Each program in the department has numerous desired outcomes. Students will be able to do the following:
Selected Educational Outcomes (Philosophy Track)
- Explain and analyze central issues, topics, and philosophers in the history of philosophy, from the ancient to the modern periods.
- Write and speak critically and logically, applying various theories to specific cases and examples.
- Explain their own value system, evaluating their values in the context of a diverse range of ideas that inform contemporary controversies and social conflict.
- Create independent philosophical research, synthesizing a variety of sources, including traditional primary philosophical texts and secondary source commentaries.
- Demonstrate a working familiarity with current research methods, citation styles, and presentation techniques.
Selected Educational Outcomes (Religious Studies Track)
- Explain and interpret the world’s religious traditions and their influence on values, norms, and public policies.
- Apply critical and analytical skills in analyzing multiple religious perspectives.
- Identify and evaluate their self-understanding in the context of diverse ideas that inform contemporary controversies and social conflict.
- Create independent research, synthesizing sources including sacred texts, religious autobiographies, and other secondary sources.
- Demonstrate a working familiarity with current research methods, citation styles, and presentation techniques.
Examples of Outcome Assessments (Philosophy Track and Religious Studies Track)
The department assesses the extent to which the program requirements create the desired outcomes by using a variety of techniques. Examples of these assessments (and related educational outcomes) include the following:
- The on-going evaluation of student examinations and research papers using rubrics, comparing quantitative data over time.
- Exit surveys to be administered to each student completing work for the major.
- Exit examinations administered during the senior Metaphilosophy/Religious Studies Capstone combined course.
- Surveys of alumni to assess the relevancy of the program to their current work and their suggestions for refinements.
- The use of university or external data that may become available to assess the quality of the program and the performance of graduates.
Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy and Religious Studies
| Core Curriculum | 60 | |
| Core Curriculum Areas A-E (See VSU Core Curriculum) | 42 | |
| Core Curriculum Areas F | ||
| Ethics and Contemporary Society | ||
or REL 2010 | Introduction to Religion and Culture | |
| Fundamentals of Philosophy and World Religions | ||
Foreign Language and Culture sequence | ||
| Senior College Curriculum 1 | 60 | |
| Select from the following Tracks: | 60 | |
Philosophy | ||
Religious Studies | ||
| Total hours required for the degree | 120 | |
| 1 | Must include at least 39 hours of coursework numbered 3000 or above. |
Philosophy Track
| Logic and Argumentation | 3 | |
| Principles of Logic and Argumentation | ||
| History of Philosophy | 6 | |
| History of Ancient Philosophy | ||
| History of Medieval Philosophy | ||
| History of Early Modern Philosophy | ||
| History of Late Modern Philosophy | ||
| Ethics | 3 | |
| Ethics and Health Care | ||
| Ethical Theory | ||
| Social and Political Philosophy | ||
| Ethics and Law | ||
| Ethics and Business | ||
| Ethics and Media | ||
| Ethics and Sport | ||
| Ethics and the Environment | ||
| Ethics and the Social Sciences | ||
| Ethics and Technology | ||
| Ethics and Public Policy | ||
| Ethics and Public Administration | ||
| Philosophy, Society, and Culture | 3 | |
| Aesthetics | ||
| Philosophy of Religion | ||
| Existentialism | ||
| American Philosophy | ||
| Christian Ethics | ||
| Ecology and World Religions | ||
| Native American Thought and Cultures | ||
| Post-Colonization Issues in Indigenous Cultures | ||
| Native American Women | ||
| Mysticism and Social Justice | ||
| Buddhism | ||
| Hinduism | ||
| Philosophy, Religion and Film | ||
| Philosophical Themes in Film | ||
| Philosophy of Race | ||
| Philosophy of Happiness | ||
| Epistemology, Metaphysics, & Scientific Reasoning | 3 | |
| Philosophy of Science | ||
| Cosmology | ||
| Philosophy of Mind | ||
| Senior-Level Curriculum | 3 | |
| Special Topics in Philosophy | ||
| Directed Study in Philosophy | ||
| Special Topics in Ethics | ||
| Directed Study in Ethics | ||
| Senior Capstone | 3 | |
| Metaphilosophy | ||
| Upper Division REL courses | 6 | |
| Minor and/or Elective Courses | 30 | |
Religious Studies Track
| Religious Traditions | 6 | |
| Judaism | ||
| Islam | ||
| Native American Thought | ||
| Buddhism | ||
| Hinduism | ||
| History of Religions and Sacred Texts | 6 | |
| Inter-Religious Dialogue and Understanding | ||
| Philosophy of Religion | ||
| New Testament | ||
| Old Testament/Hebrew Bible | ||
| Religious Autobiography and Spiritual Transformation | ||
| Reading Sacred Texts: Hebrew Bible | ||
| Women and Gender in Early Christianity | ||
| The Archaeology of Ancient Israel | ||
| Varieties of Early Christianity | ||
| Women and Religion | ||
| Native American Women | ||
| Alternative Religions of the World | ||
| Religion, Ethics, and Society | 3 | |
| Religion, Violence, and Nonviolence | ||
| The Human Quest for Faith and Values | ||
| Existentialism | ||
| Ecology and World Religions | ||
| Post Colonization Issues in Indigenous Cultures | ||
| Mysticism and Social Justice | ||
| Philosophy, Religion and Film | ||
| Senior Capstone | 3 | |
| Senior Capstone Course | ||
| Upper Division REL electives 3000-, 4000-level | 6 | |
| Upper Division PHIL Courses 3000-, 4000-level | 6 | |
| Minor and/or Elective Courses | 30 | |
