PHIL 373 - African-American Philosophical Perspectives

Units: 3 ; Breadth Area: GE-UD-C; Diversity
Philosophical examination of the social, cultural and political issues of African Americans primarily from the perspective of African-American philosophers. Topics may be historical and contemporary, and may include, (for example) black alienation, nihilism, and black feminist thought.

Strongly Recommended Preparation: Upper division status (greater than 60 earned semester units) and completion of lower division Area C requirements.
Prerequisites: Completion of GE Areas A1, A2, A3 and B4 with grade C- (CR) or better.
Equivalent Quarter Course: PHIL 3721.
Possible Instructional Methods: Entirely On-ground.
Grading: A-F or CR/NC (student choice).
Breadth Area(s) Satisfied: GE-UD-C - Upper Division Arts or Humanities, Overlay - Diversity
Course Typically Offered: Spring ONLY

Student Learning Outcomes - Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:

write clear, academically rigorous argumentative essays;
read complex texts, create original arguments, analyze the arguments of others, and express these criticisms orally and in writing;
demonstrate knowledge of African-American philosophical traditions, their relevant concepts, theories, methods and historical contexts;
develop their capacities for ethical decision making, openness to the ideas of others, reflective self-awareness, and a life long curiosity about big topics;
cultivate an appreciation for a diversity of ideas and values across time and for human differences

UD-C. Upper-division Arts or Humanities Learning Outcomes

demonstrate an understanding of and ability to apply the principles, methodologies, value systems, and thought processes employed in the arts and humanities;
analyze cultural production as an expression of, or reflection upon, what it means to be human; and
demonstrate how the perspectives of the arts and humanities are used by informed, engaged, and reflective citizens to benefit local and global communities.

Diversity Overlay Learning Outcomes

describe the histories and/or experiences of one or more U. S. cultural groups and the resilience and agency of group members;
identify structures of oppression and the diverse efforts and strategies used by groups to combat the effects of oppressive structures;
analyze the intersection of the categories of race and gender as they affect cultural group members’ lived realities and/or as they are embodied in personal and collective identities;
recognize the way that multiple differences (including, for example, gender, class, sexuality, religion, disability, immigration status, gender expression, color/phenotype, racial mixture, linguistic expression, and/or age) within cultural groups complicate individual and group identities.