COURSE UNIT TITLE

: RELIGION AND CRITICAL THINKING

DEGREE PROGRAMMES

Description of Individual Course Units

Course Unit Code Course Unit Title Type Of Course D U L ECTS
IDA 4010 RELIGION AND CRITICAL THINKING ELECTIVE 2 0 0 3

Offered By

Primary Religious Culture and Ethics Teacher Education

Level of Course Unit

First Cycle Programmes (Bachelor's Degree)

Course Coordinator

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR MEHMET AYDIN

Offered to

Primary Religious Culture and Ethics Teacher Education

Course Objective

To help students how they can be open minded when they are teaching religion and how they can think in critical way. With this, students will become well educated and knowledgeable individuals who are able to criticise and evaluate all evidences before come to conclusion especially in religious topics. Critical thinking is a disciplined mind activity that guides people s lives by having the principle of justice. In religious topics, what people experiencing and how they reach the religious information that they trust, is the main subject of critical thinking. Therefore, critical thinking will help us in close looking at the religion we live and in being more aware of it. So, this means that religious beliefs are built on knowledge and also means we accept the religion is in thinkable areas. In this context, we should embrace that critical thinking must be considered with morality; in other words, the principles of critical thinking are not so different from the principles of morality. Critical thinking as understood as above, can find its place in the religion and on the other side, the religion indeed requires this kind of thinking.

Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit

1   Students will learn; to define religion, the place of beliefs in religion, the relation of God-universe and of God-Human being etc.
2   They will grasp the relation between critical thinking and religion, and will understand why religion is the subject of critical thinking.
3   They will realize that the rational elements in religion tradition is not apart from religion itself and they will grasp that the religion is also a behavioural system.
4   They will be able to put the principles of critical thinking into practice of religious area; they will understand whether religious beliefs are compatible with scientific knowledge and thinking.
5   The students will learn that having critical thinking means having moral and rational virtues.

Mode of Delivery

Face -to- Face

Prerequisites and Co-requisites

None

Recomended Optional Programme Components

None

Course Contents

Week Subject Description
1 Religion, religious institutions, religious sciences and religious tradition.
2 Religion as a subject of critical thinking.
3 The place and importance of rationality and thinking in religion.
4 The relation between religious knowledge and thoughts vs. General knowledge and thoughts.
5 Religion as a system of beliefs and behaviours
6 Critical thinking and religious prejudices.
7 What is critical thinking And is it possible to teach it
8 Mid-Term exam
9 The crucial elements of critical thinking: being open minded, objectivity, honesty, being sceptic, respecting other thoughts.
10 The relation between critical thinking and scientific methods.
11 To put critical thinking into practice of religious area.
12 The relation between critical thinking and morality.
13 Critical thinking as being deep, creative, aimed and systematic thoughts.
14 The relation between critical thinking and religious knowledge.
15 Final Exam.

Recomended or Required Reading

1. Descartes, Metot Üzerine Konuşma (Aklını Iyi Sevketmek ve Bilimlerde Hakikati Araştırmak Için), çev., Atakan Altınörs, Paradigma yay., Istanbul 2010.
2. John Locke, Hoşgörü Üstüne Bir Mektup, çevç, Melih Yürüşen, Liberte yay., Istanbul 2005.
3. Gazali, el-Munkızu Mine'd-Dalâl, çev., Hilmi Güngör, Maarif Basımevi, Ankara 1960.
4. Ibn Rüşd, Faslu'l-Makâl, çev., Bekir Karlığa, Işaret Yay., istanbul
5. Antony Flew, Dosdoğru Düşünmenin Yolu: Eleştirel Akıl Yürütmeye Giriş, çev., Hakan Gündoğdu, liberte yay. Istanbul 2008.
6. Platon, Sokrates'in Savunması, çev., Niyazi Berkes, Solyal yay., istanbul 2009.
7. Platon, Menon, çev., Ahmet Cevizci, Sentez Yay., 2007.
8. Platon, Phaidon, çev., Hamdi Ragıp Atademir, Sosyal yay. Istanbul 2001.
9. Orhan Özdemir, Eleştirel Düşünme, Kriter Basım Yayın dağıtım, 2008.
10. Hakan Gündoğdu, Eleştirel Düşünme ve Eleştirel Düşünme Öğretimine Dair Bazı Yanılgılar, C.B.Ü. Sosoyal Bilimler Dergisi, c.7/1, 2009 (ss.57-74).

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

Questionnaire, Analyse, Lecture, case study.

Assessment Methods

SORTING NUMBER SHORT CODE LONG CODE FORMULA
1 MTE MIDTERM EXAM
2 FIN FINAL EXAM
3 FCG FINAL COURSE GRADE MTE * 0.40 + FIN * 0.60
4 RST RESIT
5 FCG FINAL COURSE GRADE MTE * 0.40 + BUT * 0.60


*** Resit Exam is Not Administered in Institutions Where Resit is not Applicable.

Further Notes About Assessment Methods

None

Assessment Criteria

The students will be assessed based on success in their mid-term and final exams along with their performance during the classes throughout the semester.

Language of Instruction

Turkish

Course Policies and Rules

To be announced.

Contact Details for the Lecturer(s)

mehmetaydin@deu.edu.tr

Office Hours

Free

Work Placement(s)

None

Workload Calculation

Activities Number Time (hours) Total Work Load (hours)
Lectures 13 2 26
Preparations before/after weekly lectures 13 3 39
Preparation for midterm exam 1 5 5
Preparation for final exam 1 10 10
Final 1 1 1
Midterm 1 1 1
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours) 82

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

PO/LOPO.1PO.2PO.3PO.4PO.5PO.6PO.7PO.8PO.9
LO.1455
LO.2455
LO.3455
LO.4455
LO.5455

CONTACT INFORMATION
Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Cumhuriyet Bulvarı No: 144 35210 Alsancak / İZMİR
Phone: +90(232) 412 12 12 - Fax: +90 (232) 464 81 35

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