ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE FOR ADVISEMENT & REGISTRATION
As always, we urge you to see your advisor prior to registration. It is important that you receive appropriate advice and that we keep your records updated. Be sure to sign up! Please note that all Philosophy majors have an advising hold that must be lifted prior to registration. You must meet with your advisor to lift this hold. Registration for the Fall 2025 semester begins Tuesday, April 1, 2025, and runs through Friday, April 11, 2025. Please check your PAWS account to determine when you are eligible to register.
Your advisor should be listed in your PAWS account on the right side of your student center screen. If you can’t find your advisor on PAWS, please inquire with the program assistant at ordini@tcnj.edu.
Philosophy Department courses are listed under several different headings in PAWS. Philosophy courses can predictably be found under PHL. However, be aware that you will find Classical Studies Courses under CLS, Religion Courses under REL and some courses may be cross listed with other departments such as HON. Please see the Advising Policy for the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at: Advising Resources for Students | School of Humanities and Social Sciences (tcnj.edu)
BE PREPARED FOR ADVISEMENT
Review the requirements for your program and create or revise your 4-year plan. Check the courses offered. Devise a tentative schedule for the Spring including back-up courses in case your preferred choices are filled. Put all desired courses in your PAWS shopping cart. Put in multiple sections if they are offered. Bring your 4-year plan to your advisement appointment. Show up for your appointment and show up on time! Your advisors make extra time in their very busy schedules to meet with you; once you have signed up, honor your commitment. In an emergency, contact your advisor to reschedule.
| Class | Description | M | T | W | Th | F | Start time | End Time | Instructor | Attributes |
| CLS 25001 | INTRODUCTION TO GREEK MYTHOLOG | N | Y | N | N | Y | 09.30 | 10.50 | Dakin,Emyr | VPA |
| CLS 25002 | INTRODUCTION TO GREEK MYTHOLOG | N | Y | N | N | Y | 12.30 | 13.50 | Pilney,Colin | VPA |
| CLS 25003 | INTRODUCTION TO GREEK MYTHOLOG | N | Y | N | N | Y | 14.00 | 15.20 | Pilney,Colin | VPA |
| CLS 27001 | TOPICS IN CLASSICAL STUDIES: ATHLETES AND GLADIATORS | N | Y | N | N | Y | 11.00 | 12.20 | Dakin,Emyr | |
| CLS 27002 | TOPICS IN CLASSICAL STUDIES: METAMORPHOSES TO MODERNITY | Y | N | N | Y | N | 14.00 | 15.20 | Rinaldi, Isabel | |
| PHL 10001 | INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY | Y | N | N | Y | N | 09.30 | 10.50 | Mcandrew,Matthew | Belief Systems |
| PHL 10002 | INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY | Y | N | N | Y | N | 11.00 | 12.20 | Mcandrew,Matthew | Belief Systems |
| PHL 10003 | INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY | N | Y | N | N | Y | 09.30 | 10.50 | Mcandrew,Matthew | Belief Systems |
| PHL 10004 | INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY | N | N | N | N | N | Preti,Consuelo | Belief Systems | ||
| PHL 10005 | INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY | Y | N | N | Y | N | 09.30 | 10.50 | Taylor,James | Belief Systems |
| PHL 12001 | INTRODUCTION TO LOGIC | N | Y | N | N | Y | 14.00 | 15.20 | Le Morvan,Pierre | Belief Systems, Mid-Level Writing Intensive |
| PHL 12002 | INTRODUCTION TO LOGIC | N | Y | N | N | Y | 15.30 | 16.50 | Le Morvan,Pierre | Belief Systems, Mid-Level Writing Intensive |
| PHL 12003 | INTRODUCTION TO LOGIC | N | Y | N | N | Y | 12.30 | 13.50 | Roberts,Melinda | Belief Systems, Mid-Level Writing Intensive |
| PHL 12004 | INTRODUCTION TO LOGIC | N | Y | N | N | Y | 11.00 | 12.20 | Roberts,Melinda | Belief Systems, Mid-Level Writing Intensive |
| PHL 13501 | CONTEMPORARY MORAL ISSUES | Y | N | N | Y | N | 11.00 | 12.20 | Taylor,James | Belief Systems |
| PHL 20101 | HISTORY OF ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY | N | Y | N | N | Y | 11.00 | 12.20 | Mcandrew,Matthew | Mid-Level Writing Intensive |
| REL 10001 | BASIC ISSUES IN RELIGION | N | N | N | N | N | Rech,David | Belief Systems | ||
| REL 11001 | WORLD RELIGIONS | Y | N | N | Y | N | 15.30 | 16.50 | Richardson, Susan | Global Perspectives, Belief Systems |
| REL 11301 | ISLAM AND ISLAMIC THOUGHT | N | N | N | N | N | Hamdeh,Emad | Global Perspectives, Belief Systems | ||
| REL 11302 | ISLAM AND ISLAMIC THOUGHT | N | N | N | N | N | Hamdeh,Emad | Global Perspectives, Belief Systems | ||
| REL 12001 | EARLY JUDAISM | Y | N | N | Y | N | 14.00 | 15.20 | Greenbaum,Akiva | Belief Systems |
| REL 12002 | EARLY JUDAISM | Y | N | N | Y | N | 12.30 | 13.50 | Greenbaum,Akiva | Belief Systems |
| REL 17001 | TOPICS IN RELIGION | Y | N | N | Y | N | 14.00 | 15.20 | Richardson, Susan | Belief Systems |
Course Descriptions Include:
PHL Course Descriptions
PHL 100 – INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY
A course that examines the fundamentals of philosophical argument, analysis and reasoning, as applied to a series of issues in logic, epistemology, metaphysics and ethics. Topics covered may include: logical validity, theories of knowledge and belief, the nature of mind, the nature of reality, arguments for the existence of God, and theories of the nature of right and wrong.
