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Religious Studies Courses

RS 100A - Religions of the East - Winter 2007

Instructor: David Seljak, office: STJ 3022, phone: 884-8111, ext. 28232.
Office Hours: Wednesday 1:30-3 p.m. or by appointment (dseljak@uwaterloo.ca).

Teaching Assistant: Mandy Furney, mdfurney@uwaterloo.ca

Course web site: uwace.uwaterloo.ca. Sign in using your QUEST username and password.

Activate your uwaterloo.ca account. I email announcements to the class from the UW Ace website. In order to receive them you must activate your UW email account. You may forward mail from that account to your existing account (e.g. hotmail, sympatico, etc) if you wish.

Email David Seljak for administrative purposes only and not to ask about course content or assignments. For example, for an assignment, you may email me to set up an appointment or ask for an extension but not to ask a question about how Buddhists understand ultimate reality..

Email Mandy Furney for course content and assignments. Mandy will be grading most of the assignments and outlines. It is best to contact her about them.

This course is an introduction to the major religious traditions of South and East Asia. These include Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and the religious traditions of East Asia (Daoism, Confucianism, local religions, etc.). The goals of this course are:

1) to acquaint ourselves with the practices, values, ideas and histories of the major eastern religions;
2) to learn the general issues and broad outlines of the discipline of studying world religions;
3) to develop skills in understanding the worldviews and practices of others, especially those whose understanding of reality and morality may be radically different from our own;
4) to understand the Canadian experience of members of these religious communities.

One of the unique features of this course stems from a concern about “exoticism”, that is, the presentation of Eastern religions as exotic, something that happens “long ago and far away”. The emphasis on this course will be on how important these traditions are in the modern world and Canadian society. The textbooks have been chosen to show how modern and close these religious communities are and what they mean to us today.

Required Reading (Available at the UW Bookstore)

Mary Pat Fisher, Living Religions: Eastern Traditions.
Paul Bramadat and David Seljak, Religion and Ethnicity in Canada Custom Edition.

Please be careful when buying your books!
Other courses use these books (or variations on them). So make sure you buy the custom package created for RS 100A, Section 001, Winter 2007.

LIVING RELIGION & CUSTOM RELIGION & ETHNICITY CAN
FISHER & SELJAK ISBN 0-13-238744-1

One Short Assignment 25% of final grade
See attached assignment sheet.

Five Short Class Tests 75% of final grade
The tests are not cumulative.
January 18, Test One. 15%. Covers first four lectures.
February 6, Test Two. 15%. Covers material since test one.
March 1, Test Three. 15%. Covers material since test two.
March 20, Test Four. 15%. Covers material since test three.
April 3, Test Five. 15%. Covers material since test four.

The class tests are made up of 15-20 Multiple Choice questions. They take place in the first 20 minutes of class and are followed by a lecture. Please be on time.

NOTE: Always contact your instructor before the test time if you are going to miss a test. With email and voicemail, there is no excuse for not contacting your professor. If you fall sick on the day of the test, contact your instructor at the first possible opportunity.

Academic offenses, disabilities, missed deadlines and tests.

Avoidance of Academic Offenses: All students registered in courses at the University of Waterloo and its Federated University and Affiliated Colleges are expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid committing academic offenses, and to take responsibility for their actions. Students who are unsure whether an action constitutes an offense, or who need help in learning how to avoid offenses (e.g., plagiarism, cheating), or about “rules” for group work / collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor, TA, academic advisor, the appropriate St. Jerome’s departmental Chair, or ultimately the Appeals Officer for St. Jerome’s University. For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy #71, Student Academic Discipline, www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy71.htm. Students who believe that they have been wrongfully or unjustly penalized have the right to grieve in accord with Policy #70, Student Grievance, www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy70.htm.”

Students with documented or suspected disabilities (i.e., physical, learning, or sensory disabilities or chronic medical conditions) are encouraged to contact the Office for Persons with Disabilities (OPD) to determine eligibility for their services. OPD is located in Needles Hall Room 1132 and can be contacted at 888-4567 ext. 5082, TDD/TTY 888-4044.

Missing a test or assignment deadline. I require a note from a medical professional or counsellor. For a family crisis, I will accept a call from a family member.

The University of Waterloo Examination Regulations state that:

A medical certificate presented in support of an official petition for relief from normal academic requirements must provide all of the information requested on the “University of Waterloo Verification of Illness” form or it will not be accepted.

This form can be obtained from Health Services or by cutting and pasting this URL in your browser: http://www.healthservices.uwaterloo.ca/Health_Services/verification.html

If a student has a test/examination deferred due to acceptable medical evidence, he/she normally will write the test/examination at a mutually convenient time, to be determined by the course instructor.

