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2021-2022 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Religious Studies & Philosophy: Philosophy Concentration, B.A.
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Religious Studies & Philosophy (RS/PL)
The historic tradition of the liberal arts is designed to enrich humans with a heightened sense of responsibility and autonomy. The integrative Religious Studies & Philosophy major trains students to be critical and independent thinkers who are centered on the larger human purposes for which we work and interact with others. In an age overwhelmingly centered on technological progress, efficient and convenient outcomes, and material satisfaction of desires, focusing on the individual’s intellectual life provides a critical foundation for existence in our global community.
While the predominant orientation of this program is towards enriching your sense of purpose and commitment to the values of social justice, care for others, and dignity for all, it is also important that you enter the workplace with skills and practices which facilitate successful career choices. In today’s job market, employers increasingly seek candidates with the following skills: critical thinking; analytic writing; cultural understanding and sensitivity; communicative empathy; and intellectual initiative. Our program focuses on these marketable skills.
Finally, our integrated major is just that - a mutually-enriching and critical dialogue between two disciplines that are central to the liberal arts at a Catholic institution. In keeping with the tradition of such institutions, faith and reason are taken as valued standpoints from which to approach academic work and community life. Thus, the ordering signifies neither hierarchy nor dependency of one discipline upon the other. Rather, students will grapple with problems, themes, and questions from shared and distinctive standpoints.
Core Requirements
All students must complete the Avila University Core Curriculum as a part of their degree programs. The Core consists of a minimum of 39 credit hours that meet the requirements listed below. Please go to Core Curriculum for more information and to view all Core classes.
Skills Level (7 credit hours)
Develops fundamental skills key for both academic and professional success.
- Composition (3)
- Communication (3)
- First Year Seminar (1) - waived for transfer students
Liberal Arts Level (25 credit hours)
Provides diverse disciplinary lenses through which to examine the world. Concepts learned and viewpoints experiences at this level promote critical thinking and ethical decision-making with reference to real-life situations across the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and arts.
- Arts (3)
- History (3)
- Literature/Rhetoric (3)
- Mathematics (3)
- Natural Science (4) - must include a lab
- Philosophy (3)
- Religious Studies (3)
- Social Sciences (3)
Core Component Designations (6-12 credit hours)
Focuses on seeing beyond the self, immediate community, or chosen discipline. Designations include Interdisciplinary Studies, Global Studies, and Community Engagement, all of which call for application of learning across boundaries.
- Interdisciplinary Studies (6)
- Global Studies or Community Engagement (6)
Major Related Requirements
- Minimum of six hours of Foreign Language
Major Requirements
Candidates for the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Religious Studies & Philosophy must complete all the Core Curriculum degree requirements as state in the University catalog. Majors must receive a grade of “C” or higher in all courses taken.
All majors take a selection of courses as well as self-selected courses within one’s chosen area of concentration of either Philosophy or Religious Studies. All majors also complete an interdisciplinary and integrated senior capstone course, then choose one of two options: Option I is an international/intercultural experience followed by a public presentation; Option II is writing a senior thesis and providing a public, oral defense of that thesis.
Concentration
Students then choose a 12 hour RS or PL concentration. At least 9 of these hours must be at the 300 level or above. Up to one course from RS may be substituted for the PL concentration, and up to one course from PL may be substituted for the RS concentration.
Senior Seminar
Option I - International/Intercultural Experience
Working with one’s major advisor, students who choose the international/intercultural experience may choose one of the following options: an experience which has an international and/or intercultural travel component, a service or service-learning opportunity within the Kansas City region or within the broader U.S., or an intercultural practicum or experience designed in conjunction with your major advisor. Within this experiential option, students work with their major advisor to design a public presentation component that draws together their academic studies with this experience.
Option II - Thesis and Oral Defense
Students who choose the thesis/defense option must complete this work in their Senior year. Working in conjunction with a faculty member in the discipline of concentration, students will write a twenty-five to thirty-page thesis that demonstrates extensive research, critical analysis, and argumentation. Weeks before graduation, students will give a public talk based upon the paper and answer critical questions from both the thesis committee and the general audience.
Technology Requirement
Computer competency will be demonstrated by successful completion of:
Outcomes
In addition to the general degree requirements stated earlier in this catalog, majors will be expected to meet the following program outcomes:
Outcome 1.
Develop a global understanding of relationships among reasoned inquiry, religious faiths and human values. (PL 111 , PL 113 , RS 111 , RS 117 , RS 225 , PL 255 )
Outcome 2.
Analyze and evaluate significant philosophies, religious ideas, or discourses in order to systematically and critically articulate one’s own spiritual, intellectual, and/or ethical commitments. (PL 111 , PL 113 , RS 111 , PL 326 /WS 326 , IS 311 )
Outcome 3.
Explore the distinctiveness of rational inquiry as a unique form of human understanding, motivation, and justification. (PL 111 , PL 113 , RS 111 , PL 255 )
Outcome 4.
Investigate historical, socio-cultural, and political dimensions of diverse religious traditions and practices. (RS 111 , RS 117 )
Outcome 5.
Refine your understanding, interpretations, and critical perspectives through writing, speaking, and collaborative work. (all PL/RS courses)
Assessment
The outcomes are assessed through examinations and written assignments. In the final year of study, students will synthesize and utilize their learned skills of cultural understanding, critical thinking, and intellectual initiative through critical independent research, writing, and presentation within the Senior Seminar.
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