RELI 1001 Syllabus
Introduction to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
Fall 2008
Time: TTH
3:30-4:45 PM TTH
5:00-6:15 PM
Place: SLC
147 SLC
147
Course Number: 79-542 99-543
Holly
A. Jordan hajordan@uga.edu
Office: Peabody Hall Room 2 Office
Hours: 1:15-2:15 PM
and
by appointment
Course Description:
University
of Georgia Bulletin Information: Judaism,
Christianity, Islam, and background religions, such as those of Mesopotamia,
Egypt, Greece, and Rome.
This course will focus primarily on three major Western
monotheistic faiths: Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam. Most of
our classroom sessions will be dedicated to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam,
but time will be dedicated to two additional Western monotheisms,
Zoroastrianism and Bah‡'’, to see how they both shaped and were shaped by these
three major monotheistic religions.
Comparative study of these religions will be a crucial part of the
overall makeup of this course.
Related religions of the ancient world will also be discussed.
Texts for the Course:
There
are three required texts for this course.
They are:
Many of
the lectures for this course will be based on the primary religious texts of
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
In addition to the aforementioned books, students will be required to
own copies of the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and the QurÕan. Students may use their own personal
copies of these texts if they choose (a Bible that includes both the Hebrew
Bible/Old Testament and the New Testament is sufficient for the classes
covering Judaism and Christianity), as long as their text of choice is a
scholarly translation. If a
student does not own one or more of these texts, the recommended editions are:
In
addition to these texts, students will also be provided hyperlinks to online
resources and handouts throughout the semester. These materials will be provided to students in ample time
for the readings to be completed.
Course Guidelines and
Rules of Conduct:
At all
times, students are to conduct themselves as the adults that they are. The study of religion is a fascinating
process, but this study is only an enjoyable experience if the entire class
treats both the material and their peers with respect. Religious tolerance is expected from
each student. Students will not be
expected to discuss their personal religious beliefs, but if a student feels
that such discussion would be beneficial to help other students understand a
facet of a religion, the class will treat that student with respect. If any student is disrespectful towards
another student or towards a religion, they will be asked to leave class for
that day. Ultimately, it is my
hope that each student will come away from this class having learned from their peers.
Students
will be expected to attend class on time, as we will begin lecture and
discussions immediately. If
students are consistently late to class without explanation, the attendance
portion of their participation grade will suffer. Cell phones must be silenced upon entering the classroom;
failure to comply will be detrimental to studentsÕ participation grade.
The
University of Georgia relies heavily on the use of email to communicate with
students. Each student will be
responsible for checking his or her email daily, as I will frequently email
updates and course materials to the class. Also, if a situation arises wherein I am unable to conduct
class, students will be emailed as early as possible to keep them from making
an unnecessary commute to campus.
Please make sure your UGA email is up-to-date and that your inbox is not
full, or you will be missing vital class information. In addition to email, I will communicate with the class on
WebCT, so please check this resource daily as well.
Grades Breakdown (Out
of 570 Possible Points):
1.
Attendance/Participation: 50 Points
2.
Weekly
Newspaper/Magazine Journal Responses:
90 Points (9 Journals, 10 pts. each).
3.
Film
Essays/Responses: 30 Points (3
Essays, 10 pts. each).
4.
Judaism
Exam: 100 Points
5.
Christianity
Exam: 100 Points
6.
Islam
Exam:
100 Points
7.
Final
Paper: 100 Points
1.
Attendance/Participation: As this is a heavily lecture-based
course, attendance to every session is crucial. Whether an absence is excused or unexcused, all assignments
due on the day of the absence must still be completed. Students are expected to come to class
having completed the readings and are required to participate in class. I understand that sometimes it may be
impossible to come to class fully prepared, but please believe me when I say
that it is better to attend class unprepared than to not attend at all. I will be keeping records of when you speak during class, and
failure to participate will affect your Attendance/Participation grade.
You will only be
allowed three unexcused absences for this term. Legitimate situations may arise during the semester that
keep you from class (illness, family death, religious holidays, etc). If you plan to be absent for a session,
please notify me via email prior to the beginning of that session. If you are unable to attend class
unexpectedly, please notify me prior to the next class session with the reason
for your absence. Absences
ultimately will only be considered ÒexcusedÓ if proper documentation (doctorÕs
note, etc.) is provided within a week of the absence. If an excused absence causes you to miss a test, the test must be made
up within a week of the absence.
Students will contact me immediately to schedule a make-up exam. Make-up exams are solely up to my
discretion—do not assume I will allow you to make it up!
For each unexcused absence past three, your participation grade will suffer, so
please bear in mind that multiple absences can be extremely detrimental to your
final grade. Unlike many
departments at the University of Georgia, the Religion Department does not
automatically drop students from courses after a predetermined number of
absences. If you wish to drop
the course, please do so in a timely manner, because the Religion Department
will not automatically withdraw you from the course.
2.
Weekly
Newspaper/Magazine Journal Responses:
Present in the Course Outline are nine dates (on Thursdays) where
Journals are due, breaking down into three journals per religion. On these dates, students are expected
to turn in a summary and response of a newspaper, magazine, or scholarly
journal article they have found discussing that weekÕs religion. These journals are to be no less than
one page double-spaced in length.
A copy of the article being discussed must be stapled to the journal entry for the
journal entry to be accepted. Each
journal entry is worth ten points.
3.
Film
Essays/Responses: We will be
watching three films through the course of the semester. Students are required to take notes
during these films. These notes
will be used to write a summary of the film due as noted on the Course
Outline. In addition to the
summary, each student will respond to the film: overall impressions of the film, integrating information
from the film into what we have discussed about that religion, etc. The final product should be
approximately 30% summary and 70% response. Each film essay will be no less than 1.5 pages double-spaced
in length. Each film essay is
worth 10 points.
