World Religions
REL 250: World Religions, Section 01D, 3 credits
South Dakota State University
Summer, 2012
Entirely online course, May 29-June 29, 2012
Ann Marie B. Bahr, Ph.D.
West Hall 111
605-693-3108; use D2L email--expect a response within 24 hours
Office Hours: by appointment
See the "SDSU Resources" widget on the home page of this course for technical, academic, and
student support services
Course Description
Catalog Description: Introduces the major religions of humankind, examining the
function and diversity of religious expression in human experience, and the role of these
religions in international relations.
Additional Description: This class will focus on Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam. We will discuss the beliefs and founding period of each of these
traditions. We will also study the geographic distribution and social expression of each
of these five religions.
Course Prerequisites
No previous course requirements
Technology skills: D2L, VoiceThread, email, web browser, PowerPoint. Students should
have the ability to comment using text, microphone, videocam, or telephone (You do not
need all four comment modes, just one of them).
Description of Instructional Methods
VoiceThread:
Basic information about Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam will be
delivered through narrated PowerPoint lectures on VoiceThread
(www.voicethread.com). VoiceThread allows for an interactive approach to learning.
Students can comment on the lectures by texting, or by using a microphone or
videocam, or even by phone! (Phone is least preferred since you can receive a charge
on your phone bill if you talk too long--check www.voicethread.com for more
information.) In the second half of the semester, students will work in groups to post
their own narrated PowerPoint on VoiceThread. Each student group will be responsible
for one of the five religions we are covering this semester.
Content and Evaluation:
The first half of this course will acquaint you with the geography, social stucture, basic
beliefs and founding period of Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In
this part of the course, you are being exposed to each tradition individually and in depth.
Assignments are online, under "Content." You will be evaluated by means of comments
posted on VoiceThread and by five online quizzes, one for each religious tradition. Each
quiz is worth 15 points, and each comment is worth 10 points.
The midterm "exam" will be a 25-point, objective test (multiple choice, true/false
questions) over the VoiceThread lectures. The midterm will cover the same material
covered in the individual quizzes, and will include some of the same questions.
In the second half of the course, you will be reading eight of the twelve chapters of
World Religions in Practice: A Comparative Introduction by Paul Gwynne. Each chapter
describes how all five of the religions approach a particular topic, e.g., how each of the
five religions celebrates marriage, or deals with death, or builds its place of assembly, or
sets up its calendar. Whereas the first half of this course exposes you to each religion
separately and in depth, the second half of the course introduces you to the
comparative study of religion. Gwynne gives a very nice overview of how the religions
function in practice. You will be evaluated by means of eight online quizzes, one for
each chapter. Each quiz is worth 15 points.
You will work in groups for your final project, which is the construction of a VoiceThread
lecture on one religion (Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, or Islam), covering
your choice of the topics covered in the textbook. For example, one group will describe
how Hinduism treats the following topics: images, death, marriage, food, clothing,
calendar, buildings, and journeys (each individual in the group will select one of these
topics). Another group will do the same for Buddhism, etc. Each student will be
responsible for one topic, e.g., one student will describe how Hinduism treats images,
another student will describe how Hinduism treats death, etc. Students will be divided
evenly among the different groups. If there are not enough students in a group to cover
all the topics, the remaining topics will not be covered in the presentation. Students
should use many illustrations and links to short videos, because religion is often
conveyed by visual clues, and our textbook (like most textbooks) is short on pictures.
Each student will create several PowerPoint slides (as many as you need to cover your
topic). Put your name on each of your slides, so I can give credit to the person who
designed that slide. Please use the space reserved for your group to discuss plans for
your final project (use Discussion tab). You should upload your individual slides in the
dropbox. You can view all of the slides from your group by using the Groups tab and
clicking on the "Group Files" link. Please critique each other's work. After your slides are
finalized, one student from your group will upload the entire PowerPoint presentation for
the group into the Dropbox. I will post each group's presentation on VoiceThread. After
they are posted, you will narrate the slides you created, using either voice, texting, or
videocam. Your final project is worth 30 points.
Discussion:
You will be able to read/listen to each other's comments on VoiceThread, but I ask you
not to respond to other students on VoiceThread because these comments will be
graded. However, you can discuss with other students using the D2L discussion tool.
Discussion on D2L will not be graded. Students will also need to discuss the final
project within their groups. These discussions will also take place on D2L, and the
discussions themselves will not be graded although the result of the discussions (the
final project) will be graded.
