Fox PHIL204: World Religions page 1 Fall 2011

  World Religions PHIL204 Fall 2012 Alan Fox 15 Kent Way 831-8077 E-Mail [email protected] http://udel.edu/~afox/ Office Hours: T/Th noon - 1 pm or by appointment Required Texts

 The Sacred and the Profane, by Mircea Eliade  Black Elk Speaks, by John Neihardt  Bhagavad Gita, translated by Barbara Miller  Dao De Jing (Tao Teh Ching 道 德 經) of Laozi (Laotzu 老 子)  What the Buddha Taught by Walpola Rahula  The Bible (“Old” and “New Testaments”) not a "Good News Bible"  Qur’an translations found at http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/koran.html  Course Manual for World Religions, prepared by instructor, available at http://udel.edu/~afox/courses/204/Course%20Manual%20204.pdf

Grading Policy

 2 EXAMS WORTH 35% EACH Exams will consist of short answers and essay. No multiple choice questions will be asked. Emphasis will be placed on clear expression of arguments and conclusions based on the examination of various kinds of data, rather than on rote memorization of facts. No make-up exams will be given except in case of documented medical emergency. No make-up exams will be given except in case of medical emergency.  HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS WORTH A TOTAL OF 30% There will be eight writing assignments, each consisting of a one or two page essay responding to a specific question designed to prepare you for the day's discussion. For that reason, no late papers will be accepted for a grade for any reason whatsoever. These papers will be graded “pass”/”pass minus”/”not pass”, and one grade will be dropped at the end of the semester. A "P" counts as an "A" (95), a "P-" counts as a "C" (75), a "NP" counts as an "F" (50), and any paper not turned in counts as a 0. Any student who receives a grade of "Pass" on every paper assigned will receive an "A+" for the final homework average, which counts as a 100. All papers must be typed. These are not meant to be research papers, and are to be written on the basis of your own understanding of the assigned reading only. Use of any other cited or uncited sources of any kind will be taken to constitute plagiarism.  PARTICIPATION & ATTENDANCE The class will be discussion oriented, so regular attendance and participation is required. Consistent participation will be noticed and taken into consideration when determining final grades. If you must miss class for some reason you will still be responsible for the work you miss. You will also be expected to be prepared the next time you come to class. This means getting the notes and assignments from someone. Sometime before the midterm, the instructor will begin taking attendance for those students suspected of missing class regularly. If it becomes obvious at any time that anybody is regularly missing class or other work for any reason, the instructor reserves the right to insist upon a medical withdrawal in lieu of failure after an attempt is made to warn the student.

Course Objectives n this course we will take a critical yet sympathetic view of a wide range of religious traditions, including Native I American, Hindu, Buddhist, Daoist, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim. This will require that we allow ourselves both to identify with and to maintain our distance from each of the traditions covered. We propose to explore textual roots and fundamental concerns, and to look for structural continuities and discontinuities. We will not be experts on World Religions after taking this course, but we will be more sensitive to the kinds of issues at stake in the study of religion, and more familiar with the origins and evolutions of today's living religions, both “Eastern” and “Western.” In general, it must be remembered that this is a philosophy class, so that emphasis will be placed on critical thinking, clarity, and argumentation.

Fox PHIL204: World Religions page 2 Fall 2011

Tentative Schedule DATE # TOPIC READING  ASSIGNMENT  8/29 1 Introduction: What is Religion? 31 2 Sacred and Profane: Eliade Ch.1 What does Eliade mean by “sacred” and Sacred Space “profane”? 9/5 3 Sacred and Profane: Eliade Ch.2,3 Sacred Time, Natural Symbols 7 4 Sacred and Profane: Ritual Eliade Ch. 4 10 5 Native American Tradition Black Elk Speaks 12 6 Native American Tradition Black Elk Speaks 14 7 Native American Tradition Black Elk Speaks What elements of Eliade’s thought do you find in Black Elk Speaks? 17 8 Hinduism: Vedic Origins Bhagavad Gita: Introduction 19 9 Hinduism: metaphysics Bhagavad Gita 21 10 Hinduism: metaphysics Bhagavad Gita 24 11 Hinduism: Yoga Bhagavad Gita Discuss one of the three types of Yoga found in the Bhagavad Gita 26 12 Hinduism: conclusion Bhagavad Gita 28 13 Buddhism: origins, introduction Rahula, introductory materials, ch. 1-5 10/1 14 Buddhism: Fourfold Axiom Rahula, ch. 1-5 3 15 Buddhism: 8fold Path Rahula, ch. 1-5 5 16 Buddhism: causality 8 17 Buddhism: anatman Rahula, ch.6 Discuss the idea of “anatta” (anatman) or “no-soul.” Don’t simply recite the book. 10 18 Buddhism: meditation, conclusions, Rahula, ch. 7 REVIEW FOR MIDTERM 12 19 MIDTERM EXAMINATION 15 20 Laozi and the Dao De Jing Dao De Jing 17 21 Laozi and the Dao De Jing Dao De Jing 19 22 Laozi and the Dao De Jing Dao De Jing Choose two chapters and interpret them: titles, main points, dominant imagery. 22 23 Semitic Traditions: Introduction 24 24 Judaism: Creation Genesis 1-38 26 25 Judaism: Creation Genesis 1-38 29 26 Judaism: Fall from Paradise Genesis 1-38 31 27 Judaism: Fall from Paradise Genesis 1-38 11/2 28 Judaism: Why Bad Things Happen to Good Job (in the Hebrew Scriptures) What is Job’s problem and what is God’s People response? (offer more than a mere summary of the plot) 5 29 Judaism: Covenant and Promise Exodus 1-38 7 30 Judaism: Covenant and Promise Chronicles 9 31 Intertestamental Period and Persian influence Book of Isaiah 12 32 conclusions 14 33 Christianity: Jewish roots The Gospel of Matthew ? 16 34 Christianity: Jesus and the Jewish Law The Gospel of Matthew What does Jesus say about the Jewish Law 19 35 Christianity: Paul and the Early Church Acts of the Apostles 26 36 Christianity: Gnosticism and other Churches What fundamental attitudes, practices, & ideas of Islam can you discover from Sura 2? 28 37 Islam: Qur’an, Sura 2: “The Cow” Origins and Important Concepts http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/koran.html 30 38 Islam: Central Concerns Qur’an, Sura 2: “The Cow” http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/koran.html 12/3 39 Islam: Central Concerns Qur’an, Sura 2: “The Cow” http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/koran.html 5 40 Islam: attitudes towards other religions REVIEW Qur’an, Sura 19: “Mary” FOR FINAL EXAM http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/koran.html