REL 212: Religions of the Western World: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; Section 3; Annette Yoshiko Reed, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey; fall semester 2001

Requirements

REQUIRED TEXTS:
Required texts that are available for purchase at the Rutgers University Bookstore:: Course Packet
Willard Oxtoby, ed., World Religions: Western Traditions (Oxford University Press, 1996).

Other required readings (e.g., selections from the Hebrew Bible, New Testament, and Koran) will be accessible from the course website, which is split into three sections:
Judaism - Assignments for September 7 to October 2
Christianity - Assignments for October 5 to 30
Islam - Assignments for November 2 to December 11
Especially for the primary sources (marked by * in the syllabus), students are encouraged to print out the on-line texts and bring them to class. Links to Internet resources and copies of in-class handouts can also be found on the site. Please note that all links will open in a new browser window.

In addition, the following materials have been placed on Reserve:
Barry Holtz, ed., Back to the Sources: Reading the Classic Jewish Texts (New York: Summit Books, 1984).
Caroline Walker Bynum, Holy Feast and Holy Fast: The Religious Significance of Food to Medieval Women (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987)
F. E. Peters, A Reader on Classical Islam (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994).

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

1. Three In-class Quizzes (30% of final grade): On the final day of each section (i.e., October 2; October 30; December 4), we will set aside 15-20 minutes for in-class quizzes. Anyone who carefully completes the required reading and attends all the lectures should have little problem with these quizzes; they will consist mainly of short-answer definitions of key terms and figures, which will test your mastery of basic knowledge from the readings and lectures. We will be covering quite a lot of material in this course, so the better that you prepare for these quizzes, the easier it will be for you to study for the final exam!

2. Two Short Papers (20% of final grade): Students will be required to submit two short papers (3-4 pages), dedicated to analyzing primary sources. You are free to choose any primary source from among the syllabus assignments (primary sources are marked by asterisks [*]). The two papers, however, must treat sources from two different religious traditions (i.e. Judaism and Christianity; Judaism and Islam; or Christianity and Islam). Papers on texts from our Judaism section must be submitted by October 9; papers on texts from our Christianity section, by November 6; and papers on texts from our Islam section, by December 11. Further instructions will be distributed in the second week of class.

3. Final Examination (40% of final grade): The final exam will be a take-home and will be cumulative. The exam will consist of a combination of [a] short-answer questions, which will test for familiarity with the basic concepts of each religious tradition (i.e., just like the three quizzes in form and content), and [b] two or three essay questions, whose scope will be more synthetic and comparative (i.e., asking you to explore shared themes in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as well as important points of contrast and conflict between them). We will discuss the exact expectations for the exam throughout the semester, as well as in our Review Session on the last day of class (December 11).

4. Class Participation (10% of final grade): In addition, students are expected to attend every class meeting (i.e., you should inform me ahead of time if you will be unable to attend a session) and actively participate in our discussions about the assigned readings. Please be advised that the wide scope of this course makes the thorough preparation of assignments especially important -- not only to gain familiarity with the beliefs, history, and practices of each religious tradition, but also to lay the foundation for further reflection about the wider issues raised by the study of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.; Willard Oxtoby, ed., World Religions: Western Traditions (Oxford University Press, 1996).

Other required readings (e.g., selections from the Hebrew Bible, New Testament, and Koran) will be accessible from the course website, which is split into three sections:
Judaism - Assignments for September 7 to October 2
Christianity - Assignments for October 5 to 30
Islam - Assignments for November 2 to December 11
Especially for the primary sources (marked by * in the syllabus), students are encouraged to print out the on-line texts and bring them to class. Links to Internet resources and copies of in-class handouts can also be found on the site. Please note that all links will open in a new browser window.

In addition, the following materials have been placed on Reserve:
Barry Holtz, ed., Back to the Sources: Reading the Classic Jewish Texts (New York: Summit Books, 1984).
Caroline Walker Bynum, Holy Feast and Holy Fast: The Religious Significance of Food to Medieval Women (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987)
F. E. Peters, A Reader on Classical Islam (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994).

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

1. Three In-class Quizzes (30% of final grade): On the final day of each section (i.e., October 2; October 30; December 4), we will set aside 15-20 minutes for in-class quizzes. Anyone who carefully completes the required reading and attends all the lectures should have little problem with these quizzes; they will consist mainly of short-answer definitions of key terms and figures, which will test your mastery of basic knowledge from the readings and lectures. We will be covering quite a lot of material in this course, so the better that you prepare for these quizzes, the easier it will be for you to study for the final exam!

