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Philosophy 342: Philosophy of Religion (CRN 13285)
Dr. Jackie Ann K. Kegley
Winter, 2008
jkegley@csub.edu
Office: Faculty Towers 103D- 664-2249 Philosophy Office-664-2291 Fax: 665-6904
Office Hours: Mon. 10-12:30; Tues. 1-3:30
This class will meet in Science 179 from 3:30 pm to 5:55 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. Depending on the
class activities, we will either take a short break in the middle or end class earlier than 5:55. Class materials and
grades will be posted on Web CT. This includes any lecture materials.
Course Description: This course will explore the following issues: the nature of religion and of
religious experiences, various conceptions of God, evidence for the existence of God including the classical
arguments, faith and its relationship to knowledge, the problem of evil, the relationship of religion to
morality, the meaning and the possibility and nature of personal immortality.
Course Goals
1. To examine carefully some key problems and issues in the philosophy of religion.
2. To learn how to critically analyze religious issues and problems.
3. To explore personal beliefs and reactions to issues in the philosophy of religion
Text: The required text is: Gary E. Kessler, Philosophy of Religion: Toward a Global Perspective.
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1999
Additional Resources:
For those with little background in the world's religions, I recommend reading the articles on the world
religions in The HarperCollins Dictionary of Religion, edited by Jonathan Z. Smith. 1995: San Francisco:
Harper San Francisco, 1995. You will find this in the reference section of the library (Ref. BL31.H37
1995).Some Internet Resources: The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy at
http://www.utm.edu/research/iep, See Exploring Religions Home Page for information on various
religions http://august.uwyo.edu/religionet/er/DEFAULT.HTM., The Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy - http://plato.stanford.edu/
Requirements
Your progress in this course will be assessed through the following requirements. Required work is always
due on the day of class when the work is listed. Students will be expected to spend two hours outside of
class for every hour in class.
50% Class Participation- includes
Preparing reading questions- 25%
Structured Discussions- 10%
Short reading reflective essays and film analysis- 15%
25% Final Exam
25% Critical Analytic Paper
Class participation: (50%) This is a class is an opportunity to explore together the fundamental
human phenomenon of religion and the many questions surrounding this feature of human experience and
life. Sharing our ideas, arguments, and experiences will lead us to greater understanding of very complex,
but highly significant questions. Our classroom should become a “community of intellectual inquiry and
sharing” and thus, your attendance and participation is vital. It is crucial that we share our observations,
ideas, and critical reflections. In this process, we should gain a wider understanding of the philosophical
texts and hopefully will learn much from each other. Attendance and participation is thus mandatory. If
you must miss class for a truly legitimate reason, please contact me ahead of time. (Evidence of illness or
work obligations will be required) Each unexcused absence warrants a five-percent reduction in the final
grade.
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1. Philosophical Reading Journal (25%) In addition to the necessity of attending class, you need to come
prepared. This means that you have to read the entire assignment, have thought about it, and are ready to
discuss it. Please prepare answers in writing to the "Reading Questions" in the text for each assignment and be
prepared to share your answers with the rest of the class. Classroom discussion will center on these questions. I
suggest that you enter your answers and related reading notes in a Philosophical Reading Journal. These will be
collected every Wednesday and graded. Your journal will be a fundamental tool for doing well on the other class
assignments including the final exam, the reading reflections, discussions, the film analysis, and the critical analysis
paper. For each class period reading assignment you should raise one question relevant to the material that
you believe needs clarification, discussion, or further inquiry.
2. Structured Discussions (10%) - There will be structured discussion groups for most class meetings. The
discussions will draw on the readings, on additional questions, on your questions and other class materials
including film or slides. Each small group will hand in a summary of their discussion as well as share their
ideas and conclusions with the class.
