DESCRIPTION: Each week we will explore a contemporary or classic topic in philosophy that has practical implications for ministry. Topics include free will, personal identity, the emotions, contemporary epistemology, aesthetics, moral theory, philosophy of law, and others. No single philosophical method or school will be emphasized; rather we will consider a range of varied philosophical approaches and topics. Special emphasis will be paid each week to the practical implications for ministry in contemporary society.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Students successfully completing course shall have (1) increased their knowledge of contemporary philosophy and its relevance for ministry; (2) improved their critical thinking and writing skills, leading to improved confidence in their capacity to address intellectual problems; (3) developed an appreciation for scholars whose views differ from their own.

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: The course aims to show how a lifelong engagement with a wide range of diverse philosophical reflection can be both intellectually stimulating and pragmatic. As such, this course is designed to equip persons preparing for various ministries--parish, parachurch, counseling, teaching, crosscultural--to be more discerning about the intellectual assumptions operative in the contexts within which they minister, but also to utilize philosophical reflection as a pragmatic tool for Christian ministry.

COURSE FORMAT: Class time will be devoted to both lectures and discussion. Weekly readings will be assigned. The course will meet weekly for a three-hour session.

REQUIRED READING: (Students can expect 50-75 pages of reading per week.)

Murphy, Nancey. "Did My Neurons Make Me Do It?" in Bodies and Souls, or Spirited Bodies, pp. 71-110. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.

Neville, Robert C. The Cosmology of Freedom. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1995.

Rawls, John. Collected Papers, ed. Samuel Freeman. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1999. Three chapters are required: "Justice as Fairness: Political not Metaphysical," pp. 388-414;
"The Idea of an Overlapping Consensus," pp. 421-48;
"The Idea of Public Reason Revisited," pp. 573-615.

Course Reader, including the following authors: Robert Nozick, Robert Solomon, Jenefer Robinson, Mitch Avila, Richard Rorty, Sandra Harding, Alasdair MacIntyre, Aristotle, Aquinas, Richard J. Mouw, H. L. A. Hart, Ronald Dworkin, Harry Frankfurt, J. S. Mill, Owen Flanagan, Nicholas Wolterstorff, bell hooks, Larry Shiner, G. W. F. Hegel, Charles Taylor, Simone de Beauvoir, Debra R. Bergoffen.

1. Out of nine topics assigned and due weekly, students will write seven 2-3 page papers. The topic for each paper will be given at the end of class each week and will combine course lecture, reading material, and application to ministry. Seven of the nine assignments are required (80% of final grade; each paper is given equal weight).

2. Outside book assignment: Students will read one book from an approved reading list and write a seven-to-eight page paper that (a) summarizes the book, (b) critically engages the author's main claims, and (c) discusses the practical implications for effective ministry (20% of final grade).

Note: Students are required to have access to their Course Reader during class.