Optional audiovisual materials:
I have placed some long and short videos, and some audiotapes, on the SDSU server.
These are materials I have collected during my many years of teaching this course.
There is a link to the audiovisual page under the "Contents" tab on D2L. You will not be
tested on the materials on the audiovisual page; they are there for your enjoyment and
to enhance your learning.
Course Requirements
Textbook:
Paul Gwynne, World Religions in Practice: A Comparative Introduction. Walden, MA
and Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing, 2009. ISBN 978-1-4051-6703-1
Supplementary Requirements:
Access to internet and use of D2L and VoiceThread
Hi-speed internet connection necessary for taking timed quizzes and for viewing video
links
Attendance Policy
Students are expected to login to online courses on the first day of the semester.
Students should login to this course or VoiceThread 1x/day or 7x/week thereafter.
Expect to do between one hour and an hour and a half of work for this course every day
on average. Students must participate fully in group discussions regarding the final
project to meet the attendance policy. Failure to meet these expectations may result in a
deduction of 10 to 30 points, depending upon the severity of the neglect of the
attendance policy.
Cheating and Plagiarism Policy
Academic Dishonesty will not be tolerated. Plagiarism, copying, cheating, or fabrication,
or facilitating any of these behaviors, will result in no credit for that assignment (or part
of the assignment if limited to one section). Repeated offenses will result in further
disciplinary action such as the reduction of the final grade and formal reporting of the
incident to the student conduct committee.
Plagiarism is offering another's words, ideas, or argument as one's own without
appropriate attribution by quotation, reference or footnote/endnote.
Copying is use of another's answers to quiz or test questions.
Cheating is an act of decption by which a student misrepresents that he or she has
mastered information on an academic enterprise that she or he has not mastered.
Fabrication is the intentional and unauthorized falsification or invention of any
information or citation in an academic exercise.
Facilitating Academic Dishonesty means intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting
to help another to commit an act of academic dishonesty as enumerated above.
Make-up Policy
Students are expected to complete online quizzes and tests on time, and to complete
assignments by the due date. Due account will be taken of university-excused absences
and genuine emergencies. If you have a valid reason for missing a deadline, or if you
have an unexpected emergency, please consult with the professor immediately to
decide upon a new due date. Make-up privileges will only be given if the student
consults with the professor within a reasonable amount of time.
Important dates to keep in mind:
Monday May 28 Memorial Day Holiday
Tuesday May 29 First day of class
Tuesday May 29 Last day to drop course with full refund
Friday June 29 Last day of class
Course Learning Goals
(1) Students will become familiar with the neutral, objective study of religion known as
"comparative religion," and understand how it differs from confessional approaches to
the study of religion.
Teaching and Learning Activity: VoiceThread lectures, reading of textbook
Evaluation and Assessment: Quizzes, VoiceThread comments, final project
(2) Students will be able to identify important beliefs, terms, and cultural and social
expressions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Teaching and Learning Activity: VoiceThread PowerPoints, reading assignments
Evaluation and Assessment: Online quizzes
(3) Students will be able to describe how each of the five religions impacts ethics,
society, art and architecture, and family and individual life.
Teaching and Learning Activity: VoiceThread lectures, reading of textbook
Evaluation and Assessment: Quizzes, VoiceThread comments, final project
(4) Students will contribute to each other's learning
Teaching and Learning Activity: posting of comments on VoiceThread, reading of other
students' comments
Evaluation and Assessment: quiz questions based on student comments
(5) Students will display empathy toward diverse viewpoints
Teaching and Learning Activity: work in groups on final project, comments on
VoiceThread
Evaluation and Assessment: VoiceThread comments, final project
(6) Students will create a group VoiceThread presentation, demonstrating an ability to
cooperate with others of different faiths or none, in creating an accurate and unbiased
presentation
dealing with a religion not their own
Teaching and Learning Activity: Work in groups of eight to create a VoiceThread
presentation which covers the eight textbook topics for a single religion
Evaluation and Assessment: Final project rubric
This course fulfills SGE goal 4: Students will understand the diversity and complexity of
the human experience through study of the arts and humanities (see details at end of
syllabus)
This course fulfills IGR goal 3: Social and Cultural Stewardship. Students will
demonstrate both social and cultural stewardship to foster individual creativity and to
promote preservation and growth of culture and community (see details at end of
syllabus)
This course fulfills the Globalization Requirement (see details at end of syllabus)
Evaluation Procedures
1. Quizzes on narrated PowerPoint presentations on VoiceThread
In the first half of this course, you will be listening to VoiceThread presentations on
Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. You will find links to these
assignments on the Contents page of the D2L site for this course, or you can go directly
to www.voicethread.com once you have a VoiceThread account. There are between
one and four presentations for each of the five religions (one on Hinduism, four on
Buddhism, etc.). The presentations are of varying length. When you have finished all
the assignments for a religion, you will then take a 15-point quiz on that religion. The
quizzes are timed (20 minutes for each 15-point quiz). Each quiz will contain 15
questions, and each question is worth one point. Quizzes contain only multiple choice
questions (including true/false questions). Your grade will be available immediately after
you submit your quiz.
