Baldwin, Lawrence, Lindholm, Miller (Chair), Poochigian and Weinstein
The two disciplines of Philosophy and Religion represent humankind’s abiding interest in the fundamental questions of life, truth, and value. Questions about the meaning of life, the significance of truth, the access to knowledge, and the ability to live ethically have been studied by philosophers and theologians from the time of Socrates and before. Philosophy seeks answers which, chiefly, refer to human capacities and ideals and to the world of experience in which we live; Religion will often include postulates about divine forces and spiritual realities in the answers it frames. The two disciplines tend to be more distinct in Western culture; philosophers and theologians have often been in bitter conflict both with each other and with religious authorities. In Eastern cultures, however, philosophy and religion overlap — often appearing as complements. In both East and West these two fields of study represent the longest and most basic traditions of literature and the intellectual life. Though Philosophy and Religion both address questions of ultimate meaning, each discipline preserves its own literary history and its own scholarly tradition.
Every student can benefit from coursework in Philosophy and Religion. Most courses in the department fulfill General Education Requirements in Arts and Humanities. Several major programs require or recommend specific courses to their students. A two to five course series of courses in Philosophy and Religion can be designed to complement major programs in nursing, engineering, science, business, criminal justice studies, as well as humanities disciplines. Minor programs (20 hours) in Philosophy and Religion can also give depth and breadth to any major program. Neither Philosophy nor Religion requires a large technical vocabulary even in upper level courses.
Those students who wish to pursue a major or a second major in Philosophy and Religion must follow one of the two programs of concentration:
- B.A. in Philosophy and Religion: Philosophy
Concentration
- B.A. in Philosophy and Religion: Religion
Concentration
College of Arts and Sciences
B.A.
WITH A MAJOR IN PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION:
PHILOSOPHY CONCENTRATION
Required 125 credits (36 of which must
be numbered 300 or above, and 60 of which
must be from a 4-year institution) including: |
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I. |
General Education Requirements (see University
GER listing). |
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II. |
Philosophy Concentration requirements. |
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33 major hours, including: |
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Phil
101 |
Introduction to Philosophy |
(3) |
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Phil 220 |
Introduction to Logic |
(3) |
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3 hours from: |
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Religion Curriculum |
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6 hours from: |
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Phil 300 |
Classical Greek and Hellenistic Philosophy |
(3) |
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Phil 301 |
Medieval Philosophy |
(3) |
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Phil 302 |
Renaissance and Enlightenment |
(3) |
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Phil 303 |
Kant and the Nineteenth Century |
(3) |
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Others: |
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(3) |
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Philosophy Electives |
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(12) |
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Religion Course |
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(3) |
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6 hours from an open-ended list of diversity/multicultural courses, which will include, but not be limited to, the following: (for other possibilities, check with advisers in the department). |
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A&S
225 |
Introduction to the Study of Women |
(3)
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A&S
250 |
African American Religious History |
(3) |
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Engl 365 |
Black American Writers |
(3) |
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Geog 151 |
Human Geography |
(3) |
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Hist 345 |
The Ancient Near East |
(3) |
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IS 352 |
Native American Philosophic Thought |
(3) |
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Phil 283 |
Asian Philosophy |
(3) |
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Rels 203 |
World Religions |
(3) |
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T&L
433 |
Multicultural Education |
(3) |
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Language requirement: |
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Reading proficiency in the philosophical literature of any foreign language is strongly recommended. Majors in philosophy should be aware that proficiency in symbolic logic is expected in most graduate schools and in some substitutes for proficiency in a foreign language. |
MINOR
IN PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION:
PHILOSOPHY
CONCENTRATION |
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Required 21 credits in Philosophy: |
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6 hours from: |
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Phil
283 |
Asian Philosophy |
(3) |
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Phil 300 |
Classical Greek and Hellenistic Philosophy |
(3) |
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Phil 301 |
Medieval Philosophy |
(3) |
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Phil 302 |
Renaissance and Enlightenment |
(3) |
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Phil 303 |
Philosophy Since the Enlightenment |
(3) |
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The
additional 15 hours should normally include
work complementary to the student’s
major or to some developed personal interest.
