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1 Course Syllabus for REL 100 ONLINE Course: World Religions Semester: Spring 2016 Number: REL 100 Section: or Location: Online/Canvas Dates: Feb 1 May 13 INSTRUCTOR Name: Brydie L. Andrews brydie.andrews@scottsdalecc.edu I prefer you contact me via the Inbox Messaging feature within Canvas whenever possible. To access this feature, click on the "Inbox" tab found at the top right of the course site and compose your message. I will get an instant notification via so that I can respond as soon as possible. My second choice of communication is . Please be sure to provide detailed questions and your full name and the class you are taking when corresponding with me by . For Canvas Inbox and s you can expect a response within 24 hours (excluding weekends and holidays). Phone: (this is a personal cell so please do not call after 9:30 pm) Office Hours/Location: Special Notes: Please contact me through Canvas or by and we can arrange a way to talk by phone, Skype, FaceTime etc. If you need technical assistance on Canvas, My Maricopa, etc., the ITS HelpDesk is your first point of contact ( ) or walk-in assistance is available at the IT building on the east side of the SCC campus (enter on the north side). TEXT & SUPPLIES Title: Living Religions (8 th ed) Author: Mary Pat Fisher Publisher: Pearson Prentice Hall ISBN: (a la Carte Edition) Other materials required: For an updated list of Canvas Supported Browsers lease visit: Textbook can be: (1) Purchased or rented at the SCC Campus Bookstore (You do NOT need the CD-Rom that comes with the textbook when you purchase it new) (2) Rented online for 180 days at Note, this option only gives you access to the text for 180 days (3) Used for free in the Social/Behavioral Science Learning Center (on SCC campus location and times can be found on the SCC website) Page 1

2 COURSE DESCRIPTION (3 credits/ no prerequisites) This course will explore the development of various religions from the prehistoric to modern times. Political, economic, social and geographic relationships among world religions will be discussed. The course will consider both Eastern and Western religions. The religious and ethnic landscape of the United States is changing. No longer do we live in a country where only Caucasian, Protestant, middle class Americans characterize the mainstream. Hindu gopurams and Muslim minarets share city skylines already dotted with cathedral spires and church steeples. The Internet and cell phones make it possible for individuals from around the country and world to interact daily. On televisions we watch religious conflicts continue to flare in the Middle East and Central Asia, and the United States itself has fallen victim to holy warfare. More than ever before, understanding religious traditions is essential to daily existence. This course offers an introduction to the world s most prominent religions. We will identify what people see as the central tenets, symbols, and practices of their traditions and what challenges face these traditions in the context of the modern world. We will also explore what adherents to these different traditions think about their own faith in the light of the diversity of other religious traditions and we will learn about the diversity that exists within these given traditions. If students choose, for extra credit, they may also attend one or two religious sites or ceremonies of religious traditions different from their own. These sites cannot be the primary place of worship for the students and the visits must be completed during the semester with the express purpose of conducting fieldwork. OFFICIAL COURSE OBJECTIVES By the end of this course, students should be able to: 1. Describe the influence of world religions on social, economic, and political developments. 2. Describe similarities and differences among the beliefs, traditions, and practices of major world religions. 3. Describe the practices and beliefs of Hinduism and the historical impact on Indian society. 4. Describe the principles and practices of Buddhism and the historical impact on Buddhist societies. 5. Describe Islamic theology and practices and the historical impact in the Middle East. 6. Describe Judaic doctrine and theology and how it has influenced Jewish traditions and practices. 7. Describe Christian theology and its variations in Roman Catholicism, Eastern orthodoxy, and Protestantism. 8. Describe the roles of ethics and religious beliefs in Confucianism and its historical impact on Chinese society. 9. Describe the practices and beliefs of Taoism and the historical impact on Chinese society. 10. Describe the historical impact of Christianity in the western world. Page 2

