EDT303Q/101/3/2016

Tutorial letter 101/3/2016

Religion Education

EDT303Q
Semesters 1 & 2
Religious Studies & Arabic

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
This tutorial letter contains important information
about your module.

CONTENTS
Page
1

INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 3

PURPOSE OF AND OUTCOMES FOR THE MODULE............................................................... 4

2.1

Purpose ........................................................................................................................................ 4

2.2

Outcomes ..................................................................................................................................... 4

LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS................................................................................... 5

3.1

Lecturer(s) .................................................................................................................................... 5

3.2

Department ................................................................................................................................... 6

3.3

University ...................................................................................................................................... 6

MODULE-RELATED RESOURCES ............................................................................................. 6

4.1

Prescribed books .......................................................................................................................... 6

4.2

Recommended books ................................................................................................................... 7

4.3

Electronic Reserves (e-Reserves)................................................................................................. 7

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE MODULE ............................................................... 7

MODULE-SPECIFIC STUDY PLAN ............................................................................................. 8

MODULE PRACTICAL WORK AND WORK-INTEGRATED LEARNING .................................... 9

ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................................................. 9

8.1

Assessment plan .......................................................................................................................... 9

8.2

General assignment numbers ..................................................................................................... 12

8.2.1

Unique assignment numbers ...................................................................................................... 12

8.2.2

Due dates for assignments ......................................................................................................... 12

8.3

Submission of assignments ........................................................................................................ 12

8.4

Assignments ............................................................................................................................... 13

OTHER ASSESSMENT METHODS ........................................................................................... 21

10

EXAMINATION ........................................................................................................................... 21

11

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ........................................................................................ 22

EDT303Q/101
1

INTRODUCTION

Dear Student
Welcome to the subject Religious Studies. We trust that you will find this academic discipline
both stimulating and personally enriching.
Tutorial matter
At the time of registration, you will receive an inventory letter that will tell you what you have
received in your study package and also show items that are still outstanding. Some of this
tutorial matter may not be available when you register. Tutorial matter that is not available
when you register will be posted to you as soon as possible, but is also available on myUnisa.
The Department Despatch should supply you with the following study material for this module:

Tutorial letter 101 - General information and assignments

Tutorial letter 102 and 103

Tutorial letter 104

Tutorial letter SRALLEN/301

Please note that your lecturers cannot help you with missing study material.
You can also access study guides and tutorial letters for all modules on myUnisa at
http://my.unisa.ac.za All tutorial material is loaded onto this website as soon as it leaves
the department it will therefore be available here long before you can possibly receive
it by post. We suggest that you check the site on a regular basis.
Apart from the tutorials letter mentioned above, you will receive other tutorial letters during the
semester. These will be despatched to you as soon as they are available or needed (for
instance for feedback on assignments).
This tutorial letter deals with the work to be covered in the module EDT303Q. A tutorial letter is
our way of communicating with you about teaching, learning and assessment. This Tutorial
Letter 101 contains important information about the scheme of work, resources and
assignments for this module. We urge you to read it carefully and to keep it at hand when
working through the study material, preparing the assignments, preparing for the examination
and addressing questions to your lecturers.
In this tutorial letter you will find the assignments and assessment criteria as well as instructions
on the preparation and submission of the assignments. This tutorial letter also provides all the
information you need with regard to the prescribed study material and other resources and how
to obtain it. Please study this information carefully and make sure that you obtain the prescribed
material as soon as possible. We have also included certain general and administrative
information about this module. Please study this section of the tutorial letter carefully. Right from
the start we would like to point out that you must read all the tutorial letters you receive during
the semester immediately and carefully, as they always contain important and sometimes,
urgent information.
We hope that you will enjoy this module and wish you all the best!
3

PURPOSE OF AND OUTCOMES FOR THE MODULE

2.1

Purpose

The formal purpose statement for this module is as follows:

To gain insight into the religions of the world, (African religion, Judaism, Christianity, Islam,
Hinduism, Buddhism and Contemporary and Alternative Religious Movements); to apply these
insights in public and professional life; and to transmit this knowledge and insights to learners.
2.2
T

Outcomes
Learning Outcome:
1

Learners can demonstrate an understanding of what studying religion

involves.

Range statement: Learners are expected to study this module at an intermediate

level; ie one that is appropriate for level 7. With guidance, they are exposed to texts
and illustrative material from the various religions in order for them to learn what
studying religion involves.
Assessment Criteria:
1
2
3

Apply the basic principles involved in studying religion.

