Syllabus
Philosophy of Religion
Philosophy 32
Instructor: Meg Wallace
Syllabus
Office: Caldwell
206B
Office Phone: 919-926-3330
Office Hours: M-F 11-11:30 and by appointment.
Email: megw@email.unc.edu
Course Webpage: http://www.unc.edu/~megw/Phil32SS06.html
Where: Alumni 205
When: M-F 11:30-1pm
Required Texts
Philosophy of Religion: An Anthology,
fourth edition. Edited by Louis Pojman
On the Genealogy of Morals,
Frederick Nietzsche.
The above texts should be available in the student
book store. Other required readings--if there should be any--will
become
available during the
duration of the
course, and will be posted up on my website. (In general, I will email
the entire class when any changes have been made to any of the course
related webpages.) Suggested on-line readings
will be posted on the course main page here.
Course Description
This is an introductory course designed to give you a brief
overview of some of the main issues in Philosophy of Religion. We will
be addressing such questions as whether God exists, whether He even could exist (i.e., is the idea of
God even coherent?), and what it would mean if he either did or didn't
exist. In particular, we will be looking at some of the main arguments
for and against the claim that God exists. We will also discuss what
sort of attributes God has or might
have, and why, as well as the connection between God and morality and
God and the meaning of life. Finally, we will be addressing the
difference and tension--if there is any--between faith and reason,
religion and science, etc.
Course
Requirements
(i) 2 Exams
There will be 2 in-class exams in short answer/essay format. The dates
for the exams can be found on the reading schedule. Study
guides will be available on the main course webpage as the semester
proceeds. Review sessions will be held if you should need them.
(ii) 1 Final
There will be 1 final at the end of the semester. It will cover all of
the material and will be in short answer/essay format. Date: July 27, 11:30-2:30.
(iii) Participation
You are expected to read the assignments, think carefully
about the readings, and come to class prepared. Part of what makes
philosophy
so engaging is being able to discuss various views with others. My hope
is that
this course will provide you with a forum where such discussion can
take place.
Thus, a small part of your grade will be allotted for participation,
which
includes coming to class, taking part in class discussions, turning in
class
assignments, coming to office hours, etc.
Grades
Your final grade in this course will be broken down as
follows:
First Exam
30%
Second Exam
30%
Final
35%*
Participation
5%
*Caveat: You must pass the exam to pass
the class.
Honor Code
It is expected that everyone in the class has read, understood,
and obeys UNC's Honor Code, which you can read on-line here. For more general
information about the university's honor system, go here.
General Advice
Philosophy
is oftentimes difficult. You may find
that you
need to read an article several times before you even have a sense of
what the
article is about. Please don’t get frustrated—you’ll discover that
having
patience and working through such arduous material will be incredibly
rewarding. However, chances are that even reading and re-reading the
material
will not be enough. That is why I encourage every single one of you to
see me in
my office hours whenever you feel you need the extra help. I have two
hours a
week specifically allotted for meeting with students, but feel free to
make an
appointment with me if another time would be more convenient. Also, I
am open
to having group meetings or study sessions outside of class time
whenever you
feel such a meeting would be beneficial.
Page Last Updated: June
22, 2006