R 201:EASTERN RELIGIONS
Winter 1999
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
FOR PROFESSOR
DALE CANNON
1. A persistent effort to understand the unfamiliar empathetically
and the familiar as if one were a stranger.
In other words, all work for the course, with the exception of your
journal (in which you are encouraged to develop your personal responses
to the content and expectations of the course, including this expectation),
should be done so far as possible in accordance with the principles of
empathetic objectivity. (See Cannon, "Religious Studies Essay II: Empathetic
Objectivity in the Interpretation of Religious Phenomena.")
2. Completion of assigned readings on schedule (see course
schedule) and thoughtful reflection upon them, for the sake of
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mastering the content covered in the readings,
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intelligent participation in class sessions,
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preparing for doing well on the examinations, and
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building an essential background for writing a good term paper.
Study tips:
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Use the Examination Study Questions along with your reading to highlight
the information you especially need to know, and take notes to answer each
of the questions to serve as as a basis for preparing for the examinations.
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Identify and write down to bring to class (or email
to me <cannodw@wou.edu>) anything covered in the assigned reading
that seems unclear, confused, or in need of fuller explanation. It could
be that, having clearly identified your question, further reading will
enable you to answer it yourself.
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Reflect on and respond to the readings through the use of your class journal.
Suggested journal questions may be found in the R201 Lectures.
3. Regular participation in class sessions, including:
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regular attendance (see attendance
and absence make up policy),
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attentive listening to lectures;
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a persistent effort to learn and acquire mastery of material covered in
class,
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readiness to ask questions for clarification and explanation of content
covered in class sessions and assigned readings;
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involvement in class discussion and other class activities; and
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a persistent effort to understand the unfamiliar empathetically and the
familiar as if one were a stranger.
Study tips:
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Bring the R201 Lectures to class to highlight, take additional notes
in, identify matters not sufficiently clarified and explained, etc.
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Don't hesitate to let me know in class when you have not understood something,
when you would like further explanation about something, or when you have
a question relating to the course content. Generally, I welcome such interruptions,
though I may decide to put off a fuller explanation to a later, more opportune
time.
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Bring to class any questions you have that have arisen from prior class
sessions or from assigned readings. Generally, I ask for any such questions
at the beginning of each class.
4. [for the "civility challenged"] Conduct appropriate to collegiate
study and learning, including, but not limited to the following considerations:
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Conversations between class members unrelated to what is otherwise going
on in class are to be avoided during the class session.
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Studying for other courses and reading books or magazines unrelated to
what is otherwise going on in class is not appropriate.
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If you know in advance that you must leave in the midst of a class session,
kindly let me know ahead of time, please sit near the door, and make your
exit as unobtrusive as possible.
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The wearing of hats and the chewing of gum in class is inappropriate.
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Anything otherwise disruptive of or distracting to the class session is
to be avoided.
5. Participation on an R201 study team of at least one other person
throughout the course, in preparing for your exams, and in preparation
for and writing of your paper. By the end of the second week
of the course (Jan 15), you and your teammates must identify yourselves
as a team to me in writing. (You will be asked to fill out and hand in
a confidential evaluation of participation on this team of your teammate(s)
and of yourself.)
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PURPOSES: The point of working in teams is (a) to learn through conversational
dialogue with other points of view, (b) to be a network of mutual support,
and (c) to refine your thinking, understanding, and writing by way of constructive
critical feedback from peers. It is not to relieve you of responsibility
for doing the work of the course.
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TIME?: Teamwork does not necessarily require spending a lot of time together.
Much can be done at a distance, by way of exchanging notes and papers,
and by way of something like email.
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DUE DATES: It might be most useful for you and your teammates to have your
papers due at the same date (see below). This, however, is not necessary.
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TEAMWORK FOR EXAMINATIONS: You are asked to do your exam preparation
in a mutually supporting way (e.g., by delegating specific tasks to specific
persons).
