RELG 100 Introduction to the World’s Religions

Monmouth College Fall 2009 Professor Hannah Schell

Course meets Thursdays 6:30 – 8 pm in Wallace 317

Course description: This one-credit course offers a brief introduction to the world’s major religious traditions, including the Indian traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism, the Chinese religions of Confucianism and Taoism, and the “religions of Abraham” - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Our weekly meetings will be primarily lecture, incorporating some images and video clips as well as time for discussion. The course will also encourage students to reflect on the category of “religion” in general and to consider the complexities of comparing traditions.

Course text:

Required                  Huston Smith. The Illustrated World’s Religions: A Guide to Our Wisdom Traditions. Harper San Francisco, 1995 (paperback). ISBN-10: 0060674407. This text is available for purchase at the college bookstore; there is one copy on reserve at Hewes library.

Course requirements. 

Attendance. Since the class only meets once a week, attendance is crucial. In order to receive credit in the course, you must attend at least 9 of the 11 sessions (not including the exam sessions), unless there are extenuating circumstances in which case we will meet to talk about whether it is possible for you to catch up on the missed material. You are expected to come to class having completed the reading and to synthesize the material presented in lecture. Please make a point of turning off your cell phone and putting it away before class begins.

Exams (80%). The majority of your grade in the course will be computed based on your performance on two exams, one given at midterms and the other during the finals week. The first exam will cover material from the first half of the semester and the second will cover the remainder of the material (i.e. the final exam is not cumulative over material from the entire semester). The format of the exam will include a mix of questions, including true/false, multiple choice, and matching as well as several short answer. Study guides for each section will be provided as well as example test questions.

Short reflection papers (20%). At different points during the semester, you will write four short (2 page) reflections on topics related to the course  - discussing a selected text, talking about comparing traditions, etc.  Each reflection is worth 5 points. You will submit your papers to the course site on Moodle (internet course management system which can be accessed at http://lms.monm.edu/moodle/). The password in order to enroll in this course on Moodle is: smith.

Late paper policy. Because this is a large class and grading your papers will be a time-consuming activity, it is important that each assignment be turned in on time. Late papers are marked off 1/3 of a grade for each day they are late (for up to five days). Extensions will only be granted for reasonable, extenuating circumstances and must be negotiated at least a week in advance (if possible).

Academic Honesty. As a student at Monmouth College, you have joined a community of scholars and must abide by the college’s rules regarding academic honesty. Here is a portion of the college’s statement regarding academic dishonesty: “We view academic dishonesty as a threat to the integrity and intellectual mission of our institution.  Any breach of the academic honesty policy – either intentionally or unintentionally - will be taken seriously and may result not only in failure in the course, but in suspension or expulsion from the college.  It is each student’s responsibility to read, understand and comply with the general academic honesty policy at Monmouth College, as defined here in the Scots Guide, and to the specific guidelines for each course, as elaborated on the professor’s syllabus.” Please see the Scot’s Guide or http://department.monm.edu/stuserv/student-handbook/academic.htm for more information about the college-wide policy. If you find yourself tempted to borrow words from a source because you have left the assignment to the last minute, you should take the extra time to do your own work, and the grade penalty for turning the assignment in late.  Note that I report all cases of plagiarism, regardless of degree or magnitude, to the Dean’s office.

Making contact with professor. You can reach me in my office at ext. 2256 and by email at hschell@monm.edu.  My office hours this semester are  Mondays 1-3 pm and Thursdays 9:30 – 11 am. You can also email to set up an appointment for another time. My office is located in the big house on the corner of 9^th and Broadway – 1002 E. Broadway, upstairs. Please feel free to stop by to talk about the course material or other matters.
 

RELG 100 Introduction to World Religions/Schedule of Meetings and Required Reading

Text: Huston Smith’s The Illustrated World’s Religions.