Religions of the World, GREL 101, sect. 10 + 11
Fall 2006
Godwin 341
MWF 10:10-11am / 11:15-12:05
Office Hours: MW 2:30-4:30pm
or by appointment
David Kratz Mathies
Philosophy and Religion Dept.
Office: Hoffman 5
Phone: 8-6045
E-mail: <mathiedk@jmu.edu>
Course Description:
This course will survey and explore the major (and some minor) religious
traditions of the world. The course schedule is roughly divided into three major parts
according primarily to geography: After an introduction to religion and religious studies,
the first part will look primarily at the South Asian religions Hinduism and (Theravada)
Buddhism with some attention to Jainism. The second section will deal with the East
Asian religious traditions of Confucianism, Daoism, and (Mahayana) Buddhism, giving
shorter time to Shinto. The final section will return to the West to cover Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam, while noting as well the developmental continuities with
Zoroastrianism and Sikhism. The course will conclude with some consideration of the
various theoretical approaches to religious pluralism.
Course Objectives:
1. Students will become familiar with methods and terminology of the comparative study
of religions.
2. Become familiar with the major (and some minor) religious traditions of the world.
3. Engage other religious worldviews with both empathetic imagination and critical
evaluation, encountering the religiously other beyond simplistic ideologies as human
persons.
4. Consider various theoretical models for understanding religious pluralism.
Requirements and Evaluation:
Students are expected to come to class having read the assigned materials and
ready to discuss them as part of the learning process. Outlining or note-taking is strongly
encouraged as one way to prepare for class discussion.
Students will be responsible for three short written assignments, one class
presentation, three section exams, and one final exam. All four exams will be
approximately 50 minutes in length; the third section exam will be given as the first half
of the final examination in the time period assigned for the appropriate section. The first
paper (3-4 pages) will be a response to online reading which will be posted in the
student’s blackboard account along with a fuller assignment description.
The remaining three assignments (two written and one oral) will be chosen by the
students as follows. Please note that students should choose one of the following
options for each of the three sections of the course—i.e. one related to South Asian
traditions, one related to East Asian traditions, and one related to Western traditions
(determined as they are listed in the schedule).
1) A 6-8 minute in-class, researched presentation chosen from the presentation
schedule incorporated into the course assignment schedule below. (Choices should be
made as soon as possible and cleared with the instructor.) The presentation should add
to the assigned course material by relating information that is not already in the assigned
readings. Presenters then need to submit only legible presentation notes and a
bibliography of sources. Unless otherwise negotiated, presentations must be made
during the class in which they are scheduled.
2) A textual paper (3-4 pages) on either of two basic formats, based on the
scriptural readings in the Novak text: Pick a theme from a single religious tradition and
show how it is developed in relevant assigned texts—or pick a single text and show
how it is important to the relevant religious tradition. Be sure to cite all texts referenced
with page numbers and include a full bibliography for any sources used apart from the
course texts. Except for the Western section, papers are due one week after the
corresponding section exam—as noted in the schedule below.
3) A book report (4-5 pages), choosing from The Ramayana or the Jataka tales
(The Hungry Tigress, 3-134, 143-60) for the South Asian section, Basho’s Narrow Road
to the Deep North or the Chinese folk novel Seven Taoist Masters for the East Asian
section, or either Ginzberg’s collection Legends of the Bible (xi-85) or Attar’s The
Conference of the Birds for the Western section. (Please note that students will select,
read, and report on only one of these six optional texts.) In each case, give a brief
synopsis of the material, followed by an explanation of the significance of the work for
the religious tradition, as well as your own account of what you learned about the
tradition from your reading. Bear in mind that not all of these texts would be considered
necessarily central to the tradition and make note of where and how your chosen work
might fit in the larger tradition. Be sure to cite all texts referenced with page numbers
and include a full bibliography for any sources used apart from the course texts. Except
for the Western section, papers are due one week after the corresponding section
exam—as noted in the schedule below.
