Philosophy and Religious Studies Department

PHILOSOPHY

PH 103 - LC Contemporary Moral Problems. A study and discussion of selected, contemporary moral issues such as capital punishment, sexual morality, pornography and censorship, discrimination, etc. Offered fall and spring semesters.

                        Donovan                     1:00 – 2:30 PM                       M,W                       MH 26

PH 109 Political Philosophy. This course examines and assesses various political theories concerning the relation between individuals and the state. Topics may include justice, power, human rights, natural law, equality, political obligation and consent, democracy and representation, civil disobedience, freedom and coercion, and utopias. Offered as required.

                        Danisi                          10:10 – 11:10 AM                   T,R                      MH 27

PH 202 - LC Medical Ethics. An in-depth examination of some major moral issues arising out of or associated with the practice of medicine, such as abortion, euthanasia, human experimentation, behavior control, the justice of the distribution of health care, etc. The focus will be on acquiring a sophisticated grasp of the complexities of the problems, understanding the logic of the opposed positions, and coming to a critical appreciation of their weaknesses and strengths. Offered spring semester of odd-numbered years.

                        Danisi                          9:40 – 11:10 AM                     T,R                      MH 27

PH 205 –ILC Philosophy of Mind. This course examines various philosophical and psychological approaches to our mental life and their implication for philosophy and culture. Topics may include the nature of the mental, the relation of mind and body, the reduction of mind to brain, whether a machine could think, and whether consciousness can be reconciled with a scientific view of the world. Offered as required.

                        Danisi                          9:40 – 11:10 AM                     T,R                       MH 23A

PH 212 Hegel, Marx and Nietzsche.

                        Donovan                     1:00 – 2:30 PM                       T,R                        MH 26
 

PH 400 Reflective Tutorial. This course is an advanced research and writing course that examines a major philosopher or is from one of the three groups of philosophy--the groups as set for in the major (ethics, values, and society; history of philosophy; metaphysics, epistemology, mind, and logic). As the culminating experience of the Tutorial, students will engage in self-directed library research that will result in a senior thesis or will engage in fieldwork in a community that will result in a written senior project. One unit. Offered in the fall semester.

                        Donovan                     TBA 

PH 401 Seminar:  Topics in Philosophy

                        Danisi                          1:00 - 2:30 PM                     M,W                              MH 29A

RELIGION

RE 103(I) Religions of the West. An introduction to the major religions of the Western world. The beliefs and practices of Judaism, thought and practice of the Orient with particular attention to those traditions which have attained popularity and significance in the West: Yoga, the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, Zen, Taoism, etc.  Certain distinctions between Eastern and Western religion and Christianity, and Islam will receive primary attention.  Particular attention will be paid to similarities and differences among these three faiths.  Offered fall and spring semesters.

                     Kaelber                         6:00 - 9:00 PM                       M                               SPH 30

RE 105-LC(I) Religions of the East. An introduction to the major systems of religious culture are suggested. Offered fall and spring semesters.

                     Kaelber                        9:40 - 11:10 AM                        T,R                          MH 11

RE 110(I) Introduction to Religion. An introduction to the study of religion as an academic discipline. The focus of the course is on religion as a dimension of human life. Its aim is to acquaint the student with the complex problems and issues which arise in the attempt to study and understand religious phenomena in their broadest human context. Offered fall and spring semesters.

                     Smith                           9:40 - 11:10                            T,R                           MH 12

RE 120(I) Introduction to the Bible. An introduction to the literature, history, and religious thought of the Bible and its interpretation. Study focuses on the origins of Judaism and Christianity, their institutions, beliefs, and major personalities as contained in the Jewish/Christian Bible. Offered fall and spring semesters.
 
            01        Smith                           10:10 – 11:10 AM                   M,W,F                   MH 12
            02        Smith                           11:20 – 12:20 PM                   M,W,F                   MH 12

RE 203 Spiritual Quest in Literature. An examination of some major pieces of literature that draw heavily upon religious themes and concepts for their content. How, for example, do fictional works deal with the issues of guilt, punishment, faith, and the quest for salvation? What is salvation? How, also, are God and Christ conceived in contemporary fiction? (Cross-listed as English 203). Offered fall and spring semesters.

                       Kaelber                        6:00 – 9:00 PM                       W                         MH 11