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TEAMWORK ON PAPERS: Teammates are expected to give each other constructive
critical feedback in choosing a topic, in identifying and sifting source
information, in thinking through the composition of the paper, and in carrying
through a constructive critical review of a first draft of the paper through
the use of a Peer
Review Form for the Research Project or a Peer
Review Form for the Essay Book Review. Teammates should not choose
the identical research paper topic (complementary angles on the same topic
are welcome). Teammates may choose to do a book review of the same
book, but should not jointly write the same paper or say the same thing
in only slightly different words. Papers must give acknowledgment
of teammate assistance.
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TEAMWORK ON EXTRA-CREDIT PROJECTS: The quality and richness of Extra-Credit
Projects in the course are considerably enhanced if carried out as a team.
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TEAMWORK PROBLEMS: In preparing for an exam or writing a paper in
the course, when you find that you and your teammate(s) do not agree, try
to use that disagreement as a spur to develop each of your thinking further
-- at least in your journals if not in the actual things you write.
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WHEN A TEAM DOESN'T SEEM TO WORK AT ALL: If the disagreement persists and
the team ceases to be mutually supportive or valuable, please see me for
reassignment early on. In any case, if cooperation proves impossible,
work done outside of a team will be fully acceptable without prejudice.
6. Two out of three in-class multiple-choice examinations.
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At the conclusion of each of the three sections of
the course (relating respectively to Hinduism and Jainism, Sikhism and
Buddhism, and the Religions of China and Japan), there is scheduled an
in-class, multiple-choice examination of about 50, drawn from study questions
given out ahead of time which will assess your mastery of the main content
of lectures and assigned readings. The first two exams will cover the introduction
to the study of religion as well. These will take place Friday Feb
1, Monday Feb 22 (these during the regularly scheduled class hour), and
at the scheduled final examination Friday Mar 19, at 8 AM (for the 2 PM
section) and 10 AM (for the 10 AM section).
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You must register in advance (by Jan 8) which of
the three examinations will not be taken for credit. Your term paper (research
project or book review) will be due on the date and time of the exam not
taken for credit, except for the final paper which is due Monday Mar 15
at Noon. A maximum of 1/3 of the class may have their papers due on any
one of these three dates. The choice of due date will determine the general
subject area of your paper (see below).
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For more specifics about the examinations, including
study tips, click
here.
7. A term paper: either a Research
Project (Option I) or an Essay
Book Review (Option II).
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Your term paper will be due at the time of the scheduled
examination except for the final set of papers -- i.e., either Feb 1, Feb
22, or Mar 15 (Noon). You will have to choose and register which of these
three dates it will be due by Jan 8. Should you choose to do a research
project (Option I), the choice of due date will determine the general subject
area of your project. Thus, a research project due at the time of the first
exam must be on some expression of Hinduism or Jainism (broadly conceived).
A project due at the time of the second exam must be on some expression
of Buddhism or Sikhism (broadly conceived). And a project due at the time
of the third exam must be on some expression of the religions of China
or Japan (broadly conceived).
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The option choice and topic of your paper must be
submitted in writing to me (for review, approval and/or redirection, and
bibliographic suggestions) not later than two weeks before it is due (Jan
15 for the first set of papers, Feb 8 for the second set, and Mar 1 for
the third set). You will receive feedback on your choice from me at the
next class session. Note: the bibliographic suggestions from me are
expected in normal circumstances to be heeded and not ignored. See
me if you run into trouble.
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A paper may be turned in ahead of time, and you are
encouraged to come to see me individually if you wish to receive feedback
during its development. In any case, re-writes
for an improvement of the paper and an improvement of the grade are encouraged
(though simply making minor spelling and grammatical corrections will likely
not improve your grade significantly. Papers due Mar 15, to be eligible
for a re-write,
must be turned in by Monday Mar 8.
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Depending on the paper option you choose, it must
be researched and composed carefully in accorance with the directives and
guidelines for each of the options. In other words, you are not free to
write on just any topic you like, or do the research for it in any way
you like, or write it in any way you like. The purpose of the directives
and guidelines is to have you learn through practice the discipline of
empathetic objectivity in the interpretation of religious phenomena. Nevertheless,
within these guidelines, you have a very wide range of choices.
