RELI 202 Contemporary Religious Issues                                                      

Parish Episcopal Upper School

Term: Fall 2008

Room: 4025

Day and Time: A5/B5

Instructor: Dr. Stuart Chepey

 

 

Course Syllabus

 

Course Description:

 

Religion 202 Contemporary Religious Issues (1/3 credit)
Prerequisite: World Religions; Bible and Western Culture   

Contemporary Religious Issues is a twelve-week elective course that explores a variety of topics relevant to contemporary society and its interaction with religious ideas.  Subjects discussed in the course vary and may include religion and the social sciences, religious fundamentalism, liberation theology, philosophy of religion, feminism, or other topics as determined by the instructor.  As a core objective, this course seeks to galvanize students to reflect on and formulate opinions regarding the influences exerted on society by the theological, moral, and ethical tenets of religion

 

 

Course Textbooks:

Juergensmeyer, Mark.  Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence.  3rd

            Ed.  Berkley, Calif.: University of California Press, 2003.  ISBN: 0-520-24011-1

 

Lewis, Bernard.  The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror.  New York: Random House

Trade Paperbacks, 2003.  ISBN: 0-8129-6785-2

 

 

Course Objectives and Methodology:

The topic of this CTR course is “Religion and Violence.”   It explores the rise of global terrorism under the very peculiar aegis of religion, paying particular attention to the phenomenon within some forms of Islamic extremism today.  Students will investigate cases involving acts of terrorism in the name of each of the world’s major religions and develop a thesis regarding the nature of and possible causes of extreme religious violence.  Students then will utilize their knowledge and approach the current crisis found within certain contemporary forms of Islam.  Students will find that acts of extreme religious violence are not particular to Islam.  Moreover, that religion generally has not nor presently supports acts of terrorism.  Rather, certain “cultures of violence” have initiated and supported individuals committing such acts, and only by understanding and curbing the influence of these certain cultures can society play an effective role in bringing religious violence, whether present in Christianity, Judaism, or Islam, to an end

 

 

Recommended Supplies:

 

In addition to the course text, a folder should be purchased (if you haven’t purchased one already) in which to organize supplemental reading material.

 

Course Policies:

 

No credit will be given on assignments handed in after due dates.

Quizzes missed due to absence may be made up only by arrangement with the instructor.  YOU must initiate this arrangement; I will not approach you, as this is a waste of my time.

No food and /or drinks are allowed in the classroom.  For all other matters relating to my expectations of student conduct, I refer you to the student handbook and the Upper School code of honor. 

 

Additional Notes:

 

It is imperative that assigned readings be completed on schedule, as class sessions will involve relevant quizzes and group discussions in addition to lectures provided by the instructor.

Class activities will typically comprise the following: (1) lectures; (2) discussions about the reading; (3) quizzes over assigned reading; (4) one break if needed (five minutes).

 

Course Credit: 1/3 Religion Credit

 

Grade Type:

A+       = 97-100         C+       = 77-79           F = below 60

A         = 93-96           C          = 73-76

A-        = 90-92           C-        = 70-72          

B+       = 87-89           D+      = 67-69

B          = 83-86           D         = 63-66

B-        = 80-82           D         = 60-62

 

Skills and Other Emphases:

 

Reading, critical thinking, cultural awareness, and effective writing skills are emphasized and developed in this course.  Upper School core curriculum relevancy also is emphasized.

 

Student Assessment:

 

Student grades are based on quizzes over assigned reading, two response papers, and one trimester essay.  Response papers will comprise a statement explaining the student’s reaction to and assessment of two films to be viewed in class; the trimester essay will address the nature and possible causes of religious violence within world religions including some forms of Islamic extremism today.  

 

Averages are calculated according to the following percentages:  Reading quizzes = 35%; Response papers = 35%; Trimester essay = 30%.

 

Note on Response Paper and Essay Formats:

 

Response papers are to be one double-spaced page in length.  The trimester essay is to be two double-spaced pages minimum but no more than three.  All margins must be one inch (top, bottom, right, left), and the font must 12 point Times New Roman or Garamond (because I like these).   *THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THESE GUIDELINES.  Deviations will result in automatic point deductions.   Remember the first two rules of college success: First, find out what the instructor wants.  Second, provide it.

 

Special note on quiz and test formats:

 

Contact Information:

 

Office 4029: 972.239.8011, Ext. 2370

E-mail: schepey@parishepiscopal.org

I will be available to meet with students before and after class or by appointment.

 

Provisional Course Curriculum:

 

I.                    World Religions, Violence, and Terrorism

II.                 Religion as the Aegis of Extreme Violence

III.               Terrorism and Globalization

IV.              Religion and Violence among the Abrahamic Faiths

V.                 Juergensmeyer’s Case Studies and Thesis on the Logic of Terror

VI.              Film Reviews and Discussions: Jesus Camp; Paradise Now; Constantine’s Sword

VII.            Perceptions and Misperceptions of Islam

VIII.         European Colonization and Orientalism

IX.              Islam and Islamism

X.                 Bernard Lewis on the Crisis of Islam  

XI.              Final Thoughts: Review and Assessment