RELI 1002 Syllabus
Introduction to the Religions
of India, China, and Japan
Fall 2009
Holly A. Jordan MWF
8:00-8:50 AM, 72-426, JRNL 501
hajordan@uga.edu MWF
9:05-9:55 AM, 92-427, JRNL 501
Office:
Peabody Room 22 Office
Hours: TTh 11-12, and by appt.
Course Description:
University
of Georgia Bulletin Information: The religions of
India, China, and Japan, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and
Shinto.
This course will focus primarily on seven major Eastern religions
in this order: Hinduism, Sikhism,
Jainism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Shinto. More time will be spent on Hinduism and Buddhism, but all
seven will be given as much time as possible. Comparative study of these religions will be a crucial part
of the overall makeup of this course.
Related religions of the East may also be discussed.
Texts for the Course:
There is
one required text for this course:
World Religions: Eastern
Traditions by Willard G. Oxtoby (2nd Edition, Paperback, Oxford
University Press). This has been
one of the primary textbooks for this course for a number of years, so finding
a used copy shouldnÕt be an issue.
In addition to this texts, students will be asked to read texts posted
on WebCT. Lectures will come
primarily from the textbook, but reading the textbook alone will not ensure an
A in this course.
Course Guidelines and
Rules of Conduct:
At all
times, students are to conduct themselves as the adults that they are. The study of religion is a fascinating
process, but this study is only an enjoyable experience if the entire class
treats both the material and their peers with respect. Religious tolerance is expected from
each student. Students will not be
expected to discuss their personal religious beliefs, but if a student feels
that such discussion would be beneficial to help other students understand a
facet of a religion, the class will treat that student with respect. If any student is disrespectful towards
another student or towards a religion, they will be asked to leave class for
that day. Ultimately, it is my
hope that each student will come away from this class having learned from their peers.
Students
will be expected to attend class on time, as we will begin lecture and
discussions immediately. If
students are consistently late to class without explanation, the attendance
portion of their participation grade will suffer. I will take attendance randomly 5 times throughout the
semester, so it is in your best interest to be in class every day. Cell phones must be silenced upon entering the classroom;
failure to comply will be detrimental to studentsÕ participation grade.
The
University of Georgia relies heavily on the use of email and WebCT to
communicate with students. Each
student will be responsible for checking his or her email and WebCT daily, as I
will frequently email updates and course materials to the class. Also, if a situation arises wherein I
am unable to conduct class, students will be emailed both to their UGA mail and
to WebCT as early as possible to keep them from making an unnecessary commute
to campus. Please make sure your
UGA email is up-to-date and that your inbox is not full, or you will be missing
vital class information. I highly
recommend setting up your WebCT to forward your messages to your UGA email
address.
Grades Breakdown (Out
of 400 Possible Points):
1.
Attendance/Participation: 25 Points
2.
Hinduism
Exam: 100 Points
3.
Sikhism/Jainism
Exam: 100 Points
4.
Buddhism
Exam:
100 Points
5.
Confucianism/Daoism
Exam: 100 Points
6.
Shinto
Exam: 50 Points
1.
Attendance/Participation: As this is a heavily lecture-based
course, attendance to every session is crucial. Whether an absence is excused or unexcused, all assignments
due on the day of the absence must still be completed. Students are expected to come to class
having completed the readings and are required to participate in class. I understand that sometimes it may be
impossible to come to class fully prepared, but please believe me when I say
that it is better to attend class unprepared than to not attend at all. I will be keeping records of when you speak during class, and
failure to participate will affect your Attendance/Participation grade.
I will take
attendance only 5 times throughout the semester. These dates will not be announce, so it is in your best
interest to attend class daily.
Regardless of this fact, you must email me if you are absent, because
you never know if that will be a day I will take attendance. Each of those 5 missed days will affect
your attendance/participation grade.
You will only be allowed 1 unexcused absence out of these 5 days for
this term. Legitimate situations
may arise during the semester that keep you from class (illness, family death,
religious holidays, etc). If you
plan to be absent for a session, please notify me via email prior to the
beginning of that session. If you
are unable to attend class unexpectedly, please notify me prior to the next
class session with the reason for your absence. Absences ultimately will only be considered ÒexcusedÓ if
proper documentation (doctorÕs note, etc.) is provided within a week of the
absence. If an excused absence causes you to miss a
test, the test must be made up within a week of the absence. Students will contact me immediately to
schedule a make-up exam. Make-up
exams are solely up to my discretion—do not assume I will allow you to
make it up!
An Important Note: Unlike many
departments at the University of Georgia, the Religion Department does not
automatically drop students from courses after a predetermined number of
absences. If you wish to drop
the course, please do so in a timely manner, because the Religion Department
will not automatically withdraw you from the course.
2.
Hinduism
Exam: Exams will consist of a
selection of multiple choice, modified true/false, matching, listing, and an
essay question totaling 100 points.
3.
Sikhism/Jainism
Exam: See explanation under
Hinduism Exam.
4.
Buddhism
Exam: See explanation under
Hinduism Exam.
5.
Confucianism/Daoism
Exam: See explanation under
Hinduism Exam.
6.
Shinto
Exam: See explanation under
Hinduism Exam, totaling 50 points.
Worksheet to Compile
Final Grade:
Students
in this course will be graded on a plus/minus system (i.e. A, A-, B+):
A:
100-93, A-: 92-90, B+: 89-87, B: 86-83, B-: 82-80, C+: 79-77, C: 76-73, C-: 72-70, D+: 69-67, D: 66-63,
D-: 62-60, F: 59-0
University
Honor Code and Academic Honesty Policy:
All academic work must meet the standards contained in ÒA Culture
of HonestyÓ (http://www.uga.edu/ovpi/honesty/acadhon.htm/). All students are responsible to inform
themselves about those standards before performing any academic work.
Students
Receiving Academic Accommodations:
Students receiving academic accommodations must make the
instructor aware of these needs by the end of the first full week of
class. All possible accommodations
will be made for these students, but timeliness is important concerning
resources such as notetakers, etc..
Course
Outline:
We will be spending approximately 8 days of lecture
before each test, with the exception of Shintoism, which we will spend 4 days
on, so plan accordingly. Reading
assignments for each week will be posted on WebCT no later than the Friday
before the week they are due.
Readings for each session should be finished prior to that session. In some cases I will instruct you to
read part of the Oxtoby text, in other cases I will instruct you to skim. We will read the majority of the Oxtoby
text during this semester in addition to other readings that will be posted as
PDFÕs or links on WebCT. I will
announce the test date at least a week in advance, and students will be provided with a
detailed study guide.
The course syllabus is a general plan for the course;
deviations announced to the class by the instructor may be necessary. Any changes to this syllabus will be made available to
students as soon as possible.