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Please note that not taking one of the examinations
for credit does not relieve you of responsibility for mastering the course
content for that section of the course (e.g., completing the assigned reading).
Your paper (whichever option you choose) is expected to reflect mastery
of that content so far as the content is at all relevant to your paper.
In any case mastery of that content will put you in a more secure position
to evaluate your sources critically. Your not having to take the exam is
for the purpose of freeing you to focus more effectively on your paper.
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The term paper (whichever option you choose) is expected
fully to address the assignment as given and be
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coherent,
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the result of your own work (i.e., avoid plagarism
at all costs),
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neatly typed with double-spacing,
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free of minor spelling and grammatical errors (i.e.,
proof-read and corrected before you write your final draft), and
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characterized by full and accurate documentation
in MLA format for all sources on which you have directly relied
(even when not quoted directly), including interviews. For further specifics
on MLA format, click
here.
Failure to meet these minimum expectations will result
in a substantially lower grade than you otherwise might deserve, and perhaps
no credit for your work at all.
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Once you have a next to final draft, it must be given a written peer review
by a member of the class making use of the Peer
Review Guide for the Research Paper or the Peer
Review Guide for the Book Review. You are to use this feedback
to revise your final draft, to which must be attached the completed Peer
Review Guide.
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OPTION I: RESEARCH PROJECT -- an empathetically
objective, carefully researched interpretation, of 5-10 typed, double-spaced
pages according to certain specific guidelines,
of some feature, teaching, person, or practice of one of the religious
traditions we are studying. Note: This is not to be an ordinary
research paper; it is different in many ways from ordinary research papers.
Specifically, it is to be empathetically objective in such a way that,
if circumstances permitted, it would both meet the approval of knowledgeable
insiders and also honor your readers' independence from insiders' views;
it is to be a bridge of empathetic communication between insiders and outsiders..
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For more specifics about the Research Project, including
research and composition tips and suggested topics, click
here.
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OPTION II: ESSAY BOOK REVIEW -- a thoughtful
and thorough review, of 5-10 typed, double-spaced pages in accordance with
certain specific guidelines,
of a book attempting an interreligious dialogue between at least one Eastern
religious tradition and one Western religious tradition from among those
on library reserve under the heading "Sources on Interreligious Dialogue."
Note: This is not to be an ordinary book review; it is different in many
ways from ordinary book reviews and the guidelines stipulate how it is
to be different..
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Assuming that the book you choose concerns primarily
one of the traditions being covered, it may be used only in connection
with a section of the course that correlates with that tradition. (I.e.,
you may not choose a book dealing primarily with a dialogue between Buddhism
and Christianity to serve in place of the exam on Hinduism.)
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For more specifics about the Essay Book Review, including
composition tips, click
here.
8. A Journal
of your personal responses to and personal reflections on your growing
empathetic acquaintance with the three traditions we are studying.
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You should aim at not less than three entries per
week, one for each class session.
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Suggested journal questions may be found at the end
of each of the four sections of the R201 Lectures. They pertain
to both the lecture content and the assigned reading selections.
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Your complete Journal and a "Journal Summary" for
each of the four sections of the course (i.e., four "Journal Summaries")
must be turned in Friday Mar 13.
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For more specifics about the Journal and "Journal
Summary" assignment, click
here.
9. A serious attempt to arrange your schedule
to participate in the optional all-day Field
Trip, Monday, March 25.
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Those going on the field trip will visit places most
students will not likely have been exposed to before. We will hear
speakers from each tradition who will answer questions. It is an opportunity
you should try hard not to miss.
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Registration and a reservation fee of $8.00 will
be required by Friday, Jan 22, prior to the trip, for transportation (lunch
extra) [returnable only if remaining funds adequate]. The fee is $1.00
if you are providing your own transportation.
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For more specifics about the Field Trip, click
here.
Return
to R201 Syllabus
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Oregon University
Copyright © 1997 Western Oregon University
Direct suggestions, comments, and questions about
this page to Dale Cannon.
Last Modified 12/31/98