Demonstrate respect for the opinions of others by writing without bias about
different religions.
Clearly distinguish scholarship from personal confession.

Learning Outcome:
2

Learners can demonstrate a degree of factual knowledge of the major

religious traditions of humanity.

Range statement: With guidance and through writing assignments and/or an

examination, learners will develop the skills necessary, at a level 7, to analyse,
explain and evaluate the beliefs and practices of the major religious traditions of the
world.
Assessment Criteria:
1
2
3

Use the relevant terminology and conceptual apparatus correctly.

Collect, analyse, reformat and evaluate information about religion.
Assess information concerning religion, worldviews and ethical views
available from libraries, existing literature, and other sources such as
informants in the public sphere.
Contextualise information in an expanding range of contexts.

EDT303Q/101
Learning Outcome:
3

Learners can relate, and relate to, various contrasting and even conflicting
systems of ultimate meaning and value.

Range statement: Learners will demonstrate, in assignments and/or an

examination, that they can think inclusively yet pluralistically and see all systems of
ultimate meaning and value as correlated in the context of one differentiated
homoversal history.
Assessment Criteria:
1
2
3

Group systems of ultimate meaning and value according to place, time and
structure.
Explain a system which is not their own, to adherents in such a manner that
the latter can agree with the explanation.
Make meaningful comparisons of such systems with reference to existing
literature.

Learning Outcome:
4

Learners can inspire in their own learners the knowledge, values and skills
involved in this area, appropriate to their developmental stages.

Range statement: Learners will demonstrate, in assignments and/or an

examination, that they can transmit to their learners, via adequate didactical
procedures, the required knowledge of systems of ultimate meaning and value.
Assessment Criteria:
1

Make their learners comfortable with the fact of religious and cultural plurality
(pluralism), and respond with positive appreciation instead of fear and
resentment.

LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS

3.1

Lecturer(s)

The lecturers responsible for this module are as follows: General enquiries with regard to this
course may be directed to Dr Garth Mason. The following lecturers will together be responsible
for the course.
Dr GJ Mason
(Module co-ordinator)
Tel: (012) 429-8983
masongj@unisa.ac.za
Prof M Clasquin-Johnson
Tel: (012)4793
clasqm@unisa.ac.za

Mr D Chetty
Tel: (012) 429-4055
chettd@unisa.ac.za
Prof JM Strijdom
Tel. (012) 429-6852
strijjm@unisa.ac.za

3.2

Department

If you have any problem in contacting your lecturer you may contact the secretary on
(012) 429-4523 and leave a message for him.
Should you prefer to write to us, letters should be sent to:
The Module Leader EDT303Q
Department of Religious Studies and Arabic
P O Box 392
UNISA
0003
If you want to contact us via e-mail, please make sure that you give us the module code and
your student number. Lecturers work on a number of modules each, and we may get e-mails to
which we must reply "That depends. Which module are we talking about?" Also make sure that
your subject line is descriptive, like "EDT303Q - query about Assignment 2". If your subject is
something like "hello", your message may be viewed as junk e-mail by the system and deleted
before it even gets to us.
All queries that are not of a purely administrative nature but are about the content of this module
should be directed to us.
3.3

University

If you need to contact the University about matters not related to the content of this module,
please consult the publication my Studies @ Unisa that you received with your study material.
This booklet contains information on how to contact the University (e.g. to whom you can write
for different queries, important telephone and fax numbers, addresses and details of the times
certain facilities are open).
Always have your student number at hand when you contact the University.
4

MODULE-RELATED RESOURCES

4.1

Prescribed books

There is no prescribed book for this module. You will receive the course contents in two Tutorial
Letters:

Tutorial Letter 104 (Introduction to Religions of the World)

Tutorial Letter 102 (Religion Education)

These Tutorial Letters are also available on myUnisa.

.

EDT303Q/101
4.2

Recommended books

There are no recommended books for this module.

4.3

Electronic Reserves (e-Reserves)

There are no e-Reserves for this module.