4.
Judaism
Exam: Exams will consist of a
selection of multiple choice, modified true/false, matching, short answer, and
essay questions totaling 100 points.
5.
Christianity
Exam: See explanation under
Judaism Exam.
6.
Islam
Exam: See explanation under
Judaism Exam.
7.
Final
Paper: The final paper stands
in the place of a final examination for this course. Students will find peer-reviewed, scholarly articles covering each of the
three major religions discussed.
All three articles will have the same theme (such as Women in Religion,
Music in Religion, Importance of Scripture, etc.) and will be analyzed both
individually and comparatively.
More information about this paper will be provided for students during
the course of the semester. Papers
are due to my office no later than Tuesday, December 9th 2008 at 4PM.
Worksheet to Compile
Final Grade:
Students
in this course will be graded on a plus/minus system (i.e. A, A-, B+):
A:
100-93, A-: 92-90, B+: 89-87, B: 86-83, B-: 82-80, C+: 79-77, C: 76-73, C-: 72-70, D+: 69-67, D: 66-63,
D-: 62-60, F: 59-0
University
Honor Code and Academic Honesty Policy:
All academic work must meet the standards contained in ÒA Culture
of HonestyÓ (http://www.uga.edu/ovpi/honesty/acadhon.htm/). All students are responsible to inform
themselves about those standards before performing any academic work.
Students
Receiving Academic Accommodations:
Students receiving academic accommodations must make the
instructor aware of these needs by the end of the first full week of
class. All possible accommodations
will be made for these students, but timeliness is important concerning
resources such as notetakers, etc..
Course
Outline:
NOTE: Readings for each session should be
finished prior to that session.
For example, August 21st readings should be done before class
on August 21st, August 26th readings should be done
before class on August 26th, etc. Please direct any questions or concerns regarding this
outline to the instructor as soon as possible.
Legend:
HB = Hebrew
Bible
WJ = What
is a Jew?
NT = New
Testament
C:VSI = Christianity:
A Very Short Introduction
QU = QurÕan
WSI = Who
Speaks for Islam?
Date: Assignment: Notes:
Week One:
Introduction/Introduction to Judaism
Tu 19
Aug Introduction
to the Course
Th 21
Aug WJ:
pp. 7-9; Pts. IV&V (pp. 101-162) Last
day of Drop/Add
Week Two:
Biblical History
Tu 26
Aug HB:
Genesis 1-2, 9:1-19, 17
Exodus 19-20:21; Judges 4, 6-8
Th 28
Aug HB:
1 Samuel 8, 9-10:1, 16 Journal
Due
2 Samuel 5:1-10; 7
1 Kings 2:10-12, 11
2 Chronicles 36
Week Three: Divisions of Judaism, History, Rituals, and Worship
Tu 2
Sept WJ: Pts. I&II (pp. 1-62)
Th 4
Sept WJ: Pts. VI&III (pp. 163-196; Journal
Due
pp.
63-99)
Week Four: Festivals and Life-Cycle Ceremonies
Tu 9
Sept WJ: Pts. VII&VIII (pp. 197-265)
Th 11
Sept Readings
TBD Journal
Due
Week Five: Film, Review, and Test
Tu 16
Sept Film: ÒThe Jazz SingerÓ
Th 18
Sept Test: Judaism
Week Six:
Jesus
Tu 23
Sept C:VSI: Chapter 1 Film
Essay Due
NT: Luke 1-2, Mark 1:1-20
Matthew
5:1-7:28, Mark 12:28-34
Mark
6:30-44, Matthew 21:1-17
John
2:13-22
Th 25
Sept C:VSI: Chapter 2
Selections
from the Gospels
Week Seven: Paul
Tu 30
Sept In-Class
Research Discussion
Th 2
Oct C:VSI: Chapter 3 Journal
Due
NT: Romans and Galatians
Week Eight: Film Week!
Tu 7
Oct Film: TBD
Th 9
Oct Film: TBD ContÕd Midpoint
Week Ten:
Mysticism; Church History
Tu 14
Oct C:VSI
Chapters 4&5 Film
Essay Due
Th 16
Oct Martin
Luther Handout Journal
Due
Week Eleven: Church History ContÕd, Holidays and Worship
Tu 21
Oct C:VSI
Chapters 6&7
Th 23
Oct Readings
TBD Journal
Due
Withdrawal
Deadline
Week Twelve: Test and Introduction to Islam
Tu 28
Oct Test: Christianity
Th 30
Oct WSI: Intro. and Chpt. 1
Week Thirteen: Early Islamic History and QurÕan
Tu 4
Nov QU: Intro (pp. ix-xxxviii)
Th 6
Nov QU: Suras 1, 2, 37, 19, and TBD Journal Due
Week Fourteen: Islamic History, Religious Practices and Holidays, and Women
in Islam
Tu 11
Nov No
Readings
Th 13
Nov WSI: Chapter. 4 Journal
Due
Week Fifteen: Islam, Extremism, and Misconceptions
Tu 18
Nov WSI: Chapters 2-3
Th 20
Nov Film: Reel Bad Arabs Journal
Due
Week Sixteen: No class!
Tu 25
Nov No
Class: Thanksgiving Break
Th 27
Nov No
Class: Thanksgiving Break
Week Seventeen: Islam and the West and Islam in the West
Tu 2
Dec WSI
Chapter 5 Film
Essay Due
Th 4
Dec Test: Islam
Final papers are due to my office NO LATER THAN
Tuesday, December 9th at 4:00 PM
The course syllabus is a general plan for the course;
deviations announced to the class by the instructor may be necessary. Any changes to this syllabus will be made available to
students as soon as possible.