Courses in Philosophy

MAJOR IN PHILOSOPHY

A major in Philosophy requires at least 12 credit hours of lower-level (100 or 200) Philosophy courses, of which nine credit hours must be in the core courses: Phil 101, 200, and 300 or their equivalent.

A minimum of 21 credit hours must be taken at the the upper-level (300 or 400), and must include at least one seminar course.

A grade of C or better in each core course is required for the major.

NOTE: The thesis (Phil 490 and 493) may only count as three credit hours toward the requirements for the upper- level electives.

MINOR IN PHILOSOPHY

A minor in Philosophy requires the core courses: Phil 101, 200, and 300 or their equivalent, plus an additional 15 credit hours in Philosophy of which 12 credit hours must be at the upper level.

A grade of C or better in each core course is required for the minor.

REQUIRED & CORE COURSES IN PHILOSOPHY

Phil 100 Worldview, Faith and Reason
Provides a broad overview of Western thought and critically examines the growth of science after the enlightenment and its relationship to christian faith.

Phil 101 Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
Introduction to philosophy, tracing the development of Western philosophy from its pre-Socratic beginnings through the major greek philosophers, the hellenistic period and the development of medieval philosophy.

Phil 200 Descartes to Hegel
Explores issues of philosophical method and the scope and limits of knowledge through the writings of the rationalists, empiricists, Kant and hegel.

Phil 300 Twentieth Century Philosophy
Explores developments in analytic and continental philosophy since Nietzsche’s contributions.

ELECTIVE COURSES IN PHILOSOPHY

Phil 210 Critical Thinking
Improves the ability to analyze and evaluate arguments and assertions met with in everyday life, and hence sharpens skills of reasoning to sound conclusions from available evidence. Studies classic fallacies and some formal logic.

Phil 320 Philosophy of Religion
Considers issues in the philosophy of religion such as: the arguments for God’s existence, the problem of evil, religious language and the question of whether the attributes of God are genuinely compossible.

Phil 325 Philosophy of Human Rights
Examines the philosophical foundations of human rights including whether human rights should be understood as universally valid or a modern Western construct. Competing rights claims are also considered.

Phil 335 The Ethics and Politics of Justice
Examines ethical and political conceptions of justice and some of their applications in regional and global contexts.

Phil 345 Philosophy of Peace and Violence
Examines issues of peace and violence in relation to ethics, political theory and philosophical theories of human nature.

Phil 360 Classical and Contemporary Ethical Theories
Examines classical and contemporary ethical theories and meta-ethics.

Phil 370 Contemporary Ethical Issues
Examines a number of contemporary ethical issues such as: the environment, bioethics, euthanasia, terrorism and world hunger.

Phil 375 Bio Ethics
Studies controversial ethical issues brought on by advances in biology and medicine.

Phil 380 Business Ethics
Examines ethical issues arising in the business environment, including drug testing, sexual harassment, whistle-blowing and corporate social responsibility.

Phil 390 Sexual Ethics
Examines feminist approaches to ethics and ethical issues such as pornography, sexual perversion, gender identity, prostitution and sexual violence.

Phil 420 Miracles
Systematically examines the topic of miracles, sensitive to the historical and scientific claims that have largely motivated discussion of the concept.

Phil 450 Seminar on Existentialism
Examines major works of existentialist philosophers such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre and Heidegger.

Phil 455 Directed Reading
Selected Topics.

Phil 460 Postmodernism Seminar
Explores the intellectual and cultural transition named “postmodernism” in philosophy, literature and film, especially as it influences Christian identity and purpose.

Phil 465 Seminar
Analyzes popular culture in North America in the late 20th and early 21st centuries and the philosophical forces that underpin Western civilization.

Phil 470 Scope and Methods Seminar
Familiarizes students with the process of research and writing a thesis. Fosters reflection on the various methods employed in academic research in view of the need for upper-level students to integrate their previous learning in the various disciplines as well as hone their skills for writing their theses.

Phil 490 Thesis Reading and Research
the research portion of the baccalaureate thesis project in Philosophy. By the end of the term, each student will submit to the instructor: (1) an annotated bibliography of the secondary material relevant to the thesis, (2) an 8- to 10-page paper related to some aspect of the material examined during the bibliographical search, and (3) a detailed outline of the thesis.

Phil 493 Baccalaureate Thesis
Following successful completion of Phil 490, a student may use the research to write a thesis of at least 15,000 words (exclusive of footnotes and bibliography). the thesis should demonstrate thoughtful appraisal and the ability to present a scholarly argument, and should reflect the ethos of SSU in a substantial way. At the conclusion of the term, students will be required to make oral presentations based on their theses.