Course Syllabus

Week One:Introduction to Religion and Ancient Religions
Week 1 outcomes:

• Identify characteristics of religions
• Trace historical development of ancient religions
• Create the beginnings of community in the class.

Introduction and Context (Definitions of religion and examples of ancient religions)

Reading and viewing:

Read Point of Departure and chapter 9 (the primal religions) in Smith.
Read and view the resources in the week 1 module.

Discussions:

1. Please introduce yourselves by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. What would you like us to know about you? What drew you to the class?

2. Please raise a discussion question by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. and reply to the questions of at least two classmates by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
3. Please respond to the following questions by Friday at 11:59 p.m. and at least one classmate's post for each by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.:

Question a) What are three important characteristics you are discovering aboutancient religions?
Question b) In what ways was it useful for ancient rulers (emperors, pharaohs, kings) to claim that s/he was a god or related in some way to a god?

Week Two:Hinduism, part I.
Week 2 outcomes:

• Identify characteristics of Hinduism
• Interpret scriptures and stories associated with Hinduism.

Reading and viewing:

Read to page 41 in Smith.
Read the first 9 chapters of the Bhagavadgita:https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/gita/(Links to an external site.)
Read and view the resources in the week 2 module.

Discussions:

1. Please raise a discussion question by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. and reply to the questions of at least two classmates by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
2. Please respond to the following questions by Friday at 11:59 p.m. and at least one classmate's post for each by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.: a) From your reading so far, do you think Hinduism's world view is an essentially optimistic or pessimistic one, and why?
   b) There is a conflict in Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita. How would you describe it; what might be an example of a similar conflict today? How might Hindu thought resolve this conflict?

1. Week Three:Hinduism, Part II.

Week 3 outcomes:

• Examine the beliefs and ethical teachings of Hinduism
• Examine the role Hinduism plays in its adherents’ lives

Reading and viewing:

Read to page 75 in Smith.

Read the introduction and Rescuing the World inTouching the Elephant.
Read the remaining 9 chapters of theBhagavadgita.

Read and view the resources in the week 3 module.

Discussions

1. Please raise a discussion question by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. and reply to the questions of at least two classmates by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
2. Please respond to the following questions by Friday at 11:59 p.m. and at least one classmate's post for each by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.: a) Of the paths toward liberation that Krishna stresses in theBhagavad Gita, which do you find most appealing/interesting and why?
   b) Realizing Brahman means moksha or liberation from the world of samsara. If you were a Hindu, would challenges might you anticipate in realizing Brahman? How would living your dharma be different from moksha; would you anticipate challenges in living your dharma? Do you think rescuing the world would be part of your dharma? Explain.

1. Week Four:Sikhism and Jainism.

Week 4 outcomes:

• Compare the ways in which the religions connect, including with Hinduism, through their histories, beliefs, and practices.

Reading and viewing:

Read Appendix on Sikhism in Smith (p. 75)

Read "Effort" inTouching the Elephant
Read and view the resources in the week 4 module.

Discussions:

1. Please raise a discussion question by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. and reply to the questions of at least two classmates by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
2. Please respond to the following questions by Friday at 11:59 p.m. and at least one classmate's post for each by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.: a) How do you think the Jain view of karma compares to Hinduism’s view; what might this reflect about the religion and its adherents ?
   b)In what ways do we see effort in Jainism and Sikhism?
   c) Sikhism condemns blind rituals. Why do you think that Sikhism does not see its ceremonies or the wearing of the Khalsa physical articles as blind ritual? Would Sikhism see anything in Hinduism or Jainism as blind ritual?

Week Five:Theravada, Mahayana and Zen Buddhism.
Week 5 outcomes:

• Trace the history and development of Buddhism
• Examine Buddhism’s core beliefs and the religion’s role in individual lives

Reading and viewing:

Read chapter III in Smith.