2. Two Short Papers (20% of final grade): Students will be required to submit two short papers (3-4 pages), dedicated to analyzing primary sources. You are free to choose any primary source from among the syllabus assignments (primary sources are marked by asterisks [*]). The two papers, however, must treat sources from two different religious traditions (i.e. Judaism and Christianity; Judaism and Islam; or Christianity and Islam). Papers on texts from our Judaism section must be submitted by October 9; papers on texts from our Christianity section, by November 6; and papers on texts from our Islam section, by December 11. Further instructions will be distributed in the second week of class.

3. Final Examination (40% of final grade): The final exam will be a take-home and will be cumulative. The exam will consist of a combination of [a] short-answer questions, which will test for familiarity with the basic concepts of each religious tradition (i.e., just like the three quizzes in form and content), and [b] two or three essay questions, whose scope will be more synthetic and comparative (i.e., asking you to explore shared themes in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as well as important points of contrast and conflict between them). We will discuss the exact expectations for the exam throughout the semester, as well as in our Review Session on the last day of class (December 11).

4. Class Participation (10% of final grade): In addition, students are expected to attend every class meeting (i.e., you should inform me ahead of time if you will be unable to attend a session) and actively participate in our discussions about the assigned readings. Please be advised that the wide scope of this course makes the thorough preparation of assignments especially important -- not only to gain familiarity with the beliefs, history, and practices of each religious tradition, but also to lay the foundation for further reflection about the wider issues raised by the study of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Other required readings (e.g., selections from the Hebrew Bible, New Testament, and Koran) will be accessible from the course website, which is split into three sections:: Judaism - Assignments for September 7 to October 2
Christianity - Assignments for October 5 to 30
Islam - Assignments for November 2 to December 11
Especially for the primary sources (marked by * in the syllabus), students are encouraged to print out the on-line texts and bring them to class. Links to Internet resources and copies of in-class handouts can also be found on the site. Please note that all links will open in a new browser window.

In addition, the following materials have been placed on Reserve:
Barry Holtz, ed., Back to the Sources: Reading the Classic Jewish Texts (New York: Summit Books, 1984).
Caroline Walker Bynum, Holy Feast and Holy Fast: The Religious Significance of Food to Medieval Women (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987)
F. E. Peters, A Reader on Classical Islam (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994).

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

1. Three In-class Quizzes (30% of final grade): On the final day of each section (i.e., October 2; October 30; December 4), we will set aside 15-20 minutes for in-class quizzes. Anyone who carefully completes the required reading and attends all the lectures should have little problem with these quizzes; they will consist mainly of short-answer definitions of key terms and figures, which will test your mastery of basic knowledge from the readings and lectures. We will be covering quite a lot of material in this course, so the better that you prepare for these quizzes, the easier it will be for you to study for the final exam!

2. Two Short Papers (20% of final grade): Students will be required to submit two short papers (3-4 pages), dedicated to analyzing primary sources. You are free to choose any primary source from among the syllabus assignments (primary sources are marked by asterisks [*]). The two papers, however, must treat sources from two different religious traditions (i.e. Judaism and Christianity; Judaism and Islam; or Christianity and Islam). Papers on texts from our Judaism section must be submitted by October 9; papers on texts from our Christianity section, by November 6; and papers on texts from our Islam section, by December 11. Further instructions will be distributed in the second week of class.

3. Final Examination (40% of final grade): The final exam will be a take-home and will be cumulative. The exam will consist of a combination of [a] short-answer questions, which will test for familiarity with the basic concepts of each religious tradition (i.e., just like the three quizzes in form and content), and [b] two or three essay questions, whose scope will be more synthetic and comparative (i.e., asking you to explore shared themes in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as well as important points of contrast and conflict between them). We will discuss the exact expectations for the exam throughout the semester, as well as in our Review Session on the last day of class (December 11).

4. Class Participation (10% of final grade): In addition, students are expected to attend every class meeting (i.e., you should inform me ahead of time if you will be unable to attend a session) and actively participate in our discussions about the assigned readings. Please be advised that the wide scope of this course makes the thorough preparation of assignments especially important -- not only to gain familiarity with the beliefs, history, and practices of each religious tradition, but also to lay the foundation for further reflection about the wider issues raised by the study of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.; Christianity - Assignments for October 5 to 30
Islam - Assignments for November 2 to December 11
Especially for the primary sources (marked by * in the syllabus), students are encouraged to print out the on-line texts and bring them to class. Links to Internet resources and copies of in-class handouts can also be found on the site. Please note that all links will open in a new browser window.

