ONLINE SYLLABUS Religious Studies 2LL3 (Fall 2014) - Skepticism, Atheism, and Religious Faith This syllabus, which links to all course assignments, is posted at http://socserv.mcmaster.ca/danahol/2LL3 and is also accessible by way of my home page (see below) and the Dept. of Religious Studies website. It will be updated periodically, and students in the class should consult it regularly during the semester.
CLASS MEETINGS: Mondays, 7-9 p.m., BSB 117 TUTORIALS: Mondays, 6-7 p.m., BSB 117 INSTRUCTOR: Dana Hollander, Department of Religious Studies,** University Hall 104. (905) 525-9140, ext. 24759* danahol@mcmaster.ca* http://univmail.cis.mcmaster.ca/~danahol/ *in your phone and e-mail messages, please let me know how I can reach you by phone Office Hours: Wednesdays, 4-5 p.m., or by appointment. TEACHING ASSISTANT: Michael Worden, Department of Religious Studies,** University Hall B125 (in the basement). wordenmj@mcmaster.ca Office Hours: Mondays, 5-6 p.m., or by appointment **Staff in the office of the Department of Religious Studies will not date-stamp or receive written assignments. ☛ JUMP TO SCHEDULE: September / October / November / December |
"I will suppose," Descartes wrote, that "some malicious demon . . . has employed all his energies in order to deceive me." by Joost Swarte, from the New
Yorker (Nov. 20, 2006), used with permission |
In this course, we will
read some key works in modern Western philosophy and religious thought
that propose different ways of conceiving God and approaching
religion. We will begin with René Descartes (1596-1650)
whose philosophy
helped
establish a tradition in which the task of thinking about God is
directly related to the question of what can we know in general - and
thus to the problem of "skepticism."
Next we will look at
three important challenges to the
tradition of seeing God as something we can "know":
We will conclude with an essay by contemporary philosopher Jürgen Habermas (born 1929), which argues that the traditional Western distinction between "faith" and "knowledge" is decisively called into question by the challenges of contemporary politics.
Note: Text Summary/Text Preparation assignments are designed to help you prepare the reading assignment for a particular class meeting, in conjunction with your participation in that class meeting. Therefore, these assignments consist of the written assignment to be handed in at the class meeting at which it is due plus attendance of the full class session.No submissions outside of those class times will be accepted.
*If you choose to hand in two Text Preparations, please complete Text Preparation 1 or 2 so as to allow time to receive feedback on the first assignment before preparing the second one, from among Text Preparation 3, 4, or 5. (Please contact the instructor or TA if scheduling difficulties arise.)
Grades will be based on the following:
McMaster
University has a strict policy concerning Academic Integrity:
"You are expected to exhibit honesty and use ethical behaviour in all
aspects of the learning process. Academic credentials you earn
are
rooted in principles of honesty and academic integrity. Academic
dishonesty is to knowingly act or fail to act in a way that results or
could result in unearned academic credit or advantage. This
behaviour
can result in serious consequences, e.g. the grade of zero on an
assignment, loss of credit with a notation on the transcript (notation
reads: “Grade of F assigned for academic dishonesty”), and/or
suspension or expulsion from the university. It is your responsibility to understand what constitutes academic dishonesty. For information on the various types of academic dishonesty please refer to the Academic Integrity Policy, located at www.mcmaster.ca/academicintegrity. The following
illustrates only three forms of
academic dishonesty: 1.
Plagiarism, e.g., the submission of work that is not one's own or for
which other credit has been obtained. 2. Improper collaboration in
group work. 3. Copying or using unauthorized aids in tests and
examinations." |
You are advised to retain copies of any written work you submit for this class, and all your research notes, until you have received an official grade.
SCHEDULE
At certain points in the course it may make good sense to modify the schedule outlined below. The instructor reserves the right to modify elements of the course and will notify students accordingly (in class, by e-mail to participants, and by updating this online syllabus). |
Descartes,
Meditations 1 and 2
Text
Summary 1 due in class from
students with last
names beginning in A-L.
Descartes,
Meditations 3 and 5
Text Summary 2 due in class from students who did not complete Text Summary 1.
Optional Supplementary Reading: Bernard Williams, chap. 5 ("God") of Descartes: The
Project of Pure Enquiry
(1978) [book on reserve]
Emil Fackenheim, "Kant's Philosophy of Religion" (1985) in The God Within [book on reserve]
German edition of Critique of Practical Reason.Midterm Exam Preparation Sheet distributed in class today.
Supplementary: Peter Gay, "Sigmund Freud: A Brief Life," in Freud, The Future of an Illusion. trans. James Strachey (Norton) [book to be placed on reserve]
Text
Preparation 3 due in class from some students.
Martin Buber, selections from I
and Thou
(1923), pp. 53-64, 68-69, 82-85, 123-31, 148-50 [coursepack]
Text
Preparation 4 due in class from some students.
Buber, I and Thou, cont'd
Buber, Between Man and Man
(1933/1934): "A Conversion"; "Morality and Religion" [selections in coursepack]
Supplementary:
Tamra Wright, "Buber, Martin." Article in Routledge
Encyclopedia of Philosophy (1998) [online and in the Reference
Section of Mills Library]
Text Preparation 5 due in class from some students.
see also my list of Errata for this translation
Text Preparation 6 due in class from some students (including from whoever has not submitted a Text Preparation).December 1
HABERMAS:
Religion and Secularization
Jürgen Habermas, "Faith and Knowledge"
(2001), trans. H. Beister and W. Rehy [essay in coursepack, or print
out your own copy from E.
Mendieta (ed.), The
Frankfurt School on Religion: pp. 327-37]
Final
Exam Preparation Sheet to be distributed in class today
Saturday, December 6, 7:30 p.m., in Building T-13, Room 127
Copyright © Dana Hollander