PHIL 101-1 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY ----MWF 9:00-9:50----Dr.
Westmoreland
This course will introduce students to basic issues in philosophy: Is belief in God rational? Are rationality and
religious faith consistent? What is knowledge, and are we capable of it? What is the relationship of mind to body?
What is free will, and do we have it? The class will include lecture and discussion. Several in-class tests as
well as a final exam.
PHIL 101-2 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY----TTH 1:00-2:15----
Dr. Barnard
This course offers an introductory survey of major themes in philosophy though a selection of important texts;
it presumes no special knowledge on the part of the student, therefore it must be rigorous. Considering perennial
philosophical questions such as the nature of knowledge and existence allows us to train our intellect and promotes
clear and precise reasoning and communication. We will read short works by several significant historical and contemporary
thinkers. Evaluation will primarily be made by in class examination.
PHIL 101-3 INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY----TTH 8:00-9:15----
Dr. Manson
Students will get a sense of some of the central issues in philosophy by confronting
classical philosophical topics: Are there any absolute truths or are all truths just relative?
Does there exist anything that we cannot experience with our senses?
Are there any fundamental limits to human knowledge?
What is the nature of human freedom? Is human freedom even possible?
Is it possible for a human to survive death?
What is the nature of the human mind? Is it immaterial or material?
What is the nature of God? Can God's existence be proved or disproved?
In the course of addressing these questions students will develop their abilities to
think critically, reason analytically, and write clearly.
PHIL 103-1 LOGIC: CRITICAL THINKING (Same as LING 203-1)----MWF
9:00-9:50
Dr. Lawhead
The goal of this course is to help you evaluate arguments and to improve
your own reasoning abilities. Hence, we will practice techniques for detecting sleazy rhetoric, leaky arguments,
rotten reasoning, and questionable truth claims. Furthermore, we will help you in the process of cleaning out messy
reasoning, clearing up fuzzy reasoning, and constructing coherent reasoning. Evaluation will be based upon tests
and practical exercises.
PHIL 103-2 LOGIC: CRITICAL THINKING (Same as LING 203-2)----TTH
9:30-10:45
Dr. Barnard
This course will introduce the student to various techniques for representing
and evaluating arguments and reasoning. We will learn to recognize common mistakes in reasoning, and try to understand
why poor reasoning can seem so convincing. Course evaluation will be based upon in class examinations and exercises,
as well as regular homework.
PHIL 301 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY I----TTH 1:00-2:15----Dr.
Lawhead
This course is a survey of the significant thinkers, movements, and ideas in Greek, Hellenistic, Medieval, and
Renaissance philosophy. We will focus on how philosophical ideas develop, how they can be criticized, and how they
become modified. Evaluation will be based upon several tests and quizzes.
PHIL 309 ASIAN PHILOSOPHY (Same as REL 309)----TTH 8:00-9:15----Dr.
Cozad
(See course content under REL 309)
PHIL 321 ETHICS----MWF 11:00-11:50----Dr. Westmoreland
This is an exciting time in ethical theory. Traditional questions about (e.g.) whether there are moral values,
and about what they must be like if there are any (presumably they're very different from desks, chairs, and rainbows)
are being explored with more rigor and subtlety than ever. In addition to reading contemporary views on these questions,
we will also examine (among other things) the roles of emotion and reason in morality, various concepts of the
person and the moral theories of which they're parts, the place of rights on the moral map, and even recent excursions
into what you might call "untheory" (which say that moral theory is either of limited usefulness or even
downright distorting). Class participation, one short paper (4-5 pages), one longer paper (7-8 pages), a mid-term,
and a final exam will be required.
PHIL 323 METAPHYSICS----W 2:00-4:30----Dr. Barnard
Evaluation will primarily be made by in class examination. In this course we will consider
several topics in contemporary metaphysics and
ontology. Topics may include: the nature of universals, existence, mathematical
objects, time, freedom and determinism, etc.
Evaluation will primarily be made by in class examination.
