Religion & Philosophy

The DEI vision for Kansas Wesleyan is to promote a diverse culture of equity, inclusion, integrity, and collaboration that deepens understanding and embraces intercultural and global experiences for students, faculty and staff.

Religion & Philosophy Department
Diversity and inclusiveness are core values and commitments of the department of Religion and Philosophy. The inherent worth and dignity of all people are recognized in this department.

We are committed to ABIDE, building upon the hallmarks of Appreciation – Belonging –Inclusivity – Diversity – Equity.

Appreciation – We recognize and celebrate each individual’s heritage, tradition and personal narrative.

Belonging – We include all individuals in the campus and larger community.

Inclusivity – We provide equal access to all opportunities and resources.

Diversity – We intentionally involve the range of human differences.

Inclusivity – We involve, engage and empower each individual.

We understand diversity to include (without being limited to): socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, nationality or place of origin, disability, unique work or life experience, etc.

Our department seeks to do all it can to make religion, philosophy, and leadership inclusive disciplines.

Updated September 2023

Click here to meet the KWU Religion and Philosophy faculty.

Every student in the Religion and Philosophy program will be expected to learn the following skills:

1. Think critically

You will be expected to:

• Be able to identify basic parts of written and verbal arguments, through discussion and written assignments
• Be able to identify logical problems in written and verbal arguments, through discussion and written assignments
• Be able to frame logical arguments of your own, through discussion and written assignments

2. Analyze and interpret texts

You will be expected to

• Be able to read and identify standard biblical citations
• Be able to read, identify and write about biblical structure and themes
• Be able to read, identify and write about core philosophical writings
• Be able to explain key points in philosophical and biblical texts both verbally and in writing

3. Serve the community

You will be expected to:

• Participate in and take leadership positions in regular community service at least eight hours every semester
• Participate in and take leadership positions in at least six credit hours’ worth of supervised community field internships
• Reflect upon what you learned through service to others

4. Lead

You will be expected to:

• Take leadership positions within your field placement setting and show evidence of your leadership abilities
• Show evidence of peer leadership within each course setting

5. Publicly speak and write

You will be expected to:

• Make formal, structured oral and written argumentation in each class
• Have regular public speaking and writing opportunities in your field placement site

6. Prepare for the workplace or graduate school

You will be expected to:

• Take the GRE or other graduate entrance examination by fall semester of your senior year
• Show evidence of a site visit or other direct contact with at least one employer or graduate school program
• Work with an instructor in preparing/presenting a conference-ready paper

First Year

You will need to give evidence of knowledge in the following areas:

• Bible knowledge in both the Old and New Testaments—You will need to demonstrate your ability to cite biblical passages and show biblical themes and structure
• Ethics instruction—You will need to demonstrate working knowledge of ethical concepts
• Freshman experience—You will need to successfully complete all freshman experience requirements

Second Year

You will need to give evidence of knowledge in the following areas:

• Advanced biblical instruction—You will need to demonstrate your ability to go beyond basic biblical citation and show knowledge of biblical themes and structure
• Philosophy instruction—You will need to demonstrate a working knowledge of philosophical concepts
• Theology instruction—You will need to demonstrate working knowledge of theological concepts

Third Year

You will need to give evidence of mastery in the following areas:

• Upper division courses in philosophy/critical thinking—You will need to demonstrate integrated knowledge of philosophical concepts
• Theology instruction/church history—You will need to demonstrate integrated knowledge of theological concepts
• Service leadership experience—You will need documented proof of leadership role in planned service experiences

Fourth Year

You will need to give evidence of mastery in the following areas:

• Upper division courses in philosophy—You will need to demonstrate integrated knowledge of philosophical concepts
• Field placement skills—You will need to document proof of leadership role in planned organizational experiences
• Exegetical skills—You will need to document proof of satisfactory biblical exegesis

Prior to Graduation

You will be responsible for the original creation of:

• Your senior capstone project—You will need to create an original topic of research involving community service and public presentation
• Your graduation portfolio—You will need to demonstrate integrated knowledge of biblical, ethical, philosophical and theological concepts

Philosophy is the ultimate “transferable work skill.”  When you go into a job interview and tell the interviewer you studied philosophy in college, their estimation of you goes up. It shows you are intrigued by difficult, challenging ideas and problem solving, and that you have broad interests and solid critical thinking skills. With its emphasis on reason and argumentation, philosophy is an excellent preparation for a career in law, religion, business, psychological services, social work, management or writing, as well as post-graduate education.

