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REL1300 Online Syllabus Fall 2015 PDF
REL1300 Online Syllabus Fall 2015 PDF
REL1300Fall 2015
Florida State University
College of Arts & Sciences
(Version 1.0, Updated 23 Aug 2015)
Contact Information
Instructor: John L. Crow
Instructor Office: University Center C, Office of Distance Learning, Suite 3511
Instructor Email: jlcrow@campus.fsu.edu
Instructor Phone: 850-645-0973 (M-F, 9AM to 5PM)
Instructor Office Hours: By appointment
Teaching Assistant: Sheldon Steen
Teaching Assistant Email: ss14f@my.fsu.edu
Teaching Assistant Office: Dodd 112
Teaching Assistant Office Hours: By appointment
Response Time: Emails and/or phone calls responded to within 24-48 hours during the week. It may be a
longer over the weekends. Technical problems should be reported directly to Blackboard support at 850644-8004 or help@campus.fsu.edu. Their hours of operation are M-F, 8:30AM to 5:00 PM.
The Liberal Studies for the 21st Century Program at Florida State University builds an
educational foundation that will enable FSU graduates to thrive both intellectually and
materially and to support themselves, their families, and their communities through a broad
and critical engagement with the world in which they live and work. Liberal Studies offers
a transformative experience; this course has been approved as meeting the Liberal Studies
requirements and thus is designed to help you become a thoughtful patron of and
participant in cultural practice. It has also been approved as meeting the Cross -cultural
Studies requirements and thus is designed to help you become a culturally conscious
participant in a global community.
Course Description
This course is an introduction to the academic study of world religions. It is designed to acquaint students
with religious traditions practiced throughout the world. Particular attention will be given to the
historical development of various religious traditions, their role(s) in world history, and their relevance in
current events.
Note: You are REQUIRED to post an introduction by 5PM on the third day of class. IF YOU DO NOT YOU
WILL BE DROPPED. See First Day Attendance Policy below.
Course Objectives
By the end of the term, students will be able to:
1. compare and interpret intellectual and artistic expressions of a variety of cultures;
2. compare, interpret and create or model cultural artifacts that function as widely varied
reflections of human perspectives and/or practices;
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3. recognize the complex cultural and historical contexts that give rise to and shape religious
traditions;
4. critically read, historically contextualize, and interpret arguments about religious history and
religious studies;
5. articulate the ways that religious communities conceive of their own traditions;
6. understand and employ basic terms commonly used in the discipline of religious studies.
The best way to meet these objectives is to read the objectives of each course unit, fully engage the
textbook and primary course readings, complete the course assignments in a complete and timely
manner, and post and comment on discussion boards in a thoughtful, complete, and respectful manner.
Required Text
Amore, Roy C., Willard G. Oxtoby, Amir Hussain, and Alan F. Segal. A Concise Introduction to
World Religions, 3rd ed. Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford UP, 2015. Print. ISBN-13: 978-0199008551.
Secondary and primary sources posted on Blackboard (Bb)
Students often ask will this textbook be used? Absolutely. In fact, by the end of the semester youll read
almost the whole book. You can use either print or digital (if available) and buy (new / used) or rent the
textbook. However it MUST be the THIRD EDITION of the textbook. There were significant changes made
between the second and third edition. Additional readings will be on the Blackboard course in either MS
Word (.docx) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format, or both.
Course Prerequisites
As this is a general education, liberal studies course, there are no prerequisites. Introduction to World
Religions meets the FSU Liberal Studies for the 21st Century Program competency requirements for
Cultural Practice (LS-CUL) and Cross Cultural Studies (DIV-XCC).
Distance Learning
Is an Online Course Right for You? This is an online version of REL1300. The website for this class is on
FSUs Blackboard site. The Religion Department offers every semester conventional, face-to-face sections
of this course. If it is not possible for you to take one of these, then an online section is a viable
alternative. But be aware that the online version of the course requires MORE effort from the student
than those that have a regular lecture format. In-person classes have assigned times and places to meet.
In web-based courses the student must make time for their online course, be very self-motivated, and
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must be actively and independently engaged to work through the course materials in order to learn the
subject. Self-motivation and a good work ethic is essential for the student taking an online course. You
will need to access the online course site from a computer. See the FSU Blackboard Technology
Requirements below to ensure your computer and software are supported by Blackboard.