5 quizzes x 15 points/quiz = 75 points
2. Comments on narrated PowerPoint presentations on VoiceThread
For each of the five religions, you will post one comment on VoiceThread. Post your
comment in an appropriate place on one of the slides for that religion. Your comment
should enhance the learning of your fellow students. Some examples of ways to do that:
(1) describe a personal experience related to the information on the slide, (2) do some
web research on one of the topics on the slide and report on what you learned, or (3)
make connections between different parts of the VoiceThread presentation for that
religion. Post only one comment for each religion (five comments total). Your comment
should be short but substantial (not word-y or trivial). You can earn a maximum of 10
points for each comment. Grading criteria include accuracy, extension of learning
beyond what is given in the presentation, academic approach to the religion, civil tone,
and use of grammatically correct English. Your grade will be available on D2L within
one week after the due date.
5 comments x 10 points/comment = 50 points
3. Midterm "exam"
The midterm "exam" (really just a large quiz) will be a 25-point, objective test (multiple
choice, true/false questions) over the VoiceThread lectures. Your have 30 minutes to
complete this test. The midterm will cover the material on all of the VoiceThread
presentations combined. It will include some of the same questions used for the quizzes
in #1. Your grade will be available immediately after you submit your test.
4. Quizzes on textbook chapters
In the second half of this course, you will be reading parts of World Religions in
Practice: A Comparative Introduction by Paul Gwynne. This textbook has 12 chapters;
we will read eight of them. At the end of each chapter, you will take a 15-point quiz on
that chapter. The quizzes are open book, but they are timed (20 minutes for a 15-point
quiz). Each quiz will contain 15 questions, and each question is worth one point.
Quizzes contain only multiple choice questions (including true/false questions). Your
grade will be available immediately after you submit your quiz.
8 quizzes x 15 points/quiz = 120 points
5. Final project
Students will be divided into five groups. You can self-enroll in your groups, but I may
re-arrange you a little in order to have approximately equal numbers of students in each
group. Each group will be responsible for one of the five religions studied this semester.
Students in a group will work together to create a VoiceThread presentation on their
religion. One student will be responsible for one chapter. For example, one student in
the Hinduism group may prepare several slides on images in Hinduism (chapter 1), a
second student may prepare several slides on death in Hinduism (chapter 5), a third
student may prepare several slides on marriage in Hinduism (chapter 6), and so on.
Upload your slides into the Locker. (PUT YOUR NAME ON EACH OF YOUR SLIDES).
Then go to the Groups tab and view the slides of the other members of your group. Help
each other improve the presentation by critiquing the work of all the members in your
group: What are the good points and which parts need improvement? Edit your own
slides based on the comments of the other members in your group. Each group will
combine their slides into a single presentation--Select a group member who is willing to
perform this task. The completed PowerPoint presentation should be placed in the
Locker. I will retrieve it from the Locker and upload it to VoiceThread. After the
presentation has been loaded onto the VoiceThread site, each student will narrate his or
her slides. It is important to find and present the main points of the textbook section. It is
also important to include visuals (pictures, links to short videos, etc.). Each student will
receive a maximum of 30 points for his or her narrated slides (group work, but individual
grades). Grades will be based on accuracy, selection of main points, your critiques of
the other students in your group, helpfulness and appropriateness of pictures and links,
tone (civil, academic), and writing and speaking skills--5 points for each of these criteria.
Your grade will be available on D2L within one week after the due date.
1 narrated slide in group VoiceThread presentation x 30 points/slide = 30 points
Overview of Points
Quizzes on professor's VoiceThread lectures 75 points
Comments on professor's VoiceThread lectures 50 points
Midterm 25 points
Quizzes on textbook chapters 120 points
Final Project 30 points
Total: 300 points
Performance Standards
270-300 A 180-209 D
240-269 B 170 or less F
210-239 C
ADA Statement
Any student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a
disability should contact Nancy Hartenhoff-Crooks, Coordinator of Disability Services
(605-688-4504 or Fax, 605-688-4987) to privately discuss your specific needs. The
Office of Disability Services is located in the Student Union, room 065.
