COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
101. Introduction to Philosophy
This course provides a general introduction to the method, history and topics
that compromise the discipline of Philosophy. The course introduces
students to topics that include philosophical method (logic), ethics,
epistemology, metaphysics, political philosophy and philosophy of
religion. Students will develop their skills for reading philosophical
texts critically and will learn to reflect on many of the most fundamental
questions about themselves as humans, their relationships to others and to God.
111. Philosophy of Human Nature
A study of the nature of being human and the meaning of human existence. The course asks why and how people philosophize.
Philosophers' answers to these questions will be presented and discussed.
112. Introductory Logic
This course investigates the forms of valid reasoning in the classical as well as in the modern symbolic systems of logic. The
classical logic of the syllogism is covered via the Venn diagram method. Symbolic logic involves the propositional calculus, the
logic of predicates and classes, and formal proofs of validity-invalidity. The treatment of induction emphasizes scientific method
and the logical concept of probability. The aim of the course is both theoretical and practical; it aims at developing the student's
ability to think clearly and rigorously and to understand the rules for such thinking. Taught every winter semester.
121. Philosophy of Religion (Rel 121)
This is the departmental introduction to the study of religion. Emphasis is placed on human experience of the divine and seeks to
awaken an awareness of the diversity of the human response to the concept of the divine.
142. Christian Bioethics (Rel 142)
This course examines significant issues in contemporary biomedical ethics.
Students learn the major theological/philosophical principles employed by
bioethicists as application of these principles to important cases.
Students discuss current issues in contemporary health care within the context
of the Christian perspective of respect for the dignity of the human
person. The central question of the course is whether certain actions and
practices affecting human life and health are consistent with an understanding
of human beings as created in the image and likeness of God.
221. Ancient Philosophy
A study of the philosophic thought and work of Plato and Aristotle as well as the thought and work of their predecessors.
Selected Platonic dialogues and selections from the major works of Plato's best student, Aristotle, will be the focal point of
examinations and discussion.
222. Medieval Philosophy
A study of the philosophic thought and work of Augustine, Bonaventure and Thomas Aquinas as well as the thought and work
of their contemporaries. Selections from the major works of Augustine, Bonaventure and Thomas Aquinas will be the focal
point of examination and discussion.
231. Modern Philosophy
A study of the period from 1600 to 1900 when the distinction between philosophy and the specialized disciplines arose.
Special emphasis is placed upon Descartes. Locke (or Hume), Kant, Hegel and reactions to Hegelianism. This course provides
important background material for Philosophy 342, 422, 433 and 434. Historically, it leads to Philosophy 232.
232. Contemporary Thought
A survey of the principal currents of thought in the western world since 1900. The course will inquire into existentialism and the
other, major philosophical schools of thought (Marxism, Pragmatism, Positivism, and Linguistic Analysis). Correlations between
philosophic thought and the politics, scientific theories, art, and literature of the times will be studied. Especially recommended
to English and history majors.
341. Traditional Political Philosophy (Pol. Science 341)
A study of the perennial problems of political and social life, centering on law, justice, equality, the common good, and power,
as seen by the Presocratics, Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and including modern restatements by
Christian thinkers and others.
342. Modern Political Philosophy (Pol. Science 342)
A study of modern political ideas as expressed in rationalism, empiricism, Marxism, fascism, socialism and the welfare state.
348. Epistemology: Problems of Knowing
A study of how to judge a human being's claim to know the truth. In general, what can be claimed about the nature and the
scope of human knowledge? In particular, what is the truth value of each of the various sorts of human knowledge -- e.g., as
expressed in moral and aesthetic claims? This course attempts a radical synthesis of the methods of knowing implicit in the Core
program.
355. Independent Study ------ 1-3 hours
358-9. Great Thinkers
An advanced study of enduring philosophic interest. The course's content is determined by the interests of the members of the
department, the general faculty, and the students. Specifics are announced as the course is scheduled.
421. Metaphysics
A search for the ultimate explanation of being human in the world in which we live; an inquiry into the changing, acting and
existing that we experience in ourselves and in the world. Special emphasis is placed upon the relevance of metaphysical
conclusions to human living.
422. Ethics: Problems of Acting
An inquiry into the nature, the problems, the methods of ethics and theories of the good. Special attention is given to aiding
students to clarify for themselves their own lived values.
433. Phenomenology & Behavioral Science
An introduction to the basics of phenomenology, with special emphasis on the model of being human, the theory of knowledge
and the understanding of science as elaborated by Edmund Husserl and his disciples. The revolutionary developments which
phenomenology has brought about in psychology and sociology are also studied.
434. Philosophy of Law (Pol. Science 434)
An analysis and evaluation of the principal theories on the nature and the purpose of law currently taught in the great law
schools of the United States: natural law, legal positivism, and legal realism or sociological jurisprudence. Through critical
discussion of these theories and some of their practical and contemporary consequences, students are encouraged to formulate
their own philosophy of law. Especially recommended to pre-law and political science students.
458-9. Great Issues in Philosophy
An advanced study of themes of enduring philosophic interest. The course's content is determined by the interests of the
members of the department, the general faculty, and the students. Specifics are announced as the course is scheduled.