Course Project:
For this assignment the student will have several choices, both in terms of topic and mode of
presentation. For example the student may write an essay/paper or submit a video presentation. The
project will be due on the last day of the regular semester. However there will be two milestone checkins, one of which will be graded. Students will create an artifact that can be used to narrativize the
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intellectual and artistic expressions of a particular religious group, documenting its history and influence
locally, regionally, nationally, or internationally. Students will have the option of picking one of the
existing topics or working with the instructor to create a topic of your own. Note the artifacts created by
this project will be available for public viewing. This project will be assessed with a rubric that prioritizes
the development of critical thinking skills, as well as attention to cultural practices associated with the
religious traditions in question. More details are on the Blackboard course site. Also, see the course
schedule for due dates of the milestones for this project.
Missed Exams
If there is a medical or family emergency, official university activity, or religious holiday that
requires you to miss one of the scheduled exams, you must notify the instructor in advance if at
all possible and provide appropriate written documentation of the excuse. With proper notice
and documentation, a make-up exam can be scheduled. However, during finals week the number
of testing slots are limited. During finals week, even if you miss your exam and have
documentation, you are subject to space availability restrictions. No exam can be made up after
the end of finals week.
If you miss an exam without prior notice to the instructor and without an excuse (i.e., proof of a
medical or family emergency, official university activity, or religious holiday), do not assume that
you will be allowed to make-up the exam. In certain circumstances you may be allowed to make
up the exam. However that must be determined by the instructor on a case-by-case basis. Again,
time and space restrictions may apply to make-up exams.
Should you miss the exam time slot you signed up for, it is your responsibility to contact the
testing center immediately at testing@campus.fsu.edu or 850-644-3017 and reschedule. As long
as there are available time slots, you can be rescheduled but it must be done by the testing
center. Do not email your instructor about a missed time slot, your instructor cannot reschedule
you. If you miss your time slot, and do not reschedule or meet the above excuse reasons you will
automatically receive a zero (0) for the missed exam.
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Quizzes:
There will be an on-line quiz for each unit or tradition in this course. There will be a total of ten quizzes.
They will be taken through the course site on Blackboard. Each will consist of ten multiple choice
questions that cover the reading assigned for that tradition. Each quiz will be made available during the
last week for the unit it covers. You may take the quizzes as many times as you like. You are welcome to
use your textbook and notes on these quizzes. You will retain the highest score of your attempts. Each
quiz is different, as it pulls from a larger pool of questions. As you may take the quizzes repeatedly, the
quizzes do not indicate which questions you have right or wrong or the correct answers for those you
answered incorrectly. The quiz only indicates the number you answered correctly. The quizzes are
located in the course units. Quizzes become available during the last week of each course unit. Quizzes
are best completed during the week they become available. However quizzes do not become
unavailable. All quizzes must be completed by the end of the semester.
Writing Assignments:
Over the course you will have two essays of at least 500 words each. You will write your essay as a word
file you will upload to Blackboard, which will evaluate it using Florida States anti-plagiarism software.
You must use MLA formatting for the essay and it must cite all courses, both in-text at the place where
the quotation, summary, or idea is used, and a correct citation entry in the Works Cited at the end of the
essay. Failure to cite your information is plagiarism. Any plagiarism will result in a failing grade on the
essay, reporting the incident to student academic affairs, and possibly other disciplinary procedures
including failure of the class, probation, suspension, or expulsion from the university. An extensive
discussion of what constitutes plagiarism is available in the course sites FAQ.
Late Essays/Papers:
All assignments are due on the day listed in the course calendar and must be submitted to Blackboard.
Essays/papers will be accepted up to one week late. Late essays/papers will receive a 50% late penalty.
No paper or essay will be accepted after one week from the due date unless acceptable documentation
(medical emergencies, religious holidays, official university activities, or something similar) is submitted
with the assignment for each day the paper is late. Emailing papers is not an option. All essays must be
reviewed by the Blackboard plagiarism software.
Grading Scale
The grading scale used in this class is as follows: A = 93-100, A- = 90-92, B+ = 87-89, B = 83-86, B- = 80-82,
C+ = 77-79, C = 73-76, C- = 70-72, D+ = 67-69, D = 63-66, D- = 60-62, F = 59 or below.
Grading Disputes
In order to ensure that each students work is graded in accordance with standards that apply to the
entire class, if you have a question regarding a grade, you must contact your instructor or grader within
one week after the work in question is graded. No exceptions will be made to this policy. If the exam or
assignment is re-scored, the entire exam or assignment will be graded again. This means that your score
may increase or decrease.
