Student Learning Objectives

Student Learning Objectives

The Department of Philosophy at Cal State Long Beach is the university’s primary academic unit for providing quality instruction in logic, critical reasoning, and ethics. Our curriculum is central in GE Area C: Humanities.

Philosophical training is intrinsically valuable and an essential component of any University. It is also extrinsically valuable, teaching students the skills they need to develop, establish, reconstruct, and evaluate arguments in any field or endeavor. Philosophical training also helps students seek general explanatory principles, reflect upon what really matters, look for alternatives to widely-accepted views, and learn to distinguish what is significant from what is not. Philosophy students are expected to express their ideas and arguments in written form, and learn to improve their analytical writing skills. Philosophical discussions in the classroom are expected to foster listening and speaking skills and to provide practice at exploring, defending, and constructively criticizing ideas and claims with others. Students also become familiar with some of the major figures and schools of thought in the intellectual tradition, and develop an appetite for further study and learning.

Students completing a BA in Philosophy are expected to learn content grouped into the following four primary areas:

1. Symbolic Logic
   • Knowledge of the formal techniques of evaluating arguments and deductive systems
2. History of Philosophy
   • Knowledge of western philosophers, major movements, issues and philosophical systems of the ancient world
   • Knowledge of western philosophers, major movements, issues and philosophical systems of the medieval era
   • Knowledge of western philosophers, major movements, issues and philosophical systems of the early modern era
   • Knowledge of western philosophers, major movements, issues and philosophical systems of the modern era
   • Knowledge of non-western philosophers and philosophical systems
3. Metaphysics and Epistemology
   • Knowledge of major movements and issues of philosophy of science
   • Knowledge of major movements and issues of philosophy of religion
   • Knowledge of major philosophical movements and issues in ontology and causality
   • Knowledge of major philosophical movements and issues in theories of knowledge
   • Knowledge of current developments and issues in philosophy of mind and language
4. Values and Evaluation
   • Knowledge of ethical theory
   • Knowledge of ways in which ethical theory is applied to specific disciplines and/or issues, including:
     • Business
     • Sciences
     • Medicine
     • Technology
     • Feminism and social philosophy
     • Philosophy of law
     • Political philosophy
     • Philosophy and literature
     • Philosophy of art

BA Program Learning Outcomes

Students completing a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy should achieve the following learning outcomes (PLOs):

1. Clear, coherent, and critical thinking.
2. Understanding of concepts of right, wrong, good and bad; understanding of moral principles and their application in everyday life. These skills are largely, but not exclusively, developed in our Values and Evaluation classes, particularly Ethics and Applied Ethics classes.
3. Ability to read and interpret philosophical texts. This skill is developed in all of our courses. Reading texts and interpreting them is fundamental to Philosophy. Most courses use a combination of primary texts, combined with textbooks and other literature. One of the principal concerns of our faculty is to make sure that students in the Philosophy major have a meaningful intellectual encounter with original texts.
4. Extraction, expression, and analysis of arguments in philosophical texts. Students must be able to extract arguments from philosophical texts. In upper division classes, faculty teach strategies and methods for extracting arguments.
5. Ability to state and explain difficult ideas and concepts. This skill is achieved through analysis, critical thinking, and student practice in class discussions, presentations, and argumentation. This is developed in all upper division classes in the major.
6. Development of writing skills that reflect careful attention to language, logic, and subtleties of reasoning. The Philosophy major is writing intensive. Students are taught how to write succinctly, clearly, thoroughly, probingly.
7. Ability to write philosophical essays that have coherent theses and reasonable supporting arguments.
8. Demonstration of an understanding of positions from different initial assumptions or theoretical perspectives.
9. Increased proficiency in research methodology. Research methodology includes learning to use the resources available for conducting philosophical research. It also involves learning the discipline standards for citation and bibliographies, abstracts, and prospectus writing. It helps students understand how to pick an appropriate topic, in subject and length, for various philosophical projects, including papers, presentations, and theses. This competency applies in upper-division Philosophy classes, especially where deeper research into a particular topic is required.

Moreover, the Philosophy program develops in students a sense of the value and limits of philosophy, a reflective attitude and sensitivity to the subtleties and complexities of philosophical judgments, and a life-long commitment to learning and inquiry.

MA Program Learning Outcomes

Students completing a Master’s Degree in Philosophy are expected to learn content grouped into the following four primary areas:

1. Knowledge of contemporary methods of philosophical inquiry.
2. Knowledge of some of the main figures, movements, and periods, in the history of western philosophy.
3. Knowledge of some of the main issues in contemporary philosophy.
4. Command of the literature on at least one major topic.

Students completing a Master’s Degree in Philosophy should achieve the following learning outcomes (PLOs):

1. Ability to conduct research into philosophical topics, drawing on other disciplines when appropriate.
2. Ability to analyze and comprehend philosophical texts, particularly with respect to recognizing, expressing, and evaluating arguments.
3. Ability to summarize and explain difficult ideas and concepts using language appropriate to the field.
4. Ability to develop, articulate, and motivate views on philosophical topics.
5. Ability to write philosophical essays that have coherent theses and reasonable supporting arguments, and that include consideration of factors weighing for and against different position.
6. Ability to develop organized and informative verbal presentations directed to appropriate audience level.
7. Ability to understand reality from different perspectives and thus to understand that different people will define issues in different ways.
8. Ability to learn autonomously.