Dr.
jford@rsu.edu
HUM-3633
Office: Health Sciences 244
Spring 2010
Office Phone: (918) 343-7749
TR 9:30-10:45am
10-12 F; and by appointment. No prerequisites.
“A comparative study of traditions, scriptures,
theologies, major figures, and practices of world religions through an
investigation of cross-themes and contrasts” (RSU Bulletin 2009-10, p. 170).
The course begins with an introduction to the
academic study of religion, an overview of what religion involves and how to
approach religious traditions in a classroom context. After that introduction to
studying religion, most of the first half of the course is a comparative study
of several of the world's major religious traditions, including Hinduism,
Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The second half of the course is
devoted to analyzing how individual believers in three of those traditions
(Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the “People of the Book”) deal with a single
problem- belief in a single, all-good, all-powerful, and all-knowing God given
the existence and prevalence of human suffering. Given the kinds of suffering we
see every day in the world, from the ravages of AIDS and cancer to the horrors
of 9/11, how can believers make sense of this problem? Are those approaches
rational?
Lewis, C.S. A
Grief Observed. Bantam Doubleday Dell, 1976.
Molloy, Michael.
Experiencing the World’s Religions. Mayfield/McGraw-Hill, 2010. 5th
Edition.
Van Voorst, Robert.
Anthology of World Scriptures. Cengage,
2008.
Wiesel, Elie.
Night. MPS, 2006.
Wolterstorff, Nicholas.
Lament for a Son. Eerdmans, 1987.
Available at the RSU Bookstore in Claremore. Please have all the books before the class begins.
GRADING SCALE
90-100 A
80-89 B
70-79 C
60-69 D
This course will emphasize discussion and writing. I
will regularly suggest questions pertaining to the material we will be
discussing in the following class. Students should come to class prepared to
address these questions. Always bring the
books we are discussing to class.
There will be two critical essays (four-to-five-pages
longs), a comprehensive project, a midterm, and a final exam. Each paper is
worth 10% of your final grade. All papers must be typed and double-spaced.
Unexcused late work will be penalized 20% per day. All essays are due at the
beginning of the class period. Due dates for the essays are listed in the course
schedule, below. Further details on the nature of these essays, as well as of
the midterm and final exams, will be given in class.
Every student will be complete a project during the
semester and present that project to the class the last week of the semester.
This project is 20% of your grade, and the presentation another 5% of your
grade. For this project, you have three basic options. Option one is to create a
new religion, complete with its own scriptures, rituals, beliefs, and practices.
Option two is to attend a religious service different from the tradition in
which you were raised (if any) and compare that service to the one with which
you are familiar (students with no religious background may attend two different
services and compare them). Option three is to interview a number of people of
varying religious faiths on a particular topic and then analyze their responses.
You may also devise another project of your own choosing, but all choices
must be approved by the professor. Your project will include a 5-6 page
essay describing your project, why you chose it, and what you learned. Your
presentation should be a 5-7 minute summary of the project. Feel free to include
any photographs, artwork, or music with your project- be creative.
Further information on these projects
will be given in class.
Every student’s
final grade will be earned via the
following:
Papers
20% (each paper=10%)
Exams
30% (each exam=15%)
Participation
25%
Presentation
5%
All
student work will be judged according to the following academic criteria:
ATTENDANCE
As discussion is a major portion of your
grade (25%) as well as the heart of this class, your attendance is required.
More than two unexcused absences will adversely affect your grade; five or more
unexcused absences are grounds for failure of the course as a whole. Only
serious illness, family crises, or official functions will count as excusable
absences or extensions.
Students are expected to follow university policies
as put forth in the institution’s Student Code of Responsibilities and
Conduct. In accordance with Title 12 of The Student Code (page 11),
instances of alleged academic misconduct will follow the policies and procedures
as described in Title 12. As a general rule, Faculty at
Note especially RSU’s official plagiarism statement:
“Plagiarism
is the representation of the words or ideas of another as one’s own, including:
direct quotation without both attribution and indication that the material is
being directly quoted, e.g. quotation marks; paraphrase without attribution;
paraphrase with or without attribution where the wording of the original remains
substantially intact and is represented as the author’s own; expression in one’s
own words, but without attribution, of ideas, arguments, lines of reasoning,
facts, processes, or other products of the intellect where such material is
learned from the work of another and is not part of the general fund of common
knowledge.”Deliberate plagiarism and/or other forms of cheating are grounds for
failure in the course as a whole.
NON-ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT
In order to maintain an effective learning
environment, students are expected to fully comply with The Student Code.
Disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. It is the responsibility of each
student to read and become familiar with the policies of The Student Code.
Rogers State University is
committed to providing students with disabilities equal access to educational
programs and services. Any student
who has a disability that he or she believes will require some form of academic
accommodation must inform the professor of such need during or immediately
following the first class attended.
Before any educational accommodation can be provided, it is the responsibility
of each student to prove eligibility for assistance by registering for services
through Student Affairs.
My office hours are listed above. Please feel free to come by, call, etc., during those hours. If that doesn’t work, I would be happy to schedule an appointment at another time. Communication by email is especially welcome (moderation in this, as in all things...).
Finally, realize that it is not unusual for a course
like this one to raise challenges to and doubts about some of our most cherished
beliefs. It is important that each of us is sensitive to the views of those
around us. At the same time, each of us should also be aware that controversial
issues, arguments, and positions will be discussed in this course. If something
bothers or offends you, let me know and I will do what I can. We are not trying
to convert each other to any particular religious tradition, but to study each
of these traditions so that we may learn together about the faiths that continue
to have such significance in the modern world.
Jan 12 T
Introduction
Jan 14 Th
Studying Religion: Molloy,
Experiencing the World’s Religions, Chapter 1
Jan 19 T
Indigenous Religions: Molloy, Chapter 2
Jan 21 Th
Hinduism: Molloy, Chapter 3
Jan 26 T
Hindu scriptures
Jan 28 Th
Buddhism: Molloy, Chapter 4
Feb 9 T Taoism & Confucianism: Molloy, Chapter 6
Feb 11 Th Shinto: Molloy, Chapter 7
Feb 16
T
Judaism: Molloy, Chapter 8
Feb 18
Th
Jewish
scriptures
Feb 23 T
Christianity: Molloy, Chapter 9
Mar 2
T
Islam: Molloy, Chapter 10
Mar 9
T
Midterm Review
Mar 11 Th
MIDTERM EXAM
Mar 16, 18
NO CLASS—SPRING BREAK
UNIT II
FAITH AND SUFFERING
Mar 23
T
Wiesel, Night
Mar 25 Th
Wiesel, Night
Mar 30
T
Lewis, A Grief Observed
Apr 6
T
New Religions: Molloy,
Chapter 11
Apr 8 Th
New Religions scriptures
Apr 20 T Project Presentations
Apr 22 Th
Project Presentations
Apr 27 T
Project Presentations
Apr 29 Th
Project Presentations
May 3-7
FINAL EXAM (Exact date and
time TBA)
This schedule may be
revised as necessary during the course of the semester.
“If you read the
Qur’an, you must read it with the eye of the Muslim; if you read the Bible, you
must read it with the eye of the Christian; if you read the Gita you must read
it with the eye of a Hindu.” -Mahatma Gandhi