Philosophy (PHIL) Course Descriptions

• PHIL 1300 Introduction to Philosophical Dialogue

  Prerequisite(s): None

  This course introduces students to principles of philosophical discourse by means of Socratic dialogue, basic epistemology seminars, scholarly cultural analysis, and study of philosophical texts. Students are taught to recognize and avoid informal fallacies in discussion, and to strive for intellectual precision and logical soundness as they search for truth.

• PHIL 1305 Logic and Quantitative Reasoning

  Prerequisite(s): None

  This course introduces students to practical problem solving through logical deduction and induction, probability, and proofs of validity in formal systems. This course may include existential quantifiers, sets, and functions. In addition, this course trains students to evaluate argument salience through informal logic and consider critical thinking values such as objectivity and truth.

• PHIL 1310 Logic

  Prerequisite(s): None

  Logic has long been part of the core of a liberal arts education. In this course, students will learn to become better thinkers and communicators; mastering skills in symbolic logic, fallacy identification, and the philosophy of language. Topics in the history of philosophy and other disciplines will be studied to illustrate the role of logic in the liberal arts and to provide an opportunity for students to use their skills in diverse contexts.

• PHIL 1313 Introduction to Philosophy

  Prerequisite(s): None

  A foundational course designed to familiarize the student with the meaning and relevance of philosophy through a study of its main problems and the principal theories that have been proposed as solutions to them.

• PHIL 3320 Business Ethics

  Prerequisite(s): None

  The goal of PHIL 3320 is to prepare students for success in global business by teaching ethics from a Christian perspective. Students will be instructed in major approaches to business ethics and will be given opportunities to develop their character in constructive ways via case study participation. Special attention will be devoted to character formation in the context of a Christian worldview. Course topics may include: philosophical and cultural foundations of Business Ethics, the application of ethical principles in the marketplace, the development of constructive decisions and character amid the challenges of global business, the setup of a business ethics program within an organization. Human resources issues of diversity, whistle blowing, recruiting and hiring, and compensation will also be discussed as part of the course’s application phase.

• PHIL 3323 Ancient and Medieval Philosophy

  Prerequisite(s): None

  A study of the historical development of Western philosophy from its early beginnings in Greece to the end of the Middle Ages.

• PHIL 3334 Apologetics-Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview

  Prerequisite(s): PHIL 1313

  An in-depth study of the philosophical foundations for Christian belief and practice, including engaging philosophical criticisms of basic Christian beliefs and teaching.

• PHIL 3344 Modern/Contemporary Philosophy

  Prerequisite(s): None

  A continuation of PHIL 3323, beginning with the Renaissance and ending with the more important philosophers of recent times.

• PHIL 3350 Philosophy of Tragedy

  Prerequisite(s): None

  An analysis and evaluation of the tragic worldview as expressed in classic literature and philosophies of life. Topics considered could include the role of fate, free will, luck, and providence in moral responsibility, virtue, and happiness. Works considered could include the philosophies of Aristotle, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche, alongside the dramas of Sophocles and Shakespeare. Special attention will be paid to the problem of evil and the question of whether tragedy is compatible with the Christian worldview.

• PHIL 3360 Medical Humanities

  Prerequisite(s): None

  A course designed to introduce students to medical humanities. The course is an interdisciplinary approach to looking at medical ethics and culture that will focus on the humanities and especially philosophy. Subjects to be covered may include the concept of personhood at the beginning and end of life, the arts and medicine, the historical development of medicine, theology of medicine, and the philosophy of science and medicine.

• PHIL 3365 Medical Ethics

  Prerequisite(s): None

  This course will look at debates in medical ethics. Topics may include abortion, euthanasia, medical testing and research, scarcity and distribution of health care, genetics, privacy, and reproductive technology.

• PHIL 4160 Explorations in Philosophy

  Prerequisite(s): None

  A course exploring an unusual or specialized topic within the field of philosophy. Example topics may include philosophy of time, existence of abstract objects, subject/object division, applied ethics, or pop-culture studies.

• PHIL 4181 Special Topics/Independent Study

  Prerequisite(s): None

  Topics are selected on basis of student need and academic qualifications of staff. If regular lectures are not given, a minimum of 30 hours of work for each hour credit must be included.

• PHIL 4323 Ethics

  Prerequisite(s): None

  A course in which the major ethical systems and their theories of value and conduct are studied critically and evaluated from a Christian point of view.

