Instructor: Todd Brenneman, Ph.D. Office: PSY 229 Office Hours: MWF 1-2 and by appointment Email: tbrennem@mail.ucf.edu World Religions REL 2300, section 2; 3 credits FALL 2010 MWF 2:30-3:20 PM, COMM 101 Course Materials: Willard G. Oxtoby and Alan F. Segal, eds., A Concise Introduction to World Religions (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007), ISBN 0195422078 Students also need access to their Knights e-mail account and should check it regularly. All communication outside of class periods will be to your Knights e-mail. According to the university s best practices and FERPA guidelines, I will not correspond with students through another email address. If you do not know how to set up your Knights e-mail, please let me know. Other important information will be available on the Webcourses@UCF site available through the myucf portal. Course Description: A survey of the major living religious traditions of the world, with attention to their origins in the ancient world and their classic beliefs and practices. This course is an introduction to the academic study of world religions. Specifically, the course will cover the religious traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, among others. In the process of comparing the religions of the world, it will be the responsibility of each student to think critically about the historical evolution, systems of belief, ritual practices, institutional developments, and cultural expressions of each religious tradition. Close attention will be given to the differences and similarities of religions, as well as the unique contributions that each of them have made to individual lives and societies. A range of reading materials and writing assignments have been chosen to provide a framework within which to engage a variety of religious issues and understand the significance and relevance of religion in world history. REL 2300 fulfills the Cultural and Historical Foundations requirement. It is also a core course for a Religious Studies major. Course Objectives: This course seeks to encourage critical thinking about the nature of religion in the United States and the world. After taking this course, students should be able to: 1
Identify basic elements of religion in order to analyze specific religious traditions Demonstrate knowledge of the chronology and significance of major events and movements in World Religious traditions Demonstrate familiarity with and knowledge of central features in non-western religious traditions Discuss the interrelationship between religion and other facets of human society, culture, and politics (among others). Illustrate changes and developments within and among religious traditions due to globalization. Identify important persons, texts, practices, metaphysics, and movements among the religions studied. Appreciate the diversity of American and global religious life. Explain some of the methodological approaches to the academic study of religion. Course Policies: Conduct: When you enter the classroom, you are entering a scholarly atmosphere. We are gathering to academically examine important material. It is important that both the instructor and the students respect each other s time and work. Distractions like using cell phones to text, answering cell phones during class, using computers to surf the internet or chat (or tweet or get on facebook), conversing with fellow students about things unrelated to the class, copying notes from missed classes, passing notes, doing reading or other work for a different class destroy that atmosphere and interfere with scholarly discussion. Packing up to leave or general end-of-class noise is also disruptive. Please wait until the instructor has dismissed the class so that questions and final comments may be heard by everyone. In addition, make sure to turn off cell phones or pagers (or at least put them on vibrate). Anyone who disrupts class may be asked to leave the room. If there is a valid reason for engaging in any of the above behavior, please let me know in advance and make the disruption as minimal as possible. Pre-test and post-test: Because World Religions is part of UCF s General Education Program (GEP), students are required to participate in assessments of learning. For this course, a pre-test and post-test available through the Webcourses GEP section is used. You are required to participate in this assessment in order to pass this course. Both tests should take no more than 10 minutes to complete. The pre-test will be available on Monday, August 23, 2010, at 9:00 AM. You must complete it by Saturday, September 4, 2010, at 9:00 AM. The post-test will be available beginning Monday, November 29, 2010 at 9:00 AM. It must be completed by Monday, December 13, 2010, at 9:00 AM. In-class exams: There will be three in-class exams consisting of multiple choice, matching, and completion questions. Each exam will be graded out of a possible 200 points. Make-up exams will only be permitted if arrangements are made with the instructor prior to the day of the test. In order to make up a test, you must be able to verify that you are unable to take the exam as scheduled. Acceptable verifications include (but are not limited to) funeral programs or death certificates (for close family members only), doctors notes, jury duty notices or subpoenas, memos from an advisor or 2
coordinator (for individuals involved in University sponsored events: sports, conferences, etc.). Travel arrangements are not acceptable as an excuse for missing an exam. Contact the instructor as soon as possible if you must miss an exam. First exam: Monday, September 27 th Second exam: Friday, November 5 th Third exam: Monday, November 22 nd Final exam: The final exam will be comprehensive and be of a similar format to previous exams, only longer. It will be held on Wednesday, December 8, at 1 PM. The final exam will be out of 400 points. You need to get raspberry (pink) Scantron forms for all exams they have the Pegasus logo. You will also need to use a No. 2 pencil/blue or black ballpoint ink to fill out the exams. The instructor will not provide these materials for you. Grading breakdown (total of 1000 points possible): Test 1 200 Test 2 200 Test 3 200 Final Exam 400 Grading scale: 1000-940 A, 939-900 A-, 899-870 B+, 869-830 B, 829-800 