Written assignments and exam essays will be graded on clarity of expression,
depth of analysis, creativity, evidence of mental effort, and demonstrated grasp of the
relevant course material. Unless otherwise specified, all written assignments must involve
engagement with (and explicit reference to) the assigned reading materials—omission of
this requirement will be graded accordingly. The best (A) papers and essays will go
significantly beyond the assignment by demonstrating exceptional understanding,
providing novel responses, or referencing sources from outside the course materials.
Unless otherwise specified, papers must be submitted in hard copy form at the
beginning of class on the date due. Papers must normally be typewritten, double-spaced,
in Times New Roman 12 point (or equivalent) with 1 inch margins on all sides.
Late papers will be deducted 1/3 letter grade per day. Late deductions begin with
late arrival to class (the following day is already the second late mark) and include
weekends and holidays. Papers may be sent as e-mail attachments to the instructor only
as a means of ‘stopping the clock’ on the late penalties, provided that the student later
submits a hardcopy of exactly the same document. Hardcopies will otherwise be
counted late until they arrive in the instructor’s hands—unless signed and dated by
someone in the post office (for campus mail) or the Philosophy and Religion office (for
drop-off). Except in the case of emergencies, requests for excused lateness submissions
must be made in writing and in advance, and specifying the reason for the request.
Requirements:
Attendance and active class participation 15%
Smith response (1st paper) 5%
Textual assignment 10%
Class presentation 15%
Book report 15%
Section exams (3 each at 10%) total 30%
Final examination 10%
Attendance Policy:
Students are expected to attend class regularly and participate actively. Students
are allowed three class absences (either ‘excused’ or ‘unexcused’), but beyond those
three, every unexcused absence will result in a 1/3 letter reduction of your attendance
and participation grade. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of every class.
Students who arrive for class after attendance has been taken are responsible for coming
to the instructor after class to make sure their presence is noted. Such students will be
marked late (3 latenesses = 1 absence). Except in the case of emergencies, requests for
excused absences must be made in writing, in advance, and specifying each date to be
excused.
Please note as well that attendance is a minimal requirement for the attendance
and participation grade. Students are invited to ask questions or add appropriate
comments at any time and active participation in class discussion is strongly encouraged:
Perfect attendance without ever (or rarely) speaking in class will receive a grade of ‘B–’
for the attendance and participation component of the final grade.
Books and Materials:
Required Text:
Fisher, Mary Pat. Living Religions. 6th ed. with The Sacred World CD-ROM
Novak, Philip. The World’s Wisdom. (also on library reserve)
Recommended Text:
Tolstoy, Leo. ‘What is Religion?’ (in Tolstoy, A Confession and Other Religious
Writings) (also on library reserve)
Optional Texts:
Attar, Farid ud-din. The Conference of the Birds. (also on library reserve)
Basho, Matsuo. The Narrow Road to the Deep North. (also on library reserve)
Ginzberg, Louis. Legends of the Bible. (also on library reserve)
Martin, Rafe. The Hungry Tigress.
Narayan, R.K. The Ramayana. (also on library reserve)
Wong, Eva. Seven Taoist Masters.
Other materials:
Several videos will be shown in class throughout the semester. Students are
responsible for the material in those videos whether they are present that day or not.
Academic Dishonesty:
Please note that there is no assignment for which it is ok to submit someone else’s
words as your own work! All assignments must be completed in your own words, with
direct quotations clearly marked and proper credit given for any use of sources. Any
assignment submitted that involves direct quotation without proper citation of sources
will receive a zero (rather than an F).
Also make sure that every time you make use of someone else’s ideas or
information, even if you do not directly quote from the text, you cite your source with
appropriate academic referencing (e.g. MLA, APA, or Chicago style). If you are not sure,
please consult an appropriate style guide or the instructor—please note, however, that
page numbers in citations are obligatory (where relevant and provided in the source
material) rather than optional, regardless of style guide specifications.
Disability Statement:
Any student with a documented disability likely to affect their academic
performance and learning in this course should contact the instructor so that appropriate
accommodation can be arranged.
Class Assignment Schedule:
M 28 Aug Introduction: What is Religion?