PHL 120 – INTRODUCTION TO LOGIC
A course on the basic principles and techniques of correct reasoning in ordinary life and the sciences. Study of the formal systems of sentence logic and predicate logic. Translation of natural language statements and arguments and analysis and evaluation of deductive arguments through the construction of proofs. Focus particularly on the power and precision of the natural language with the aim of helping students increase their ability to think and write with creativity, precision and rigor.
PHL 135 – CONTEMPORARY MORAL ISSUES
A course that aims to familiarize students with basic concepts and theories in ethics, and with how they may be applied to a range of contemporary moral issues. Topics addressed may include racism, sexism, abortion, euthanasia, cloning, capital punishment, our obligations to the disadvantaged, the treatment of non-human animals, just war, and the like. Students will be encouraged to learn from great thinkers of the past and of the present, to examine their own moral values and beliefs, and to take reasoned and informed stands on the issues treated.
PHL 201 – HISTORY OF ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY
A course tracing the development of philosophy in the West from its beginnings in 6th century B.C. Greece through the thought of Plato and Aristotle, especially focusing on questions concerning reality, knowledge, human nature, and the good life. Attention is also given to the influence of the Greek philosophers on the Western tradition to the present day.
REL Course Descriptions
REL 100 – BASIC ISSUES IN RELIGION
Course examining religious phenomena and their relationship to human understanding of oneself and society providing an opportunity to examine religion sympathetically but critically.
REL 113 – ISLAM AND ISLAMIC THOUGHT
Course examining Islam and some of the intellectual traditions that have flourished in conjunction with it. Students will study the historical origins and essential teachings of this religion and explore some of the literary and philosophical traditions that developed from or in close connection with Islam.
REL 120– EARLY JUDIASM
Course examining the fundamentals, history and development of the Jewish faith and way of life. Students will study the Jewish historical experience and the evolving theological responses to that experience from the beginnings of Judaism until the French Revolution.
CLS Course Descriptions
CLS 250 – INTRODUCTION TO GREEK MYTHOLOGY
An introduction to ancient Greek mythology through primary texts in English translation such as Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, Aeschylus’ Agamemnon, Sophocles’ Ajax, etc. Focuses on the Trojan War cycle of myths and its greatest heroes in order to understand how the ancient Greeks explored important aspects of their society through literature that ostensibly presents mythological events and characters. Attention is also given to visual representations of myth in sculpture and on vases and to differentiating the ancient Greek concept of “myth” from our own.
CLS 270-01 – TOPICS IN CLASSICAL STUDIES
Athletics and sports were as popular and significant in the ancient Greek and Roman world as they are today, and so offer a good introduction to many aspects of ancient culture over the centuries. Illustrated lectures, reinforced and amplified by readings from ancient and modern writers, as well as by discussion in class, will introduce you to such topics as: the development of Greek and Roman sports and spectacles, sites where they were held, the nature of individual events, and social implications. Wider cultural aspects to be explored include the religious, political, and social contexts of sports; how their ideology found expression in literature and the visual arts; issues of class, gender, nationalism, and ethnicity; and, of course, whether the modern Olympic Games are anything like the ancient ones. You will encounter the primary data drawn from archaeology, art, and literature, and read modern studies of this ancient evidence.
CLS 270-02 – TOPICS IN CLASSICAL STUDIES
From Metamorphoses to Modernity: Gender, Nature, and the Modern Reception of Ovid’s mythologies
This Topics Course will focus on the reception of Greek and Roman mythology from the literature produced in the Classical era by studying the original texts alongside their modern adaptations. The main Classical text for this course will be Ovid’s Metamorphoses, a poem that houses the largest collection of mythological stories, and from this text, we will branch out into the modern adaptations inspired by these original tales. By observing the alternate ways contemporary authors interpret and adapt the original myths, students will explore how Ovid’s text has been received both in the past and the present, focusing on the significance of the natural world and gender dynamics represented throughout his use of language. Because these modern adaptations work to offer a new perspective on the source text, granting voices to characters who have been silenced throughout history, students will have the opportunity to study the ways in which the dynamics of gender influence the interpretation of any given mythological story, both the Classical and the modern.