| Day |
Topic and Assignment |
Important Dates |
| Mon Jan 17 |
no class: Martin Luther King Jr. Day |
no class |
| Tues Jan 18 |
Introduction. What is philosophy?
What is philosophy of religion? |
|
| Wed Jan 19 |
Philosophical argumentation and writing philosophical
papers Assignment: read "The Idea of God" Chapter 1 in Philosophy of Religion pp. 4-15 |
|
| Thurs Jan 20 |
The idea of God Assignment: read Camus "Absurd" in God pp. 317-327 |
|
| Fri Jan 21 |
Meaning and Absurdity Assignment: read Freud "The Psychological Origins of Religion" in God pp. 262- 276 and James "The Will to Believe" in God pp. 369-383; interviews |
make-up class |
| Day |
Topic and Assignment |
Important Dates |
| Mon Jan 24 |
Discussion of interview assignment The source of the idea of God: Freud and James Assignment: read "Faith and Reason" Chapter 6 in Philosophy of Religion pp. 74-91 |
|
| Tues Jan 25 |
Faith and Reason, Revelation
vs. Scientific knowledge Assignment: read Augustine "God above Reason" in God pp. 1-16 |
|
| Wed Jan 26 |
Augustine and Kierkegaard Assignment: read Aquinas "The Five Ways" in God pp. 30-36 |
|
| Thurs Jan 27 |
Aquinas and Darwin Assignment: read "The Cosmological Argument" Chapter 2 in Philosophy of Religion pp. 16-28 |
journals due
(1) |
| Day |
Topic and Assignment |
Important Dates |
| Mon Jan 31 |
Cosmological Argument Assignment: read "The Ontological Argument" Chapter 3 in Philosophy of Religion pp. 29-43 |
|
| Tues Feb 1 |
Ontological Argument in class: view video "Does God Exist?" Assignment: read "The Design Argument" Chapter 4 in Philosophy of Religion pp. 44-54 |
|
| Wed Feb 2 |
Teleological Argument Assignment: read Hume "Anthropomorphism" in God pp. 121-133 |
|
| Thurs Feb 3 |
Hume's Objections Assignment: read Hume "Evil and a Finite God" in God pp. 224-229 |
| Day |
Topic and Assignment |
Important Dates |
| Mon Feb 7 |
What is the problem of evil? Assignment: read "The Problem of Evil" Chapter 7 in Philosophy of Religion pp. 92-110 |
first paper due |
| Tues Feb 8 |
Problem of evil continued in class: view video "Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero" Assignment: read Mackie "Evil and Omnipotence" in God pp. 230-244 |
|
| Wed Feb 9 |
Problem of evil continued Assignment: read Hick "The Value of Soul-Making" in God pp. 245-252 |
|
| Thurs Feb 10 |
Possible solutions to the problem
of evil Assignment: read "Predestination, Divine Foreknowledge, and Human Freedom" Chapter 11 in Philosophy of Religion pp. 147-160 |
| Day |
Topic and Assignment |
Important Dates |
| Mon Feb 14 |
Omniscience Assignment: read Boethius "Omniscience and Human Freedom" in God pp. 182-195 |
|
| Tues Feb 15 |
Free Will Assignment: read Sartre "Atheistic Existentialism" in God pp. 309-316 |
|
| Wed Feb 16 |
Atheistic solutions Assignment: read Hartshorne "Reconceiving God" in God pp. 328-339 |
|
| Thurs Feb 17 |
Theistic solutions no reading assignment |
journals due
(2) |
| Day |
Topic and Assignment |
Important Dates |
| Mon Feb 21 |
no class: Presidents' Day |
no class |
| Tues Feb 22 |
Divine Command Theory and Natural
Law Theory Assignment: read handout Rachels "Does Morality Depend on God?" |
|
| Wed Feb 23 |
Euthyphro's Dilemma Assignment: read handout from Euthyphro |
|
| Thurs Feb 24 |
Religion and Morality Assignment: read Mavrodes "Religion and the Queerness of Morality" in God. pp. 74-89 |
|
| Fri Feb 25 |
In class: debate topic "Do we need to believe
in God to be moral?" Assignment: read "Miracles and the Modern World View" Chapter 9 in Philosophy of Religion pp. 122-133 |
make-up class |
| Day |
Topic and Assignment |
Important Dates |
| Mon Feb 28 |
Miracles Assignment: read handout Hume "Of Miracles" |
|
| Tues Mar 1 |
Miracles Assignment: read "Life after Death" Chapter 10 in Philosophy of Religion pp. 134-146 |
|
| Wed Mar 2 |
Immortality Assignment: read handout Baker "Death and the Afterlife" |
|
| Thurs Mar 3 |
Immortality Assignment: read "Religious and Mystical Experience" Chapter 5 in Philosophy of Religion pp. 55-73 |
| Day |
Topic and Assignment |
Important Dates |
| Mon Mar 7 |
The nature of religious experience Assignment: read James "The Reality of the Unseen" in God pp. 277-284 |
second paper due |
| Tues Mar 8 |
in class: view video "Can We
Know God through Experience?" Assignment: read Buber "I and Thou" in God pp. 397-407 |
|
| Wed Mar 9 |
in class: exam review |
|
| Thurs Mar 10 |
in class: final exam |
final exam |