PHIL
351 PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION (Same as REL 351)----TTH 9:30-10:45----Dr.
Manson
In the first part of this course students will examine the object of monotheistic
religious belief: God. Topics include the divine attributes (omniscience, omnipotence,
moral perfection, eternity, and necessity) and arguments for the existence of God. In
the second part of the course students will consider the rationality of religious
belief. Topics include revelation and religious experience, evidentialism, the problem
of evil, religious diversity, and naturalistic explanations of religion.
PHIL 353 PHILOSOPHY OF WAR----TTH 11:00-12:15----Dr. Harrington
A focus on the role of terrorism in war will be included in each part of this course. Goals: To help students reflect
critically and imaginatively on the nature and the experience of war and the philosophical problems it raises,
to prepare them for future wars and rumors of wars, so that it might not be said of them, that they fought their
next war in the same way as the last war. Strategy: To analyze the experience of war, especially in the killing
zone, through texts and novels and films; to examine the concept of war and warfare, both in the West and in the
East, focusing on Clausewitz and Sun Tzu; and finally to evaluate "battlefield ethics," the philosophical
problems which war and warfare produce. Requirements: daily preparation, three mid-course exams and an open-book
final, as well as book and film reviews. No prior experience with either war or philosophy required.
PHIL 490-1 DIRECTED READINGS IN PHILOSOPHY (PHILOSOPHY AND FILM)
TU 6:00-9:30 PM----Dr. Lawhead
Contrary to the title, this will not be a independent readings course, but a classroom course. It is cross-listed
with ENGL 468: Topics in Film Studies and will be team-taught with Dr. Jack Barbera. Each Tuesday evening we will
see a film that is interesting from the standpoint of film studies and that also touches on philosophical themes.
A discussion of the film and the philosophical content will follow.
REL 101-1 INTRODUCTION TO RELIGION----TTH 8:00-9:15----Prof.
O'Sullivan
This course provides a survey of major world religions originating in Europe, India, Asia, and the Middle East.
Material will be presented chronologically and will cover basic beliefs, deities, personalities, life rituals,
and holy days. Students are expected to identify these aspects of each religion and also to discover common themes
among the religions. Assessment will be based on three exams, several quizzes, and class participation. The texts
will be: Huston Smith, The World's Religions, Philip Novak, The World's Wisdom, Marianne Fergusson,
Women and Religion.
REL 101-2 INTRODUCTION TO RELIGION----MWF 12:00-12:50----Prof.
O'Sullivan
(See Rel 101-1)
REL 101-3 INTRODUCTION TO RELIGION----MWF 8:00-8:50----Prof.
O'Sullivan
(See Rel 101-1)
REL 101 (Web Course)-1 INTRODUCTION TO RELIGION----Prof.
O'Sullivan
(See Rel 101-1)
REL 309 ASIAN RELIGION (Same as PHIL 309)----TTH 8:00-9:15----Dr.
Cozad
This course operates as an introduction to the religious traditions of Asia. We will focus on sacred texts, divine
figures, myths, and rituals of the Hindu, Buddhist, Confucian, Taoist, and Shinto traditions. While we will be
looking at common themes that structure these traditions, we will be particularly focused on their diversity and
the diverse ways in which various social groups (i.e., women, indigenous peoples) express themselves within the
parameters of these traditions. Throughout this course one recurrent question will be asked: What complexities
arise from viewing non-western religious traditions from the confines of a western class-room setting? Most class
periods will be split between lectures and discussions supplemented by videos, recordings and various forms of
interactive learning. Evaluation will consist of a final exam, a paper, five short quizzes, and class participation.
Readings are to be completed for the day they are listed. No prerequisites required.
REL 310 THE OLD TESTAMENT AND EARLY JUDAISM----TTH 9:30-10:45----Dr.
Harrington
A study of the Hebrew Bible and the early development of Judaism. Goals: To become
acquainted with the Old Testament, its literature, its cultural setting, and the rise
of the Israeli people, to be better able to appreciate the significance and place of
the Old Testament and of Judaism in world religions and in Western thought, and so to
be better able to reflect on your own religious beliefs when this course is done.
