Faith and Reason

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• evaluate critically the arguments which both believers and non-believers advance in support of their views.
• contribute in an informed and dispassionate fashion to debates concerning the existence of God.
• articulate and defend your own views concerning the nature and basis of religious faith.

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• contribute to controversial debates in a critical and fair-minded way.
• demonstrate skills in essay writing, planning and research.
• scrutinise complex texts and extract from them key information.

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• competing accounts of faith and the nature of religious beliefs.
• influential arguments against belief in the existence of God.
• influential arguments offered in support of belief in the existence of God.

You can expect to explore topics such as:

• Arguments for religious belief
• Arguments against religious belief
• Life after death
• Religious language
• The nature of faith
• The connection between religion and morality

Teaching activities include:

• Lectures
• In class discussion
• One to one consultation with the module coordinator

Learning activities include:

• Attending classes
• Contributing to class discussion
• Doing independent research for and completing assessment tasks

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Essay proposal

• Assessment Type: Formative
• Feedback: Written feedback on your essay, essay draft, and debate participation and documents. Opportunity for further discussion with the module coordinator on any aspect of your performance during their office hours or by appointment.
• Final Assessment: No
• Group Work: No
• Percentage contribution: 100%

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.