Texas A&M
University
Central Texas
RSK 430
Spring 2015
Class Location:
Class Hours:
Instructor:
Office:
Office Hours:
Phone:
Email:
FH
M 6:00 - 9:00
Floyd Berry, PhD
FH 217G
MR 1:00 – 5:00; T 9:00 – 1:00
254.519.5705 (prefer Bb message)
fberry@tamuct.edu (prefer Bb message)
1.0
Course Description
Examines the history, beliefs, practices, and conflicts behind the major religions
traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This course may be used toward a minor in
Religious Studies. Religious Studies is the study of religions and religious phenomena
from an academic perspective, drawing on a number of disciplines, such as
anthropology, sociology, psychology, philosophy, political science, and history.
2.0
Accessing Blackboard (Bb)
This is a lecture course with online components in Blackboard (Bb). The student
accesses Bb on the TAMUCT website (“Quick Links”). The student may get assistance
24/7 by phone or live chat.
3.0
Primary Course Objectives
1.
Students will be able to discuss differing beliefs regarding conflict among and
between the religious traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
2.
Students will be able to discuss the general development of theology among the
religious traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
3.
Students will be able to discuss justifications for violence among two groups
within one of the religious traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
4.
Students will be able to discuss the general historical trends of relationships
among the religious traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
4.0
Textbooks
4.1
Required for Course
Armstrong, K. (1993). A history of God: The 4000-year quest of Judaism, Christianity and
Islam. New York: Ballantine. ISBN: 0-345-38456-3.
Hashmi, S. H. (Ed.)(2012). Just wars, holy wars, and jihads: Christian, Jewish, and Muslim
encounters and exchanges. New York: Oxford. ISBN: 978-0-19-975503-5.
Syllabus for RSK 430: Religions of the Middle East
4.2
2
Recommended but not Required
Books Related to Specific Course Content:
Armstrong, K. (2000). The battle for God: A history of fundamentalism. New York:
Random House. 0-345-39169-1.
Armstrong, K. (2002). Islam: A short history. New York: Modern Library. 0-8129-6618-X.
Armstrong, K. (2006). Muhammad: A prophet for our time. New York: HarperOne. 978-006-115577-2.
Bunton, M. (2013). The Palestinian-Israeli conflict: A very short introduction. Oxford:
Oxford. 978-0-19-960393-0.
Esposito, J. L. (2002). Unholy war: Terror in the name of Islam. Oxford: Oxford. 978-0-19516886-0.
Juergensmeyer, M. (2003). Terror in the mind of God: The global rise of religious violence
(3rd ed.). Berkeley: University of California. 978-0-520-24011-7.
Lewis, B. (2003). The crisis of Islam: Holy war and unholy terror. New York: Random
House. 978-0-8129-6785-2.
Books Related to Writing and Referencing:
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American
Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Baugh, L. S. (2005). Essentials of English grammar: The quick guide to good English (3rd
ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. 978-0-07-145708-8
Langan, J. (2014). College writing skills with readings (9th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
978-0-07-803627-9.
Lester, M., & Beason, L. (2013). The McGraw-Hill handbook of English grammar and
usage (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. 978-0-07-179990-4.
Schwartz, B. M., Landrum, R. E., & Gurung, R. A. R. (2014). An easy guide to APA style
(2nd ed.). Los Angeles: Sage. 978-1-4522-6839-2.
Strunk, W., & White, E. B. The elements of style (any edition will do).
5.0
Course Requirements
5.1
Exams (400 pts)
The student will take two exams, a mid-term and a final. Each exam is valued at
200 points. The student has a maximum of 90 minutes to take the exam, given
immediately after roll call. The exam window closes, however, when 90 minutes
have elapsed. Exams will take about an hour to complete, on average. The midterm exam scores are reviewed during the subsequent class period. The exams
are essay in nature, and the student must use a blue book. The student is
advised to review his work before submission. Note: If a student has difficulty in
writing at an acceptable level (6th grade level), then he is strongly advised to
consult a writing manual (see 4.2 above). The student must write in complete
sentences and avoiding run-ons. Forbidden items on an exam essay include the
use of second-person pronouns (stated or implied in commands), the use of
bulleted items instead of sentences, and the use of “etc.” Points are deducted
Syllabus for RSK 430: Religions of the Middle East
3
for the use of forbidden items. Content of essays should reflect reading material
covered in class and class discussions.
