R 204:Western Religions
Fall 2003

READING ASSIGNMENTS

• Follow closely the Course Schedule to identify reading assignments and recommended readings.
• In advance of each class session, read the corresponding lecture in R201 Lectures (2003), the assigned reading in Porterfield, The Power of Religion, and any other special assigned readings.
• It is recommended that you read at least some of the recommended readings in Kessler, Eastern Ways of Being Religious or Ludwig, The Sacred Paths of the West. These will provide a much fuller context of meaning to the information you gather in the R201 Lectures (2003) and in Porterfield's The Power of Religion. Generally they can be read quickly, especially when you are not reading them to take in information you will have to recall in detail later.
• If you have interest and time, do some of the other recommended readings on the Course Schedule. Especially recommended are the readings of insider participant views, e.g., found in Comstock, Religious Autobiographies, and other sources listed in the R201 Course Schedule.

1. If you wish to go on the Field Trip,
• tentatively sign up to go as soon as the date is announced;
• by the second Friday before the trip, make deposit for Field Trip ($8.00 if riding; $1.00 if providing own transportation);
• by the last class session before the trip, provide emergency contact information to me on final sign up sheet.

2. If you can't go on Field Trip but would like extra-credit:
• Do one or more of the projects listed on the Extra-Credit website.
• For first hand field research, secure advance approval from me.
• For doing first hand field research, review Miller and Seltser, Writing and Research in Religious Studies, section 3 (which contains helpful guidelines for field research, observation, and interviewing).
• If you do field research, either incorporate your field research into your paper
• Or hand in a separate 3-5 page typed report by the last Friday of classes (before Exam Week).

• By Friday Jan 17, you and your teammates must identify who is on your team in writing to me.  It is suggested, but not required, that everyone on a given team have their paper due at the same date.
• Arrange a way to pool your efforts in preparation for taking the examinations.  Plan a time, if your schedules permit it, to study together for the examinations.
• Work to support each other on your respective paper assignments, giving constructive critical feedback whenever it is asked for.
• Arrange for at least one teammate to give a late draft of your paper a constructive critical review in accordance with the Peer Review Guidelines for the Research Project or the Peer Review Guidlines for the Essay Book Review.  Then revise your paper accordingly.
• Acknowledgment of the assistance you have received from your teammate(s) must be given in a note after the concluding paragraph of your paper.

• By Jan 10, choose the due date for your paper (either Jan 31, Feb 21, or Mar 17 [Noon]), which will also be to choose which of the three exams you will not be taking (Jan 31 on Hinduism, Feb 21 on Buddhism, Mar 21 on Religions of China and Japan) and to choose the general subject area for either your research project or your book review.  (If you write on Jainism, choose Jan 31; if on Sikhism, choose Feb 21.). Only 1/3 or the class will be allowed to choose one of these three dates.
• Well in advance of the due date chosen for your paper, submit in writing by Jan 15, Feb 5, or Feb 26 (depending on when it is due) your tentative choice of paper topic and (if it is a research project) a list of at least three major bibliographic sources you expect to be using: either a research paper on a specific topic in the tradition being covered in that section of the course or a book review on a specific book interreligious dialogue found on R201 Library Reserve listed under "Sources on Interreligious Dialogue." Review the Guidelines for R201 Research Project, to help you select a research paper topic. In the case of a Research Project, you should also identify at this time what you expect will be some of the best sources on your topic. Example papers of both kinds are on Library Reserve for you to review. Discuss it with me informally, if you would like.
• At next class session after the due date for the paper topic, receive back your paper topic with my approval or suggested changes, a list of students who will also be working on this or a closely related topic (to help you coordinate resources), and, in the case of research projects, some bibliographic suggestions. These suggestions, while they are not absolute, are to be taken seriously and to be used if at all possible.  In other words, do not ignore them.  In most cases, they will be the best sources available on campus for your topic.
• Complete paper by first becoming thoroughly familiar with the instructions found on the R201 Requirements webpage and the Guidelines for R201 Research Project or the Guidelines for the Essay Book Review. Make sure you follow the minimum requirements for written work on guidelines and use MLA format for all references. When in doubt, always consult with me. Mosy of the best books for research topics will be on reserve for the course.
• Arrange for a constructive critical review of your paper in accordance with the Peer Review Guidelines for the Research Project or the Peer Review Guidlines for the Essay Book Review by at least one of your teammates -- in time for you to revise your paper in light of his or her feedback before it is due.  Acknowledgment of the assistance you have received from your teammate(s) must be given in a note after the concluding paragraph of your paper.
• If you wish to take advantage of an extra credit option, arrange to have a thoughtful, knowledgeable representative of the tradition about which you are writing read your paper and give it a constructive critical review as to how well it represents the phenomenon you have chosen to write about -- in time for you to revise your paper in light of this feedback.  Note: make sure you give appropriate acknowledgement of any such critical review in a note after the concluding paragraph of your paper.
• Turn in paper by due date (Jan 31, Feb 21, or Mar 17 [Noon]), depending on the date you chose earlier. You need not show up for class on that day.
• Opportunity for re-writes will be given, but they must be completed within 7 days after the paper is returned. Hand in the re-write with the original paper attached. This will not be possible for the Mar 17 papers, unless they are turned in by Mar 10.

