Plan of Study – Philosophy

Note: A Semester Hour (s.h.) is a unit of academic credit representing an hour of class (such as lecture class) or three hours of laboratory work each week for an academic semester. Most courses are two, three or four semester hours.

Philosophy: Minor

Minor Courses (Minimum of 21 semester hours required.)

PHL 1010 Introduction to Philosophy (3 s.h.)

Introduces students to the practice, meaning, and purpose of the discipline that “originates in wonder.” Explores questions, concepts, arguments, and schools of thought characteristic of the philosophical tradition.

PHL 2010 Logic (3 s.h.)

Study of the three acts of the mind: understanding, judgment, and reasoning. Covers both inductive and deductive reasoning, the traditional syllogism and the basics of symbolic logic, a study of informal fallacies, the connection between bias (in its various forms) and the performance of logic, especially as the former interferes with understanding and with making reasonable judgments (either through induction or deduction).

PHL 3650 Philosophy of Knowledge (3 s.h.)

Examination of the philosophical problems connected with the questions of how human beings know what they know, and how they know whether that knowledge is true or not.

RST 4080/4090/4110 Option (Choose from: RST 4080, RST 4090 or RST 4110.)

RST 4080

RST 4090 Environmental Ethics (PHL/RST*) (3 s.h.)

Study of moral/ethical dilemmas of equitable and responsible stewardship over creation. Judeo-Christian/Franciscan, non-western perspectives of contemporary issues of war and peace, abundance and want, stewardship and domination, excess and poverty, etc., are explored.

RST 4110 Medical Ethics (PHL/RST*) (3 s.h.)

Course is a study of moral issues and the ethical implications of human acts and values from a Christian perspective.

PHL 4230 Metaphysics (PHL*/RST) (3 s.h.)

Study, from a philosophical perspective, of the core issues of reality: the fundamental constituents of existence; the nature of God, truth, goodness, and the beautiful; discussion of solutions to metaphysical problems that have been proposed throughout the course of human history.

Electives (Minimum of 6 semester hours required. (Philosophy courses))

PHL 1050 Philosophy of Person (3 s.h.)

Explores questions about human identity, authenticity, meaning, love, purpose, and freedom. Examines a variety of schools of thought, including those categorized as “personalist".

PHL 1550 Introduction to Ethics (3 s.h.)

Examination of the field of ethics, values, and tools for ethical decision-making. Overview and analysis of significant philosophical approaches to ethical questions, as a basis for the study of contemporary ethical issues.

PHL 2850 Philosophy of Law (3 s.h.)

A critical survey of the three basic questions of the philosophy of law, via ontology (What is law?), epistemology (How do we know about law?), and ethics (Why should we obey the law?). Entails a study of what makes a legal system legitimate, the difference between (religious) morality and the law, legal theory, penology, and police ethics.

RST 2990 Catholic Social Teaching for the 21 st Century (3 s.h.)

Examination of significant themes of Catholic Social Teaching (including the dignity of the human person; social, political, and economic life; justice and peace; and care for the environment) and Franciscan values through a study of Church documents and the witness of St. Francis of Assisi. Focus on the implications of Catholic social justice teachings for the shaping of social institutions and policies.

PHL 3150 Existentialism (3 s.h.)

Study of the major themes of the philosophical approach of existential phenomenology which forms the intellectual foundation of much of modern thought and literature.

PHL 3310 Philosophy of Science (3 s.h.)

Study of the philosophy of science, reflecting on the philosophical presuppositions of modern scientific inquiry and a philosophical consideration of the nature of the world in which we live.

PHL 3750 Special Topics in Philosophy (1 s.h. (Not To Exceed 4 s.h.))

Focus on specialized topics of philosophical inquiry. Topics vary; may be repeated for credit with a new topic. PHL 1010 may be a prerequisite in some cases.

RST 4080

RST 4090 Environmental Ethics (PHL/RST*) (3 s.h.)

RST 4110 Medical Ethics (PHL/RST*) (3 s.h.)

Course is a study of moral issues and the ethical implications of human acts and values from a Christian perspective.

PHL 4150 Philosophy of Religion (PHL*/RST) (3 s.h.)

Beginning with the question, “What is (a) religion?” examines the meaning of religion from etymological, philosophical, and socio-cultural perspectives. Exploration of: 1) the meaning of “God” in the context of arguments for the existence of God; 2) common or universal features of the doctrine of God; 3) the relationship between reason and faith; and 4) conceptions of ultimate reality and of ultimate human fulfillment characteristic of religions.