PHIL 104 Experiencing the World's Religions

An introduction to the academic study of religion which explores the nature and variety of religious experience, forms of ritual/rites/worship, the use of practices in guiding everyday living and ethical decision making for individuals and communities, religion’s powerful role in the construction of meaning, and the reciprocal relationship between religion and culture. Drawing on insights from the humanities, this course is interdisciplinary in focus and worldwide in scope, exploring religious and spiritual experience in Asia, Africa, and the West.

Credits

3

Prerequisite

Eligible to enroll in ENGL 121

Hours Weekly

3

Course Objectives

1. Identify the search for meaning as expressed in a wide variety of religious and spiritual traditions and organize understanding by recognizing the central narrative and key concepts within each tradition.
2. Explore possibilities by engaging in weekly practices representing the core beliefs of nine different religious traditions and by examining one’s own core beliefs.
3. Analyze and evaluate the ethical values central to each tradition by observing and experiencing rituals and recognizing their ethical roots.
4. Apply knowledge gained from studying Asian Religions to an analysis of the major monotheisms–Judaism, Christianity, and Islam–and their ethical imperatives.

Course Objectives

1. Identify the search for meaning as expressed in a wide variety of religious and spiritual traditions and organize understanding by recognizing the central narrative and key concepts within each tradition.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Three unit tests

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Critical and Creative Thinking Rubric

   Critical Thinking

   • CT1
2. Explore possibilities by engaging in weekly practices representing the core beliefs of nine different religious traditions and by examining one’s own core beliefs.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Nine weekly practices

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Critical and Creative Thinking Rubric

   Critical Thinking

   • CT2

   Ethics Goals

   • ET2
3. Analyze and evaluate the ethical values central to each tradition by observing and experiencing rituals and recognizing their ethical roots.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Five observations

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Critical and Creative Thinking Rubric

   Critical Thinking

   • CT3

   Ethics Goals

   • ET1
4. Apply knowledge gained from studying Asian Religions to an analysis of the major monotheisms–Judaism, Christianity, and Islam–and their ethical imperatives.

   Learning Activity Artifact

   • Other (please fill out box below)
   • Final capstone project

   Procedure for Assessing Student Learning

   • Creative Process and Humanistic Inquiry Rubric

   Critical Thinking

   • CT4

   Ethics Goals

   • ET3