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Introduction to World Religions
This course
will explore the historical development,
principal beliefs,
and basic practices of eight of the world’s major religious traditions,
namely
Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Daoism, Confucianism, Shinto, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
The distribution of grades for
the course is as follows:
Your final grade will ultimately depend on my assessment of
your performance in each of the above areas, though the following descriptions
should provide you with a rough idea of the defining characteristics of
students within particular grade ranges: | A | Consistently demonstrates a deep understanding
of the major concepts and themes of the course, develops insights into their
broader significance, and maintains a high level of intellectual engagement in
class discussions. | | B | Demonstrates a serious commitment to the course
and a strong grasp of the major concepts and themes but with less depth and/or
consistency than the “A” student. | | C | Demonstrates a basic grasp of the course material as well as a reasonable effort to attend class
and participate in discussions. | | D | Demonstrates a minimal commitment to the course
and a weak grasp of basic concepts and themes. | | F | Fails to demonstrate an acceptable degree of
effort in the course through low attendance, inability to discuss basic
concepts and themes, missed assignments and/or plagiarized work. |
Writing Assignments
Essays should be submitted on Canvas by clicking the “Assignments” link on the left-hand tab
and then clicking the assignment title. All papers should be double-spaced and include
appropriate references to your sources using either Chicago
Style or MLA
citations. Please note that using ChatGPT or a similar AI tool can be a
helpful way to generate ideas, though their use may stifle the development of your
own independent thinking and creativity. Moreover, presenting material that was
generated by such tools as your own work (for example, cutting and pasting such
content without citing the source) is PLAGIARISM. To avoid plagiarizing—and the
consequences of violating the College’s academic dishonesty policy—you should
(1) submit material that is in your voice and based on your analysis
and understanding of the topic; and (2) cite all sources — including AI
software — when using content that you did not generate. Violations will be dealt
with according to the college's plagiarism policy. All work may be randomly selected
for program assessment (with names removed); although this will in no way
impact your grade, you may opt out of program assessment by notifying Professor
Hoffert. The essay topics are as follows:
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Religious Autobiography
750-Word Minimum • 15%
Whether
you are religious, non-religious, or somewhere in between, everyone has a perspective on religion. Writing your religious autobiography is an
opportunity to reflect on your personal history as well as your present
beliefs about the meaning and purpose of existence. There is no “correct” formula for completing this assignment: you may
want to start with your early childhood and then trace the development of your
religious beliefs and practices up to the present; or you may decide to focus on
an event in your life that had a profound impact on your religious identity.
One way or another, the goal is to show how your personal history has
influenced your current perspective on religion. Needless to say, I will not
share the content of your paper with anyone else. For details on grading, see the Religious Autobiography Rubric below.
Contemplative Experience
1000-Word Minimum • 20%
Each semester, the Department of Religious
Studies hosts a number of “Contemplative Events,” each of which features a brief talk by an experienced
practitioner of a particular tradition (religious or secular), followed by a
meditative exercise and open discussion. During the semester, you will attend
at least one of these events and then write a paper based on the experience
(due one week after the event you attend). In addition to describing the event,
your paper should explore the significance of the contemplative exercise with
regard to at least
one of the various approaches to meditation that are associated with religions studied in this course. Examples of contemplative practices that you may wish
to explore include:
• Jewish davening (traditional prayers that are recited three times a day)
• the “Jesus Prayer” in Eastern Orthodox traditions
• praying the Rosary in Catholicism
• “Remembrance” (dhikr) in Islam's Sufi tradition
• apophatic (self-emptying) meditation in Daoism
• purification rituals in Shinto
• Hindu yoga traditions
• Buddhist forms of meditation, such as mindfulness (Theravada Buddhism), nembutsu samadhi (Pure Land Buddhism), and zazen (Zen Buddhism)
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Your paper should conclude with a discussion of
what you learned by comparing the meditation exercise from the Contemplative Event
with the contemplative practices of another religious tradition. Although you
may use “first person” to discuss your subjective experiences at the
contemplative event, the
rest of the paper should follow the more formal
conventions associated with academic writing, including references to at least three
academic
(peer-reviewed) sources. For grading details, see
the Contemplative Practices Rubric below.
Religious Service
1000-Word Minimum • 20%
In
order to develop a deeper understanding of religious practice, you will attend
a religious service in a tradition other than one with which you are closely
associated and write a reflection on the experience (due one week after the
service you attend). You will be expected to include references to a
conversation with at least one member of the congregation, so you may want to
contact the institution in advance to arrange for a congregant to meet you at
the service. Your paper should include a general summary of the service as well
as a detailed description of a ritual or other aspect of the service that you
found particularly interesting. You should then explain how this this ritual or
aspect of the service is similar to and/or different from the religious
practices of at least one other religion. Finally, you should explain how
attending the service and comparing it to the practices of another religion
helped you develop a deeper understanding of “religious pluralism”. Your paper should
include references to at least three academic
(peer-reviewed) sources. For
grading details, see the Religious Service Rubric below. For religious
establishments in the area, click the following link for Local Places of Worship.
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Midterm (15%) and Final (20%) Exams
There
will be a Midtern and a Final Exam, each of which will include a
combination of multiple choice, key terms/definitions, identify and
state the significance, and short essay questions.