Read "Compassion" inTouching the Elephant.
Read theDhammapada(chapter 1 begins on page 23:http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/scrndhamma.pdf(Links to an external site.))
See “The Buddha” PBS documentary (posted in class)

Read and view the resources in the week 5 module.

Discussions:

1. Please raise a discussion question by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. and reply to the questions of at least two classmates by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
2. Please respond to the following questions by Friday at 11:59 p.m. and at least one classmate's post for each by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.: a) As you read theDhammapada, what do you learn about the human mind? What benefits do you think people might gain from better controlling their minds? b) Refer to TTE and the documentary to explain what insights you gained about compassion in Buddhism.

1. Week Six:Confucianism, Daoism and Shinto

Week 6 outcomes:

• Analyze the ways in which this week’s religions connect and conflict through their histories, beliefs, and practices.

Reading and viewing:

Read Chapter IV and V in Smith.

Read "Order" inTouching the Elephant.
Read theDao De Jingand theAnalects of Confucius

Dao de Jing:http://www.with.org/tao_te_ching_en.pdf(Links to an external site.)

Analects:http://classics.mit.edu/Confucius/analects.mb.txt(Links to an external site.)

Read and view the resources in the week 6 module.

Discussions:

1. Please raise a discussion question by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. and reply to the questions of at least two classmates by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
2. Please respond to the following questions by Friday at 11:59 p.m. and at least one classmate's post for each by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.: a)In what ways do we see order expressed in Confucian ideals? What are the drawbacks of Confucian order, if any? b) How does the yin-yang symbol give us an insight into Daoism's main ideas?
3. Post this topic response by Saturday at 11:59 pm: c) Do a little online research and discover the answers to one of these questions (and inform us): Women were not allowed to worship at Okinoshima; why do you think that was? How do the rites of thanksgiving that Shinto priests perform inside the temples differ from the rites of thanksgiving that common people perform outside the temple? How is sacred space created in Shinto? What are the mythic origins of Izumo, and what might they represent? How does the appearance/structure of Izumo differ from the appearance/structure of Ise, and why does it differ?

Week 7:Judaism, Part 1.
Week 7 outcomes:

• Examine the origin stories of Judaism
• Compare Judaism with the Far Eastern religions.

Reading and viewing:

Read "Generosity" in Touching the Elephant.

Read Chapter VII in Smith this week and next.

Read the Book of Exodus:https://biblehub.com/jps/exodus/1.htm(Links to an external site.)

Read and view the resources in the week 7 module.

Discussions:

1. Please raise a discussion question by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. and reply to the questions of at least two classmates by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
2. Please respond to the following questions by Friday at 11:59 p.m. and at least one classmate's post for each by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.: a) As you look at the links and do the readings this week, how do you think Judaism compares and contrasts with other religions we've examined so far?
   b)Taking into consideration that this is a Bronze Age text for a relatively newly formed religion at that time, what themes and concerns emerge from the Book of Exodus? How does Exodus connect to generosity?

Week 8:Judaism Part 2
Week 8 outcomes:

• Trace the history of Judaism
• Examine the role Judaism plays in the global community

Reading and viewing:

Read "Acknowledgement" in Touching the Elephant

View the videos and read the web page in the module. This video is almost two hours, so you might want to start early:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuyN7hoVZmU

Discussions:

1. Please raise a discussion question by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. and reply to the questions of at least two classmates by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
2. Please respond to the following questions by Friday at 11:59 p.m. and at least one classmate's post for each by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.:a) Do some research on the Jewish Diaspora. When did it begin?How did it contribute to the creation of the state of Israel in 1948?
   b) Given that many religions have come and gone in the history of the world, what characteristics do you think have enabled Judaism to survive? What role does acknowledgement play in Judaism?

Week 9:ChristianityPart 1
Week 9 outcomes:

• Compare Christianity with Judaism
• Trace the origins of Christianity
• Interpret the stories, myths, and scriptures associated with Christianity.

Reminder: the learning project is due in two weeks.

