PHIL 1010 Introduction To Logic

[0-3 credit hours]

(not for major credit) An introduction to the symbolic analysis of argument components and structures. Topics include definition, syllogistic reasoning, semantics, sentential logic and probability.

Term Offered: Spring, Summer, Fall

Core Arts & Humanities, OT36 Arts and Humanities

PHIL 1020 Critical Thinking

[0-3 credit hours]

(not for major credit) A study of principles and patterns of good reasoning and writing, including the evaluation and construction of arguments and the identification and avoidance of fallacies.

Term Offered: Spring, Summer, Fall

Core Arts & Humanities, OT36 Arts and Humanities

PHIL 2000 World Philosophies

[3 credit hours]

Introduction to comparative analysis and interpretation of major themes, methods, and figures in philosophical traditions of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Topics may include knowledge and wisdom, the relationship between self and world, ethics and the good life, and politics.

Term Offered: Spring, Summer, Fall

Core Arts & Humanities, Multicultural Non-US Diversity

PHIL 2200 Introduction To Philosophy

[3 credit hours]

An introduction to philosophical reflection on such issues as the existence of God, free will, knowledge and objectivity, social justice and moral responsibility. Humanities core course.

Term Offered: Spring, Summer, Fall

Core Arts & Humanities, OT36 Arts and Humanities

PHIL 2400 Contemporary Moral Problems

[3 credit hours]

A study of topics such as abortion, euthanasia, environmental responsibility, famine relief, affirmative action and sexuality. Attention is paid to moral argument and the bases of moral decisions.

Term Offered: Spring, Summer, Fall

Core Arts & Humanities, OT36 Arts and Humanities

PHIL 3000 Symbolic Logic

[3 credit hours]

A study of propositional and predicate logic, techniques used to evaluate deductive arguments. Topics may include computability, set theory, Bayesianism and other formal systems with philosophical and mathematical relevance.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

PHIL 3060 Philosophy Of Language

[3 credit hours]

A historical and critical examination of topics in the philosophy of language such as truth, reference, representation, metaphor and interpretation.

Term Offered: Fall

PHIL 3120 Business Ethics

[3 credit hours]

An examination of the ethical dimensions of the relationships between a business and employees, consumers, other businesses, society, government, the law and the environment.

Term Offered: Spring, Summer, Fall

PHIL 3140 Computers And Culture

[3 credit hours]

A study of the philosophical issues computers raise which affect and reflect human values. Topics include censorship and privacy on the internet, virtual reality and the possibility of artificial intelligence.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

PHIL 3160 Data Science Ethics

[3 credit hours]

A course which covers ethical and social implications of big data science and management. Topics include big data research ethics, privacy, identity, healthcare, and social justice.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

PHIL 3180 Environmental Ethics

[3 credit hours]

An examination of our relation and responsibility to the natural environment. Topics include risk assessment, the value of non-human living things, resource use, economics, technology, environmental racism and ecology.

Term Offered: Spring, Summer, Fall

PHIL 3210 Ancient And Medieval Philosophy

[3 credit hours]

A study of ancient and medieval philosophy from the pre-Socratics to Aquinas.

Term Offered: Fall

PHIL 3230 Modern Philosophy

[3 credit hours]

A study of early modern philosophy from Descartes to Kant. Writing intensive course.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

PHIL 3240 Existentialism

[3 credit hours]

An examination of existentialist philosophy from the 19th Century to the present as represented in the works of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Camus, Sartre, de Beauvoir, Fanon and others. Topics may include anxiety, meaning and meaninglessness, freedom, and community.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

PHIL 3310 Science And Society

[3 credit hours]

A study of twentieth-century science and its relationships with government, industry, religion and medicine, including the emergence of Big Science and the future of science education and research.

Term Offered: Spring

PHIL 3370 Medical Ethics

[3 credit hours]

The application of ethics to the practice of medical professionals. Topics include authority, paternalism, truth-telling, informed consent, health care reform, genetic manipulation, abortion, infanticide and euthanasia.