3 COURSE FORMAT This course is a completely administered online through Canvas. This course is NOT self-paced, and there are assignments due weekly or bi-weekly. COMPUTER EQUIPMENT/ACCESS REQUIRED For this course, you must have a Canvas account, access to the internet, and Adobe Reader. For an updated list of Canvas Supported Browsers please visit: Internet access can be from school, home, or work. Note: All correspondence from your instructor will go through the Inbox feature in Canvas. If you would like to have the correspondence forwarded to your , you will need to set your preferences in Canvas. COURSE REQUIREMENTS COURSE DESIGN: Keeping in mind the dual goals of maintaining class discussion and student flexibility, this course is divided up into modules that range in length from 1-2 weeks. These modules correspond with specific weeks in the semester. You can look at the Calendar function or Syllabus function in Canvas to see how the assignment due dates break-down across the semester. RATIONALE: Engaging in the study of religion can be a very different experience from taking other classes. This class, in particular, often draws a wide variety of students students who are strong adherents to a particular tradition, others who are committed atheists, others who are spiritually searching, and still others who are philosophers who enjoy the intellectual exercise of contemplating the structure and function of religion. The questions and discussions that are generated and driven by the students can be some of the richest parts of the class. Therefore, while this is an online course, I do not wish to lose the discussion element of the learning process. I also understand the appeal and advantage of taking an online course is the flexibility it can provide. A student may have a particularly hectic week of work and may find it difficult to get the reading and reflections done that week, and a self-paced online course can greatly help that student. My challenge, then, has been to try to construct a course that keeps both of these goals in mind. CLASS EXPECTATIONS: Respect is the overriding principle, which will guide our discussions and interactions with one another. Respect for the course, your instructor, the subject matter, and classmates will manifest itself in a variety of ways. GROUNDRULES FOR CLASS DISCUSSIONS: Perhaps more than any other subject, people feel the most passionate about religion. The most critical thing is that this course provides a safe place for people to explore and learn about religious traditions with which they are familiar and not familiar. With this in mind it is imperative that all participants of the course agree to the following ground rules for our discussions: Page 3

4 1. Professional, academic, and respectful language will be expected in all correspondence with both your classmates and me. Please remember that it is easy to misconstrue tone through the written word and so it is particularly important that you be mindful of how you converse via written responses. You may call me Ms. Andrews and your classmates by their first names, but please refrain from using shortened abbreviations that are used in s and texts (ie. LOL, OMG, TTYL). Under no conditions will derogatory remarks, name calling, or racial or religious slurs be tolerated. If you have a question and are afraid it sounds somehow demeaning and you cannot figure out how to word it, do the best you can and let us know that you struggled with how to word the question. I will let you know alternative ways of posing questions when appropriate, but what is important to me is that your intent comes from a genuine place of learning and respect. 2. Revealing one s own religious convictions is fully acceptable in this course, however, it is important to recognize that this course is an opportunity to ask questions, process what we are learning, share our own knowledge, and ultimately learn about religious traditions. Therefore, the purpose of our discussions is not to all agree or convince others that their convictions are wrong and ours are right, but rather to take in information, process it, share our perspectives, question each other and ultimately clarify our own views. 3. Discussion posts are expected to reflect the material that you read and watched in the audio/visual portion of the website. You are to be specific in your responses and be precise in quoting or describing elements from the readings or visuals to which you are responding. Therefore, appropriate MLA citations are expected for all online discussion posts. The following links will take you to the SCC Writing Center website and Purdue Online Writing Lab, both of which provide helpful instruction about MLA citation. EXPECTATIONS FOR WEEKLY ASSIGNMENT COMPLETION: In order to keep relevant discussions going in the class while still allowing for personal flexibility, a student can turn in his/her assignments anytime before 11:59pm Arizona time on the due dates. However, assignments submitted after the designated due dates will be considered late. Please print out the syllabus and instructor's contact information in case you are unable to access the course website so you can contact me directly. If you are unable to access the course due to a failure of your computer technology, you should contact me as soon as possible. If you experience difficulty with Canvas and a deadline for an assignment is upon you, me your assignment (i.e. discussion posting) so I can see it was complete on time and then post it on Canvas when Canvas is working again. QUIZZES AND WRITING ASSIGNMENTS: You will have (1) syllabus quiz, (9) module comprehension quizzes, and (2) writing assignments over the course of the semester. The module quizzes will be comprised of matching, true/false, fill-in the blank, and multiple-choice questions to check your comprehension of vocabulary, audio/visuals, and material found in the textbook. For the writing assignments, you will select two (2) out of three (3) essay questions, which will ask you to synthesize the information you have been learning in the weeks prior to the assignment. Review sheets for the writing assignments will be available on the class website. It is important you plan ahead this semester. All assignments are to be completed no later than Page 4

