Religion and Philosophy (REL, PHI)

Professor Close; Associate Professors Bradie and Grangaard.

A student may earn one of the department’s majors: Religion or Philosophy.

Religion: 30 semester hours. Required courses are REL 201, 202, 204, 308, 309 (Junior level discipline specific communication requirement), and 490 (Capstone) or 476 (by permission of chair); PHI 309, 310, and 317 may be included among the 30 hours in religion.

Allied Subjects: 9 additional semester hours from among philosophy, literature (ENG 102, 151, 152-153, 154, 205-206, 221-222, 231-232, 300, 306-307, 330, 340, 346, 350, 355. 360, 382; NDI 301-302) and world history (HIS 105, 106, 113, 114, 121, 200, 252, 311, 321, 322, 332, 333; NDI 115).

Philosophy: 30 semester hours. Required courses are PHI 140, 202 or 380, 216, 309 (Junior level discipline specific communication requirement), 310 (Junior level discipline specific communication requirement), 490 (Capstone), and 12 additional PHI hours at the 200 level or above.

A maximum of 6 semester hours may be taken in Independent Study (413, 414) or the Honors Course (475, 476) for either of the majors. Internship (REL 370) does not count toward a major.

Minors: A student may earn a minor in one or both of the following:

Religion: 15 semester hours. Required courses are REL 201, 202, 204, 308, and 309.

Philosophy: 18 semester hours. Required courses are PHI 140, 202, 216, 309, 310, and one other PHI course at the 200 level or above. 

RELIGION (REL)

Courses in religion are designed to help all students gain a mature understanding of religion and appreciate the importance of values, meaning, and faith as integral parts of human life. Courses in religion are also designed to provide undergraduate preparation for students who wish to
continue their study in a theological seminary or graduate school.

Students who wish to be recommended for continuing study in a theological seminary are encouraged to complete the following courses: at least three courses in religion, History of Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, one course in writing (above 100 level), one course in literature, world history, a modern language through second-year level, classical and New Testament Greek through second-year level, a course in political ideas or international politics,
General Psychology, and Abnormal Psychology.

109. Judaism, Catholicism and Protestantism (3 sem. hrs.). An introduction to the scriptures, history and beliefs of Judaism, Catholicism and Protestantism, with the purpose of helping students understand their own traditions and also those of other people.

201. Introduction to the Old Testament (3 sem. hrs.). Survey of the Old Testament focusing on historical background, types of literature and central message. Recommended as background to Religion 202. (Open to firstyear students.) (Fall only)

202. Introduction to the New Testament (3 sem. hrs.). Introduction to the literature and thought of the New Testament, focusing on synoptic accounts of Jesus, letters of Paul and Gospel of John. (Open to first-year students.) (Spring only)

204. Religions of the World (3 sem. hrs.). History and beliefs of major religions in the world today, with special attention to Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity.

250. Christian Social Ethics (3 sem. hrs.). Ethical principles of the Judeo-Christian tradition and their import for the family, economic order, state and world community. (Open to first-year students.) (Fall of odd-even years)

302. Topics in Biblical Literature (3 sem. hrs.). Study of selected topics in the thought and literature of Old and New Testaments, such as creation and history, covenant formulations, Second Isaiah, problem of the historical Jesus, and gospel of John. Prerequisites: REL 201 or 202. (Spring of odd-even years)

308. History of Christian Thought (3 sem. hrs.). Survey of Christian thought from the close of the New Testament period to modern times. Emphasis on major movements and figures, with some attention to current intellectual, social, and historical developments. Students may do research on a major figure in Christian thought. (Fall of even-odd years)

309. Contemporary Christian Thought (3 sem. hrs.). Study of the fundamental beliefs of Christianity and their meaning for modern personal and social life. Open to juniors and seniors. (Spring of even-odd years)

339, 340. Topics in Religion (2 sem. hrs.). Seminar on selected topics of interdepartmental significance. Prerequisite: three hours in religion. (Offered on occasion)

370. Internship (4 sem. hrs.). Supervised experience in a local church or similar setting. Prerequisite: two courses in religion. Hours do not count towards the hours required by the major. (Fall and Spring)

413, 414. Independent Study (1 to 3 sem. hrs.). Systematic guided reading and the preparation of a paper. Prerequisite: nine hours in religion and permission of the instructor. (Maximum six hours) 475, 476. Honors Course (3 sem. hrs.).

