Course Notes: Dr Barry Whitney

Publicly accessible Class Notes (and Course Manuals in preparation) for Dr Whitney's current University of Windsor courses will be available here. The following links to current courses contain versions of the courses taken by enrolled students, but these do not yet include Professor Whitney's notes which overview each section and explain the contexts, notes which will be included in the public versions (manuals) eventually-- as time permits. Look also for Podcasts related to these courses.

Dr Whitney's Current Courses (revised for each course offering)
07-100: Religion and Culture: Cultural Warfare: Christian Theism, Atheism, New Age
07-221: Justifying Religious Beliefs: Defending Religious Beliefs: God, Bible, Miracles, etc
07-322: God and Atheism: Cultural Warfare: Christianity vs Secular Humanism
07-323: God and Evil: Reconciling Belief in God with Evil and Suffering
07-222: Special Topics in Religion and Culture

Potential New Courses (research stage) to be offered by Dr Whitney
07-xxx: Religious Belief in Contemporary Culture: Christianity, Cults, and New Age Religions
07-xxx: Religion and Literature: Cultural Myths, Suffering, Evil, and Forbidden Knowledge
07-xxx: Graduate Course in Religion and Culture

Dr Whitney's Former Courses (1976-2003)
07-232: Religion and Science
11-351: Myth and Literature
35-327: Process Theology
35-221: Philosophy of Religion
35-322: Faith and Reason
35-323: God and Human Anguish
35-101: Critical Issues in Religion
35-400: Honours Seminar: Process Theology
35-400: Honours Seminar: Theodicy
35-400: Directed Readings (various topics each time offered)
35-500: Graduate Reading Course (various topics each time offered)
35-532: Graduate Course in Process Metaphysics and Theology
35-533: Graduate Course in Philosophy of Religion
35-260: World Religions: Eastern
35-261: World Religions: Western
35-100: Introduction to Religious Studies
35-101: Critical Issues in Religious Studies
35-102: The Drama of Human Life
35-109: Beyond the Death of God Theology
35-110: Myths to Live By
35-xxx: Reading Courses (topics differed each time offered)

Dr Whitney's Thesis and PhD Dissertation: Supervision and as Examiner (1978-2007)
2007: "Evangelical Christianity in the Media": External Examiner, PhD Dissertation (South Africa)
2007: "Religious Versus Secular Coping": External Examiner, MA Thesis (Psychology, U of Windsor)
2002: "The Mystical Theology of Michael Ramsey": External Examiner, PhD Dissertation (Australia)
1998: "Whitehead and Sartre": Co-Director, MA Thesis (Religion, U of Windsor)
1997: "Process Metaphysics and Alternative Medicine": Director, MA Thesis (Religion, U of Windsor)
1996: "Religion and Morality in the Philosophy of David Hume": External Examiner (Philosophy, U of Windsor)
1996: "Divine Power in Process Metaphysics": Director, BA Honours Thesis (Philosophy, U of Windsor)
1996: "Theodicy in Western and Hindu Mystical Thought": Director, MA Thesis (Religion, U of Windsor)
1994: "Huxley's Agnosticism": External Examiner, MA Thesis, (Philosophy, U of Windsor)
1992: "The Theoanthropolological Functions of the Soul": External Examiner, PhD Dissertation (Australia)
1989: "Jung and Whitehead": Co-Director, MA Thesis (Religion, U of Windsor)
1989: "Women Patrons in Pauline Churches"): Departmental Administrator, Examiner (Religion, U of Windsor)
1989: "Direct Experience of Existence: Maritain and Niishitanai": Co-Director, MA Thesis (Religion, U of Windsor)
1989: "A Persuasive God and Human Freedom"; Director, MA Thesis (Religion, U of Windsor)
1987: "Whitehead and Eckhart": Co-Director, MA Thesis (Religion, U of Windsor)
1978: "Iranian Influence on the Book of Daniel": Examiner. MA Thesis (Religion, U of Windsor)
1977: "The Scriptural Basis of 'He Will Come to Judge the Living and the Dead'": Examiner, MA Thesis (Religious Studies, U of Windsor)

Current Course Descriptions (2007---)
07-100: Religion and Culture: This course discusses the 'cultural warfare' among the three competing worldviews in North American culture: Christian Theism, Atheism (including Secular Humanism and Naturalism), and New Age Alternative Spiritualities (an aspect of Postmodernism)
07-221 [324]: Justifying Religious Beliefs: This course examines evidences offered by Christian theologians for the justification of religious beliefs. The course discusses the need for 'reasonable faith,' challenging both skepticism and faithism (blind faith). Test cases for the justification of specific Christian beliefs vary but may include God's existence, miracles, life after death, the trustworthiness of the Bible, religion and science, etc.
07-228: Belief in God in Contemporary Culture: This course discusses belief in God and various theological issues in contemporary Christianity, including a comparison of traditional Christian beliefs and New Age Religions ('alternative spiritualities'), Cults, and Christian deviations.
07-322: God and Atheism: This course compares and contrasts the competing worldviews of Christian Theism and the Atheism of Secular Humanism and Scientific Naturalism. The course also focuses on the debate concerning God's existence. A variety of arguments are considered: the cosmological, teleological, anthrophic, Intelligent Design, and moral arguments, as well as arguments from religious experience, mysticism and miracles, etc.
07-323: God and Evil: This course discusses various historical and contemporary Christian theological and philosophical attempts to defend belief in God despite the reality of evil, injustice and suffering in the world. The courses also discusses the Bible's views on suffering

Note: As "religion" courses, the focus of these courses is -- of course-- on "religious" interpretations, specifically that of the dominant religion of western culture, Christianity. These are not "world religion" courses. They are, rather, part of a small handful of Christian courses at the University. For those who seek courses in other religions there are a handful of courses in other programs and departments which discuss the perspective of religions other than Christianity. For those who seek courses which incorporate non-religious interpretations of some of the issues discussed in the "Religion and Culture" courses, there are countless "secular" courses in many other programs and departments. Please be aware also that the unfortunate and inadequate word (Intercultural) used to designate "Religion and Culture" courses at the U of Windsor should not be taken to imply that every course in this area considers a variety of religions and cultures. Again, these are not world religion courses, nor are they multi-cultural courses. The courses are, in fact, mainly courses in Christian History, Christian Philosophy of Religion in western culture (specifically, Canada, and the USA), and a small selection of other courses, including Islam, the Holocaust, Culture and Ideas, second language education, German culture, etc.