5 11:59pm on the day they are due or they will be considered late. Appropriate MLA citations ARE expected for all assignments. The following links will take you to the SCC Writing Center website and the Purdue Online Writing Lab, both of which provide helpful instruction on basic MLA citation. FIELDWORK SITE VISITS (Optional) Students may visit a religious site or attend a ceremony different from their own and post a reflection of the visit online for extra points. Each visit and reflection may be worth up to 10 points. Students can only do this 2 times for a maximum of 20 extra points for the semester. Appropriate visit protocol and reflection expectations and a rubric are posted on the class website. ASSIGNMENTS Disclaimer--Course content may vary from this outline to meet the needs of this particular group. More detailed instructions and due dates for each assignment can be found on class Canvas website. Module Preparation Assignments Max Point Value for Module Module: Start Here Log-in to Canvas. Go to REL 100 class site. Find the Start Here module and begin J ü Syllabus Quiz (10 ü Discussion Board Post: Student Introduction (5 ü Canvas Message to Instructor (5 20 pts Module 1: Introduction to the Study of Religion Module 2: Indigenous Sacred Ways Read in text Chapter 1; Read in text Chapter 2; 20 pts Module 3: Hinduism Read in text Chapter 3; Page 5

6 Module 4: Buddhism Read in text Chapter 5; Module 5: Other Asian Traditions Read in text Chapters 6&7; (optional) Writing Assignment 1 Review sheet for the writing assignment available under WritingAssignment 1 Module 6: Judaism Read in text Chapter 8; Module 7: Christianity Read in text Chapter 9; Answering 2 out of 3 questions about Modules pts Module 8: Islam Read in text Chapter 10; Watch Audio/Visuals found in module Module 9: Jainism and Sikhism Writing Assignment 2 Read in text Chapters 4 & 11; (optional) Review sheets for the writing assignment available under WritingAssignment 2 Answering 2 out of 3 questions about Modules pts Page 6

7 EXTRA CREDIT OPTIONS (Found under Extra Credit Module) End-of-Semester Survey (optional) Extra Credit Posting: Religion in a Contemporary Context (optional) Fieldwork Visits (optional) See End-of-Semester World Religions Survey Read in text Chapter 13; Watch Audio/Visuals found in module See Extra Credit Module for instructions Complete the anonymous survey found under Quizzes Discussion Board Post (10 Up to 2 site visits and online reflection postings (10 pts each/ 20 pts total) 10 pts 20 pts 5 pts GRADING All points will be awarded based on quality of the assignments. Expectations and grading rubrics for assignments can be found on the class website. GRADING SCALE Grade Point Span A B C D F 220 or below Grade Point Span P Z 220 or below You will receive a grade of Z if you earn less than 220 points or fail to complete the course by the established date or without benefit of an official withdrawal. LATE ASSIGNMENTS Given this is an online course, with no class meetings, participation on the discussion board and assignment completion is absolutely required and essential to achieve course objectives. Extenuating circumstances, which may account for the missed work, must be communicated to the instructor as soon as possible, and it is up to the instructor s discretion as to whether to allow the student to make up the assignments. Students have been given ample time and notice to complete assignments and policies are stated very clearly, therefore note that there are very few circumstances which the instructor considers to be extenuating when informed well after the fact. If contacted about a circumstance ahead of time or as soon as possible, the instructor is much more flexible. Discussion postings and quizzes for a given module will be considered late if they are not submitted by 11:59pm Arizona time of the due date. Postings and quizzes completed after their due dates, will have 5 pts deducted each day they are late. For example, an Page 7