In addition, the following materials have been placed on Reserve:
Barry Holtz, ed., Back to the Sources: Reading the Classic Jewish Texts (New York: Summit Books, 1984).
Caroline Walker Bynum, Holy Feast and Holy Fast: The Religious Significance of Food to Medieval Women (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987)
F. E. Peters, A Reader on Classical Islam (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994).

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

1. Three In-class Quizzes (30% of final grade): On the final day of each section (i.e., October 2; October 30; December 4), we will set aside 15-20 minutes for in-class quizzes. Anyone who carefully completes the required reading and attends all the lectures should have little problem with these quizzes; they will consist mainly of short-answer definitions of key terms and figures, which will test your mastery of basic knowledge from the readings and lectures. We will be covering quite a lot of material in this course, so the better that you prepare for these quizzes, the easier it will be for you to study for the final exam!

2. Two Short Papers (20% of final grade): Students will be required to submit two short papers (3-4 pages), dedicated to analyzing primary sources. You are free to choose any primary source from among the syllabus assignments (primary sources are marked by asterisks [*]). The two papers, however, must treat sources from two different religious traditions (i.e. Judaism and Christianity; Judaism and Islam; or Christianity and Islam). Papers on texts from our Judaism section must be submitted by October 9; papers on texts from our Christianity section, by November 6; and papers on texts from our Islam section, by December 11. Further instructions will be distributed in the second week of class.

3. Final Examination (40% of final grade): The final exam will be a take-home and will be cumulative. The exam will consist of a combination of [a] short-answer questions, which will test for familiarity with the basic concepts of each religious tradition (i.e., just like the three quizzes in form and content), and [b] two or three essay questions, whose scope will be more synthetic and comparative (i.e., asking you to explore shared themes in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as well as important points of contrast and conflict between them). We will discuss the exact expectations for the exam throughout the semester, as well as in our Review Session on the last day of class (December 11).

4. Class Participation (10% of final grade): In addition, students are expected to attend every class meeting (i.e., you should inform me ahead of time if you will be unable to attend a session) and actively participate in our discussions about the assigned readings. Please be advised that the wide scope of this course makes the thorough preparation of assignments especially important -- not only to gain familiarity with the beliefs, history, and practices of each religious tradition, but also to lay the foundation for further reflection about the wider issues raised by the study of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.; Islam - Assignments for November 2 to December 11
Especially for the primary sources (marked by * in the syllabus), students are encouraged to print out the on-line texts and bring them to class. Links to Internet resources and copies of in-class handouts can also be found on the site. Please note that all links will open in a new browser window.

In addition, the following materials have been placed on Reserve:
Barry Holtz, ed., Back to the Sources: Reading the Classic Jewish Texts (New York: Summit Books, 1984).
Caroline Walker Bynum, Holy Feast and Holy Fast: The Religious Significance of Food to Medieval Women (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987)
F. E. Peters, A Reader on Classical Islam (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994).

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

1. Three In-class Quizzes (30% of final grade): On the final day of each section (i.e., October 2; October 30; December 4), we will set aside 15-20 minutes for in-class quizzes. Anyone who carefully completes the required reading and attends all the lectures should have little problem with these quizzes; they will consist mainly of short-answer definitions of key terms and figures, which will test your mastery of basic knowledge from the readings and lectures. We will be covering quite a lot of material in this course, so the better that you prepare for these quizzes, the easier it will be for you to study for the final exam!

2. Two Short Papers (20% of final grade): Students will be required to submit two short papers (3-4 pages), dedicated to analyzing primary sources. You are free to choose any primary source from among the syllabus assignments (primary sources are marked by asterisks [*]). The two papers, however, must treat sources from two different religious traditions (i.e. Judaism and Christianity; Judaism and Islam; or Christianity and Islam). Papers on texts from our Judaism section must be submitted by October 9; papers on texts from our Christianity section, by November 6; and papers on texts from our Islam section, by December 11. Further instructions will be distributed in the second week of class.

3. Final Examination (40% of final grade): The final exam will be a take-home and will be cumulative. The exam will consist of a combination of [a] short-answer questions, which will test for familiarity with the basic concepts of each religious tradition (i.e., just like the three quizzes in form and content), and [b] two or three essay questions, whose scope will be more synthetic and comparative (i.e., asking you to explore shared themes in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as well as important points of contrast and conflict between them). We will discuss the exact expectations for the exam throughout the semester, as well as in our Review Session on the last day of class (December 11).

