Philosophy Major (M)
With its strong emphasis on a dialogue between Christian thought and secular philosophies, the Philosophy major explicitly upholds CUW’s Mission statement, by helping students develop their mind “for service to Christ in the church and the world.” More specifically, the Philosophy major fosters deep examination of who we are, what is real, and how we are called to think and act, thereby promoting intellectual development and self-knowledge for the student’s personal growth and well-being and providing insights for Christian action in the world.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Vocation and Personal Application: Students will grow in their relationship with Christ and will put his teachings into practice in their vocations.
- Communication and Culture: Students will observe, assess, and interpret today’s cultures and world views. Students will be familiar with various methods of delivering and defending biblical truth in a relevant and practical way to diverse groups.
- Research Skills: Students will demonstrate an understanding of research skills in the discipline.
- Logic: The student will learn and use logic for argumentation.
- Ethics: The student will learn a variety of ethical theories and use them in practical problem solving.
- Epistemology: The student will learn a variety of theories of knowledge and study their implications for what can be known and how we know it.
- Metaphysics: The student will learn a variety of metaphysical theories and study their implications for what exists and why it exists.
- History of Philosophy: The student will learn the most important contributions of the great ancient, medieval, and modern philosophers.
- Apologetics: The student will become a competent defender of the Christian faith against the objections leveled by rival worldviews
Curriculum
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | 45 | |
| Major Requirements | 37 | |
| Electives | 38 | |
Minor: Optional | ||
| Total Hours | 120 | |
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Core Courses | ||
| Old Testament (Bible Content) 1 | ||
| Biblical Theology (Christian Doctrine) 1 | ||
| Required Courses | ||
| PHIL 201 | Central Texts of Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 211 | Elementary Logic | 3 |
| PHIL 250 | Moral Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 325 | Christian Apologetics | 3 |
| REL 203 | New Testament 2 | 3 |
| PHIL 491 | Senior Seminar I | 1 |
| PHIL 492 | Senior Seminar II | 3 |
| PHIL 400 | Ancient Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 410 | Medieval Philosophy | 3 |
| PHIL 450 | Modern Philosophy | 3 |
| Major Electives | ||
| Select nine credits of the following: 3 | 9 | |
PHIL XXX | ||
| Classical & Modern Rhetoric | ||
| Literary Criticism | ||
| Faith and Politics | ||
| A Survey of Christian Thought | ||
| Cosmogony | ||
| Total Hours | 37 | |
- 1
In exceptional circumstances, students may petition the Philosophy Department for approved course substitutions.
- 2
To complete the pair with REL 201 Old Testament in the core
- 3
Majors may substitute one of the following approved 3 credit non-PHIL classes with other approved courses relevant to the student’s special area of interest in philosophy (e.g. a relevant history course if they are interested in philosophy of history, a relevant science course if interested in philosophy of science).