Course Syllabus

Syllabus & Schedule (updated 10/30) (but check weekly Modules for updates/pdfs/links) 

Religious Studies 2: Comparative Religions

Santa Rosa Junior College, Fall 2018

Course Description: Comparative study of the doctrines, beliefs, historical development, and practices of the major religions of the world.

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

1. Identify major tenets of the world's major religions.
2. Critically analyze the primary doctrines of the major world religions.
3. Articulate the diversity of religious practices throughout the world.

 

Required Books:

• Stephen Prothero, God Is Not One. (2010, reprint 2011) ISBN #9780061571282
• Jeffrey J. Kripal Comparing Religions. (2014) ISBN #9781405184588
• Other readings will be posted on Canvas
• Online used booksellers often have the best prices for both new & used books.

Required Materials

• Note-taking materials of your choice (notebook & pen/pencil or laptop/tablet computer)
• Paper & pen/pencil for completing and turning in quizzes & doing in-class work.
• Sticky-notes or pen/pencil/highlighter to annotate your readings AND/OR learn to use the annotation & highlighting tools on your e-reading software
• Binder and/or folders. Keep all materials from this course until your course grade is filed.
• Access to a computer, printer, and the internet.
• A dictionary. I recommend the Miriam-Webster Dictionary or their website or the app.
• SRJC Student ID/Library Card (available at Student Services, Bertolini).

 

Course Requirements & Grade Breakdown:

100 pts 5 quizzes, 25 points each, drop the lowest score

200 pts 4 response papers, 50 points each

100 pts Midterm Exam

100 pts Final Essay

100 pts Final Exam

600 pts Course Total                               

 

Quizzes (100 points): There will be 5 quizzes each worth 25 points. Your lowest score will be dropped. Questions may be multiple choice, matching, fill in the blank, or short answer. Material from any of the readings, films, lectures, or class discussions for any previous classes up to that day’s reading/film will be under consideration for the quizzes. Generally, quizzes will emphasize names, dates, terms, basic plots of myths, etc. Quizzes may be given at any time in the class period. Make-up quizzes will lose 2.5 points, except in the case of extremely rare, well-documented emergency situations.

 

Response Papers (200): There will be 4 papers of 2-3 pages (600-750 words), each worth 50 points. You will be given a choice of prompts that will ask you to be familiar with & engage with course materials (including readings, films, lectures, class discussions, and any discussion board postings on Canvas). Late response papers will lose 5 points per day late, except in the case of extremely rare, well-documented emergency situations. Due dates are in the schedule.

 

Midterm Exam (100 points): The midterm exam will be an in class exam on M 10/15. It will likely consist of terms identifications, short answer, and an essay question. A study guide will be provided a week in advance. There will be no make-up exams, except in the case of extremely rare, well-documented emergency situations.

 

Final Essay (100 points): The final essay will be a 4-6 page (1,000-1,500 words) essay responding to a prompt, due on W 12/19. You will be asked to be familiar with & engage with course materials (including readings, videos, lectures, class discussions, and any discussion board postings on Canvas). The assignment will be distributed one month in advance. Late final essays will lose 10 points per day, except in the case of extremely rare, well-documented emergency situations.

 

Final Exam (100 points): The final exam will consist of an in class exam (100 points) W 12/19. The in class exam will likely consist of multiple choice, terms identifications, short answer, short essay questions. A study guide will be provided a week in advance. There will be no make-up exams, except in the case of extremely rare, well-documented emergency situations. Late essays will lose 10 points per day late.

 

Grade Scale:

540 & Above	A / P (Excellent & exceptional work)
480-539	B / P (Good work, more than minimum requirements)
420-479	C / P (Acceptable college work, meets minimum requirements)
360-419	D / NP (Work does not meet the standard for college work)
359 & below	F / NP (Work does not meet standards for college, is incomplete or missing)

 

Disclaimer about grades: You EARN grades. I do not GIVE grades. You do not start with 600 points and lose points. You start with zero and earn points by completing coursework. You are more than your grades.

