Professor: Office: Coleman Hall 3734 Email: jwaller@eiu.edu D2L Email: jwaller Text: (765)-586-6894 Office Hours (f2f): by appointment. Required Texts There are three required texts in this class: RLS 1200G-600: INTRODUCTION TO RELIGIOUS STUDIES Online Office of Continuing Education 1. Kessler, Gary. Studying Religion: An Introduction Through Cases 2. Molloy, Michael. Experiencing the World s Religions (Fifth Edition) 3. Fieser, James & Powers, John. Scriptures of the World s Religions (Second Edition) Course Description This course provides an introduction to world religions such as Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Students will examine various ways of understanding world religions and gain an appreciation for the nature and variety of religious experience. The purpose of this course is to introduce you to (i) the major concepts and methods used in the academic study of religion as well as (ii) to many of the world s different religious traditions. After two units on the study of religion we will then examine nine of the world s religious traditions: Confucianism Hinduism Buddhism Indigenous African Religions Zoroastrianism Judaism Christianity Islam Baha i Faith. Then at the end of the course you will have an opportunity to explore one additional tradition of your choice in Homework 5. This course is not intended to give you a deep and detailed knowledge of these traditions--it would take many courses on each one to do that!--but simply to introduce you to the basic beliefs, practices, and insights of these religious traditions. At the end
RLS 1200G-600 of this course you should have a good working knowledge of the basics of ten different religious traditions. My hope is that this course will wet your appetite and inspire you to continue to study these faiths on your own. Course Objectives Introduce students to different approaches to the study of religion. Introduce students to ten different religions traditions. Help students to gain a critical perspective of their own religious or philosophical beliefs. Improve critical reasoning skills. Improve writing skills. How Many Weeks is This On-Line Class? This course is a semester long course (15 Weeks.) This course begins on 9 January 2017 and ends on 5 May 2017. What Do You Have to Do For This Course Each Week? Most weeks have the same structure. For each week you need to: 1. Read the assignment from the text books. 2. Take the multiple choice reading quiz. 3. Watch the videos. Four times throughout the semester you will also have: 4. Homework assignment due that week. Each homework assignment covers 3 units of material and you will have all three weeks to work on it. Three weeks this semester, however, will be different: Week 7: This week will be devoted to preparing for the Midterm Essay Exam which is due by the end of the week. Week 14: This week will be devoted to an independent investigation of a religious tradition of your choice not covered in the class. (Homework 5) Week 15-16: These weeks will be devoted to preparing for the Final Multiple Choice Exam which is due by the end of Finals Week (5 May). You have a week to prepare and then a week to take the exam. I have given you two weeks so that you can also do an extra credit assignment if you would like during this time. 2
RLS 1200G-600 How is Your Grade Calculated? Your grade has four equally weighted parts: 25% of Final Grade Reading Quizzes / Viewed all Videos 25% of Final Grade Five Homework Assignments 25% of Final Grade Midterm Essay Exam 25% of Final Grade Final Multiple Choice Exam The first ¼ of your grade consists of an average of the quiz grades plus points for watching all of the videos. I can track whether or not you view the videos all the way through and I will deduct points if you do not watch them. I consider this to be your class participation grade. The next ¼ of your grade is an average of the 5 homework assignments. Four of those homework assignments are on the traditions studied in this class and then the fifth homework assignment is over a religious tradition of your choice. What Will the Reading Quizzes Look Like? These quizzes are multiple choice quizzes over the assigned reading. Each quiz will have a different number of questions depending upon the length and depth of the reading assignment. You are responsible for all of the material assigned. The quizzes will each be worth 10 points. The good news, however, is that the lowest quiz grade will be automatically dropped. How Much Time Will You Have to Complete A Reading Quiz? You will have two minutes per question (with a two minute grace period.) This will give you enough time to look through notes, but not enough time to read the textbook. Please set aside 45-50 minutes to take the reading quiz each week. You may not need all of this time, but it is better to leave yourself too much time than run out of time. How Many Attempts Do You Get Per Reading Quiz? One. So before you sit down to take a Reading Quiz make sure that you have 45-50 minutes of uninterrupted time to take the quiz. If you get interrupted part way through and can t finish, you cannot start over. You will not be able to take it again. What Will the Homework Assignments Look Like? These assignments will be numerous short-answer questions concerning each of the three previous units. You are required to write a paragraph or so in response to each question. Each of these assignments will be multiple pages long. Each assignment is due in the Dropbox no later than 11:59pm on Sunday of the week it is due. 3
