Majors and Minors
Our coursework focuses on the empathetic ability to understand, the precise writing skills to articulate, and the critical-thinking power to examine the historical institutions, doctrines, and practices of different religious and philosophical traditions.
We offer the following:
- Bachelor of arts in philosophy
- Optional concentrations in pre-seminary studies and studies in religion
- Judeo-Christian studies minor
- Philosophy of law minor
- Philosophy and religious studies minor
The curriculum is very flexible, and is often pursued in conjunction with other majors and minors. We also participate in the 3 + 1 + 1 master's degree program with the University of Glasgow.
Sample Courses
From Machiavelli’s leadership egoism to Enron’s accounting scandal, this course examines the moral questions of the business world. In particular, the course emphasizes the development and application of critical thinking skills (e.g., fallacies, informal arguments, validity) for moral evaluation. Satisfies the logical reasoning foundation requirement.
Tracing the development of the concept of Eros (sexual love, desire) through the Western philosophical tradition, this course explores topics like the attainability of “true love,” the ethical imperatives of faithfulness and monogamy, the roles of masculinity and femininity, and the categorization of “normal” and “abnormal” sexual behavior in our culture today.
This course is an experiential exploration of philosophical concepts within classic and popular film. While specific films and themes vary each semester, common topics include the representation of good vs. evil, utopia and dystopia, the ethics of science and technology, gender relations, justice and the law, the nature of existence, and the cosmos. Partially satisfies the writing intensive requirement.
Hiking the Appalachian Trail can be understood as a kind of modern spiritual journey. This course is an experiential exploration of the Appalachian Trail, comparing and contrasting the experience of walking through the wilderness with traditional pilgrimages, and learning about others’ experience and reasons for hiking the trail. Class members will learn through reading, journal writing, interpersonal communication and hiking how pilgrim backpackers experience communitas in relation to both persons and their environment.