Philosophy 1531.40
The World’s Living Religions
CRN: 22461
Instructor: J. Grimes
Modality: online, Etudes
CONTACT HOURS: M-T 5:00-8:30 p.m. “Private Message” under the Discussion and Private Message tab). OFFICE
PHONE: 661. 763. 7721
EMAIL: jgrimes@taftcollege.edu
TAFT COLLEGE COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is a presentation of the distinctive features of Judaism, Islam, Christianity,
Confucianism, Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, the Americas, and Africa. The purpose of the course
is to provide an understanding of the world’s great religions and an appreciation of the
contributions of religion to our culture.
REQUIRED TEXTS, MATERIALS, AND TECHNOLOGY:
1. Carlson, Kamala, and Jessica Grimes. Grammar Cards, 2nd ed. 2012. Print.1
2. Matthews, Warren. World Religions, 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning, 2013. Print.
3. Flash drive or an online Cloud device
TAFT COLLEGE LIBRARY DATABASES:
 Academic ONEfile
 Infotrac Powersearch
 Gale EBSCOhost
 JSTOR
 Gale Literature Resource Center
TAFT COLLEGE COURSE OBJECTIVES:
By the end of the course, a successful student will be able to do the following:
1. Identify the basic beliefs and major concepts of the world’s leading religions;
2. Analyze the time setting and development of the religions, and
3. Evaluate the importance of and major contributions of religion to our age.
TAFT COLLEGE COURSE STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES2:
At the end of the course, a successful student should be able to do the following:
1. Articulate a greater awareness of global religious traditions;
2. Apply the appropriate lexicon and use research to discuss religions within a sociohistorical context;
3. Compare and contrast various religious beliefs and practices from different religious
traditions; and
4. Identify and differentiate between major world religions and their major branches.
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Textbook abbreviations: WR-World Religions, GC-Grammar Cards
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
TAFT COLLEGE COURSE POLICIES:
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Taft College defines academic dishonesty in The Taft College Student
Handbook as “any type of cheating that occurs in relation to a formal academic exercise” (2).
Any form of dishonesty—plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, deception, sabotage, or using and/or
obtaining Teacher’s editions—will result in a “0”for the assignment without the opportunity to redo the assignment (3). Additionally, the Vice President of Student Services will be notified along
with the incriminating evidence (3). Depending on the severity of the offense, other disciplinary
measures may result in suspension or expulsion.
COURSE REPETITION AND WITHDRAWAL: Students earning a course grade of D, F, NP, W, or FW 3
times will not be permitted to repeat the course at Taft College. No statute of limitations exists,
meaning it does not matter when the grade was earned. Contact the Counseling Center at
661-763-7748 for further questions.
ATTENDANCE POLICY: Since this is a distance-learning course, attendance is determined by the
coursework you submit. If the first assignment is not submitted by the submission deadline
posted, the assumption will be made that you do not wish to remain in the course, and you will
be dropped from the class. After that date, if you have not logged on for over a week and
have not contacted me in any format, you will be dropped from the course.
LATE WORK: Since work will be turned in weekly, in some cases biweekly, assignments must be
turned in on time to receive full credit—without exception; therefore late work is not accepted.
ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTIONS AND EXPECTATIONS
ESSAYS: All essays must be typed, doublespaced, and in Times New Roman font or its
equivalent. In addition, essays should follow
MLA format for its structure, for in-text and
works cited pages. Essay grades will be
based on a rubric. Failure to comply with
the rubric and assignment instructions will
result in a penalty.
(PowerPoint or Prezi) with discussion
questions.
DISCUSSION AND PRIVATE MESSAGES:
Students will complete one discussion
question per week and respond to one or
more student responses. Responses must
illustrate critical thinking, be relevant, and
be relatively free of grammatical and
punctuation mistakes. Additionally, students
are expected to observe netiquette (online
manners)—academic language must be
used. Responses to other students must be
respectful and relevant. Expletives, text
language, and slang will not be tolerated.
ASSIGNMENTS AND TESTS: Most assignments
and competency deadlines are consistent
from week to week and are due by 11:59
p.m. on Sunday night. Note all dates and
times. Since late work is not accepted,
being on time with your assignments and
following directions are vital to your grade.
If any questions or concerns arise, contact
me immediately. You can contact me
through Private Message. A response can
be expected within a day or two at the
most. Assignments are also graded within a
week of submission.
