RT201C: Religion & the human quest
Dr. Kari Kloos
Section 1: MW 9-10:15am
Office: Loyola 32
Section 3: TH 10:50am-12:05pm
Office hours: MW 10:30am-1:00pm and by appt.
Email: kkloos@regis.edu
Phone: 303.964.5733
course website: http://academic.regis.edu/kkloos/rt201.htm
Course Description
In this course we will consider fundamental questions about human existence in relation to sacred or
ultimate reality, using examples drawn from Eastern and Western religions. As such, this course is
not an introduction to world religions per se, but a cultivation of skills at the heart of liberal arts
education: the ability to evaluate critically how human beings have asked and answered in varying
ways existential questions about meaning, suffering, goodness, and ultimacy.
Course Questions
 What do people seek in religions? What questions do they ask?
 How do people think in different ways about who they are and how they relate to the world
and to ultimate reality?
 How do people engage religion in their personal quest for wholeness?
Student Learning Outcomes
 Identify some of the substantive questions that different religions seek to answer
 Demonstrate understanding of beliefs and practices of particular religious traditions
 Articulate a foundational awareness of the content of Regis’ mission and Catholic and Jesuit
values as they pertain to the study of religion, religious faith and practice, and social justice
 Develop critical reading skills
 Develop oral communication skills through in-class presentations and seminar discussion
Assignments and evaluation
 Participation
 Reading presentations
 Reading response essays
 Midterm exam
 CBL presentation and paper
 Final exam
Grading scale
A
AB+
B
94-100
90-93
87-89
84-86
BC+
C
C-
80-83
77-79
74-76
70-73
15%
15%
15%
15%
25%
15%
D+
D
F
67-69
60-66
0-59
Books





Augustine, Confessions (Vintage, 1998) 978-0375700217
Jacob Neusner, Judaism: The Basics (Routledge, 2006), 978-0415401760
Abraham Joshua Heschel, I Asked for Wonder (Crossroad, 1983, 2010) 978-0824505424
Thich Nhat Hanh: Essential Writings (Orbis, 2001): 978-1570753701
Amir Hussain, Oil and Water (Copper House, 2006): 978-1896836-8-29
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Policies
Attendance
The success of a seminar depends upon your participation. You may have 3 unexcused absences
during the semester. Absences will be excused only for Regis-sponsored extracurricular activities or
documented emergencies. If you have more than 3 unexcused absences, your final grade will
be lowered by 1/3 of a letter grade (e.g., A- to B+) for each additional unexcused absence.
Minimizing class disruptions
Please be considerate of your peers, myself, and yourself, and minimize disruptions during class. This
includes, but is not limited to, late entrances, getting up to go to the bathroom during class, letting a
cell phone ring or worse yet checking the cell phone if it rings, and text messaging. Turn the phones
off and put them away, get to the bathroom between classes, and get here on time. For my part, I will
start and end class on time, making sure that your time is used well and not wasted. You may always
stop me if I inadvertently run over class time.
Late work
Papers will be accepted up to 1 week late, with a reduction of 10 points (out of 100) for every day they
are late. If you need an extension, you must request it before the due date. Reading response essays,
however, will only be accepted if submitted before the beginning of the class period. No late
reading response essays will be accepted.
Plagiarism
The purpose of your college education is to think for yourself about critically important issues. Acts
of plagiarism actively thwart this goal. Therefore, if you plagiarize, you will receive a grade of 0.
If you plagiarize again, you will fail the course.
Consistent with the College's Academic Integrity Policy, I will report all plagiarism violations and
cases of academy dishonesty to the Dean's office. Students who have committed multiple
instances of academic dishonesty can be subject to institutional penalties like probation, suspension,
or expulsion, in addition to the penalties for this course. The Academic Integrity policy is described
in the Bulletin; detailed information about the policy and the appeals process can be found in the
Dean's office.
The following examples are forms of plagiarism:
1. The failure, whether intentional or unintentional, to cite correctly the use of ideas, data, or
specific written passages of others (note: be very careful to cite your sources, even when paraphrasing).
