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DR303U: READINGS IN PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION (2024-2025)

Last modified: 22 Aug 2024 12:46


Course Overview

Religious questions and topics have often played an important part in philosophical reflection in the long philosophical tradition of the West that reaches from Ancient Greece to the present day.  By way of close extended reading, analysis and seminar discussions of one or more classic texts from this tradition of philosophy of religion, this course invites students to delve more deeply into the way religious questions have been approached by important philosophical thinkers as wide ranging as Plato, Hume, Lessing, Kant, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Murdoch, James, Wittgenstein, Rorty and Plantinga.

This year the topic will be 'Hell and Its Christian Critics'.

Course Details

Study Type Undergraduate Level 3
Term First Term Credit Points 30 credits (15 ECTS credits)
Campus Aberdeen Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Dr Daniel Pedersen

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

  • Any Undergraduate Programme (Studied)
  • Distance Learning

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

Religious questions and topics have often played an important part in philosophical reflection in the long philosophical tradition of the West that reaches from Ancient Greece to the present day.  By way of close extended reading, analysis and seminar discussions of one or more classic texts from this tradition of philosophy of religion, this course invites students to delve more deeply into the way religious questions have been approached by important philosophical thinkers as wide ranging as Plato, Hume, Lessing, Kant, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Murdoch, James, Wittgenstein, Rorty and Plantinga.

The doctrine of hell is a traditional Christian belief, but it is also controversial – not only contested by Christianity’s critics, but also by many within the Christian theological tradition. In this course we examine the concept of hell, what it implies, the reasons Christians might think it is desirable or necessary to believe in hell, and the role of hell in Christian thought more broadly. In addition, we focus on criticism of the doctrine of hell from within the Christian tradition, both in contemporary debates and also historically, with an eye to themes of God’s justice and goodness and the perfection and power of Christ’s saving work. By the end of the course students will come away with a deeper and more nuanced understanding of what the doctrine of hell is as well as some of the most powerful reasons Christians have to reject it.


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 30 August 2024 for 1st term courses and 20 December 2024 for 2nd term courses.

Summative Assessments

Tutorial/Seminar Participation

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 10
Assessment Weeks Feedback Weeks

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Feedback

Feedback will be given by course instructors in the form of personal conversation with students in seminar, detailed written comments on all submitted written work.

Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator

Essay

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 30
Assessment Weeks Feedback Weeks

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Feedback

Feedback will be given by course instructors in the form of personal conversation with students in seminar, detailed written comments on all submitted written work.

Word Count 1500
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator

Essay

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 60
Assessment Weeks Feedback Weeks

Look up Week Numbers

Feedback

Feedback will be given by course instructors in the form of personal conversation with students in seminar, detailed written comments on all submitted written work.

Word Count 2500
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Course Learning Outcomes

Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ProceduralCreateStudents will learn to develop public presentation skills and to lead seminar discussions in an informed and structured way
FactualUnderstandStudents will acquire knowledge of topics, debated and problems in philosophy of religion by close study of classic works in the history of the tradition
ConceptualAnalyseStudents will learn to engage critically with debates and issues in the philosophy of religion by understanding and critically appreciating primary texts and their central arguments
ConceptualApplyStudents will learn to develop their capacity for philosophical reasoning, research and writing.
ConceptualCreateStudents will learn to express complex philosophical ideas and judgments in both oral and written arguments

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