Comparative Religion. Course Information

Transcription

1 Harrisburg Area Community College Communications, Humanities, and the Arts Division Lancaster Campus Fall Semester 2015 Late Term Comparative Religion Instructor: David Wayne Layman, Ph.D. Phone: (cell) (717) Office: LAEAST-316A Extension: Office Subject/CRN: PHIL Hours: 9:20 AM 10:05 AM 11:30 AM 12:20 PM Meeting Time: TR 2:00 PM 3:30 PM Meeting Location: LAEAST-320 Website: Course Information Delayed Opening Schedule Inclement weather may require a Delayed Opening Schedule. If HACC alert system announces a Delayed Opening Schedule, then classes will start at 10 a.m. (except for classes beginning before 7:50 am) and meet on a compressed schedule of 35 minutes each. Under this schedule, the meeting time for this class be 2:30-3:05 p.m Catalog description: Explores the central beliefs of the major world religions including Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This course addresses the varieties of religious experience from both Eastern and Western cultural traditions with an emphasis upon the similarities and differences among their major teachings. (Core A) (D) Required Texts: Lewis M. Hopfe, Mark R. Woodward, and Brett Hendrickson. Religions of the World. Pearson, Thirteenth Edition. Readings in Religion (Custom handout) Learning Outcomes (From 335): Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to: Identify the major concepts and terminology within diverse religions including, but not limited to, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam Explain the major themes of the World s major religions, their commonalities and divergences in written essays Define the meanings of religious beliefs within cultural traditions and their system of theology Characterize some of the major problems in the philosophy of religion Explain interpretations of how World Religions relate to past and current ethical, political, and economic conflicts and the promises of how interreligious dialogue may be instrumental in addressing them Syllabus for PHIL , Comparative Religions, Fall

2 September 8 Syllabus, Shamanism 10 Shamanism Course Schedule Numerals immediately following the day s topic refer to page numbers in the textbook (Religions of the World); Readings refer to a handout with the full title of Readings in Religion. CONCEPTS OF GOD 15, 17 Exercise #1 Due Sept. 15 th Hinduism ; 68 (2 bottom boxes); 86-7a; 74-7; Readings, p. 1 22, 24 Judaism ; Readings, pp Quiz #1 Daoism ; Readings, pp. 6 (bottom) 7 (top); Buddhism October 1, 6 Exercise #2 Due Oct. 1 st Buddhism ; (first column) 6, 8 Christianity ; 291 box; Readings, pp SOCIETY 15, 20 Exercise #3 Due Oct. 15 th Hinduism (bottom) 73 (top); 87 (2 nd col.) Readings, p. 10 (bottom) Quiz #2 Judaism ; 200 (bot. 2 nd col.) 201; 27, 29 Judaism (continued)... Readings, p. 11 ( Rabbinic Judaism ) Islam (top); MORALITY & ETHICS November 3 Quiz #3 Buddhism (bottom box) Readings, pp ( The Dharma of Buddhism ) 5 Buddhism (1 st col., bottom 2 nd col.) Confucianism ; 156-9; Readings, pp , 12 Confucianism 12 Christianity... Readings, p. 14 ( Christian Ethics ) RITUAL & WORSHIP 17 Essay Due; Intro, presence, community 19 Pilgrimages, time 24 Time Dec ber 1, 3 Quiz #4 (Dec. 1 st ); Ritual/Worship Reports Exam Week Ritual/Worship reports Syllabus for PHIL , Comparative Religions, Fall

