R 204D: Western Religions

FALL 2002 SYLLABUS

(CRN 10248 and 10249)
MWF 10 AM -- HSS 235, and 2 PM -- MOD 101

Office: HSS 317; Office hours: MWF 11-12, TTh 2-3, and by appointment
Telephone: 503-838-8335; Email: <cannodw@wou.edu>

R204D is designed to acquaint students with the three major monotheistic religious traditions that have their origins in the Middle East: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The objectives of the course are for students

to become acquainted with these three traditions in an unprejudiced, empathetic, and objective manner;
to cultivate (i.e., learn and practice) the discipline of empathetic objectivity; and
to gain a fuller, more objective understanding of the nature of religious life in general terms, unprejudicial toward any religious tradition.

EMPATHETIC OBJECTIVITY: the discipline of making real to yourself the inward life, the subjective reality, of the lives lived within traditions other than your own as they objectively are (thereby discovering what is like yourself in the stranger) and coming to recognize and understand your own tradition objectively as one among others (thereby discovering what is strange about yourself).

REQUIREMENTS

TEXTBOOKS

SCHEDULE

CHECKLIST

ATTENDANCE EXPECTATION AND ABSENCE MAKE UP POLICY

WESTERN RELIGIONS VIDEO LIST for absence make up, research, or personal interest. All videos are in the WOU Media Lab, Instructional Technology Center (ITC), south end of basement of main building. POWER POINT PRESENTATIONS

R204 GLOSSARY

EXAMINATIONS (explanation of examinations and sample questions)

(Two examinations are to be taken for credit for which you must register in advance. Your paper [research project or book review] will be due on the date of the exam not taken for credit. A maximum of 1/3 of the class may have their papers due at any one of the three possible dates. Registration is on a first come, first serve basis.)

EXAM STUDY QUESTIONS (for preparation in taking the examinations):

TERM PAPER (two options) RESEARCH PROJECT GUIDELINES (Option I)
PEER REVIEW GUIDE FOR RESEARCH PROJECT

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Of relevant books on Library Reserve and in Library Reference Collection.
Required use for Research Project.

ESSAY BOOK REVIEW GUIDELINES (Option II)

PEER REVIEW GUIDE FOR ESSAY BOOK REVIEW

MLA FORMAT FOR TERM PAPERS

TERM PAPER REWRITE POLICY

JOURNALS

FIELD TRIP

GRADING POLICY

EXTRA CREDIT

M. SIALA ON ISLAMIC TOPICS

NEW ANNOUNCEMENTS RELATING TO R204

USEFUL INTERNET LINKS ON WESTERN RELIGIONS

Direct suggestions, comments, and questions about this page to Dale Cannon.

Last Modified 9/3/02

Western Oregon University