PER6075 - Philosophy of Religion

Objectives:

Assessment tasks are designed to enable students to demonstrate the Learning and Employability outcomes for the relevant level of study. Level Learning Outcomes are embedded in the assessment task(s) at that level. This enables a more integrated view of overall student performance at each level.

Content:

This module explores the fundamental theories, thinkers and arguments which have shaped the development of Western philosophy of religion. The module examines how philosophy directly and indirectly engages with religious themes and questions like God, the afterlife, souls and ethics. The module will draw from multiple viewpoints, and equip students with a robust awareness of various opinions and nuanced distinctions. The module will critically analyse classic philosophy of religion themes like the cosmological, teleological and ontological arguments; the nature of religious language, belief and life; and the challenges which evil, suffering and epistemic distance raise for religious belief systems. A range of religious traditions and perspectives will be considered, such as those found in Hinduism and Buddhism, and Christianity and Judaism, equipping students with global perspectives and cultural awareness.

The module will also reference relevant theology so to provide students with a rich and robust understanding of the foundations which support religion. Upon completion, students will be able to make and sustain critically engaged arguments about the philosophical dimensions of religion, and offer well-reasoned opinions and judgements.

Learning and Teaching Information:

Sessions will be run in an interactive manner in order to facilitate open dialogue between students and lecturer, as well as among students themselves, and therefore there is not a strict separation between lecture and seminar. You will be taught using LTU’s multimodal approach to teaching. Your learning will be divided into three stages: Preparation: You will be given clear tasks to support you in preparing for live, in-person teaching. This may include watching a short, pre-recorded lecture (or other open educational resource), reading a paper or text chapter, finding resources to discuss with your peers in class, reading and commenting on a paper or preparing other material for use in class. Your Module Tutor will give you information to help you understand why you are completing an activity and how this will be built on during live, in-person teaching. Live: All your live, in-person teaching will be designed around active learning, providing you with valuable opportunities to build on preparation tasks and interact with staff and peers, as well as helping you to deepen your understanding, apply knowledge and surface any misunderstandings. Post: Follow-up activities will include clear opportunities for you to check understanding and apply your learning to a new situation or context. These activities will also be a source of feedback for staff that will inform subsequent sessions. Lectures/seminars
Hours: 24
Intended Group Size: 30

Guided independent study
Hours: 126

Further details relating to assessment
Portfolio:
Students are required to produce a portfolio consisting of (i) an argument in support of a core theory or view (e.g., the cosmological argument or religious realism), and (ii) an argument against a core theory or view (e.g., the teleological argument or the problem of evil). The core theory or view in (i) must be different to the core theory of view in (ii). The student must write in an argumentative manner, adopting the styles and conventions associated with defensive and critical arguments, as will be explored in class. This assignment is designed to provide students an opportunity to demonstrate not just a breadth of subject knowledge, but an ability to write for and against different philosophical positions with clarity and sophistication.

Assessment:

001 Portfolio; 2,500 words; end of semester 2 100%

Fact File

Module Coordinator - David Ellis
Level - 6
Credit Value - 15
Pre-Requisites - NONE
Semester(s) Offered - 6S2

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