3. Reading Reflective essays (15%)- There will be four reflective essays due on the readings which will
require you to synthesize and compare and contrast the various views on each topic. There will also one
written film analysis. A guided summary analysis of the film will be due the next class period after the showing of
the DVD. The film is intended to enrich our community experience of the phenomenon called “religion” and thus to
add to our understanding and reflection on the fundamental philosophical questions about religion.
Grading criteria for reading journal, reflective essays and film analysis:
1. A-grade- The answers provided are thorough, reflective, and substantial. They
capture the central points of the readings and/or video. The reading journal
question is thoughtful, helpful, and relevant.
2. B-grade- The questions are answered fully and capture most of the essential
points of the readings. The reading question raised is helpful and relevant.
3. C-grade. The answers to the questions are on track and the reading question
raised is okay.
4. D-grade. The answers are inadequate and the question is repetitious of the
material or not raised at all.
Critical analysis paper (30%) You will be expected to write a four to six page (typed and doublespaced) critical analysis of an article in a chapter in the text that is not assigned for class. If your interest is
not captured by any of these available articles, you should consult the instructor for an alternative. Your
choice of a selection is due January 23. The outline of the paper is due February 18 th. The final paper
is due March 5.
Comprehensive final exam (20%) - Questions will be distributed before the exam. Students may
prepare a half a page of notes on each question and refer to them during the exam. The exam will consist
of a subset of questions previously distributed. Final Exam is: March 12: 5-7:30.
Letter grades and their percentage equivalents:
93-100 =A
90-92= A-
87-89= B+
83-86=B
80-82=B-
77-79=C+
73-76=C
70-72=C-
67-69=D+
63-66=D
60-62=D-
Below 60= F
Academic dishonesty (Cheating) is a broad category of actions that involve fraud and deception to
improve a grade or obtain course credit. Academic dishonesty (cheating) is not limited to examination
situations alone, but arises whenever a student attempts to gain an unearned academic advantage.
Plagiarism is a specific form of academic dishonesty which consists of the misuse of published or
unpublished works of another by claiming them as one’s own. Plagiarism may consist of handing in
someone else’s work as one’s own, copying or purchasing a pre-written composition and claiming it as
one’s own, using paragraphs, sentences, phrases, words, or ideas by another without giving appropriate
citation or using data and/or statistics compiled by another, without giving appropriate citation. Another
example of academic dishonesty is the submission of the same, or essentially the same paper or other
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assignment for credit in tow different courses without receiving prior approval from the instructors of the
affected courses.
If academic dishonesty in any form occurs, I am required to notify the CSUB Dean of Students and CSUB
Student Conduct Coordinator. A course grade of ‘F’ may be assigned or another grade penalty may be
applied. Additional academic sanctions such a disciplinary probation, suspension or permanent expulsion
may be determined by the student conduct coordinator. I take this matter of betrayal of trust very
seriously. If you have questions about this, please ask.
Special Needs: To request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact the Office of
Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) as soon as possible. Their office is located in SA 140, and
they may be reached at 661-654-3360 (voice), or 661-654-6288 (TDD). If you have an
accommodations letter from the SSD Office documenting that you have a disability, please present
the letter to me during class or during my office hours as soon as possible so we can discuss the
specific accommodations that you might need in this class. Please do let me know of any special
needs that you might have.
Schedule of readings and assignments
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1/2
Introduction to Class
Philosophy of Religion
_____________________________________________________________________________________
1/7
What is Religion?
Ninian Smart, “What is Religion?” 2-11 and
Rem B. Edwards, “The Search for Family
Resemblances,” 20-24.
___________________________________________________________________________________
1/9
What is Religion?
Wilfred Cantwell Smith, “The Meaning and
End of Religion,” 26-34 and Keiji Nishitani,
Collection of Reading Journals
“What is Religion,” 35-42
____________________________________________________________________________________
1/14
What is Ultimate Reality?
Lao-tzu, “The Tao,” 46-52; Shankara, “NonDualism,” and John B. Cobb, Jr. “Emptiness
And God,” 70-81.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
1/16
What is Ultimate Reality?”
