Philosophy

A non-symbolic approach to logic and critical thinking focusing on the principles of reasoning and the criteria for validity. Case studies in government, health, education and business, with an emphasis on real-life examples. Principles of argumentation in discourse as seen through the critique of sample arguments and analysis of informal fallacies.

Introduces students to the structure and evaluation of deductive arguments. The core of this course is sentence logic with proofs and predicate logic with quantifiers and proofs. Will learn to translate natural language into symbolic notation and test for validity using natural deduction. Prerequisites: MATH 099 with a grade of "C" (2.0) or better or appropriate placement score.

Philosophical examination of religion, especially of the theistic worldview. Topics include the nature and knowledge of God, faith and reason, religious knowledge, life after death, miracles, and the problem of evil.

Survey of the ethical perspectives of various philosophers in the context of current ethical issues. How our ideas about freedom, responsibility and values have an impact on ethical and moral decisions. Students are encouraged to develop their own ethical thinking.

Introduction to medical bioethics with a focus on clinical decisions. Learn to use the Four Box Method of Jonsen et al. to characterize the ethical content of a variety of clinical situations and collaborate to arrive at ethically defensible courses of action. Explores ways which contextual realities may constrain clinical ethical decision-making. Prerequisites: ENGL&101.

Survey of major world religions, focusing on the Egyptian, Hebrew, Indian, Japanese and Chinese religions. Other religions are considered as time permits.