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See attached syllabi
Syllabus
Course Syllabus
Course
Information
Print the complete syllabus
Course Number
REL 207
Course Title
Ritual, Symbol, and Myth
Credits
3 Credit Hours
Pre-requisites
ENG 102 or ENG 105 or ENG 108 with C or better; minimum 24 hours
Co-requisites
None
Faculty
Mariam Cohen
Catalog Description
Ritual, symbol, and myth as types of religious expression, with examples selected from the literate
and nonliterate religions of the world.
Course Overview
This course explores some of the principle ways in which humans employ myth, ritual, and
symbols to articulate and express religious beliefs and practices. It analyzes the relationships
among these three modes of religious expression, and their relationships to other dimensions of
religion. We will examine these aspects of religion as they occur in a variety of religious
traditions, comparing and contrasting different ways in which religion is experienced. Discussion
of these concepts will emphasize the development of critical thinking skills.
This course broadens students’ understanding of the theoretical categories of academic study of
religion, thus meeting GS requirements in Humanities and Fine Arts that call for addressing
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“questions of human experience and expression . . . human condition . . . basic human values . .
. (and) broader and deeper understanding of an individual’s relationship to self, culture, and
nature.” The course leads students to discover ways of creating and shaping collective and
individual religious identities through the various categories of religion. By offering opportunities
for students to evaluate theoretical constructs in light of data from specific religious traditions,
this course meets GS requirements in Literacy and Critical Inquiry (L), namely gathering,
interpretation, and evaluation of evidence . . . (and helping students to sustain and extend their
ability to reason critically and communicate clearly.
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this course, students will be able to:
clarify our motives for studying religion.
define elements of critical thinking skills — and begin to put them into practice.
be able to list and classify various definitions of “religion”.
be able to describe the utility of various definitions of “religion”.
critically examine the claim of a group to be considered as a “religion”.
describe various ways that religious traditions conceptualize sacred power.
be able to define polytheism, monotheism, henotheism, dualism, unitarianism, and
trinitarianism.
be able to define agnosticism, atheism, and deism.
describe different types of myths.
describe the various functions of myths.
be able to discuss the relationship between “scientific” truth and the truth of myths.
describe different types of rituals.
describe the various functions of rituals.
be able to discuss the relationship between ritual and myth.
be able to discuss how sacred time differs from secular time.
be able to discuss how physical spaces — in nature and in architecture — come to be
viewed as sacred.
be able to discuss the role of art and music in setting aside sacred space and time.
be able to describe the different types of religious, or mystical, experiences.
be able to discuss the issue of the validity of mystical experiences.
be able to discuss the question of whether mystical experiences reveal some sort of
common truth to all religious traditions.
be able to distinguish between natural evil and evil that needs to be addressed from a
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religious viewpoint.
be able to list and recognize the use of various theodicies.
be able to distinguish virtue ethics from morality based on divine command
be able to recognize elements of ritual and myth as they appear in a specific case.
Method of
Instruction
&
Evaluation
Methods of Instruction
This course uses Pearson LearningStudio for the facilitation of communications between
faculty and students, submission of assignments, and posting of grades. The Course Site
can be accessed at http://my.asu.edu or http://ecollege.asu.edu.
Activities in this course include discussion/presentations; textbook and supplemental
readings; individual and group activities; and case scenarios.
Methods of Evaluation
This course will consist primarily of readings and discussion boards. For each unit I have
assigned a chapter from the textbook for you to read. In addition, I have prepared a
narrated PowerPoint presentation in which I go over the important points from the chapter.
Some of the units also include links to videos and/or websites that will be useful.
This is almost entirely a writing course. All of your contributions to the discussion boards
and your field study report will be graded on your writing as well as on the content. Keep
in mind that poor writing (a) suggests that you do not understand the concepts and (b)
may seriously obscure what you do understand. Proofread your discussion board
comments for spelling and grammar errors before posting them. Think of the grammar,
punctuation, and spelling of your contributions as being as important as if you were writing
a letter applying for that job that you really, really want.
