Undergraduate Course: Atheism in Debate: Dawkins, his allies and his opponents (DIVI08002)
Course Outline
| School | School of Divinity |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course investigates contemporary atheism and its critics. It considers the great atheists of the past as predecessors to the writings of Richard Dawkins (The God Delusion), Daniel Dennett (Breaking the Spell), Sam Harris (The End of Faith) and Christopher Hitchens (God is not Great), together with fierce rebuttals by their opponents. Visiting students are especially welcome. |
| Course description |
Academic Description:
The course aims to compare the concerns and arguments of contemporary atheists with those of their predecessors from the Enlightenment onwards. Lectures and tutorials will focus on primary texts from Voltaire to Ayer; the two essays will require students to evaluate contemporary atheist writings in the light of contemporary responses and in the light of the concerns of their predecessors. The themes of suffering and oppression will be especially prominent.
Syllabus/Outline Content:
The course deals in strong contrasts between the concerns of 'classical' atheists, including Voltaire, Marx and Nietzsche, and 'contemporary' atheists, including Dawkins, Dennett, Harris and Hitchens. Texts include Voltaire's Candide, Marx's Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right and Nietzsche's Anti-Christ.
Student Learning Experience Information:
The course has a programme of three one-hour weekly lectures plus a one-hour tutorial per week. There will be interactive elements to the lectures, and there are key readings prescribed for each tutorial. Through participation in lecture and tutorial discussions, as well as through the mid-semester essay and the final exam essay in the assessment schedule, students will demonstrate their achievement of the intended learning outcomes.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students especially welcome. Students should usually have at least one introductory level course in theology or religious studies at grade B or above at university level. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2015/16, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 33,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 1,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
152 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
There will be two assessments for this course.
The first is an essay of 2000 words, due in the middle of the semester, which will count for 35%, and will answer one of two questions.
The second is a Take Home Exam of (3000 words), which will be due during the exam period, and will count for 65%. This exam will have ten questions (each pertaining to one week of the course content) and students will be required to answer three questions, with a maximum word limit of 1,000 words per answer.
The difference in weighting will permit formative feedback, and will permit students to build on what they have learned in the previous assessment. |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand the main texts set for tutorials and show an abilityto summarise a significant body of material concisely and clearly
- Summarise the principal arguments of the atheists and their critics; identify key terms and their meanings; identify their strengths and weaknesses and offer critical analysis of one or more topics in the set texts
- Differentiate the views of the atheists and those of their interpreters
- Demonstrate good judgement about how to judge the relative importance of items on course bibliographies, and of arguments made in individual works.
- Demonstrate the ability to structure an argument using correct grammar (where this is relevant to the shape of an argument) and support claims with reference to relevant primary and secondary literature
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Reading List
Primary Texts:
Richard Dawkins The God Delusion (Black Swan, 2007)
Daniel Dennett Breaking the Spell (Penguin, 2007)
Sam Harris The End of Faith (Free Press, 2006)
Christopher Hitchens God Is Not Great (Atlantic, 2007)
Historical Texts:
Voltaire Candide
Gotthold Lessing On the Proof of the Spirit and of Power
David Hume Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Section X)
JS Mill Autobiography
AJ Ayer Language Truth and Logic
GWF Hegel Phenomenology of Spirit
DF Strauss Life of Jesus Critically Examined
Ludwig Feuerbach Essence of Christianity
Karl Marx A Contribution to the Critique of Hegel¿s Philosophy of Right
Friedrich Nietzsche: The Antichrist
Secondary Texts:
David Fergusson Faith and its Critics (OUP, 2011)
David Bentley Hart Atheist Delusions (Yale, 2010)
Terry Eagleton Reason, Faith and Revolution (Yale, 2010)
John Humphrys In God We Doubt (Hodder, 2008)
Alister McGrath The Dawkins Delusion (SPCK, 2007)
Michael Poole The New Atheism (Lion Hudson, 2009)
David Robertson The Dawkins Letters (Christian Focus, 2007)
Jonathan Sacks The Great Partnership (Hodder & Stoughton, 2011)
Keith Ward Why There Almost Certainly Is A God (Lion Hudson, 2008) |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Ability to summarise difficult material;
Ability to structure arguments logically;
Ability to interpret set texts;
Ability to produce a properly referenced essay. |
| Keywords | Atheism |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof David Fergusson
Tel: (0131 6)50 8912
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Katrina Munro
Tel: (0131 6)50 8900
Email: |
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