The Philosophy Department | Degree Requirements
Course Descriptions | Back to Department List

Division of Religion

Degrees Offered
Philosophy Minor

Program Objectives

1. To foster an atmosphere that encourages the development of a Christian world view and provides the opportunity to test it against alternative views.
2. To acquaint the student with the history, literature, and theology of the Bible as the Word of God and to give instruction in its proper use.
3. To introduce the student to the richness of the Christian Tradition.
4. To delineate the parameters of Wesleyan Holiness theology.
5. To achieve an understanding of the great philosophers, the questions they raise, and the answers they propose.
6. To encourage the development of reflective, compassionate, and mature personhood, drawing upon the resources of the Christian witness to God’s grace.
7. To cultivate the skills necessary for effective ministry.
8. To lay a foundation for further specialization in seminary or university study.

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Degree Requirements

Two required courses toward the four courses necessary for the minor:

PH450 Philosophy of Religion
AND
PH381 Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
OR
PH382 Modern and Postmodern Philosophy

Two elective courses toward the four courses necessary for the minor, chosen from the following:

PH/TH385 Christian Ethics
PH331 Critical Thinking and Logic
PH381 Ancient and Medieval Philosophy
PH382 Modern and Postmodern Philosophy
Only one of the following courses may count toward the two required electives:
PH/HI481 Philosophy of History
GS420 Issues in Science and Religion
EN492 Literary Criticism
IS495 Contemporary Intellectual Issues
PH/MI300 World Religions

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Course Descriptions

PH331 Critical Thinking and Logic (3 credits)
Basic principles of logic, deduction and induction. This course includes brief treatment of symbolic logic. Offered in alternate years.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing

PH381 Ancient and Medieval Philosophy (3 credits)
Addresses issues in the history of philosophy. This course begins by examining the thought of pre-Socratic philosophers and ends with the Christian philosophy of Thomas Aquinas. Key historical figures such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, and St. Anselm will be examined. Also included for examination will be the thought of various Eastern and African philosophers.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing

PH382 Modern and Postmodern Philosophy (3 credits)
Addresses issues in the history of philosophy. This course begins by examining the thought of Rene Descartes and concludes by examining the thought of contemporary philosophers. The thought of modern philosophers, such as John Locke, George Berkeley, David Hume, Thomas Reid, Immanuel Kant, G.W.F. Hegel, and Soren Kierkegaard will be addressed. The thought of postmodern philosophers, such as Martin Heidegger, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Alfred North Whitehead, and Jacques Derrida will also be examined.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing

TH/PH385 Christian Ethics (3 credits)
An introduction to standard ways persons have dealt with the conflict of duty in its personal and social aspects. The course will treat the major contributors to ethical discourse from philosophical and theological perspectives. Special attention will be given to theological solutions as they relate to Christian ethical thought and behavior. It will include a survey of the major ethical problems of the contemporary world.
Prerequisites: PH381, PH382 and TH300 or TH441, or permission of instructor

PH450 Philosophy of Religion (3 credits)
Introduces students to pivotal questions regarding God and philosophy. Of primary importance are questions such as these: Does God exist and how can one know this? What are the primary attributes of God? How can one know whether one religion is more valid than another? Why is there evil in our world? What is the relationship between faith and reason?
Prerequisite: CP295, or PH381, or PH382, or permission of instructor

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Philosophy Department
Eastern Nazarene College | 23 East Elm Avenue
Quincy, Massachusetts 02170