Philosophy and Religious Studies Department

College of Arts and Humanities
Ellensburg
Language and Literature Bldg., room 337

509-963-1818
Fax 509-963-1822
www.cwu.edu/philosophy
See website for how these programs may be used for educational and career purposes.

Faculty and Staff
Chair
Heidi M. Szpek, PhD

Professors
Jeffrey Dippmann, PhD, world religions, Chinese Buddhism, and Daoism
Chenyang Li, PhD, (on leave) Asian philosophy, comparative philosophy, ethics, social and political philosophy
Heidi Szpek, PhD, Hebrew Bible, Western religious traditions, Judaism, Holocaust studies, world religions

Associate Professors
Matthew Altman, PhD, Kant, applied ethics, 19th century philosophy, ethics, social and political philosophy, philosophy of law, philosophy of art, director William O. Douglas Honors College
Cynthia Coe, PhD, 20th century continental philosophy, feminist philosophy, director of women’s and gender studies

Assistant Professors
Gary Bartlett, PhD, philosophy of mind, cognitive science, epistemology
Michael Goerger, PhD, ethical theory, ancient Greco-Roman philosophy, applied ethics, social and political philosophy

Senior Lecturer
Karen Turcotte, MA, comparative religions, religion of India, philosophies of India

Lecturers
Gayle Dohrman, MA, history of philosophy, ancient philosophy (Plato), metaphysics, ethics, mysticism
David Newcomer, MDiv, Christianity, ethics
Bradley Porath, PhD, ethics, modern philosophy, critical thinking and logic
David Smith, PhD, philosophy of religion, early Christianity, ethics, Platonism

Emeritus Professors
Raeburne S. Heimbeck, PhD
Webster F. Hood, PhD
Chester Z. Keller, PhD

Staff
Lori Hauser, secretary senior

Department Information
The original meaning of the word philosophy is “the love of wisdom.” Philosophy therefore represents an ongoing process of critical and speculative inquiry into questions representing people’s deepest concerns, such as the meaning of existence, the nature of reality, and the grounds of human conduct. The religious studies specialization is a path of inquiry into the nature of religion, its pervasive role in human life, and its contribution to understanding human existence and destiny.

Bachelor of Arts
Philosophy Major
Students may choose either a 50-credit major or a 62-credit major. In order to graduate, a student who completes the 50-credit major must also have a minor or second major in another discipline. A student who completes the 62-credit major is not required to have a minor or second major.

Departmental Honors in Philosophy and Religious Studies
The honors program in Philosophy and Religious Studies recognizes the exceptional scholarship of qualified students in either the Philosophy major or Religious Studies specialization. To qualify, students must have completed at least 25 credits in their major or specialization and have a minimum GPA of 3.0 overall and 3.5 in their major coursework.

In addition to their normal coursework, students seeking departmental honors must take one additional upper division course in their program, complete a superior thesis (RELS 497: Honors Thesis) to be evaluated by a second reader from the departmental faculty, and make an oral presentation. Students graduating with honors will have that accomplishment recorded on their transcripts.

Programs

Bachelor of Arts

Minor

Courses

Philosophy

Religious Studies