5

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE MODULE

For information on the various student support systems and services available at Unisa (e.g.
student counselling, tutorial classes, language support), please consult the publication my
Studies @ Unisa, which you received with your study material.
Contact with fellow students
Study groups: It is advisable to have contact with fellow students. One way to do this is to form
study groups. The addresses of students in your area may be obtained from the following
department:
Directorate: Student Administration and Registration
P O Box 392
UNISA
0003
myUnisa
If you have access to a computer that is linked to the internet, you can quickly access resources
and information at the University. The myUnisa system is Unisas online campus that will help
you communicate with other students, your lecturers and the administrative departments of the
University.
To go to the myUnisa website, start at the main Unisa website, http://www.unisa.ac.za and then
click on the Login to myUnisa link on the right-hand side of the screen. This should take you to
the myUnisa website. You can also go there directly by typing in http://my.unisa.ac.za. Please
consult the publication my Studies @ Unisa which you received with you study material for more
information on myUnisa.
Discussion classes
If discussion classes are arranged for this module, you will receive a separate tutorial letter with
the relevant information soon after registration.
Repeat students
Just a word to any students who are repeating this course: please ensure that you contact us as
soon as possible, so that we can work out a strategy for your studies together. Please do not
wait you need to start working immediately and we would like to support you. It is expected
from a repeating student to submit all the assignments again. Students will not obtain
examination admission without the submission of assignments. If we only find in April or
September that you are experiencing difficulty, then it is too late for us to be of any help.
7

MODULE-SPECIFIC STUDY PLAN

A work schedule
First semester
Assignment
01

02

Due date
7 March

29 March

Remarks
Compulsory.
Must be in by 7 March in order to gain
admission to the examination.
Important!!
This counts for a semester mark

Second semester
Assignment
01

02

Due date
15 August

12 September

Remarks
Compulsory.
Must be in by 15 August in order to gain
admission to the examination.
Important!!
This counts for a semester mark

Website
Please note that the department has a web site where additional information on the department
and the modules are available.
The address is: http://www.unisa.ac.za/default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=1611
Tutorial Letters are available from the myUnisa website. (See my Studies @ Unisa)
The web address for the submission of assignments online is: http://my.unisa.ac.za
Plagiarism
An assignment is designed to be a product of your own study and your own thought. It is not
intended to be a piece of work which merely reproduces details, information or ideas from a
study guide, from books or articles, or from the Internet.
If you do this, you commit plagiarism. Plagiarism is the act of copying word for word with or
without acknowledgment from study sources (e.g. books, articles, the Internet). In other words,
you must submit your own ideas in your own words, sometimes interspersing relevant short
quotations that are properly referenced.
Yes, simply copying a few pages from the prescribed book is plagiarism. Pasting paragraphs
from Wikipedia into your assignment is plagiarism. And it does not stop being plagiarism if you
mention the source.
Skilled scientific writers can use direct block quotations to make a specific point. They know
what they are doing. You still need to develop your own voice, your own style of arguing the
point. Do not plagiarise.

EDT303Q/101
Note that you also commit plagiarism if you copy the assignment of another student. We do
encourage you to work together and form study groups, but you are expected to prepare and
submit your own assignments.
When we receive two or more identical assignments, we are not able to work out who copied
from whom. We will therefore penalize both students.
If you commit plagiarism you will be penalized and given no marks for your assignment.
This will have a serious effect on your chances to succeed in your studies because you
will have no semester mark.
Furthermore, you may be penalised or subjected to disciplinary proceedings by the University.
Plagiarism is also an offence in terms of the law.
A Signed Declaration
Every essay-type assignment we receive must include the following declaration along with your
name and the date:
I declare that this assignment is my own work and that all sources quoted have been
acknowledged by appropriate references.

We will subtract marks if this declaration is absent from your assignment, just as we will
subtract marks if your assignment does not have a Table of contents, List of references cited,
and so on.
7

MODULE PRACTICAL WORK AND WORK-INTEGRATED LEARNING

There are no practicals for this module.

8

ASSESSMENT

8.1

Assessment plan

Criteria for Marking of Assignments

Please note that we regard our under-graduate students as members of the large community of
researchers into religion. We therefore also regard your assignment essays as small research
projects. Assignments are scholarly reports in the full sense of the word.
The real difference between a first year assignment and a doctors thesis is not in kind, but in
level. Overall, exactly the same criteria apply to both levels of work. It is therefore essential that
you know what these general academic criteria are, for our evaluation of your assignment
essays will be done in accordance with exactly these criteria.

