For more information on college coursework, please visit the links below:
Email: Dan-Howard Snyder
- Philosophy 113 - Introduction to Philosophy: Philosophy of Religion
Special attention is given to questions about the nature and existence of God. Also examined are such topics as the problem of evil, concepts of faith, religious experience, miracles, etc. Course is offered twice each quarter, including summer.
- Philosophy 335 - Philosophy of Religion
Philosophy of religion and philosophical theology at an advanced level. Topics may include arguments for and against the existence of God, the attributes of God, religious pluralism, religion and science, religion and ethics, miracles, the epistemology of religious faith, etc. Course is offered once per year.
Prerequisites: Phil 102, Introduction to Logic; Phil 113
Email: Myron Penner
Email: Fred Tabor
- Philosophy 200 – Philosophy of Religion
Covers traditional Western issues and problems such as the nature of theism, arguments for the existence of God, the problem of evil, religious plurality and exclusivism, fideism, agnosticism and atheism, and death and immortality. Prerequisite: ENGL 100/ESLA 117 or placement in ENGL& 101.
Email: Lisa Shapiro
Email: Kenneth Clatterbaugh
- Philosophy 267 - Introduction to Philosophy of Religion
Can God's existence be proven? Can God's non-existence be proven? Is it rational or reasonable to believe in God? What are miracles and do they ever happen? Is it possible for more than one religion to be correct? Does morality require a God? Is there life after death? We will explore these questions and so much more.
No previous experience with religion or philosophy required. (Enden)
- Philosophy 467 - Philosophy of Religion
This course will survey the main topics in contemporary, analytic philosophy of religion. We will begin with arguments that attempt to prove the existence of God and then consider the attempts to disprove the existence of God through the so called “problem of evil.” We will consider the debates regarding the attributes of God and then turn to various philosophical problems that arise in revealed religions involving God’s relation to creation, such as whether there are miracles, immortality and resurrection, and how we can know God. The final sections of the course will look at contemporary challenges to revealed religions, including evolution, the existence of a competing belief systems, and the possibility of secular ethics. Although we will cover a lot of material, the course cannot consider all points of view. The goal is to deepen your understanding of some key philosophical debates within religious traditions based on revelation. (Rosenthal)
Email: Burt Hopkins
- Phil 110 - Introduction to Philosophy and Critical Thinking
A combined historical and problem-oriented introduction to philosophy as a mode of inquiry and way of life. The foundational role of the Socratic mode of questioning for the Catholic intellectual tradition and the tradition of philosophy as spiritual exercise is emphasized, as is the global context within which philosophy is practiced in the 21st century.
- Phil 334 - Nature and Cosmos
Philosophical appraisal of contemporary cosmological theory. Possible topics include the Big Bang and before; cosmic expansion and the ultimate fate of the universe; space, time, and general relativity; singularities and black holes; the search for a unified field theory; the relation of cosmology to theology.
Prerequisite: PHIL 210 or 220
- Phil 336 - Philosophical Impact of Scientific Revolutions
Critical examination of one or more major scientific revolutions e.g., the Copernican, Galilean-Newtonian, Darwinian, or Einsteinian revolutions - and of philosophical responses to such emergent scientific views.
Prerequisite: PHIL 210 or 220
Email: Jack Wisemore
- Phil 3403 - Philosophy of Religion
A philosophical approach to questions raised by religious belief. This course will explore philosophical understandings of: the relationship between reason and belief, reason and revelation, the meaningfulness of religious language, the existence and nature of God. It also looks at three related problems: 1) the problem of evil, 2) the immortality of the soul, and 3) the nature and possibility of religious experience.
Email: Stephen Layman
- SPU’s Philosophy Department
- UCOR 3000 - Belief, Morality, and the Modern Mind. This course considers the question "How do I know what is true and how should I act on that knowledge?" It explores questions about Christian faith and practice that arise from modern developments in philosophy and science. Key themes are authority, reason, personal meaning, ethics, and love as the Christian response to God's creation and humankind. Prerequisite: UFDN 2000
- Phil 4898 - Existence of God. Explores issues relevant to the existence of God, such as, religious experience, the problem of evil, theistic arguments (e.g. the cosmological argument, the design argument, the ontological argument, the moral argument), religious pluralism, and the merits of philosophical naturalism. Can fulfill the senior capstone requirement in philosophy.
- Phil 4899 - Philosophical Theology. Explores philosophical questions arising from topics in theology, including the divine attributes (e.g. omnipotence, omniscience, perfect goodness), divine revelation, the Trinity, the Incarnation, and the Atonement. Can fulfill the senior capstone requirement in philosophy.
- Hist 4495 - Topics in the History of Science. Capstone research seminar, stressing analysis of primary sources and advanced integrative historical understanding. Focus may vary from year to year. Sample topics: Galileo and the church; the world of Isaac Newton; Darwin evolution and society; technology and modernity; the Scopes Trial; or women and science.