PHIL 743 : Philosophy of Religion 2

Arts

2020 Semester One (1203) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Discussion of selected topics in philosophy of religion.

Course Overview

The focus of this course is on the epistemology of religious belief and the nature of faith. Can religious belief be justifiable even if it turns out that the truth of its factual claims is not adequately supported by our total available evidence in accordance with our established practices for settling factual questions? Where factual evidence falls short, might an ethical evaluation of religious beliefs, or of the consequences of holding them, provide justification for (certain forms of) religious commitment?
We will consider the current state of the debate between evidentialists and fideists over the justifiability of religious belief, and recent work on faith, including an emerging tendency to defend "non-doxastic" accounts of faith (that is, accounts which hold that there could be, for example, authentic Christian faith without any actual belief that central Christian doctrines are true). We will base our discussions on Laura Frances Callahan and Timothy O’Connor, eds, Religious Faith and Intellectual Virtue, Oxford University Press, 2014 [available  through Oxford Scholarship Online].

Course Requirements

No pre-requisites or restrictions

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2: Critical Thinking
Capability 4: Communication and Engagement
Capability 5: Independence and Integrity
Capability 6: Social and Environmental Responsibilities

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Understand and critically evaluate recently published work on the epistemology of religious belief and the nature of faith (Capability 1.1, 2.1 and 2.3)
  2. Develop an appreciation of different kinds of 'knowledge' in the light of an understanding of the nature of faith of the religious kind (Capability 1.3 and 4.3)
  3. Be critically reflective about one's own religious or non-religious faith-commitments or lack of such commitments (Capability 5.1)
  4. Further develop an understanding of ethical responses to disagreement and differing beliefs (especially in the light of an appreciation of debates about religious pluralism and exclusivism) (Capability 4.3 and 6.3)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Essay 100% Individual Coursework
Students will have the opportunity to submit a draft of the 6,000 word essay required for assessment, and to receive feedback from the Course Director on that draft. As the course is taught in seminar-style, there will also be opportunities for students to give presentations during the classes - and  these presentations may be related to the chosen essay topic.

Learning Resources

Laura Frances Callahan and Timothy O’Connor, eds, Religious Faith and Intellectual Virtue, Oxford University Press, 2014 [available through Oxford Scholarship Online]

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect, per week, 2 hours of seminar discussions, an average of 5 hours of reading and thinking about the content in preparation for seminars and 3 hours of work towards the preparation of an essay draft and its completion for final assessment .

Digital Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website at http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page (https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894), which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter (https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html).

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Published on 03/12/2019 04:25 p.m.