ATS2861 God, freedom and evil
Faculty of Arts
ATS2861 God, freedom and evil is a level 2, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Arts, offered in 2026 in Semester 1 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2026
- Semester 1
- Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 4 tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2026 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Overview
This unit addresses the question whether there are successful arguments for or against the existence of gods. The unit begins by considering what it would take for something to be a successful argument for or against the existence of gods. It then goes on to investigate a range of arguments for and against the existence of gods, and attempts to determine whether any of these arguments is successful.
Offerings in 2026
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| First semester | Clayton | On campus |
Assessment
- Analytical ExerciseExercise40%
- Analytical ExerciseExercise20%
- Analytical ExerciseExercise20%
- Analytical ExerciseExercise20%
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Been introduced to an analytic philosophical approach to philosophy of religion;
- 2
Become familiar with key arguments for and against existence of God;
- 3
Thought about how to assess arguments in a context in which there are competing theistic and naturalistic worldviews. Students will also have been exposed to some central philosophical texts, and to arguments that have been influential for many hundreds of years.
- 4
Been exposed to some central philosophical texts, and to arguments that have been influential for many hundreds of years
Workload and teaching
- Tutorials24 hours
- Lectures12 hours
- Teaching approachActive learning
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.
Pre-class materials always include the following: readings (from the textbook), videos (made by the lecturer) and a worksheet. The worksheet contains four sets of questions (typically 5 thematically linked questions to a set). In class, students divide into small groups, with each group assigned one of the questions from a given set. Small group discussion is followed by feedback to the larger group, and some large group discussion. This process is repeated as many times as the allotted two hours permits. Students are strongly encouraged to read, watch, and then think about all of the assigned questions before coming to class. The exam questions are taken directly from the questions that are discussed in class. The other assessment pieces are also tied to sets of questions discussed in class.
Learning resources
Required resources
There is a prescribed reading for this unit. For details, refer to the Monash Bookshop's webpage (https://www.monash.edu/retail/books-and-merchandise-store/Textbooks).
Where it fits
ATS2861 is part of 2 areas of study in the 2026 handbook.
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Professor Graham Oppy
- Unit Coordinators
- Professor Graham Oppy
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for ATS2861?
ATS2861 has no prerequisites.
When is ATS2861 offered?
In 2026, ATS2861 runs in Semester 1 at Clayton.
How much work is ATS2861?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does ATS2861 have an exam?
No. ATS2861 has 4 assessment tasks and no exam.
Which majors and minors include ATS2861?
ATS2861 is part of Philosophy.