Reading and viewing:

Read Chapter VIII in Smith this week and next

Read "Truth" in Touching the Elephant
View the video in the module. The video is 1 hour and 40 minutes, so if you want to start early, here is the link:How Jesus Became God - UCC Part 1 of 3(Links to an external site.)

Read the Gospel of Lukehttp://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/luke-asv.html(Links to an external site.)and the Gospel of John:https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+1&version=NIV

Discussions:

1. Please raise a discussion question by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. and reply to the questions of at least two classmates by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
2. Please respond to the following questions by Friday at 11:59 p.m. and at least one classmate's post for each by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.:a) As you read through Smith, do you think Jesus accepted or rejected the traditional God of the Jews? Why? Be specific; use evidence to support your answer.
   b) How does John portray Jesus; what do John's themes and defining characteristics of the gospel seem to be?How would you characterize the Gospel of Luke; in what important ways is in different from John’s gospel? What do they seem to have in common regarding truth, and where do we see that? Use at least one source to support your views.

Week10Christianity Part 2

Week 10 outcomes:

• Trace the history of Christianity
• Examine the role Christianity has played in the global community

Reminder: the learning project is due next week.

Reading and viewing:

Read "Humility" in Touching the Elephant

Read and view the resources in the week 10 module including Luther's "The Twofold Use of the Law and Gospel":https://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/luther/lawgosp.htm

Discussions:

1. Please raise a discussion question by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. and reply to the questions of at least two classmates by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
2. Please respond to the following questions by Friday at 11:59 p.m. and at least one classmate's post for each by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.: a) As you read about the Protestant Reformation/Great Schism in Christianity, do you think that there is any longer something called "Christianity"? Or, are there many different religions all of which look to Christ as a savior? Why do you think what you think?
   b) What effects, long term or short term, have stemmed from Luther's ideas and the Protestant Reformation? c) Do the ideas of Protestantism and Catholicism seem to connect to humility? Why or why not?

Week 11Islam and Sufism

Week 11 outcomes:

• Identify the beliefs and ethical teachings of Islam.
• Examine the role of Islam in the global community.
• Analyze the relationship and identify any conflicts between Islam and Sufism.

Learning project due on Tuesday in both the drop box and the discussion.

Reading and viewing:

Read Chapter VI in Smith this week .
Read "Mindfulness" in Touching the Elephant
Read and view the resources in the week 11 module.

Discussions:

1. Please raise a discussion question by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. and reply to the questions of at least two classmates by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
2. Please respond to the following questions by Friday at 11:59 p.m. and at least one classmate's post for each by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.:a) What 3 things surprise you as you learn about Islam?
   Islam is a rapidly growing religion in America and other Western countries. Why do you think that might be? b) Does the Sufi approach to mindfulness seem similar to or different from mainstream Islam's approach? Compare. c)After you post your learning project to the drop box (so that I can grade it-- that step is important), please post it to the learning project discussion as an attachment. By Sundayat 11:59 p.m., please respond to the projects of two classmates in detail. This should be a conversation. Ask questions about ideas expressed in the project; point out strengths; comment on how the writer might have strengthened the project (what would you have liked to see included, for example? Where might more evidence have been helpful?) You are graded here only on your responses to peers. "Great job!" is not a substantive response; be detailed and thoughtful, please.

Week 12:Pulling it together

Week 12 outcomes

• Examine the role religion plays in individual lives and in the global community.
• Analyze the ways in which the world’s religions connect and conflict

Read "So What" and the Epilogue in Touching the Elephant.

Discussions:

1. Please raise a discussion question by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. and reply to the questions of at least two classmates by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
2. Please respond to the following questions by Friday at 11:59 p.m. and at least one classmate's post for each by Sunday at 11:59 p.m.: a) Over the course of the semester, you have been readingTouching the Elephant, which presents some of the ideas that religions share. Now that we have looked at many different religions, do you see any other shared values; if so, what do you notice? b) After reading and thinking about these various religions, would you argue that they help bind us more or divide us more? Explain why.

Congrats: We made it!