Course Syllabus: Philosophy of Religion

Course #: PHIL 312 | Section #: 01 | CRSN: 03468 | Room: LA 112 | Fall 2011 | Mon, Weds, and Fri 11am Noon

Instructor: Dr. John DePoe E-mail: jdepoe@marywood.edu Office: 116 Immaculata Office Hours: Mondays 1:30pm-3pm, Tuesdays 1pm-3pm, Wednesdays 1:30pm-3pm, and by appointment
Course Description This course aims at teaching students how to think philosophically about many of the most important topics in contemporary analytic philosophy of religion. As a result, this class cannot be a comprehensive survey of all topics in the philosophy of religion. Instead, students will be taught the way to think philosophically about some of the main issues and arguments in contemporary philosophy of religion by engaging critically with texts from classic and contemporary sources. Among the questions we will ask and attempt to answer are, How should is faith related to reason?, Are there good reasons to believe that God exists?, Can the existence of evil be reconciled with the existence of God?, When is it reasonable, if ever, to believe that a miracle has occurred?, and Is religious exclusivism a reasonable position in todays world? As a result of studying and engaging these topics critically, students will acquire knowledge of these subjects as well as develop skills for thinking critically. Goals and Objectives This course is designed to help you to: understand some of the most important ideas that have shaped Western culture improve your writing skills, which is crucial for success in any field of work improve your ability to think carefully and critically appreciate different perspectives about religion which, consistent with the Goals of Marywood Universitys Undergraduate Curriculum, should enable you to: think critically and creatively in both the theoretical and practical aspects of life appreciate the value and dignity you share with others as a human being apply the wisdom of the humanities to the examination and evaluation of contemporary issues read, write and speak effectively and achieve computer literacy Outcomes: The American Philosophical Association, in its official statement on outcomes assessment, observes that: The basic aim of education in philosophy is not and should not be primarily to impart information. Rather it is to help students learn to understand various kinds of deeply difficult intellectual problems, to interpret texts regarding these problems, to analyze and criticize the arguments found in them, and to express themselves in ways that clarify and carry forward reflection upon them. Originally published in The Proceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical Association 69:2, pages 94-99. Learning Outcomes: By the end of the semester, the dedicated student will be able to identify, describe, ask questions concerning, and critically discuss (in both oral and written communications) many of the classic and contemporary issues in philosophy of religion. Course Text Required Reading: Michael Rea and Louis Pojman, eds., Philosophy of Religion: An Anthology. Wadsworth Publishing, 2011. ISBN 1111305447. Additional readings will be distributed through Moodle. Grade Scale A A100-95 94-90 B+ 89-86 B 85-82 B81-80 C+ 79-76 C 75-72 C71-70 D+ 69-66 D 65-60 F 59-0

Assessment 1. Formal Writing Assignment (20% total): You will have an opportunity to practice your writing and thinking skills in a paper that is about 8-10 pages in length. This formal assignment will allow you to demonstrate the depth of your understanding of the ideas contained in course texts and class discussions. The importance of good writing for success in any career path you choose cannot be stressed enough. More specific grading criteria will be provided with the instructions for this assignment. Late assignments may receive a grade penalty.

2. Informal Writing Assignments and Quizzes (30%): There will be approximately 8-12 informal writing assignments to give you the opportunity to express some of the many new ideas you will be encountering in the course. Your highest scoring 75% of these will constitute this dimension of your grade. This writing will be in different formats such as reading summaries, response papers, reading questions, and quizzes. Note that in-class writing cannot be made up. 3. Exams (30%): In this course, there will be three take-home exams. These exams will consist of essay questions that are intended to prompt students to demonstrate the breadth of information they are learning through this class as well as how well they are thinking critically about the main issues they are contemplating through this course. More specific grading criteria will be provided with the instructions for this assignment. 4. Attendance and Class Contributions (20%): Class discussions will be a very important component of this class. Ontime attendance is required and will be factored into the grade. In addition, I would like you to contribute to discussions both in class and on the Moodle forums with responses that are substantial, helpful, timely, and thoughtful. These exchanges should amount to more than the mere expression of an opinion, so always focus on the reasons for your views. You should post to the Moodle discussion board at least once every two weeks. If you have special circumstances that require you to be late or absent, send me an email with a very brief reason. No gory details please. Consideration for excused absences will be given, but not guaranteed.

Tentative Class Schedule

Syllabus readings and assignment schedules are subject to change. It is your responsibility to keep track of any such changes. Readings are expected to be completed prior to class meeting.

