Winter Semester 2023/2024
Master's Programme Philosophy of Religion at the Faculty of Catholic Theology
Compulsory Module 1: Foundations of Philosophy of Religion
202.550 VO The big questions in philosophy of religion. Winfried LÖFFLER
Start: Tuesday 03.10.2023, on-site, next time online in Winter Semester 2024/25
Learning Outcome: The students have advanced knowledge in the main issues of the philosophy of religion, e.g. the logical and epistemological status of religious beliefs, the justification of claims about God’s existence and attributes, and the argumentative structure of religious criticism. They have the competence to develop critical and well-reasoned assessments in these fields.
Contents: Various forms and definitions of “religion”; theories about the function of religious language; arguments for and against the rationality of religious belief; the question of the existence and attributes of God; interpretations and argumentative weight of religious experience; religious and other world-views.
Methods: Lecture with discussion. The lecture will be in presence mode, but will also be live-streamed and recorded.
Assessment: Oral exam.
Literature: W.J. Wainwright (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Religion (2005).
202.551 SE Classical texts in the philosophy of religion. Josef QUITTERER
Start: Monday 02.10.2023, on-site, next time online in Winter Semester 2024/25
Learning Outcome: Knowledge in „the big questions“ of philosophy of religion, e.g. the epistemic status of religious beliefs, the rationality of statements about God’s existence and attributes, the structure of arguments critical of religion, and the ability to study independently classical texts concerning these questions, including metaphysical, anthropological and scientific contexts.
Contents: Analysis and discussion of classical texts concerning „the big questions“, e.g. the epistemic status of religious beliefs, the rationality of statements about God’s existence and attributes, the structure of arguments critical of religion, including their metaphysical, anthropological and scientific contexts.
Methods: Reading of texts, analysis and discussion.
Assessment: Essays.
Literature: To be announced in the seminar.
Compulsory Module 2: Faith and Reason
202.552 VO Epistemology and religion. Katherine DORMANDY
Start: Thursday 06.10.2022, on-site, next time online in Winter Semester 2024/25
Learning Outcome: Understanding of the reasons and arguments for accepting or rejecting religious truth claims or religious faith. The ability to think critically about one’s own stance on matters of religion and faith.
Contents: In a world with horrendous suffering and massive religious and secular diversity, religious faith and the beliefs that accompany it face many challenges. And religion is not like natural science – its truth claims do not lend themselves to experimentation. How can we think about religion and faith for ourselves ? This class presents some important epistemological tools for thinking about these issues. Students are encouraged to develop and articulate their own views.
Methods: Lectures and discussions.
Assessment: Short essays over the course of the semester.
Literature: Will be announced; the readings will be in English.
202.553 SE Science and religion. Ludger JANSEN
Start: Tuesday 10.10.2023, on-site, next time online in Winter Semester 2024/25
Learning Outcome: After successful completion of the course, the student will be familiar with the most influential positions taken on the relation between science and religious belief and is able to identify the reasons and motivation that underlie those positions.
Contents: This course addresses the following questions:
- What is the relation between science and religious belief? Are they in conflict with each other, or are they compatible?
- What, if anything, makes it the case that science is more than a mere opinion? Likewise, what, if anything, makes it the case the religious belief, especially Christian belief, is more than a mere opinion? These questions for the heart of the epistemology of science, as well as the epistemology of religious belief.
Methods: The main methods will be: interpretation of texts, historic contextualisation, conceptual clarification, argument analysis.
Assessment: Presentation, mid-term paper, and a final paper.
Literature:
- Matthias Haudel, Theologie und Naturwissenschaft (Göttingen: V&R, 2021)
- Peter Harrison, The Territories of Science and Religion (Chicago/London: University of Chicago Press, 2015).
- Alvin Plantinga, Where the Conflict Really Lies. Science, Religion, and Naturalism (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011).
- Some additional papers.
Compulsory Module 5: The Philosophy of Religious Traditions
202.508 VO Jewish and Islamic philosophy. Christian KANZIAN
Start: Tuesday 03.10.2023, online
Learning Outcome: Knowledge of the most important traditions of Jewish und Islamic Philosophy.
Contents: In the course, fundamental questions of the relationship between religious faith and philosophical reflection will be posed, focussing on traditions of Jewish and Islamic thought. Key figures in the history of Jewish and Islamic philosophy (e.g. Maimonides, Ibn Sina) will be presented and a systematic overview of current fundamental questions will be offered. Finally, philosophical topics are dealt with in the context of the interreligious dialogue of monotheistic religions.
Methods: Lecture with discussion.
Assessment: Oral exam.
Literature: History of Jewish Philosophy, ed. D. H. Frank / O. Leaman; History of Islamic Philosophy, ed. H. Nasr / O. Leaman.
202.509 SE Philosophy of the religions: Maimonides - The Guide of the Perplexed. Christian KANZIAN
Start: Wednesday 04.10.2023, online
Learning Outcome: Knowledge of Maimonides’ “The Guide of the Perplexed”.
Contents: In the seminar we will study representative passages from Moses Maimonides' “Guide of the Perplexed”. We will focus on key questions of Maimonides’ Philosophy of Religion (God's existence, God's attributes, creation), as well as basic questions of the relationship between philosophy and religion.
Methods: Common reading and interpretation of texts.
Assessment: Final paper.
Literature: Maimonides, The Guide of the Perplexed.
Elective Module 2: Religion and Ethics
202.512 VO Religion and Ethics. Bruno NIEDERBACHER
Start: Tuesday 05.10.2023, online
Learning Outcome: To get acquainted with a variety of possible relationships between religion and morality.
Contents: Religion and ethics are important areas of human life. Most religions make strong moral claims. But how are the two related to each other? In the lecture we explore philosophically the links between morality and religion.
Methods: Lectures and discussions.
Assessment: Oral exam.
Literature:
- Gensler, Harry J 2016: Ethics and Religion. Cambridge.
- Baggett David / Walls Jerry L 2016: God and Cosmos. Moral Truth and Human Meaning. Oxford.
202.513 SE Philosophy, religion, spirituality. Federica MALFATTI
Start: Wednesday 11.10.2023, online
Learning Outcome: The aim of the seminar is to deal with current issues situated at the interface between religion and ethics, to develop one’s own standpoint and to test how it can be argued or presented.
Contents: Ethics and religion have in common that both ask questions of meaning and value. Ethics, however, answers these questions by exclusively drawing on reason and arguments that are comprehensible to everyone. Religions, on the other hand, refer to revelatory knowledge, to truths of faith and to shared experiences. In the seminar we will gain a better understanding of the differences and similarities between ethics and religion by discussing concrete ethical and moral-theological positions.
Methods: Presentation and discussion of relevant topics.
Assessment: Participation in the discussion, presentation, term paper.
Literature: Will be chosen together.
General information on exams, dates and sign-on at the department (in German).