Philosophy of Religion--Phi/Rel 355
Georgetown College
Department of Philosophy--Fall 2001
Section A: M/W/F 11:00-11:50a.m., PH 201
Instructor: Brad Hadaway
Office: Pawling Hall 307
Telephone: 863-8081 [O] 570-9537 [H]
Office Hours: MF 3-4p.m.; W
4-5p.m.; TTh 1-2p.m. and by appointment
Email: Bradford_Hadaway@georgetowncollege.edu
Website: http://spider.georgetowncollege.edu/philosophy/hadaway/index.htm
Course Description: Philosophical exploration of the classical
issues of theistic religious thought, such as the reality of God, the problem
of evil, religious language, life after death, and the pluralism of religious
traditions. 3 credit hours
Course Objectives
Satisfaction
of the course requirements will enable the student:
·
To
gain an understanding of the variety of answers that have been given to
questions concerning the relationship between religion and rationality.
·
To
gain an appreciation for some classic and contemporary philosophical texts.
·
To
hone one’s skills in identifying and evaluating arguments.
·
To
improve one’s ability to think and write clearly and critically.
·
To
gain a more complete and refined understanding of one’s own intersection with
religious issues.
·
To
clearly see the connection between philosophical thought and life’s questions.
Required Text:
Peterson,
Michael, William Hasker, Bruce Reichenbach, and David Basinger. Philosophy of Religion:
Several articles have been placed on reserve in the Ensor Learning Resource Center. (You may check those articles out for a period of two hours or you may photocopy the articles)
Course Requirements
·
Attendance
and class participation (7
or more unexcused absences hurt you)
·
1
Presentation 10%
·
Response
Writing (1-2 pages) 10%
·
1
Short paper (5-7 pages) 20%
·
1
Longer paper (10-15 pages) 40%
·
Final
Exam (you write the questions) 20%
Final Grading Scale:
A = 100-90; B = 89-80; C =
79-70; D = 69-60; F = 59 and below
**Note: Scores for each individual assignment will
either be as a letter grade [presentation, papers, exam] which will correspond
to the following numerical score:
A+ =
98; A = 94.5; A- = 91; B+ = 88; B = 84.5; B- = 81; C+ = 78; C = 74.5; C- = 71;
D+ = 68; D = 64.5; D- = 61; F = 54.5
or as a ü+, ü, ü- [response writing] which will correspond to the
following numerical score:
ü+ = 98; ü = 84; ü- =70
So if you receive a “B-” on a
paper or exam, that score is treated as an “81” when figuring your
average. If you receive a ü+ on a homework assignment, that score is treated as a
"98" when figuring your average.
Attendance and Class
Participation
You
are allowed six unexcused absences before your grade is affected. Beginning with the seventh unexcused
absence, each missed class will incur a reduction in your final point
total. Every unexcused absence after
six will mean a 1.5 point reduction in the final score. For example, a student with 13 unexcused
absences (roughly 1/3rd of the course) will have his or her final
score reduced by 9 points. The final score can be further reduced if a student
repeatedly demonstrates a lack of preparation for class. I will frequently begin class with questions
designed to check your preparation, but since this is an upper level course, I
do not anticipate many problems.
Presentations
Each
student will direct the class discussion about the day's reading one time
during the semester. I will give more
explicit directions about the nature of your responsibilities during the course
of the semester.
Response
Writing
I
may occasionally assign a mini-paper to allow you the opportunity to (a) work
towards a greater understanding of a difficult concept, (b) reflect more
carefully upon an author's theoretical position, or (c) to offer the beginnings
of a critical assessment of an author's work.
These very short assignments will be graded according to the ü+, ü, ü- system detailed above.
Papers
Papers
represent your chance to ‘do’ philosophy.
Your assignments will present you with a challenge or question based
upon the course material, and your paper will represent your best philosophical
answer to the challenge or question.
These papers will be both expository [accurately and completely
describing the view of a particular philosopher] and critical [offering
relevant criticisms of the positions of a particular philosopher]. Please refer to the piece, “Learning to
Write an Excellent Philosophy Essay” before turning in your first paper. It can be found on my website.
Final Examination
The
final day of class, we will write the exam essay questions together, and the
exam will be given on its scheduled day.
Late Papers and Missed
Examinations:
Late
papers will NOT be accepted and examinations will NOT be taken late unless
the instructor is informed ahead of time of a problem or there
is a documented
emergency [e.g. illness with Doctor’s note].
I cannot simply accept your word that you had an emergency. I need to have some form of
verification. If you have not notified
the instructor of a problem ahead of time or if you are unable to provide
documentation of your emergency, you will receive a non-negotiable zero.
Assignments can always be turned in or taken early.
Web Resources
During
the course of the semester, I will make certain handouts, lecture note
outlines, and helpful resources for the class available on my website. In
light of these facts, you are required to have some basic knowledge of the
internet and access to the web.
As a Georgetown College student, you are automatically given an email
address and access to the web. If you
have questions about how to receive your email address or how to access and use
the web, please see me immediately.
IMPORTANT
NOTES
·
If
accommodations are needed for a disability, please notify me during the first
class period or as soon as possible.
·
The
Academic Honor Code must be observed in this course. Please see the Student Handbook for details. Any infraction of the Honor Code will result
in a failing grade of ‘0’ for the plagiarized work, and depending upon the
circumstances, further action could be taken through the appropriate
administrative channels.
·
Please
note that the policies and course outline stated in this syllabus are subject
to minor change.
Course Outline
I. Course
Introduction
II. The Traditional Proofs of God's Existence
A. Aquinas: The Classical Cosmological Argument
(PR: 184-186)
B.
Taylor: A Contemporary Version of the Cosmological
Argument (PR: 187-195)
C.
Moreland: The Kalam Cosmological Argument (PR: 196-208)
D.
Mackie: Critique of the Cosmological Argument
(PR: 209-217)
E.
Anselm: The Classical Ontological Argument (PR: 165-166)
F.
Gaunilo: Critique of Anselm's Argument (PR: 167-168)
G.
Paley: The Watch and the Watchmaker (Reserve)
H.
Hume: A Critique of the Design Argument (Reserve)
I.
Swinburne: The Argument from Design (Reserve)
J.
Lewis: The Moral Argument (PR: 241-245)
**Short Paper Assignment**
III. The Problem of Evil
A. Hume: Evil Makes a Strong Case Against God's
Existence (PR: 255-262)
B.
Mackie: Evil and Omnipotence (PR: 263-273)
C.
Plantinga: The Free Will Defense (PR: 274-300)
D.
Hick: Soul-making Theodicy (PR: 301-314)
E.
Rowe: The Evidential Argument from Evil (PR:
315-325)
IV. Faith and Reason
A. Aquinas: The
harmony of Reason and Revelation (PR:
67-70)
B.
Rushd: The Harmony of
Philosophy and the Qur'an (PR:
71-76)
C. Pascal: The Wager (PR: 77-79)
D.
Clifford: The Ethics of Belief (PR: 80-85)
E.
James: The Will to Believe (PR: 86-93)
F.
Kierkegaard: Truth is Subjectivity (PR: 94-97)
G.
Adams: Kierkegaard's Argument Against Objective
Reasoning in Religion (Reserve)
V. Religious Diversity
A. Hick: Religious
Pluralism (PR: 560-569)
B.
Plantinga: A Defense of
Religious Exclusivism (Reserve)
**Second Paper Assignment**
VI. You Pick
A.
B.
C.
**Final Exam** Thursday, December 13th,
9-11a.m.