REL 3140 - Religion in the Modern World (4)

Monday,Wednesday,Friday

10:40 AM - 11:47 AM

Main Campus Campus | Dodge Hall | Room 237

Focuses on key issues of religious life in the modern world.  Examples of topics include the role of women in religious leadership, the relation of science and religion, religious fundamentalism, and religiously motivated acts of terrorism.  The class satisfies the General Education requirements in the knowledge application integration area.

Course Section:    11500

E-mail:      engle@oakland.edu

Office hours:    By appointment

Professor’s mailbox:    221 Varner

Class Time:      MWF 10:27-11:47 am

Classroom:      Dodge 237

Cell/Text:      (248) 885-0929

1.  How knowledge in a field outside of the student’s major can be evaluated and applied to solve problems across a range of applications.

2.  Knowledge of the personal, professional, ethical, and societal implications of these applications.

Specific Course Objectives:

This course will enhance your critical thinking skills and better appreciate the ways religion and spirituality shape and are shaped by culture, politics, economics and society.  It addresses fundamental issues facing global civilization at the beginning of the 21st century as addressed within the world’s great Western religious traditions–Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Utilizing an academic approach to the study of religious traditions, cross-cultural competencies will be cultivated enabling you to negotiate an increasingly diverse social space and workplace in both the American cultural context, as well as our progressively interlinked global world.  The specific issues addressed are the following: (1) A deeper understanding and awareness of women’s perspective on religion and their contemporary struggle for social equality; (2) the peculiar religious issues associate with the rise of modern science and technology; (3) the scope and underlying presuppositions of modern religious fundamentalism as it is found throughout the global religious landscape; and (4) religiously motivated acts of terrorism. 

Engle, Randall.  Class Reader provided via Moodle.

1.  Attendance and participation at all lectures (see schedule below).  10% of your grade can be achieved simply by showing up.  Your attendance will be self-evaluated and graded by you at the time of the final exam.  Much of the material on the weekly quizzes and final-exam will be from lectures and classroom dialogue.

2.  Read the assigned primary text.  Reflect. Come ready to dialogue.  10% of grade of your grade can be achieved simply by reading thoroughly the assigned texts.  Your reading will be self-evaluated and graded by you at the time of the final exam.

3.  Take eight (8) quizzes throughout the semester to assess your assimilation of the lectures and assigned readings.  20% of grade.

4.  Write a final paper about a visit made to a religious community (other than your own) and present your findings to the class.  Complete details and guidelines will be given in class and are available in the class Reader.  As this will require significant time outside of the classroom (and most likely a weekend at that!), some scheduled classroom time will be given off to compensate.  20% of grade.

5.  Sit for the mid-term and final exam.  I expect all students to take the exam on the days scheduled below.  Please make your travel plans accordingly. 40% of grade.