Description
of
Course
Calendar
of
Classes
Assignments
and
Exams
Paper
and
Presentation
Due
Dates
Readings
Humanities
Base Links
Return
to
Title
Page
|
1. A two-part exam, Fri., Sept
20. The first brief part will be a few multiple choice questions to
confirm that the student has studied the textbook. The second part
will be a set of four or five essay questions, about the materials covered
in the first section of the course. The teacher will choose one of
these for everyone to answer; each student will choose whichever other
question the student chooses. The questions will be handed out in a
class prior to the exam. They will ask the student to review stages
of religious evolution and theories of the origin and function of
religion.
2. Another two-part exam Fri., Oct.
25, following the same procedures as the first. The essay questions will
ask the student to discuss several of the major functions and aspects
common to religions everywhere.
3. A final two part exam, again with
both multiple choice and essay questions. The essay questions will
ask the student to describe modern (and postmodern) developments in
religion, the current status of religion in the West (and in Muslim
countries), and to discuss the problem of evaluating religions.
PAPER
4. A brief research paper, of 7-8 pages, will prepare the student to join in a group presentation.
The paper should be based on sources not used in the course, on some
currently significant religious movement, analyzing it according to the
categories and the theories discussed in the course. (This could include
such topics as the growth of new religions or a specific new religion,
U.S. anti-evolutionism or Islamic fundamentalism, the role of religion in
cultural changes in South America or Africa, syncretism today,
religious-based conflict, etc.)
The paper will normally be due 9 days in advance of the presentation.
The due date will depend on when each student's group will make its
presentation.
The paper should be "expository" rather than
argumentative. But like a good argumentative paper it should include
the pros and cons on any disputed point. That does not mean that the
paper must be neutral. If there seems to be clear evidence in favor
of a certain conclusion, do not hesitate to affirm that conclusion, as
long as you have presented a decent analysis of the evidence and
counter-evidence.
You may have learned in high school how to use many
quotes to show that you have consulted many different sources. Two
rules apply here. The first is that quotations are useless except
for two purposes. One is to provide an interesting illustration of
what you have already adequately explained (so that strictly speaking the
quotation is not necessary). The other is to substantiate, where
necessary, a claim you are making about someone else's ideas, a claim that
might seem dubious were you not to quote.
The second rule about using sources is that you do not
need to use a lot of them. You should in fact have consulted a good
number of them -- and you can let your bibliography show this -- in order
to find out who the real experts are and which claims are more
reliable. But if you are able to determine that there are two truly
excellent sources, one from the library and another from the internet
ideally (but not necessarily), which give you all the important
information and analysis you need, feel free to rely on them.
But be aware that if I know there are excellent
sources on your topic easily available to you which you did not check, and
you then make egregious errors of fact, I will be conscious of that.
A most important thing to keep in mind is that you should never believe
what you read just because it is in print. Never. So be sure
to read enough to have good reasons for thinking that what you are
reporting has some real credibility among those who are expert on the
topic.
PRESENTATIONS
5. All the students, as part of four
person groups, will make a presentation to the class, using lecture,
electronic media, and texts.
They will be expected to draw some of their materials from the web, and to
make clear how they evaluate its reliability. These presentation
will take place on consecutive Wednesdays, beginning Oct. 23.
In the classroom, you will have available to you computers linked to the
web if you want to use live web materials, computers with PowerPoint
programs, overhead projectors, additional sound equipment if needed and
requested in advance, video players, DVD players, etc. So be
imaginative in constructing your presentation. Especially avoid
using PowerPoint merely to list topic headings. You could do that on
a chalk board. Use media for adding images and sound to bring your
presentation to life.
READING GUIDES
6. There will also be four
"Reading Guides" assigned on the "common readings."
Each will be worth up to 20 points. Each will consist of two parts,
worth up to ten points each part. The first part will be to answer
some questions about the reading. The purpose of the questions is to
guide you in seeing both the main points of the reading and to analyze the
implications. The second part will be to address some further
question about the implications of the text.
OUTSIDE REPORT AND EXTRA CREDIT
7. The single 10 point
required report on a non-classroom event should be related to materials of
the class. This will not be difficult. We will cover a very
large number of topics in class. Events that are about issues of
suffering or social justice, about political or economic order, about the
values or beliefs that guide people, can all be compared to how religions
sometimes deal with such things. If in doubt, consult with Barnes,
and he will probably be able to figure out some connection. The
purpose of this small assignment is to encourage participation in
educational or artistic events outside of the class. All of this is
also true of the extra credit report you may make, in addition to this
required report, for up to 10 more points.
|