5.2
Class Participation (100 pts)
The student is expected to participate in class discussions. The student earns a
point for full attendance on a specific day (if he appears on time and does not
leave early). He earns another point for participating in class discussion. (No
points are awarded on exam days, however.) Thus, the student earns 0-2 points
on each class day (total of 13 days), which translate into the following grade for
class participation in the course:
Points
26
24-25
22-23
20-21
18-19
Grade
100
95
90
85
80
Points
16-17
14-15
12-13
10-11
0-9
Grade
75
70
65
60
0
5.3
Reaction Comments (100 pts)
At the conclusion of each class (except the Final Exam), the student will submit a
Reaction Comment (RC), due before midnight. In Bb, the student will send an email to
the instructor, reacting to material discussed or experienced in class. A few sentences
are sufficient. The student expresses his reaction to something discussed or
experienced (such as the mid-term exam) in class. The reaction may be emotional,
cognitive, insightful, positive, negative, or neutral. A mere summary of material
discussed in class, however, is insufficient for credit. The student shall identify his
email with the heading of RC1, RC2, etc., as indicated in the Course Calendar (Section
7.0). Using headings other than RC1, RC2, etc. may result in no credit. The student must
attend class before he can react to material presented or discussed in class.
# of RC’s
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
5.4
Grade # of RC’s
100
7
93
6
86
5
79
4
72
3
65
2
57
1
Grade
50
43
36
28
21
14
7
Academic Honesty
During the first week of class, the student is to read the section in the syllabus on
Academic Honesty and the material at the Purdue University OWL website
regarding plagiarism. The student must sign the document pertaining to
Syllabus for RSK 430: Religions of the Middle East
4
Academic Honesty and return it to the instructor. NOTE: The student will not be
allowed to continue in the course without notifying the instructor of his
comprehension of this material (by signing the document and submitting it to
the instructor).
5.5
Monitoring Bb for Announcements
It is the student’s responsibility to monitor Bb daily for Announcements and the
Revised Course Calendar. Failure to do so may result in poor scores.
5.6
Term Paper Topic (50 pts)
On 3/2/15, the student shall present to the class (orally) the topic of his term
paper and field questions. This should take about 5 minutes.
5.7
Term Paper Presentation (150 pts)
On 5/4/15, the student shall give an oral presentation of the significant points in
his term paper to the class and field questions. The student is required to
present along with PowerPoint slides and field questions afterward. This should
take about 15 minutes.
5.8
Term Paper (200 pts)
On 5/4/15, the student shall submit a term paper, using APA guidelines. The
paper shall compare the religious justifications given by two separate groups
within a specific religious tradition (Judaism, Christianity, or Islam) for violence.
The two groups must belong to the same religious tradition. The student may
cite portions of the textbook as a source or sources of information. In addition,
however, the student must cite at least two articles from peer-reviewed
academic journals from the TAMUCT library website. The student must cite at
least five sources, two of which must be peer-reviewed. It is strongly advised
that the student consider some of the required readings for the course as
sources of information.
The paper shall conform to the APA (American Psychological Association) Manual
(6th ed.), having a cover page, an abstract page, and a references page. The body
of the paper shall have section headings and be at least 6 pages in length,
double-spaced. Thus the complete term paper shall consist of at least 9 pages of
a Microsoft Word document, including a cover page, abstract page, body of
paper, and references page. The typeface shall be either Calibri or Times New
Roman, size 12. The paper shall have a header with page number. (One chooses
Insert, Page Number, Top of Page, Plain Number 3.) The student shall use
normal margins (1”) in the layout.
Avoid the use of second-person pronouns, bulleted lists without sentence
structure and “etc.” Under no circumstances shall the student quote any portion
of a source. Instead, the student shall use his own words in conveying the
Syllabus for RSK 430: Religions of the Middle East
5
meaning of cited source material. Points will be deducted for using these
forbidden items or for the use of sentence fragments (incomplete sentences) or
run-ons. At least a sixth-grade level of grammar, morphology, and syntax must
be used in the paper. The student should review his paper before submission.