Below we provide you with a list of general criteria, applicable to all academic research. We also
provide you with the relative weight attached to each general criterion. For example, the 15%
attached to language, editing and technical presentation means that 15% is the highest mark
that you can obtain in a given assignment as far as this aspect is concerned. It is of course
possible to receive considerably less, depending on the quality of the language, editing and
technical presentation.
Language, editing and technical presentation
Of course we take into account that the majority of our students do not submit their assignments
in their home language. Yet, even if we are not a language Department, we regard good
language and writing as a high priority. Each assignment should also have a Table of Content,
headings and sub-headings, references to articles and books and a List of references
cited.
Content/substance and logical development
There is difference between a research report that is thin, with little substance, and one that is
strong and packed with content/substance that is well substantiated. How your ideas are
organised is also important. Are they presented as a jumble of random thoughts without logical
coherence, or are they marshalled in a clear, coherent structure, leading up from beginning (a
clear statement of the problem investigated in a given assignment) to conclusion?
Exploration of the literature
Part of being a good scholar, is to know what others, the experts in the field, have done. Applied
to your assignments, it means that we expect you to consult literature (unless a specific
assignment does not expect it), to take such literature seriously, to understand it, and to present
such views sympathetically and critically. Consult at least the literature that we suggest. But any
other literature, found and explored by yourself, will be rewarded.
Independence and originality
This criterion refers to the expectation no, demand that you should submit you own work,
and not someone elses. Plagiarism that is, taking and using another persons work and
presenting it as ones own is one of the deadly sins in scholarly work. Of course students may
work in groups. That is an excellent thing. But even then it is expected that the work submitted
will be your own, having passed through your own mind, and carrying the stamp of your own
effort.
Leaving copying (plagiarism) aside, there will obviously be varying degrees of meeting the high
expectation of independence. A first year student in the subject may rely more heavily on, say,
study guides or prescribed books, whereas a third year student will undoubtedly exhibit more
self-reliance, more confidence, a stronger personal profile. Nothing gives us more joy than
observing how our students develop this ability to stand on their own feet, and think their own
thoughts. An assignment simply giving back our own study guides or the prescribed books
cannot claim to receive high marks.

10

EDT303Q/101
The expectation refers to the ability to come up with something new and to add something to
our knowledge or insight. This is not given to all in equal measure. But we find that a lack of
originality is not the result of inability so much as a result of a lack of confidence. Most students
feel very inhibited. Dont feel that way. Try your ideas out on us. You will be given a sympathetic
and supportive hearing.
CRITERION
1
2
3
4

Language, editing and technical presentation

Content/substance and logical development
Exploration of the literature
Independence and originality
TOTAL

WEIGHTING
%
15
50
15
20
100

Commentaries and feedback on assignments

You will receive the correct answers automatically for multiple-choice questions. For written
assignments, markers will comment constructively on your work. However, commentaries on
compulsory assignments will be sent to all students registered for this module in a follow-up
tutorial letter, and not only to those students who submitted the assignments. The tutorial letter
number will be 201, 202, etc. We strongly suggest that you scan myUnisa weekly for new
tutorial letters: the pdf file of the letter appears there weeks before the postal system can get it
to you.
As soon as you have received the commentaries, please check your answers. The assignments
and the commentaries on these assignments constitute an important part of your learning and
should help you to be better prepared for the examination.
Semester mark
Assignment 02 provides you with a semester mark. The semester mark will count for 20 percent
of the final mark for the examination.
If you submit assignment 02 and you get, say, a mark of 66 percent, you will have earned 13 for
a semester mark. Let's assume that you write the examination and get 50%.
Exam mark
50 out of 100 re-calculated to
40 out of 80 for the final exam mark
Semester mark 13 out of 20
Final mark

53 percent

It must be clear to you that it is very important and in your best interest to do well in Assignment
02 in order to earn a good semester mark.

11

8.2

General assignment numbers

Please refer to the assignment information in the my Studies @ Unisa for general assignment
information and rules.
Assignments should be addressed to:
The Registrar
PO Box 392
UNISA
0003

8.2.1 Unique assignment numbers

In addition to the general assignment number (eg 01), written assignments as well as
assignments to be completed by means of mark-reading sheets must all have their own unique
assignment number. Make sure that you use the correct unique number and complete the
information as required. (See point 8.4).
8.2.2 Due dates for assignments
FIRST SEMESTER
Assignment Due date
01
7 March
02
29 March
8.3

SECOND SEMESTER
Assignment Due date
01
15 August
02
12 September

Submission of assignments

Students may submit written assignments and assignments completed on mark-reading sheets
either by post or electronically on myUnisa. Assignments may not be submitted by fax or email.