Of course, plagiarism — using material from another person or another source without
proper attribution — is a serious matter. I report all cases of plagiarism to the dean’s
office. In addition, plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the entire course, applied
immediately.
In addition to the assigned discussion questions for each unit, you should attend a religious
service and write a field study report.
Field Study Report
Guidelines for the field study report are available under the Field Study report unit.
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I strongly recommend as suitable for this project the following: A Catholic mass, a Jewish
Saturday morning service, an Islamic Friday prayer service, or a worship service (puja) at a
Hindu temple. Religious weddings or funerals would also be appropriate (if you are an
invited guest). If you would want to use some other service for your field study report, you
must get my approval first. I do not suggest focusing on Mormon worship services or
Buddhist meditation meetings since these groups have in the past provided little data for
this sort of report. Some Protestant worship services will provide the sort of information
that you would need, but many may not. If you have any doubt, ask me before you plan
on attending the service.
The purpose of the Field Study report is not primarily for you to have an experience with or
gain some knowledge of a religious tradition you are not familiar with — although you might
gain such knowledge. The purpose is to apply the concepts of ritual, mythology, sacrality,
and religious experience that are covered in the course. Therefore, merely reporting what
you saw or heard would be insufficient. You should also describe how these concepts were
exemplified in the religious service that you attended.
The Field Study report is due on the last day of class. If you submit a first draft no less
than one week earlier (dates are on the Course Schedule), I will review it and return it to
you with comments so that you can revise it for a higher grade.
Discussion Boards
For each unit, you will be required to write responses to at least two discussion questions.
These will be listed at the end of the narrated PowerPoint presentation. You will be given
some choices of which questions to answer, and I hope that all the questions will be chosen
by some students. In addition, you will write a response to at least two other students’
responses. You should respond to questions that you did not provide an answer for. That is,
for example, the choices for a unit may be to answer one of questions A, B, or C and one of
D, E, or F. If you choose to answer A and D, you should then respond to students who have
answered B or C and E or F.
NOTE: In some cases the questions written on the discussion boards may differ from those
described in the narrated PowerPoint lecture. I have updated the questions in order to
clarify them. Therefore the questions as written on the discussion boards are the ones you
should answer.
Your responses to other students should contribute to the discussion; that is, you should
raise questions about what you are responding to, provide additional supportive evidence
for the other student’s position, or so forth. Responses that are deemed “primarily
congratulatory” or “primarily expressing agreement” will lower your score for that unit’s
discussion board.
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In order to facilitate discussion, there are two due dates for each discussion board. Each
unit after the first one is allotted five days. Since this is a highly condensed half semester
course, it will be important for you to keep up with this schedule.
Initial postings in response to the questions must be posted within the first two days. It is
important to check the discussion boards at least daily to see if someone has responded to
your posting and to reply if a question has been raised. In addition, from time to time I will
post responses to students’ postings with questions or comments. Initial postings to the
discussion board after the first two days will receive lower grades.
In a face-to-face class attending the class sessions would be important. In an online class
such as this one, “attendance” is measured by your participation in the discussion boards.
Therefore I strongly suggest that you plan on logging onto the course at least once a day.
Read all the other students’ responses to the questions and engage in discussion with
them. Your own responses to the discussion questions and to other students’ contributions
should further discussion and should demonstrate your understanding of the concepts
covered in the unit’s assigned material. If there is something you do not understand, ask
questions. You can always post a question for both other students and the instructor to
reply to.
Because this is a condensed course and because participation in discussion is the basis for
your grade, I cannot accept “late assignments.” If you have not posted by the end of the
time assigned for a unit, you will receive a zero for that unit. There is no provision for
“make up” work.
Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but for academic purposes opinions should be well
informed. If you disagree with someone, it is important to first show that you understand
the position taken by the person you disagree with and then to support your disagreement.