The cover page shall include the following information, centered on the page:
An Examination of (your topic)
John Smith (your name)
RSK 430-Religions of the Middle East
Texas A&M University-Central Texas
The words “An Examination of” may be omitted, in accordance with APA
guidelines. The student shall use the “running head” feature of APA.
NOTE: The student must not submit his term paper to turnitin.com. He will
submit his paper to the instructor electronically, by attaching it to a message on
Bb. The heading of the message should be Term Paper.
The student should avoid the use of metaphorical language and figures of
speech. Such devices convey multiple meanings to the reader or are unclear in
import. The student should strive to be unbiased and precise. The term paper
should not read like an opinion editorial in a newspaper or a blog website.
The following grading rubric shall be used to evaluate the term paper:
Qualities & Criteria
Poor
Good
Excellent
Format/Layout
 Presentation of the text
 Structuring of text
 Requirements of
length, font, and style
 APA style
(Weight: 20%)
Follows poorly the
requirements related
to format and layout.
Mostly follows the
requirements related
to format and layout.
Closely follows all the
requirements related
to format and layout.
(0-30 pts)
(31-35 pts)
(36-40 pts)
Continued next page
Syllabus for RSK 430: Religions of the Middle East
Content
 Elements of topics to
be addressed
 Information is correct
 Coherency
Essay is not objective
and poorly addresses
the issues. The
information provided
is unnecessary or
insufficient to discuss
the issues.
(Weight: 40%)
Quality of Writing
 Clarity
 Grammar and English
usage
 Organization and
coherence
(0-63 pts)
Essay is poorly
written and contains
flagrant spelling and
grammatical errors.
Essay is poorly
organized, lacks
clarity, and
incoherent.
(Weight: 20%)
Citations, References, & Style
 APA style
 Sources correctly cited
regarding content of
sources
(0-30 pts)
(Weight: 20%)
6.0
Essay fails to follow
APA guidelines and
sources are
incorrectly cited for
content expressed in
sources.
(0-30 pts)
Essay is mostly
objective and
addresses most of the
issues. Provided
information is mostly
necessary and
sufficient to discuss
the issues.
(64-71 pts)
Essay is mostly wellwritten, without
spelling or
grammatical errors.
Essay is well
organized, is clear,
and ideas are
presented in coherent
ways.
(31-35 pts)
Essay is objective and
addresses all the
issues. Provided
information is
necessary and
sufficient to discuss
the issues.
Essay mostly follows
APA guidelines and
sources are (mostly)
cited correctly for
content.
Essay follows APA
guidelines and sources
are correctly cited for
content.
(31-35 pts)
(36-40 pts)
Grading Rubric and Conversion
6.1
Rubric
Exams (2 @ 200)
Class Participation (13 days)
Reaction Comments (14)
Paper Topic (3/2)
Presentation (5/4)
Term Paper (5/4)
Academic Honesty Document
Total:
6
Points
400
100
100
50
150
200
----1000
(72-80 pts)
Essay is well-written,
without spelling or
grammatical errors.
Essay is well
organized, clear, and
ideas are presented in
coherent ways.
(36-40 pts)
Syllabus for RSK 430: Religions of the Middle East
6.2
Conversion to Course Letter Grade
Points
%
Grade
900 – 1000 90 – 100
A
800 – 899
80 – 89
B
700 – 799
70 – 79
C
600 – 699
60 – 69
D
0 – 599
0 – 59
F
7.0
Course Calendar1
Date
1/26
Topics/Activities
Academic honesty
Readings2
Academic honesty/plagiarism
readings (see document)
Course requirements
Syllabus
Religious Studies
Religion and Deity
A, Introduction, chs 1-2
2/2
7
Assignments Due3
RC1 due by 11:59 p.m.
Academic Honesty document is
due
The Israelitic Cult and Judaism
RC2 due by 11:59 p.m.
2/9
Christianity
A, chs 3-4
2/16
2/23
3/2
Islam and Philosophy
Mysticism and Reform
Term Paper Topic
A, chs 5-6
A, chs 7-8
A, ch 9
3/9
Enlightenment
Mid-term Exam (Armstrong
readings)
RC3 due by 11:59 p.m.
