RLST100: Introduction to Religion
Spring, 2006
Stuart Chandler Office Hours:
445 Sutton Monday 2:00–4:00
357-5612 Wednesday 2:00-3:30
chandler@iup.edu Fri. 2:00-3:30
Course Description
This course provides an introduction to the study of religion through the examination of various dimensions of religious expression and traditions. It covers such issues as problems about the definition of religion; cases of religious experience; religious goals, language, and rituals; faith, disbelief, and alternatives to religion; and socio-cultural influences upon religion. This semester we will especially focus on the soteriological aspect of religion, viz. on the different methods through which people strive to realize ideal human potential, whether that realization be worded in terms of fulfillment, salvation, or liberation.
Itinerary
Jan. 31-Feb. 17 Victor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
Feb. 20 Midterm
Feb. 21-March 10 Mohandas K. Gandhi (reader)
March 20-April 10 Sogyal Rinpoche, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
April 11-May 1 Anne Lamotte, Traveling Mercies
May 8 or 10 Final Exam
Class Requirements
I. Attendance and Participation—10%
Students are expected to come to class regularly and to display engagement with the material. Everyone will participate in full-class and small group discussions and each student will collect newspaper articles over a one-week period for “Religion in the News.” Students should miss no more than three classes.
II. Quizzes—30%
There will be approximately twenty-four quizzes given over the course of the semester. Twelve of these will be given in class. Approximately twelve will be given via Web-CT.
In-class quizzes: Each quiz will consist of multiple choice questions on the current reading. The lowest two grades will be dropped. There are no make-ups given for missed quizzes.
Web-CT quizzes: Each quiz will consist of multiple choice questions on the current reading. There are no make-ups given for missed quizzes. These quizzes will be pass-fail, with a score of 70 (i.e. 7 out of 10 answers correct) or higher regarded as passing. These quizzes will affect your quiz average as follows:
# quizzes passed Affect on quiz average # quizzes passed Affect on quiz average
12 +1 5 -5
11 +1 4 -6
10 0 3 -7
9 -1 2 -8
8 -2 1 -9
7 -3 0 -10
6 -4
III. Exams or Essay—60%
Option A: Exams
Midterm Test—20%
Students will take an hour-long in-class test on February 20.
Final Exam—40%
Students will take a two-hour final exam. For RLST 100-001 (9:15), the exam will take place May 10 from 8:00 am to 10:00 am. The exam for RLST 100-002 (10:30) will occur on May 8 from 10:15 to 12:15.
Option B: Essay
Students have the option of writing an extended essay instead of taking the two exams. The first section of the essay, worth 20% of the final class grade, is due on February 20. The final, finished essay, worth 40% of the final class grade, is due on May 4. The full essay should be at least ten pages in length.
90-100 A
80-89 B
70-79 C
60-69 D
<60 F
Sandars, N.K. The Epic of Gilgamesh
Frankl, Victor E. Man’s Search for Meaning
Lamotte, Anne. Traveling Mercies
Sogyal Rinpoche, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying
Chandler, Stuart. “Introduction to Religion Reader”