8/22-8/26: Welcome and Introduction Introduction to class, logic, and arguments 8/29-9/2: Faith and Reason Hick, Rational Theistic Belief without Proof (513522) Flew, The Presumption of Atheism (522-533) 9/5-9/9: Faith and Reason Mon (9/5) Labor Day No class/office hours Bergmann, Rational Religious Belief without Arguments (534-548) 9/12-9/16: Cosmological Argument Clarke, The Argument from Contingency (149-150) Rowe, An Examination of the Cosmological Argument (150-159) 9/19-9/23: Cosmological Argument Craig and Moreland, The Kalam Cosmological Argument (160-171) Draper, A Critique of the Kalam Cosmological Argument (172-176) 9/26-9/30: Design Argument Paley, The Watch and the Watchmaker (181-183) Hume, A Critique of the Design Argument (184-190) 10/3-10/7: Design Argument Swinburne, The Argument from Design (191-201) Exam #1 Due 10/10-10/14: The Problem of Evil Mackie, Evil and Omnipotence (299-306) Plantinga, The Free Will Defense (329-339)

10/17-10/21: The Problem of Evil Mon (10/17) Fall Break No class/office hours Rowe, The Inductive Argument from Evil against God (307-314) 10/24-10/28: The Problem of Evil Bergmann, Skeptical Theism and Rowes New Evidential Argument from Evil (Moodle) 10/31-11/4: Miracles Hume, Against Miracles (406-414) 11/7-11/11: Miracles Swinburne, Miracles (Moodle) Exam #2 Due 11/14-11/18: Religious Pluralism/Exclusivism Hick, Religious Pluralism and Ultimate Reality (632640) 11/21-11/25: Religious Pluralism/Exclusivism Weds-Fri (11/23-11/25) Thanksgiving No class/office hours Plantinga, A Defense of Religious Exclusivism (640654) 11/28-12/2: Religious Disagreement Feldman, Reasonable Religious Disagreements (Moodle) DePoe, The Significance of Religious Disagreement (Moodle) Exam #3 Due

Policies
Academic Honesty (as stated in the Undergraduate Catalog 2011-2013, pages 20-21)
The Marywood University community functions best when its members treat one another with honesty, fairness, and trust. The entire community, students and faculty alike, recognize the necessity and accept the responsibility for academic honesty. Students must realize that deception for individual gain is an offense against the entire community. Cheating and plagiarism are behaviors destructive of the learning process and of the ethical standards expected of all students at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Students have a responsibility to know and adhere to the University's Academic Honesty policy. Violations of this academic honesty statement or the intent of this statement carry consequences. University procedures for investigation of alleged violations of this policy ensure that students are protected from arbitrary or capricious disciplinary action. Initial sanctions for violations of academic honesty ordinarily are determined by the course instructor. The faculty member will employ a range of sanctions, from a minimum of a failing grade for the specific coursework in which the infraction occurred to a maximum of a failing grade for the entire course. If necessary, the chairperson and/or academic dean may become involved in investigating the allegation of academic dishonesty and the determination of sanctions. The faculty member will file a report with the office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, with copy to the faculty member's department chairperson and the student's academic dean. Sanctions determined by the instructor may include a grade of F for the coursework in which the infraction occurred. An academic dean may choose at any time to inform the Dean of Students of charges of academic dishonesty for adjudication in the University conduct system. Likewise, a member of the University community may submit a conduct report against a student, group of students, or student organization for alleged violations of the Academic Honesty policy to the Dean of Students, who will inform the appropriate academic dean for possible adjudication. The Vice President for Academic Affairs will maintain a register of established cases of academic dishonesty in order to identify an individual student's pattern of violation. Two established cases of academic dishonesty will result in suspension from the University; three established cases will result in dismissal. In a case in which the student is involved with violations of both academic and conduct policies from the same incident, the Dean of Students and the cognizant Academic Dean of the college or school in which the student is enrolled will confer regarding sanctions to assess their academic impact and to assure that a consistent message is communicated to the student. Definitions Cheating is defined as but not limited to the following: 1. having unauthorized material and/or electronic devices during an examination without the permission of the instructor; 2. copying from another student or permitting copying by another student in a testing situation; 3. communicating exam questions to another student; 4. completing an assignment for another student, or submitting an assignment done by another student, e.g., exam, paper, laboratory or computer report; 5. collaborating with another student in the production of a paper or report designated as an individual assignment; 6. submitting work purchased from a commercial paper writing service; 7. submitting out-of-class work for an in-class assignment; 8. changing grades or falsifying records; 9. stealing or attempting to steal exams or answer keys, or retaining exams without authorization; 10. submitting an identical assignment to two different classes without the permission of the instructors; 11. falsifying an account of data collection unless instructed to do so by the course instructor; 12. creating the impression, through improper referencing, that the student has read material that was not read; 13. artificially contriving material or data and submitting them as fact; 14. failing to contribute fairly to group work while seeking to share in the credit; 15. collaborating on assignments that were not intended to be collaborative. Plagiarism is defined as the offering as one's own work the words, sentence structure, ideas, existing imagery, or arguments of another person without appropriate attribution by quotation, reference, or footnote. It includes quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing the works of others without appropriate citation. No claim of ignorance about the nature of plagiarism will excuse a violation.
http://www.marywood.edu/policy/detail.html?id=167071&crumbTrail=Academic Honesty&pageTitle=Academic Honesty

