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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2013/2014 -
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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Divinity : Divinity

Undergraduate Course: Atheism in Debate: Dawkins, his allies and his opponents (DIVI08002)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Divinity CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Course typeStandard AvailabilityAvailable to all students
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) Credits20
Home subject areaDivinity Other subject areaNone
Course website http://tinyurl.com/div-atheism Taught in Gaelic?No
Course descriptionThis course investigates contemporary atheism and its critics. It considers the work 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.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements 80 credits at level 8
Additional Costs None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesVisiting Students especially welcome. Students should be in at least second year of study; prior study of religion courses an advantage but not required.
Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus?Yes
Course Delivery Information
Delivery period: 2013/14 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1) Learn enabled:  Yes Quota:  None
Web Timetable Web Timetable
Course Start Date 13/01/2014
Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 22, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 11, Feedback/Feedforward Hours 1, Revision Session Hours 1, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 161 )
Additional Notes
Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. understand the main texts set for tutorials, and show an ability to summarise a significant body of material concisely and clearly;
2. summarise the principal arguments of the atheists and their critics, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and offer critical analysis of one or more topics in the set texts;
3. differentiate the views of the atheists and those of their interpreters, identify key terms and their meanings, and identify challenges in interpreting the primary texts;
4. structure an argument, use correct grammar in expressing philosophical ideas, and support claims with reference to specific named primary and secondary texts;
5. demonstrate good judgement about how to judge the relative importance of items on course bibliographies, and of arguments made in individual works, and engage in constructive scholarly discussion and debate with other seminar members.
Assessment Information
There will be two essays required, each of 2000 words. The first, due in the middle of the semester, will count for 35%, and will be a book review of one of the primary texts, selected by the student. The second, due during the exam period, will count for 65%, from a selection of set essays published at the start of the course. The difference in weighting will permit formative feedback, and will permit students to build on what they have learned in the previous essay or essays.
Special Arrangements
None
Additional Information
Academic description Not entered
Syllabus week one The Atheists' 'Religion'
week two Politics and the State
week three The Atheists' Science
week four Atheism in the Media
week five The Atheists' Islam
week six The Atheists' Bible
week seven Christian Atheism
week eight The Atheists' Jesus Christ
week nine The Atheists' History of the Church
week ten Violence and Suffering
week eleven Atheism in Debate
Transferable skills Ability to summarise difficult material;
Ability to structure arguments logically;
Ability to interpret set texts;
Ability to produce a properly referenced essay.
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)

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)
Study Abroad Not entered
Study Pattern Not entered
KeywordsAtheism
Contacts
Course organiserDr Nick Adams
Tel: (0131 6)50 8975
Email: N.Adams@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMs Paula Kruyff
Tel: (0131 6)5
Email: Paula.Kruyff@ed.ac.uk
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