HEYTHROP COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON Course Description, International Programmes

Course code

DT2010 Credit value

30 Academic level

5

Module title Religion and Science Module co-ordinator Louis Caruana Module staff Programme(s) for which chiefly intended (as core or option)

Core BD/BA Theology, DipHE Theology, CertHE Theology

Option BA Theology with English

Pre-requisite course(s) N/a Co-requisite course(s) N/a Prohibited combination N/a Course aims

To enable students to develop: 1. Historical knowledge of important events in the relationship between science and religion. 2. Up-to-date knowledge of the recent and on-going areas of importance in science and how these relate to traditional theological concepts. 3. Knowledge of the key areas of theology and philosophy which continue to feature in discussions between the two subjects.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding Students will be able to:

Demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of historical knowledge of importance in the relationship between science and religion;

Relate knowledge of recent of recent areas of importance in science to traditional theological concepts;

Identify and focus on key areas of discussion between theology and philosophy. Intellectual and Cognitive Skills Students will be able to:

Conduct critical analyses of events, doctrines, theories and arguments in the relationship between religion and science;

Critically examine key issues (e.g. doctrine of creation, different models of God, the nature of scientific method) in relation to a range of doctrines, theories, interpretations and arguments.

Practical and Transferable Skills Students will be able to:

Show an ability to assimilate and evaluate competing arguments;

Select and organise material from a range of primary and secondary sources;

Represent the views of others with fairness and integrity;

Produce clear, well-structured written work;

Manage their own learning, including working effectively to deadlines.

Indicative course content

Topics studied include:

The history of the relationship between religion and science in the Medieval period (including Ptolemy), the Renaissance period (including Copernicus and Galileo), the Enlightenment period (including Newton), and the nineteenth century (including Darwin);

Contemporary and philosophical issues. Cosmology and the Anthropic Principle, quantum physics, Chaos Theory, Neo-Darwinism, genetic engineering, and cloning. The aims and processes of religion and science (including Popper and Kuhn), and the relationship between religion and science.

Learning and teaching methods

Resources available on the Virtual Learning Environment may include:

Subject guide

Articles, extracts from longer texts, and/or links to other electronic resources

Course discussion forum

Opportunities for formative feedback include:

Essay-marking service

Tutoring at a supporting institution

Selected Bibliography: Essential texts

* Barbour, Ian G. Religion and Science: Historical and Contemporary Issues. (London: SCM, 1998) [ISBN 0334027217].

Davies, Paul God and the New Physics. (London: Penguin, 1990) [ISBN 014013462-X]. Grant, E. Planets, Stars and Orbs: The Medieval Cosmos 1200

1687. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994) [ISBN 0521433444].

Hawking, Stephen A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes. (London: Bantam, 1988) [ISBN 0553175211].

* McGrath, Alister E. Science and Religion: An Introduction. (Oxford: Blackwell, 1999) [ISBN 0631208429].

OHear, Anthony An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989) [ISBN 019824813-X] Chs. 2, 5.

Polkinghorne, John Reason and Reality. (London: SPCK, 1991) [ISBN 0281044872]. Polkinghorne, John Science and Theology: An Introduction.

(London: SPCK, 1998) [ISBN 0281051763]. * Thompson, Mel Religion and Science. (London: Hodder and

Stoughton, 2000) [ISBN 034075771-X]. *Recommended for purchase And for individual chapters only Dawkins, Richard The Blind Watchmaker. (London: Penguin,

1988) [ISBN 0140291229] Ch. 12. Dennett, Daniel C. Darwins Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the

Meanings of Life.(London: Penguin, 1996) [ISBN 014

016734-X] Ch. 4. Kuhn, Thomas S. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.

(Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996) [ISBN 0226458083] Ch. 6.

Moreland, J.P. The Kalam Cosmological Argument in Peterson, Michael et al. (eds) Philosophy of Religion: Selected Readings. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996) [ISBN 019508909-X] 176189 Ch. 8.

Stannard, Russell (ed.) God for the 21st Century. (London: SPCK, 2000) [ISBN 0281053421] Ch. 13.

Teilhard de Chardin, Pierre The Phenomenon of Man. (HarperCollins, 1980) [ISBN 006090495-X] Ch. 12.

Tipler, Frank J., and Barrow, John D. The Anthropic Cosmological Principle. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988) [ISBN 0192821474] Ch. 9.

Selected other recommended texts

Lists of further reading are provided in the subject guide.

Assessment Three-hour examination

Student evaluation opportunities

Annual online student feedback survey

Indicative student time allocation

300 hours

Date of module description development or modification

16/11/2011