PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION (P&R)




P&R 1000. Introduction to Philosophy/(3).F;S.


A general introduction to the basic patterns and
methods of philosophy as presented through
representative thinkers. (WRITING) (CORE:
HUMANITIES)




P&R 1020. Religions of the World/(3).F;S.


An introduction to the major living religions of
the world. (MULTI-CULTURAL) (CORE: HUMANITIES)




P&R 1040. Critical Thinking Skills/(3).F;S.


An introduction to the art of critical thinking,
including identifying problems, locating
assumptions and analyzing their impact on the
products of thought, assessing causal claims,
learning problem solving strategies, and examining
creativity. (WRITING) (CORE: HUMANITIES)




P&R 1100. Logic I/(3).F;S.


This course is an introduction to logical
reasoning. This course will include the study of
truth-functions, translations of English sentences
into logical notation, truth-tables, deductions,
and some fallacy identification. The concepts of
validity, consistency, tautologousness,
contradiction, and logical equivalence are
introduced. Additional topics, such as categorical
syllogisms, inductive reasoning, and
quantification may be included at the discretion
of the instructor. (CORE: HUMANITIES)




P&R 1530-1549. Selected Topics/(1-4).On Demand.




P&R 2000. Social Issues and Ethics/(3).F;S.


An introduction to ethical reasoning and an
examination of moral problems in contemporary
social issues. (WRITING) (CORE: HUMANITIES)




P&R 2010. Old Testament Literature/(3).F;S.


An analysis of the Old Testament literature as the
product of the life of the Hebrew people. Selected
Old Testament documents will be studied in terms
of their literary structure, historical context
and religious perspective. (WRITING; MULTI-
CULTURAL) (CORE: HUMANITIES/LITERATURE)




P&R 2012. Humanities: Arts and Ideas I/(3).F.


A course which concentrates on the interplay of
art, music, dance, theatre, philosophy and
religion in the ancient through medieval cultures
and their influences as manifested in other
centuries. Lecture three hours. (Same as
ART/MUS/THR 2012.) (MULTI-CULTURAL; CROSS-
DISCIPLINARY) (CORE: HUMANITIES)




P&R 2013. Humanities: Arts and Ideas II/(3).S.


A course which concentrates on the interplay of
art, music, dance, theatre, philosophy and
religion in contemporary culture. Lecture three
hours. (Same as ART/MUS/THR 2013.) (WRITING; MULTI-
CULTURAL; CROSS-DISCIPLINARY) (CORE: HUMANITIES)




P&R 2015. Environmental Ethics/(3).F.


This course will provide an introduction to the
ethical dimensions of environmental issues. We
will study theoretical perspectives such as deep
ecology, ecofeminism, Native American views of the
land, and social ecology. We will also consider
environmental ethical issues such as the moral
status of nature, pesticide use, environmental
racism, the treatment of animals, rainforest
depletion, world population growth, and what it
means to live an ecologically responsible life.
(WRITING; MULTI-CULTURAL; CROSS-DISCIPLINARY)
(CORE: HUMANITIES)




P&R 2020. New Testament Literature/(3).F;S.


An analysis of New Testament literature as the
product of the life of the early Christian Church.
Selected New Testament documents will be studied
in terms of their literary structure, audience,
historical context, religious perspective, and
their relation to the broader Christian community
and Western culture. (WRITING; MULTI-CULTURAL)
(CORE: HUMANITIES/LITERATURE)




P&R 2025. Christianity to 1500/(3).F.


An introduction to Christianity from the early
church through the middle ages, treating such
movements as martyrdom and monasticism, the church
fathers and their response to heresy, and the
growth and decline of papal power. (WRITING; MULTI-
CULTURAL) (CORE: HUMANITIES)




P&R 2026. Christianity since 1500/(3).S.


An introduction to modern-day developments in
Christianity stemming from the break-up between
the Eastern and Western churches, the Protestant
Reformation, the effect of the Enlightenment and
science, and other contemporary movements such as
ecumenism, missions, and secularism. (No
prerequisite.) (WRITING; MULTI-CULTURAL) (CORE:
HUMANITIES)




P&R 2030. Islamic Religion and Culture/(3).S.