Rosemary Radford Reuther, “The Female
Nature of God.”
Collection of Reading Journals
DVD: “What Do You Believe?”
Reading reflective essays due.
______________________________________________________________________________________
1/21
Martin Luther King Day- No class
______________________________________________________________________________________
1/23
Religious Experience
Ninian Smart, “The Experiential
Dimension,” 152-162; Grace M. Jentzen,
Film reflection # 1 due.
“Feminists, Philosophers and Mystics,”
Collection of Reading Journals
192-208.
Last day to withdraw without a W
____________________________________________________________________________________
1/28
Religious Experience
Black Elk, “Black Elk’s Vision,” 162-179;
Josiah Royce, “Individual and Social Experience as
Sources of Religious Insight,”-handout; and
D.T. Zuzuki, “Satori,” 176-182.
______________________________________________________________________________________
1/30
Suffering and Evil
Elie Wiesel, “Night,” 211-217; Menicus,
Collection of Reading Journals
“Human Nature is Good,” Hsűn-tzu,
“Human Nature is Evil,” 218-224.
______________________________________________________________________________________
2/4
The Problem of Evil
J. L. Mackie, “Evil and Omnipotence,” 224-
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233; Kwame Gyekye, “The Free-Will
Explanation,” 235-238.
___________________________________________________________________________________
2/6
The Problem of Evil
William Rowe, “Atheism and Evil,” 239Bruce Reichenbach, Karma and the
Problem of Evil,” 248-255.
Collection of Reading Journals
_________________________________________________________________________________
2/11
The Problem of Evil
Robert Nozick, “Theological Explanations,”
257-267
Josiah Royce, “The Problem of Job,”
______________________________________________________________________________________
2/13
Religion and Morality
Confucius, “Analects,” 271-276; Robert
Collection of Reading Journals
Merrihew Adams. “A Modified Divine
Reading reflective essay # 2 due.
Command Theory,” 282-295.
______________________________________________________________________________________
2/18
Religion and Social Justice
Cornel West,” Am Afro-American
Revolutionary Christianity,” 296-302;
Michael Candelaria, “Popular Religion and
Liberation,” 305-310; Martha Nussbaum,
Religion and Women’s Human Rights,” 321-4.
______________________________________________________________________________________
2/20
Are We Immortal?
Kofi Asare Opoku, “Death and Immortality
In African Religions,” 330-337; Maurice
Reading reflective essay # 3 due
Lamm, “Jewish Views of the Afterlife,” 338-343.
Collection of Reading Journals
_____________________________________________________________________________________
2/25
Are We Immortal?
John Hick, “Human Destiny: Immortality
And Resurrection,” 344-350; Josiah Royce,
“Immortality,”- handout.
______________________________________________________________________________________
2/27 Are We Reborn?
Sri Aurobino,” The Reincarnating Soul,”
363; Linda Badham, “A Naturalistic Case
For Extinction,” 365-372; Charles W. Kegley,
Collection of Reading Journals
“Survival After Death and the Contemporary MindBody Discussion,”- handout.
____________________________________________________________________________________
3/3 Why Seek Proof?
St. Thomas Aquinas, “The Five Ways,” 103-106.
Gunapala Dharmasiri, “A Buddhist Critique,” 115122; Sri Arubindo, “Whence This
Consciousness?”103-136
___________________________________________________________________________________
3/5 Proving the Existence of
Ultimate Reality
David Hume, The Teleological Argument,” 124Reading reflective essay # 4 due
129.
Collection of Reading Journals
______________________________________________________________________________________
Why Seek Proof?
Gunapala Dharmasiri, “A Buddhist Critique,” 115122; Sri Arubindo, “Whence This Consciousness?”
132-136.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
3/10
The Ethics of Belief
William K. Clifford, “The Ethics of Belief,” 445-449;
William James, “The Will to Believe,” 449-457.
Collection of Reading Journals
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