Unreservedly wesleyan

Some of the first-year-initiatives that i'm interested in:

Unthinkable Suffering: The Problem of "the Problem of Evil"

This course will explore the difficulties of reconciling the existence of evil and suffering in the world with the existence of an omnipotent and benevolent God. How have Christian philosophers and theologians sought to justify God by redefining, relativizing, or even explaining away evil? We will explore traditional efforts to set forth "theodicies," or justifications of God's goodness, as well as the inadequacy of these schemes in the face of the horrors of the twentieth century. How is it possible to account for evil that surpasses all understanding, or suffering that is too great to explain away? How, in other words, can thinking think the unthinkable.

Philosophy of Love

A philosophical introduction into the classic humanist topic of love and eros which begins with Greek political philosophy and goes on to encompass western theology and romanticism, Freudian and Buddhist psychology, the social history of marriage, the evolutionary biology of sex, literary explorations of gender and eco-feminist love ethics.



Some of the modules that i'm interested in:

Democracy and Dictatorship: Politics in the Contemporary World

An introduction to politics in industrialized capitalist, state socialist, and developing countries. We explore the meaning of central concepts like democracy and socialism, the strengths and weaknesses of different kinds of political institutions (e.g., presidentialism vs. parliamentarianism in liberal democratic countries), the causes and consequences of shifts between types of political systems (e.g., the collapse of state socialism), and the relationships among social, economic, and political changes (e.g., among social justice, economic growth, and political democracy in developing countries).

History of Modern Christian Thought

This lecture and discussion survey begins with close study of Luther, Calvin and the Protestant radicals. Relations between early modern culture and religion in the 17th century are explored. Enlightenment, romantic, existential and postmodern expressions and critiques of Christianity will be examined in major thinkers from the 18th to 20th centuries. Readings from Wesley, Edwards, Hume, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Barth, Tillich, Daly, etc., will be included.

The Moral Basis of Politics

An introduction to upper-division courses in political theory. The course considers the basic moral issues that hedge government and politics: Under what, if any, circumstances ought one to obey the laws and orders of those in power? Is there ever a duty to resist political authority? By what values and principles can we evaluate political arrangements? What are the meanings of terms like freedom, justice, equality, law, community, interest and rights? How is our vision of the good society to be related to our strategies of political action? What is the role of organization, leadership, violence, etc. in bringing about social change? Readings from political philosophers, utopian works, novels, contemporary social criticism and modern social science.