REL 100 – INTRODUCTION TO RELIGION MSU

Dr. Pulleyking Fall 2023

Office: Strong Hall 265

Phone: 417-863-0412

Email: mpulleyking@missouristate.edu

Welcome to our hybrid class. We will meet in-person on Monday and Wednesday
mornings. On Fridays, (we will not meet in class), but you will have out-of-class
assignments and activities each week.

Office Hours: I am available to meet you on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10-11am
in my office and other times at your convenience on Zoom, at a coffee shop or via
telephone. I love talking to my students! I am here for you. Please email me and we
will get it scheduled.

WELCOME TO A GREAT CLASS! Throughout history in all cultures so far as we

know, humans have been concerned with questions concerning religion. In this course
we will ask and examine many important questions related to religion, culture, and
ethics. As the philosopher Bertrand Russell observed, "In Philosophy, what is
important is not so much the answers that are given but the questions that are asked."
You are, therefore, strongly encouraged to participate in class discussions, ask
questions freely, and join in our common search.

REQUIRED READING (yes you really do need these)

Harold Kushner When Bad Things Happen to Good People
Sandel Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?

COURSE OUTLINE
Unit I: The Relevancy of Religion in the 21st Century World
Unit II: Religion and Ethics
Unit III: Important Questions of Meaning in Religion
Unit IV: Multiple Cultural Religious Perspectives

GRADING SCALE

Plus/minus grades: In order to give students appropriate credit for their work, grades
will be reported with plusses and minuses at the end of the semester. Your overall
numerical score in the class will be converted to a letter grade on the basis of the

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following percentage chart: 90-92% = A- 93-100% = A 80-82% = B- 83-86% = B 87-
89% = B+ 70-72% = C- 73-76% = C 77-79% = C+ 60-66% = D 67-69% = D+ 59%
and below F Note that the university does not allow the reporting of D- or of A+
grades.

(The 100% grade will begin with the highest grade in the class, rather than the number
of questions asked on your exams.)

Unit I
"Religion is..." Essay 5 points
Religion in the news—1 page about a U.S. topic (500 words minimum)
1 page about an international event 5 points (500 words minimum)
Exam I approximately 45 points

Unit II
Exam II approximately 45 points
(Including Harvard.Justice.org)

Unit III
Exam III 45 points
Shadowlands 7 points

Unit IV
Exam IV approximately 55 points
Palestine Questions 5 points
Final Questions 10 points

Final Exam approximately 60 points

* Around 300 points possible
*This is a tentative total; please keep up with your grades as they are posted on
Blackboard.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND CLASS PROCEDURES

1. Exams: There will be five exams, as listed in the course outline. The exams will
consist primarily of objective questions. Approximately 1/2 of the final exam will be
comprehensive. No exams may be made up and no late assignments may be turned in
after our last class session on December 6th.

2. Assignments: There will be a few writing assignments due on Fridays. The first
one, a reflection paper on your personal experience of “religion”, called "Religion
is..." is due on Friday, August 25th. The second essay on religion in the news is due on
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Sept.1, and the final writing assignment is due on the last day of class, Dec. 6th; you
will reflect upon the entire course.

All written assignments must be turned in on Blackboard, double spaced, with one-
inch margins, inclusive language, proper style, grammar, and they must be turn in on
Blackboard on time (otherwise points will be deducted). Writing assignments are
intended to help you reflect personally on the impact and value of the ideas we have
studied. You are to write in the first person and follow the instructions carefully to
receive all the points possible.

In keeping with the latest style guideline manuals, students will be expected to use
inclusive language in all assignments. Past generations were taught to default to the
masculine pronoun he, since the 1960s, however, writers have used “he or she”. “He
or she” is the phrase currently recommended by APA and The Chicago Manual of
Style; the pronoun “they” is a third person singular form widely used in colloquial
English when a person’s gender is unknown or simply unspecified, tracing the usage
back several centuries, and is acceptable in this class. In 2016, the American Dialect
Society elected “they” used as a gender-neutral third person pronoun.

You will also answer questions over two films.

You will have a variety of Friday assignments that will be noted in “Announcements”
on Blackboard and explained in class.

It is not necessary to contact me before or after an absence unless you are missing an
exam or an assignment.

3. Extra Credit: 5 points of extra credit may be earned for summarizing a visit to
specific places of worship in the area, (a mosque, temple, or church). A minimum of
two pages are required; the first page is a summary of what you experienced, and the
second page is your analysis, reflecting upon ways you were able to make connection
to our class.