Term Offered: Spring, Summer, Fall

PHIL 3500 Eastern Thought

[3 credit hours]

An examination of major philosophies of Asia and the Far East, their specific concerns and their relevance to contemporary problems.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

Multicultural Non-US Diversity

PHIL 3540 Feminism And Philosophy: Love, Sex and Marriage

[3 credit hours]

This course examines a number of cross-cultural philosophical conceptions of love, sex, and marriage, comparing historical and contemporary beliefs and practices in relation to gender/feminist and ethical theory. A number of philosophical and ethical issues, such as monogamy, cultural and theological contexts, pornography, marriage rights, and consent, will be investigated through readings, videos, and discussion boards, which are meant to encourage students to explore diverse viewpoints, analyze arguments, and cultivate a deeper critical awareness of their own and others’ viewpoints.

Term Offered: Spring, Summer

Multicultural US Diversity

PHIL 3560 Aesthetics

[3 credit hours]

An analysis and evaluation of aesthetic topics such as the definition of art, truth in the arts, the role of representation, the nature of aesthetic value and the character of aesthetic experience.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

PHIL 3570 Philosophy Of Religion

[3 credit hours]

A critical, philosophical exploration of questions about the nature of religion, including the existence and nature of God, the problem of evil, and the relation between faith and knowledge. Other topics may include the relation of religion to science and morality, as well as the role of religious experience and miracles in religious belief.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

PHIL 3630 Philosophy Of Psychology

[3 credit hours]

A philosophical examination of problems concerning the nature of mind such as the relation between mind and body, consciousness, free will and personal identity.

Term Offered: Fall

PHIL 3710 Philosophy Of Law

[3 credit hours]

A study of philosophical issues raised by law such as the foundations of the law, relation of law to morality, obligation to obey the law, the nature of rights, and approaches to legal interpretation.

Term Offered: Spring, Summer, Fall

PHIL 3750 Social And Political Philosophy

[3 credit hours]

A study of classic and contemporary treatments of justice, authority, the relations between individual and community, the meaning of freedom and equality, power and violence, and race and gender.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

PHIL 3760 Crime And Punishment

[3 credit hours]

A philosophical study of topics such as crime, responsibility, justice and punishment. Special attention is paid to current practices in the criminal justice system.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

PHIL 3900 Seminar

[3 credit hours]

Topics vary.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

PHIL 4010 Islamic Law and Society

[3 credit hours]

This course will survey Islamic law in historical and comparative modern contexts. This course will provide (a) basic introduction to the sources and methods of classical Islamic legal interpretation, (b) survey of the most pressing areas in which traditional Islamic norms remain relevant today—criminal law, family law, and commercial law, (c) the challenges and transformations introduced by colonialism, modernity, and the nation-state, and (d) comparison with the American law and the constitution, highlighting comparative interpretive methods such as originalism versus progressivism, and innovative dimensions of Islamic law such as legal pluralism, wide room for local custom, religious diversity, and restorative justice.

Term Offered: Spring

PHIL 4210 Ancient Philosophy Seminar

[3 credit hours]

An intensive study of the texts and arguments of Presocratic philosophers, Plato, Aristotle, or Hellenistic philosophers. Course may be repeated as topics vary.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

PHIL 4230 Modern Philosophy Seminar

[3 credit hours]

An intensive study of one or more Continental or British philosophers from the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries. Course may be repeated as topics vary.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

PHIL 4240 19th Century European Philosophy

[3 credit hours]

An intensive study of European philosophy after Kant, including Hegel, Marx, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

PHIL 4250 Phenomenology

[3 credit hours]

An intensive study of major works from phenomenological philosophers, such as Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, or Merleau-Ponty. Course may be repeated as topics vary.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

PHIL 4260 Recent European Philosophy

[3 credit hours]

An examination of texts and problems in the Frankfurt school, post-structuralism, deconstruction and post-modernism, or of such thinkers as Habermas, Foucault, Derrida and Lyotard. Course may be repeated as topics vary.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

PHIL 4270 American Philosophy

[3 credit hours]

A study of the development of American Philosophy, or one or more of Pierce, James, Dewey, or Mead. Course may be repeated as topics vary.