What Will The Independent Investigation During Week 14 Look Like? RLS 1200G-600 This week will be an opportunity to investigate a religious tradition that interests you. Your only restriction will be that you cannot choose one of the traditions covered in this class. You will have a homework assignment on this tradition. This grade will be counted as part of your Homework grade. What Will the Midterm Exam Look Like? This exam will be a number of short essay questions much like the homework assignments. Many of these questions will ask you to compare different religious traditions. What Will the Final Exam Look Like? The Final Exam will consist of multiple choice questions. The good news is that most of the questions from the Final Exam will be modified versions of the quiz questions. So there will be no new material on the final. However, the exam will cover all of the material since the beginning of the semester. So review everything from Week 1 to Week 13. The final exam will be taken during the last week of class. Are There Weekly Office Hours? I have weekly office hours in my office in Coleman Hall if you can make it to EIU s main campus and would like to speak to me in person. If not, then you are free to email me or text me. I am always available to answer your questions. I am also happy to set up a phone call if you would rather talk to me than email, text, or meet in person. *However, if the question you email is explicitly answered in the syllabus, then I may ignore your question. So please check the syllabus before contacting me. What Should You Do While Reading the Texts? One of the best things you can do while reading is to take notes. Studies have shown that when you take notes while reading, you both remember the content of the readings better and have a better grasp of the material. What if Life Happens and You Cannot Do the Quiz and/or Homework Assignment this Week? The lowest quiz grade will be dropped, but none of the homeworks will be dropped. Can You Submit a Homework Assignment Late? No. You only have until 11:59pm on Sunday to upload the assignment into the Dropbox. 4
Can You Take Reading Quizzes Late? RLS 1200G-600 No. You only have until 11:59pm on Sunday night to take the weekly quiz. However, the lowest quiz score will be dropped. Will There Be Any Extra Credit? Yes! This assignment will become available after the Midterm Exam. Can You Use Other Internet Sources When Working on My Assignments? No. Even though this is an online course, I do not want you using any materials other than the materials that I provide for you. I will consider using any sources other than the ones provided by me to be an act of plagiarism, which could result in failing the course. If you have questions about your use of a particular source, please ask me and I will clarify to what extent (if any) using it is okay. There is one exception to this general rule: your independent investigation Week 14 can use outside sources if the tradition you want to study is not included in the texts. Academic integrity Students are expected to maintain principles of academic integrity and conduct as defined in EIU s Code of Conduct (http://www.eiu.edu/judicial/studentconductcode.php). Violations will be reported to the Office of Student Standards Students with disabilities If you are a student with a documented disability in need of accommodations to fully participate in this class, please contact the Office of Student Disability Services (OSDS). All accommodations must be approved through OSDS. Please stop by Ninth Street Hall, Room 2006, or call 217-581-6583 to make an appointment. The Student Success Center Students who are having difficulty achieving their academic goals are encouraged to contact the Student Success Center (www.eiu.edu/~success) for assistance with time management, test taking, note taking, avoiding procrastination, setting goals, and other skills to support academic achievement. The Student Success Center provides individualized consultations. To make an appointment, call 217-581-6696 or go to 9 th Street Hall, Room 1302. 5
RLS 1200G-600 **Reading Assignments** Texts Kessler, Gary. Studying Religion: An Introduction Through Cases Molloy, Michael. Experiencing the World s Religions (Fifth Edition) Fieser, James & Powers, John. Scriptures of the World s Religions (Second Edition) Week One (1/9-1/15): Studying Religion I Read: Kessler, Chs. 1, 2, 3. Take: Reading Quiz 1 Week Two (1/16-1/22): Studying Religion II Read: Kessler, Chs. 6, 7, 8. Take: Reading Quiz 2 Week Three (1/23-1/29): Confucianism Read: Handout on Website Take: Reading Quiz 3 Turn In: Homework 1 Week Four (1/30-2/5): Hinduism Read: Molloy, Ch. 3; Fieser/Powers, p. 7-11, 18-25. Take: Reading Quiz 4 Week Five (2/6-2/12): Buddhism Read: Molloy, Ch. 4; Fieser/Powers, p. 80-91. Take: Reading Quiz 5 Week Six (2/13-2/19): Indigenous African Religions Read: Fieser/Powers, p. 490-506. Take: Reading Quiz 6 Turn In: Homework 2 Week Seven (2/20-2/26): Midterm Essay Exam! 6
Week Eight (2/27-3/5): Zoroastrianism RLS 1200G-600 Read: Fieser/Powers, p. 230-254. Take: Reading Quiz 7 Week Nine (3/6-3/12): Judaism Read: Molloy, Ch. 8; Fieser/Powers, p. 305-321. Take: Reading Quiz 8 **Spring Break! Take Some Time Off! Be Nice to Yourself!** Week Ten (3/20-3/26): Christianity Read: Molloy, Ch. 9; Fieser/Powers, p. 370-397. Take: Reading Quiz 9 Turn In: Homework 3 Week Eleven (3/27-4/2): Islam I Read: Molloy, Ch. 10. Take: Reading Quiz 10 Week Twelve (4/3-4/9): Islam II Read: Fieser/Powers, p. 408-456. Take: Reading Quiz 11 Week Thirteen (4/10-4/16): Baha i Faith Read: Fieser/Powers, p. 457-489. Take: Reading Quiz 12 Turn In: Homework 4 Week Fourteen (4/17-4/23): Independent Investigation Week Turn In: Homework 5 Week Fifteen (4/24-5/5): Final Multiple Choice Exam and (Optional) Extra Credit! The Course ends on 5 May. If you wish to do an Extra Credit Assignment, then you have until 11:59pm on 5 May to drop it in the Dropbox. 7