Requirements and Objectives
BOOKS
Students are required to purchase the following book. You can find it at the UCSD bookstore. Or click on the image to find it at amazon.com.
Please refer to the schedule of readings and lectures for the specific reading assigned to each class meeting.
 |
ISBN: 015679201X The Sacred and The Profane: The Nature of Religion by Mircea Eliade |
● You also will also be required to download, print, and read a number of articles available online in PDF format. Online readings are available at this ~link~
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students who take this course should gain the following understanding and skills: 1) To analyze complex problems in the study of religion from many perspectives. 2) To consider major questions that confront us as human beings. 3) To distinguish academic from religious approaches to the study of religion. 4) To read secondary sources about religion with critical insight. 5) To write academic essays that articulate an academic thesis and support the thesis using appropriate sources. 6) To speak about religion with clarity and precision, applying your interpretive and critical skills to oral conversation.
GRADING CRITERIA
Attendance and Participation.
Class attendance, preparation, and participation are extremely important elements of this course. I will take attendance regularly, and more than two absences throughout the term will begin to lower this portion of your grade. In addition, you are expected to do the readings carefully and be ready to discuss them in class, participate in classroom discussion on a regular and consistent basis.
Class attendance, preparation, and participation are worth 10% of the final grade. To pass the course, you must complete all assigned work in a timely fashion.
Papers and Exams.
You will be required to write six 500-word essays and take a final exam. Please click over to the Papers and Exams page for an explanation of the assignments. Papers must be submitted using both a paper copy and through turnitin.com. This is also explained on the other page.
Make-up Policy.
Late assignments will be accepted only with a documented excuse, or at my discretion. If you think you are going to have trouble turning an assignment in on time, please come and talk to me beforehand. I will often grant extensions for good reasons, but I appreciate the courtesy of being requested for such an extension before the assignment is actually due. I reserve the right to refuse an assignment that is excessively late or has been turned in late without my prior approval.
Special Needs.
If you have a learning disability or any other condition that would require accommodation on my part, or if you will need to miss any classes in order to observe a religious holiday, please come see me as soon as possible.
Academic Integrity.
University policy also requires me to report all cases of suspected plagiarism to the Office of Academic Integrity. You are responsible for understanding what constitutes plagiarism, and for avoiding it: “I didn’t know…” is not an acceptable excuse. If you are unsure how plagiarism is defined, please check ~here~ for guidance.
Students should note that all course requirements are subject to revision at the instructor’s discretion.
|
AN IMPORTANT ADVISORY ABOUT THIS CLASS This is a class about human beings. It requires students to see movies about human beings. In the movies human beings will occasionally strip naked, have sex, use drugs, and commit violence, sometimes very graphically. If you do not want to see naked, sweaty, drugged and violent people, do not take this class! This class is not required for Religion majors or minors. No student will ever fail to graduate from UCSD because she or he did not take this class. Everybody who enrolls, therefore, does so at his or her own discretion, knowing that it will be “NC-17” on occasion. I repeat: if you are unwilling to watch or discuss sex and violence because they violate your personal moral code then do not take this class! Once you enroll, you will be bound by the following rules: In accordance with university policy, students must complete all formal course requirements in order to receive credit for RELI 1. Formal course requirements include: 1) consistent attendance at class meetings |
SUMMARY OF GRADING
| six 500-word essays | 60% |
| final exam | 30% |
| class attendance and participation | 10% |