, his contributions to moral and political theory. Aristotle: His organization of scientific inquiry, formulation of ethical theory, and development of the science of logic. The philosophical tradition after Aristotle.
The study of logical relationships by way of models and procedures in a symbolic system. The concept of proof and the demands of formal proofs. Methods of demonstrating logical relationships, including truth tables, derivations in sentence and predicate logic, and semantic interpretations. The relation between conventional languages and symbolic encodings. A selection of related theoretical topics, including proofs of soundness and consistency of the calculi, and elementary set theory.
The tools and techniques of philosophical reasoning: reading argumentative prose; analyzing conceptual models; writing critical essays. Problems of knowledge: the criteria of reliable knowledge; the formulation and justification of beliefs; the sources and limits of knowledge; beliefs about the physical world, the past and future, and other minds. Critical standards applied to related metaphysical issues: theism, mind and self-identity, determinism.
An examination of such questions as: Are there conditions under which value judgments can be rationally defended? If there are such grounds, what are they? If not, what consequences, if any, follow from ethical skepticism? Can value judgments about individuals or societies be justified on rationally acceptable grounds? Application of theories to moral problems.
The growth of San Francisco from its origins as an Indian-Spanish-Mexican settlement to the metropolis of the San Francisco Bay Area. Emphasis will be on the role of San Francisco as a political, social, cultural, commercial, and artistic capital of the West Coast.
An individualized reading or research program where students work one-on-one with a faculty member on topics in History.
Examination and analysis of the forces, events, and lives that shaped California, beginning with native cultures and Spanish exploration and colonization. Emphasis on exploring the roles and interactions of Native Americans, Latino Americans, European Americans, and Asian Americans within the broader context of California's political, economic, cultural, and social history.
This course covers the historical development of the Philippines from the pre-colonial period to present day. The evolution of national culture, political and social institutions, and foreign relations will also be examined.
Intellectual, social, political, and economic development of China. Chinese history from ancient times to the Qing Dynasty, approximately 1900.