Course Snapshot for PHI214 - Philosophy of Religion
The information listed below is subject to change. Please review the course syllabus within your online course at the start of class.
Course Competencies
The competencies you will demonstrate in this course are as follows:
- Analyze and explain various arguments for the existence of God.
- Explain the rationale for various conceptions of ultimate reality.
- Analyze critically the role of religious experience.
- Evaluate positions regarding the truth claims of the world’s religions.
- Describe pragmatic, reason-based, and faith-based justifications for belief.
- Explain the problem of evil, and responses to it.
- Identify various positions on the afterlife, and analyze corresponding arguments.
- Evaluate the relationship between religion and morality.
- Argue effectively for personal positions adopted on issues in the philosophy of religion.
- Critically analyze and evaluate primary philosophical sources.
- Utilize college-level written communication skills in the articulation of philosophical thought and analysis.
- Demonstrate college-level competency in the reading and comprehension of primary and secondary sources.
Module Outcomes Mapped to Competencies
Module 1 Learning Outcomes |
Mapped to Course Competencies (above) |
| Discuss, compare and contrast concepts of God, theistic beliefs, and how religious realism and religious nonrealism relate to the nature of religious concepts, beliefs & claims. | 2, 9, 10, 11, 12 |
| Discuss, differentiate, and critically analyze the role of religious experience as a proof of God’s existence. | 1, 3, 9, 10, 11, 12 |
| Discuss, compare and contrast, and critically analyze the roles of faith and reason as ways of knowing. | 5, 9, 10, 11, 12 |
| Discuss and explain matters of academic integrity, the nature and avoidance of plagiarism, and why using Wikipedia is problematic in scholarly work. | |
Module 2 Learning Outcomes |
Mapped to Course Competencies (above) |
| Discuss and explain the tenets and scope of rational and empirical attempts to prove God’s existence. | 1, 9, 10, 11, 12 |
| Critically analyze the ontological, cosmological, teleological, and moral theistic arguments. | 1, 9, 10, 11, 12 |
| Critically analyze Reformed epistemology’s view of theism as a “properly basic” belief. | 5, 9, 10, 11, 12 |
| Critically analyze theistic characteristics attributed to God. | 2, 9, 10, 11, 12 |
Module 3 Learning Outcomes |
Mapped to Course Competencies (above) |
| Discuss and critically analyze theories on the nature and kinds of actions religions attribute to God. | 2, 9, 10, 11, 12 |
| Discuss and critically analyze the problem of evil, including the free will defense, the Irenaean theodicy, and process theodicy. | 6, 9, 10, 11, 12 |
| Critically analyze the phenomena of miracles. | 9, 10, 11, 12 |
Module 4 Learning Outcomes |
Mapped to Course Competencies (above) |
| Discuss and critically analyze the logical coherence of divine attributes. | 2, 9, 10, 11, 12 |
| Discuss, compare and contrast, and critically analyze atheism, naturalism, and theism. | 1, 9, 10, 11, 12 |
| Discuss, compare and contrast various conceptions of the soul, immortality, and ultimate human destiny, and how such ideas affect one’s concept of self-identity. | 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 |
| Discuss and critically analyze the nature of the soul in the context of the broader issue of mind-body dualism. | 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 |
Module 5 Learning Outcomes |
Mapped to Course Competencies (above) |
| Discuss and characterize differing views regarding the relationship of religion to science. | 9, 10, 11, 12 |
| Discuss, identify, and compare and contrast non-theistic conceptions of religion with traditional ideas of God, and the broader issue of the diverse truth claims of the world’s religions. | 2, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12 |
| Discuss, critically analyze, and evaluate the relationship between religion and morality, including divine command theory and secular ethics. | 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 |
Course Time Commitment and Expectations
For every credit hour, students should plan to spend an average of 2-3 hours per week for course-related activities in a 15-week course. For example, a 3 credit hour course would average an average 6-9 hours per week to read/listen to the online content, participate in discussion forums, complete assignments, and study the course material. For 10 and 6-week courses, the amount of time per week will be higher so all course competencies, module outcomes, and assignments will be covered.
Aside from typical reading assignments, this course has the following (Please Note: This list is subject to change based on the discretion of the instructor facilitating this course.):
| Class Assignment | Total Points |
|---|---|
| Research with Integrity discussion (10 points) | 10 |
| Discussions (5 @ 20 points each) | 100 |
| Essays (5 @ 20 points each) | 100 |
| Journals (5 @ 10 points each) | 50 |
| TOTAL | 260 |
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