Rs 261, Women in the Great Religions
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SYLLABUS - RS 284, WS 261: WOMEN IN THE GREAT RELIGIONS, FALL 2009: Instructor: Dr. Doris Jakobsh, (Dr. J) Room: PAS 1229 Time: T, Th. 11:00 – 12:20 Office: HH 323 Office Hours: Tuesdays, 1:00-2:00 by appointment only – please e-mail or phone in advance IF YOU DO NOT MAKE AN APPOINTMENT, I CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT I WILL BE IN MY OFFICE Contact Instructor: [email protected] , or, 888-4567 X 33565; if e-mailing, please identify the class number in the subject line There will be a heavy emphasis on weekly films, on-line Course Description: discussions as well as lectures that will shed a more This course will be looking at various religious traditions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, encompassing light on women’s roles within the various Sikhism, Christianity, Judaism, Chinese religious traditions, Islam and New Age religious traditions covered. traditions, including Goddess spirituality from the perspective of women. While the development of each tradition will be briefly discussed, the course is not an introduction to each religious tradition; instead, the focus will be on women’s realities, roles and contributions to the various traditions. There will be a heavy emphasis on weekly films that will shed a more encompassing light on women’s roles within the various religious traditions covered. Power Point Presentations utilized for each lecture will be posted at least one hour before class. This course is highly interactive; the instructor will be giving lectures, but there will be weekly in-built time for class discussions. Further, much of students’ work will take place on-line. Students MUST have read the course materials before class; only then will students be able to understand the lectures and contribute to the course discussions. If you are not able to do so, perhaps this is not the course for you. Pedagogical Aims: improve reading comprehension, written and oral expression gain a basic understanding of the nature, role and meaning of women in religious traditions from ancient times to the present evaluate the influence of the shift from a key role of the feminine in religions to very male dominated religions that are the major religions today and what it means for human self-understanding today 1 engage in active, collaborative, computer enhanced learning gain a deeper insight into one's own worldview and perspectives become a more imaginative, contemplative and critical thinker learn that genuine learning is enjoyable as a lifelong process become acquainted with the Chicago Citation Style, to be used for all written class requirements, see end of Syllabus These are some of the questions that will be explored in the course: How do women experience their relationship with the sacred, give voice to it, and describe it? What rituals and roles do women participate in? Are they excluded from any in their religion? What religious rituals, lives, and communities have women created for themselves? What authority and power have women held in religion and how have they expressed that authority and transmitted it to others? What is religion for women? Course texts: 1) RS 284 readings, on course website 2) Leona M. Anderson and Pamela Dickey Young, Women and Religious Traditions, in Bookstore 3) Elena Dykewomon, Beyond the Pale, in Bookstore Important Dates: Week 1 – presentation groups chosen, online discussion groups chosen o Read through ‘Understanding Plagiarism’ on our course website, under ‘Lessons’. o Do the ‘Plagiarism Quiz’ on our course website (you may be surprised at what you DON’T know about plagiarism) September 22, in class – 1 page, double-spaced – what is your impression of ‘women in religion’ based on your own experiences Week 2 – 11 - on-line component; reflection paragraphs due on Friday, 12:00 noon AFTER the previous week’s readings and film (in other words, you have 1 week to write your reflection, providing you have watched the film and done the readings. You are being given a choice on which weeks to reflect on, given that it is inevitable that you will miss an occasional film – films will NOT be available outside of class time September 23 - presentations start immediately following lecture, thereafter weekly November 11 - in class, novel commentary due 2 November 26, in class – 1 page, double-spaced – what is your impression of ‘women in religion’ after you have taken this course December 1 – Final review questions handed out December 4, in class - Final review returned to Maureen Fraser, RS Department Administrator, HH 323A, 2:00 pm COURSE REQUIREMENTS - Overview: Group: in-class discussions (participation mark) – (10%) class presentations (12%) Individual: 6 two page, double-spaced on-line reflections (30%, 5 marks each) 1 page, double-spaced initial thoughts on ‘women in religion’ (2%). 1 page, double-spaced final thoughts on ‘women in religion’. How has your thinking changed since you started this course? (2%) Beyond the Pale novel commentary (20%) Final Review Questions (24%) DETAILED COURSE REQUIREMENTS: IMPORTANT NOTE: Always use Chicago Citation Style, see last page of this syllabus. 1) In-class discussions (participation mark) It is important that you come to class prepared for discussion. This means having done the reading for the week. These discussions may take place on either the Tuesday or Thursday of the week. A ‘participation mark’ means that you contribute. Simply being in class isn’t enough. Come to class prepared to discuss 3 points from each of the readings on the weekly reading list. If you miss more than 2 classes in the semester, you will automatically lose the entire mark - (0/10). 2) 1 page, double-spaced – initial thoughts on women in religion 3 - this is not a formal essay – it is simply an opportunity for you to share your own thoughts on women in religion based on your own experiences and observations - no additional research is necessary - due September 22, in class 3) Group presentations, size of group dependent on class size Commencing week 3, 3-4 students per group (depending on class size) will make a presentation based on an essay chosen by the professor. These are available in e- format on our class website. Each presentation should be 25 minutes in length; you will be docked if your presentation is longer than 25 minutes. Each presentation MUST be accompanied by a power point presentation. If you wish to use hand-outs or any other means of communicating with the class you are welcome to do so. There are four aspects to this presentation: 1) A concise overview of the article – 5 main points made by the author 2) An evaluation of the article itself 3) Engage with your other course content, particularly the readings, through this presentation – good tie-in with other course content will be rewarded 4) Do additional research into the major ‘issue’ presented by your article – do NOT rely exclusively on one article to give an adequate overview of the main issue 5) Good engagement with your class peers as part of the presentation – be creative! Use the ‘Evaluating Journal Articles’ outline below as a guideline for the questions to ask yourself (you do need to adhere to the 4 points covered above though). The topics you will be asked to cover will generally NOT be addressed in specific detail in the course lectures, so this will give an added dimension to in-class learning. The topics and papers for each presentation can be found in the weekly course schedule below. Each presentation should include a typed outline of your presentation, and, any additional resources you may have utilized in your presentation which must be handed in to your professor on the day of your presentation. Your outline and any presentation materials, i.e., power point, will also be posted on the course website, and must be sent in to the professor (via e-mail) no later than the day after your presentation. Each presenter will receive the same mark unless there are obvious discrepancies in the presentation or preparation thereof, in which case the professor will need to be informed and discussions will follow. 4 4) 5 on-line reflections – to start week two and ending week eleven, 2 page each double-spaced, 12 point font In the online course, through UWAce, go to the ‘Lessons’ tab where the majority of the course content is located. These reflections are a way for students to engage meaningfully in both the readings and the films viewed in class You will be expected to post 6 reflections in total, between weeks 2 and 11, inclusive. While it is each students’ choice with regard to the particular week being reflected on, your posting MUST be on the preceding week’s reading and film You do NOT need to do additional research for these assignments. This is your opportunity to engage more fully with the information you are delving into in this class. Most of these reflections will focus primarily on an additional reading that is required for the week. You will also be expected to draw on the film if one is shown for that particular week. But go beyond an emotional reaction – analyze it, apply it to other readings, your own life experiences. If there are discrepancies between what you have learned the class lecture, the film or the particular required readings, make a note of this and explore why this may be the case You simply need to cite the name of the film when referring to it. Each three-page reflection is due on the course website, through UW-ACE, one week after the course material is covered, the following Friday at noon. The system is set up to monitor when you post your reflection and will reject late postings, even if just a couple of minutes after 12:00 noon.