guided independent study

640:024 Religions of the World
Course Details        Return to course list         Enrollment information

Course credit

3 credit hours

Course description

Living religions of humankind with emphasis on their relevance to interpretations of existence, the problem of meaning and values, and human destiny.

Delivery

print This course is available in a print-based format. Mail completed assignments to the GIS Office. We will forward them to the instructor for grading.

Prerequisites

none

Instructor

James Robinson, Associate Professor

Evaluation

12 assignments, 4 exams

Overview

Religion is a fascinating topic and this course gives you an overview of the major living religions of the world. When finished with this course, you should:

  1. Be more informed about beliefs and practices of major religions and be familiar with their basic concepts and key terms.
  2. Be more informed about the nature of religion and the basic themes and motifs in the religions studied, how they are similar and how they are different.
  3. Have the resources to reflect sympathetically and critically on fundamental human issues and perhaps come to your own conclusions about some of them.

It does not matter for the purposes of this course whether or not you have any religious commitment yourself! All you need is curiosity about a very important component of human culture and a desire to learn more about it. But few students of world religion come away without a deeper appreciation of the human condition.

Course organization

The course is divided into 12 lessons with 4 exams. Your examinations will be proctored.

Each lesson can be completed in about a week's time. Lesson 1 introduces the study of religion and gives you the vocabulary that is used in religious studies. Lesson 2 deals with a general look at the religions of indigenous (tribal) peoples, what Huston Smith in IWR calls "the Primal Religions." You will then take the first exam. Please read the section on exams below.

Then will come three lessons on the great monotheisms, "the Abrahamic Religions:"

  • Lesson 3 - Judaism
  • Lesson 4 - Christianity
  • Lesson 5 - Islam

You will then take the second exam. The next three lessons include:

  • Lesson 6 - Baha’i and Sikhism
  • Lesson 7 - Hinduism
  • Lesson 8 - Buddhism

You will then take the third exam. The religions of East Asia will be covered next.

  • Lesson 9 deals with Taoism.
  • Lesson 10 deals with Confucianism.
  • Lesson 11 deals with Shinto and Jainism.
  • Lesson 12 deals with the present and future of religion.

You will then take the final exam which will be comprehensive and will have questions that may ask you to compare and contrast religious ideas.

There will be four questions at the end of each lesson. These will be of two types:

  1. There will be two questions each with five key ideas and religious practices to be identified. Each of them may be answered in a paragraph. I will give 1 point if the answer is adequate, 2 points if the question was answered in detail or with examples and special insight. Each question, a set of five identifications, will be worth a maximum of 10 points.
  2. There will also be two essay questions to stimulate your reflection on the material. They are to be answered in as much detail and insight as you can provide. Each essay will be worth a maximum of 10 points.

While essays should be concise and to the point, they should include everything you want to say about the question. An essay that digs into details is stronger than an essay that simply gives the once-over-lightly. A superior essay will embody whatever reflections you yourself have on the precepts or practices of the religion as well as give an answer from the text.

Exams

The four exams will follow the pattern of the lessons. There will be short answer identification of key terms - all drawn from the list of key terms in the relevant lessons - and several questions of the essay type.

The questions on the exam are similar but not identical to questions asked in the individual lessons. The later exams may ask you to compare and contrast different religions that you have already studied. Each exam counts the equivalent of a lesson.

Grading

The following grading system enables you to know how you are doing at any point during the course. Every lesson is worth 40 points. Each exam is worth 40 points. The final grade for the course will be determined by averaging the grades for the 12 lessons and the four exam grades. I sometimes make upward adjustments if there are clear signs of improvement over the course.

Textbook(s)

Smith. H. The Illustrated World Religions. Harper Collins. 1994.

Breuilly et al, Religions of the World, Facts on File. 1999.

Texts are available from the vendor of your choice or
University Book and Supply
1009 West 23rd Street, Cedar Falls, IA 50613
Phone: 319-266-7581 or 800-728-7581
Fax: 319-277-1266
E-mail: bookstore@panthersupply.com

To enroll

ONLINE
GIS enrollment information

IN PERSON
UNI Continuing Education
2637 Hudson Road (corner of 27th St. and Hudson Rd.)
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0223
Campus map (Look for Building 31)

For more information

Cindy Klodt, Guided Independent Study
UNI Continuing Education
319-273-2123 or 800-772-1746
ContinuingEd@uni.edu