READING QUESTIONS: Students will respond
to two reading questions weekly. Although
students will respond to two questions, one
of them will be comprehensively graded at
the professor’s discretion. Each response
must be six or more complete sentences
and clearly relate to the reading. It should
include your critical thinking. Quotes should
be used sparingly, no more than one
sentence or part of a sentence. Overquoting or summaries will be marked down
PRESENTATIONS: Beginning in the second
week, students will begin presenting on
topics related to course readings. Students
will present a visual representation
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Etudes Information:
This course is managed by the ETUDES course management system. If this is your first online
course, please be patient. Read all sections listed in the Resources section. Read each screen
as it comes up. Each day, before beginning an assignment, check for messages in the
Announcements area. All assignments, competencies, exams, and discussions will take place
through Etudes. Etudes works well with most browsers, but Firefox (updated) has been more
consistent in allowing students to download handouts. If any technical difficulty occurs, feel free
to contact the Help Desk staff or me.
Please notice the menu bar on the left side of the Etudes screen. The following should be seen:
Home, Schedule, Announcements, Syllabus, Modules, Assignments, Tests and Surveys, Discussion
and Private Messages, Chat Room, Resources, Gradebook, and Help.
Home link is where you will enter each
time you log in. If you are enrolled in
multiple classes, you will be able to link
to each course by clicking on the class
title listed on the tool bar at the top of
your screen.
Course Map provides an overview of the
course: the syllabus, modules,
discussions, assignments, tests, and
surveys.
Announcements is where you will find
any announcements that are posted
throughout the course. Announcements
may also be viewed in the Home area
displayed when you first log into the
class.
Syllabus is where you will find the class
syllabus, which is the document you are
now reading. This provides you with an
overview of the class, policy,
procedures, and due dates .
Modules will guide you through this
course. You will find chapter themes
and key vocabulary from the readings in
this area. When going to the Module
area, click on the weekly Module title,
read through the information given, then
click the Next link at the bottom of the
screen. Be sure to read through all
information because sometimes
pertinent information and tips will be
posted.
Assignments, Tests, and Surveys is the
area in which you will find your class
assignments. All assignments must be
submitted in this area by the due dates
listed. Read the directions carefully, and
watch the deadlines closely. If you miss
a deadline, you WILL NOT BE ALLOWED
TO MAKE-UP THE ASSIGNMENT. Once an
assignment has been submitted, it
cannot be retaken.
Discussion and Private Messages area is
where you will be participating in weekly
class discussions.
Gradebook is the area where grades for
all assignments, discussions, quizzes, and
exams will be located.
Activity Meter tracks the amount of time
you have spent in ETUDES.
Statement on Disabilities: Students with disabilities who believe they may need accommodations
in this class are encouraged to contact Student Support Services located in the Student Services
Building or call 661-763-7799 for an appointment. It is important to request services as soon as
possible to ensure such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. If you have an
Accommodations Card, show it to me privately to ensure accommodation.
GRADE SUMMARY (JUPITERGRADES):
ASSIGNMENTS
WORDS
POINTS
Presentation (beginning in the second week)
Religious topics
50 (10%)
Reading Questions
2 per week (12 chapters)
120 (15%)
Discussion Questions
1 per week (12 chapters)
65 (7.5%)
Essay 1
500-750 words or 2-3 pages
115 (11.5%)
Essay 2
750-1000 or 3-4 pages
125 (12.5%)
Essay 3
750-1000 or 3-4 pages
250 (25%)
Competencies
10 competencies
125 (12.5%)
Exams
Midterm-50/Final-100
150 (15%)
Total Possible Points/Percentage
1,000/100%
This syllabus is subject to change; if it does, you will be notified of changes in Announcements.