Academic Freedom and Responsibility
Freedom in Learning Statement (BOR statement)
Students are responsible for learning the content of any course of study in which they
are enrolled. Under Board of Regents and University policy, student academic
performance shall be evaluated solely on an academic basis and students should be
free to take reasoned exception to the data or view offered in any course of study.
Students who believe that an academic evaluation is unrelated to academic standards
but is related instead to judgment of their personal opinion or conduct should first
contact the instructor of the course. If the student remains unsatisfied, the student may
contact the department head and/or dean of the college which offers the class to initiate
a review of the evaluation.
The American Academy of Religion, the largest professional organization of religion
scholars in the world, has published the following statement on Academic Freedom and
the Teaching of Religion:
AAR Statement on Academic Freedom and the Teaching of
Religion
The AAR has long been committed to the fundamental principles of
academic freedom articulated by the American Association of
University Professors in its 1940 Statement on Academic Freedom and
Tenure.1 In its 1995 mission statement the AAR affirmed that "within a
context of free inquiry and critical examination, the Academy welcomes
all disciplined reflection on religion--both from within and outside of
communities of belief and practice."2 The AAR promotes excellence in
scholarship and teaching in the field because "there is a critical need
for ongoing reflection upon and understanding of religious traditions,
issues, questions, and values."3 That such a pursuit of understanding
might sometimes prove unsettling or challenging to students or
teachers is to be expected, especially when students are
unaccustomed to analytical reflection on their own religious practices
and beliefs or to historical and sociological reflection on their own
traditions and communities.
The AAR fully supports the position that free inquiry about religion and
critical examination of its multiple dimensions should be guided by the
teacher's best judgment as a participant in his or her own discipline and
by recognition of the need, in all academic inquiry, to consider--and to
examine critically--diverse points of view.
Teaching about religion, in any educational context, essentially involves
critical inquiry: questioning of assumptions, some of them long taken for
granted; attending to multiple points of view, some of them disturbing;
and engaging with the methods and findings of other scholars, some of
whom are themselves religious, whereas others are not.
Teachers are obliged to show respect to their students, their
colleagues, and the human beings they study. They are also obliged to
pursue their own work and to judge the work of their students in light of
shared scholarly norms. To fulfill the latter obligation, teachers need to
be free from intimidation and free to make pedagogical decisions on the
basis of shared scholarly norms, as understood by qualified peers. This
is the core of academic freedom. Without it, there can be no such thing
as academic responsibility.
While complaints about pedagogy and scholarship should of course
receive due consideration, it is vitally important for institutions of higher
learning to preserve an atmosphere of free inquiry and instruction--not
least of all in the study of religion, where the nature of the subject
matter guarantees that passions will often run strong and
disagreements sometimes go deep.
1
See
http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/pubsres/policydocs/1940statement.htm
2
3
See http://www.aarweb.org/about/mission.asp
Ibid.
Tentative Course Schedule
Note: I have not assigned anything for weekends, so you can use them to work ahead
or catch up. All quizzes are available at the beginning of the summer term. Due dates
are posted below and on the "Quiz and Assignment Schedule." Because summer terms
are so compact, I will entertain reasonable requests to make up missed work.
Remember to pay
attention to Due Dates!:
Date
Suggested Reading and Work Assignments
Tues May 29
Sign up for VoiceThread account and introduce Introduction on
yourself on VoiceThread
VoiceThread
Wed May 30 first half of Hinduism lecture on VoiceThread
Thurs May
31
Fri June 1
second half of Hinduism lecture on
VoiceThread
Buddhism 1-2 on VoiceThread
Post one comment on
Hinduism presentation
and take Hinduism quiz
(closes at 11 PM Central
Time)
Sat-Sun,
June 2-3
Mon June 4
Buddhism 3-4 on VoiceThread
Tues June 5 Judaism 1-2 on VoiceThread
Post one comment on
Buddhism presentation
and take Buddhism quiz
(closes at 11 PM Central
Time)
Wed June 6 Judaism 3-4 on VoiceThread
Thurs June 7 Christianity 1-2 on VoiceThread
Fri June 8
Post one comment on
Judaism presentation
and take Judaism quiz
(closes at 11 PM Central
Time)
Christianity 3 on Voice Thread
Sat-Sun
June 9-10
Mon June 11 Islam 1-2 on VoiceThread
Tues June
12
Islam 3-4 on VoiceThread
Wed June
13
Study for and take midterm exam. Select a
religion for your final project (Hinduism,
Post one comment on
Christianity presentation
and take Christianity quiz
(closes at 11 PM Central
Time)
Post one comment on
Islam presentation and
Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, or Islam).