For detailed information and requirements as far as assignments are concerned, see the
brochure my Studies @ Unisa that you received with your study material.
To submit an assignment via myUnisa:

Go to myUnisa.

Log in with your student number and password.

Select the module.

Click on assignments in the menu on the left-hand side of the screen.

Click on the assignment number you wish to submit.

Follow the instructions.

12

EDT303Q/101
8.4

Assignments

ASSIGNMENT 01

Due date:

First Semester:
Second Semester:

7 March
15 August

This short assignment is COMPULSORY. This is the assignment you do for examination
admission purposes.
UNIQUE NUMBERS
First Semester
735864
Second Semester
848520
This assignment is a multiple-choice assignment that consists of 20 questions, which you must
answer in pencil on a mark sheet.

FIRST SEMESTER
Assignment 01 questions
It is based entirely on the outcomes and contents of study unit 1 and 2 in tutorial letter 501. If
you have not received tutorial letter 501, please download it at myunisa immediately.
1

Which of the following statements about the definition of the term religion is correct?
(1) It can be defined with scientific precision.
(2) It is not easy to define as it is defined differently by different people.
(3) It refers to Christianity which is the true religion in the whole world.
(4) It is very biased for it favours indigenous religions.

The academic study of religion does NOT seek to ...

(1) understand what believers consider to be the holy.
(2) enhance a believers' relation to what they consider sacred.
(3) analyse the relationship between religion and power.
(4) maintain a self-awareness of its own origins and development.

Definitions that emphasize the substantive content of religious belief in a transcendent

reality are ...
(1) reductionist.
(2) opportunist.
(3) essentialist.
(4) atheist.

Reductionist definitions of religion ...

(1) give honour to the supreme being.
(2) focus on the uses of religion in society.
(3) are not acceptable for they do not help people to become more spiritual.
(4) are one way of defining religions amongst other ways, and also the best way.
13

Durkheims sociological definition of religion emphasizes that religion ...

(1) is essentially about humankinds search for ultimate meaning.
(2) serves to unite adherents as a group.
(3) has to do as much with everyday practices as with myths and rituals.
(4) focuses on the wholly other that causes worshipers to tremble.

In Freud's view religion...

(1) has a therapeutic effect on ill human beings.
(2) represents an advanced stage of civilization.
(3) is an illusion that adults need to get rid of.
(4) discriminates against women

The main reason why religion is studied today is ...

(1) so that people may be able to know and understand the many different religions.
(2) because the end of the world is about to come.
(3) because God is influencing all people to know him better and better.
(4) because of the rise of Confucianism.

Which one of the following reasons is foregrounded in this study unit as the most important
reason for studying religion in society?
(1) To live as tolerant citizens in a multi-religious state and world.
(2) To be able to draw absolute distinctions between religious identities.
(3) To grow spiritually and become closer and closer to the deities.
(4) To better appreciate art, architecture and literature.

From an academic point of view, the study of religion in the contemporary world is
important because
(1) most people in the world no longer formally subscribe to a particular religion
(2) it will help us to grow the economy and build a stronger nation.
(3) it would help cultivate respect, understanding and tolerance
(4) it will help us understand how we can convert other people to the only correct
religion.

10

Which of the following is an INCORRECT reflection of ancestral spirits in African religion?

Ancestral spirits ...
(1) intervene in the daily lives of their descendants.
(2) are referred to as the 'living dead'.
(3) can not be appeased.
(4) send misfortune to those that disrespect them.

11

Which one of the following statements is INCORRECT? San hunter-gatherers transmitted

their indigenous religion by means of ...
(1) ritual dances.
(2) written proverbs.
(3) rock paintings.
(4) oral stories.

14

EDT303Q/101
12

Which of the following statements about the recent historical development of Zulu religion
is INCORRECT?
(1) Zulu speakers reinterpreted their creation myths in at least two ways in response to
the colonial context.
(2) Animal rights activists have organized against the ritual killing of a bull at the Zulu
harvest festival.
(3) Modern laws have made the detection of witches by diviners illegal and the practice
has certainly died out completely.
(4) Human rights activists have objected to virginity testing of Zulu girls as a violation of
the basic human right to dignity of each individual woman

13

Seasonal festivals among the Nguni and or Sotho-Tswana speakers were ...
(1) held once in a decade.
(2) held thrice in a millennium.
(3) secretive rituals.
(4) collective rituals.

