New global philosophy classes.

By Kaitlin Strohschein.
The BCC philosophy department will be offering two new global philosophy courses in the winter 2009 quarter. One of these courses will focus on Buddhist philosophy, and the other on American philosophy. Global philosophy courses “survey and assess major philosophers and philosophical traditions of a specified world region or culture” according to their course descriptions. “Global Philosophy: America,” closely resembles the course which was formerly titled “American Philosophy,” said Steven Duncan, the former instructor of “American Philosophy” and future instructor of “Global Philosophy: America.” The courses’ content will focus on America’s philosophical history from 1630-1950 according to Duncan. “Global Philosophy: America” will be especially useful for philosophy majors, students of American Studies, and students interested in philosophy, said Duncan. “Any student interested in American history, philosophy, Puritanism, Transcendentalism, Pragmatism, and the influence of ideas on culture should find this class valuable,” said Duncan. “Global Philosophy: Buddhism” will discus the basic ideas behind Buddhism and their philosophical implications, said David Long, “Global Philosophy: Buddhism” instructor. “The idea is to examine Buddhism and Buddhist ideas in a careful and thoughtful way,” said Long. The course’s text will include Penguin Classics’ “Buddhist Scriptures,” a compilation of some contemporary writings of Buddhism, and supplemental materials. “The hope is that we will be able to better understand Buddhism, how to think about Buddhism philosophically, and how to live a better and more fulfilling life in the process,” said Long. “The [Philosophy] Club plans to invite David Long to give a public talk on his nearly complete dissertation on personal identity in Hume and Buddhism sometime next quarter,” said Russ Payne, a BCC philosophy instructor and the faculty advisor for the BCC Philosophy Club.