Sign up for you religion using the Groups tab.
take Islam quiz (closes at
11 PM Central Time)
Thurs June
14
Gwynne chapter 1: Image
Midterm exam closes at
11 PM Central Time
Fri June 15
Gwynne chapter 5: Death
Gwynne ch 1 quiz closes
at 11 PM Central Time
Sat-Sun
June 16-17
Mon June 18 Gwynne chapter 6: Marriage
Gwynne ch 5 quiz closes
at 11 PM Central Time
Tues June
19
Gwynne chapter 7: Food
Gwynne ch 6 quiz closes
at 11 PM Central Time
Wed June
20
Gwynne chapter 8: Clothing
Gwynne ch 7 quiz closes
at 11 PM Central Time
Thurs June
21
Gwynne chapter 10: Year
Gwynne ch 8 quiz closes
at 11 PM Central Time
Gwynne chapter 11: Building
Gwynne ch 10 quiz
closes at 11 PM Central
Time
Mon June 25 Gwynne chapter 12: Journey.
Gwynne ch 11 quiz
closes at 11 PM Central
Time
Fri June 22
Sat-Sun
June 23-24
Tues June
26
Create your individual PowerPoint slides and
Gwynne ch 12 quiz
put them in the Locker for your group. Critique closes at 11 PM Central
the slides of the other members of your group. Time
Wed June
27
Edit your own slides and send them to the
person who will assemble your group
presentation. Put assembled PowerPoint
presentation in the Locker for your group.
Professor Bahr will load completed
presentations onto VoiceThread as soon as
she receives them.
Completed PowerPoint
presentations due in
Group Locker by 11 PM
Central Time
Thurs June
28
Narrate your individual slides on VoiceThread
Narrations due by 11 PM
Central Time
Fri June 29
Enjoy all five completed VoiceThread
presentations! Feel free to comment on any of
the presentations using text or voice.
Quiz and Assignment Due Dates
Note: All quizzes are available on the first day of class. Closing times for quizzes,
comments, and other assignments are listed in this table. Because summer terms are
so compact, I will entertain reasonable requests to make up missed work.
Hinduism Quiz
closes Fri June 1 at 11:00 PM Central Time
Comment on Hinduism
lecture
due Fri June 1 at 11:00 PM Central Time
Buddhism Quiz
closes Tues June 5 at 11:00 PM Central Time
Comment on Buddhism 1-4
due Tues June 5 at 11:00 PM Central Time
Judaism Quiz
closes Thurs June 7 at 11:00 PM Central Time
Comment on Judaism 1-4
due Thurs June 7 at 11:00 PM Central Time
Christianity Quiz
closes Mon June 11 at 11:00 PM Central Time
Comment on Christianity 1-3 due Mon June 11 at 11:00 PM Central Time
Islam Quiz
closes Wed June 13 at 11:00 PM Central Time
Comment on Islam 1-4
due Wed June 13 at 11:00 PM Central Time
Midterm "exam"
closes Thurs June 14 at 11:00 PM Central Time
Chapter 1: Image
closes Fri June 15 at 11:00 PM Central Time
Chapter 5: Death
closes Mon June 18 at 11:00 PM Central Time
Chapter 6: Marriage
closes Tues June 19 at 11:00 PM Central Time
Chapter 7: Food
closes Wed June 20 at 11:00 PM Central Time
Chapter 8: Clothing
closes Thurs June 21 at 11:00 PM Central Time
Chapter 10: Year
closes Fri June 22 at 11:00 PM Central Time
Chapter 11: Building
closes Mon June 25 at 11:00 PM Central Time
Chapter 12: Journey
closes Tues June 26 at 11:00 PM Central Time
Final Project Complete
PowerPoint presentations
due in Group Locker
Due Wed June 27 at 11:00 PM Central Time
Final Project Narration of
individual slides on
VoiceThread
Due Thurs June 28 at 11:00 PM Central Time
SGE Goal #4: Students will understand the diversity and complexity of
the human experience through study of the arts and humanities.
