College of Arts and Sciences
Nursing
See College of Health, Education and Professional Studies, School of Nursing.
Philosophy and Religion
Professor William Harman, Head
The Department of Philosophy and Religion offers a 30-hour undergraduate major (B.A.) with separate concentrations in philosophy, religious studies, and philosophy and religion; and an 18-hour minor with separate concentrations in philosophy and religious studies. Through its curricular and extracurricular programs the department seeks to expose the student to a wide variety of influential philosophical and religious thinkers in both Western and Asian cultures.
The department sponsors a student organization, the Philosophy Club, which schedules a program of speakers throughout the year.
Philosophy and Religion: Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Combined Concentrations (B.A.)
- General Education (see for list of approved courses)
- Rhetoric and Composition: Two approved courses in rhetoric and composition (6 hours)
- Mathematics: One approved mathematics course (3 hours)
- Statistics: One approved statistics course (3 hours)
- Natural Sciences: Two approved natural science courses, at least one including a laboratory component (7-8 hours)
- Humanities and Fine Arts: Two approved humanities (other than Philosophy and Religion) and fine arts courses, one from fine arts and one from either (6 hours)
- Cultures and Civilizations: Option A: Western Humanities I and II and Non-Western Cultures and Civilizations OR Option B: World Civilization I, II, III (9 hours total)
- Behavioral and Social Sciences: Two approved behavioral or social science courses in two different disciplines (6 hours)
- Foreign Language: Through second college year in one foreign language.
- Completion of a minor with a minimum 2.0 grade point average
Complete one of the following concentrations:
1722 - Philosophy
- 30 hours philosophy beyond 100 level including Philosophy 211, 351, 353, 498r; one course in ethics, metaphysics, or epistemology.
- 2.0 average in all philosophy courses
1723 - Religious Studies
- Total of 30 hours including Philosophy 351 and 353; Philosophy 498r or Religion 498r; and also including 21 hours religion with two courses chosen from each of the following groups:
- Religion 211, 314, 315, 320, 321, 322, 417, 493r
- Religion 318, 334, 337, 351, 362, 366,
369, 467, 484, 492r
- 2.0 average in all philosophy and religion courses
- 1721 - Combined: Philosophy and Religion
Total of 30 hours
- 15 hours philosophy beyond 100 level including 351, 353, 498r
- 15 hours religion including two courses from 318, 334, 337, 351, 362, 366, 369,
- 467, 484, 492r
- 2.0 average in all philosophy and religion courses
- One course outside the department may count toward major with any concentration if approved by department head.
- All majors in Philosophy and Religion are required to complete a senior project under the supervision of a member of the faculty. Students register for this project by taking at least three hours of Philosophy 498r or Religion 498r. Completion of a Departmental Honors project will also satisfy this requirement.
- Minimum of 39 hours of 300 and 400 level courses.
- Electives to complete 120 hours.
PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION MINORS
4640 - Philosophy
- 18 hours of philosophy beyond 100 level including Philosophy 211, 351, 353; 9 of these hours must be earned in courses at 300 level or above.
- Minimum 2.0 average in the minor.
4650 - Religious Studies
- Total of 18 hours including Philosophy 333 or 353 and 15 hours religion, with at least one course from each of the following groups:
- Religion 211, 314, 315, 320, 321, 322, 417, 493r
- Religion 318, 334, 337, 351, 362, 366, 369, 467, 484, 492r
- Nine of the 18 hours must be earned in courses at 300 level or above.
- Minimum 2.0 average in the minor.
PHILOSOPHY COURSES (PHIL)
101 Western Philosophical Traditions I (3)
A survey of Western philosophical thought from Antiquity to the Renaissance. An exploration and elucidation of questions concerning the human condition and values. Pre or Corequisite: English 121.
102 Western Philosophical Traditions II (3)
A survey of Western philosophical thought from the Renaissance to the 20th Century. An exploration and elucidation of questions concerning the human condition and values. Prerequisite: English 121; Pre or Corequisite: English 122.
106 Philosophy and Human Nature (3)
Interpretations of human nature and analyses of the human condition from Plato to Russell and others in the 20th century. Lectures and discussions aimed at clarification of present meanings and values. Every semester.
113 Western Humanities I (3)
An historical approach to the pivotal ideas, systems of thought, and creations of the Western world from antiquity to approximately 1600 C.E. Emphasis on philosophical and religious themes. Corequisite: English 121.
115 Western Humanities II (3)
An historical approach to the pivotal ideas, systems of thought, and creations of the Western world from approximately 1600 C.E. to the present. Emphasis on philosophical and religious themes. Prerequisites: English 121. Corequisite: English 122.
199r Special Projects (1-4)
Individual or group projects. On demand. Maximum credit 4 hours.
201 Introduction to Philosophy (3)
An approach to the discipline through the perennial and changing issues of the field: freedom and determinism, the real and our knowledge of it, cosmological ideas, God, meaning, and moral values. Every semester.
211 Logic, Language, and Evidence (3)
An examination of accepted forms of reasoning and of the varied ways in which language functions; fallacy, definition, metaphor, and theories of meaning; examples from such areas as science, law, politics, theology, and philosophy; classical and symbolic logic; deductive techniques; induction and deduction contrasted. Fall semester.
