REL 126 Syllabus

REL 126 Religions of the West
MWF 12:00 PM - 12:50 PM CC338
Dr. Timothy Hoare, CC 342, ext. 4526
Homepage: http://staff.jccc.edu/thoare
E-mail: thoare@jccc.edu

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Religions of the West is a detailed examination of the rich and diverse traditions that originated in the ancient Near East (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), as well as examples of indigenous traditions of North America, and examples of "Alternative Religions" of modern/contemporary Western culture. The student will explore the histories, cultural influences, beliefs, and practices of these religions, stressing the characteristics that they share and those that differentiate them, both from one another and from the religious traditions of South and East Asian cultures. The primary texts, as well as the iconographic and artistic traditions of these traditions, will be examined as appropriate. Credit hours: 3. Contact hours: 3. Lecture: 3. Lab: 0. Course Type: Transfer.

REQUIRED TEXT

Van Voorst, Robert E. Anthology of World Scriptures: Western Religions,
Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2007, ISBN 0-495-17059-3, Adoption date: Fall 2007.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Upon successful completion of this course the student should be able to:

1. Define the basic terminology, concepts, and issues of religious studies.
2. Describe and analyze the beliefs and ritual practices of indigenous traditions of Native America.
3. Identify and compare the artistic traditions of the indigenous religions of Native America.
4. Describe the historical context, important individuals, and cultural development of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
5. Identify and compare the major textual sources and literary traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
6. Describe and analyze the doctrines and ritual practices of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
7. Identify and compare the artistic expressions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
8. Describe and analyze some examples of the development, doctrines, and ritual practices of “Alternative Religions” in contemporary Western culture.

GRADING AND EVALUATION

1. The basic format of Religions of the West will be lecture/presentation and discussion. Lectures/presentations will be concerned primarily with historical development, beliefs, ritual practices, and visual materials (video, slides). Discussions will focus on the assigned readings from the text (i.e., the course text or distributed texts). Students are expected to participate actively in discussion, and will be graded accordingly.

2. Four exams, both objective and subjective in content.

3. Twelve weekly quizzes.

4. A paper that provides an analysis of an aspect of any one of the religious traditions that are presented in class. This paper must be typed, double-spaced, either 10 or 12 point font, and at least five pages in length. This paper must also utilize at least two textual sources, other than our textbook or other primary scriptural source. You may choose from the following:

Site visit -- for guidelines, click here (also available from homepage)

Roman, Orthodox or Protestant church

Islamic Center of Kansas City or other mosque

Orthodox, Conservative or Reform Jewish synagogue

Other suggested topics

fine arts traditions (visual, literary, performative)

historical figure or event

moral/ethical/gender issues

rituals, festivals, traditions

5. Grading will be based on the following point distributions:

Attendance: 25 points. I will allow a maximum of 3 "no questions asked" absences; I will deduct 2 points for each absence beyond this

Twelve weekly quizzes @ 10 points each = 120 points

Analysis paper: 50 points.

Four exams @ 65 points each = 260 points.

Total: 455 points.

If the student deems it necessary, he/she may submit an extra credit paper for a maximum of 25 points (three page minimum). Due by the last day of the class PRIOR to Finals Week.

No assignments, extra credit papers, etc. whatsoever will be accepted following the last day of scheduled classes (i.e., prior to Finals Week)

TENTATIVE WEEKLY SCHEDULE

Dates in parentheses refer to the Monday of the given week,
except for WEEK 1, as the JCCC semester begins on Wednesday January 16.

Page numbers refer to the required text for this course.

Supplementary textual materials will be distributed as necessary.

WEEK 1 (1/16): Introduction to class, NO CLASS ON FRIDAY JANUARY 18 (this class only-- I am out of town)

WEEK 2 (1/21): NO CLASSES ON MONDAY (Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday); Myth, ritual, and symbol; methodologies for approaching religious studies, text, p. 1-20

WEEK 3 (1/28): Egyptian, Mesopotamian / ancient Near Eastern religions

WEEK 4 (2/4): Zoroastrianism (text, p. 23-35)

WEEK 5 (2/11): REVIEW, EXAM

WEEK 6 (2/18): Judaism (text, p. 37-81)- historical origins and scriptures

WEEK 7 (2/25): Judaism- Hellenistic and medieval development

WEEK 8 (3/3): Judaism- modern developments and challenges

WEEK 9 (3/10): REVIEW, EXAM

WEEK 10 (3/17): SPRING BREAK

WEEK 11 (3/24): Christianity (text, p. 83-127)- historical origins and scriptures

WEEK 12: (3/31): Christianity- medieval and modern developments

WEEK 13 (4/7): REVIEW, EXAM

WEEK 14 (4/14): Islam (text, p.129-175)- historical origins and scriptures;
PAPERS DUE BY FRIDAY

WEEK 15 (4/21): Islam- medieval development;

WEEK 16 (4/28): Islam- contemporary developments and sectarian movements,

WEEK 17 (5/5): REVIEW FOR FINAL EXAM

WEEK 18 (5/12): FINAL EXAM WEEK
EXAM TIME FOR THIS CLASS IS: Wednesday May 14 @ 12PM

SOME ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES

1. All JCCC students are issued a college e-mail account that is accessed through MyJCCC. This account is used by the college to communicate course, grade, financial aid, enrollment and other important college information. It is your responsibility to check your JCCC e-mail account regularly for important information.

2. I am a strong proponent of the liberal arts. I approach material in a holistic and interdisciplinary manner. In this Humanities course, religion, philosophy, ethics, art, literature, theatre, psychology, the media, history, political science, et al. will inevitably come into conversation with one another. Education is about gaining proficiency with the tools to discern and explore these interrelationships, to interpret and evaluate them critically, and to continue to do so throughout your lives. In short, there's a world of people, places, ideas and books out there; after you graduate, you have to be able to go to a dinner party and talk competently about something besides your job!

3. I am not simply a lecturer who loves the sound of his own voice. Expect me to ask questions of you and to generate discussion with you. While I most certainly want you to understand my ideas and opinions on the material, I value your efforts, your opinions, your input and your reflections as well.

4. I am a gracious host who likes gracious guests. It's not enough simply to arrive, sign the register and then sit in an out-of-the-way corner. Be prepared to take part in the class.

5. We all have doctor appointments, childcare concerns, or "just one of those things" that come up now and again. If you have to leave a session early, please inform me before the class begins. It is simply the courteous thing to do.

6. I care about the ambience in which I teach and in which students learn. I expect you to be attentive, to turn off your cell phones, and to treat one another with respect while you are here, and to pick up after yourselves when you depart (papers, soft drink cans, etc.).

7. Last but not least, academic dishonesty, i.e., cheating on exams, intentional plagiarism on written assignments, will not be tolerated. A first offense will result in an "F" on the exam, paper, etc. concerned. A second offense will result in an "F" for the course.

LINKS TO STUDY AIDS AND GUIDES