LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF THEOLOGICAL STUDIES
COURSE OUTLINE SPRING 2008
“The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. . . Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” —Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
THST 180: Religions of the World
Classroom: UH 2002
Section 1: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 12:00 pm to 12:50 pm
Section 2: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 1:00 pm to 1:50 pm
Professor: Amir Hussain
Office: University Hall, Room 3724
Phone: (310) 338-5987 (or Department of Theological Studies at 338-7670)
Fax: (310) 338-1947
Email: amir.hussain@lmu.edu
Web Page: http://www.bellarmine.lmu.edu/theology/amir/
Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:30 pm to 7:00 pm; Fridays, 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Course Description:
This course is an introduction to the academic study of religion and of world religions, and to the religious traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Primal or “oral” religions will also be studied, and contrasted with “historical” religions. The course examines the historical evolution, the fundamental doctrines and beliefs, the practices, institutions and cultural expressions of these religious traditions. The course also deals with some of the essential differences and similarities which exist among each religious tradition, and points to the uniqueness of each of them.
Student Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this course students will 1) demonstrate that they will think both empathetically and critically about conflicting religious claims; 2) demonstrate that they have gained knowledge of the history and culture of several major religious traditions; and 3) through class participation and written assignments have improved their verbal and written skills.
Required Text:
Willard G. Oxtoby and Alan F. Segal, Editors, A Concise Introduction to World Religions (Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2007).
The textbook is on reserve in Reserve Services of the Library.
Lecture Outlines, available from the LMU Bookstore. Please bring these outlines to each class meeting.
Evaluation:
It is important for each student to know at the outset that this course requires daily reading, journal writing, six written assignments and two essay exams. Moreover, regular class attendance and participation are required. Clear, grammatically correct composition and standard spelling are expected on all written assignments. Written assignments should be proofread and edited before being submitted for grading.
Class discussion and assignments will focus on the textbook. The mid-term and final exams will be based on this book. The exams will be graded on a) familiarity with the readings and b) independent questioning and reflection elicited by journal writing, written assignments and classroom discussions. Methodical reading, conscientious writing of the assignments, and participation in class discussion will prepare students for the exams.
Regular attendance and timely handing-in of the written assignments are mandatory. The dates for handing-in each assignment are given below. Active class participation will positively affect the student's final grade. More than three unexcused absences during the semester will negatively affect the student's grade. The University’s grading policy, including the plus/minus system, will be used. The University’s policy on Academic Dishonesty will be followed in this course.
Grades will be determined as follows:
30% Written Assignments (6 assignments, worth 5% each)
10% Class Participation
30% Mid-Term Exam (On Eastern Traditions, written in blue books), February 29
30% Final Exam (On Western Traditions, written in blue books), May 7 (Noon Class); May 8 (1:00 pm class)
Schedule of Classes:
Jan. 14 - 18: Introductory Meetings. Methodological Issues In This Course (Reading: Introduction, 2 - 9)
Monday, Jan. 21: No class due to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Jan. 23 - 25: The Hindu Tradition (Reading: 258 - 295)
Jan. 28 - Feb. 1: The Hindu Tradition (Reading: 296 - 325)
Feb. 4 - 8: The Buddhist Tradition (Reading: 376 - 396)
Feb. 11 - 15: The Buddhist Tradition (Reading: 396 - 439)
Monday, Feb. 18: No class due to Presidents’ Day
Feb. 20 - 22: Chinese Religions: Confucianism and Daoism (Reading: 440 - 468)
Feb. 25 - 27: Chinese Religions: Confucianism and Daoism (Reading: 468 - 498)
Friday, Feb. 29: Mid-Term Exam, Based On Material Covered In The Course To This Point.
March 3 -7: No classes due to Spring Break
March 10: The Mythological Framework of Western Culture
March 12 - 14: The Jewish Tradition (Reading: 60 - 101)
Friday, March 14: Last Day to Withdraw or Apply for Credit/No Credit grading
March 17 - 19: The Jewish Tradition (Reading: 101 - 128)
Friday, March 21: No class due to Good Friday
March 24 - 28: The Christian Tradition (Reading: 130 - 158)
Monday, March 31: No class due to César Chávez Day
April 2 - 7: The Christian Tradition (Reading: 159 - 197)
April 9 - 14: The Islamic Tradition (Reading: 198 - 232)
April 16 - 25: The Islamic Tradition (Reading: 233 - 257)
April 28 - May 2: Indigenous Religions (Reading: 10 - 15, 32 - 41) and The Nature of Religion (Reading: 540 - 566)
Wednesday, May 7: Final Exam for the Noon Class (exam time 11:00 am - 1:00 pm). Final Exam Based On Material Covered Since The Mid-Term.
Thursday, May 8: Final Exam for the 1:00 pm Class (exam time 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm). Final Exam Based On Material Covered Since The Mid-Term.
Journal Writing and Dates for Handing in Written Assignments:
For this course, you will be asked to keep a learning journal. This journal is intended to 1) improve your writing fluency, 2) increase your recall and comprehension of the readings, and 3) help you to articulate the ideas that you develop during the course. How you keep this journal is up to you. Many students prefer a spiral-bound notebook, others a looseleaf binder that they can divide into sections, and others an electronic journal. However you keep it, this journal is meant to be a personal record of your learning in this course. As such, you are the only person that will ever read your journal.
At times in the course, I will ask you to take out your journals and write in them. In addition to these opportunities to write in your journal during class time, you should write in your journal after you have done the reading for a particular section. You should write about 2 to 3 pages per week in your journal. Some topics you might address are:
- What were the important points of this reading (or lecture, or class discussion)?
- Do you agree or disagree with those points? Why?
- What questions do you have about the reading (or lecture, or class discussion)?
- How does the reading (or lecture, or class discussion) relate to your own experience, or to other outside reading/research that you have done?
For each religious tradition that we study, I will ask you to select from your journal the piece that you consider to be the most important to you, revise it, and submit it as a formal written assignment. This assignment should not be simply a summary of your notes, but your own reflection on what you have learned. Each assignment should be about two typed, double-spaced pages in length. These assignments will be graded on such things as spelling, punctuation, grammar, word precision and style, in addition to content. Journal assignments will be collected at the beginning of the classes indicated below.
Turn in late assignments directly to me and not to the department office. The penalty for late assignments will be one letter grade per day late (with the “day” ending at 5:00 p.m.). For example, if an assignment is due on Tuesday, it can earn a maximum grade of A. If it is turned in on Wednesday, it can earn a maximum grade of B+. If it is turned in on Thursday, it can earn a maximum grade of C+, and if turned in on Friday, a maximum grade of D+.
The assignments are due on the following dates:
Monday, January 28: Assignment on The Hindu Tradition
Monday, February 11: Assignment on The Buddhist Tradition
Monday, February 25: Assignment on Chinese Religions
Monday, March 17: Assignment on The Jewish Tradition
Wednesday, April 2: Assignment on The Christian Tradition
Monday, April 21: Assignment on The Islamic Tradition
“Normally persons talk about other people’s religions as they are, and about their own as it ought to be”.
—Wilfred Cantwell Smith, 1962