Course Catalogue 2026-2027

Moral and political philosophy differ from other branches of philosophy because they practical—which is to say, they tell us not just how we should think but also how we should live. This course is a historical examination of different approaches to living our lives both as individuals (= moral philosophy) and as communities (= political philosophy). First, we will look at the foundations of Western moral and political thought in Plato and Thomas Aquinas; next at the Enlightenment approaches of Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill; and then at Friedrich Nietzsche's attack on all of Western philosophy. Finally, we will consider the ideas of Emmanuel Levinas and of two contemporary Indigenous thinkers to see whether their approaches can survive Nietzsche's scathing critique.

Students will be constantly encouraged to apply different philosophical theories to their personal experience to evaluate both the strengths and weaknesses of the theories and of their own moral behaviour.

The course examines the main protagonists of the modern period of philosophy, from the 17th to 19th centuries, with a particular focus on empiricist (Locke and Hume) and rationalist (Descartes and Leibniz) traditions, as well as on Kant and post-Kantian French and German philosophical schools. We will investigate modern philosophy's roots in medieval and renaissance philosophy and its direct influence on contemporary analytical and continental philosophy.

This course is an introduction to some key figures in twentieth-century and current philosophy. We will begin with Edmund Husserl, the founder of the modern phenomenological movement. Husserl’s phenomenological method is one of the most important philosophical innovations of twentieth-century philosophy. His approach would influence several other major thinkers of the past century, including Emmanuel Levinas and Emmanuel Falque. Levinas articulates a highly original way of thinking about ethics that has left a strong mark on both contemporary philosophy and theology. Falque is widely considered one of the major Catholic philosophers today. His approach offers a very rich language that helps us better appreciate the depths and nuances of our corporeal being. The course also examines the provocative philosophy of Simone Weil, a brilliant young philosopher who sheds new light on the experiences of patience and attention, which she considered essential for gaining deeper contact with reality itself. We will also look at the thought of the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber, whose notion of the I-Thou relation continues to resonate with us today. Some of the themes that we will broach include the overcoming of the subject-object split, embodiment, and the proposition of ethics as “first philosophy.” These themes also make it possible to think more concretely about the nature of religious experience in a manner that reflects our actual lived experience.

This course is an introduction to some key figures in twentieth-century and current philosophy. We will begin with Edmund Husserl, the founder of the modern phenomenological movement. Husserl’s phenomenological method is one of the most important philosophical innovations of twentieth-century philosophy. His approach would influence several other major thinkers of the past century, including Emmanuel Levinas and Emmanuel Falque. Levinas articulates a highly original way of thinking about ethics that has left a strong mark on both contemporary philosophy and theology. Falque is widely considered one of the major Catholic philosophers today. His approach offers a very rich language that helps us better appreciate the depths and nuances of our corporeal being. The course also examines the provocative philosophy of Simone Weil, a brilliant young philosopher who sheds new light on the experiences of patience and attention, which she considered essential for gaining deeper contact with reality itself. We will also look at the thought of the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber, whose notion of the I-Thou relation continues to resonate with us today. Some of the themes that we will broach include the overcoming of the subject-object split, embodiment, and the proposition of ethics as “first philosophy.” These themes also make it possible to think more concretely about the nature of religious experience in a manner that reflects our actual lived experience.

An exploration of the philosophical questions associated with the kinds of change found in natural entities, with a focus of this general account for human nature and the cause of nature itself. Foundational concepts like Causality, change will be studied in relation to Metaphysics and the Sciences of Nature.

Natural Theology will help to explore the Knowability of God’s Existence and the Rational approaches employed in the History of philosophy especially the Anthropological and Cosmological and Ontological arguments advanced by Christian Philosophers as Thomas Aquinas and Anselm of Canterbury. While focusing on the Analogical knowledge of God though affirmation, through negation and through eminence it will also study the attributes of God, God’s Concurrence and Providence in relations to all creatures especially Human beings and the Problem of Evil.

An exploration of the philosophical questions associated with the kinds of change found in natural entities, with a focus of this general account for human nature and the cause of nature itself. Foundational concepts like Causality, change will be studied in relation to Metaphysics and the Sciences of Nature.

Natural Theology will help to explore the Knowability of God’s Existence and the Rational approaches employed in the History of philosophy especially the Anthropological and Cosmological and Ontological arguments advanced by Christian Philosophers as Thomas Aquinas and Anselm of Canterbury. While focusing on the Analogical knowledge of God though affirmation, through negation and through eminence it will also study the attributes of God, God’s Concurrence and Providence in relations to all creatures especially Human beings and the Problem of Evil.

A review of the moral, pastoral and canonical principles of sound ministerial practice in the Roman Catholic tradition, along with an intensive practicum.

In this course we will look at a variety of biblical episodes and stories from both the Old and New Testaments and how they have been seen, imagined, and interpreted by artists and musicians over the centuries. We will explore how these works of art spoke to and about the period in which they were created, how they open up new dimensions of understanding the scriptures for us, and the relationship between convention and imagination in interpreting the scriptures. In two sessions we will look in particular at Bach's St John Passion, and in relation to it the differing ways the Passion of Jesus Christ has been depicted over the centuries.

In this course we will look at a variety of biblical episodes and stories from both the Old and New Testaments and how they have been seen, imagined, and interpreted by artists and musicians over the centuries. We will explore how these works of art spoke to and about the period in which they were created, how they open up new dimensions of understanding the scriptures for us, and the relationship between convention and imagination in interpreting the scriptures. In two sessions we will look in particular at Bach's St John Passion, and in relation to it the differing ways the Passion of Jesus Christ has been depicted over the centuries.

This course surveys the Rabbinic Literature as an expression of the religious life and thought of Judaism from the close of the Hebrew Bible through contemporary Poskim (Legal Decisors), and the formation of Halakhic Judaism as practiced today. We will survey the development of Rabbinic Literature and then examine how it applies to contemporary medical ethics and issues as it may impact on healthcare chaplaincy and spiritual care.

An approved field placement with appropriate supervision and theological reflection seminar.

An approved field placement with appropriate supervision and theological reflection seminars.