14

At birth, among the Nguni and Sotho-Tswana, the mother stayed in isolation for about 10
days because ...
(1) she did not want to be stressed by people coming to see the baby.
(2) she was afraid witches and bad weather would harm the baby.
(3) she was considered to be in a state of ritual pollution.
(4) the father made strict orders for her not to leave the hut without permission.

15

The person traditionally in charge of a village comprised of a number of homesteads in

African society is referred to as the
(1) Chief.
(2) King.
(3) Patriarch.
(4) Diviner.

16

Which one of the following statements is INCORRECT? In the nineteenth century Zulu
speakers reinterpreted their creation myths ...
(1) to resist colonial invasion.
(2) to conform to colonial ideology.
(3) by claiming that uNkulunkulu gave the land to white people and the sea to black
people at the beginning of time.
(4) by claiming that whites, having risen later from an original bed of reeds, were
technologically better equipped than blacks.

15

17

Practitioners of African traditional religion are divided on the issue whether a 'white
sangoma' is a legitimate practioner of the religion. The inclusivists argue for the legitimacy
of white sangomas on the basis that
(1) white sangomas will undoubtedly adulterate the purity of African tradition with all
sorts of Christian ideas and concepts.
(2) ancestors are necessarily bound to the genealogy of a specific kinship group.
(3) African religion does not have a tradition of a single 'jealous' god and has always
been open to outside influences.
(4) adoption of members outside the kinship group has not been uncommon to
indigenous African practices.

18

In the religious system of Bantu speakers, the diviner was believed to

(1) be inherently evil and not to be trusted.
(2) have special access to the spiritual realm.
(3) be behind all untimely death.
(4) have as much power as the supreme being.

19

Which one of the following was the most important religious specialist among San huntergatherers?
(1) the sangoma.
(2) the shaman.
(3) the imam.
(4) the priest.

20

Nguni and Sotho-Tswana speakers traditionally believed in ...

(1) karma and samsara.
(2) an invisible spirit realm.
(3) a god who was in three forms.
(4) painting rocks and hunting.

SECOND SEMESTER
Assignment 01 questions
It is based entirely on the outcomes and contents of study unit 1, 2 and 3 in tutorial letter 501. If
you have not received tutorial letter 501, please download it at myunisa immediately.
1

The difference between a diviner and herbalist is that the diviner primarily calls on
(1) spiritual powers to cure illnesses and misfortune, while the herbalist primarily uses
medicine derived from plant and animals to cure illness.
(2) plant spirits to cure illness and misfortune, while the herbalist primarily uses chemical
medicines to cure illness.
(3) animal spirits to cure illness and misfortune, while the herbalist primarily uses sea
creatures to cure illness.
(4) the spirits of the elements to cure illness and misfortune, while the herbalist primarily
uses the element of fire to cure illness.

In Judaism, God is often described in 'anthropomorphic' terms, which implies that

(1) God is different from the created world.
(2) God possesses human qualities.
(3) God is present in everything.
(4) God is all powerful.

16

EDT303Q/101
3

The phenomenological approach to religion does NOT ...

(1) act as the complement to critical approaches to religion.
(2) experience a religion with empathy from the inside.
(3) correspond to the etic perspective in anthropology.
(4) believe that ones subjective biases can be bracketed.

Advocates of a critical study of religion insist that ...

(1) religious phenomena can and must be described objectively.
(2) asymmetrical power relations in religious traditions should be exposed and more
egalitarian alternatives should be proposed.
(3) religion will become increasingly irrelevant in a secular world.
(4) the modern distinction between religion as private and politics as public spheres
respectively is a valid one that should be maintained at all costs.

Which one of the following statements is INCORRECT? The migration of African farmers
to the Eastern Cape had the following effect on San hunter-gatherers:
(1) San shamans came to be employed as rain-makers by some Nguni speakers.
(2) San shamans sometimes taught Xhosa diviners.
(3) San religion and culture flourished due to the new interaction.
(4) San women intermarried with Xhosa speakers, which accounts for the many click
sounds in isiXhosa.

According to Karl Marx religion serves a social function of ...

(1) establishing morals conducive to the progress of society.
(2) teaching society about equality and peace, love and understanding for all humanity.
(3) maintaining the structures of class equality through belief in God.
(4) promising the poor an afterlife and preventing them from revolting against
oppression.

