Transcript title

Philosophy of Religion

Credits

3

Grading mode

Standard letter grades

Total contact hours

30

Lecture hours

30

Recommended preparation

WR 121Z.

Course Description

Surveys topics and debates in the philosophy of religion, including arguments for and against the existence of God, the problem of evil, and contemporary challenges to revealed religions, such as religious pluralism, feminist theory, and the possibility of secular ethical frameworks.

Course learning outcomes

1. Identify basic concepts and theories in philosophy.
2. Explain “religion” as a category of philosophical analysis.
3. Identify central questions in philosophy of religion.
4. Construct and defend individual philosophical arguments.

Content outline

1. Introducing Philosophy
2. Introducing Philosophy of Religion
3. Arguments for the Existence of God: The Ontological and Cosmological Arguments
4. Arguments for the Existence of God: The Argument from Design
5. Moral Arguments
6. The Problem of Evil
7. Free Will and Religion
8. Faith and Reason
9. Critiques of God
10. Feminist Theologies
11. The Challenge of Religious Pluralism

Required materials

Course readings are projected to be a combination of textbook and instructor selected readings and resources available online or in pdf format. 

Example textbook:

Kelly James Clark, editor, Readings in the Philosophy of Religion, Second Edition, Ontario, Canada: Broadview Press, 2008. ISBN: 978-1-155111-803-1

General education/Related instruction lists

• Cultural Literacy
• Arts and Letters