Religion & Philosophy Course Offerings
Religion and Philosophy Course Offerings
Yearlong Courses
History of Religious Thought
In this course, students rigorously examine the claims of great thinkers from Aquinas to Marx, Avicenna to Vivekananda, Maimonides to the Dalai Lama, St. Theresa of Avila to contemporary theologians and philosophers. In dialogue with such scholars and with the Hebrew Bible, the Christian Bible, the Qur’an, the Upanishads and Buddhist Scriptures, students consider differing answers to central religious questions such as:
- Is there a divine? If so, how have people claimed to know the nature of the divine?
- What is religious experience? What, if anything, happens after death?
- Why does suffering exist?
- How shall we act in the world as a result of our views on the divine?
Our studies are informed by classroom visits with imams, rabbis, ministers, and scholars, as well as trips to local places of worship (synagogues, mosques, churches, etc.) and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C.
Students write frequent short analytical essays. In conjunction with their work in English Literature 2, they build their understanding of argument, evidence, the difference between an observation and a claim, and how to deal with ambiguity and complexity in an author’s writings. To prepare students for their work in Advanced Study history courses and VI Form philosophy and religious studies electives, students examine their own positions in the context of the wider scope of human history and culture, strengthening their ability to identify a writer’s rhetorical maneuvers and implicit assumptions. About midway through the course, they write and deliver a ten-minute long talk exploring a religious or philosophical conundrum. For their capstone project, students engage a topic of their choice from the year in greater depth and present it to their classmates.
Semester-long Electives
Applied Ethics
This course introduces students to the basic principles of moral reasoning, with the goal of enabling students to engage independently in critical analysis of contemporary ethical issues. Students practice constructing formal logical arguments, and briefly examine the ethical theories of divine command, virtue (Aristotle), utility (Mill), and duty (Kant). They then use these tools to discuss topics including:
- abortion
- euthanasia
- cloning
- civil rights
- criminal justice
- immigration
- sexual orientation and gender identity
- poverty and welfare
- the environment
- animal rights
- just war theory
Students prepare short position papers on these issues and present their viewpoints in class for discussion and debate.
The Hero’s Journey
Since St. Andrew’s is a boarding school, you have already begun to start your own individual journey—or as Joseph Campbell would call it, “the hero’s journey,” just by making the decision to leave your families, friends, and home to come to the middle of Delaware in the pursuit of knowledge. Similar to the protagonist in many epics, religious texts, and myths, as part of your journey, you will wrestle with the ideas of free will, destiny, and fate as you start to develop your own philosophy based on your own personal experiences. Thus the hero’s journey serves as an appropriate metaphor for the individual journey that you must take in your life.
While the hero will often receive gifts, supernatural aid, or the advice from a wise old hermit, in the end the hero will have to find the resources from within in order to overcome the obstacles standing in their path. In life, the monsters and the dragons you must encounter often represent the inner conflict between our irrational desires and the needs of the community. Only through slaying these inner dragons can one progress to the next stage of life and eventually achieve self-realization.
In this class you will also explore the universal patterns that have supported the hero’s journey; specifically, the archetypes, symbols, and guides that serve as a roadmap for human development and assist the individual’s integration into society. These patterns (archetypes) are found in the ancient myths of Hercules, King Arthur, Thor, and even in the modern-day Disney movies, comics, and Harry Potter books. In short, these myths (stories) help us to understand who we are and what our place is in this world while continuing to inspire, comfort, and provide hope in a world that often feels in peril.
In-class readings to include excerpts from:
- Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth
- The Red Book, Carl Jung
- Ramayana , an ancient Indian epic poem
- Epic of Gilgamesh
- Idylls of the King (Arthurian Legend), Lord Tennyson
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone , J.K. Rowling; and
- Anthem , Ayn Rand
- Star Wars : A New Hope
- Whale Rider
- Disney’s The Lion King
Nuclear Physics & Ethics
(A detailed description of this course listed in the Science Department.)