Student Learning Outcome 1: Demonstrate knowledge of the diversity of
values, beliefs, and ideas embodied in the human experience.
1.1 Explore the values, beliefs, and ideas embodied in five major world
religions
Teaching and Learning Activity: Five VoiceThread lectures, chapters 1, 5-8,
and 10-12 in textbook (Gwynne)
Feedback and Assessment: online quizzes, VoiceThread comments, final
project
Student Learning Outcome 2: Identify and explain basic concepts of the
selected disciplines within the arts and humanities.
2.1 Identify and explain basic concepts of the five religions studied during
the semester
Teaching and Learning Activity: Five VoiceThread lectures, cahpters 1, 5-8,
and 10-12 in textbook (Gwynne)
Feedback and Assessment: online quizzes, VoiceThread comments, final
project
Student Learning Outcome 3: Identify and explain the contributions of other
cultures from the perspective of the selected disciplines within the arts and
humanities.
3.1 Identify and explain the contributions of the five religions to their
respective philosophical, religious, social, and cultural contexts
Teaching and Learning Activity: Study the philosophy, social structure, and
cultural contributions of each of the five religions, using VoiceThread lectures
and the textbook
Feedback and Assessment: online quizzes, VoiceThread comments, final
project
IGR Goal #3: Social and Cultural Stewardship: Students will demonstrate
both social and cultural stewardship to foster individual creativity and to promote
preservation and growth of culture and community.
Recognize relationships that exist among ideas
1.1 Students will recognize the internal relationships that exist among the
major ideas of each of the religions studied.
Teaching and Learning Activity: VoiceThread lectures, final project
Feedback and Assessment: VoiceThread comments, online quizzes, final
project
1.2 Students will recognize the external relationships that exist among the
major ideas of two or more of the religions studied
Teaching and Learning Activity: Textbook chapters 1, 5-8, and 10-12
Feedback and Assessment: online quizzes
Student Learning Outcome 2: Demonstrate an appreciation of the different
ways in which people express their understanding of the human condition
2.1 Students will be able to describe and draw inferences from the
worldviews of the five religions studied
Teaching and Learning Activity: VoiceThread lectures, textbook, final project
Feedback and Assessment: online quizzes, VoiceThread comments, final
project
Student Learning Outcome 4: Demonstrate their knowledge of the structure
and possibilities of the human community.
4.1 Students will be able to describe the social, political, and religious
structures developed by each of the five religions
Teaching and Learning Activity: VoiceThread lectures, readings in Gwynne
Feedback and Assessment: online quizzes, VoiceThread comments, final
project
Globalization Requirement: Students will understand globalization
and how it affects the human community.
Student Learning Outcome 1: Demonstrate a basic understanding of
globalization
1.1 Students will be able to describe the historical growth and global
dispersion of the major world religions
Teaching and Learning Activity: VoiceThread lectures--part 1 of each
tradition
Feedback and Assessment: VoiceThread commenbts, online quizzes
1.2 Students will be able to identify the major contemporary issues related
to the globalization of the religions
Teaching and Learning Activity: VoiceThread lectures
Feedback and Assessment: online quizzes, VoiceThread comments
Student Learning Outcome 2: Identify the benefits and cost implications of
globalization
2.1 Students will be able to describe how technological and communications
advances have enabled religions to become global players
Teaching and Learning Activity: VoiceThread lectures
Feedback and Assessment: online quizzes, VoiceThread lectures
2.2 Students will be able to summarize the effects of religious pluralism and
loss of complete cultural hegemony on the religions studied
Teaching and Learning Activity: VoiceThread lectures
Feedback and Assessment: online quizzes, VoiceThread comments
Student Learning Outcome 3: Identify and analyze global issues including
how multiple perspectives impact such issues
3.1 Students will be able to identify and analyze the effects of
modernization, secularism, Westernization, and competing missionary
activities on each of the religions studied
Teaching and Learning Activity: Discussion
Feedback and Assessment: VoiceThread comments, final project
3.2 Students will be able to compare the viewpoints of several religions
regarding each of the issues in 3.1
Teaching and Learning Activity: textbook readings
Feedback and Assessment: online quizzes
Student Learning Outcome 4: Interpret global issues and data utilizing
discipline specific analytical and/or philosophical tools
4.1 Students will be able to describe the worldwide resurgence of religion as
a source of political and social identity
Teaching and Learning Activity: VoiceThread lectures, textbook
Feedback and Assessment: VoiceThread comments, online quizzes, final
project