PHL-REL-CLS Fall 2024 Advisement Newsletter

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.

PHL 245 – EXISTENTIALISM

A course examining existentialism and the work of philosophers and writers associated with existentialism. Since the name “existentialism” is a covering term for a diverse group of post-Hegelian, European philosophers, this course emphasizes the distinctive views of individual figures. Among the figures considered are Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Sartre, Beauvoir, and Camus.

PHL 250 – PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION

A course examining major issues, views, and positions in the philosophy of religion. Topics treated include the nature of religion and divinity, religious diversity, the problem of evil, philosophical arguments for the existence of God, religious experience, ethics and religion, and science and religion. Students will be encouraged to learn from great thinkers of the past and of the present, to examine their own religious values and beliefs, and to take reasoned and informed stands on the issues treated.

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 110 – WORLD RELIGIONS

Course comparing several of the world’s major religious traditions. Students will examine and compare the essential teachings, and the historical and cultural context, of most or all of the following: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and one or more additional non-Western tradition(s).

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 JUDAISM

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.

REL 373 – WOMEN & SPIRITUALITY:FEMININE

This course focuses on the intersections of feminism and spirituality, examines the experiences of women in a variety of spiritual traditions, and examines how worldview is shaped by historical context. The question of how feminists connect to, critique, transform, and remember spiritual experiences will be considered. The course explores several aspects of spirituality including language, ritual, and creativity; it also considers what happens when feminists alter, shape, retell and interpret rituals and traditions.

CLS 221 – THE ART OF GREECE

The course will deal with major monuments of Greek architecture, painting, sculpture, and minor arts from the Bronze Age through the Hellenistic Period. The emphasis will be on developments in Athens, the Peloponnesus and the mainland but monuments of art and architecture in Magna Graecia, Asia Minor, and the Greek islands will be included as well. Major emphasis will be placed on the principal forms of Greek art and architecture, with their stylistic development and social context. Students will also be introduced to questions of production and trade, as well as the religious, political, and social roles of Greek art. Different archaeological theories and interpretations and their relationship to Greek art and architecture will also be included. Slide lectures, museum trips, and critical and theoretical texts will be used to illustrate and illuminate the meanings and purposes of Greek art and architecture of this important period.

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 – TOPICS IN CLASSICAL STUDIES

This is a Topics Course with no prerequisites, offered primarily for sophomores, juniors, and seniors. It may not be appropriate for freshmen.