The Rememberer

LIVING WORLD RELIGIONS

RELIGION 107:002
MONDAY 4:00-6:30pm
Dane Smith 120
INSTRUCTOR: DR. DAN WOLNE
OFFICE: Humanities 449
Office Hours: M, 3-3:45pm, T & Th, 9:30-10:30am, and by appt.
Graduate assistant: Jagna Cyganik
Office: Humanities 445

Course Description: This course is designed to give an introduction to the basic beliefs, practices, and texts of some of the world’s major religions. The class will begin with an examination of Hinduism, and then move on to Buddhism, and then include a short section on Chinese religion & philosophy. After looking at these “Eastern” religions, we will examine the “Western” religious tradition, starting with Judaism, then looking at Christianity, and finally Islam.

Course Requirements: 6 on-line exams will be given: for Hinduism, Buddhism, Chinese religion, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Each will be worth 14% of the grade. You will have a 24 hour window within which you must complete the exam. Make-up exams must be authorized by me, and this will only happen with a very legitimate excuse. A paper on a primary text from one religious tradition (details coming in class) will be worth 16% of the grade. There will be options to earn extra credit by visiting local religious institutions (details coming in class). I-Clickers are optional, but an I-Clicker response rate of above 50% will boost your final grade up to the next grade fraction! Also, no information on test scores or paper grades can be given through E-mail or the telephone. All relevant information, including announcements, exams, paper assignments and exam grades, will be posted on UNM Learn.

Course objectives: 1) To have students understand the origins and developments of some of the world’s major living world religions 2) To expose students to the terminology, theology, rituals, and scriptures of those religions 3) To aid in students cultivating an appreciation of those traditions, whatever their own faith position might or might not entail 4) To help students develop critical discernment about those traditions, as a counter to popular misinformation and disinformation.

Texts: There are no assigned texts for this class! For each tradition, I will post a selection of open-source links on UNM Learn, along with extensive study guides for the exams on each tradition. But regular attendance in class is the key to doing well on the exams.

Classroom behavior: Please be sure to read the “classroom policies” document on UNM Learn, and come by and see me if you have any questions about it. Continued registration in the class (past the 2nd week) constitutes implied agreement with those policies.

COURSE SCHEDULE (tentative):

8/18: Introduction, Hinduism: origins & basic concepts
8/25: Hinduism: major movements, practices
9/8: Hinduism; summary. Buddhism: origins (and an introduction to the paper assignment)
Hinduism exam window: 9pm 9/8 thru 9pm 9/9
9/15: Buddhism: basic concepts, major movements
9/22: Buddhism: major movements, practices
Buddhism exam window: 9pm 9/22 thru 9pm 9/23
9/29: Chinese religion & philosophy: early period
10/6: Chinese tradition: later developments
Chinese Religion exam window: 9pm 10/6 thru 9pm 10/7
10/13: Judaism: origins & basic concepts
10/20: Judaism: major movements & practices
Judaism exam window: 9pm 10/20 thru 9pm 10/21
10/27: Christianity: origins
11/3: Christianity: major movements & figures
11/10: Christianity: denominations & practices
Christianity exam window: 9pm 11/10 thru 9pm 11/11
11/17: Islam: origins & basic concepts
11/24: Islam: major movements & practices
12/1: Islam: contemporary developments, & concluding comments
Islam exam window: 9pm 12/1 thru 9pm 12/2

PAPERS ARE DUE AT CLASSTIME, OCTOBER 20
No papers will be accepted after 6:30pm on that date

Also: Students with disabilities, for example, in sight or hearing, who need help in test taking should contact me AND ALSO the Student Support Services office (277-3506) at the beginning of the semester. It is the responsibility of the student to contact Student Services early in the semester in order to ensure that they get the help that they need.

REL107 Classroom Policies: This page must be read, signed, and turned in to us before taking exam 1.

1 .Student ID’s must be shown at all exams.
2. Unless you inform me in advance, you must stay for the entire class period, and early departures from class will be considered a “class disruption” (see below).
3. If you have to miss one of the 3 exams, you must inform the instructor or an assistant before the scheduled exam, and bring a doctor’s note to the make-up (which you must schedule with the assistant).
4. All cell phones and pagers must be turned off. This means that texting is not allowed in class, and students found to be texting will be counted as having disrupted the class.
5. Laptop computers can only be used for note-taking related to class material. Any other use of laptops will be counted as a class disruption.
6. Unless specified by the professor, personal conversations in class are discouraged. If you are picked out for disrupting the class by the instructor or the assistants, your name will be taken & marked down. Two marked disruptions will result in your grade being lowered by one grade. Three marked disruptions will result in you being dropped from the class with a failing grade.
7. If you are picked out by an assistant for disrupting the class in any way, and give a fake name (or misrepresent yourself in some fashion), you will be dropped from the class with a failing grade.
8. I-Clicker use is limited to one student each. If you are seen using more than one I-Clicker during class, you will lose the option of getting extra-credit for your I-Clicker use.
9. Extra credit visits are space limited. If you sign up for a visit and then do not attend (without informing us before the visit), your overall grade will be lowered by a grade fraction.
10. Any academic dishonesty (cheating on tests or papers) will result in a grade of zero for the assignment/test, or being failed for the class (at the professor’s discretion). Be sure that you understand what constitutes “plagiarism” in the Student Handbook with regard to the term paper.

I have read and agree to abide by the policies stated above:

Name/signature:

UNM NetID: