INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS Philosophy 1304

RANGER COLLEGE STEPHENVILLE, TEXAS

COURSE SYLLABUS and INSTRUCTOR PLAN

INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS Philosophy 1304

3 credit hours Spring 2016 INSTRUCTOR: Matt Cardin

INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS PHIL 1304 ? Spring 2016

INSTRUCTOR: OFFICE:

Matt Cardin Student Services Office, Ranger College Erath County

EMAIL: mcardin@rangercollege.edu PHONE: 254-965-8875 HOURS: M-Th 2:00-5:00 , F 8-1

Course Description: This course presents a comparative study of world religions, including but not limited to Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam..

Required Texts

Comparing Religions, First Edition. By Jeffrey J. Kripal. Wiley Blackwell, 2014. ISBN 9781405184588.

World Religions: The Great Faiths Explored and Explained. By John Bowker. DK, 2006. ISBN 9780756617721.

Instructor comments: The overarching purpose of this course can be triangulated by three quotations from three noted public figures in America:

No person in the modern world can be considered educated without a basic knowledge of all the great

religions of the world--Islam, Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism and

Christianity. But [in the English-speaking world] our knowledge of Judaism and Christianity needs to

be more detailed than that of other great religions, if only because the Bible is embedded in our

thought and language.

-- Author, professor, and education theorist E. D. Hirsch

From this nation's beginnings, it has been widely understood that the success of the American experiment rests on an educated citizenry. Today it is simply irresponsible to use the word "educated" to describe college graduates who are ignorant of the ancient creeds, stories, and rituals that continue to motivate the beliefs and behaviors of the overwhelming majority of the world's population. In a world as robustly religious as ours, it is foolish to imagine that such graduates are equipped to participate fully in the politics of the nation or the affairs of the world.

-- Author and Boston University religion professor Stephen Prothero

In fact, if I went back to college today, I think I would probably major in comparative religion,

because that's how integrated it is in everything that we are working on and deciding and thinking

about in life today.

-- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, August 7, 2013

Texas Core Curriculum Statement of Purpose

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board implemented the current statewide Core Curriculum in 2014. It specifies not only the core classes that all college students must take regardless of their major (what many people refer to as general education requirements or "the basics") but the underlying rationale for specifying a common core of courses and subjects that will stand at the base of any academic college degree. Here, in part, is that rationale:

Given the rapid evolution of necessary knowledge and skills and the need to take into account global, national, state, and local cultures, the Texas Core Curriculum (TCC) must ensure that students will develop the essential knowledge and skills they need to be successful in college, in a career, in their communities, and in life. . . . Through the Texas Core Curriculum, students will gain a foundation of knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world, develop principles of personal and

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INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS PHIL 1304 ? Spring 2016

social responsibility for living in a diverse world, and advance intellectual and practical skills that are essential for all learning.

Core Objectives: This course meets the following of the six Core Objectives established by Texas:

Critical Thinking Skills (CT): Creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of information

Communication Skills (COM): Effective development, interpretation, and expression of ideas through written, oral, and visual communication

Empirical and Quantitative Skills (EQ): Manipulation and analysis of numerical data or observable facts resulting in informed conclusions

Teamwork (T): The ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal

Social Responsibility (SR): Intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global communities

Personal Responsibility (PR): The ability to connect choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision-making

Methods of Instruction: This is a multimedia class, and as such may include lectures, assigned readings, discussions, group projects, videos, electronic documents, PowerPoints, and more.

Methods of Assessment

Class participation (20 percent of total grade) (PR, COM) ? This includes regular attendance and participation in class discussion, It may also include completing periodic assignments. Strong class participation does not mean simply "talking a lot" in class. It means speaking in an informed way about the readings, synthesizing the comments of others, and listening with respect and attention to the diverse backgrounds and perspectives of your peers. You will receive a class participation grade at the midpoint of the semester and again at the end, based on your attendance and active participation, as well as your completion of (or failure to complete) any given assignments.

"Yes I Did the Reading" (YIDTR) quizzes (20 percent) (PR, SR) ? Careful examination of assigned readings is essential for this reading-and-discussion-based course, so you will be held accountable for completion of the reading assignments each week. YIDTR quizzes will assess your knowledge and understanding of what you have read, focusing especially on the technical terminology of comparative religion and the major religious traditions. These quizzes may also focus on matters that are not in the readings but that emerge as a special focus of collective student interest during preceding class discussions. NOTE: You are responsible for knowing the information in all of the readings even if I do not directly talk about all of it in classroom lectures and discussions.

Essay (20 percent) (CT, CS, COM) ? You will write a 4-6 page research essay in which you envision and explain how your life would change if you converted to one of the five major religions.

Midterm Exam (20 percent) (CT, CS, SR) ? There will be an in-class midterm exam on Wednesday, March 2, focusing on the technical terminology of the material that we have studied up to that point.

Final Exam (20 percent) (CT, CS, SR) ? There will be a comprehensive in-class final exam on Wednesday, May 11. It will focus on 1) the technical terminology of the material that we have studied throughout the semester, and 2) various historical, sociocultural, and philosophical issues involved in Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the comparative study of world religions in general.