Last Updated From 2024-25 Catalog

REPH 102: World Religions (3 credit hours – Even Year Fall)

World Religions includes a historical survey of major non-Christian religions with a view to discover the conceptual, ethical, ritual and symbolic expressions of each faith. The course will cover Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Judaism and Islam among others.

REPH 111: Ethics: Beyond Good and Bad (3 credit hours – Fall and Spring)

This class will explore problems that make up the fabric of human life, and it will help you to ask better, smarter and more interesting questions about your own life. This course will encourage you to rethink your moral beliefs and decide whether they need to be refined or improved. You will explore methods of moral decision-making, basic ideas in applied ethics, what it means to lead a good life and whether it is important to align your daily habits and goals with any certain moral code. The course will involve a service-learning project that will be incorporated into your Capstone Project, so that you can gain a deeper understanding of the way in which moral decision-making impacts your community and the world at large.

REPH 156: Old Testament Survey (3 credit hours – Fall)

This course is a survey of the basic historical and theological events and themes of the Old Testament.

REPH 157: New Testament Survey (3 credit hours – Fall or Spring)

This course is a survey of the basic historical and theological events and themes of the New Testament. Broad themes will be identified as the writings are explored for the Christian content, the historical and hermeneutical background and the meaning for contemporary life.

REPH 200: United Methodist Heritage (3 credit hours – On demand)

This course is a survey of the history, polity and doctrine of the United Methodist Church. It is designed especially for students majoring in Family and Youth Ministry who are seeking certification with the United Methodist Church. Required for certification by the United Methodist Church.

REPH 201: Introduction to Philosophy (3 credit hours – Even Year Spring)

This course is a critical inquiry into some of the basic topics of philosophy, including theory of knowledge, the question of truth, deductive and inductive logic, human nature, meaning of history, ethics and the existence of God.

REPH 205: World Philosophies (3 Credit Hours – Odd Year Fall)

This course provides a historical and conceptual overview to major world philosophical systems, analyzing those systems, both historically and conceptually. Special emphasis will be placed upon the major value systems of India and the Far East, with a view to discover philosophical approaches to questions of metaphysics, rationality and human freedom, the self, ethics and God. Special emphasis will be placed upon the reading of primary texts.

REPH 215: Bible Survey (3 Credit Hours – Fall and Spring)

This course is intended to provide an overview of the literature, history and theology of the Bible. In addition, this course is designed to allow you to begin to articulate your own understandings in relation to the material by giving the student an opportunity to exegete specific biblical texts.

REPH 225: Spiritual Formation (3 credit hours – Even Year Spring)

This course will explore spiritual disciplines and will examine ways to nurture growth in faith in persons of all ages. The class will be both theoretical and experiential in nature.

REPH 230: Introduction to Preaching (3 Credit Hours – On Demand)

Introduction to Preaching is designed to develop skill in writing and delivery of sermons. The course emphasizes research, organization and presentation. Students will present in class and in worship settings.

REPH 235: Practice of Ministry/Church Leadership (3 Credit Hours – On Demand)

Practice of Ministry is designed to help students discover the basics of church leadership and acquaintstudents with the responsibilities and functions of a local church pastor. Students will survey how God called biblical men and women to service, and explore the leadership roles of the local church pastor.

REPH 252: The Prophets (3 credit hours – Spring)

An exploration of the nature of Hebrew prophecy, the prophetic movement and its literature with special attention paid to the socio-political context of the prophetic word and its meaning for our day.

REPH 258: Jesus and His Teachings (3 credit hours – Fall or Spring)

The class will explore the life and sayings of Jesus within the socio-historical context of the gospel writings in order to understand His message, its interpretation in the church and meaning for the present.

REPH 259: Paul and His Teachings (3 credit hours – Even Year Spring)

The course is an investigation of Paul’s writings in their historical settings in order to understand Paul, the development of his thought and the meaning of his witness to the contemporary church.

REPH 306: Survey of Church History (3 credit hours – Odd Year Spring)

This course acts as an overview to the events and theology of church history from the ecumenical councils through the modern church. This course will focus on formative theological, cultural, sociological and historical factors in church history.