Presentation Schedule
W 30 Aug Fisher 1-30
F 1 Sept
Hinduism
Fisher 69-93 + CD-ROM content
Video: 330 Million Gods
M 4 Sept
Novak 2-24
*Greek mythology
Smith response paper due
*Roman mythology
*Norse mythology
Vedic gods
Soma
W 6 Sept
Fisher 94-105
Laws of Manu
Sati
F 8 Sept
Novak 24-40
Mahabharata M 11 Sept Fisher 106-15
Shankara
Novak 40-8
ISKCON
Transcendental Meditation
W 13 Sept Jainism
Fisher 116-28 + CD-ROM content
Online reading TBA
F 15 Sept
Theravada Buddhism
Fisher 129-47 + CD-ROM content
Video: Footprint of the Buddha
M 18 Sept Novak 49-77
W 20 Sept Review
Ashoka
Buddhist nuns
F 22 Sept
M 25 Sept
Exam: South Asia
W 27 Sept
Novak 145-74
Feng shui
Yijing
Acupuncture
Fisher 184-91
Online video
Tai Ping
External Alchemy
F 29 Sept
M 2 Oct
W 4 Oct
F 6 Oct
M 9 Oct
W 11 Oct
Daoism
Fisher 176-84
Video: A Question of Balance
Confucianism
Fisher 191-206 + CD-ROM content
Section 1 papers due
Novak 111-33
Novak 133-44
Online reading TBA
Mahayana Buddhism
Fisher 147-53 + CD-ROM content
Novak 77-86
Video: Land of the Disappearing Buddha
Fisher 158-63
Novak 95-109
F 13 Oct
No class
M 16 Oct
Fisher 154-8, 163-74
Novak 86-94
W 18 Oct
Guanyin
Soka Gakkai
Zen in the US
Bon
Tibetan Book of the Dead
Engaged Buddhism
Shinto
Fisher 207-21 + CD-ROM content
Online reading TBA
Online video
F 20 Oct
Review
M 23 Oct
New Confucianism
Exam: East Asia
Falun Gong (Falun Dafa)
*Australia aboriginal religion
*African tribal (ATR)
*Native American religion
W 25 Oct
F 27 Oct
M 30 Oct
W 1 Nov
F 3 Nov
M 6 Nov
W 8 Nov
F 10 Nov
M 13 Nov
W 15 Nov
F 17 Nov
M 20 Nov
W 22 Nov
F 24 Nov
Zoroastrianism
Fisher 222-5
Online reading TBA
Gilgamesh
Judaism
Fisher 226-47 + CD-ROM content
Video: Jews & Christians: A Journey of Faith
Novak 176-213
Section 2 papers due
Fisher 248-74
Novak 213-18
Apocrypha
Kabbalah
Fisher 275-83
Novak 218-27
Jews for Jesus
Hasidism
Halakha
Christianity
Fisher 284-302 + CD-ROM content Novak 228-53
Gospel of Thomas
Fisher 302-24
Novak 253-64
Augustine and Pelagius
Fisher 324-32
Novak 264-81
Eastern Orthodoxy in the US
Radical Reformation
Fisher 332-61
Social Gospel
Taizé
Feminist Theology
Liberation Theology
Black Theology
Womanist Theology
Islam
Fisher 362-78 + CD-ROM content
Novak 282-5
Video: Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet
Novak 285-312
Fisher 378-88
Novak 312-22
Thanksgiving Break
Thanksgiving Break
M 27 Nov
W 29 Nov
F 1 Dec
M 4 Dec
W 6 Dec
F 8 Dec
Fisher 388-92
Novak 322-33
Sufism
Fisher 392-415
Iranian Revolution
Shariah
Nation of Islam
Sikhism
Fisher 417-38 + CD-ROM content
Online reading TBA
Issues of Religious Pluralism
Fisher 476-94
*Baha’i
*Theosophical Society
Tolstoy, ‘What is Religion?’
Last day of class; no reading
Section 3 papers due
Sect. 10:
M 11 Dec
Final Examination (including Western exam) 10:30-12:30
Sect. 11:
W 13 Dec Final Examination (including Western exam) 10:30-12:30