Program Overview

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Course Overview

The course RELI 343, God, Gods, Godlessness, examines diverse conceptions of belief in gods, considering what it means to believe or disbelieve in a god and the effects such beliefs have. Through close readings of selected texts, the course addresses key arguments, debates, and theories.

Course Details

• Dates: 24 February 2025 to 22 June 2025
• Starts: Trimester 1
• Fees:
  • NZ$1,090.60 for domestic students
  • NZ$5,560.00 for international students
• Lecture Start Times:
  • Tuesday 10:00 am
  • Thursday 3:10 pm
• Campus: Kelburn
• Estimated Workload: Approximately 200 hours or 11.8 hours per week for 17 weeks
• Points: 20

Entry Restrictions

• Prerequisites: 40 200-level points from Part A of the BA Schedule or GLBL 201
• Corequisites: None
• Restrictions: None

Taught By

The School of Social and Cultural Studies — Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Disclaimer

This course outline may be subject to change.

Key Dates

Important dates, including mid-trimester teaching breaks, can be found on the University's key dates calendar. Assessment dates will be announced once the course has begun.

About This Course

This course can be completed online. CRN 37398 is for online students, and CRN 32149 is for students attending classes on campus.

Course Learning Objectives

Students who pass this course should be able to:

1. Discuss monotheism, polytheism, and atheism from a comparative perspective
2. Analyze the cultural, social, and political contexts in which theism and atheism flourish
3. Critically read and discuss extended scholarly works on belief and unbelief
4. Synthesize and evaluate diverse scholarly positions on theism

How This Course Is Taught

This version of the course is for students attending classes on campus, with optional use of online components. The course is taught through one 50-minute lecture and one 2-hour seminar each week. Lectures will be recorded and uploaded to Nuku. Attendance at weekly seminars is mandatory.

Assessment

• Analytical Book Review 1 (2,000 words): 20%
• One Presentation (10 minutes): 15%
• Analytical Book Review 2 (2,000 words): 25%
• Analytical Book Review 3 (2,000 words): 25%
• In-class 'Question Card' Discussion Contributions: 15%

Mandatory Requirements

To pass this course, students must:

1. Attend at least 10 out of 12 seminars
2. Achieve an overall pass mark of at least 50%

Lecture Times and Rooms

• 24 February 2025 to 13 April 2025
• 28 April 2025 to 1 June 2025

What You'll Need to Get

No specific texts or equipment are required for this course.

Past Versions of This Course

Older versions of this course may be accessible through the course archive.