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INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS PHIL 1304 ? Spring 2016

Grading: The standard grading scale will be used for all assessments and your final course grade.

A=90-100% B=80-89 C=70-79% D=60-69% F=Below 60%

Rules, Guidelines, and Strong Advice

The following rules and guidelines about classroom behavior are to be memorized, internalized, and strictly adhered to. Failure to do so will negatively impact your experience of this class, not to mention your grade.

1. Arrive on time. Class begins promptly at the scheduled time. This means you should be in your seat and ready to discuss the assigned work (see rules 2, 3, and 4) every Monday and Wednesday at 9:20.

2. Always bring the assigned reading to class. You have a reading assignment for every class meeting, and class time will be devoted to discussing that reading. We will also read a great deal of material aloud together. In order for you to participate in close readings and discussions, it is imperative that you have in hand all of the assigned texts for each day. A few texts may be provided electronically through Blackboard. In these cases, it is acceptable for you to access them in class using a laptop computer (see rule 8), but not your phone (see rule 7).

3. Come to class prepared.: You are expected to participate in class discussions and come to class meetings having completed the assigned readings.

4. Turn in assignments on time. By accepting this syllabus you agree to accept a score of zero on any late work.

5. Don't cheat. Any assignment reflecting cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty will receive a grade of zero. A second instance will result in automatic failure of the class.

6. Six absences = Dropped from class with a failing grade. I expect you to attend class regularly. As per Ranger College's stated absence policy in the general college catalog (see pages 25-26 at ), the only absences that will be excused are "official" ones, defined as those that occur due to authorized Ranger College activities (such as sporting events). Unofficial absences are counted from the first day of class as listed in the College Calendar, regardless of the date of your registration.

7. No phones. Ever. This even includes using your phone to access course materials. Your phone must be turned off and properly stowed in your bag or otherwise stored off your person prior to class takeoff, which is promptly at 9:20 (see rule #1 above). Your phone should NEVER be in your hand, on your desk, in your pocket, or anywhere else that it might distract you, your classmates, or the instructor. My experience is that these devices completely destroy the classroom atmosphere, as about ninety percent of people using them will be texting, playing games, doing email, shopping, surfing Facebook and YouTube, browsing pictures of cats and dogs in party hats, and so on. I am not (totally) anti-technology. I simply want to preserve the sacred teaching space of our classroom as a teaching space. I want to have a conversation with you. And long experience as an educator has shown me that allowing students to have their cell phones on them in class is the surest way to short-circuit that goal.

8. Students with laptops must sit in the first two rows. Allowing you to bring and use a laptop is a concession to the practical reality of our culture's present digital technological circumstance. Requiring you to sit in the front of the class if you exercise this option is a response to the practical reality of student tendencies when they have a computer in front of them.

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INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS PHIL 1304 ? Spring 2016

ADA Statement: Ranger College provides a variety of services for students with learning and/or physical disabilities. Students are responsible for making the initial contact with the Ranger College Counselor. It is advisable to make this contact before or immediately after the semester begins.

Non-discrimination Statement: Admissions, employment, and program policies of ranger college are nondiscriminatory in regard to race, creed, color, sex, age, disability, and national origin.

Email: I am happy to communicate with you by email and will do my best to respond within 24 hours during the week. Messages sent over the weekend will be read on Mondays. In the subject line of any email that you send me, please indicate the content of the email. Then begin your message in the following manner:

Dear Mr. Cardin [or Matt, if you like; I'm fine with first names], My name is _______ and I am in your world religions class.

Course Outline and Schedule

Reading assignments and the dates of exams and written assignments are subject to revision as needed. I will announce all revisions in class, post them on Blackboard, and do my best to make sure that everyone knows about the changes. If you miss class, you are still responsible for submitting assignments according to any revisions that we make to the schedule.

WEEK DATE

TOPIC/ASSIGNMENT

The point of this class: Developing religious literacy

Take Dr. Stephen Prothero's "Religious Literacy Quiz" in class.

Inspect the syllabus and textbooks.

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Jan. 20 Read the first few pages of the intro to Prothero's Religious Literacy: What

Every American Needs to Know--and Doesn't together.

Homework: Submit syllabus acceptance statement through Blackboard.

Finish reading the Prothero intro. Also read the assignment directly below.

Jan. 25

What is religion? Read World Religions (WR) 6-9. What's at stake when we compare religions? Read Comparing Religions (CR) 3-7.

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Jan. 27

The comparative practices of polytheism. Read CR 9-16. Six ancient religions: Egyptian, Zoroastrian, Greek, Roman, Norse, and Celtic . Read WR 11-17.

Feb. 1

The comparative practices of monotheism: Early Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Read CR 16-33.

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Feb. 3

The comparative practices of Asia: Hinduism, Sikhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. Read CR 33-39.

Feb. 8 Some key terms. Read CR 77-93. 4

Feb. 10 The skill of reflexivity and the insider-outsider problem. Read CR 93-106.

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