Extra Credit
This course does not offer any extra credit. Do not ask your instructor(s) for extra credit.
Note for students using Windows 10 and the Microsoft Edge Browser
Blackboard provisionally supports the new Windows Edge browser. However as it is very new and
untested, you may encounter problems with Blackboard and the Microsoft Edge browser. If you are
unsure of which browser you are using, contact Blackboard support. If problems arise with the Microsoft
Edge browser, it is suggested to switch to one of the supported browsers listed above. Currently the
Blackboard Browser Checker does not correctly identify the Microsoft Edge Browser.
For issues with Blackboard login and functionality, contact FSU Blackboard User Support:
Blackboard Support Website: http://support.campus.fsu.edu/
Blackboard Support Email: help@campus.fsu.edu
Phone: (850) 644-8004
In-Person: University Center C, Suite 3500
For other technology related issues, such as your username or issues with my.fsu.edu, contact FSU
Information Technology Services
ITS Support Website: http://its.fsu.edu/Students
ITS Support Email: help@fsu.edu
Phone: (850) 644-4357
In-Person: Shaw Building, 644 W Call Street
the expertise of its faculty covers virtually all major religious traditions of the world. These presentations
are a collaborative effort by the faculty, in which each faculty member offers a video lecture of a religious
tradition that is connected to a dynamic and interactive presentation. You are required to view each
presentation. The total length of all the presentations designed for this course total approximately nine
to ten hours. The presentations are available in the course units for this course.
Course Calendar
This calendar is tentative and subject to change. Any revisions will be announced in class and posted on
the course website in advance.
Week
1
1
2
2
3
4
4
5
5
5
6
6
7
7
8
9
9
9
10
11
11
12
12
13
13
14
15
15
FW
FW
Description
First Day Attendance discussion board introduction
Quiz & Discussion Board Posts
Non-Tallahassee students must select testing proctor
Quiz & Discussion Board Posts
Discussion Board Posts
Quiz & Discussion Board Posts
Project Information Becomes Available
Discussion Board Posts
Project Topic Must Be Determined
Essay #1 Topic Becomes Available
Quiz & Discussion Board Posts
Essay #1 Due
Discussion Board Posts
Project Proposal Due
Quiz & Discussion Board Posts
Discussion Board Posts
Mid-term Exam (Weeks 1-8) M-W-F
Mid-term Exam (Weeks 1-8) T-TH
Quiz & Discussion Board Posts
Discussion Board Posts
Project Progress Summary Due
Quiz & Discussion Board Posts
Essay #2 Becomes Available
Quiz & Discussion Board Posts
Essay #2 Due
Quiz & Discussion Board Posts
Quiz & Discussion Board Posts
Final Project (completed version)
Final Exam (Weeks 9-15) M-TH
Final Exam (Weeks 9-15) F
Available
8/23 11:59 PM
8/23 11:59 PM
8/23 11:59 PM
8/30 11:59 PM
9/6 11:59 PM
9/13 11:59 PM
9/13 11:59 PM
9/20 11:59 PM
9/20 11:59 PM
9/27 11:59 PM
10/4 11:59 PM
10/11 11:59 PM
10/18 11:59 PM
10/19 8:30 AM
10/19 8:30 AM
10/25 11:59 PM
11/1 11:59 PM
11/8 11:59 PM
11/8 11:59 PM
11/15 11:59 PM
11/22 11:59 PM
11/29 11:59 PM
12/7 8:30 AM
12/7 8:30 AM
Due
8/26 5:00 PM
8/30 11:59 PM
9/4/ 11:59 PM
9/6 11:59 PM
9/13 11:59 PM
9/20 11:59 PM
9/27 11:59 PM
9/27 11:59 PM
10/4 11:59 PM
10/4 11:59 PM
10/11 11:59 PM
10/11 11:59 PM
10/18 11:59 PM
10/25 11:59 PM
10/23 2:30 PM
10/23 4:30 PM
11/1 11:59 PM
11/8 11:59 PM
11/8 11:59 PM
11/15 11:59 PM
11/22 11:59 PM
11/22 11:59 PM
11/29 11:59 PM
12/4 11:59 PM
12/4 11:59 PM
12/11 5:30 PM
12/11 2:30 PM