475, 476. Honors Course (3 sem. hrs.).

490. Senior Seminar (2 sem. hrs.). This capstone course involves preparation and presentation of a research paper on a selected topic in the study of religion. Required of all majors; minors need permission of instructor. Prerequisites: Senior religion major or permission of the instructor. (Spring only)

PHILOSOPHY (PHI)

Philosophy enhances critical thinking, engenders ethical awareness and provides opportunity for the analysis and discussion of important and difficult issues and problems. The skills associated with the study of philosophy are highly valued by the legal and medical professions, government,
education, business and many other areas of our society. Philosophy majors routinely perform well on GRE exams and are at a substantial advantage in gaining admission to law school.

140. Introduction to Philosophy (3 sem. hrs.). An introduction to philosophy in which the various branches of philosophy are discussed, i.e., metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of religion, philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, and moral and political philosophy.

200. Aesthetics (3 sem. hrs.). This course is an exploration of the ways in which questions about art have been addressed. It will examine questions such as “What is art?” What is the connection between art and society? What is the relationship between art and morality? Is there a difference between art and entertainment? Is there a distinction between art and craft? After studying the ways in which various philosophers address these questions, students will have the opportunity to formulate their own ideas about art and its meaning.

202. Logic (3 sem. hrs.). Introduction to deductive and inductive rules of reasoning with attention to both formal and informal fallacies. Emphasis on practical applications of logic to everyday problems.

216. Ethics (3 sem. hrs.). Systematic study of main types of ethical theory such as hedonism, rationalism, utilitarianism, humanism and others. Emphasis on the relation of theory to actual conduct in personal and social life. (Fall and Spring)

220. Special Topics in Philosophy (3 sem. hrs.). Topics of special interest in philosophy not covered in the regular department offerings. (This course may be repeated.) Prerequisite: PHI 140 or PHI 216. (Offered on occasion)

305. Postmodern Philosophy (3 sem. hrs.). The focus of this course will be to gain an understanding of the positions presented by those who either call themselves “postmodern” or who are called such by others. Postmodern themes such as “self,” “other,” “the meaning of history,” “terror,” “communication,” “time” and “criticism” will be explored. Postmodern thought flows across the traditional boundaries of academic disciplines, therefore the course will also include the perspective of history and social criticism.

309. History of Western Philosophy: Ancient and Medieval (3 sem. hrs.). Origin and development of philosophical thought in the classical world, mutual influence of Christianity and classical thought and the philosophical developments of the Middle Ages. Open to juniors and seniors. (Fall of even-odd years)

310. History of Western Philosophy: Modern (3 sem. hrs.). Philosophical developments from Renaissance to present, with attention to interrelations of science, religion and philosophy. Open to juniors and seniors. (Spring of even-odd years)

317. Philosophy of Religion (3 sem. hrs.). Study of basic issues in philosophy of religion, such as faith and reason, as seen from different viewpoints such as existentialism, naturalism, rationalism and scholasticism. Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or permission of instructor. (Fall of odd-even years)

380. Symbolic Logic (3 sem. hrs.). This course in contemporary deductive logic covers the propositional and first order predicate calculus. Translation and proofs of arguments encountered in natural language are emphasized. The concepts of completeness and soundness, as well as other central theorems in metalogic, will be introduced. Familiarity with a formal notational system such as mathematics, music, or a foreign language is desirable.

385. Scientific Revolutions (3 sem. hrs.). This course in the philosophy of science covers a selection of philosophical issues in science such as the nature of scientific inquiry, the fact-theory distinction, induction, confirmation paradoxes, the model-theoretic perspective in the social sciences, reductionism, the nature of quantum reality, and the relativist controversy. Also included are such topical issues as the rise of pseudoscience, creationism, genetic engineering, basic versus applied research, and ethics in science and technology. (Offered every third spring.)

413, 414. Independent Study (1 to 3 sem. hrs.). Advanced study of a major philosopher, movement or problem under the guidance of a departmental faculty member. (Maximum 6 hours) Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

475, 476. Honors Course (3 sem. hrs.).

490. Philosophy Colloquium (3 sem. hrs.). Advanced study of a major philosopher, movement or problem under the guidance of a departmental faculty member. Prerequisite: Open to senior philosophy majors only.