8 assignment due by 11:59 pm on May 6 that was actually posted on May 8 would be considered 2 days late and would have 10 points automatically deducted from it. Points will be deducted until the assignment has reached zero points. A Writing Assignment will be considered late if it is not submitted by 11:59pm on the due date and will be deducted 10 pts each day it is submitted late until the assignment reaches a zero. WITHDRAWAL POLICY If by the end of Module 3 the instructor has not received any assignments from you, you may be withdrawn from the course by your instructor. If a student does not turn in assignments for up to three Modules in a row, you may be withdrawn from the course by your instructor. Extenuating circumstances, which may account for the missed work, must be communicated to the instructor as soon as possible, and it is up to the instructor s discretion whether to allow the student to continue in the course. Student may initiate an official withdrawal from any course by submitting a withdrawal form with required signatures to the Admissions and Records office within published deadlines. Failure to participate in the class is not a guarantee for a refund or an excuse of debt incurred through registration. Official date of withdrawal is last date of attendance as determined by student s withdrawal or as reported by the instructor. The official date of withdrawal will determine degree of refund, if any. Failure to file official withdrawal form within published deadlines can result in a failing grade and may effect refund of course tuition and fees. Additional information on Withdrawals can be found in the SCC College Catalog. ACADEMIC SUPPORT SERVICES A variety of student services can be accessed online. Please refer to the SCC Student Home Page at: Services are free of charge to all registered SCC students. Check the following websites for information and operating hours: Online library resources through NetLibrary at Social/Behavior Sciences Independent Study Lab, Room SB158, Writing Center, Room LC379, Open Computer Lab, Room BU133W, Counseling Center, Room SC108, Advisement Center, Room SC118, ACCOMMODATIONS Students with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact your instructor and the Disability Resources & Services office, Building SC- 144, OR- It is a college policy to provide reasonable accommodations to students with documented disabilities. If you would like to request accommodations due to a physical, mental, or learning disability, please contact your instructor and the Disability Resources & Services office, SC-144, Page 8

9 ACADEMIC HONESTY Every student in this class is expected to produce his/her own original work. Plagiarism is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Working in conjunction with another student on a quiz or writing assignment is considered cheating. Academic dishonesty will result in being dropped from the course with a failing grade. Any issues of academic dishonesty will result in a letter to the Dean of Students for further action. CODE OF CIVILITY Instructors are expected to be professional, courteous, respectful and empathic to students. They will: Have prepared course materials Provide academic feedback and grade assignments in a timely manner Be available for individual consultation Clarify assignments and inform students of any adjustments to the class Students are expected to be reflective, courteous, respectful and empathetic to classmates, instructor and other college staff assisting in their learning. Students will be expected to: Prepare assignments Participate in class activities Follow instructions and complete assignments Keep up with and turn in assignments by due dates Put forth their best effort Ask questions when they don t understand Maintain knowledge of their grade status Contact instructor right away about concerns or situations that interfere with their success in class Comply with policies found in the SCC Catalog and SCC Student Handbook MCCCD s SEXUAL HARASSMENT POLICY Everyone in this class, including the instructor, must adhere to the policy of the Maricopa CommModuley College District which states: The policy of the Maricopa County CommModuley College District (MCCCD) is to provide an educational, employment, and business environment free of unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal and/or physical conduct or communications constituting sexual harassment as defined and otherwise prohibited by state and federal law. For additional information, please check SCC s General Catalog & Student Handbook. WOVeN General Education enhances students abilities in critically analyzing and effectively communicating in Written, Oral, Visual, and Numerical form. General Education is WOVeN through the curriculum and co-curricular experiences at Scottsdale Community College. Page 9