3 Policies Attendance policy: AP 661 says in part: Instructors may reduce course grades after unexcused absences exceed 10% of the total class hours that will take place throughout the semester. Instructors may drop a student from a class with the concurrence of the division/campus administrator when unexcused absences exceed 15% of the total class hours that will take place throughout the semester and when the excessive absences preclude the possibility of the student attaining the stated learning outcomes for the course. In this class, excused absences are defined as sickness certified by a note from a physician, health care professional, or health care institution, family related situations (death in immediate family, sickness of children), and documented work-related problems. The instructor takes attendance at the beginning of each class. Being on time is an essential discipline in life and in the academic community. The professor does not have a formal grading standard for attendance. However, students who attend most or all classes will receive the benefit of the doubt in grading; those who do not, will not. Academic Dishonesty: AP 594 defines Academic dishonesty as as an intentional act of deception in which a student seeks to claim credit for the work or effort of another person, or uses unauthorized material or fabricated information in any academic work. Examples include giving or receiving answers on assigned material, using materials or aids forbidden by the instructor, and the offering of someone else s work, words, or idea as one s own or using material from another source without acknowledgement. A particular example is quoting material from a book, magazine, or web site, while failing to place the material inside quotation marks and failing to provide a proper citation. In accordance with AP 594, the instructor can impose one of the following penalties for dishonesty: (1) lower a student s grade on an assignment, (2) grade that assignment as 0 ; (3) fail the student. A minimal penalty for plagiarism (e.g., quoting material from a web site without using quotation marks or proper citations) is 20 points (equivalent to two letter grades). More extensive plagiarism will result in more points being deducted. If the instructor determines that a student has plagiarized an essay off of an internet site, that student will receive a 0 (zero) on the essay, and will not be permitted to rewrite it. Makeup Work: Only quizzes missed as a result of pre-arranged can be made up at the Test Center. The student is responsible to make reservations with the Test Center, after he/she has informed the instructor of his/her intention to make up the quiz. (See under Attendance Policy for definition of Excused Absences.) More information, including phone numbers, can be found at Center.cfm. All missed quizzes must be completed by December 8, 2015 (the last reading/makeup day ). Late Essays will be penalized on a sliding scale, beginning at minus 5 points for one class period late. Refunds: Dates for refunds are listed at: Drop-Deadlines.cfm. Syllabus for PHIL , Comparative Religions, Fall

4 W Grade: To receive a W, the student must initiate the request, and if possible, physically bring the Withdrawal form to the instructor with the personal and class information already filled out. The policies of the college state that this Withdrawal must take place by December 3, Students who have not contacted the instructor in accordance with the above schedule, and fail to complete the requirements for the course, will receive an F. In accordance with AP 667, a W grade will be granted by the instructor upon request of the student from the end of the refund period until the midpoint of the course as defined in the College calendar. The student must be attending class in a manner consistent with the instructor's attendance policy, have completed the required graded material, and have not been dishonest in completing the work in order to be eligible for the W grade. From the midpoint of the course through the last class meeting of the course, the student will receive a grade of W or F, depending upon the instructor's assessment of the student's performance, which may take into account extenuating circumstances. Incompletes: Incompletes will be given only when a student cannot complete the requirements because of a serious medical or family emergency. Those requirements must completed within 45 days of the formal end of the semester. The student is strongly discouraged from taking an incomplete, since most students do not complete the work required, and fail the course. General Formatting Requirements for all Written Assignments 1. One inch margins on all sides (= Normal Margins on most versions of MS Word) 2. Must use a 12 pt. size font, preferably a standard serif font such as Times New Roman. (If you use Cambria, you can make it 11 points.) 3. Must be double spaced (not 1-1 / 2 space); do not add extra space between paragraphs. 4. Each paragraph must have first line indentation (in MS Word, this is Paragraph>Special> First Line); 5. Must not be formatted with fully justified margins. 6. Do not enclose in a folder or holder. Grading Procedures 1. The student will be required to submit the following assignments: a. Three Quizzes (out of 4 if you submit all 4, I will drop the lowest grade); b. Two 1-page Exercises (out of 3 if you submit all 3, I will drop the lowest grade); c. One essay; d. A Group Ritual/Worship Report. 2. Quizzes: Currently scheduled dates are September 29, October 22, November 3, and December 4. Each quiz will have 30 points worth of questions, primarily multiple choice, with 2-3 T/F and 1-3 short answer. The student will be allowed 20 minutes at the beginning of class to complete the quiz. Complete Study Guides are found below, pp Exercises a. Due Sept. 15 th : Is the god / spirit experienced in the Huichol peyote ritual real or simply in one s head? Is there a difference between those those two states? (Can one argue that an experience in one s head is real?) Write one page ( words); if you need two pages, print double-sided. b. Due Oct. 1 st : Were the Jews justified in claiming that their god was the only god? Why or why not? The three religions that claim to believe in Judaism s God (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) are held by approximately 50% of the world s people. Does that prove anything? Write 1 page. Syllabus for PHIL , Comparative Religions, Fall

