Faith and Reason | PHIL1020 | University of Southampton

Module overview

Debates between believers and non-believers are often fierce and can appear intractable, while the differences between them leads to social tension, conflict, and even war. Non-believers frequently charge believers with irrationality; in response, believers either try to show that faith has a rational basis or, more radically, deny that faith is a matter of reason at all. This module aims to introduce you to competing views concerning the nature of religious belief, and to give you the chance to explore critically some of the reasons given for and against it.

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

demonstrate skills in essay writing, planning and research.
scrutinise complex texts and extract from them key information.
contribute to controversial debates in a critical and fair-minded way.

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

contribute in an informed and dispassionate fashion to debates concerning the existence of God.
articulate and defend your own views concerning the nature and basis of religious faith.
evaluate critically the arguments which both believers and non-believers advance in support of their views.

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

influential arguments against belief in the existence of God.
influential arguments offered in support of belief in the existence of God.
competing accounts of faith and the nature of religious beliefs.

Syllabus

You can expect to explore topics such as:

Arguments for religious belief
Arguments against religious belief
Life after death
Religious language
The nature of faith
The connection between religion and morality

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching activities include:

Lectures
In class discussion
One to one consultation with the module coordinator

Learning activities include:

Attending classes
Contributing to class discussion
Doing independent research for and completing assessment tasks

Study time
Type	Hours
Independent Study	117
Teaching	33
Total study time	150

Resources & Reading list

General Resources

Blackboard.

Textbooks

W Rowe (2001). Philosophy of Religion. Wadsworth Publishing.

M Murray & M Rea (2008). An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion. Cambridge University Press.

B Davies (2004). An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion. Oxford University Press.

Assessment

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Essay proposal

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Essay	70%
Documentation	10%
Group Debate	20%

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Examination	100%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External