Philosophy & Religious Studies Minor

PHIL 110. Forward or Delete? An 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.

PHIL 120. 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.

PHIL 300. History of Philosophy I (Ancient/Modern). 3 Credits.

The ancient Greeks and Romans laid the foundations for even The focus on Ancient Philosophy will investigate the foundations of Western philosophy through the study of ancient Greek and Roman thinkers like Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Lucretius, and Seneca, who raised and attempted to answer questions about topics such as: the nature of truth and knowledge; what is and how/can we live the good life; and what is justice. The focus on Modern Philosophy will highlight 17th and 18th century rationalist and empiricist philosophers like Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Hume, and Kant. Their influence on Enlightenment thought, including issues like doubt, certainty, free-will, perception, and belief will be explored in this version of the course. Course is repeatable, given the different emphases of Ancient and Modern Philosophy (Fall of odd years will be Ancient, even years will be Modern). Repeatable to 6 credits. F.

PHIL 334. 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. On demand.

PHIL 338. Christianity. 3 Credits.

A systematic and comparative investigation of the many varieties of Christianity that have occurred in the past and that exist in the contemporary world. S, even years.

PHIL 356. Islam. 3 Credits.

Beginning with pre-Islamic Arabian culture, this course provides an academic survey of the genesis of Islam, including the life of the prophet Muhammad and formative events in the early Islamic community, Qur'an and Hadith, common beliefs, rituals, and practices, the development of schools of Islamic jurisprudence and theology, Sufism, and Islamic art and literature. F, even years.