5 c. Due Oct. 15 th : Is evil a problem? Does it need to be explained? Does it need to be solved? Optionally, you can write on climate change or ISIS. Are these situations bad? Should we try to make the world a better place? (Keep in mind the difference between natural evil and human evil.) Write 1 page. d. Follow General Formatting Requirements (previous page). At the top of the page, put: Name PHIL Exercise # <correct number> Date Due 4. Essay: One of the central problems in the so-called culture wars that afflict our society is the problem of sexuality and marriage. Making use of your learnings from the two prior sections of the course ( Society and Morality and ethics ), you are to write a 4-6 page Essay that answers the following: What does religion and morality tell me about sexuality and marriage? A complete prompt, with detailed questions and further ideas about how you can think about the issue, are posted below, on pp Ritual/Worship Report: a. The class will be divided into four or five groups, and be assigned a religion. b. Each group will visit at least one act of ritual or worship of its assigned religion. c. Each group will present their findings to the class. d. More details are posted below on p. 9; each student will be given a detailed study guide after they receive their assignment. Final Grade Determination The standard HACC grading scale (90% and above is A, etc.) is used for the final grade. The assignments shall be weighted as follows: Quizzes 12% each 36% subtotal Exercises 12% each 24% subtotal Essay 20% Ritual Report 20% EEOC/PHRC Statements EEOC POLICY 005: It is the policy of Harrisburg Area Community College, in full accordance with the law, not to discriminate in employment, student admissions, and student services on the basis of race, color, religion, age, political affiliation or belief, gender, national origin, ancestry, disability, place of birth, General Education Development Certification (GED), marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, genetic history/information, or any legally protected classification. HACC recognizes its responsibility to promote the principles of equal opportunity for employment, student admissions, and student services taking active steps to recruit minorities and women. PHRC Statement: The Pennsylvania Human Relations Act ( PHRAct ) prohibits discrimination against prospective and current students because of race, color, sex, religious creed, ancestry, national origin, handicap or disability, record of a handicap or disability, perceived handicap or disability, relationship or association with an individual with a handicap or disability, use of a guide or support animal, and/or handling or training of support or guide animals. The Pennsylvania Fair Educational Opportunities Act ( PFEOAct ) prohibits discrimination against prospective and current students because of race, religion, color, ancestry, national origin, sex, Syllabus for PHIL , Comparative Religions, Fall

