PHIL 240 Philosophy of Religion

Fall Semester 2013 | Day | Burnaby

INSTRUCTOR: D. Anderson, WMC 5605 (david.anderson at sfu.ca)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

An almost unthinkable amount of intellectual labour over the entire history of thinking humans has been devoted to the question of God’s existence and essential nature. In this course, we will add our own labour to the mix, considering as carefully as we can the reasons both for and against the existence of God. We begin by narrowing our subject matter. This course will focus almost entirely on the concept of God proposed by traditional Western monotheism (as found, for example, in the religious traditions of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity). We begin by clarifying this concept and asking whether it is even possible for there to be such a being. We will then proceed by evaluating the major arguments in support of theism, followed by the major arguments against theism.

REQUIRED TEXTS

• Peterson, M. et al. Philosophy of Religion: Selected Readings, Oxford University Press, ISBN: 978-0195393590
• Additional readings to be made available via Canvas

RECOMMENDED TEXT

• Vaughn, L. and J.S. McIntosh, 2009. Writing Philosophy: A Guide for Canadian Students, Oxford University Press, ISBN: 978-0195446746

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

• Class participation - 5%
• Weekly reading responses - 10%
• Two short papers, 20% and 25%  - 45%
• Final exam - 40%
  

NOTE: Students will be required to submit written work to turnitin.com, for plagiarism-checking and also, possibly, for anonymous peer review or as the basis for class discussion.

Prerequisites: PHIL 240 has no prerequisites and may be applied towards the Certificate in Liberal Arts.