PHIL 395 Philosophy Seminar
Topics vary semester to semester. Specific topics may satisfy different Core Program requirements and different Philosophy major requirements.
When Race is “Other”: In-Between and Outside of U.S. Race Categories
About 1 in 10 Americans identifies as more than one race. This group includes those who have parents of two or more races (e.g., one parent who is Black and one who is White, one parent who is Asian and one who is Pacific Islander, etc.), as well as some Latinx Americans. In this course, we will ask: what can be learned by centering the experiences of those who live “in between” race? Can one have racial privilege in some respects, but not others? Can one identify with a race, even if one ‘passes’ as something else? Why do so many American discussions of race proceed as if this group does not exist? Our course will draw on texts in philosophy, sociology, and literature, as well as the knowledge of guest speakers from Los Angeles and beyond.
This topic will count towards the Self & Community requirement for the Philosophy major. This topic will satisfy the Core Program U.S. Diversity requirement.
Philosophy of Food
The aim of this course is to demonstrate that food is worthy of philosophy inquiry. We will start with the deceptively simple question, what is food and why is it important? We will quickly move on to specific questions concerning the aesthetic value of food (can food be a work of art?), the nature of food criticism (who am I to tell you what you should like to eat?), a cluster of ethical questions concerning the production and consumption of food (e.g., what exactly is wrong with GMO?, what’s the connection between patriarchy and eating meat?, isn’t ethics fundamentally a question about hospitality?), and broad questions about food and cultural identity (what exactly does “authentic Mexican” mean?). Like any good philosophy course, the point is not to flatter your taste, but to change it, which we will do by cooking together and talking to a number of local food writers and philosophers.
This topic will count towards the Experiential Learning requirement for the Philosophy major.
Prerequisite
One course in philosophy