In addition to the discussion questions, each unit includes an Open Board. There is no
question for this discussion board. However, you can use it to post questions, comments,
thoughts, etc., about the material covered in the unit, issues that may not be addressed in
the assigned discussion questions. If there is something in the assigned reading or lecture
that you have trouble understanding, the Open Board is a good place to post it; I or other
students may be able to help you.
Your responses to the discussion questions and to other student’s answers will be graded in
terms of the following criteria:
Accuracy — Are your facts correct? Are your opinions well supported.
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Concepts –Do you demonstrate a clear understanding of the concepts covered in the
unit. See the learning objectives for each unit; these are the concepts that you
should show you have a clear understanding of.
Clarity — Have you expressed your thoughts in a clear, well organized fashion
Civility — Are you “speaking” in a respectful tone, acknowledging the validity of
others’ opinions and thoughts?
Critical thinking — Are you using the critical thinking skills outlined in the first unit.
Grammar — Are you writing in well-formulated, grammatically correct sentences,
correctly punctuated, with words correctly spelled. (Note: Since all communication in
this course is by writing, problems with your writing — poor grammar, misspellings,
confused syntax, and poorly proofread contributions — will lower your grade.)
Grades will be assigned as follows:
A — The student’s postings were thoughtful and reflective, demonstrating not only a good
grasp of the concepts based on reading the assigned material but also delving into
additional information, e.g., providing additional examples of concepts. The student also
responded to other students’ postings thoughtfully in ways that furthered discussion,
raising questions or providing support for the other student’s position in some way. The
student also responded thoughtfully to comments on his postings from other students.
B – The student’s postings were thoughtful, demonstrating a good grasp of the concepts
based on reading the assigned material but did not go beyond the assignment or expand on
the question. The student responded to other students’ postings thoughtfully but may not
have expanded on the topic. The student also responded thoughtfully to other students’
comments on his postings.
C – The student’s postings in response to questions seemed to show some difficulty
understanding the concepts involved and did not go beyond the assigned readings.
Responses to other students’ postings and to other students’ comments on his postings
may not have contributed to furthering the discussion. The student’s postings may not
have been complete (e.g., did not respond to all required questions or did not post required
comments to other students’ postings).
D – There are serious questions about the student’s grasp of concepts, or there was little or
no evidence of the student’s having dealt with the assigned material. Contributions to the
discussion board did not meet requirements.
As I grade the discussion boards at the completion of each unit, I will add comments to
indicate what I have based my grading decision on. You can access these comments
through the Grade Book.
Schedule
Each unit has a designated start and stop date. After the stop date, you will not be able to
make further entries to that set of discussion boards. The dates for each unit are listed
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under Course Schedule.
Grading
Your participation in the discussion question boards will count for 80% of your grade, and
the field study report will count for 20% of the course grade.
Remember that discussion boards are for DISCUSSION. Active participation, responding to
comments from me and from other students is required. The number of questions and
comments that are required are a minimum, and additional contributions will raise your
grade. Going beyond the assigned readings for your posting will also raise your grade.
Responses to other students’ contributions should go beyond simply saying that you agree
(or disagree). Explain why. If you raise a question, explain why you are questioning
something and provide some possible answers.
Even though you have five days to complete each unit, comments posted early in the unit
will be more likely to contribute to an active discussion.
There are no right or wrong answers to these discussion questions, but there are simplistic
responses and more detailed and thoughtful responses.
Summary of Assignments
Each unit consists of an assigned reading (and in a few cases, a video to watch), a
narrated PowerPoint program covering important points, and a set of discussion
questions. Instructions on how to respond to the discussion questions are included in
the narrated PowerPoint program and in the heading of the discussion questions.
Grading for this course is based on your contributions to the discussion boards for each unit
and on your field study report. The discussion board for each unit is assigned 80 points;
the total for all the units is 800 points. The field study report is assigned 200
points.