Strategy: Reading and reflecting on the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament is a good way to
be introduced to the canon which has played and continues to play a major role in
Western theism--Christianity, Islam and Judaism--and so, in Western culture. If
religion is the set of beliefs and practices concerning ultimate place and destiny,
then religion is one of the most significant academic disciplines in which a student
can work. Here is your chance to enter in the teleocosmic drama described and
explained in world religions, to which the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament is a gateway.
Requirements: daily preparation, midcourse examinations The last midcourse exam
constitutes the final), and book reviews.
REL 311 WOMEN AND THE GODDESS IN EASTERN RELIGION (Same
as G St 311)
TTH 11:00-12:15----Dr. Cozad
This course has three goals: first, to explore the wide variety of Goddess figures within the Hindu, Buddhist,
and Taoist traditions through myths, rituals, theological texts, and iconography; second, to examine the social
experiences of women within these religious traditions and the ways in which these women have articulated their
own personal and religious identities; and third, to question the impact of various representations of the divine
upon our own personal, social, and religious identities. Class discussions will be supplemented by films, recordings,
a divination demonstration, and other forms of experiential learning. Evaluation will consist of a mid-term exam,
final exam, a paper, and five short quizzes. Optional extra credit
assignments will also be offered.
REL 320 HINDUISM----TTH 1:00-2:15----DR. COZAD
This course operates as an intensive survey of the diverse beliefs and practices encompassed within the Hindu tradition.
In pursuit of this goal, we will focus on philosophical doctrines, divine figures, myths, rituals, musical genres,
iconography, and pilgrimage sites. While primarily dealing with the development of this tradition from 1200 BCE
up to the present day in India, we will also examine the phenomenon of Hinduism in Bali as well as in the US. We
will also pay particular attention to the relationship between Hinduism and Islam in India, and the religio/political
differences between India and Pakistan. Most class periods will be split between lectures and discussions supplemented
by videos, recordings and various forms of interactive learning. Evaluation will consist of a final exam, a paper,
five short quizzes, and class participation. Readings are to be completed for the day they are listed.
REL 323 ISLAM----TTH 11:00-12:15----Dr. Thurlkill
This course examines the history of Islam as a 'world of meaning' beginning with the Arabian milieu before Muhammad's
prophetic call. It then continues to sketch the development of Muslim thought and practice over the fourteen centuries
of the ensuing Islamic era in which the "House of Islam" (dar al-Islam) expands over three continents
and beyond. Topics of focus will include the career of the Prophet and his function in shaping Muslim piety; Qur'an
and hadith; Islamic ritual and the pillars of Muslim praxis; Sunni/Shi'i division within the Muslim community;
and mysticism and devotional piety. We will conclude with a look at the modern political landscape of the Middle
East, and an examination of the origins and nature of modern Muslim reform and renewal movements.
REL 351 PHILOSOPHY OF
RELIGION (Same as PHIL 351)----TTH 9:30-10:45----Dr. Manson
(See PHIL 351)
PHIL 607-1 MAJOR WESTERN PHILOSOPHERS:
IMMANUEL KANT----MWF
12:00-12:50
Dr. Westmoreland
Click here for the course
poster
PHIL 611 PROBLEMS OF METAPHYSICS----W 2:00-4:30----Dr. Barnard
PHIL 613 PROBLEMS IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION----TTH 9:30-10:45----Dr. Manson
PHIL 615 RESEARCH: PHILOSOPHY OF WAR----TTH 11:00-12:15----Dr. Harrington
PHIL 616 RESEARCH: ASIAN PHILOSOPHY-----TTH 8:00-9:15----Dr. Cozad
PHIL 619 VALUE THEORY: ETHICAL THEORY----MWF 11:00-11:50----Dr. Westmoreland
REL 613-1 PROBLEMS IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF
RELIGION:
ASIAN PHILOSOPHY----TTH
8:00-9:15----Dr. Cozad
REL 613-2 PROBLEMS IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF
RELIGION:
WOMEN AND THE GODDESS
IN EASTERN RELIGION----TTH 11:00-12:15----Dr. Cozad
REL 613-3 PROBLEMS IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION: ISLAM
TTH 11:00-12:15----Dr. Thurlkill
REL 613-4 PROBLEMS IN THE PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION: HINDUISM
TTH 1:00-2:15----Dr. Cozad
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