4. Good notes, classroom participation and attendance are your keys to success! I
provide you with access to an outline for your notes online. Please be clear that these
are not your notes! They are simply an outline to help you organize your notes.

You are expected to be in class on time. Attendance will be taken, and more than 3
absences will adversely impact your grade. You will receive a maximum of 5 points
for making a positive contribution to our class discussions. (Obviously you must be
in class to contribute.)

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RELIGION 100: TENTATIVE COURSE OUTLINE
On Mondays and Wednesdays, you will see the titles of the lectures; on Friday you
will see your assignment due.

UNIT I: THE RELEVANCY OF RELIGION IN OUR 21ST CENTURY

WORLD

WEEK 1:
AUG 21 Introduction to REL 100

AUG 23 What are some of the essential questions?

AUG 25 What is Religion? Personal reflection essay due on Blackboard

WEEK 2:

AUG 28 Methodological Approaches to Study of Religion

AUG 30 1 How is religion relevant in understanding history, international, and U.S.

events?

SEPT 1 Find an article online where religion is in the news in the US, (just in the past
two weeks since our class began)—please select from the NYT, WSJ, or WP. Submit
your link to the article, along with 1-page essay about why you found this religion
article interesting. Submit on Blackboard.

WEEK 3:

SEPT 4 Labor Day

SEPT 6 Ways of defining religion?

SEPT 8 Find an article online where religion is in the news in another country, (just in
the past two weeks since our class began)—please select from the NYT, WSJ, or WP.
Submit your link to the article, along with 1-page essay about why you found this
religion article interesting. Submit on Blackboard.

WEEK 4:

SEPT 11 Tillich's Ultimate Concern and Threats to Being

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SEPT 13 Death, Meaninglessness and Condemnation

SEPT 15 Study for Exam 1

WEEK 5:

SEPT 18 When is religion "Pseudo" or “Crypto”?

SEPT 20 What is meant by “Authentic”?

SEPT 22 Exam 1 (taken on Blackboard)

WEEK 6:

UNIT II: RELIGION AND ETHICS

SEPT 25 The Greatest Happiness Principle: Utilitarianism. Read Justice 1-57

SEPT 27 Categories for Making Ethical Decisions

SEPT 29 watch Harvard.Justice.org online

WEEK 7:

OCT 2 What Matters is the Motive: Kant's Deontological Ethics (read Justice 103-
140, and Justice 244- 269

OCT 4 Moses’ Code of Ethics: The Ten Commandments read Exodus 20:1-17

OCT 6 watch Harvard.Justice.org online

WEEK 8:

OCT 9 Ethics Review

OCT 11 Exam 2

Oct 12-13 Fall Break

WEEK 9:
UNIT III: IMPORTANT QUESTIONS OF MEANING IN RELIGION

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OCT 16 Theodicy: Suffering and Death (Begin Kushner: When Bad Things Happen
to Good People)

OCT 18 Suffering caused by Moral Choices (Mid-term grades due)

OCT 20 Watch Shadowlands Movie, which you will find online and turn in
questions to Blackboard

WEEK 10:

OCT 23 Six Responses to the Problem of Evil

OCT 25 Five Human Existential Needs

OCT 27 Exam 3

WEEK 11:

UNIT IV: MULTIPLE CULTURA L RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES

OCT 30 Religions Rooted in Abraham

NOV 1 Jewish Cultural Influences

NOV 3 Visit Temple Israel, Islamic Center or Church (specifics given in class) and
write one page summary of your experience and one page of connecting to course.

WEEK 12:

NOV 6 Christian Cultural Influences

NOV 8 Jesus Ethics

NOV 10 Film: Palestine is Still the issue (online) and questions due and read the
Gospel of Matthew 5-7

WEEK 13:

NOV 13 Intro to Islam

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NOV 15 Islamic Cultural Influences

NOV 17 Watch online video and take Exam 4

WEEK 14:

NOV 18-26 Thanksgiving Break

WEEK 15:

NOV 27 Diversity of Western Monotheisms and Two Traditions from India (chart)

NOV 29 Hindu Cultural Influences

DEC 1 Hindu and Buddhism videos

WEEK 16:

DEC 4 Buddhist Cultural Influences

DEC 6 Four Noble Truths and the Path

DEC 7 Final Questions due online

Final Exam

Thank you for coming our way...all the best to you on the rest of the journey!