Begin preparing well in advance of the exams:

• Review the general description of the R201 Examinations, which gives some example questions.
• Become familiar with the examination study question list on the course website and the supplementary study question list in connection with Kessler's EasternWays of Being Religious handed out in class and use them to guide your reading and preparation for class.  (These are also available in the R201 Lectures (2003).)
• First Examination Study Questions
• Second Examination Study Questions
• Third Examination Study Questions
• Write out answers to the examination study questions fully and well in advance, to be used for review.
• Thoroughly commit these answers to your memory.
• Get together with classmates to compare your answers with theirs and fill out any gaps you may have in your information and understanding. Note: the exam will require you to think about these answers, to relate them together, and to draw inferences from them. It is not an immediate recall exam.
• Attend one of the optional exam review sessions (times to be announced in class). The usefulness of these review sessions will depend upon your prior preparation.  They are for clearing up the things you haven't been able to understand or answer.  These will be held outside of the normal class schedule. If you can't meet any one of these and you think you need it, see me.

• Start keeping a journal immediately, aiming for a minimum of 3 entries per week, and starting with the Suggested Journal Questions (found at the end of the R201 Journal Requirement and at the end of each of the R204 Lectures (2001).  In addition, some suggested questions will be given out in class.
• Be familiar with the aim and purpose of keeping a journal in the course, discussed in the R201 Journal Requirement.
• Write entries on the assigned readings in Porterfield, The Power of Religion, as you complete them.
• Anticipate what you will be doing by way of a "Journal Summary" for each of the four sections of the course (including the first week Introduction to Religious Studies), well in advance of the due date. Be familiar with what is expected in your "Journal Summaries," as stated in the R201 Journal Requirement.
• Hand in your Journal and "Journal Summaries" on Fri., Mar 14, indicating in writing which of the two grading options you prefer (see Grading Policy).  If you do not indicate which preference, the default option is option A (25% for each of two examinations, 25% for the paper, and 25% for the Journal).

Absences for the first section of the course are to be made up by one week after the first exam (i.e., Feb 7); for the second section, by one week after the second exam (i.e., Feb 28); for the third section, by Monday of final exam week (Mar 17).

More than one absence for any one of the 3 parts of the course which are not made up will have a negative effect on your grade. Up to 6 absences for any one of these sections can be made up according to the requirements on the Attendance and Make-up Policy.

My records of your attendance are based entirely on your name on the daily class roster. If you come late, be sure to sign it at the end of the class session or otherwise you will be counted as absent. So,

• Absences between Jan 6 and Jan 29 are to be made up by Feb 7.
• Absences between Feb 3 and Feb 19 are to be made up by Feb 28.
• Absences between Feb 24 and Mar 14 are to be made up by Mar 17.