Print this page A A A

Philosophy
Humanities
Religious Studies
 Philosophy

PHIL 1030 Introduction to Philosophy (3 credits):
An introduction to some central philosophical problems concerning free will, the self, science, and reality.

PHIL 1228 Honors Quest for Meaning and Values II (3 credits):
Open to those in the Honors Scholars Program only. The second part of a humanities course that aims at developing cultural understanding while honing critical reading and writing skills.

PHIL 2020 Introduction to Ethics (3 credits):
An introduction to some central philosophical problems concerning morality, freedom, and political authority.

PHIL 2030 Practical Reasoning (3 credits):
An introductory study of formal and informal reasoning in practical contexts (editorials, speeches, advertising, etc.) Also includes a study of syllogistic reasoning, the scientific method, definition, and clear writing.

PHIL 2040 Philosophy as Conversation (3 credits):
An introduction to philosophy as self-examination. Focus on discussion of the beliefs and values of the students in the class.

PHIL 2640 Science and the Modern World (3 credits):
A philosophical examination of central ideas of modern science and technology.

PHIL 3010 History of Ancient Philosophy (3 credits):
Prerequisite(s): Two (2) PHIL courses at the 1000 - 2000 level, or permission of the instructor. The development of Western philosophy in the Greek world from the pre-Socratic philosophers to Plotinus. Major emphasis on Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.

PHIL 3030 History of Modern Philosophy (3 credits):
Prerequisite(s): Two (2) PHIL courses at the 1000 - 2000 level  or permission of the instructor. An examination of European philosophical thought from approximately 1600 to 1850. Figures to be studied include Descartes, Spinoza, Locke, Hume, and Kant.

PHIL 3050 Symbolic Logic (3 credits):
Prerequisite(s): Two (2) PHIL courses at the 1000 - 2000 level  or permission of the instructor. Introduction to modern logic. This course explores the formal nature of language and reasoning. Propositional logic, predicate logic, and related topics.
   
PHIL 3061-63 Philosophy Colloquium (1-3 credits):
Prerequisite(s): Two (2) PHIL courses at the 1000 - 2000 level  or permission of the instructor. Each semester some important issue, movement, or person of philosophical concern will be studied. May be repeated for up to nine (9) credits.

PHIL 3110 Philosophies of Feminism ( 3 credits):
Prerequisite(s): Two (2) PHIL courses at the 1000 - 2000 level  or permission of the instructor. Examination of the major forms of feminist theory and also the role, functions and limitations of theory in addressing gender-related issues.

PHIL 3120 Existentialism (3 credits):
Prerequisite(s): Two (2) PHIL courses at the 1000 - 2000 level  or permission of the instructor. Studies in 19th and 20th century existentialism with special emphasis upon its literary expression. Philosophers and writers include Kierkegard, Ibsen, Dostoevsky, Buber, Marcel, Camus, and Sartre.

PHIL 3140 Environmental Philosophy (3 credits):
Prerequisite(s): Two (2) PHIL courses at the 1000 - 2000 level  or permission of the instructor. Examines the philosophical issues–ethical, metaphysical and epistemological–involved in contemporary discussions of environmental issues. Widely differing approaches will be considered in order to better understand the conflicting interests and values involved in environmental decision-making.

PHIL 3150 Philosophy of Law (3 credits):
Prerequisite(s): Completion of one lower division PHIL course. An exploration of major themes in the Philosophy of Law: the nature of law, judicial reasoning, the moral limits of criminal and tort law, liberty, equality, and justice. 

PHIL 3160 Native American Thinking (3 credits):
Prerequisite(s): At least, one PHIL course at the 2000 level or permission of the instructor. Drawing on the philosophical/religious perspectives of the Lakota, Hopi, Navaho, Nootka, Cherokee, and other native American tribes. This course will examine differing notions of time, place and space, motion, identity, and the holy.

PHIL 3170 Philosophy of Mind (3 credits):
Prerequisite(s): Two (2) PHIL courses at the 1000 or 2000 level, or permission of the instructor. A critical survey of the leading theories of mind and their variants, focusing on contemporary issues in the mind-body relation, consciousness, thought and other mental processes, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and free will.

PHIL 3230 / RELI 3230 Eastern Religions (3 credits):
A study of religions whose origins were in the East: Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Zen.
 
PHIL 4017/5017 Ethical Theory (3 credits):
Prerequisite(s): At least one (1) PHIL course at the 3000 level or permission of the instructor.  History of ethics from ancient Greece to the present Special emphasis on the theories of Aristotle, Kant, and Mill.

PHIL 4018 Honors Thesis (3 - 6 credits):
Open to those in university honor programs only. A capstone experience serving as the culmination of an honors curriculum.
 
PHIL 4047/5047 Philosophy of Religion (3 credits):
Prerequisite(s): At least one (1) PHIL or RELI course at the 3000 level or permission of the instructor. An examination of classical and contemporary discussions of philosophical issues about religion, including the nature of God, of human beings, and of religious truth, and contemporary discussions of religion and atheism.
 
