The Beautiful Truth About Yourself

Become Who You Are

A course on C. S. Lewis, desire, meaning, and the search for a life that matters.

Asynchronous & online — designed to fit your summer schedule

This course is an invitation to think carefully about your life—your desires, your beliefs, and the kind of person you are becoming. Through the writings of C. S. Lewis, you will engage philosophically with some of life’s biggest questions in a way that is clear, honest, and intellectually serious.

This course is especially for students who are interested in big questions about meaning, belief, and what makes a life worth living.

You will explore questions like:

• Why do we long for something more?

• Why does evil exist?

• Can faith be rational?

• What makes you you?

No prior background in philosophy is required.

Course Options

This course is offered in three formats, giving you flexibility in how you complete it. All options cover the same material—the only difference is pacing.

• Maymester (3 weeks: May 18 – June 4)
  A fast-paced, immersive experience—ideal for focused, intensive study.

• Summer I (4 weeks: June 8 – July 11)
  A more extended schedule with additional time for reading, reflection, and writing.

• Summer II (4 weeks: July 13 – August 13)
  A more extended schedule with additional time for reading, reflection, and writing.

Note on Registration

This course may appear in Baylor’s system as “Research Writing in Philosophy.” Despite the generic title, the course content is exactly as described here, focusing on the philosophy of C. S. Lewis.

Course Overview:

In this course, you will explore the life and philosophy of C. S. Lewis (1898–1963), one of the most widely read Christian thinkers of the modern period. You will examine his views on topics such as:

• reason, science, and imagination

• faith and rationality

• arguments for and against the existence of God

• the problem of evil

• the uniqueness, value, and destiny of human persons

Along the way, you will see how Lewis’s philosophical ideas take shape not only in his essays, but also in his fiction and poetry.

Instructor & Questions:

Instructor: Dr. Robert K. Garcia
Questions? Robert_K_Garcia@Baylor.edu

What You Will Learn:

After completing this course, you will be able to:

• Understand and explain Lewis’s major philosophical ideas

• Read and analyze philosophical texts with clarity

• Evaluate arguments about faith, reason, and morality

• Think critically and charitably about opposing viewpoints

• Write clearly about complex philosophical questions

Required Readings

• Mere Christianity — C. S. Lewis

• A Grief Observed — C. S. Lewis

• The Problem of Pain — C. S. Lewis

• The Weight of Glory and Other Essays — C. S. Lewis

• A Little Book for New Philosophers — Paul Copan

Assignments

• Reading Quizzes — Open-book, open-note quizzes on assigned readings

• Reflections & Debriefings — Short written reflections after each unit

• Faith and Reason Paper — Analysis of different views on faith and reason

• Letters to C. S. Lewis — Four reflective responses to A Grief Observed

• Final Exam — Open-book exam covering readings, lectures, and course materials

Final Note

If you are interested in questions about meaning, belief, suffering, and the human person—and you want to think about them carefully and seriously—this course is for you.