PHIL 140: Philosophy of Religion

Citrus College Course Outline of Record

Citrus College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Fall 2022
Credits: 3
Total Contact Hours: 54
Lecture Hours : 54
Lab Hours: 0
Hours Arranged: 0
Outside of Class Hours: 108
Strongly Recommended: ENGL 101.
District General Education: C2. Humanities
Transferable to CSU: Yes
Transferable to UC: Yes - Approved
Grading Method: Standard Letter

Catalog Course Description

A study of the philosophical issues connected with classical theism, such as the concept of God, arguments for the existence of God, the nature of God, the problem of evil, and concepts of the afterlife. 54 lecture hours.

Course Objectives

  • show understanding of philosophical discussions of topics in philosophy of religion
  • evaluate philosophical arguments as either deductively valid or invalid or inductively strong or weak
  • write a persuasive essay defending a thesis on a topic in philosophy of religion
  • summarize the classical arguments for the existence of God and the classical criticisms of those arguments
  • show an understanding of the problem of evil, and either defend it as an argument for atheism by criticizing attempts to reconcile it with theism, or else argue for a way in which theism can be reconciled with the existence of evil
  • discuss the relation between religion and science
  • discuss reasons to accept and reasons to reject religions experience as evidence for religious beliefs
  • discuss the relation between morality and religion

Major Course Content

  1. Concepts of God
  2. Philosophy and Religious Belief
  3. Arguments for the Existence of God
    1. Cosmological
    2. Design
    3. Ontological
  4. Experience and God
  5. Talking About God
  6. Divine Simplicity
  7. Omnipotence and Omniscience
  8. God and Evil
  9. Miracles
  10. Morality and Religion
  11. Life After Death

Examples of Required Writing Assignments

Short essays
Final essay exam
Example of an essay prompt:
Defend or criticize the following claim: "The idea of life after death does not make sense."

Examples of Outside Assignments

Readings from the texts
Homework assignments to demonstrate reading comprehension
Example:
Read the chapter called "Design Arguments." Write a short essay in which you summarize Hume's criticism of the argument from design.

Instruction Type(s)

Lecture, Online Education Lecture

IGETC Area 3: Arts and Humanities

3B. Humanities