| Room: WLH 2114 | Prof. Eric Watkins |
| Times: T & Th 12:30-1:50 | Office: H&SS 8018 |
| Term: Fall Quarter 2009 | Office tel: 822-0082 |
| Office Hours: Th 2:00-3:30 & by appointment | E-mail: ewatkins@ucsd.edu |
Phil 185 Philosophy of Religion
The purpose of this course is to provide an introduction to the philosophy of religion. Topics will include the traditional theistic proofs (the Cosmological, Teleological, and Ontological Arguments), the attributes of God (God's eternity, omniscience, and omnipotence), the problem of evil, and the relation between faith and reason.
I. Reading Assignments (subject to adjustment)
| Th 9-24 | Introduction | ||
| T 9-29 | The Cosmological Argument, pp. 9-15 | ||
| Th 10-1 | The Cosmological Argument, pp. 15-33 |
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| T 10-6 | The Teleological Argument, pp. 51-56 |
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| Th 10-8 | The Ontological Argument, pp. 2-9 |
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| T 10-13 | The Argument from Religious Experience, pp, 119-142 |
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| Th 10-15 | Miracles, pp. 273-302 |
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| T 10-20 | Time and Eternity, pp. 221-230 |
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| Th 10-22 | Time and Eternity, pp. 230-245 |
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| T 10-27 | God's Omniscience and Human Freedom, pp. 245-260 |
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| Th 10-29 |
God's Omniscience and Human Freedom, pp. 260-264 |
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| T 11-3 | Midterm Exam |
Paper Topics #1 |
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| Th 11-5 | God's Omnipotence, pp. 264-271 |
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| T 11-10 | The Problem of Evil, pp. 143-158, 165-169 |
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| Th 11-12 | The Problem of Evil, pp. 169-173 |
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| T 11-17 | The Problem of Evil, pp. 181-200 |
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| Th 11-19 | Faith and Reason, pp. 361-379 |
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| T 11-24 | Faith and Reason, pp. 379-404 |
Paper Topics #2 |
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| Th 11-26 | Thanksgiving | ||
| T 12-1 | Faith and Reason, pp. 404-422 |
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| Th 12-3 | Conclusion |
Term Paper due |
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| Fr 12-11 | Final Exam (11:30-2:29) | ||
II. Required Text:
The text is available in the UCSD bookstore. All readings
listed on the syllabus will be from this book.
III. Requirements:
1. Midterm exam (25%)
The midterm exam will consist of a number of short answer questions (one paragraph each) and longer essay questions.
2. Final exam
(35%)
The final exam will be comprehensive, but more heavily weighted toward the material that is covered after the midterm.
3. One
Term Paper (25%)
The term paper should be 5-7
pages in
length. Term paper topics will be assigned.
4. Class Participation
(15%)
Class participation is important and will be part of the final grade.
One way to participate in class is to submit detailed reactions to
and/or thoughtful questions about the reading (300 word minimum and maximum) in advance of
the relevant class (via e-mail).
Make-up Exam Policy
A make-up examination will be arranged only if
evidence of a valid excuse (e.g., a note from the doctor, the dean or
athletic department, etc.) is presented in a timely manner. If a
student misses an examination without a valid excuse, the student will
receive a grade of F for that exam.
IV. Other Information
1. I expect students to have read the material in advance and to be prepared to discuss it in class. This is not a lecture course, so class discussion is essential.
2. Honor Code. The Academic Honor Code must be observed in this course.
Students agree that by taking this course all required papers will be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the terms of use agreement posted on the Turnitin.com site.
3. If accommodations are needed for a disability or religious reasons, please notify me during the first class period or as soon as possible.