Procedures The student has a right to appeal sanctions resulting from academic dishonesty. A student who decides to file a formal grievance must submit the request in writing to the departmental chair or the dean. This is ordinarily done within thirty working days of the date an alleged incident occurred or a problem began. The necessary form is available from the Academic Dean of the college or school where the alleged problem occurred. The Vice President for Academic Affairs is the final recourse in the academic appeal process.

Academic Accommodations (also see the Student Handbook 2011-2012, pages 154-157)
Marywood University will provide an accommodation to students with documented disabilities, provided the accommodation does not pose an undue hardship on the University. A student may request accommodation by submitting documentation to the Office of Student Support Services or, if a prospective student, to University Admissions. For more information, please contact the Office of Student Support Services. Marywood University complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 as amended by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008. Students with disabilities who need special accommodations must submit documentation of the disability to the Office of Student Support Services, Liberal Arts Center 223B, in order for reasonable accommodations to be granted. The Office of Student Support Services will partner with students to determine the appropriate accommodations and, in cooperation with the instructor, will work to ensure that all students have a fair opportunity to perform in this class. Students are encouraged to notify instructors and the Office of Student Support Services as soon as they determine accommodations are necessary; however, documentation will be reviewed at any point in the semester upon receipt. Specific details of the disability will remain confidential between the student and the Office of Student Support services unless the student chooses to disclose or there is legitimate academic need for disclosure on a case-by-case basis. For assistance, please contact Diane Taylor, Associate Director of Student Support Services, at 570.348.6211 x2335 or dtaylor@marywood.edu http://cwis.marywood.edu/Disabilities/faculty%20resources.stm.

Counseling/Student Development Center (also see the Student Handbook 2011-2012, page 146)
The Counseling/Student Development Center assists students with many challenges, changes and choices. The Centers professional staff and supervised graduate student interns respond to a spectrum of student needs, from routine information to academic support services to assistance with serious psychological issues. The Center offers confidential individual personal counseling, personal growth groups, psychiatric consultation, and crisis intervention to help students deal effectively with important issues related to their academic and personal growth. The staff is committed to a comprehensive wellness philosophy. Outreach educational sessions to enhance social, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and vocational health are provided. http://www.marywood.edu/csdc/

Conduct
Use your most formal writing (e.g., good punctuation, spelling, and grammar) on all assignments, in the discussion forums, and in emails to me. Be awake and alert in class. Please refrain from excessive talking, and refrain also from the use of electronic devices of any kind (e.g., laptops, cell phones, etc.), unless given express permission by the instructor. If it appears you are sleeping, texting, or excessively talking, your grade will very likely be reduced, especially if it happens more than once. Come to class prepared to contribute to class discussion. Expect to be called on. The best way to prepare is to read each secondary text at least once, and each primary text at least twice, before class, take notes on the reading, and jot down questions you would like clarification on, or that you think would be interesting for the class to discuss.

Tips for Success

Reading assignments by the day they appear on the Class Schedule is essential. In class and on the forums, ask questions and propose topics inspired by the readings. Class participation is expected of every student unless extraordinary circumstances prevent it. Taking notes can be helpful; however, note-taking should not take the place of paying close attention to class lectures and discussions. Keep cell phones turned off in your pocket or book bag. Texting during class is grossly impolite and will result in a grade penalty. Much of what you read this semester will need to be read more than once or twice. Willingness to go the extra mile in class contributions and preparation will pay off.