Course Description
This course introduces major religious traditions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. We will begin with a brief survey of theoretical approaches to the study of religion. Topics of study will include each tradition’s historical origins, conceptions of the sacred, rituals and practices, and contemporary trends.
Syllabus
Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:
Students successfully completing this course will be able to:
- Understand and assess the cultural influence of selected world religious traditions.
- Compare a variety of cultural beliefs and practices classified as religion or religious that appear in these traditions.
- Recognize a variety of religious beliefs, expressions, and artifacts emerging from various cultural contexts.
- Critically evaluate the ways in which human culture influences and contributes to the construction of religious belief and practice and, concurrently, the ways in which religious constructions potentially influence the cultures in which they exist.
- Critically assess how these major world religious traditions contribute to contemporary culture and how contemporary culture simultaneously contributes to the ongoing development of these traditions.
- Describe dynamic elements of different cultures, including aesthetic systems, communication systems, economics, physical environments, ethics, gender norms, geography, history, politics, religious principles, or social beliefs, norms and practices.
- Explain how similarities, differences, and connections among different groups of people or environmental systems affect one another over time and place.
- Keep up with assigned reading and complete all assignments on time in an online learning environment.
- Engage with course content through guided reading assignments, lecture slides, weekly writing assignments, online exams, and quizzes administered through Canvas.
Course Grading Information:
| Activity/Performance Measure | Percentage/Points |
|---|---|
| Reading Responses | 25% |
| Quizzes | 20% |
| Tests | 55% |
This course will be graded using a plus/minus grading system. Grades are assigned according to the following scale: A (93-100); A- (90-92); B+ (86-89); B (83-85); B- (80-82); C+ (76-79); C (73-75); C- (70-72); D+ (66-69); D (63-65); D- (60-62); F (<60).
Grading Scale
| Percentage | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 93-100 | A |
| 90-92 | A- |
| 86-89 | B+ |
| 83-85 | B |
| 80-82 | B- |
| 76-79 | C+ |
| 73-75 | C |
| 70-72 | C- |
| 66-69 | D+ |
| 63-65 | D |
| 60-62 | D- |
| <60 | F |
Attendance/Participation:
Proper class preparation is expected. This entails completing the assigned readings and assignments on time. You should begin each week’s reading assignment early so that you will have time to prepare for the graded assignments that follow.
Respect for your fellow classmates, your teacher, and the course material must be maintained at all times. Critical examination of the issues applicable to this course is allowed; derogatory language is not. A failure to adhere to this policy will result in points being deducted from your written assignments.
Since this is an online class, there is no formal attendance policy. However, frequent participation and timely submission of class assignments will be necessary for success in this course.
Course Materials Purchased by the Students:
Textbook— Brodd, Jeffrey, Invitation to World Religions (4th edition)
Scholarly Perspectives
This course engages diverse scholarly perspectives to develop critical thinking, analysis, and debate and inclusion of a reading does not imply endorsement.