Students may consult department advisers to develop
a special concentration in the minor with
an emphasis on philosophy of science, ethics
in the professions, aesthetics in art and literature, etc. |
B.A. WITH MAJOR IN PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION:
RELIGION CONCENTRATION
Required 125 credits (36 of which must
be numbered 300 or above, and 60 of which
must be from a 4-year institution) including: |
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I. |
General Education Requirements(see University
GER listing). |
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II. |
Religion Concentration Requirements: |
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30 hours, including: |
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Rels 101 |
Introduction to Religion (West) |
(3) |
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Phil 300 |
Classical Greek and Hellenistic Philosophy |
(3) |
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3 hours from |
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Rels 102 |
Introduction to Religion (East) |
(3) |
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Rels 221 |
Jewish Scripture/Old Testament |
(3) |
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Rels 250 |
East and West in Religions |
(3) |
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Religion Electives (must be at 300-400
level) |
(15)
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Diversity/Multicultural courses |
(6)
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6 hours from an open-ended list of diversity/multicultural
courses, which will include, but not be limited
to, the following: (for other possibilities, check with advisers in the department). |
| |
|
A&S
225 |
Introduction to the Study of Women |
(3) |
| |
|
A&S
250 |
African American Religious History |
(3) |
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|
Engl 365 |
Black American Writers |
(3) |
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|
Geog 151 |
Human Geography |
(3) |
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Hist 345 |
The Ancient Near East |
(3) |
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IS 352 |
Native American Philosophic Thought |
(3) |
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Phil 283 |
Oriental Philosophy |
(3) |
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Rels 203 |
World Religions |
(3) |
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T&L
433 |
Multicultural Education |
(3) |
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Level IV proficiency in a foreign language
(i.e., 4 semesters) is strongly recommended. |
MINOR IN PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION:
RELIGION
CONCENTRATION |
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Required 20 credits including: |
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Rels 203 |
World Religion |
(3) |
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Rels 221 |
Jewish Scripture/Old Testament |
(3) |
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Religion Electives (8 hours must be at
300-400 level) |
(14) |
Courses in Philosophy
Since a major in philosophy involves a rigorous study of basic questions about human life and action, knowledge, truth, and values, it is recognized as providing a sound base for those who plan to continue their education in one of the professional specialties such as law, medicine, or the ministry. More recently, liberal arts degrees in fields which “make you think” have become increasingly valued in business and government. Majoring in philosophy also prepares a student for graduate work in any of the humanities (most notably philosophy); in most cases the graduate will pursue a doctoral degree to teach at the college level.
Students majoring in other fields who find themselves seriously interested in the theoretical aspects of their disciplines — e.g. ethical implications of practice, the functions of knowledge in the field, the legitimacy of methods — may want to consider a special concentration, minor, or second major in philosophy to explore that interest. The emphasis of such studies could be philosophy of science and technology, ethics in the professions (engineering, medicine), or aesthetics in literature or fine arts, to name a few examples.
101. Introduction to Philosophy. 3 credits. An introductory survey of the discipline of philosophy. Students will join the thoughtful search, in which philosophers have engaged through reading and discussion since ancient days, into the problems of reality (metaphysics), of truth and meaning (logic and philosophy of language), of moral standards (ethics), of knowledge (epistemology), of beauty (aesthetics), and other fundamental questions. F, S
209. Introduction to Ethics. 3 credits. This course investigates the nature of the Good Life, of moral principles, and the application of moral systems to contemporary debate. These may include questions about the morality of war, capital punishment, sexual behavior, welfare, and so forth. F,S
220. Introduction to Logic. 3 credits. A theoretical and practical introduction to the principles of reasoning—formal and informal, deductive and inductive. Students will study language and patterns of reasoning as vehicles for and obstacles to critical thinking. The central characteristics of deduction and validity; the role of hypotheses, inductive reasoning, probability estimates in scientific and quasi-scientific investigations and other models of critical thinking and their limits will be covered. F, S
