2010-2011 HBU Catalog - Houston Baptist University

PHIL 4323 Ethics
Prerequisite: PHIL1313
An introduction to ethics and some of the major ethical works in the history of Western thought. Philosophers such as
Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Kant, and Mill will be examined. Among the questions to be considered in these
philosophers will be: What is the good life What constitutes happiness What is the Good and how do we know it
PHIL 4333 Aesthetics
Prerequisite: PHIL 1313
Examination of texts the history of philosophy focusing on the questions of beauty, appropriateness, and value of art
and nature.
PHIL 4334 Metaphysics
Prerequisite: PHIL 1313
Metaphysics is the study of the nature of reality. Topics to be discussed may include freedom of the will, causation,
being, the nature of universals, possibility and necessity, space and time, philosophical anthropology and some
philosophical theology. This class will provide a survey of these topics as it surveys views of the nature of reality over
many different philosophical genres.
PHIL 4335 Epistemology
Prerequisite: PHIL 1313.
Considers questions such as the following: Can I have knowledge of anything outside my own mind—for example,
physical objects or other minds Or is the skeptic‘s attack on my commonplace claims to know unanswerable What is
knowledge
PHIL 4336 Philosophy of Science
Prerequisite: PHIL 1313.
Examination of the philosophical foundations for the natural sciences, as well as conceptual issues surrounding the
nature and extent of scientific inquiry.
PHIL 4353 World Religions
Prerequisite: PHIL 1313.
(Offered also as CHRI 4353.)
PHIL 4358 Analytic Philosophy
Prerequisite: PHIL1313
This course is an introduction and exploration of analytic philosophy, the most common school of philosophy in the
English speaking world in the twentieth century. The course will look at the origins and development of analytic
philosophy from the early British analytics such as Russell to the recent revival of metaphysics and philosophy of
religion in America. The course will touch on a broad range of topics of interest to analytic philosophers such as
metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, philosophy of science, philosophy of religion, and philosophical logic.
PHIL 4359 Political Philosophy
Prerequisite: PHIL1313
An introduction and examination of the history of political thought in Western culture. The class will consider ancient
philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle and the beginnings and development of liberal democracy. The course will
explore topics such as the relationship between philosophical anthropology and political theory, the relationship
between the state and citizens, the nature and existence of rights, and the nature of sovereignty.
PHIL 4363 Philosophy of Religion
Prerequisites: PHIL 1313, CHRI 1313, 1323
A critical examination of the nature & validity of religious experience and the place of religion in human life.
Consideration is given to religious problems such as the existence and nature of God, the source of religious
knowledge, the nature of humanity, the origin and nature of evil. (cross-listed as CHRI 4363)
PHIL 4392 Senior Thesis
Prerequisite: PHIL1313
The Senior Thesis in philosophy is a course for Senior Philosophy Majors which is focused on independent research
and writing. The topic for the course is chosen through consultation with the faculty teaching the course and the
student. At the end of the semester the student is expected to have a completed a research project which is based on his
or her own ideas. Additionally, the student is expected to have significantly improved in his or her understanding of
the topic and the issues surrounding it.
2010-2011 HBU Catalog www.hbu.edu/catalog Page 294