A selective survey of the religion and its
expression in Islamic civilization and literature
from the time of the revelation of the Quran to
the prophet Muhammad to the Islamic revival of the
current oil age. (MULTI-CULTURAL) (CORE:
HUMANITIES)




P&R 2040. Religions of Asia/(3).F;S.


A survey of the Hindu, Buddhist, Confucianist, and
Taoist literatures as seen in the life of the
Asian people. Selected literatures will be studied
in terms of literary, philosophical and religious
perspectives. (MULTI-CULTURAL; WRITING) (CORE:
HUMANITIES)




P&R 2100. Logic II/(3).S.


A study of some major systems of Logic, including
a formal study of Truth Functions and
Quantification. The notions of proof, theorem and
axiom are defined and some theory of Logic is
included. At the discretion of the instructor,
additional topics may be included (for example,
the Logic of Relations, Boolean Algebra Systems,
Modal Logic, the Logic of Probability or Inductive
Logic). Prerequisite: P&R 1100 or permission of
the instructor.




P&R 2200. Philosophy of Art and Beauty/(3).F.


A study of the nature and value of beauty,
uniqueness, and creativity in art, nature and
human affairs. (WRITING; CROSS-DISCIPLINARY)
(CORE: HUMANITIES)




P&R 2500 Independent Study/(1-4).F;S.




P&R 2530-2549. Selected Topics/(1-4).On Demand.




P&R 2700. Introduction to Methodologies in
Philosophy and Religion/(3).S.


This team-taught course applies the methods of
philosophical and religious study to perennial and
contemporary topics. Students will attain a basic
understanding of a range of disciplinary methods
of thought and inquiry. The course will study the
nature of philosophy and religion, philosophical
and religious methods, and their application to
variable topics. (WRITING)




P&R 3000. Ancient Philosophy/(3).F.


A study of the major philosophers of Greece and
Rome including the pre-Socratics, Socrates, Plato,
Aristotle, the Stoics, the Epicureans, and the
sceptics. Prerequisite: one course in philosophy
or consent of the instructor. (WRITING; MULTI-
CULTURAL) 




P&R 3010. The Old Testament Prophets/(3).S.


A study of the prophetic movement and its
literature in the Old Testament. Prerequisite:
2010 or permission of the instructor. (WRITING;
(MULTI-CULTURAL)




P&R 3015. Women in the Biblical Tradition/(3).F.


This course provides an extensive inquiry into
women's stories and images in the Hebrew Bible,
New Testament and Apocrypha. Feminist biblical
criticism will be emphasized along with a careful
study of what we can know about the lives of women
in the periods in which these texts were composed.
(WRITING; CROSS-DISCIPLINARY)




P&R 3020. The Life and Letters of Paul/(3).F.


A study of Paul's life and Christian experience as
reflected in his letters. Prerequisite: 2020 or
permission of the instructor. (WRITING; (MULTI-
CULTURAL)




P&R 3030. Feminist Philosophy/(3).S.


This course will examine conceptual and normative
issues in contemporary feminist theory. Issues to
be discussed include power and the production of
knowledge, resistance, violence against women, sex
and gender, the interrelatedness of gender, race,
class and sexuality, body image, the personal as
political, and the relation between feminist
theory and activism. The class will also consider
western and non-western feminist discussions of
these themes. The goal is for each student to gain
an appreciation of the diversity and complexity of
feminist thought, as well as insight concerning
the relation between women's experiences and
feminist theorizing. (WRITING; MULTICULTURAL)




P&R 3050. Religion in America/(3).F.


An examination of religious beliefs and practice
in the United States. Prerequisite: one course in
religion or consent of the instructor. (WRITING)




P&R 3200. Modern Philosophy/(3).S.


A study of views of eminent philosophers of the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, including
Descartes, Hume, and Kant. Prerequisite: one
course in philosophy or consent of the instructor.
(WRITING; MULTI-CULTURAL)




P&R 3300. Recent Anglo/American Philosophy/(3).S.


