Introduces students to the nature and practice of philosophic inquiry by focusing on traditional philosophic issues from a multicultural perspective. Particular emphasis will be given to classic Western philosophers as well as classic Eastern sources.

An introduction to the study of ethics emphasizing the relevance of ethics to everyday decision making. Topics include: the human context of moral reasoning, relativism, subjectivism, religion and ethics, conscience and moral development, ethical egoism, utilitarianism, the ethics of duty, rights ethics, virtue ethics and the good life, and case studies in moral reasoning.

A basic introduction to critical thinking skills emphasizing their application to everyday decision-making. Topics include definitions of critical thinking, language and meaning, claims and reasons, argument and inference, argument identification and reconstruction, inductive reasoning, deductive reasoning, underlying assumptions, evaluating assumptions, assumptions and evidence, worldviews as a context for critical thought, evaluating arguments, sound and fallacious reasoning, informal fallacies, casual inference, and scientific method.

A survey of the beliefs and practices of Eastern and Western religious traditions. Emphasis will be given to the origin and development of each tradition, its major forms of expression, and the various ways in which each tradition addresses the most fundamental questions of human existence.