Note: Some modifications may be made in this syllabus as the semester progresses.

Course description
Course requirements: Required texts / Attendance / Oral and written work / Computer use
Instructions for the Reaction Paper
Grading policy
Academic honesty
Office hours
Students with Disabilities
Class schedule with assignments

A. COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course is an examination of religious thought—theology and ethics—in the Western traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Using primary texts, attention will be given to an exploration of the ways in which religious individuals and communities understand the divine, human experience, and the world. Some attention will also be given to non-Western perspectives.

RELG-141 is part of Siena College’s core curriculum. All courses in the core share the following objectives:

1. To help students to address the challenges of an ever changing world and a diverse society;
2. To promote critical thinking;
3. To introduce students to appropriate methodologies;
4. To expose students to resources and tools that support learning.

This is one of four courses that satisfy the disciplinary requirement in Religious Studies. The four courses share the following general goals:

1. To foster an appreciation of the breadth and range of religious experience.
2. To foster an awareness of the assumptions that individuals and groups bring to the study of religious experience.
3. To foster an appreciation of the diversity within and among religious communities.
4. To foster an appreciation of the themes of continuity and change within religious institutions, traditions, and communities.
5. To foster an appreciation of some of the questions posed by religious studies:

Obviously, not all of the questions raised in goal #5 can be treated in a single course. RS-04 will focus on the first question, with some attention to the others.

The specific objectives of this course are to enable students

1. To identify assumptions, attitudes, and arguments that inform different understandings of the divine, human experience, and the world;

2. To appreciate how the "lenses" one uses to examine religious thought and experience determine what one sees and what one can say about various dimensions of the relationships among human beings, as well as human beings in relation to the divine;

3. To examine critically their own beliefs and behaviors to determine how adequate and coherent they are in the light of their exposure to the religious thought (theology and ethics) of selected religious communities and individuals.

1. Readings: The following textbooks are required for the course:

The Bible. New Revised Standard Version. American Bible Society.
The Koran. Translated by N. J. Dawood. Penguin Classics, 1990.
Introduction to Religious Thought. (Listed below as "Reader.") Edited by Dennis Tamburello, O.F.M. Campus Custom Publishing Co., Spring 2000.
Diana Hacker, A Pocket Style Manual, 2^nd ed. Boston: St. Martin’s Press (Bedford Books), 1997.

Additional reading materials will be placed on reserve in the library. These will be marked with an asterisk (*) in the class schedule below.

2. Class attendance is required. You may take up to four absences (without penalty) for illness, family emergencies, college-related activities like intercollegiate athletic games, and the like. All additional absences will cumulatively affect your participation grade. Absence from more than two weeks of class is considered excessive and may lead to a grade of U for the course or a major reduction of the final grade. Ordinarily there will be no excused absences, except in the case of having to miss an examination—these absences must be excused and documentation of the reason for the absence must be provided. Some exceptions to the above policy may be possible if I have been informed of extraordinary circumstances by the Office of Academic Affairs.

You are expected to arrive on time and to remain in class for the full period. Frequent late arrivals or sleeping in class will, after the first warning, be treated as absences.

Note that you are responsible for all materials that you have missed because of an absence. This includes any announcements made or handouts distributed.

3. Oral and written work: Grades will be computed on the basis of the following:

Click here to see the instructions for the reaction paper.

Participation includes attendance, preparedness, completion of some informal writing exercises, and contribution to class discussions. If you expect full credit for participation, you must miss no more than four (4) classes and participate verbally on a regular basis.

Makeup exams will only be given when I am provided with a documented reason for the absence (e.g., doctor’s note or note from Academic Affairs). There will be no makeups of quizzes.

4. Computer Use: I will use e-mail to send announcements and information about the course. I expect you to read your e-mail regularly, especially on the days before class. If you would like to receive e-mail at an address other than your Siena student account (e.g., an aol.com account), please ask me for instructions on how to forward Siena mail.

I use a point system to determine grades. Letter grades are computed according to the following scale:

Basically, a grade in the A range corresponds to superior work; in the B range to very good work; in the C range to adequate work; in the D range to marginal work; and F to failure.

Click here to get further information about grades.

All students are expected to uphold the standards of academic honesty. This means that all academic work, on examinations, quizzes, and papers, must be your own. Plagiarism is the handing in of any work that is not your own as if it were. This includes submitting a paper written in part or whole by someone else, as well as using or quoting in your paper someone else’s words or ideas without giving proper credit. Permitting someone else to use your work in this way or doing their work for them is also plagiarism, as is using the same material for more than one course without express permission from all instructors. Guidelines are spelled out in the statement "Academic Integrity and the Siena Student," which is published by the Office of Academic Affairs. It is available on the Siena College Academic Advising website at the address http://www.siena.edu/advising/integrity.html. See also the chapter on Documentation in Hacker, A Pocket Style Manual. Penalties for cheating or plagiarism can range from failing an assignment to failing the course, or in an extreme case, dismissal from the College.

My office is in Clare Center, located on the north end of the campus (behind the townhouses and Colbeth Hall). Office hours for the Spring Semester are:

Mondays and Wednesdays 10:30 a.m.-11:15 a.m.
Thursdays 10:00 a.m.-12:00 noon
Fridays 1:30-3:00 p.m.

Other times may be arranged by appointment. I prefer that you ordinarily call my office number (783-2924) for academic business, but feel free to call me at home (friary and Hennepin Hall, 783-4175) if something urgent arises.

F. STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:

Students with disabilities should register with Renee Zullo at the Office of Tutoring and Services for Students with Disabilities in Siena Hall 111. I will make every effort to accommodate your needs.

CLASS SCHEDULE
Readings marked with an asterisk (*) are on reserve in the library.
Click on titles to view Power Point outlines