Philosophy
8 courses · MiraCosta College · 2026-2027 Catalog
Classes: Fall 2026
PHIL 100 Critical Thinking and Argumentative Writing
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture 3 hours
- Prerequisite
- ENGL C1000
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course develops critical thinking skills that can be applied in all areas of life. It emphasizes effectively understanding, evaluating, and constructing written arguments. Topics include inductive and deductive reasoning, cognitive biases, fallacies, credibility, and explanations. Using examples from the news and social media, the Internet, advertising, political speeches, and other real-life examples from a variety of culturally diverse sources, students learn to distinguish between good and bad arguments and practice producing coherent argumentative essays in support of their beliefs.
PHIL 101 Introduction to Philosophy: Knowledge and Reality
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture 3 hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC (with credit limitation)
- C-ID
- PHIL-100
This introduction to philosophical inquiry emphasizes problems of knowledge and reality through the analysis of classical and contemporary works on such issues as free will, personhood, knowledge and belief, the existence of God, and the nature of reality. The course encourages students to think independently and formulate their own tentative conclusions. UC CREDIT LIMITATION: Credit for PHIL 101 or PHIL 101H. C-ID PHIL-100.
PHIL 101H Introduction to Philosophy: Knowledge and Reality (Honors)
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture 3 hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC (with credit limitation)
- C-ID
- PHIL-100
This course introduces students to the methods and topics of philosophy through the analysis and discussion of classical and contemporary works. It explores metaphysical and epistemological questions, such as free will, personhood, knowledge and belief, the existence of God, and the nature of reality. The course encourages students to think independently and rationally and to formulate their own tentative conclusions after considering several alternatives and objections to their positions. UC CREDIT LIMITATION: Credit for PHIL 101 or PHIL 101H. C-ID PHIL-100.
PHIL 102 Ethical Problems
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture 3 hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- PHIL-120, LPPS-120
How do we know the right thing to do? Do we owe anything to others? What does a good life look like? This course examines these questions and others through exploration of ethical theories and the ethical problems that arise in our world. The course helps students develop skills to assess moral concepts, identify and analyze ethical problems and their potential solutions, and formulate their own ethical commitments. C-ID PHIL-120, LPPS-120.
PHIL 110 Introduction to Logic
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture 3 hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course introduces propositional and predicate logic. Topics include deductive and inductive reasoning, validity, truth tables, translations, quantifiers, and proofs. This course is open to any student, but it may be of particular interest to philosophy, math, and computer science majors.
PHIL 221 Philosophy of Religion
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture 3 hours
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course introduces the philosophical study of both religion and the central concepts found in Eastern and Western religious traditions, as well as traditions that fall outside the boundaries of such classical distinctions (e.g., Indigenous and Africana traditions). It encourages students to think rationally, critically, and independently about the beliefs of religious adherents. Topics include arguments for theism and atheism, the validity of religious experience, the problem(s) of evil, the meaning of karma, concepts of God and Ultimate Reality, the possibility of miracles, and the value of religion.
PHIL 292 Internship Studies
- Units
- 0.5-14
- Corequisite
- Complete 54 hours of work per unit, paid or unpaid
- Transfers to
- CSU
This course provides students the opportunity to apply the theories and techniques of their discipline in an internship position in a professional setting under the instruction of a faculty-mentor and site supervisor. It introduces students to aspects of the roles and responsibilities of professionals employed in the field of study. Topics include goal-setting, employability skills development, and examination of the world of work as it relates to the student's career plans. Students must develop new learning objectives and/or work/intern at a new site upon each enrollment.
PHIL 302 Bioethics
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- Lecture 3 hours
This course examines the application of ethical theory to issues in biology and medicine through case studies and classical and contemporary readings in ethical theory and applied ethics. It explores major ethical theories, including utilitarianism, Kantian ethics, natural law theory, social contract theories, and feminist ethics, as they apply to contemporary issues in biology and medicine, such as cloning, transplantation, defining life and death, genetic testing and manipulation, the ethical conduct of research and experimentation, and the just distribution of scarce medical resources. This course is open only to students enrolled in the bachelor's degree program in biomanufacturing at MiraCosta College.