The recitation of the Shema proclaims that ... is the One and Only God.
(1) Muhammad
(2) God
(3) Buddha
(4) Christ

Which of the following statements describes the late Palaeolithic/ Old Stone Age Era?
(1) Beliefs and rituals were solely linked to natural cycle of planting and harvesting.
(2) There were centralized temple states.
(3) The afterlife was symbolized by an arrangement of corpses and grave artefacts.
(4) It is also referred to as the Axial Age.

Which of the following statements is INCORRECT?

(1) There are no written records about religion in the Paleolithic and Neolithic ages.
(2) In the Axial Age, religions first made claims to be universally true.
(3) The modern age is characterized by a focus on what is claimed to be subjective truth.
(4) Mystics in the medieval period sought truth by an intense relationship to ultimate
reality.

17

10

Bantu-speaking farmers ...

(1) had three different types of sacred scriptures that they read at different occasions.
(2) read from one sacred scripture that contained all their beliefs and myths.
(3) did not have any sacred scriptures.
(4) preferred to use the Christian Bible to their own Bantu scriptures.

11

The first five books of the Jewish Bible ...

(1) tell the story of how Joshua led the Israelites to the promised land.
(2) show how the Israelites got their kings.
(3) tell the history of Israelite exilic prophets and how these were used by God.
(4) tell the history of the Israelites up to the eve of their entry into Canaan.

12

The first cities were NOT characterized by ...

(1) being centralized temple states
(2) the earliest expression of poetry
(3) the earliest forms of economic trade
(4) the emergence of revolutionary thinkers

13

In distinguishing between phases in the history of religion it is assumed that ...

(1) later phases are morally better than earlier ones.
(2) later phases generally represent a degeneration of earlier ones.
(3) each stage and each case has to be taken seriously within its social-political context.
(4) the postmodern phase denies the importance of power relations in religious
institutions.

14

Performed over four days, the enacts the unity of a Zulu nation that is embodied in the
ritual purity of young women.
(1) reed dance
(2) sacrifice of a black bull
(3) trance dance
(4) ritual bath

15

The depiction of a thin red line in San rock paintings is ...

(1) symbolic of animal blood spilt in a successful hunt.
(2) symbolic of the power the community have over their environment.
(3) the rope San shamans imagined climbing to the spirit world.
(4) of unknown meaning to Anthropologists and Religious Studies scholars.

16

Categorizing religions into families holds the danger of ...

(1) marginalizing universal religion.
(2) overlooking the global manifestations of a particular local religion.
(3) seeing a particular family of religions as a pure and separate system.
(4) underestimating how families of religions ignore one another.

17

Which one of the following statements is INCORRECT? In the nineteenth century Zulu
speakers reinterpreted their creation myths ...
(1) to resist colonial invasion.
(2) to conform to colonial ideology.
(3) by claiming that uNkulunkulu gave the land to white people and the sea to black
people at the beginning of time.
(4) by claiming that whites, having risen later from an original bed of reeds, were
technologically better equipped than blacks.

18

EDT303Q/101

18

In the religious system of Bantu speakers, the diviner was believed to

(1) be inherently evil and not to be trusted.
(2) have special access to the spiritual realm.
(3) be behind all untimely deaths.
(4) have as much power as the supreme being.

19

In the religion of the San hunter-gatherers, what was the purpose of the ritual dance?
(1) To enter the spirit realm where supernatural powers could be attained to bring about
healing and rain for the group.
(2) To perform a sacrifice to the ancestors.
(3) To enter the spirit realm where special rituals were performed by the ancestors to
help the group find food.
(4) To perform the ritual of rites of passage.

20

Which of the following statements is CORRECT about the phenomenological approach?

(1) The researcher is expected to apply the epoche approach.
(2) It was developed in the 20th century by Van der Leeuw and Marx.
(3) Phainomena means things as they should be.
(4) The phenomenological approach may also be considered critical.

19

ASSIGNMENT 02

Due date:

First Semester:
Second Semester:

29 March
12 September

This assignment is very important since it will count towards a semester mark worth 20 percent
of your final mark in the examination.

UNIQUE NUMBERS
First Semester
666760
Second Semester
840914

SEMESTER 1
Assignment 02 question
You will need ...
You WILL need to study Tutorial Letter 102 on Religion Education, Religion Studies and the
National Policy on Religion and Education to complete this assignment. This assignment is
based on the outcomes and contents of Tutorial Letter 102.

