At Fresno City College, the word philosophy means “love of wisdom”
From left to right: FCC philosophy instructors Kerry Ybarra, Bob Boyd and Wendell Stephenson.
In Greek, the word philosophy means “love of wisdom”. It’s evident that there are many students at Fresno City College who agree with the meaning. Each of the three philosophy instructors at FCC teaches about 200 students per semester. Their students ponder the same questions that have been asked since Plato taught Aristotle: Who am I? Do I exist? What is real? What’s truth? Does God exist?
In 2005, the associate of arts degree in philosophy was approved and FCC graduated its first two students the following year. “Philosophy is a great foundational degree, whether or not you go on to get your bachelor’s degree. You learn how to think, you learn how to write, you learn how to think for yourself. In business, those are skills that are transferable. It’s a very practical degree,” noted FCC Instructor Bob Boyd.
Boyd, who has been at FCC since 1996, has been instrumental in organizing a lecture series that brings a philosophy expert to campus each year. He says it’s important for students to be exposed to points of view from people outside the Valley. Students also get the opportunity to meet philosophy instructors from four-year colleges to which they might consider transferring. The lectures are open to the students and staff of FCC and to the general public. Each year attendance has grown with a number of people from nearby colleges also attending.
Instructor Kerry Ybarra, who is in her first year of teaching full-time at FCC, says, “If you take a class from me it’s going to be really different from the other instructors in the department. It’s important for people to get different perspectives. I’m always telling my students to take as many classes from as many different people as they can and to forge their own path,” said Ybarra. Ybarra is also the faculty advisor for the Philosophy Club. She says the club gives students an opportunity to dialogue about different issues that are not discussed in the classroom.
Instructor Wendell Stephenson has been at FCC for eight years and says the department has seen tremendous growth the past couple of years. “We desperately needed a third instructor to handle the teaching load. We were turning students away. Now, with Kerry Ybarra, we can offer more sections and courses to service our students,” said Stephenson.
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