B-, 799-770 C+, 769-730 C, 729-700 C-, 699-670 D+, 669-630 D, 629-600 D-, 599-below F. Grading Disputes: In order to ensure that each student s work is graded in accordance with standards that apply to the entire class, if you have a question regarding a grade, you must meet with me within two weeks after the work in question is graded. No exceptions will be made to this policy. If the exam or assignment is re-scored, the entire exam or project will be graded again. This means that your score may increase or decrease. Note about grade reporting: All grades will be available through the myucf portal under myucf grades. I will not send grades through email because of FERPA guidelines. Academic Honesty: As reflected in the UCF creed, integrity and scholarship are core values that should guide our conduct and decisions as members of the UCF community. Plagiarism and cheating contradict these values, and so are very serious academic offenses. Penalties can include a failing grade in an assignment or in the course, or suspension or expulsion from the university. Students are expected to familiarize themselves with and follow the University s Rules of Conduct (see http://www.osc.sdes.ucf.edu/). Americans with Disabilities Act: The University of Central Florida is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all persons with disabilities. This syllabus is available in alternate formats upon request. Students with disabilities who need accommodations in this 3
course must contact the professor at the beginning of the semester to discuss needed accommodations. No accommodations will be provided until the student has met with the professor to request accommodations. Students who need accommodations must be registered with Student Disability Services, Student Resource Center Room 132, phone (407) 823-2371, TTY/TDD only phone (407) 823-2116, before requesting accommodations from the professor. The Academic Study of Religion: The academic study of religion is not meant to inspire faith or to destroy faith. In this class we will be exploring a variety of religious movements and ideas, not with the intention of discovering any Truth, but instead to observe how religion functions within the United States and the world. Class is not the place for either the instructor or students to attempt to proselytize others. Please be respectful to others and their beliefs. If you have any questions or concerns about this policy and what it applies to, feel free to ask me. Course Outline (Readings should be done before attending the class they are listed with): If class is canceled because of bad weather or for some other reason, assume that the following class day will be conducted according to the regular class schedule described in the Course Outline. You should be prepared with the regularly scheduled material when class resumes. If class is canceled on a day that an exam is scheduled, plan to take the exam on the first day that class resumes. Week of August 23 th M: Introduction to the Course, Syllabus W: What is religion? What should we study? How should we study it? F: Hinduism: History Reading: Oxtoby & Segal, 259-270 Week of August 30 th M: Hinduism: Texts and Deities Reading: Oxtoby & Segal, 270-295 W: Hinduism: Practice Reading: Oxtoby & Segal, 296-312 F: Hinduism in the United States Reading: Oxtoby & Segal, 312-319 Week of September 6 th M: No class, Labor Day W: Buddhism: The Buddha and His Legacy Reading: Oxtoby & Segal, 377-396 F: Buddhism: The Different Buddhisms Reading: Oxtoby & Segal, 396-415 Week of September 13 th M: Buddhism: Buddhist Practice Reading: Oxtoby & Segal, 415-429 W: Buddhism: Global Buddhism in the World and the United States Reading: Oxtoby & Segal, 429-436 4
F: Sikhism Reading: Oxtoby & Segal, 327-351 Week of September 20 th M: Jainism Reading: Oxtoby & Segal, 353-372 W: Confucianism Reading: Oxtoby & Segal, 441-468 F: Daoism Reading: Oxtoby & Segal, 469-485 Week of September 27 th M: In-class Test 1 W: Judaism: Biblical Origins and Developments BCE Reading: Oxtoby & Segal, 61-81 F: Judaism: History and Textual Tradition Reading: Oxtoby & Segal, 81-101 Week of October 4 th M: Judaism: Judaisms and the American Situation Reading: Oxtoby & Segal, 111-122 W: No class F: Judaism: Jewish Practice Reading: Oxtoby & Segal, 101-111 Week of October 11 th M: Christianity: Origins to the Fourth Century Reading: Oxtoby & Segal, 131-149 W: Christianity: Catholicism from the Beginnings to the Reformation Reading: Oxtoby & Segal, 149-158 F: Christianity: Modern Catholicism Reading: Oxtoby & Segal, 169-174, 187-192 Week of October 18 th M: Christianity: Protestantism from the Reformation to the Nineteenth Century Reading: Oxtoby & Segal, 159-169 W: Christianity: Protestantism in the Modern Age Reading: Oxtoby & Segal, 175-187 F: Islam: Muhammad and the Qur an Reading: Oxtoby & Segal, 199-217 Week of October 25 th M: Islam: Islamdom and Islamic Division Reading: Oxtoby & Segal, 217-232 W: Islam: Islamic Practice 5
Reading: Oxtoby & Segal, 233-241 F: No class AAR Meeting Week of November 1 st M: Islam: Islam Encounters Modernity, the West, and Fundamentalism Reading: Oxtoby & Segal, 241-249 W: Islam: Islam in the United States Reading: Oxtoby & Segal, 249-255 F: In-class Test 2 Week of November 8 th M: Indigenous religions: Africa, Australia, Americas Reading: Oxtoby & Segal, 11-32 W: Indigenous religions Encounter Colonialism: Response and Change Reading: Oxtoby & Segal, 32-59 F: American religions: Mormonism Origins Week of November 15 th M: American religions: Mormonism Finding a Place in America and the World W: American religions: Jehovah s Witnesses F: American religions: Scientology Week of November 22 nd M: In-class Test 3 W: Video Presentation F: No class Thanksgiving Break Week of November 29 th M: Religious Hatred/Violence W: Religion and Globalization F: The Academic Study of Religion Week of December 6 th M: Review session for exam FINAL EXAM: Wednesday, December 8, 2010, at 1 PM SYLLABUS CHANGE POLICY: This syllabus is a guide for the course and is subject to change with advanced notice. Changes to the syllabus will be communicated in class and through email. Some of the language in this syllabus is based on official policies of the University or suggestions by the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning. 6