Course ePortfolio
RELN 1100: Introduction to World Religions
This course explores the rich contributions of world religions to understanding the human condition and culture. It is also an i-course, or internationalized course, where students will describe and evaluate their own cultures in relation to history, values, politics, communication styles, economy, or beliefs and practices.
Prerequisites
No pre-requisites
Pedagogical Approach & Learning Outcomes
Pedagogical Approach
None
Learning Outcomes
Course Goals and Objectives: Students taking this course will learn to:
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Demonstrate knowledge of the personalities, beliefs, philosophies/theologies and historical developments which have shaped the major world religions.
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Demonstrate knowledge of a specific area of a religion not studied in class by virtue of a major research project which focuses the student’s attention on a narrowly-defined topic.
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Demonstrate the enhancement of critical thinking skills which emerges from a better understanding of world religions.
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Show a developing appreciation for the religious diversity which exists among human beings.
Assessment & Other Information
Assessment
Assignments Overview
Learning Logs: 10% of final grade
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Learning logs are reflective journal-like entries on the progress of your learning in this class.
Quizzes: 25% of final grade
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Quizzes will be given for each module through an electronic format. They are designed to assess the student’s understanding of material.
Team Worship Service Review & Interviews: 25% of final grade
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Worship Service Review Paper: For the worship service review assignment, you will need to visit (in teams) the worship service of a different faith than your own. You will need to clear the visit with your instructor prior to visit the service. Then individually you will need to write a 2-3 page double-spaced paper (in APA with a cover sheet) review of the worship service. The review should include a summary of the service (not to exceed one page), elements of the service that stuck out to you, and a reflection on the perceived benefits of the particular form of worship on the worshiper.
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Interviews: Each team is to interview one or more members of the faith community where they visited for the worship review paper and create a documentary on the religion as practiced by people in that religion. We will work on questions and video creation tools in class. The video will be submitted to the class website.
Team Multi-media Project: 30% of final grade
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Each Team will create a webpage on their chosen religion. Each team will make one short class presentation at a specified time during the course. This 20 minute presentation will summarize the history and belief system of their chosen religion. The team will also show how they built the website.
Class Participation in Activities and Discussions: 10% of final grade
Attendance: is required for all class meetings.
Total = 100%
Other Information
None
Course Resources
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Why Study Religion? (Tutorial)
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Pressing Issues in the Study of Religion (External link)
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Global Citizenship, Cultural Citizenship and World Religions in Religion Education (Open (Access) Textbook)
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Symbols in World Religions (Tutorial)
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Defining "Myth" in the Academic Study of Religion (Assignment)
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Peace: Contemplating Contentment (Open (Access) Textbook)
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Experiencing the World's Religions 4e (Open (Access) Textbook)
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Geography of World Cultures (Online Course)
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Science, Evolution, and Creationism (Open (Access) Textbook)
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Sacred Stories (Tutorial)
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Understanding Sacred Texts (Animation)
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Contemplative Dimensions of Human Experience (Presentation)
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Theoretical Analysis of Religion (External link)
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The Internet Sacred Text Archive (Reference Material)
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The Pluralism Project (Collection)