PHIL 4057/5057 Philosophy of Art (3 credits):
Prerequisite(s): At least one (1) PHIL course at the 3000 level or permission of the instructor. An introduction to philosophical issues that arise in our attempts to understand the creation, appreciation, and criticism of the various literary, plastic, and performing arts.
 
PHIL 4067/5067 Philosophy in Literature (3 credits):
Prerequisite(s): At least one (1) PHIL course at the 3000 level; or permission of the instructor. An examination of philosophical issues as they appear in the world’s literature, including poetry, fiction, and essays.
 
PHIL 4077/5077 Contemporary Continental Philosophy (3 credits):
Prerequisite(s): At least one (1) of the following: PHIL 3010 or PHIL 3030 , or permission of the instructor. A survey of the developments in European philosophy from the late 19th century to the present. Topics may include phenomenology, hermeneutics, deconstruction, post-structuralism, critical theory, and philosophies of difference.
 
PHIL 4087/5087 Topics in Analytic Philosophy (3 credits):
Prerequisite(s): At least one (1) PHIL course at the 3000 level or permission of the instructor. A survey of the developments in analytic philosophy from the late 19th century to the present. Topics may include logical atomism, logical positivism, ordinary language philosophy, naturalism, conceptual analysis, analytic epistemology, analytic metaphysics, and meta-ethics.
 
PHIL 4107/5107 Classical Political Philosophy (3 credits):
Prerequisite(s): At least one (1) PHIL course at the 3000 level; or permission of the instructor. An examination of the classical tradition in political thought with emphasis on reading the works of Plato and Aristotle, as well as those of later representatives of this tradition.
 
PHIL 4127/5127 Modern Political Philosophy (3 credits):
Prerequisite(s): At least one (1) PHIL course at the 3000 level; or permission of the instructor. An examination of modern political thought with emphasis on the Social Contact theories of Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau and the Utilitarianism of Bentham, Mill, and others.
 
PHIL 4137/5137 Marxism (3 credits):
Prerequisite(s): At least one (1) PHIL course at the 3000 level; or permission of the instructor. A study of the basic ideas of Marx and his contemporary interpreters in Eastern Europe, Asia, and the Third World.

PHIL 4140 Topic in Political Philosophy (3 credits):
Prerequisite(s): At least one (1) PHIL course at the 3000 level; or permission of the instructor. An examination of selected topics in political philosophy chosen by the professor. Course may be repeated, provided that the content of the course significantly varies from previous offerings.

PHIL 4900 Independent Studies in Philosophy (1-3 credits):
Prerequisite(s): At least one (1) PHIL course at the 3000 level or permission of the instructor.
 
PHIL 4917/5917 Philosophy of the Biological & Biomedical Sciences (3 cr):
Prerequisite(s): At least one (1) PHIL course at the 3000 level or permission of the instructor. Topics of philosophical and theoretical interest generated by the biological and biomedical sciences Includes consideration of the broader social and cultural implications of biological and biomedical theory.

PHIL 4950 Senior Seminar (1-3 credits):
Prerequisite(s): At least one (1) PHIL course at the 3000 level or permission of the instructor.
 
PHIL 4957/ 5957 Special Topics in Philosophy (1-6 credits):
Prerequisite(s): At least one (1) PHIL course at the 3000 level or permission of the instructor.
Top
 Humanities

HUMT 1218 Honors Quest for Meaning and Values I (3 credits):
Open to those in the Honors Scholars Program only. A rigorous course in the humanities that aims at deepening skills of critical reading and writing and at cultivating a broad cultural literacy.

HUMT 2310 Arts & Ideas I (3 credits):
An examination of the arts and ideas of ancient and medieval cultures.

HUMT 2320 Arts & Ideas II (3 credits):
An examination of the arts and ideas of modern cultures. HUMT 2310 is not a prerequisite for this course.

HUMT 4930 Independent Studies in Humanities (3 credits)

HUMT 4950 Senior Seminar (3 credits)
Top
 Religious Studies

RELI 2210 Introduction to the Study of Religion (3 credits):
A comparative and historical introduction to the world’s ways of being religious.

RELI 3220 Western Religions (3 credits):
Prerequisite(s): RELI 2210, or permission of the instructor. A study of the religious life of the West, from preliterate societies and classical civilizations of the past through contemporary Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

RELI 3230 / PHIL 3230 Eastern Religions (3 credits):
A study of religions whose origins were in the East: Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Zen.

RELI 3240 The Hebrew Scriptures (3 credits):
Prerequisite(s): RELI 2210, or permission of the instructor. A historical and literary survey of the Hebrew Bible.

RELI 3250 Greek Scriptures (3 credits):
Prerequisite(s): RELI 2210, or permission of the instructor. A historical and literary survey of the Greek/Christian Scriptures.

RELI 3261-63 Religion Colloquium (1-3 credits):
Prerequisite(s): RELI 2210 or permission of the instructor. Some issue, movement, or person of importance to the study of religion will be selected for the topic. Course may be repeated to a maximum of nine (9) credit hours.

RELI 3530 / APST 3530 Religion in Appalachia(3 credits):
This course will survey the diversity of religions in Appalachia both historically and currently.
Top