RC4 due by 11:59 p.m.
RC5 due by 11:59 p.m.
Term Paper Topic Due
RC6 due by 11:59 p.m.
RC7 due by 11:59 p.m.
No Class Participation points
awarded
3/16
3/23
Spring Break
Islamic Conquests
3/30
4/6
Crusades
Gunpowder Empires
4/13
European Imperialism
4/20
International Law and Outlaws
4/27
Problems with Term Papers
RC13 due by 11:59 p.m.
5/4
Review for Final Exam
Presentations
Term Paper Due
H, Introduction, Part I
Introduction, chs 1, 3
H, Part 2 Introduction, chs 4, 6
H, Part 3 Introduction, chs 810
H, Part 4 Introduction, chs 1113
H, Part 5 Introduction, chs 1618
RC8 due by 11:59 p.m.
RC9 due by 11:59 p.m.
RC10 due by 11:59 p.m.
RC11 due by 11:59 p.m.
RC12 due by 11:59 p.m.
RC14 due by 11:59 p.m.
Continued next page
Syllabus for RSK 430: Religions of the Middle East
5/11
Final Exam (Hashmi readings)
8
No Class Participation points
awarded
1
Events are subject to minor revision
A = Armstrong, A History of God
H = Hashmi, Just Wars, Holy Wars, and Jihads
ch = chapter
chs = chapters
3
All assignments are due at 6:00 p.m., unless otherwise noted
2
8.0
Academic Honesty
TAMUCT expects all students to maintain high standards of personal and scholarly
conduct. Students guilty of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary action.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on an examination or other
academic work, plagiarism, self-plagiarism (“recycling”), or collusion. The instructor shall
initiate action for each case of academic dishonesty and report it to the Associate
Director of Student Conduct. Zero points will be assigned for any course product that
violates academic honesty. The student should access this link for more information:
http://www.tamuct.edu/departments/studentconduct/facultyresources.php.
9.0
Disability Support
If a student believes that this course may present barriers to learning due to a disability,
he is advised to contact Disability Support and Access at (254) 501-5831 in Warrior Hall,
Ste. 212. For more information, the student may visit the following website:
www.tamuct/disabilitysupport. Any information the student provides is private and
confidential. The instructor cannot accommodate an alleged disability unless the
student first communicates with Disability Support.
10.0
Tutoring
Tutoring is available to all TAMUCT students, both on campus and online. Subjects
tutored include Writing (APA). Tutors are available at the Tutoring Center in Warrior Hall
111. Visit www.ct.tamus.edu/academicsupport and click “Tutoring Support” for tutor
schedules and contact information. If you have questions or need to schedule a tutoring
session, contact Academic Support at 254-501-5830 or email
cecilia.morales@tamuct.edu.
11.0
Late Work
As a rule, make-up work for RC’s. term paper topic, term paper, presentation, and
exams will not be accepted. In rare instances, however, the mid-term exam may be
offered late, but with a 20-point deduction (evidence pertaining to a serious emergency
will be considered for such a makeup). In no instance will a make-up be offered for the
final exam, and in no instance will a make-up for the mid-term exam be given after two
weeks from the original exam date. To be considered as a prospect for making up an
exam, the student must contact the instructor within 24 hours of having missed an
exam for purposes of making it up. A request for make-up, of course, may or may not be
granted. The final course grade will be posted within a few days of the final exam;
Syllabus for RSK 430: Religions of the Middle East
9
therefore, no incompletes will be awarded for this course. If the student foresees that
he will be unable to complete the course, then he should either drop the course or
accept the posted grade.
12.0
Modification of the Syllabus
This syllabus may be revised in minor ways at the discretion of the instructor. The
student is responsible for noting any changes in the syllabus. More than likely, a change
in the syllabus will pertain to events in the Course Calendar (sect. 7.0). A Revised Course
Calendar will be posted on Bb.
13.0
Contact with the Instructor
The student should contact the instructor via the message feature of Bb about any topic
or issue that pertains to the course.
14.0
Announcements
The student is responsible for checking Bb for ongoing announcements pertaining to the
course.