 

Late Work, Exam Make-Up Policy, and Incompletes: In the interest of fairness to the majority of students who complete their work on time, I wish to make the conditions under which work is produced and evaluated as equal as possible for everyone in the class. Therefore:

• Students who are seriously injured, seriously ill (physical or mental illness) or who have other emergencies will need to contact me as soon as possible to discuss exceptions.
• Make-up options may differ from original assignments, but will meet the same educational goals.
• Incompletes will generally not be granted for this class, because managing incompletes takes my time away from serving my students in the next term.

 

Life happens. If you’re having a rough time with school, work, or personal life please check in with me. I don’t need to know all your details - I’m not a therapist, doctor etc. - but I can help point you to resources & I can help you navigate the school side. Exceptions will be made for emergency situations. Contact me by email as soon as possible if you have an emergency. Don’t be a jerk by abusing the category “emergency.”

 

Attendance & Participation Policy: Attendance and participation in class activities are mandatory. Attendance will be recorded on a sign-in sheet. Participation means being in class the whole time, demonstrating engagement, not disrupting class, and not distracting me or your classmates. Come on time. Stay until the end. Keep your coming and going to a minimum.

 

Child Care Emergencies: In the event you have a child care emergency, teens/children/infants who can sit (mostly) are welcome, if you wish to bring them. However, the college classroom is a place in which adult topics are discussed, and might not always be appropriate for a child/teen. Give me heads-up by email or call my office, if possible.

 

If you or your child are sick with anything contagious that’s worse than a common cold, please don’t bring your germs to class. If your common cold is making you sneeze and cough a lot, please don’t bring your germs to class.

 

Students with disabilities, chronic illness, or other situations that might necessitate frequent absences, late work, or alternative exams: please speak with me privately (and confidentially) as soon as possible – before a potential situation becomes a real situation.

 

Students with Disabilities: It is SRJC policy to provide equal educational opportunities for students with disabilities, according to state and federal laws. It’s your right! Please contact me ASAP about disabilities and/or chronic illnesses and register with the Disability Resources Department for facilitation. I cannot make accommodations other than granting extensions to due dates without documentation from SRJC’s DRD because I am not qualified to determine what accommodations should be made. If you have accessibility concerns or suggestions, please share them with me. I’m trying to improve accessibility.

 

Academic Integrity (or NOT Cheating & Plagiarizing): Students are expected to do their own work. Academic dishonesty is regarded as any act of deception, benign or malicious in nature, in the completion of any academic exercise. Examples of academic dishonesty include (but are not limited to): turning in someone else’s work as your own, using unapproved cheat sheets on exams, forging attendance records, and plagiarism of or in papers. Plagiarism includes copying another author’s work or ideas, whether word for word or in paraphrase without giving proper credit to the original author by citation. Any academically deceitful or dishonest behavior or act will meet with appropriate disciplinary sanctions, which might include an F on the assignment or in the course, academic probation, or suspension or expulsion from the College. Your continued enrollment in the course indicates that you have read the statement on academic integrity and that you will consult the instructor if you do not understand what cheating and plagiarism are.

 

Communication Policy: I generally respond to emails in 24-48 hours M-F. Please check the syllabus, Canvas, & check with a classmate before emailing me to get information that’s already on the syllabus, on Canvas, or was covered in class. Please review Questions You Should Never Ask Your Professor and How to E-mail a Professor.  Please check your email and check in on Canvas regularly. Please keep the email on file in your Cubby updated. I strongly encourage registering for your SRJC student email. You can use it for student matters and they’re rarely caught in SRJC spam filters.                                                     

 

Office Hours: TBA, or by appointment. Office hours are times faculty reserve for seeing students privately, in their offices. My office hours are open; just come by! If you can’t make my office hours, we’ll make an appointment. My availability outside of scheduled office hours is limited by my other professional & personal responsibilities, but phone/Skype appointments are possible. Office hours are for STUDENTS. I want to see you! Don’t feel bad about interrupting me during office hours! I advise you to visit me in my office hours at least once before the midterm and at least once after the midterm.

