PH101 Philosophy of Religion - Heythrop College

Module
code
Module title
Principal lecturer
Module co-ordinator
Module staff
Term(s) when
available
Programme(s) for
which chiefly intended
(as core or option)
PH101 Credit value 30 Academic
level
Philosophy of Religion
Dr Jonathan Loose
Dr Jonathan Loose
Dr Peter Gallagher, Dr Simin Rahimi
Michaelmas and Lent
BA Abrahamic Religions, BA Philosophy, Religion and Ethics,
BA Theology
BD
O
Pre-requisite
None
module(s)
Co-requisite module(s) None
Prohibited
None
combination
Module aims To introduce the student to current debate about a range of issues in
Philosophy of Religion, focussing on the beliefs of Jews, Christians and
Muslims
To teach the basic skills of philosophic analysis, and to foster the ability to
understand texts and to summarise and evaluate arguments
Learning outcomes By the end of the module, students will be able to:
Knowledge and Understanding
Students will be able to:
Define philosophical terms which are central to the study of Philosophy of
Religion
Demonstrate a clear understanding of the different models of God outlined in
the module, and of the implications of these for our understanding of God's
interaction with the world
Explain the key arguments of selected scholars and the key arguments
concerning selected themes
Intellectual and Cognitive Skills
Students will be able to:
Select and organise material from a limited range of primary and secondary
sources
Identify and focus on key issues within each topic studied
Appreciate and identify key philosophical arguments
Construct a sustained argument
4
C
Indicative
content
Relationship of
Module
Practical and Transferable Skills
Students will be able to:
Represent the views of others with fairness and integrity
Show an ability to assimilate and evaluate competing arguments
Show open-mindedness and make sound judgements
Work collaboratively as a member of a team
Produce clear, well-structured written work
Write fluently, with minimal grammatical and typographical errors and
accurate referencing
Present information, ideas and arguments clearly in verbal form
Meet deadlines, with some workload planning assistance
Key scholars include: Maimonides, Ibn Sina, Al-Ghazali, and Aquinas
Key themes include: The nature of truth claims about God; God’s attributes;
miracles and prayer; life after death; the problem of evil.
A core level 4 module of this type will be informed generally rather than

module content to
staff research
Learning and teaching
methods
Essential texts
Recommended texts
specifically by staff research.
A mixture of lectures, seminars, tutorials and revision sessions, together with
appropriate reading and set tasks to enable students to apply the skills they
learn.
Essential readings may be accessed via the College Virtual Learning
Environment.
One introductory textbook and one collection of readings taken from the
following lists:
Introductory textbooks
Clack, Beverley and Brian R. Clack, The Philosophy of Religion: a Critical
Introduction (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2008) [ISBN 978-0-7456-3868-3].
Davies, Brian, An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion (Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2004) [ISBN 0-19-926347-7].
Meister, Chad, Introducing Philosophy of Religion (Abingdon: Routledge,
2009) [ISBN 0-415-40327-8].
Peterson, Michael L., God and Evil: an Introduction to the Issues (Boulder,
Colorado; Oxford: Westview Press, 1998) [ISBN 0-813-32849-7].
Peterson, Michael, William Hasker, Bruce Reichenbach and David Basinger,
Reason and Religious Belief: an Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion
(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003) [ISBN 0-19-515695-1].
Zagzebski, Linda Trinkaus Philosophy of Religion: An Historical Introduction
(Oxford: Blackwell, 2007) [ISBN 978-1-4051-1872-9].
Collections of readings
Adams, Marilyn McCord and Robert Merrihew Adams, eds, The Problem of
Evil (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990) [ISBN 0-198-24866-0].
Davies, Brian, ed. Philosophy of Religion: a Guide and Anthology (Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2000) [ISBN 0-198-75194-X].
Eshleman, Andrew, ed., Readings in Philosophy of Religion: East Meets
West (Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2008) [ISBN 978-1-4051-4717-0].
Frank, Daniel H., Oliver Leaman, and Charles H. Manekin, eds, The Jewish
Philosophy Reader (London: Routledge, 2000) [ISBN 0-415-16860-0].
Meister, Chad, ed., The Philosophy of Religion Reader. (Abingdon:
Routledge, 2008) [ISBN 978-0-414-40891-2].
Peterson, Michael, William Hasker, Bruce Reichenbach, and David Basinger,
eds, Philosophy of Religion: Selected Readings (Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 2007) [ISBN 0-19-518829-2].
Stump, Eleonore, and Michael J Murray, eds, Philosophy of Religion: the Big
Questions (Oxford: Blackwell, 1999) [ISBN 0-631-20604-3].
Taliaferro, Charles and Paul Griffiths, eds, Philosophy of Religion: An
Anthology (Oxford: Blackwell, 2003) [ISBN 0-631-21471-2].
(Background reading)
Students who have not studied Philosophy of Religion at A Level are
encouraged to read Peter Vardy and Julie Arliss The Thinker's Guide to God
(Alresford: John Hunt Publishing, 2003) during the first term.

Assessment Type of task Magnitude % of
coursework
element
Coursework element Summary of 1,000 words 20%
primary text
Essay 2,000 words 40%
Essay 2,000 words 40%
End of year element Examination 2.25 hours, three
questions (one
text-based and
two essays)
Feedback
Weight within
the module
40%
60%
To pass a module, students must make a reasonable attempt at all assessment
tasks, pass the end of year assessment, and achieve an overall module mark at
least equal to the passmark.
Coursework marks will be returned through the Virtual Learning Environment,
and individual comments and guidance will be given.
Academic tutorials are provided to discuss written coursework and to provide
guidance to improve the written work. Formative feedback will normally be
provided within three weeks of the due date for all students who submit on time.
In module student
evaluation
opportunities
Indicative student time
allocation
Date of module
description
development or
modification
In 2012-13 a pilot scheme is running for PRE, BAAR, and BASR programmes.
Feedback on two of the essays will be given in a Small Group event.
Informally in tutorials and in formal module evaluations.
The teachers welcome comments, criticisms and questions.
300 hours
December 2010
Updated and Approved September 2012