87372 - Philosophy of Religion (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

After completing the cours, students are able to research and critically examine materials, bibliographic and documentary sources on the philosophy of religion. They will acquire knowledge and critical-analytical tools that will allow them to understand religious life in its theoretical-conceptual articulation, both as a historical and symbolic phenomenon (with its social and political implications) and as an existential mode, in a transcultural perspective. To this end, it is necessary to know the basic vocabulary of the discipline, to have assimilated its fundamental concepts in a critical manner and to be able to discuss its contents. This objective is pursued through the adoption of various methods, such as historical-philosophical reconstruction, conceptual elaboration, exegesis and hermeneutics of the text.

Course contents

Course title: Heidegger and the Phenomenology of Religious Life

Syllabus (LM in Philosophical Sciences – 12 cfu)

The course will examine the interpretation of the early Christian experience proposed by Martin Heidegger in the lecture courses of 1920-21 with reference to Paul’s letters and Augustine’s Confessions. The topics covered will be the following: hermeneutics of facticity; phenomenology and formal indication; basic determinations of primordial Christian religiosity; temporality and the expectation of parousia; being worried; the dispersion of life and temptation.

The first lessons will be dedicated to an introduction to the philosophy of religion. In the following lessons the context in which the Heideggerian thought is placed will be outlined and the above mentioned issues will be addressed.

Course timetable: the course is scheduled in the second semester: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 11-13 (Lecture room C, via Zamboni 34)

Course start date: February 9th, 2026

 

Syllabus (LM in Religions Histories Cultures – 6 cfu)

The course will examine the interpretation of the early Christian experience proposed by Martin Heidegger in the lecture course of 1920-21 with reference to Paul’s letters. The topics covered will be the following: hermeneutics of facticity; phenomenology and formal indication; basic determinations of primordial Christian religiosity.

The first lessons will be dedicated to an introduction to the philosophy of religion. In the following lessons the context in which the Heideggerian thought is placed will be outlined and the above mentioned issues will be addressed.

Course timetable: the course is scheduled in the third period: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 11-13 (Lecture room C, via Zamboni 34)

Course start date: February 9th, 2026

Readings/Bibliography

Readings (LM in Philosophical Sciences – 12 cfu)

M. Heidegger, The Phenomenology of Religious Life, Indiana University Press, Bloomington-Indianapolis 2004.

M. Heidegger, The Concept of Time, Basil Blackwell, Oxford 1992.

Augustine, Confessions, Book X (recommended edition: Confessions, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2008).

A. Fabris, L’«ermeneutica della fatticità» nei corsi friburghesi dal 1919 al 1923, in F. Volpi (a cura di), Guida a Heidegger, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2005, pp. 59-111.

A. Fabris, Filosofia delle religioni. Come orientarsi nell’epoca dell’indifferenza e dei fondamentalismi, Carocci, Roma 2012.

C. Esposito, Introduzione a Heidegger, il Mulino, Bologna 2017 (optional).

Further reading:

S.-J. Arrien, L’inquietudine del pensiero. L’ermeneutica della vita del giovane Heidegger (1919-1923), Rosenberg & Sellier, Torino 2021.

S. Camilleri, Heidegger et les grandes lignes d’une phénoménologie herméneutique du christianisme primitif, Springer, Cham 2017.

J. Greisch, Le Buisson ardent et les Lumières de la raison. L’invention de la philosophie de la religion. III. Vers un paradigme herméneutique, Cerf, Paris 2004.

Text recommended for non-attending students:

C. Esposito, Introduzione a Heidegger, il Mulino, Bologna 2017.

The slides used in the lessons will be available in the online material.

 

Readings (LM in Religions Histories Cultures – 6 cfu)

M. Heidegger, The Phenomenology of Religious Life, Indiana University Press, Bloomington-Indianapolis 2004, pp. 1-111 (Introduction to the Phenomenology of Religion).

A. Fabris, L’«ermeneutica della fatticità» nei corsi friburghesi dal 1919 al 1923, in F. Volpi (a cura di), Guida a Heidegger, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2005, pp. 59-111.

A. Fabris, Filosofia delle religioni. Come orientarsi nell’epoca dell’indifferenza e dei fondamentalismi, Carocci, Roma 2012.

C. Esposito, Introduzione a Heidegger, il Mulino, Bologna 2017 (optional).

Further reading:

S.-J. Arrien, L’inquietudine del pensiero. L’ermeneutica della vita del giovane Heidegger (1919-1923), Rosenberg & Sellier, Torino 2021.

S. Camilleri, Heidegger et les grandes lignes d’une phénoménologie herméneutique du christianisme primitif, Springer, Cham 2017.

J. Greisch, Le Buisson ardent et les Lumières de la raison. L’invention de la philosophie de la religion. III. Vers un paradigme herméneutique, Cerf, Paris 2004.

Text recommended for non-attending students:

C. Esposito, Introduzione a Heidegger, il Mulino, Bologna 2017.

The slides used in the lessons will be available in the online material.

Teaching methods

Lectures; reading and commenting of texts; discussion on the main issues covered in the course.

Assessment methods

The exam consists of an oral interview, which will assess the knowledge of the texts and the ability to critically discuss the proposed issues.

Grade assessment criteria:

30 cum laude: Excellent, both in knowledge and in the critical and expressive articulation.

30: Very good. Complete, well-articulated and correctly expressed knowledge, with some critical insights.

27-29: Good. Comprehensive and satisfactory knowledge, substantially correct expression.

24-26: Fairly good. Knowledge is present in the main points, but it is not comprehensive and not always correctly articulated.

21-23: Sufficient. Sometimes superficial knowledge, but the common thread is understood. Incomplete and often inappropriate expression and articulation.

18-21: Almost sufficient. Superficial knowledge, the common thread is not understood with continuity. Expression and articulation have significant gaps.

Not sufficient: Absent or very incomplete knowledge, lack of orientation in the discipline, defective and inappropriate expression.

During the 2025/2026 academic year, exam sessions are scheduled in the following months: May, June, July, September, November 2025; January, February, March 2026 (for all students).

Students with disabilities and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders have the right to special adjustments according to their condition, following an assessment by the Service for Students with Disabilities and SLD. Please do not contact the instructor but get in touch with the Service directly to schedule an appointment. It will be the responsibility of the Service to determine the appropriate adjustments. For more information, visit the page: https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students

It is recommended that students contact the University office in advance. Any proposed adjustments must be submitted at least 15 days in advance for the instructor’s approval, who will evaluate their appropriateness in relation to the learning objectives of the course.

Teaching tools

PowerPoint slides

Office hours

See the website of Sebastiano Galanti Grollo