Summary of “University Policies”:

Plagiarism and/or cheating will result in an “F” for the course or a forced withdrawal
at the student’s expense. Basically, plagiarism is a combination of stealing and lying.
Don’t do it. Don’t copy and paste, don’t quote or paraphrase without giving full
credit. Any student participating in any form of academic dishonesty will be subject to
sanctions as described in the Student Academic Integrity Policies and Procedures.

Disabilities and Nondiscrimination: This class adheres to the University’s policies.

Missouri State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution and
maintains a grievance procedure available to any person who believes he or she has
been discriminated against.
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Mental Health & Stress Management: As a student you may experience a range of
personal issues that can impede learning, such as strained relationships, increased
anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of
motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished
academic performance and may reduce your ability to participate in daily activities.
Learn Visit the Missouri State University Counseling Center website to learn more
about free and confidential services available to assist you.

Title IX: Missouri State University has a Title IX policy that guides our response to
instances of sexual violence. Sexual Violence includes Rape, Sexual Assault, Sexual
Misconduct, Sexual Discrimination, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Stalking,
Sexual Harassment and Pregnancy issues. The Title IX policy can be located on the
MSU Title IX website. This website is also a good resource for any questions or
issues involving Title IX and contains contact information for the MSU Title IX
Office and staff. Read an overview of the Title IX office.

Chosen Name Policy: A student may choose a name other than their legal name to
identify themselves at Missouri State University. A chosen name is different than the
student’s legal name. Refer to the Chosen Name policy for more information.
Students can provide their chosen first and middle names in the Profile tab of My
Missouri State.

There are policies on video or audio recording of classes which require the permission
of instructors. The use of cell phones is prohibited in all classes according to
university policy. The failure to turn your cell phone to silent mode, leaving the class
to receive a call, or text messaging in class will result in an absence. (In case of
emergency, please inform professor.)

Emergency Response: Stay calm. Be aware of your surroundings, including all

stairway exits from the building. Our closest exit is to the right of our front door in
Strong 200. Please help anyone out who needs assistance. In the case of a medical
emergency or hostile intruder, call 911. Go to
http://www.missouristate.edu/safetran/51597.htm for additional information.

Respect. You may find the Core Rules of Netiquette helpful for information on proper
conduct when interacting with others online. Ideas count—all the more reason to
listen carefully and respond with your own ideas in a respectful manner. Rude,
sarcastic, obscene, or disrespectful posts have a negative impact on everyone’s
learning and will not be tolerated. As the instructor, I reserve the right to remove any
discussion I deem to be disrespectful or offensive. Any person engaging in
disrespectful or disruptive behavior will be subject to the university’s misconduct
policy outlined in the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities
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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS AND COPYRIGHT LAWS

The notes you take in this class are yours. However, all the materials (syllabus, study
guides, handouts, homework and in-class assignments, exam questions, quizzes,
Power Points, and anything else is my prepared material) is MY intellectual property
and may not be shared freely or sold to others outside my classes. See
http://www.missouristate.edu/policy/g3_04_2_intellectualproperty.htm for MSU’s
policies and penalties.

Course Description, General Education Goals and Assessment

Religion 100 fulfills the university’s rationale for public affairs courses as stated in
stated in the General Education Program: Students must prepare for their roles as
world citizens by cultivating civic virtues, understanding the bonds that unite people,
exploring and executing citizenship obligations, understanding the effects of private
behavior in the public sphere, and recognizing and reflecting on public issues.

Religion 100 helps students develop life-long decision-making skills that will lead to a
thoughtful and meaningful life, as well as to responsible participation in an
increasingly diverse and globalized society. The course contributes to MSU’s public
affairs mission by enhancing students’ cultural competence and preparing students for
ethical leadership within their spheres of influence.

RELIGION 100 Course Goals

1. To become aware of the relevance of religion in human life, both public and
private. (Corresponds to SLOs: 13:4)
2. To become acquainted with the meaning of religion and with multiple religious and
cultural perspectives, and to examine one’s own perspective, religious or not, in light
of this knowledge. (Corresponds to SLOs: 13:1, 2, and 4.)
3. To learn to recognize and understand the religious and non-religious beliefs of
others and to practice informed and respectful discussion of differences in world
views. (Corresponds to SLO 13: 3.)
4. To recognize and understand the foundations of ethical decision-making and
examine one’s own values and behaviors. (Corresponds to SLOs: 14:1 and 2.)
5. To develop skills for analyzing ethical dilemmas in order to have a positive impact
on personal and public life. (Corresponds to SLOs 14:3, and 4.)