Recommended text: Denise L. Carmody and T.L. Brink, Ways to the Center (6th edition)
Most
students find it helpful to
use a textbook, and this is one of the better ones that I know
of. However, there are other ways to get at the material,
including other textbooks that you may find in a library or
elsewhere. I do ask you to make use of my web lectures as
indicated on the syllabus, and there is a study guide for the material
that includes links to sources, including YouTube videos,
recommended by past students.
For those
with broadband access (DSL, cable, etc.), I strongly recommend
listening to the lectures podcast by Dr. Cynthia Eller as "Revealing
World Religions" (the link is on the syllabus; you may download these
to an iPod as well as to your computer).
Student Learning
Outcomes (what you
should
be able to do by the end of the course):
There are seven major traditions discussed: Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Other traditions may be discussed as examples of general points being made about how traditions appear or change.
1. Demonstrate knowledge of
the history and beliefs of the seven
major religious traditions.
-- This includes both the actual history and the legends passed down as
part of the tradition. For instance, in the study of Islam we
have the historical facts about Muhammad and we have traditional
beliefs that involve supernatural events, such as Muhammad's ascent
into heaven at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
2.
Apply the historical/critical method to analysis of the seven
major religious traditions.
-- What we attempt to do is look at religious
traditions as
cultural products so that the expectations of a particular time and
place play an important role in understanding both the beliefs and the
practices of each tradition. This also involves being
able to study each tradition as a
significant factor in the events of the cultures in which these
traditions appear or where they have been adopted. For instance,
the history of Western Europe from the fourth century on was first
shaped by the acceptance of Christianity as the official religion of
the Roman Empire and then reshaped with the Protestant
Reformation. What we want to look at to some extent is the manner
in which religions both change these cultures and are changed by
them.
All students are to sign in for the course at http://www.nicenet.org using the key 244547P47. Fill out your profile completely, and do have your Nicenet messages forwarded to your email address (do check any bulk or junk mail folders early on to make sure that these are getting through). Please do this as soon as possible after you enroll in this course.
Since email contact is
an
important feature in the course, I recommend that you set up a distinct
account with Yahoo or Hotmail or some other provider (these are all
free)
if you otherwise use a spam filter that might keep messages from
reaching
you. You should also make sure that you are receiving my Nicenet
messages through your own email.
Grading:
There are nine
assignments
that I expect to be completed satisfactorily within a reasonable
time. All of these are
listed on the class schedule at the Nicenet site, and
each is worth three points toward your total
grade. Some are short essays that I will ask to be presented at
the documents site and
ordinarily will not be visible to other students. Others are
discussion assignments done on the conferencing site for which I
ordinarily ask for both an initial contribution of your own and a
response to at least one other student. In
addition, there will be several bonus opportunities.
In addition, I am asking you to
submit a log for each week of the course apart from the weeks in which
we have either the midterm or the final. Each submission is worth
one point for a total of thirteen points. This is the link for the log page.
Please note that the date due for each
assignment is set for the end of the week in which the material is
presented. I do allow up to two weeks beyond that date to
complete the assignment with the exception of the assignments preceding
the midterm or the final. Please note that for discussion
assignments you should become involved as early as possible.
Your midterm and your final will each be worth 30 points. Both these exams, which will involve objective (true/false and multiple choice) questions as well as several short essays, will be done online. Click on for the directions.
A=85, B=75, C=65, D=55
Grades
for Fall 2009
I will assign you a PIN once you have submitted your first log page
submission.
Schedule:
For each section of the course
there is
an assignment
posted on the class schedule at the Nicenet ICA for this class.
Some of these assignments involve discussions (on the conferencing
site), some involve short essays that you will post on the documents
site. Do try to complete each assignment within a week of its due
date, although I allow two weeks for full credit. (Hint: make
sure you have set the class schedule at Nicenet to show all
assignments, not just current or future ones.)
Click on this
link to send me your progress report at the end of each week.