Term Offered: Fall

PHIL 4280 20th Century Analytic Philosophy

[3 credit hours]

Selected readings from Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, the Vienna Circle, the Ordinary Language school, and American neo-pragmatists such as Quine, Rorty and Davidson. Course may be repeated as topics vary.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

PHIL 4300 Philosophy Of Natural Science

[3 credit hours]

A study of scientific inquiry including the structure of scientific explanations, relations of evidence and confirmation, the metaphysics of theoretical entities, and the nature of scientific change and progress.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

PHIL 4400 Ethics Seminar

[3 credit hours]

Selected topics or philosophers in ethical theory. Course may be repeated as topics vary.

Term Offered: Spring

PHIL 4650 Philosophy Of Mind

[3 credit hours]

Advanced study of issues in the philosophy of mind such as: intentionality and misrepresentation, rationality and interpretation, supervenience and reductionism, folk psychology and eliminative materialism. Course may be repeated as topics vary.

Term Offered: Spring

PHIL 4750 Political Philosophy Seminar

[3 credit hours]

Selected topics or philosophers in political philosophy. Course may be repeated as topics vary.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

PHIL 4900 Advanced Seminar

[2-4 credit hours]

Topics vary.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

PHIL 4920 Directed Readings

[1-4 credit hours]

PHIL 4990 Independent Study - Honors

[3 credit hours]

REL 1220 World Religions

[3 credit hours]

A study of the major religions of the world, with an emphasis on their histories, beliefs and practices

Term Offered: Spring, Summer, Fall

Core Arts & Humanities, Multicultural Non-US Diversity, OT36 Arts and Humanities

REL 2000 Introduction To Religion

[3 credit hours]

Critical and thematic study of the concepts, values, practices and world-views intrinsic to the religious life.

Term Offered: Spring, Summer, Fall

Core Arts & Humanities, OT36 Arts and Humanities

REL 2070 Early Judaism

[3 credit hours]

Institutions, culture and religion from the earliest times through the Biblical period to the Medieval period.

REL 2310 Old Testament/Tanakh

[3 credit hours]

An examination of the history and ideas of the Jewish scriptures within the context of Judaism and their appropriation within Christian traditions.

Term Offered: Fall

Core Arts & Humanities, OT36 Arts and Humanities

REL 2320 Judaism

[3 credit hours]

An inductive introduction to the history, beliefs, and practices of Judaism, with an emphasis on various forms of Jewish culture and identity.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

REL 2330 New Testament History And Ideas

[3 credit hours]

Examination of the history and ideas of the New Testament.

Term Offered: Spring

Core Arts & Humanities, OT36 Arts and Humanities

REL 2380 Topics In Catholic Thought

[3 credit hours]

Critical examination of selected topics in contemporary Catholic thought and life.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

REL 2410 Christianity

[3 credit hours]

This course is designed to ground students with the basics of the Christian tradition, with particular focus on the contents of the bible and the dynamics of Christian history. Through careful reading of the assigned material, class discussion, and written assignments, students are expected to attain a wide-based knowledge of Christian self-understanding, values, and theology.

Term Offered: Fall

REL 2500 Islam

[3 credit hours]

An introduction to the academic understanding of Islam. Topics may include; faith, rituals, law (Shari'h), jurisprudence (Figh), theology (Kalam), and stories from the Islamic heritage. Non-Western multicultural course.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

Core Arts & Humanities, Multicultural Non-US Diversity, Multicultural US Diversity

REL 2980 Special Topics In Religious Studies

[3 credit hours]

Special topics courses. Course may be repeated for credit as topics vary.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

REL 3000 Religious Studies Proseminar

[1 credit hour]

This course enhances students' professional development in fields related to religious studies.

REL 3080 Jewish Biblical Studies

[3 credit hours]

An examination of the texts and methods of historical and contemporary Jewish scriptural studies.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

REL 3210 Ancient And Medieval Philosophy

[3 credit hours]

A study of ancient and medieval philosophy from the pre-Socratics to Aquinas.

Term Offered: Fall

REL 3350 The Qur'an And Hadith

[3 credit hours]

A study of the two main texts for Islamic belief and practice: Qur'an and the Hadith (the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad). Topics include their thematic structure, methods of interpretation, and their unique authority within Islam.