A government school invites a guest speaker to the assembly every Tuesday. On one
Tuesday they invite a man who used to be a drug addict but after becoming a Christian he
was able to overcome his addiction. During his talk, explaining his conversion to
Christianity, he says to students that, unless you give your life to the Lord you will not be
saved. After the assembly Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and African religion students complain
to the principal that they found the speakers talk insulting to their religions.

In three pages explain how the Principal should respond to the aggrieved students
according to the values and the practical guideline in National Policy on Religion and
Education so that their religious identities are recognised and not insulted.
2

20

Write a three page essay comparing the beliefs and practices of one Abrahamic religion
(Judaism/Christianity/Islam) and one Eastern Religion (Hinduism/Buddhism).

EDT303Q/101

SEMESTER 2
Assignment 02 question
You will need ...
You WILL need to study Tutorial Letter 102 on Religion Education, Religion Studies and the
National Policy on Religion and Education to complete this assignment. This assignment is
based on the outcomes and contents of Tutorial Letter 102.
1

According to the SACE Code of Conduct, an educator

respects the dignity, beliefs, and constitutional rights of learners and in particular
children, which includes the right to privacy and confidentiality; acknowledges the
uniqueness, individuality, and specific needs of each learner, guiding and encouraging
each to realize his or her own potentialities; [and] exercises authority with compassion.
(3.1-4).
Write a three page critical assessment on whether the National Policy on Religion and
Education supports this statement in the SACE Code of Conduct.

Write a three page essay comparing the beliefs and practices one African religion (San/
Nguni and Sotho-Tswana speakers) and one Abrahamic religion (Judaism/
Christianity/Islam)
OTHER ASSESSMENT METHODS

We will not use other assessment methods.

10
EXAMINATION
How the Examination System works
For general examination guidelines and examination preparation guidelines, see the brochure
my Studies @ Unisa which you received with your study material.
Examination admission
Submission of the first assignment before 7 March or 15 August will confirm your registration for
that semester and you will be noted as an "active student". (This is so that Unisa will receive
subsidy from the Department of Education for you as a student). This also provides you with
admission to the examination. Please note that if you do not submit this assignment on
time you will NOT be allowed to write the examination. There will be NO extensions given
and NO exceptions made.
Examination time table
The examination time table that you receive on registration is a temporary time table, you will
receive your final time table with your admission permit.
A sub-minimum of 40%
Because you can earn a semester mark which will contribute to the final mark, the university
requires that a sub-minimum of 40% must be achieved in the examination to pass the module.
21

Examination period
This module is offered in a semester period of fifteen weeks. This means that if you are
registered for the first semester, you will write the examination in May/ June 2016 and the
supplementary examination will be written in October/ November 2016. If you are registered for
the second semester you will write the examination in October/ November 2016 and the
supplementary examination will be written in May/ June 2017.
During the semester, the Examination Section will provide you with information regarding the
examination in general, examination venues, examination dates and examination times.
If your final mark (taking the semester mark into account) is between 40% and 49%, you will be
given an opportunity to rewrite the examination in the next examination period. This examination
will count out of 100% and the semester mark will not be brought into account. However, if you
write an aegrotat examination the semester mark will count towards the final mark.
If you are registered for the second semester and you have to write a supplementary or aegrotat
examination in May/June, of the next year, you MUST contact the course leader to check that
there have not been any changes in the study material. These changes are made from time to
time and always start in a new year.
Duration of the examination
The examination will be of two hours duration.
A special tutorial letter on the examinations
You will receive a tutorial letter that will explain the format of the examinations. It will also give
you examples of questions that you may expect and set out clearly what material you have to
study for examination purposes. This letter may be combined with one containing feedback on
Assignment 02.
Previous examination papers
Previous examination papers are available to students. You may check on the myUnisa website
where old examination papers will be loaded. We advise you, however, not to focus on old
examination papers only as the content of modules and therefore examination papers changes
from year to year. You may, however, accept that the type of questions that will be asked in the
examination will be similar to those asked in the activities in your study guide and in the
assignments.
11

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The my Studies @ Unisa brochure contains an A-Z guide of the most relevant study
information. Please refer to this brochure for any other questions.

EDT303Q_2016_TL_101_3_E
2015-06-30

22