4. Class Participation (10% of final grade): In addition, students are expected to attend every class meeting (i.e., you should inform me ahead of time if you will be unable to attend a session) and actively participate in our discussions about the assigned readings. Please be advised that the wide scope of this course makes the thorough preparation of assignments especially important -- not only to gain familiarity with the beliefs, history, and practices of each religious tradition, but also to lay the foundation for further reflection about the wider issues raised by the study of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Especially for the primary sources (marked by * in the syllabus), students are encouraged to print out the on-line texts and bring them to class. Links to Internet resources and copies of in-class handouts can also be found on the site. Please note that all links will open in a new browser window.
In addition, the following materials have been placed on Reserve:: Barry Holtz, ed., Back to the Sources: Reading the Classic Jewish Texts (New York: Summit Books, 1984).
Caroline Walker Bynum, Holy Feast and Holy Fast: The Religious Significance of Food to Medieval Women (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987)
F. E. Peters, A Reader on Classical Islam (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994).

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

1. Three In-class Quizzes (30% of final grade): On the final day of each section (i.e., October 2; October 30; December 4), we will set aside 15-20 minutes for in-class quizzes. Anyone who carefully completes the required reading and attends all the lectures should have little problem with these quizzes; they will consist mainly of short-answer definitions of key terms and figures, which will test your mastery of basic knowledge from the readings and lectures. We will be covering quite a lot of material in this course, so the better that you prepare for these quizzes, the easier it will be for you to study for the final exam!

2. Two Short Papers (20% of final grade): Students will be required to submit two short papers (3-4 pages), dedicated to analyzing primary sources. You are free to choose any primary source from among the syllabus assignments (primary sources are marked by asterisks [*]). The two papers, however, must treat sources from two different religious traditions (i.e. Judaism and Christianity; Judaism and Islam; or Christianity and Islam). Papers on texts from our Judaism section must be submitted by October 9; papers on texts from our Christianity section, by November 6; and papers on texts from our Islam section, by December 11. Further instructions will be distributed in the second week of class.

3. Final Examination (40% of final grade): The final exam will be a take-home and will be cumulative. The exam will consist of a combination of [a] short-answer questions, which will test for familiarity with the basic concepts of each religious tradition (i.e., just like the three quizzes in form and content), and [b] two or three essay questions, whose scope will be more synthetic and comparative (i.e., asking you to explore shared themes in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as well as important points of contrast and conflict between them). We will discuss the exact expectations for the exam throughout the semester, as well as in our Review Session on the last day of class (December 11).

4. Class Participation (10% of final grade): In addition, students are expected to attend every class meeting (i.e., you should inform me ahead of time if you will be unable to attend a session) and actively participate in our discussions about the assigned readings. Please be advised that the wide scope of this course makes the thorough preparation of assignments especially important -- not only to gain familiarity with the beliefs, history, and practices of each religious tradition, but also to lay the foundation for further reflection about the wider issues raised by the study of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.; Caroline Walker Bynum, Holy Feast and Holy Fast: The Religious Significance of Food to Medieval Women (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987)
F. E. Peters, A Reader on Classical Islam (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994).

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

1. Three In-class Quizzes (30% of final grade): On the final day of each section (i.e., October 2; October 30; December 4), we will set aside 15-20 minutes for in-class quizzes. Anyone who carefully completes the required reading and attends all the lectures should have little problem with these quizzes; they will consist mainly of short-answer definitions of key terms and figures, which will test your mastery of basic knowledge from the readings and lectures. We will be covering quite a lot of material in this course, so the better that you prepare for these quizzes, the easier it will be for you to study for the final exam!

2. Two Short Papers (20% of final grade): Students will be required to submit two short papers (3-4 pages), dedicated to analyzing primary sources. You are free to choose any primary source from among the syllabus assignments (primary sources are marked by asterisks [*]). The two papers, however, must treat sources from two different religious traditions (i.e. Judaism and Christianity; Judaism and Islam; or Christianity and Islam). Papers on texts from our Judaism section must be submitted by October 9; papers on texts from our Christianity section, by November 6; and papers on texts from our Islam section, by December 11. Further instructions will be distributed in the second week of class.

3. Final Examination (40% of final grade): The final exam will be a take-home and will be cumulative. The exam will consist of a combination of [a] short-answer questions, which will test for familiarity with the basic concepts of each religious tradition (i.e., just like the three quizzes in form and content), and [b] two or three essay questions, whose scope will be more synthetic and comparative (i.e., asking you to explore shared themes in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as well as important points of contrast and conflict between them). We will discuss the exact expectations for the exam throughout the semester, as well as in our Review Session on the last day of class (December 11).