6 handicap or disability, record of a handicap or disability, perceived handicap or disability, and a relationship or association with an individual with a handicap or disability. Information about these laws may be obtained by visiting the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission website at www. phrc.state.pa.us. Students with disabilities who are in need of accommodations should contact the campus disability coordinator listed below. Coordinators for each campus are listed here: HACC Lancaster Campus Vicki Van Hise Coordinator, Disability Services Main 212B 1641 Old Philadelphia Pike Lancaster, PA Phone: Fax: vlvanhis@hacc.edu Study Guides Animism Shaman Ecstasy charismatic séance Hallucinogen(ic) Huichol Pilgrimage Peyote Divination Brahman Aryans Vedic Hinduism Indra Daoism The Dao Dao De Jing Wu-nian Wu-wei The Buddha 4 sights the great going forth Mara Middle Way Four Noble Truths nirvana Tathagata Study Guide for Quizzes Varuna Agni Soma Purus(h)a Avatars Saktas Vishnu Shiva Kali/Durga/ Parvati Rama Krishna (Gopala) Ganesh Puja (room) Quiz #1 Quiz #2 Jesus Kingdom of God The Beatitudes the Son of man what happened to Jesus? Lord Christ/Messiah Son of God Logos Incarnation Trinity 4 Hindu classes Dalit Israelites Hebrew language Hebrew scriptures Abraham, Isaac, Jacob Jacob/Israel Eponym Exodus Moses Yhwh the LORD God religion of the Israelites David, Solomon Israel/Judah Babylonian Exile Monotheism (origins/nature) Ethical monotheism set-apartness sanctification the covenant (3 kinds ) Torah creation, evil moral justice prophet Castes (diff. from classes) Karma Samsara Moksha Asceticism Atman is Brahman (non-)dualism yogi 3 ways of salvation Laws of Manu 3 debts 4 stages of life sannyasin Syllabus for PHIL , Comparative Religions, Fall

7 purity (concept) sanctification kashrut family purity halal halakhah rabbis Dual (written and oral) Torah Tanak (know 3 parts in English) no transparency of meaning The Mishnah Quiz #3 Judah the Patriarch The Talmud, Gemara Independence of Halakhic Judgment Fencing the Torah Islam (incl. meaning) Qur an surah Muhammad Jibril Abraham in Islam Sunna Umma Hadith Shari a success & shirk Five Pillars of Islam: know names and meaning Tawhid Ramadan Feast of Fast-Breaking Ihram Ka bah Feast of Sacrifice Outline of reenactment of Abraham stories Jihad (greater/lesser) Jizrah Eightfold Path Mindfulness Triple Gem Ten Precepts Impermanence Anatta Dependent Origination (general idea) Wheel of Becoming (general idea) Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism Self-power vs. otherpower Arhant vs. bodhisattva Buddha nature Sunyata Confucius the Great Way (general idea) Quiz #4 (Buddhism) Li Filial piety Shu Jen Chun-tzu Christian ethics Works of the flesh vs. fruit of the spirit in Christ Agape (True) Pure Land Buddhism Amitabha Buddha Salat, basic pattern Muezzin Minaret wudu Ra ka (concept) Observance Days (Buddhism) Eucharist Al-Jumu`ah Ganges/Benares pattern of pilgrimage Kumbh(a) Mela Stupa Shabbat Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur Days of Awe Sukkot(h) Hanukkah Purim Pesah (Pesach/Passover) Seder Haggadah Matzah Study Guide, Essay You are to write a 4-6 page essay, addressing the following question: What does religion and morality tell me about sexuality and marriage? Choose from one of the following four topics: 1. Regulation of the sex act (see questions 1, 2, 3 below) 2. Marriage and the sex act (see questions 2, 3, 4, 6 below) 3. Same-sex relationships (see questions 1, 2, 3, 5 below) 4. Male-female relations, equality of women (see questions 1 and 6 below) Syllabus for PHIL , Comparative Religions, Fall