REL 3420 Christian Ethical Perspectives

[3 credit hours]

This course will study fundamental ethical concerns in Christian thought, with an extended consideration given to a particular Christian tradition determined by the instructor.

Term Offered: Spring

REL 3500 Eastern Thought

[3 credit hours]

An examination of major philosophies of Asia and the Far East, their specific concerns and their relevance to contemporary problems.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

Multicultural Non-US Diversity

REL 3510 Comparative Religion: Living Non-Western Religions

[3 credit hours]

Study of the major attitudes toward life, human existence and the world embodied in such major religions of the world as Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam and Taoism. Non-U.S. Diversity

REL 3570 Philosophy Of Religion

[3 credit hours]

A critical, philosophical exploration of questions about the nature of religion, including the existence and nature of God, the problem of evil, and the relation between faith and knowledge. Other topics may include the relation of religion to science and morality, as well as the role of religious experience and miracles in religious belief.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

REL 3580 Contemporary Issues In Islam

[3 credit hours]

An examination of key contemporary issues facing Islamic thought and culture, such as the changing and contested understandings of religious authority, jihad, role of women, courting, and family norms and the effects on all these of globalization and social media. Course may be repeated for credit as topics vary. Non-Western multicultural course.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

Multicultural Non-US Diversity

REL 3710 Literature Of The Old Testament

[3 credit hours]

A study of the Old Testament from the literary point of view, including ancient poetry, history, romance, short story, hymn, prophecy and wisdom writing. Recommended: ENGL 2700 or 2800.

Term Offered: Spring, Summer

REL 3900 Seminar-Contemporary Religious Thought

[3 credit hours]

A critical examination of selected topics in the area of religion.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

REL 3980 Special Topics In Religious Studies

[3 credit hours]

Special topics courses. Course may be repeated for credit as topics vary.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

REL 4010 Islamic Law and Society

[3 credit hours]

This course will survey Islamic law in historical and comparative modern contexts. This course will provide (a) basic introduction to the sources and methods of classical Islamic legal interpretation, (b) survey of the most pressing areas in which traditional Islamic norms remain relevant today—criminal law, family law, and commercial law, (c) the challenges and transformations introduced by colonialism, modernity, and the nation-state, and (d) comparison with the American law and the constitution, highlighting comparative interpretive methods such as originalism versus progressivism, and innovative dimensions of Islamic law such as legal pluralism, wide room for local custom, religious diversity, and restorative justice.

Term Offered: Spring

REL 4610 Religious Studies Topics In The Humanities

[3 credit hours]

Cross listings with 4000-level courses offered in the humanities departments. Specific topics vary, and course may be repeated for credit as topics vary. Check course schedules for specific subject and prerequisites.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

REL 4630 Religion, Violence and Peace

[3 credit hours]

This seminar is a sustained exploration of whether religion is related to the occurrence of violence, peace or community-building, and if so, when and how.

REL 4820 Anthropology Of Religion

[3 credit hours]

A cross-cultural approach to the description and analyses of magical and religious beliefs and practices in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Indigenous North America.

Prerequisites: ANTH 2800 with a minimum grade of D-

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

Multicultural Non-US Diversity

REL 4900 Seminar In Religious Studies

[3 credit hours]

Topics vary. Course may be repeated for credit as topics vary. See adviser for Seminar Request Form.

Term Offered: Spring, Summer, Fall

REL 4940 Internship In Religious Studies

[1-6 credit hours]

Student is placed in a campus or community setting approved by the instructor of record to work on issues pertaining to religion, and analyzes verbally and in writing how religion functioned in this setting.

Term Offered: Spring, Summer, Fall

REL 4960 Senior Thesis for Honors

[3 credit hours]

Prerequisite: Junior standing and consent of program director

Term Offered: Spring, Summer, Fall

REL 4980 Special Topics In Religious Studies

[3 credit hours]

Topics vary. Course may be repeated for credit as topics vary.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall

REL 4990 Independent Study In Religious Studies

[1-4 credit hours]

Directed study in religious studies under the supervision of a religious studies instructor.

Term Offered: Spring, Fall