283. Asian Philosophy. 3 credits. The main philosophical systems of India, China and Japan will be examined. F/3
300. Ancient Philosophy. 3 credits. The ancient Greeks and Romans laid the foundations for even the most contemporary philosophy, and their ideas have had a continuing influence on all Western thought from their time to our own. This course attempts to examine those ideas and the reasons for their persistent relevance. F/2
301. Medieval Philosophy. 3 credits. Philosophy in Western Europe from the end of the Roman Empire to the early 15th Century as reflected in the writings of such thinkers as Boethius, Augustine, Abelard, Aquinas and Ockham. S/2
302. Renaissance and Enlightenment. 3 credits. Philosophy from the time of Petrarch (c. 1350) to that of the American Revolution as seen in the writings of such philosophers as Bruno, Bacon, Descartes, Spinoza and Hume. This is the period that sees the origins of modern thought. The implications of the work of the philosophers had an important role in shaping contemporary society, including the arts, literature, science, politics, and economics. F/2
303. Kant and the Nineteenth Century. 3 credits. Philosophy from the “Age of Reason” through the Industrial Revolution as reflected in the writings of Kant and other philosophers such as Hegel, Mill, Marx, and Nietzsche. S/2
304. Twentieth Century Philosophy. 3 credits. Contemporary developments in Philosophy since the beginning of the 20th century. S/2
309. American Philosophy. 3 credits. A survey of major figures and movements in American philosophy. F/3
325. Ethical Theory. 3 credits. This course examines the theoretical foundation of a variety of ethical systems. It expands the core traditional ethical theories by considering contemporary elaborations on Virtue Ethics, Deontological Ethics (Kantianism), and dominant theories. Students are strongly advised to have taken PHIL 209 before enrolling in this course. S/2
335. Philosophy of Language. 3 credits. An examination of the nature of language concerning issues of meaning, reference, language use, linguistic structure, and difference from other symbol systems. S/3
350. Symbolic Logic. 3 credits. The modern deductive logic of propositions and functions (including relations); logistic systems. Students majoring in mathematics or computer science will be especially welcome in this course. S/2
355. Social and Political Philosophy. 3 credits. This course examines core issues in society and governance: the nature of justice, the limits of freedom, the role of religion, family and pluralism in the modern community, are a few examples of possible topics. Students in the course may examine both classical and contemporary theories of political society. F/3
356. Aesthetics. 3 credits. This course will investigate the philosophical foundations of art (understood in its widest sense, including, for example, music and writing). It will ask whether definitions of art or beauty are possible, what the relationship between form and substance is in art, whether or not art should be valued as a product or process, as well as other such questions. The course will rely upon classical and modern texts, as well as a variety of examples from the history of the arts. S/3
370. Ethics in Engineering and Science. 3 credits. Prerequisite: Junior/senior standing. This course centers on the ethical issues of particular concern to both citizens and professionals involved in engineering and related technical/scientific fields. We review ethical history and ethical theory in all class discussions. The major focus of the course, however, is on ethical dilemmas, case studies, and codes relevant to contemporary engineering and scientific practice. Issues surveyed include: ethical responsibility of theorists and of applied scientists, risk and negligence in technological enterprises, the limits of knowledge/safety/quality, an update of the two cultures debate. F, S
372. Ethics in Health Care. 3 credits. Some ethical problems and ethical guidelines are of particular concern to citizens and to professionals interested in health care fields. Examples are informed consent, abortion, euthanasia, organ transplant policies, professional standards versus patient rights, assisted suicide, ethics of testing/screening, health care policy and reform. Class members will explore such issues through case studies in a context of relevant ethical history and theory. Junior/senior standing encouraged. No prerequisites. S/2
373. Ethics in Business and Public Administration. 3 credits. Ethical issues occurring in business and public administration. Basic values promoted or inhibited by people and institutions in these areas will be investigated. Case studies will also be used within a context of ethical theory and history, to explore more defined problems such as unsafe products, employee rights, the relation between business life and personal life, and many more. F/2
399. Philosophic Themes. 1-3 credits. This course provides an opportunity for detailed examination of important philosophic themes. Topics will vary depending on faculty and student interests. Investigations into philosophy of religion, foundations of logic, African American philosophic schools, political correctness, and many others are possible. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits. On Demand.