REPH 310: Aesthetics (3 Credit hours – Even Year Spring)

This course is an examination of visual culture as well as a historical and conceptual overview of the major thinkers in aesthetic value theory, covering the significance of beauty and human creativity. This class involves extensive student activity outside the confines of the classroom. Special emphasis is placed upon the reading of primary texts Prerequisite: REPH111 or REPH201.

REPH 312: Philosophy of Religion (3 credit hours – Odd Year Spring)

The course includes a critical survey of such problems as the nature of religion and the meaning of religious experience, mysticism, religious symbolism and ritual, the existence of God, the function of religious language, evil, suffering, death, immortality and the meaning of the religious quest.

REPH 315: The Christian Faith (3 credit hours – Odd Year Fall)

This course will consist of a systematic philosophy of the topics central to Christian thought, including the significance of Jesus Christ, sacraments, the Holy Spirit and eternal life.

REPH 345: Critical Thinking (3 Credit Hours – Fall and Spring)

Critical Thinking is a systematic inquiry into the basis for the most reliable sets of human knowledge. Logic as a discipline seeks to establish a stable basis for human knowledge. Critical thinking skills seek to show the nature of human rationality, and what distinguishes real knowledge from guesswork or superstition. Prerequisite: ENGL 118/ENGL 120 and ENGL 121.

REPH 386: The Wesleyan Journey (1-6 Credit Hours – On Demand)

This course combines service-learning with travel, either domestic or abroad, to provide students an opportunity to strengthen values and abilities, in addition to learning specific academic content. The service projects will be linked to the academic content of the class, and the course may require a co-requisite or stand-alone as its own special topics course. Credit varies based on the length of the journey and may involve additional fees for travel. INTD 110 is recommended but not required for this course.

REPH 415: Diversity: Ethics and Society (3 Credit Hours – Spring)

Being an American means living in and understanding a multifaceted set of ideas that is unique in time and setting. These diverse and distinctively American ideas take into account fundamentally American contributions to ethics, metaphysics, knowledge and critical thinking,self-identity, freedom, community, democracy and utopia. This course is intended to provide an overview of some of the great themes, ideas and under-appreciated thinkers in American philosophy. The course will emphasize the diverse nature of the material and itsimpact on ethical issues. In addition, this course is designed to allow you to begin to articulate your own understanding of what it means to be an American. Prerequisite: ENGL 120

REPH 455: Senior Seminar (3 credit hours – On demand)

The seminar is a capstone course for Junior or Senior Religion majors. It will concentrate on either a Biblical topic or a theological topic agreed upon in advance by the professor and students. Prerequisite: Completion of at least 15 credit hours of the major or by permission of the instructor.

REPH 460: Internship (3 Credit Hours – On demand)

This course provides an opportunity to work actively and to try new skills, as well as to observe, evaluate and learn in a professional ministry situation. This course can be taken up to three times if each experience is different. See Internships under Alternative Means to Academic Credit for further guidelines.

REPH 485: Selected Topics (Variable Credit– On demand)

This course provides the opportunity for intensive study of special topics and selected materials in Religion and/or Philosophy. Under different subtitles this course may be repeated for credit. Possible topics include Process Theology, Methods in Biblical Studies, Religion in Film, Religion in America, Feminist Theology and Liberation Theology.

REPH 490: Independent Study (Variable credit – On demand)

Independent Study consists of research, reading or other scholarly investigation or creative work. See Independent Study under Alternate Means to Academic Credit, for a more detailed description.

All who study religion and philosophy at Kansas Wesleyan University are held to the highest standards of action. Everyone in the department is held to the same standards. All students and faculty are expected to:

• Honor the process of learning. Refuse to cheat or plagiarize or help others to cheat or plagiarize.
• Never waver in meeting your obligations. Do your work and meet and exceed all academic commitments.
• Retain critical intellect and a willingness to question.
• Seek out and practice self-discipline that benefits yourself and others.
• Be true to your inspiration. Apply yourself wholeheartedly. Enjoy yourself. Don’t be afraid to take a risk.
• Assume responsibility for your state of mind and all of your actions.
• Never intentionally do harm.
• Speak gently and thoughtfully.
• Be generous to all without prejudice.
• Be law-abiding, humble and act with decorum.
• Be decent and trustworthy with friends, family, members of the Kansas Wesleyan University community and society at large.