4. Class Participation (10% of final grade): In addition, students are expected to attend every class meeting (i.e., you should inform me ahead of time if you will be unable to attend a session) and actively participate in our discussions about the assigned readings. Please be advised that the wide scope of this course makes the thorough preparation of assignments especially important -- not only to gain familiarity with the beliefs, history, and practices of each religious tradition, but also to lay the foundation for further reflection about the wider issues raised by the study of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.; F. E. Peters, A Reader on Classical Islam (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994).

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

1. Three In-class Quizzes (30% of final grade): On the final day of each section (i.e., October 2; October 30; December 4), we will set aside 15-20 minutes for in-class quizzes. Anyone who carefully completes the required reading and attends all the lectures should have little problem with these quizzes; they will consist mainly of short-answer definitions of key terms and figures, which will test your mastery of basic knowledge from the readings and lectures. We will be covering quite a lot of material in this course, so the better that you prepare for these quizzes, the easier it will be for you to study for the final exam!

2. Two Short Papers (20% of final grade): Students will be required to submit two short papers (3-4 pages), dedicated to analyzing primary sources. You are free to choose any primary source from among the syllabus assignments (primary sources are marked by asterisks [*]). The two papers, however, must treat sources from two different religious traditions (i.e. Judaism and Christianity; Judaism and Islam; or Christianity and Islam). Papers on texts from our Judaism section must be submitted by October 9; papers on texts from our Christianity section, by November 6; and papers on texts from our Islam section, by December 11. Further instructions will be distributed in the second week of class.

3. Final Examination (40% of final grade): The final exam will be a take-home and will be cumulative. The exam will consist of a combination of [a] short-answer questions, which will test for familiarity with the basic concepts of each religious tradition (i.e., just like the three quizzes in form and content), and [b] two or three essay questions, whose scope will be more synthetic and comparative (i.e., asking you to explore shared themes in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as well as important points of contrast and conflict between them). We will discuss the exact expectations for the exam throughout the semester, as well as in our Review Session on the last day of class (December 11).

4. Class Participation (10% of final grade): In addition, students are expected to attend every class meeting (i.e., you should inform me ahead of time if you will be unable to attend a session) and actively participate in our discussions about the assigned readings. Please be advised that the wide scope of this course makes the thorough preparation of assignments especially important -- not only to gain familiarity with the beliefs, history, and practices of each religious tradition, but also to lay the foundation for further reflection about the wider issues raised by the study of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
1. Three In-class Quizzes (30% of final grade): On the final day of each section (i.e., October 2; October 30; December 4), we will set aside 15-20 minutes for in-class quizzes. Anyone who carefully completes the required reading and attends all the lectures should have little problem with these quizzes; they will consist mainly of short-answer definitions of key terms and figures, which will test your mastery of basic knowledge from the readings and lectures. We will be covering quite a lot of material in this course, so the better that you prepare for these quizzes, the easier it will be for you to study for the final exam!
2. Two Short Papers (20% of final grade): Students will be required to submit two short papers (3-4 pages), dedicated to analyzing primary sources. You are free to choose any primary source from among the syllabus assignments (primary sources are marked by asterisks [*]). The two papers, however, must treat sources from two different religious traditions (i.e. Judaism and Christianity; Judaism and Islam; or Christianity and Islam). Papers on texts from our Judaism section must be submitted by October 9; papers on texts from our Christianity section, by November 6; and papers on texts from our Islam section, by December 11. Further instructions will be distributed in the second week of class.
3. Final Examination (40% of final grade): The final exam will be a take-home and will be cumulative. The exam will consist of a combination of [a] short-answer questions, which will test for familiarity with the basic concepts of each religious tradition (i.e., just like the three quizzes in form and content), and [b] two or three essay questions, whose scope will be more synthetic and comparative (i.e., asking you to explore shared themes in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as well as important points of contrast and conflict between them). We will discuss the exact expectations for the exam throughout the semester, as well as in our Review Session on the last day of class (December 11).
4. Class Participation (10% of final grade): In addition, students are expected to attend every class meeting (i.e., you should inform me ahead of time if you will be unable to attend a session) and actively participate in our discussions about the assigned readings. Please be advised that the wide scope of this course makes the thorough preparation of assignments especially important -- not only to gain familiarity with the beliefs, history, and practices of each religious tradition, but also to lay the foundation for further reflection about the wider issues raised by the study of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Schedule of Assignments and On-line Sources:
Judaism (Sept 7 to Oct 2) || Christianity (Oct 5 to 30) || Islam (Nov 2 to Dec 11)
Course Summary || Course Requirements
Additional Resources (Printable Syllabus, Handouts, etc.)
Contact: Annette Yoshiko Reed

Rutgers the State University of New Jersey || Department of Religion