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This course is an introduction to the archaeology of the ancient Near East as it pertains to the Hebrew Bible. The initial phase of this course will explore basic archaeological field methods, terminology, and chronologies, and will offer a brief history of “biblical archaeology.” The second phase of the course examines a variety of major excavations throughout the Middle East and presents an overview of the archaeological data from these sites, ranging (in most cases) from the Late Bronze Age through Iron Age II.
Studies in the Gospels is an introduction to methods of critical analysis in New Testament interpretation, highlighting the messages presented by the writers of the synoptic gospels. Students explore the ways in which both traditional and contemporary methods of exegetical analysis contribute to the discussion of the “historical” Jesus of Nazareth.
This course is a survey of the emergence of Islam during late Roman antiquity and the middle ages, highlighting the life of the prophet Mohammed and the development of Islamic religion, philosophy, and literature in the early Islamic empires. Also considered is the development of Islamic fundamentalism in the modem world and institutional, operational, and environmental factors which demonstrate differences between the Islamic and the Western worlds. (This course may be taken for credit as HIST 329.)
The major aspects of religion are examined from a philosophical perspective. Topics studied are the religious experience, the meaning and significance of faith, belief and criteria, knowledge, proof, evidence, and certainty, the concept of deity, and the impact of religion on human life. (This course may be taken for credit as PHIL 355.)
This course is an administrative placeholder used to record a student’s score on Comprehensive Exams (CR/NCR).
This course is an introductory-level exploration of the major sub-divisions of the field of philosophy. Topics include such areas as logic, responsibility, ethics, virtue, political philosophy, metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of religion, philosophy of science, personhood, and “the nature of philosophy.”
This course is intended for those who are beginning the study of logic. Distinctions are drawn between deductive and inductive procedures; informal and formal fallacies are studied; formal argument structures are noted; and methods of distinguishing between valid and invalid argument forms are introduced (including Venn Diagrams, Rule Sets, Truth Tables, and Rules of Inference).
Amajorgoalofthis course is to provide students with the opportunity to acquire basic knowledge ofthe fundamental principles andbeliefs upon which individuals and groups have built or thought they built a system ofmorals or “ethics.” A variety of ethical stances are studied, with attention given to when they arose, the basis of their apparent appeal, and the consequences of acting in accord with those stances.