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SLOs
SLO 1
SLOs 1,3-4
FIRST DATE TO DROP
WITH A “W” (2/2)
WEEK 1
1/20-1/25
WEEK 2
1/26-2/1
*TENTATIVE* ASSIGNMENTS DUE ON SUNDAY NIGHT BY 11:59 PM (some exceptions may apply)
MODULE 1 (Introduction to Religion PowerPoint, MLA Format of an Essay)
Read Introduction to Religion WR 1-13
ETUDES: Discussion Questions
MODULE 2 (ch. 1 Religions of the Americas PowerPoint, Thesis Statements, Presentation)
Read ch. 1 Religions of the Americas (The Cherokees, Hopi, Aztecs, Incas) 17-42
ETUDES: Discussion Questions, Reading Questions in Assignment, Tests, and Surveys, COMPETENCY 1 (Syllabus
Competency and Introduction)
SLOs1,3-4
WEEK 3
2/2-2/8
SLOs 1, 3-4
WEEK 4
2/9-2/15
SLOs 1, 3-4
WEEK 5
2/16-2/22
WEEK 6
2/23-3/1
SLOs 1, 3-4
WEEK 7
3/2-3/8
SLOs 1, 3-4
WEEK 8
3/9-3/15
SLOs 1-4
WEEK 9
3/16-3/22
SLOs 1-4
WEEK 10
MODULE 3 (ch. 2 Religions of Africa PowerPoint, MLA—quoting sources, Religion Journals and Websites)
Read ch. 2 Religions of Africa (Basongye, Zulu, Yoruba) 45-66
ETUDES: Discussion Questions, Reading Questions in Assignment, Tests, and Surveys, COMPETENCY 2 (Chapter 1)
MODULE 4 (ch. 3 Religions Arising in India—Hinduism PowerPoint)
Read ch. 3 Religions Arising in India (Hinduism) 71-105
ETUDES: Discussion Questions, Reading Questions in Assignment, Tests, and Surveys, COMPETENCY 3 (Chapter 2)
ESSAY 1 DUE
MODULE 5 (ch. 4 Buddhism PowerPoint)
Read ch. 4 Buddhism 109-149
ETUDES: Discussion Questions, Reading Questions in Assignment, Tests, and Surveys, COMPETENCY 4 (Chapter 3)
MODULE 6 (ch. 5 Jainism and Sikhism PowerPoint)
Read ch. 5 Jainism and Sikhism 151-173
ETUDES: Discussion Questions, Reading Questions in Assignment, Tests, and Surveys, COMPETENCY 5 (Chapter 4)
MODULE 7 (ch. 6 China and Japan PowerPoint)
Read ch. 6 China and Japan (Daoism, Confucianism, Shinto) 175-214
ETUDES: Discussion Questions, Reading Questions in Assignment, Tests, and Surveys, COMPETENCY 6 (Chapter 5)
MIDTERM, ESSAY 2 DUE
SLOs 1, 3-4
LAST DATE TO DROP
WITH A “W” (4/6)
3/23-3/29
MODULE 8 (ch. 7 Religions that Influenced the East and West PowerPoint)
Read ch. 7 Religions that Influenced the East and West (Iraq and Iran) 219-240
ETUDES: Discussion Questions, Reading Questions in Assignment, Tests, and Surveys
SPRING BREAK MARCH 30TH – APRIL 3RD
SLOs 1-2
WEEK 12
4/6-4/12
SLOs 1-5
WEEK 13
4/13-4/19
SLOs 1-2
WEEK 14
4/20-4/26
SLOs 1-2
WEEK 15
4/27-5/3
SLOs 1-2
SLOs 1-5
WEEK 16
5/4-5/10
WEEK 17
May 11
MODULE 9 (ch. 8 Judaism PowerPoint)
Read ch. 8 Judaism 246-285
ETUDES: Discussion Questions, Reading Questions in Assignment, Tests, and Surveys, COMPETENCY 7 (Chapter 6)
MODULE 10 (ch. 9 Christianity PowerPoint)
Read ch. 9 Christianity 289-331
ETUDES: Discussion Questions, Reading Questions in Assignment, Tests, and Surveys, COMPETENCY 8 (Chapter 7)
MODULE 11 (ch. 10 Islam PowerPoint)
Read ch. 10 Islam 337-373
ETUDES: Discussion Questions, Reading Questions in Assignment, Tests, and Surveys, COMPETENCY 9 (Chapter 8)
MODULE 12 (ch. 11 New Forms of Older Religions PowerPoint)
Read ch. 11 New Forms of Older Religions 377-392
ETUDES: Discussion Questions, Reading Questions in Assignment, Tests, and Surveys, COMPETENCY 9 (Chapter 8)
MODULE 13 (ch. 12 Globalization and World Religions PowerPoint)
Read ch. 12 Globalization and World Religions 395-410
ETUDES: Discussion Questions, Reading Questions in Assignment, Tests, and Surveys, COMPETENCY 10 (Chapter 9)
FINAL EXAM, ESSAY 3 DUE
The syllabus is subject to change. If it does, you will be notified.
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