Reading schedule. (Dates–except for tests and assignment due dates–are approximations. Check UWACE for updates.)

January 4 Introduction.

9 The Religious Response. Fisher, Chapter 1.

11 Hinduism. Fisher, Chapter 2.

16 Hinduism. Fisher, Chapter 2.

18 Test One. Hinduism. Fisher, Chapter 2.

23 Religious Diversity in Canada. Bramadat and Seljak, Chapter 1.

25 Hindus in Canada, Bramadat and Seljak, Chapter 2. Hinduism outlines due.

30 Buddhism. Fisher, Chapter 4. Hinduism outlines returned.

February 1 Test Two. Buddhism. Fisher, Chapter 4.

6 Buddhism. Fisher, Chapter 4. Hinduism papers due.

8 Buddhists in Canada. Bramadat and Seljak, Chapter 4.

13 Sikhism. Fisher, Chapter 5. Buddhism outlines due.

15 Sikhism. Fisher, Chapter 5. Sikhs in Canada. Bramadat and Seljak, Chapter 3. Buddhism outlines returned.

19-23 Reading Week

27 Sikhs in Canada. Bramadat and Seljak, Chapter 3. Buddhism papers due.

March 1 Test Three. Chinese Religion: Daoism and Confucianism. Fisher, Chapter 6. Sikhism outlines due.

6 Chinese Religion: Daoism and Confucianism. Fisher, Chapter 6. Sikhism outlines returned.

8 Chinese Religion: Daoism and Confucianism. Fisher, Chapter 6.

13 Chinese Religion in Canada. Bramadat and Seljak, Chapter 5. Sikhism papers due.

15 Shinto. Fisher, Chapter 7. Chinese religion outlines due.

20 Test Four. Shinto. Fisher, Chapter 7. Chinese religion outlines returned.

22 Religion in the 21st century. Fisher, Chapter 8.

27 Religion in the 21st century. Fisher, Chapter 8. Chinese religion papers due.

30 Review: Questions and Discussion

April 3 Test Five. Last day of class.

RS 100A: Assignment 1 / Winter 2007

– Read this Assignment Sheet carefully –

• If you have inquiries about the assignment, please contact the TA Mandy Furney: mdfurney@uwaterloo.ca

• The total value of this assignment (outline and paper) is 25%.
• Final paper is worth 20% of your final mark.
• Outline is marked separately and is worth 5% of your final mark. No final assignment will be accepted without an outline that has been submitted and approved by the TA.
• You must attach your marked outline to your final paper when you submit it.
• Word limit strictly enforced (1500-word max.). With one-inch margins, it should be a bit shorter than five pages long (using the correct font).
• Use only Times New Roman (or Times) 12 point font.

• The only place to hand in papers is in class. Other papers will be marked as one day late.
• Late penalty of one mark out of 20 per day (including Saturday and Sunday).
• For outline and paper: one staple or paper clip in upper left-hand comer, no binders, or plastic covers.
• No cover page: Course number, Name, Student number in upper left-hand corner.
• All text, including quotations, must be double-spaced.
• Number your pages.
• Follow correct citation style.

Go beyond the textbooks! This assignment requires you to do research beyond the textbooks. If you rely solely on textbook and lecture material, you will not pass.

Note on due dates: Assignments are due at 11:30 a.m. in class on the assigned day. If you are unable to attend class, then assignments must be submitted before class to David Seljak’s essay drop box, located to the right (around the corner) of the entrance of the St. Jerome’s Library. (See below for late penalties.)

The only reason for missing a deadline is an illness or a personal crisis. In both cases, University of Waterloo policy requires you to document your reason for being late. Please contact the TA or Instructor before the deadline passes if you are going to be late.


Choose one of the following questions and apply it to your chosen tradition.

1. Women and religion. Each of the world's religious traditions displays a deeply ambiguous attitude towards women. Often the divinity is depicted as male and men are given special status and privileges. Women and femininity are sometimes portrayed in negative terms. Moreover, women face real constraints and are frequently barred from leadership roles. Choosing one tradition, explain how that tradition promotes gender inequality and barriers to women's ability to define their own lives in some ways and promotes equality as well as women's rights and freedoms in other ways.

2. Eastern religions in Canada. In the introduction to Religion and Ethnicity in Canada, Paul Bramadat writes that when people come to Canada, they do not simply bring their religious tradition with them as if it were a piece of luggage. They have to re-create it in the Canadian context, a process that inevitably changes the tradition. Choose a festival, practice, or ritual from your assigned religious tradition and explore the belief system, symbols, and cultural contexts associated with it. Then consider this festival, practice or ritual in the Canadian context. What stays the same and what changes? Why?