• PHIL 4333 Aesthetics

  Prerequisite(s): PHIL 1313

  Examination of texts from the history of philosophy focusing on the questions of beauty, appropriateness, and value of both art and nature.

• PHIL 4334 Metaphysics

  Prerequisite(s): PHIL 1313

  Metaphysics is the study of the nature of reality. Topics to be discussed may include freedom of the will, causation, being, the nature of universals, possibility and necessity, space and time, philosophical anthropology and some philosophical theology. This class will provide a survey of these topics as it surveys views of the nature of reality over many different philosophical genres.

• PHIL 4335 Epistemology

  Prerequisite(s): PHIL 1313

  Considers questions such as the following: Can I have knowledge of anything outside my own mind – for example, physical objects or other minds? Or is the skeptic’s attack on my commonplace claims to know unanswerable? What is knowledge?

• PHIL 4336 Philosophy of Science

  Prerequisite(s): PHIL 1313

  Examination of the philosophical foundations for the natural sciences, as well as conceptual issues surrounding the nature and extent of scientific inquiry.

• PHIL 4358 Analytic Philosophy

  Prerequisite(s): PHIL 1313

  Readings from post-Idealist Anglo-American philosophers who pursue clarity, precision, and formalized logical argument as the best means to engage recurring philosophical questions.

• PHIL 4359 Political Philosophy

  Prerequisite(s): PHIL 1313

  Examination of texts from the history of philosophy focusing on the relationship between the individual and collective neighbor. In this course, the great philosophers guide us as we wrestle with questions concerning the polis, state, just and unjust government, and the law.

• PHIL 4363 Philosophy of Religion

  Prerequisite(s): None

  A critical examination of the nature and validity of religious experience and the place of religion in human life. Consideration is given to religious problems such as the existence and nature of God, the source of religious knowledge, the nature of man, the origin and nature of evil. (Offered also as CHRI 4363.)

• PHIL 4365 Philosophy of Mind

  Prerequisite(s): None

  A course exploring the nature of the mind and its relation to the body, consciousness, and thought. Topics may include personal identity, dualism, other minds, artificial intelligence, intention, and will.

• PHIL 4381 Special Topics/Independent Study

  Prerequisite(s): PHIL 1313

  Topics are selected on basis of student need and academic qualifications of staff. If regular lectures are not given, a minimum of 30 hours of work for each hour credit must be included.

• PHIL 4390 Great Philosophers and Their Works

  Prerequisite(s): PHIL 1313

  This course will closely study one or more philosophical texts from an important philosophical thinker. Examples include a study of Kierkegaard, a seminar on the Critique of Pure Reason, a close look at The Republic and the secondary literature surrounding it, and the writings of Al Plantinga.

• PHIL 5160 Explorations in Philosophy

  Prerequisite(s): None

  A course exploring an unusual or specialized topic within the field of philosophy. Example topics may include philosophy of time, existence of abstract objects, subject/object division, applied ethics, or pop-culture studies.

• PHIL 5181 Special Topics/Independent Study

  Prerequisite(s): None

  Topics are selected on basis of student need and academic qualifications of staff. If regular lectures are not given, a minimum of 30 hours of work for each hour credit must be included.

• PHIL 5199 Thesis Continuation

  Prerequisite(s): PHIL 6380 (taken twice)
  Restriction(s): Credit hours earned in this course may not be applied toward any course or credit hour requirements in the Master of Arts in Philosophy degree.

  This course continues research, writing, and defense of a thesis project began in PHIL 6380. This course earns one credit hour and may be taken twice.

• PHIL 5281 Special Topics/Independent Study

  Prerequisites: None

  Topics are selected on basis of student need and academic qualifications of staff. If regular lectures are not given, a minimum of 30 hours of work for each hour credit must be included.

• PHIL 5300 Fundamentals of Apologetics

  Prerequisite(s): None

  This course will cover the fundamentals of classic Christian apologetics. Topics such as arguments for God’s existence, the problem of evil, and the epistemology of religious belief will be covered.

• PHIL 5310 Logic

  Prerequisite(s): None

  This course will cover basic logic, including traditional logic, but focusing on modern symbolic logic. In addition to sentence logic and predicate logic, it will include probability and basic modal logic.

• PHIL 5320 Philosophy of Religion: Faith and Reason

  Prerequisite(s): None

  This course will deal with basic issues in philosophy of religion, such as arguments, the problem of evil, the relationship between faith and reason, miracles, and life after death. (Offered also as APOL 5320.)