This course is a study of recent American
Philosophical Thought beginning with recent
Anglo/European Philosophical movements which have
led to American Philosophical movements including:
pragmatism, philosophical analysis, behaviorism,
scientific realism, and relativism. Philosophical
writing may be drawn from such philosophers as:
Carnap, Russell, Wittgenstein, Moore, Ayer, Ryle,
Austin, Dewey, James, Quine, Goodman, Putnam, and
Rorty. (WRITING)




P&R 3400. Contemporary Continental
Philosophy/(3).F.


This course will examine some important
philosophers and movements in continental
philosophy. Philosophical movements such as
Phenomenology, Existentialism, Critical Theory,
Feminism, Postcolonial Theory, and Deconstruction
will be discussed. (WRITING; MULTI-CULTURAL)




P&R 3420. African Thought/(3).F.


A selective survey of insights, systems of
thought, and cosmologies of traditional folk
religions, of African versions of global religions
and of contemporary intellectuals.
(MULTI-CULTURAL)




P&R 3430. Judaism/(3).F.


An examination of the history, literature, and
faith of post-exilic Judaism, with concentration
on selected topics and periods. (MULTI-CULTURAL;
WRITING)




P&R 3440. Zen Buddhism/(3).S.


An exploration of the impact of Zen Buddhism upon
Western cultures through materials drawn from Zen
literatures, Western writings about Zen, and
paintings. (MULTI-CULTURAL; WRITING)




P&R 3500. Independent Study/(1-4).F;S.




P&R 3520. Instructional Assistance/(1).F;S.


A supervised experience in the instructional
process on the university level through direct
participation in a classroom situation. Grading
will be on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis
only. Prerequisite: junior or senior standing. May
be repeated for a total credit of three semester
hours.




P&R 3530-3549. Selected Topics/(1-4). On Demand.




P&R 3600. Philosophy of Science/(3).S.


An investigation of the foundations, structure,
actual attainments, and ideals of the sciences.
Prerequisite: one course in science or science
education or philosophy or consent of instructor.
(WRITING) (CORE: HUMANITIES)




P&R 3800. Religion and Cultural Forms/(3).S.


An examination of the way religious themes and
issues have found expression in various types of
cultural forms such as literature, art, myth,
ritual, etc. (WRITING; CROSS-DISCIPLINARY)




P&R 4000. Nature of Knowledge/(3).F.


A study of the traditional problems of the origin,
nature, and limitations of knowledge. What do we
know and how do we know it? Prerequisite: one
course in philosophy or consent of the instructor.
(WRITING)




P&R 4015. Biblical Interpretation/(3).S.


An intensive examination of methods and issues in
biblical interpretation, with extensive experience
in the interpretation of specific biblical texts
from both testaments. Major issues in the history
of interpretation will be discussed, with emphasis
on contemporary methods. Prerequisite: one course
in biblical studies, and junior or senior status.
(WRITING)




P&R 4300. Ethical Theory/(3).F.


An examination of some major ethical theories and
issues raised in relation to epistemology and
language, such as, the status of knowledge in
ethics and the function of ethical language.
Prerequisite: P&R 1000, 2000 or consent of
instructor. (WRITING)




P&R 4510. Senior Honors Thesis/(3).On Demand.


Independent study and research. Honors thesis
directed by a member of the Department of
Philosophy and Religion and a member of an
affiliated department appropriate to the topic
selected by the student. Prerequisite: completion
of 6 hours of Honors work below the 4000 level.
(WRITING)




P&R 4549. Seminar/(3).F;S.


An intensive study of special problems, topics, or
issues related to the study of philosophy and/or
religion. The subject matter of this course will
vary and barring duplication of subject matter a
student may repeat the course for credit.
Prerequisite: one course in philosophy and/or
religion or consent of instructor. (WRITING;
SPEAKING) [Dual-listed with P&R 5649.]




P&R 4700. Seminar: Colloquium/(3).S.


Each student will role play a major thinker in
philosophy or religion for the semester, stating
and defending that thinker's position on a variety
of issues commonly discussed by both philosophers
and religious thinkers. Prerequisite: one course
in philosophy and/or religion or consent of the
instructor. Junior or senior status. (WRITING;
SPEAKING)




P&R 4900. Internship/(3-6). On Demand.


Graded on an S/U basis.