408. Philosophy of Human Nature. 3 credits. A consideration of philosophical problems arising from the methodology of the behavioral sciences. Of special relevance to students majoring in Psychology, Political Science, Economics, Anthropology or Sociology. S/2
412. Philosophy of Law. 3 credits. An investigation of the nature of both law and legal reasoning. Study of the nature of law focuses on theories of natural law, legal positivism, and legal realism. Legal reasoning concerns justified interpretation of precedent and statute within the common law tradition. Additional topics dealt with as time allows, encompass such issues as the justification of punishment and enforcement of morality. F
425. Metaethics: Is Ethics Possible? 3 credits. A study of traditional problems in ethical theory including the foundations of ethical philosophy, the nature of the good, ethical relativity, free will versus determinism. Although case studies and contemporary examples will appear in discussions, the central focus of the course will be historical and theoretical. F/3
430. Philosophy of Science and Technology. 3 credits. A study of the philosophic aspects of science and technology. Problems include, what makes a theory scientific?, is there a scientific “method?”, can one believe in science and religion at the same time?, how can we tell whether a technological enterprise is a reasonable risk or a negligent gamble?, how should a technological advance be controlled. S/3
440. Metaphysics: What is Real? 3 credits. A study of the basic categories by which things are understood. Topics include such issues as appearance and reality, substance, particular and general, space and time, and personal identity. F/3
465. Existentialism. 3 credits. An examination of the nature of human existence and its relationship to freedom. This course investigates the consequences of one’s choices and their effects on identity, ethics, and on other people. By examining the works of such philosophers as Kierkegaard, Sartre, Camus, de Beauvoir, and others, students will investigate the ways in which human beings construct their own identities and develop their own ethical and political standards. S/3
470. Epistemology: What Can We Know and How Can We Know It? 3 credits. Inquiry into the nature and limits of knowledge as distinguished from belief; types of knowledge; the role of reason and sense experience in empirical knowledge. S/3
491. Seminar in Philosophy. 3-6 credits. Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing and consent of the instructor. A consideration of selected philosophical problems or classic texts of mutual interest to departmental faculty and more advanced students. Previous work in philosophy or related disciplines is recommended. On Demand.
494. Independent Study in Philosophy. 1-3 credits. May be repeated to 8 credits. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Supervised tutorial on an individual basis. Typically, a student will work independently to a considerable extent. In other cases, the course may take the form of regularly scheduled meetings. F, S Courses
in Religion
Religion at the University is not studied with the assumption that one faith is true and the others are false. Rather, all religions are seen as creative, living systems of beliefs and practices that enable men and women around the globe to make sense of their lives. By studying, and to a limited degree projecting ourselves into, these belief systems, we are better able to appreciate the outlooks and values of other cultures and gain new insight into what gives meaning and worth to our lives. At the University religion is studied as the Supreme Court recommended in a 1963 opinion: “It might be said that one’s education is not complete without the study of comparative religion or the history of religion and its relationship to the advancement of civilization.”
The study of religion is an integral part of a liberal education. It is also an enrichment for courses of study in preparation for careers in business, education, health care, social and psychological services. Courses in religion are a good preparation for post-graduate studies in law, medicine, and the ministry.
100. Introduction to Religious Inquiry. 3 credits. An introduction to the questions posed by those seeking religious truth as well as the methods and tools used by all religious traditions. This course is designed as a foundational entry into the academic study of religion, well suited for students with little or no training in the academic study of religion. F
101. Introduction to Religion (West). 3 credits. A survey of the classical stories, rituals, and symbols of religious culture in Western civilization from ancient times to the present. F
102. Introduction to Religion (East). 3 credits. A survey of the classical stories, rituals and symbols of religious culture with an emphasis on the traditions of the Orient from ancient times to the present. S
120. Religion in America. 3 credits. A study of religious life in America. Emphasis is placed on the role of religion in the development of American life and character. S/2
203. World Religions. 3 credits. A general survey of the beliefs and practices of major world religions, with a focus on Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Native American traditions. S
216. Women and Religion. 3 credits. An examination of the role of women’s experiences in religious thought, symbols and traditions, beginning with the centrality of goddess and mythic female figures, to the shift from matriarchy to patriarchy in the major cultures of the world and the consequential suppression of women’s experiences by patriarchal society, up to the current trend towards reformation and reconstruction of traditional religions by contemporary women theologians and religious thinkers. S