Course Textbook
The course textbook, the tenth edition of Living Religions by Mary Pat Fisher and Robin Rinehart, can be purchased from the college's online bookstore or directly from Pearson
(which offers options that are potentially cheaper). If you choose to
purchase the text from another source, please make sure that you buy
the same edition.
Virtual Office Hours & Contact Info
My virtual office hours (via Zoom) and contact information are:
Monday/Wednesday/Friday 10:30-11:30 ● Thursday 4:00-5:00 ● Friday (Tea/Talk) 4:30-5:30
bhoffert@noctrl.edu ● brianhoffert.com
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Unsatisfactory
0-69%
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Satisfactory
70-79%
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Good
80-89%
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Excellent
90-100%
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MARK
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LENGTH
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<650 words
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650-750 words
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750-850 words
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>850 words
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1% |
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STYLE
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Ideas are poorly expressed with substantial spelling and/or grammar issues
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Ideas areadequately expressed but there are many stylistic errors
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Ideas are clearly expressed with some stylistic errors
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Ideas are eloquently expressed with few stylistic errors
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1%
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EVOLUTION OF RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
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The evolution of your religious beliefs is minimally discussed
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The evolution of your religious beliefs is adequately discussed
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The evolution of your religious beliefs is clearly discussed
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The evolution of your religious beliefs is insightfully discussed
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10%
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REFLECTION ON RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
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Your religious beliefs are not explored in sufficient detail
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The paper exhibits minimal reflection on your religious beliefs
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The paper exhibits genuine reflection on your religious beliefs
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The paper exhibits deep reflection on your religious beliefs
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3%
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TOTAL
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15%
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Unsatisfactory
0-69%
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Satisfactory
70-79%
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Good
80-89%
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Excellent
90-100%
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MARK
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LENGTH
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<850 words
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850-1000 words
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1000-1150 words
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>1150 words
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1% |
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STYLE
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Ideas are poorly expressed with substantial spelling and/or grammar issues
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Ideas areadequately expressed but there are many stylistic errors
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Ideas are clearly expressed with some stylistic errors
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Ideas are eloquently expressed with few stylistic errors
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2%
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REFERENCES
| There are no references to academic sources
| There are less than three references to academic sources and/or they are not properly cited
| There are appropriate references to at least three academic sources
| There are insightful references to at least four academic sources
| 3% |
DESCRIPTION OF EVENT
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The contemplative event is not described in sufficient detail
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The contemplative event is described in minimal detail |
The contemplative event is described in appropriate detail |
The description of the contemplative significantly enhances the paper
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2% |
COMPARISON OF MEDITATION PRACTICES
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The contemplative event exercise was not compared to the practices of another tradition
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There was minimal comparison of the event exercise and the practices of another tradition
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There was an appropriate comparison of the event exercise and the practices of another tradition |
There was an insightful comparison of the event exercise and the practices of another tradition |
10% |
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REFLECTION
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There is no reflection on the comparison of meditation practices
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There minimal reflection on the comparison of meditation practices
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There is an appropriate reflection on the comparison of meditation practices
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There is an insightful reflection on the comparison of meditation practices
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2%
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TOTAL
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20%
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Unsatisfactory
0-69%
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Satisfactory
70-79%
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Good
80-89%
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Excellent
90-100%
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MARK
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LENGTH
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<850 words
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850-1000 words
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1000-1150 words
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>1150 words
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1% |
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STYLE
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Ideas are poorly expressed with substantial spelling and/or grammar issues
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Ideas areadequately expressed but there are many stylistic errors
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Ideas are clearly expressed with some stylistic errors
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Ideas are eloquently expressed with few stylistic errors
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2%
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REFERENCES
| There are no references to academic sources
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There are less than three references to academic sources and/or they are not properly cited
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There are appropriate references to at least three academic sources
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There are insightful references to at least four academic sources
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3% |
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CONTACT WITH CONGREGANT
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There is no evidence of contact with a member of the congregation
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There is minimal evidence of contact with a member of the congregation
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There are appropriate references to a discussion with a member of the congregation
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There references to a discussion with a member of the congregation significantly enhances the paper
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1%
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DESCRIPTION OF SERVICE
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The religious service is not described in sufficient detail
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The religious service is described in minimal sufficient detail |
The religious service is described in appropriate detail |
The description of the religious service significantly enhances the paper
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1% |
DESCRIPTION OF RITUAL OR OTHER ASPECT OF THE SERVICE
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The religious ritual or other aspect of the service is not sufficiently described
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The religious ritual or other aspect of the service is described in minimal detail
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The religious ritual or other aspect of the service is described in appropriate detail |
The description of the ritual or other aspect significantly enhances the paper
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3% |
COMPARISON OF RITUAL OR OTHER ASPECT OF THE SERVICE
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The ritual/other aspect is not compared to the practices of another religion
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The ritual/other aspect is briefly compared to the practices of another religion |
There is a good comparison of the ritual with the practices of another religion
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There is an insightful comparison of the ritual with the practices of another religion |
7% |
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REFLECTION
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There is no reflection on your understanding of religious pluralism
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There is minimal reflection on your understanding of religious pluralism
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There is an appropriate reflection on your understanding of religious pluralism
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There is an insightful reflection on your understanding of religious pluralism
| 2%
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TOTAL
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20%
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