 

Golden Rule & Class Culture: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Act like an adult. Don’t be a jerk. Be respectful of the thoughts and opinions of your colleagues. Respectful disagreement and discussion are appropriate. Hostility and name-calling are inappropriate. We will discuss texts, ideas, and practices that relate to religions & cultures that are still being practiced. If you can’t say something in a mature and respectful way, keep it to yourself. We should all be respectful – and that includes me. If I say something that offends or upsets you, please discuss it with me after class or in office hours. I’m a learning human, too!

• Questions are always ok, so please ask – in class, office hours, or by email! If you have a question, there is a very good chance that someone else has the same question.
• The classroom is a collaborative learning environment. Do the reading and to come prepared to help the entire class learn together. If you aren’t prepared when you come to class, then you’re mooching off the work of your classmates and that’s uncool.
• You will generally have 50-70 pages of reading per week. Please bring the readings to class as noted on Canvas.
• Attendance is mandatory and the classroom is collaborative, SO: come on time. Stay until the end. Keep your coming and going to a minimum. It’s distracting and disruptive.
• It is disrespectful to instructors and to classmates to be distracted or to cause distraction in the classroom.
• Please use your electronic devices only for class-related work.
• Act like an adult. Don’t be a jerk.

 

On the Study of Religions: This course is about the academic study of religions according to secular academic methods. We seek to be descriptive of human experience, not prescriptive. We try to describe what people actually do/did and think/thought as religious agents, not whether they have “true” myths or the “right” religion. This course aims to give to concepts and vocabulary that you can use to think about myths and religions in your own lives.

Since this is a state school, the First Amendment to the Constitution does not allow (nor do I want) this course to be “Sunday school.” It does allow the secular, academic study of the history, material culture, texts, beliefs, and practices of religions. This class will not teach you who is the “real” god, which religion is “right” or how to get into “Heaven.” You’ll have to talk to your religious leaders for that. You do not have to agree with the religions we read about or with contemporary scholars – you just have to learn what they say and do. We must all speak and write respectfully and academically about religion. The classroom is not the place for preaching or for trying to get someone to join your religion. The classroom is not the place for disrespectful comments about religions. Every religion has made both positive and negative contributions to the human experience. Don’t be a jerk.

 

Content Warning: This course is about religions & the academic study of religions. It may include topics of upsetting/distressing nature related to or discussions about: the meaning of life, death, suffering, violence, sacrifice, sexual violence, slavery, sexuality, gender roles, anti-LGBTQ and/or anti-woman ideologies, and religious, ethnic, racial, or ability prejudices. Learning about the human experience can often be uncomfortable or unpleasant. That’s ok. That means we’re thinking about things that matter. But: please come speak to me if you suspect something might trigger an extreme emotional or physical reaction (PTSD, panic attack, etc.). I can help warn you, make alternative readings available (within reason), or point you towards appropriate services.

 

Statement of Inclusivity: People of all races, religions, sexual orientations, gender presentations, and ability will be present and are welcome in the classroom. We are all (students and myself) expected to treat each other respectfully. Act like an adult. Don’t be a jerk. Please let us know if we aren’t using your correct name or pronouns (he/she/they etc.). Please let me know privately if something makes you uncomfortable and we can try to find a solution.

 

What it Means to Have an Adjunct as an Instructor: read statement (also posted on Canvas)

 

Credit Hours and Workload: This is a 3 unit course. A unit as SRJC is defined as “One lecture hour and two hours of outside work throughout the semester ordinarily serve as a basis for one unit of credit.”  See page 19 of the College Catalog for more information.  The expectation for this course is that you will spend about 3 hours per week in class and you will spend about 6 hours per week studying and completing assignments for this course. Your reading speed will affect the actual time it takes you to complete readings. As always, excellent students (“A” students) often spend slightly more time on coursework and studying. In other words, the SRJC suggests:

 

If you are taking:	Time  in class/lab or reading/studying:	Limit jobs & activities to:
12-15 units (4-5 courses)	36-45 hours per week	8-15 hours per week
9-12 units (3-4 courses)	27-36 hours per week	15-20 hours per week
3-9 units (1-3 courses)	9-27 hours per week	20-40 hours per week

 

Your continued enrollment in the course indicates that you have read the syllabus and that you will consult the instructor if you do not understand the major components of the course or course policies