Philosophy

Subject abbreviation: PHIL College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

Mark A. Wrathall, Chair Department Office, 1604 Humanities and Social Sciences

• (951) 827-5208; philosophy.ucr.edu

Professors Maudemarie Clark, Ph.D. Carl F. Cranor, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor Luca Ferrero, Ph.D. John M. Fischer, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor Peter J. Graham, Ph.D. Andrews Reath, Ph.D. Erich Reck, Ph.D. Eric Schwitzgebel, Ph.D. Howard K. Wettstein, Ph.D. Mark A. Wrathall, Ph.D. Professors Emeriti David K. Glidden, Ph.D. David Harrah, Ph.D. John Perry, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor Larry Wright, Ph.D. Associate Professors Agnieszka Jaworska, Ph.D. Pierre Keller, Ph.D. Coleen Macnamara, Ph.D. Michael Nelson, Ph.D. Assistant Professors Adam Harmer, Ph.D. Jozef Müller, Ph.D. Andreja Novakovic, Ph.D.

The Department of Philosophy offers a major and minor in Philosophy and a major in Philosophy/Law and Society.

The Philosophy major is designed to introduce students to the important issues and arguments surrounding such subjects as morality, knowl- edge, the nature of the mind and of the physi- cal world, science, and language. The program provides a rigorous background in the history of Western philosophy, and studies contemporary approaches (both analytic and Continental) to philosophical issues. The B.A. degree in Phi- losophy prepares students for graduate study in philosophy, and is also excellent preparation for law school. For students interested in a double major, philosophy also serves as an excellent complement to psychology, mathematics, politi- cal science, and the natural sciences.

The Philosophy/Law and Society major is open to undergraduate students with junior standing who have completed LWSO 100 with a grade of “C” or higher. The major offers students a means of understanding complex relationships between social institutions and provides a strong basis for graduate studies in areas related to law and philosophy. The Philosophy/ Law and Society curriculum is sound background for students planning on pursuing the study of law. 389 / Programs and Courses requirement, students must pass PHIL 125 (Intermediate Logic) with a grade of “B” or better.

Proposition Requirement All Ph.D. students must complete an acceptable proposition normally during their third year in the program. A proposition is a paper, no more than forty pages in length, devoted to a significant problem in philosophy. It should show the ability to mount a sustained thesis and to work with the relevant primary or secondary literature.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations Students must write a dissertation prospectus and pass a qualifying oral examination before advancing to candidacy. This examination, which is supervised by a faculty committee as stipulated in the regulations of the Graduate Division, concentrates on the students’ preparation for writing a dissertation as indicated by the dissertation prospectus. It must be taken after the student has passed the M.A. language and proposition requirements and normally occurs within two quarters of the completion of these requirements.

Dissertation and Final Oral Examination A dissertation to be presented as prescribed by the Graduate Council is prepared under the direction of the candidate’s dissertation committee. After completion of the dissertation, the candidate is examined in its defense by the dissertation committee.

Normative Time to Degree 18 quarters

The Department of Philosophy offers the Ph.D. degree in Philosophy.

Admission Students are invited to continue toward candidacy for the Ph.D. degree on the basis of performance in courses and seminars, satisfactory completion of the M.A. requirements, and the recommendation of the graduate advisor. A student’s course of study is supervised by the student’s faculty mentor, in consultation with the graduate advisor until the student’s dissertation committee is appointed. Students with a master’s degree in Philosophy from other universities are eligible for admis- sion. These students must enroll in the first- year proseminars.

Course Work Students must complete 12 more units in philosophy, with a grade of “B” or better, in addition to the 48 units for the M.A. degree. Of the student’s 60 graduate units in philosophy, 12 units must be in the area of the history of philosophy, with 4 of these in ancient philosophy, 4 units in addition to the proseminar (PHIL 275A, PHIL 275B) in the area of metaphysics and epistemology, and 8 units in addition to the proseminar (PHIL 275C) in the area of ethics, political philosophy, and aesthetics.

Forty of these 60 units must be seminars and workshops in the 272-283 series. Up to 20 units may be drawn from PHIL 125, courses in the PHIL 220-266 series, or PHIL 290-

• 292. Courses taken on a Satisfactory (S)/No

Credit (NC) basis cannot be used to satisfy course requirements. Students are in addition expected to take one seminar on an S/NC basis each quarter until they advance to candidacy.