2. One person taking a quiz or examination, or producing a paper, for another.
3. Presentation of a paper or other work for credit in two distinct courses without prior approval of
both instructors.
4. Fraudulent or deceptive generation of research or the knowing use of such research.
If you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism, please contact me or ask a consultant at
the Writing Center. Ignorance is not an excuse.
Course Withdrawal Policy
 Last Day to Drop the Course: January 25, 2011
 Last Day to Withdraw from the Course (no refund): March 25, 2011
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Assignment: Reading Response Essays
Description
Write 10 one-page (200-250 word) reading response essays over the course of the semester,
dialoguing with the main arguments and themes of the assigned reading for that day. The goal of the
assignment is to think specifically, seriously, and personally about the assigned reading.
Format
Please follow the format of this example:
 Discussion question: Propose an open-ended (not factual) question that you would like to ask
your peers in the class. Your question should be genuine and engage the reading specifically.
 Example: How does the practice of mindfulness, as Thich Nhat Hanh describes it, really address the
problem of human suffering?
 Essay: In 200-250 words, put yourself in dialogue with the reading, asking questions, reflecting
on its content, and thinking about how it speaks to you.
 Focus your response on the author’s main themes.
 You may include your personal thoughts, critique the argument, or raise questions.
 You should refer to specific passages and use page numbers, so that you can discuss these
passages in class.
 You should consider both what you learn from the text and how you might critique the text
according to standards of logic, coherence, use of sources, and/or human experience.
 Whatever you write, you must engage the reading directly, specifically, and
thoughtfully.
Due dates
You may choose which days you want to submit essays, but note that essays must be submitted by
the time that class begins. Late essays (submitted after the beginning of class) will not be
accepted.
Also, you may submit only one essay per class period, even if multiple readings are assigned for
that day.
If several readings are assigned for a given day, you may write about one or more of them, as you
prefer. However, be aware that if you choose to write about only one reading, you must demonstrate
both breadth and depth in your essay’s grasp of the reading’s main themes (that is, do not choose the
shortest reading and write a simple essay, which is transparently taking the easy route. If you do this,
you will receive a lower grade).
Evaluation
Essays will be graded for:
 depth of engagement with the reading
 insight
 accuracy and specificity in representing the main ideas of the reading
 fairness of evaluation
 dialogical discussion with the text
 quality of writing.
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Assignment: Reading presentations
Twice during the semester you will give a 5-minute presentation introducing but not summarizing the
reading. The goal is to frame the major arguments or themes in the reading and to introduce
questions for discussion. In it you should:
 Identify the main arguments or most important ideas of the reading, explaining their
context sufficiently.
o Be as specific as you can. For example, if you say that in book 1 of the Confessions
Augustine writes about infancy, this is true but much too vague and boring. Instead,
articulate how he understands the spiritual significance of infancy in relation to
other major themes in the chapter.
 Identify possible critiques of these main arguments and ideas, according to logic,
internal religious sources and their coherence (scripture and tradition), and/or human
experience. For example, you might ask: what did the author leave out? What points are
weak? What would enrich or strengthen his/her argument?
o Note: Be generous and humble critics. While you should focus on the strengths and
weaknesses of arguments, you also want to ask yourself, did I miss something? How
can I understand the author’s perspective better? What do I learn from him/her?
And, where we differ, how might we have a constructive and civil dialogue?
o Talking about what you like or don’t like is not a critique. Probe deeper and evaluate
ideas according to standards of logic, coherence, use of sources, and experience.
 Describe the most intriguing or provocative ideas in the reading, in your opinion.
o What made you think the most? Why and how?
 Propose a genuine, open-ended question that the text raised for you, and explain why.
 Prepare a typed version of your presentation (either in paragraph form or an outline),
to be submitted to the professor for evaluation.
While the presentation is short, it is still formal. Prepare your remarks by writing them out formally
in paragraph or outline form (which you will submit for my evaluation), practice your oral delivery,
make eye contact with the audience, speak clearly and project your voice. Use visual aids if, and only
if, it will enhance your presentation (such as writing on the board or projecting an image). Most
importantly, demonstrate your careful and perceptive reading of the text in a comprehensive yet
succinct way. Do not summarize the reading.