8 To help you focus your ideas, here are some further questions: 1. How do we respond to the traditional religious view that the sexual act is in some sense impure? Is that view wrong? Do the physiological consequences of socially unregulated sexual activity suggest that there might be something to the traditional view? 2. What makes the sex act good? (You have to define good : physiological, psychological, moral?) Another way of asking the same question: what is sex for? Pleasure? Procreation? Romance? Relationship? 3. Should the sex act be regulated? What group might regulate it? Society? A given religion? Families? The individual? Since we have separation of religion and state, we also have separated social norms and private morality. (This is one aspect of the problem of modernity.) In such a world, is it possible to have norms for the sex act? 4. Do sexual relationships need to be in marriage? Do they need to be in a relationship? (Is there a difference between marriage and in a relationship?) 5. Are same-sex relationships moral or ethical? Why or why not? 6. How do we regulate the relationships of men and women to ensure the well-being of men, women, and children? Does the flourishing of the family ideally entail the traditional fathermother-child unit, or can that traditional unit be discarded without harm to the flourishing of the family and of children? An ideal essay will include TWO kinds of evidence: (1) research on the teachings and/or practices of one Asian and one monotheistic religion. (2) Contemporary ethical reflection. What do contemporary practitioners of a religion say about the issue? How are their beliefs informed by their tradition(s)? How and to what extent have their beliefs been transformed by changing social circumstances and modernity (see above, question 3)? Lisa Weigard, Librarian, has prepared a Library Guide for this assignment. The student is expected to consult the Guide: Design and Formatting of Essay 1. Formatting: See General Formatting Requirements, p. 4 above. In addition, in the header or footer, place your last name and the page number, separated by a tab. 2. Cover Page: The essay must have a separate cover page, to include the following information: a. Name b. Course Number and Section ( PHIL ) c. Essay ; You may, at your discretion, include a title; d. Fall Required Documentation for Essays a. Some sources are direct quotes. The student is advised against relying on extensive quotation. An important task in any paper or essay is knowing how to restate one s sources. b. When you restate your sources, you are paraphrasing. Paraphrased sources must be documented just as much as direct quotes. 4. The student should use MLA format for citations: togerato mento examina (Hopfe, 111). a. If a single paragraph is paraphrased from a range of pages of some source(s), the student can summarize the sources at the end of the paragraph in the following manner: togerato mento examina (Hopfe, , 120; Fisher, 212). 5. Works Cited : The form for the Works Cited page is: Hopfe, Lewis M., Mark R. Woodward, Brett Hendrickson. Religions of the World. Thirteenth Edition. Boston: Pearson, Syllabus for PHIL , Comparative Religions, Fall

9 Ritual/Worship Report 1. The class will be divided into 4 or 5 groups (depending on the size of the class). Each group will be assigned one of the following religions (students will be allowed to express their preference): a. Hinduism b. Buddhism c. Judaism d. Roman Catholicism or Eastern Orthodox Christianity e. Protestant Christianity (probably some version of evangelical Christianity) f. Islam 2. Detailed Study Guides will be provided once students are assigned their religions. 3. Each group will visit at least one act of ritual or worship of its assigned religion. (Satisfactory completion of the assignment may require more than one visit, or visits to different acts of ritual.) 4. Following the study guide, each group will report its findings to the class. The Rubric will be as follows, (for a total of 100 points): a. Factual accuracy in the description of the religion s ritual and/or worship practices, and of other activities or practices of the religion, as required by the study guide (25 points). b. Insight into how ritual works in the religion what does it do, what experiences does it provide (25 points)? The group needs to analyse the practices and explain their function in the religion. This also apples to other practices, per requirement of the group s study guide. c. Application of the course s discussion of primary patterns of ritual to religion s ritual and worship practices. Which patterns predominate in the religion? How are the various activities interrelated what ties them together. (Groups are welcome to repeat and develop lecture material, so long as they provide added value in terms of content and analysis.) (20 points) d. Design and graphical content of the presentations (20 points) e. Interest of the presentation (visually and verbally) (10 points) 5. Each group will prepare and present a presentation to the class. a. In general, each student in a group will receive the same grade. A student must attend the day of the presentation in order to receive a grade. If there is significant evidence that a student(s) has (have) contributed significantly more to the report, the instructor reserves the right to give that student (or students) extra credit. Similarly the instructor reserves the right to penalize a student if there is significant evidence that the student did not contribute his or her fair share of work to the presentation. b. Students are expected to attend the oral presentations of their fellow students. Absences will be penalized by deductions from the student s own oral presentation: 2 points for each unexcused absence; 1 point for each excused absence. Syllabus for PHIL , Comparative Religions, Fall