This course presents an introduction to contemporary symbolic logic as well as to traditional deductive and inductive logic.

This course, the first of four sequential courses in the history of philosophy, is a survey of Greek philosophy from its origins in the thought of Presocratic poets and philosophers to its later development in the dialogues of Plato and writings of Aristotle. Through the close reading of primary sources in their historical context and through a wide variety of other exercises, students gain an appreciation for the major texts, themes and problems that have shaped the Western philosophical tradition. Students also begin to develop a facility with the various tools and terms with which philosophers in the Western tradition have worked.

In this course, the second of four history of philosophy courses, students study the development of philosophy in the Middle Ages through its contact with Christianity. The goals of this course are to examine the following themes and philosophical problems: the relation of faith and reason, spirituality and philosophy; human knowledge and human freedom; and philosophy as a principle of integration within Medieval culture.

Prerequisite: PH253.

The course begins with a thorough examination of the foundations of natural law ethics and consequentialist ethics. The instructor links those theories of morality with explicit assumptions regarding human nature. Central texts in the course are Saint Thomas Aquinas’ Prima Secundae and John Stewart Mill’s Utilitarianism.

This course critically examines some of the most influential conceptions of the human person (e.g., the Platonic, the Aristotelian-Thomistic, the Judeo-Christian, the Hobbesian and that of other modern thinkers). It considers such fundamental issues as the existence and nature of the human soul; whether human beings are innately good, innately evil, both or neither; in what sense, if any, human beings are rational; and the nature and basis of human freedom.

In this course, the third of four history of philosophy courses students study the major philosophical movements of the early modern period beginning with the rise of inductive natural science. Students then examine rationalism, empiricism and conclude with Kant’s critical philosophy. The central epistemological theme of the course reflects the modern conviction that before other sciences may be studied with profit, the possibility and modes of human knowledge must be determined.

Prerequisites: PH253 and PH254.

This course, the fourth of four history of philosophy courses, is an examination of the post-Kantian philosophy focusing on selected major movements of the 19th and 20th centuries, such as idealism, phenomenology, existentialism, and British analytic and ordinary language philosophy. Readings may include Hegel, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, James, Foucault, Wittgenstein, Ryle, and John Paul II, among others.

Prerequisite: PH355.

Epistemology is the study of how it is that humans come to know themselves and the world we inhabit. This course is a survey of theories of knowledge that span the western tradition from the Greeks to the present day. Issues raised include the definitions of certainty and truth, the reliability of sense knowledge, the way in which we know ourselves and others, as well as other related issues raised by our authors.

This course examines critically the classic and contemporary concepts of being-in-the-world, its causes, its effects, and its modalities and relations.

This course is taken in the second semester of the Senior year and is an opportunity to work closely with a faculty member in the philosophy department on a written thesis.

Saint Thomas Aquinas is one of the central figures in the history of Western philosophy. This course is designed to provide the student the opportunity to discover, reflect upon and react critically to Aquinas’s life, thought and writings. The themes covered include an investigation of what we can know of God by the use of human reason, the role of human beings and their nature in the order of creation, the manner in which human action, in cooperation with grace, can bring humans to their final end, as well as other issues of metaphysics, psychology and methodology. While this course is designed as an in-depth study of Aquinas, it also serves as a preparation for the future study of Aquinas’s theology; accordingly, there is a decided focus on developing a Thomistic vocabulary.

This course is designed to be taken in the spring semester of the senior year.

This course is for students who would like to gain a good reading knowledge of Latin in one term. The essentials of Latin grammar as well as vocabulary and idioms are presented for passive recognition, followed by translation and sight-reading.

Offered fall semester. Prerequisite: recommendation from the IHM Seminary rector or consent of the instructor.

This course is a continuation of L101.

Offered spring semester. Prerequisite: L101 or recommendation from the IHM Seminary rector.

The course is designed to teach the fundamental skills, including grammar, syntax, and vocabulary recognition, necessary for reading Latin literature. The students read in the original Latin simple sentences and paragraphs of increasing complexity as the skills are developed.

Offered fall semester. Prerequisite: E120 or equivalent or ACT composite score of 20.

The students develop the necessary skills to read literature in Latin. The last few weeks are devoted to reading selections from various Latin authors.

Offered spring semester. Prerequisite: L141 or equivalent.

The Christian Bible leads to Christ, the mystery of salvation. This course is divided into four parts corresponding to the Catechism of the Catholic Church: professing our faith, celebrating our faith, living our faith, and praying our faith. The primary sources are Sacred Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Offered fall semester. Prerequisite: IHM seminarians only.

Students survey examples from the Pentateuch, Prophetic, Historical and Wisdom texts, their forms, settings and theology. This survey incorporates an appreciation for some basic contemporary interpretive methods. Methods encouraged by Vatican II’s Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation are studied.

Offered fall semester. Prerequisite: TH112, TH113, TH114, or TH115.

Students survey examples of texts from the Pauline, Catholic and Pastoral Epistles, the Gospels and Acts; Hebrews and Revelation are also introduced. Working with the interpretive strategies gained in TH210 Introduction to Old Testament, students begin to assess the dynamics of interpretation through the completion of an exegetical paper.

Offered spring semester. Prerequisite: TH210.