Professional Documents
Culture Documents
HUM130
Religions of the World
Whenever there is a question about what assignments are due, please remember this syllabus is
considered the ruling document.
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and Sunday for my family. I tend to be online, however, at least one weekend morning. If these times are
not convenient for you, please let me know. I will be happy to accommodate your schedule, if possible. I
provide you with these times to make it easier to communicate with me, and not to limit our contact.
I want you to know that, should you need to contact me outside these time frames, you should not
hesitate to do so.
For emergencies, when you are not able to gain access to messages on the Online Learning System
(OLS), please send a message to my personal email address. In the event a third party needs to contact
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Where to Go to Class
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access for everyone.
Chat-Room: This is a read-and-write access forum. It is designed as a place to discuss issues not related
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Course-Materials: This is a read-only forum, which means you can read messages here but cannot send
any. This is where I will post the course syllabus and materials.
Individual Forum: You will see one forum with your name on it. This is a private forum, shared only by
you and me, the facilitator. Your classmates will not have access to this forum. You can ask questions
here. However, if you have general questions about instructions of assignments, please post those in the
Main forum, since other students may benefit by that exchange as well.
Policies
For class policies, please see the "Policies" link on the left side of the Materials page for the course on
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policies contained within that link. University policies are subject to change so please be sure to read
them at the beginning of each class as it may have changed since your last class. Policies may be slightly
different depending on the modality in which you attend class. If you have recently changed modalities it
is important you read the policies governing your current class modality.
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Answers to the most common issues are found in the Knowledge Base by clicking Help, found at the top
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Feedback
Each week, I will provide grades or scores and comments on your assignments.
Grading Formula
Percentage % Grade
95+ A
90-94 A-
87-89 B+
84-86 B
80-83 B-
77-79 C+
74-76 C
70-73 C-
67-69 D+
64-66 D
60-63 D-
<59 F
Course Description
See eCampus.
Course Materials
See eCampus.
Discussion Questions___________________________________________________
Discussion question responses will count towards the class participation requirement.
Participation___________________________________________________________
All week: Participate in the class discussions by posting at least 2 substantial messages on 4 out of 7
days during the week, with a total of eight substantive messages per week. The two discussion questions
in weeks two, four, six and eight must be answered, and your two answers will count towards the eight
substantive postings needed for those weeks.
ASSIGNMENTS Points
Individual (100%)
Week One
CheckPoint: Effects of Religion 30
Assignment: Vocabulary 70
Week Two
Exercise: Indigenous Culture Web Site Reviews 20
Participation/Discussion Questions 30
Week Three
CheckPoint: Hindu Terms Map 30
Assignment: Hinduism Paper 100
Week Four
CheckPoint: Final Project Preparation 30
Participation/Discussion Questions 30
Week Five
CheckPoint: Eastern Religion Elements Matrix 30
Assignment: Judaism Presentation 100
Week Six
CheckPoint: Five Pillars of Islam 30
Participation/Discussion Questions 30
Week Seven
CheckPoint: Monotheistic Religions 30
Assignment: Jesus and Mohammed Paper 100
Week Eight
CheckPoint: Rough Draft World Religions Report 30
Participation/Discussion Questions 30
Week Nine
CheckPoint: Capstone 30
Final Project: World Religions Report 250
Total 1000
HUM 130 Course Calendar
Rough Draft
HUM130 DQ #1 Due DQ #2 Due
CheckPoint
Course Assignments
1. Course Preparation
2. Readings
Weekly Reminders
Course Assignments
1. Readings
• Review your classmates’ responses to the first Discussion Question for this week.
• Choose two Web sites that interest you from your classmates’ responses.
• Complete Appendix D using the two Web sites you found for your Discussion Question
response and the two additional Web sites borrowed from your classmates’ responses.
• Post your completed exercise as an attachment in the Assignment Section by Day 5.
3. Discussion Questions
• Find two Web sites dealing with indigenous cultures or religions. Discuss how modern
civilization has affected the spiritual lives of the indigenous peoples you explored. Are
indigenous religions still practiced today? If so, how have the practices changed over time?
Post the two Web site URLs in the thread along with your answers to the questions in the
Main Forum by Day 2.
Weekly Reminders
Discussion Questions
Discussion question responses will count towards the class participation requirement and will be
evaluated separately. Only posts in the Main classroom forum will count towards your class participation
score.
Course Assignments
o Considering that Hinduism lacks a uniting belief system, what makes up the Hindu
religion?
o What are the cultural and societal influences that have made Hinduism vital to the region
in which it originated?
o Explain the desire for liberation from earthly existence.
Weekly Reminders
Course Assignments
1. Readings
3. Discussion Questions
• How did the childhood experiences of Siddhartha Guatama (Buddha) lead to his questioning
of the spiritual practices of his time? Post your response in the Main Forum by Day 2.
• How do contemporary Buddhist practices reflect the foundations of the religion? Post your
response in the Main Forum by Day 4.
Weekly Reminders
Discussion Questions
Discussion question responses will count towards the class participation requirement and will be
evaluated separately.
Only posts in the Main classroom forum will count towards your class participation score.
• Compare and contrast the theological foundations and spiritual practices of Daoism,
Confucianism, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
• Explain the origins of Judaism
• Describe Judaism’s theological foundations and spiritual practices.
Course Assignments
Weekly Reminders
Course Assignments
1. Readings
o What are the central beliefs of Islam, and how are they reflected in the "Five Pillars”
(McInerney, 2003)?
o Which of the Five Pillars do you feel would be easiest to fulfill, and which would be the
most challenging (McInerney, 2003)?
• Post your response in the Assignment Section by Day 5.
3. Discussion Questions
• How has Christianity, a faith based on the teachings of one text, the Bible, divided into so
many denominations? Post your response in the Main Forum by Day 2.
• What events and figures have shaped the development of Islam in the United States? Post
your response in the Main Forum by Day 4.
Weekly Reminders
Discussion Questions
Discussion question responses will count towards the class participation requirement and will be
evaluated separately.
Only posts in the Main classroom forum will count towards your class participation score.
• Compare and contrast the theological foundations and spiritual practices of Judaism, Christianity,
and Islam.
Course Assignments
• Submit a 1,250- to 1,500-word paper in which you compare and contrast the lives of Jesus
and Mohammed in relation to each respective religion. Complete the following steps in your
paper:
Weekly Reminders
• Compare and contrast new religious movements with well established religions.
• Estimate the impact of religious pluralism and the interfaith movement on the future of
organized religion.
Course Assignments
1. Readings
• Post Your Rough Draft of your World Religions Report as an attachment in the Assignment
Section by Day 5.
3. Discussion Questions
• How are newer religions different from older ones? How are they similar? Post your response
in the Main Forum by Day 2.
• What effect do you think religious pluralism and the interfaith movement will have on the
future of organized religion? Explain your answer. Post your response in the Main forum by
Day 4.
Weekly Reminders
Discussion Questions
Discussion question responses will count towards the class participation requirement and will be
evaluated separately.
Only posts in the Main classroom forum will count towards your class participation score.
• Communicate with people of different religions about their beliefs and practices.
Course Assignments
1. Capstone CheckPoint
o In what ways has learning about world religions influenced the way you think about
religion?
o Why is it important to learn about other peoples' beliefs and attitudes?
o How will you utilize this information in the future?
Weekly Reminders