PHIL2030
10 units
2000 level
Course handbook
Description
The course examines a number of issues in philosophy of religion which came to the fore in the ancient, medieval, early modern, enlightenment, and later periods. Topics to be discussed may include proofs for the existence of God, various conceptions of transcendence, the nature of the self, the concept of religion, and the relation between religious and scientific forms of inquiry. Diverse philosophical movements will be explored such as Platonism, Aristotelianism, phenomenology, existentialism, and hermeneutics.
Availability2024 Course Timetables
Online
- Semester 1 - 2024
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of the course students will be able to:
1. Evaluate the main issues addressed and approaches taken by philosophers with respect to religion;
2. Apply critical skills to interact with these issues in their historical forms and assess their relevance to contemporary philosophical discussion of these matters;
3. Analyse the historical contexts that help generate but not exhaust the ways in which an issue can appear and reappear in the history of philosophy;
4. Demonstrate writing, research and information technology skills appropriate to studies of philosophy, religion, and the history of ideas.
Content
Each week will focus on intepreting the texts, examining the philosophical issues, discussing how the historical context helps shape the issues, and indicating the contemporary relevance of the matters discussed. Thinkers to be considered may include Aurelius Augustine, Avicenna, Moses Maimonides, Anselm, Rene Descartes, Immanuel Kant, G.W.F. Hegel, Soren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Sigmund Freud.
Requisite
This course replaces PHIL3030. If you have successfully completed PHIL3030 you cannot enrol in this course.
Assessment items
Essay: Essay One
Essay: Essay Two
Online Learning Activity: Online Learning Task
Contact hours
Semester 1 - 2024 - Online
Lecture-1
- Online 2 hour(s) per week(s) for 12 week(s)
Course outline
- PHIL2030 - Semester 1, 2024 (Online) (PDF, 203.4 KB)
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.