3. The nature of religion. We often say, "Hinduism believes that...", "Buddhism teaches that...", "real Sikh's don't do that", or "all practitioners of Chinese religion believe..." as if there were a monolithic, ancient, "pure" tradition that we can identify and use to judge a belief, practice, value or form of community as "authentic". However, we know that all religious traditions evolve and change -- sometimes dramatically. We also know that people from the same community often differ -- sometimes dramatically -- over what is true and unchangeable about their tradition. Choose one particular belief, practice, value, or form of community from a specific tradition and trace how it changed at one point in its history. What changed and what remained the same? Why did the change occur? Who promoted the change and who resisted it?

STEP ONE
Choose a religious tradition and one of the three questions and sign up in class during the first two weeks on the sheet provided. There are a limited number of spots for each topic, so choose soon. If you choose a tradition with which you have personal experience, be sure to give proper context to any personal statements you might make and provide sufficient research to support your arguments. (Do not rely on personal perceptions, information provided by parents or local religious authorities. You may include them, but they are not sufficient in and of themselves.)

Religious Tradition Outline Due in
Class Outline Returned Paper Due in Class
Hinduism Jan 25 Jan 30 Feb 6
Buddhism Feb 13 Feb 15 Feb 27
Sikhism Mar 1 Mar 6 Mar 13
Chinese Religion Mar 15 Mar 20 Mar 27


STEP TWO
Gather your resources. In addition to your course textbooks, you must use at least two other academic resources. These may not include unreliable Internet resources such as Wikipedia, blogs, personal websites, etc. You may use the electronic journals and databases available through the library’s online Resources for Research. All resources are subject to approval by the TA. If your resources are not library books or journals, you may want to confirm their appropriateness.

STEP THREE
a) Write an outline of about 150 words of your paper and submit it by the assigned due date. The outline must include your major topics and arguments. This outline will be graded and returned to you by the next class and must be appended to your final assignment.

b) Your outline must include a draft of your bibliography. You should list the books you are using in a citation style common in the humanities. (See library resources if you are unfamiliar with these or google “Chicago Manual of Style”.) For this assignment, I expect page numbers for all citations, even if your style guide does not require them.

c) On your outline, you must also demonstrate your ability to provide a proper citation according to your chosen citation style by completing the paragraph below.

“The citation style I am using is called ___________. I would cite my sources [with a footnote / using parentheses] (choose one) and an example from the Bramadat/Seljak book would look like:”

d) Finally, you must demonstrate your knowledge about your academic responsibilities surrounding plagiarism. The following University of Waterloo pages are recommended resources:

http://www.eng.uwaterloo.ca/%7Eche100/plagiarism.html
http://arts.uwaterloo.ca/arts/ugrad/academic_responsibility.html

After reading the above pages, write a brief statement (150 words) concerning what plagiarism is and how one can avoid plagiarizing.

STEP FOUR
Write your assignment (see initial description of assignment above) and submit it by the assigned due date (see table above). The paper must be double spaced, with one inch margins all around. It must not exceed 1500 words. The word limit is strictly enforced. Use 12-point Times New Roman font. (Or “Times”.) Be sure to cite your sources and page numbers properly.

 


REQUIREMENTS AND CRITERIA FOR GRADING

Research: This assignment does not require extensive library research but you must find two academic books or articles on your topic. Notes and bibliographies do not count in your "word count".

Late Penalty: The essay assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due dates. There will be a penalty of one mark out of 20 per day for late papers. If you are going to be late, contact the T.A. before the deadline. No papers will be accepted after one week past the deadline.

Criteria for Grading: This assignment will be marked both on content and style.

• "Content" includes such elements as originality and pertinence of the topic and examples chosen, coherence of argument, judgment, use of research and classroom material, etc.

• "Style" includes clarity of expression, organization of the argument, grammar, syntax, spelling, and fidelity to a proper academic manual style.

Plagiarism: All students registered in the courses of the Faculty of Arts and its colleges are expected to know what constitutes an academic offence, to avoid committing academic offenses, and to take responsibility for their academic actions. When the commission of an offense is established, disciplinary penalties will be imposed in accord with Policy #71 (Student Academic Discipline) which is supplied in the University of Waterloo Undergraduate Calendar (p. 1:11) and St. Jerome’s University Calendar (pp. 11-12).

If you need help in learning how to avoid offences such as plagiarism, cheating and double submission, or if you need clarification of aspects of the discipline policy, ask your course instructor for guidance. Other resources regarding the discipline policy are your academic advisor; the appropriate St. Jerome’s departmental chair and ultimately the Discipline Advisor for St. Jerome’s University. Please note that it is the responsibility of the student to understand what an academic offense is.

REMEMBER TO BACK UP your work frequently. Computer crashes and printer errors are not acceptable excuses for a late paper. If you have a back up copy, at least you will be able to email Mandy or me a copy of your outline or paper before the deadline.