Colloquia and Professional Development Workshop Requirement Students must register for the PHIL 270 (Philosophy Colloquia) during each quarter of their first and second years. Students must register for PHIL 400 (Research and Professional Development Workshop) during each quarter of their second and third years.

Language Requirement Students must show the competence necessary to work in one of four foreign languages: French, German, Latin, or Greek. Another language may be substituted upon approval of the faculty if it agrees better with the student’s area of their research.

Logic Requirement To satisfy the logic Upon entering the program, a student is assigned a faculty mentor who consults with the student each quarter to discuss the student’s individual course of study, progress in the program, and recent performance. Students also consult the Graduate Adviser regularly to discuss their course of study and progress in the program. In the first year, students (whether they have entered with an M.A. or a B.A.) take three proseminars for first-year graduate students, two in Metaphysics and Epistemology, and one in Moral Philosophy (PHIL 275A, PHIL 275B, PHIL 275C). The proseminars are designed to acquaint first-year students with the current state of discussion in central areas of contemporary philosophy and to impart the skills needed to conduct their own research.

The Department of Philosophy offers the M.A. degree in Philosophy under Plan I (Thesis).

Course Work Students must complete, with a grade of “B” or better, course work totaling 48 units of graduate credit in philosophy. Of these, 12 units must be in the three proseminars for first-year graduate students, and an additional 20 units must be seminars and workshops in the 272-283 series. Up to 16 units may be drawn from PHIL 125, courses in the PHIL 220-266 series, or PHIL 290-292, depending on the student’s interests and background. These courses are to be chosen only in con- sultation with the student’s advisory committee and the graduate advisor.

Courses taken on a Satisfactory (S)/No Credit (NC) basis cannot be used to satisfy course requirements.

Students should note that although they need not complete distributional requirements or a language requirement to acquire the M.A. degree, there are strict distributional and language requirements for the Ph.D. degree, as well as a colloquium and professional development workshop requirement (described below under the Ph.D requirements). Students who expect to continue on in the Ph.D. program must begin to fulfill these requirements immediately upon entering the program if they expect to acquire the Ph.D. degree within the prescribed period of time.

M.A. Logic Requirement The logic requirement for the M.A. degree is completion of PHIL 124 with a grade of “B” or better. Students may be excused from this requirement if they show sufficient knowledge of logic upon entering the graduate program, as indicated by an optional diagnostic examination administered at the start of each academic year. Students who are unsure about the adequacy of their background are encouraged to take the test for diagnostic purposes.

M.A. Paper Students select a paper to submit to the graduate advisor as their M.A. paper no later than the end of the spring quarter of their second year. M.A. papers can be seminar papers, revised seminar papers, or any other Philosophy / 390

mentality and their role in shaping our thought and experience of the world. Tackles questions about the innateness of concepts, the social and rational norms governing communication, the nature of speech acts and their connection to hate speech and pornography, and the scope of mentality. Credit is awarded for only one of PHIL 010 or PHIL 010H.

PHIL 010H Honors Language, Mind, and Reality (4) Lecture, 3 hours; discussion, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): admission to the University Honors Program or consent of instructor. Honors course corresponding to PHIL 010. Explores the nature of language, com- munication, and mentality and their role in shaping our thought and experience of the world. Tackles questions about the innateness of concepts, the social and rational norms governing communication, the nature of speech acts and their connection to hate speech and pornography, and the scope of mentality. Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC) grading is not available. Credit is awarded for only one of PHIL 010 or PHIL 010H.

PHIL 012 Introductory Seminar in Moral Philosophy (4) Seminar, 3 hours; extra reading, 2 hours. Prerequi- site(s): none. An introduction to a small number of central moral issues: Small class size in order to pro- vide for substantial discussion and close supervision of written papers.

PHIL 030 (E-Z) Introduction to the History of Philosophy (4) Lecture, 3 hours; discussion, 1 hour. Prerequi- site(s): none. Introductory surveys of important periods and subjects in the history of Western philosophy. Topics include E. Hellenic Philosophy: Pre-Socratics through Aristotle; F. Hellenistic Philosophy: Epicure- ans, Stoics, and Skeptics; G. Medieval Philosophy; I. Early Modern Philosophy; J. Late Modern Philosophy; K. Nineteenth-Century Philosophy; M. History of Ethics; N. History of Political Philosophy.