Evaluation: Presentations will be graded for
 polish of delivery (clarity, poise, eye contact, pacing and volume)
 preparedness
 accuracy and specificity in representing the ideas of the text
 insight and depth of engagement with the ideas of the text
 fair and comprehensive articulation of main arguments and themes
 written preparation of remarks (paragraph or outline form), to be submitted to the professor
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Holistic Grading Model
Class Participation in Discussion
___To get A-level credit for participation throughout the class, students will speak daily in class.
Their observations will always be specific to the text at hand, and incorporate specific details from
the text (they will respond to particular passages). They will raise thoughtful questions about the texts
and connect them to overarching course questions. Their observations and questions in response to
other students will demonstrate active listening: they won't dismiss students' positions or concerns,
but will respond seriously to student arguments.
___To get B-level credit for discussion participation, students will speak frequently in class (weekly),
and will often, but not always, make observations that are detailed in reference to the text or
connected to larger course questions. They will often, but not always, demonstrate active listening in
responding to their peers' comments and questions.
___ To get C-level credit for discussion, students will speak occasionally in class, and will often, but
not always, make observations that are detailed in reference to the text, or connect to larger course
questions. They will often, but not always, demonstrate active listening in responding to their peers'
comments and questions. They will sometimes speak in ways that inhibit discussion (by silencing or
dismissing another student's concerns or questions).
___To get D-level credit for discussion, students will speak occasionally in class, and their
contributions will generally be unspecific to the text or to larger course questions. They will also fail
to listen seriously and respectfully to their peers.
___ To get F-level credit for discussion, students will speak either very infrequently or not at all,
their contributions will generally be unspecific to the text or to larger course questions, and their
verbal and nonverbal behavior will inhibit class discussion.
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Schedule of Readings
Jan 18-20
Intro to course; “Story of the Buddha” (course website)
Jan 24-27
M/T
W/R
“Buddhism” 75-83 (e-reserve)
Thich Nhat Hanh 17-35; “Buddhism” 84-91 (e-reserve)
Jan 31-Feb 3
M/T
Thich Nhat Hanh 53-77; “Buddhism” 94-101 (e-reserve)
W/R
Thich Nhat Hanh 117-134
Feb 7-10
M/T
W/R
Neusner, introduction and ch. 1
Neusner, ch. 2-3; Heschel, introduction
Feb 14-17
M/T
Neusner, ch. 6; Heschel, “Sabbath,” “Religion,” “Holy Deeds” (57-65, 115-122)
W/R
Neusner, ch. 7; Heschel, “God” (19-40)
Feb 21-24
M/T
Neusner, ch. 10; Heschel, “The People” (123-145)
W/R
Neusner, ch. 11; Heschel, “The Land” (146-152)
Feb 28-Mar 3
M/T
Fackenheim, “The Commanding Voice of Auschwitz” (e-reserve)
W/R
Midterm exam
Mar 5-13: Spring Break
Mar 14-17
M/T
Crossan, “A Kingdom of Nuisances and Nobodies” (e-reserve);
Luke 4-6 (any Bible; also on course website)
W/R
Augustine, Confessions, bks 1-2; Luke 15 (any Bible; also on course website)
Mar 21-24
M/T
Augustine, Confessions, bks 3-4
W/R
Augustine, Confessions, bks 5-6
Mar 28-31
M/T
Augustine, Confessions, bk 7
W/R
Augustine, Confessions, bks 8-9
Apr 4-7
M/T
W/R
Ignatius of Loyola (course website)
Intro to Islam (no reading)
Apr 11-14
M/T
Hussain, ch. 1-2
W/R
Hussain, ch. 3
Apr 18-21
M/T
Hussain, ch. 5
W/R
Hussain, ch. 6
Apr 25-28 : Student presentations
Final exam : MW class: 8-10 am, Monday May 2
TR class: 10:10 am-12:10 pm, Tuesday May 3
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