Syllabus Spring 2015

Philosophy 252- Philosophy of Religion

Instructor:

Karen Grayson
Kgrayson@mac.com

Course:

Philosophy 252
Monday & Wednesday, 12:55-2:10
Course Website - password protected

A philosophical analysis of concepts, claims, and arguments that have traditionally been employed in
support of and in challenge to religious belief. Topics typically include proofs for God's existence, the
problem of evil, arguments against belief in God, and the possibility of life after death.
Contact:

Office hours are Mondays and Wednesdays before or after class.

Texts:

Philosophy of Religion Selected Readings, 3rd Edition. Rowe & Wainright, Oxford
University Press, 1998
Other texts as needed to be handed out in class

Goals:

- To engage with historically important philosophical treatments of theological issues

- To develop skill in close textual reading of primary source material
- To wrestle productively with personal questions about God, evil, and life purpose
- To gain confidence in being a philosopher and have fun with complex ideas

Work Load:

Two in-class exams - 25% each

8 blackboard discussions in groups of 3 and 4 - 5% each (40%)
Preparation and Participation - 10%

Exams: Pretty typical exams. Short answer and essay questions. You will be invited to bring one piece
of paper to the exam with notes or ideas to support your work. The first exam, a one-hour in-class test,
takes place on and covers material from the first half of the semester. Exam two is a comprehensive two
hour final, given during our official final exam time, Monday 10:30-12:30.
Discussion Groups: You will participate in 8 virtual forums (located on our course website) this semester.
These assignments will take place over weekends, and will require you to visit your forum two or three
times between Thursday and the following Monday. (Check the schedule for forum assignment due
dates). For each topic, you will POST an answer to a discussion question posed by the professor. You
will reply to at least TWO other posts offered by your classmates. Finally, you will respond to at least
ONE comment about your initial post. The more skilled you and your group become, the more like a
lively (although non-synchronic) discussion you will have.
Preparation and Participation: Students are expected to come to each class prepared and ready to engage
verbally in class discussion. This means you will need to have read the material carefully, taken notes
either in the margins of the texts or on separate paper, and really thought about what youve read (or
watched -- some of the material may be video). In this class, everyone starts with a participation grade of
B. You can earn an A if you attend almost every class, speak up consistently, drawing attention to our
readings and to previous class discussions, and respond to others points in a helpful way
Academic Honesty and Plagiarism Note:
Each student is expected to abide by Principias code of academic honesty. Students, along with the
Faculty, have the responsibility of maintaining the integrity of grades, scholarship, and professional
standards. Students are required to complete all assignments and exams without assistance. Everyone is
expected to develop original work for this course; therefore, you may not submit course work you
completed for another class to satisfy the requirements for this course. Students who violate these rules
may receive a penalty grade, including but not limited to a failing grade on the assignment or in the class.