• PHIL 5325 Philosophy and Worldview Studies for Psychology & Counseling

  Prerequisite(s): None

  This course explores the methodological and epistemological foundations of contemporary clinical psychology and counseling as well as other philosophical topics relevant to Christian therapeutic practice. These topics may include rationality, free will, clinical relationships, ethics, and philosophy of science. In addition, the way worldview impacts the history and future of clinical practice will be explored and emphasized. Texts assigned may include works by Plato, Aristotle, Epictetus, Augustine, Kierkegaard, James, Freud, Skinner, Piaget, and Kohlberg.

• PHIL 5330 Metaphysics

  Prerequisite(s): None

  This course will examine fundamental issues such as the nature of ultimate reality or being, the mind body problem, and the nature of freedom and its relationship to determinism. Particular attention will be given to the role of God in metaphysics and to the difference his existence makes for various issues.

• PHIL 5340 Epistemology

  Prerequisite(s): None

  This course will examine and assess different accounts of warranted belief and grounds for claims to knowledge. It will give attention to religious epistemology and the impact of theistic belief on epistemic theory.

• PHIL 5350 Ethics

  Prerequisite(s): None

  This course will focus on the nature of the good and the right, and various accounts of these fundamental aspects of moral philosophy, both classical and contemporary. Attention will be given to theistic and Christian accounts of morality, such as natural law theory and divine command theory.

• PHIL 5360 History of Philosophy: Ancient and Medieval

  Prerequisite(s): None

  This course will survey major figures, issues and ideas in the history of philosophy from the period of the pre-Socratic philosophers through the middle ages. Particular attention will be given to development of Christian thought in these time periods.

• PHIL 5370 History of Philosophy: Modern

  Prerequisite(s): None

  This course will survey major figures, issues, movements, and developments from Descartes in the beginning of the modern period to the early twentieth century. Particular attention will be given to the period of the enlightenment and other movements that have affected Christianity, either positively or negatively.

• PHIL 5381 Special Topics/Independent Study

  Prerequisite(s): None

  Topics are selected on basis of student need and academic qualifications of staff. If regular lectures are not given, a minimum of 30 hours of work for each hour credit must be included.

• PHIL 6310 Aesthetics

  Prerequisite(s): None

  This course will analyze and assess theories of beauty, value and the nature and meaning of art. Particular attention will be given to the role that belief in God has in the creative process and the meaning and motivation for artistic creation.

• PHIL 6320 Science and Faith

  Prerequisite(s): None

  This course will explore the history of the relationship between science and religion, including the alleged hostility between the two. It will examine various accounts of the compatibility between the two and ways they can be understood as mutually enriching. Other topics in the philosophy of science and how they interact with theism may be considered. (Offered also as APOL 6320.)

• PHIL 6330 Philosophy of C. S. Lewis

  Prerequisite(s): None

  This course will critically examine the main philosophical and religious writings of C. S. Lewis. It will assess the value and ongoing significance of his work for Christian philosophy and apologetics.

• PHIL 6340 Church and State

  Prerequisite(s): None

  This course is a survey of some of the different views of church-state relations that have been developed in western philosophy and in the Christian tradition over the last two thousand years. Its focus is on contemporary thinkers and also on the political philosophies of the major philosophers in the cannon. It includes studies of monarchy, two-kingdom theory, religious toleration, distributive justice, democracy, establishment and disestablishment, and citizenship, among other topics. Upon completion of the course, students will be familiar with the major theories of the relationship between church and state, and will be able to articulate and defend their own views of church-state interaction.

• PHIL 6350 The Problem of Evil

  Prerequisite(s): None

  This course will examine the problem of evil as a challenge to theistic and Christian belief, and explore different responses to the challenge, both classic and contemporary.

• PHIL 6360 Philosophy of History

  Prerequisite(s): None

  This course explores topics in both substantive and critical philosophy of history. These topics may include the nature of historical explanation and narrative, the relation of history to other disciplines, and the way in which scholars have viewed historical progress. Of interest will be the way in which the Philosophy of History can inform our theological beliefs, and in particular, our understanding of the life of Christ.

• PHIL 6380 Thesis Research

  Prerequisite(s): None

  This is a course for students writing a Master’s thesis. Requirements and readings will be set by consultations with a student’s advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies.

• PHIL 6381 Special Topics/Independent Study

  Prerequisite(s): None

  Topics are selected on basis of student need and academic qualifications of staff. If regular lectures are not given, a minimum of 30 hours of work for each hour credit must be included.