Syllabus for REL-405-OL
WORLD RELIGIONS: EXPLORING DIVERSITY
Description | Objectives | Materials | Structure | Assessment | Grading | Strategies
World Religions: Exploring Diversity examines the complexity of religion as a multidimensional phenomenon characterized by heightened experience, ritual practice, powerful myths, ethical teaching, social organization, and theological doctrine. The course explores religious traditions that are alive today and that involve the lives of the majority of people worldwide from the indigenous religions of Africa and North America to the major world religions of the East such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Shinto, as well as the western religions of the Book: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
The course is interdisciplinary in that it includes material from historical and social studies, literary and artistic expressions, and philosophical and theological insights into the world's religions. In a world increasingly aware of its cultural diversity and richness, exploring the religious life and consciousness of a people is one way of gaining access to that diversity.
The basic goals of World Religions: Exploring Diversity are to explore the meaning of religion, examine its broad characteristics, and explore religious consciousness, practice, and expression exemplified in the history and religions of the world. After studying this course, you should be able to:
You will need the following materials to do the work of the course. The required textbook is available from the college's textbook supplier, MBS Direct.
Required Textbook
The Ways of Religion, 3d ed., edited by Roger Eastman (New York: Oxford University Press, 1999). ISBN-10: 0-19-511835-9
Worldviews: Crosscultural Explorations of Human Beliefs, 3d ed., by Ninian Smart (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2000). ISBN-10: 0-13-020980-5
World Religions: Exploring Diversity is a 3-credit online course consisting of nine assignment modules. The course requires that you read the texts as assigned, complete and submit the written assignments, take a proctored midterm examination, and complete a final project. You are also required to take part in graded online discussions and an ungraded "Introductions" forum.
Consult the Course Calendar for assignment due dates.
For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, complete written assignments, take a proctored midterm examination, and complete a final project. See below for more details.
Consult the Course Calendar for assignment due dates.
Written Assignments
World Religions: Exploring Diversity has nine (9) written assignments. These assignments consist of sometimes specific and sometimes general problems or questions connected with a particular religion or the interconnections between and among religions. Check the course Calendar for when you are to submit these assignments to your mentor.
Responses to written assignment questions are expected to be well developed and reasonably detailed. Each essay should be at least three (3) double-spaced, typed pages (at least 750 words). Assignments should clearly demonstrate your understanding of the course materials. Do not merely copy answers from your reading materials, but when you make use of material from your readings, be sure you cite it properly (i.e., with footnotes or endnotes).
Prepare your written assignments using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.
Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.
When you are satisfied that your assignment represents your best work, submit it to your mentor through the appropriate submission link within the Submit Assignments area of the course. Use the Browse button within this link to locate and submit your assignment file.
Online Discussion Forums
In addition to posting an introduction to the class in module 1, you are required to participate in seven (7) graded online discussions, each focusing on an issue relating to world religions.
Communication with the mentor and among fellow students is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a discussion question and at least two subsequent comments on classmates' responses. Meaningful participation is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement. You will be evaluated on the quality and quantity of your participation. Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.
Your initial responses and subsequent comments on classmates' responses are due on the days specified by the course Calendar.
For additional information on online discussions, see Online Discussions in the Online Student Handbook.
Midterm Examination
The midterm is a closed-book, proctored exam. It is two hours long and covers all material assigned through Module 5 of the course. The exam consists of four essay questions.
You may take the examination only during the designated midterm exam period, using one of the following two options:
- Online Proctor Option: If you have a webcam with a microphone and a reliable, high-speed Internet connection, you can take the exam online in the convenience of your home. During the first week of the semester, you will select an appointment through the ProctorU scheduling system. Then, on your selected day and time, you will be monitored by a remote proctor who will communicate with you via your video and audio connection. For further information on scheduling and taking an online proctored exam, see the detailed information in the Midterm Examination area of this site.
- Pen-and-Paper Option. You may choose your own proctor or take the exam at Thomas Edison State College during midterm exam week. You should schedule your exam and submit your "Proctor Request Form" with the necessary documentation no later than the end of the first week of the semester (see Administrative Forms in the General Information area of the course Web site). For more information on scheduling a pen-and-paper proctored examination, see the "Examinations and Proctors" section of the Online Student Handbook in the General Information area of the course Web site.
If you are on a course extension and have not yet taken the midterm exam, you must let your examination proctor know when you plan to take the exam and contact the Office of Test Administration (609-984-1181) two weeks in advance to request that your exam be sent to the proctor.
Final Project
This course includes a final project that requires you to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate course content in a final paper. You will choose a topic of interest to you, obtain approval for your choice from your mentor, and apply insights from your course work to your topic. You will need to do further research on the topic in order to complete the paper. A full description of the paper appears in the Final Project area of the course.
This project is worth 25 percent of your grade; 1 percent of that total consists of your obtaining approval for your topic.
Consult your Course Calendar for due dates.
Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:
| Written assignments | 30% (9 written assignments) |
|---|---|
| Online discussions | 15% (7 online discussions) |
| Midterm exam | 30% (proctored) |
| Final project |
25% |
To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of D or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, discussion postings, etc.).
You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Letter grades for online participation, written assignments, and examinations are based on the following numerical grades:
| A | = | 93-100 |
| A- | = | 90-92 |
| B+ | = | 88-89 |
| B | = | 83-87 |
| B- | = | 80-82 |
| C+ | = | 78-79 |
| C | = | 73-77 |
| C- | = | 70-72 |
| D | = | 60-69 |
| F | = | Below 60 |
First Steps to Success
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:
Study Tips
Consider the following study tips for success:
To stay on track throughout the course, begin each week by consulting the course Calendar. The calendar provides an overview of the course and indicates due dates for submitting assignments, posting discussions, and scheduling and taking examinations.