Module THEO2341: EXPLAINING RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE

Department: Theology and Religion

THEO2341: EXPLAINING RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE

Pre-requisites

Corequisites

Excluded Combinations

Aims

• To assess the significance of religious experience for critical reflection on the rationality of religious belief.
• To explore some classic approaches to religious experience, both theistic and naturalistic, and their continuing influence.
• To provide a foundation for advanced studies in the philosophy of religion and in related studies of theology and religious studies at Level 3.
• To prepare students for the skills and knowledge needed to undertake a dissertation in the final year.

Content

• This module, which is designed to provide a foundation for further studies in the philosophy of religion and in related subject areas at level 3, focuses on religious experience and its significance for the rationality of religious belief. The first part of the module introduces key philosophical issues and reviews some of the ways in which post-Enlightenment religious thinkers have made the analysis of religious experience fundamental to their work. The second explores some of the most influential 'naturalistic' explanations of religion, in which religious experience is often represented as a misinterpretation of our experience of the world, and the third investigates some recent approaches to religious experience in the work of contemporary philosophers of religion. The seminars provide an opportunity for close reading of the 'classics', such as David Hume???s Natural History of Religion, Friedrich Schleiermacher???s On Religion, James Frazer's Golden Bough, Rudolf Otto's The Idea of the Holy, and Sigmund Freud's The Future of an Illusion.

Learning Outcomes

• Knowledge and critical understanding of some fundamental issues in the interpretation of religious experience.

• An ability to analyse and evaluate the arguments of several influential thinkers.

• Skills in the acquisition of information through reading and research, and in the structured presentation of information in written form.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Lectures convey information and exemplify an approach to the subject-matter, enabling students to develop a clear understanding of the subject and to improve their skills in listening and in evaluating information. The lectures in this module identify key issues, questions and concepts, and introduce the work of specific thinkers.
• Seminars enhance subject-specific knowledge and understanding both through preparation and through interaction with students and staff, promoting awareness of different viewpoints and approaches. The seminars in this module evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments made by specific thinkers, through the close analysis of particular texts.
• Through small-group discussion, tutorials provide feedback on student work and the opportunity to discuss specific issues in detail, enhancing student knowledge and writing skills.
• Summative essays assess subject-specific knowledge and understanding, along with student skills in the acquisition of information through reading and research, and in the structured presentation of information in written form.
• Examinations assess subject-specific knowledge and understanding, along with student skills in the structured presentation of information in written form under time constraints.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment

2000 word essay