221. Jewish Scripture/Old Testament. 3 credits. An introduction to the academic study of this ancient literature that includes an investigation of its historical, cultural, and religious contexts, as well as an examination of the fundamental interpretive approaches employed by biblical scholars. F
231. Christian Scripture/New Testament. 3 credits. An introduction to the academic study of the New Testament that includes an investigation of its historical, cultural and religious contexts, as well as an examination of the fundamental interpretive approaches employed by biblical scholars. S
228. Early Christian Traditions. 3 credits. A survey of Christian traditions, from their origins in Judaism and Greek philosophy; continuing through the growth of Christian doctrine in the 4th to 8th centuries; and concluding with the church in the Middle Ages. F
238. Christianity in the Modern World. 3 credits. A survey of Christianity from the Protestant Reformation to Vatican II, with an emphasis on the influence of Protestantism, responses to the Enlightenment in Christian theology, and twentieth-century challenges. S
247. Introduction to Judaism. 3 credits. Comparative Jewish thought in cultural context and as manifest in Jewish literature. Topics to be studied include the sacred, the human community, the role of Israel, ethics, the Holocaust. F/3
250. East and West in Religion. 3 credits. A critical and comparative study of people’s religious orientation between Eastern and Western traditions. F
300. Jesus in Gospel and History. 3 credits. A study of one of the most significant personalities in religious history. Biblical and non-biblical texts which have defined and described Jesus will be examined. F
301. Life and Religion of Paul. 3 credits. A study of the Pauline themes underlying the Christian faith as seen through the writings of this creative religious personality. Emphasis on current Pauline studies. S
305. Mysticism. 3 credits. A study of mystics and their writings from the Eastern and Western traditions and the application of methods of religious inquiry into the presence of mystical phenomena. F
309. Atheism, Theism, and Secularism. 3 credits. Exploration of the basic theistic and atheistic options regarding the ultimate meaning and value of human life, with a study of the impact the rise of secularism has had on religious faith. On demand.
315. Religion and Philosophy in China and Tibet. 3 credits. A survey of the major religions and philosophical systems of China and Tibet, from the bronze age through the Marxist-Leninist-Mao Zedong thought of the People’s Republic of China. S/3
320. Religion and Philosophy in India. 3 credits. A survey of the incredible range of beliefs and practices developed by the great religions and philosophical teachers of India. F/3
321. Prophets and Prophecy. 3 credits. This course investigates the religious phenomenon of prophecy in both traditional contexts (ancient Israelite religion and the ancient near east, early Christianity and the Greco-roman world), as well as in its present day manifestations within a variety of indigenous cultures and contemporary religions. S/3
342. Religious Ethics. 3 credits. Problems concerning the presuppositions of religious ethics and their application to personal moral issues and to such areas of community life as business, race relations, war and peace. On demand.
345. Death and Dying. 3 credits. An examination of various perspectives on death and dying in our own and other cultures with a view to coping with the problems of mortality and immortality. Medical, psychological, philosophical, and religious aspects contributing to an understanding of the meaning of death will be offered by resource people whose experience will lend assistance to the student’s confronting the reality of death and dying. Lecture and discussion. F
380. Buddhism. 3 credits. A historical and critical survey of different Buddhist schools in India, China, Tibet, and Japan. S/3
399. Selected Topics. 1-3 credits. A selected topic in the area of religious studies such as Atheism, Religion and Public Life, Lessons of the Holocaust, Religion and the Environment, Greco-Roman Religion, African American Religious History, Women Religious Writers, F, S
410. Asian Religions in the United States. 3 credits. A survey of Asian religions in the U.S., with special attention paid to the ways in which Asian religions are becoming Americanized and American popular culture is becoming Easternized. S/3
423. Psychology of Religion. 3 credits. The psychological significance of various types of religious experience, personal and social. An examination of classical psychological statements about religion including James, Allport, Kierkegaard, Freud, and Jung. S/2
431. Religious Violence and the Apocalyptic Mind. 3 credits. This course examines contemporary examples of religious violence by placing them within a broader context of ancient and modern examples of apocalyptic thought. S/3
466. Sex, Gender and Religion. 4 credits. This course presents issues generated by the interrelationship of sex, sexual orientation and gender with religon. Included in our investigation are examination of the various interpretations of sacred texts which produce discourses of sexual control, establish moral authority and seek to define sexual identity. Other discourses are those created from other religious experiences and therefore resist those of the dominant society. S/2
491. Seminar on Religion. 3 credits. Prerequisites: Junior or Senior standing and some upper level work in Religion or consent of the instructor. A consideration of selected topics or religious classics of mutual interest to departmental staff and advanced students in Religion. On Demand.
494. Independent Studies in Religion. 1-3 credits, may be repeated to 8 credits. Prerequisite: consent of the instructor. Supervised reading and study on an individual basis. F, S
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