RELIGIOUS STUDIES 2810

This is a distance course which is open to any student interested in the subject. The course examines how the modern world has been influenced by science, technology and religion. We begin with a study of the origins of Western culture and then examine the rise of the scientific world-view. The course concludes with an examination of the modern world view.

The following is an outline of the course. Please consult the D2L site for more detailed information.

COURSE OUTLINE

Part One

The Origins of Western Culture: The Christian World-View

1. Christian Beginnings

a. Hellenism

b. Stoicism

c. The Mystery Religions

d. Gnosticism

e. The Message of Early Christianity

2. Some Early Christian Thinkers

a. Irenaeus

b. Tertulian

c. Clement of Alexandria and Origen

d. Augustine

3. The Christian Medieval World-View

Part Two

The Turn to Modernity: The Rise of the Scientific World-View

1. The Reformation

2. The Scientific Revolution

a. Galileo

b. Descartes

c. Francis Bacon

3. Suspicion and the Rise of the Historical Consciousness

a. Darwin

b. Freud

c. Marx

Part Three

The Modern World-View

a. The Influence of Technology

b. Is Technology autonomous?

c. Ellul's Critique of Technology

d. Technology and Modern Education

e. The 'Technological Fix' Syndrome

The Ecological Crisis: A Paradigm for Understanding Modern Cultural Values

a. The Historical Roots of the ecological crisis

b. A Christian Response to the Ecological Crisis

Conclusion

Course Evaluation

Two Tests worth 30% each

Final examination worth 40%

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