For units assigned 80 points:
A+ – 80
A – 72-78
B+ – 71
B – 64-70
C – 56-63
D – 48-55
E less than 48
Final course grades will be determined as follows:
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Total points Letter grade
1000-970 A+
900-969 A
870-899 B+
800-869 B
700-799 C
699-600 D
599 or less E
Grading Procedure
The course grade will be based on the assignments and compliance with deadlines and
rubric guidelines. Assignment of letter grades is in accordance with established University
and college policies.
Weekly
Course
Schedule
Weekly
Course Schedule
For the requirements of specific assignments, please see the items in LearningStudio.
Course Schedule
Unit 1 — Introduction – Thinking about Being a Student of Religion
Start — Monday, January 7, 2013
End — Thursday, January 10, 2013
Unit 2 — On Defining and Studying Religion
Start –Friday, January 11, 2013
Initial responses to discussion questions due Sunday, January 13, 2013
End — Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Unit 3 — Sacred Power
Start — Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Initial responses to discussion questions due Friday, January 18, 2013
End — Sunday, January 20, 2013
Unit 4 — Myth as Sacred Story
Start — Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Initial responses to discussion questions due Thursday, January 24, 2013
End — Saturday, January 26, 2013
Unit 5 — Ritual as Sacred Story
Start — Sunday, January 27, 2013
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Initial responses to discussion questions due Tuesday, January 29, 2013
End — Thursday, January 31. 2013
Unit 6 — Sacred Space and Time
Start — Friday, February 1, 2013
Initial responses to discussion questions due Sunday, February 3. 2013
End –Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Unit 7 — Experiencing the Sacred
Start — Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Initial responses to discussion questions due Friday, February 8, 2013
End — Sunday, February 10, 2013
Unit 8 — Explaining Evil
Start — Monday, February 11, 2013
Initial responses to discussion questions due Wednesday, February 13, 2013
End — Friday, February 15, 2013
Unit 9 — Religion and Morality
Start — Saturday, February 16, 2013
Initial responses to discussion questions due Monday, February 18, 2013
End — Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Summation
Start — Thursday, February 21, 2013
Initial responses to discussion questions due Saturday, February 23, 2013
End — Monday, February 25, 2013
Field Study report
First draft (optional) due Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Final draft due Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Course
Policies
Communicating With the Instructor
This course uses a policy for student to faculty communications. When questions arise
during the course of this class, please remember to check three sources for an answer
before emailing your instructor:
Course Syllabus1.
Announcements in Learning Studio
2.
The Hallway Conversations discussion board3.
If you cannot find an answer to your question, please first post your question to the
Hallway Conversations Discussion Board (DB). This DB can display your questions and the
faculty answers for the benefit of all students.
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This policy will help you in potentially identifying answers before we can get back to you
and it also helps your instructors from answering similar questions or concerns multiple
times. Please note that faculty will respond to your emails within 24-48 hours on
business days.
Online Course
This is an online course and therefore there will not be any face-to-face class sessions. All
assignments and course interactions will utilize internet technologies.
Attendance/Participation
Preparation for class means reading the assigned content & reviewing all information
required for that week. Students hold the responsibility for all class content. Class
participation means knowledge of assignments and pertinent class contributions through
course assignments and providing substantive postings on the discussion forums. If
students do not participate in online class activities, they will not earn the full amount of
points.
Computer Requirements
This course requires that you have access to a computer that can access the internet. You
will need to have access to, and be able to use, the following hardware and software
packages:
A web browser (Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox or Safari)1.
Adobe Acrobat Reader (free)2.
Adobe Flash Player (free)3.
Microsoft Word
4.
Microsoft PowerPoint5.
Microphone (build-in or in headset) and speaker6.
You are responsible for having a reliable computer and internet connection throughout the
course.
Email and Internet
You must have an active ASU e-mail account and access to the Internet through your ASU
email account. All instructor correspondence will be sent to your ASU e-mail
account. Please plan on checking your ASU email account regularly for course related
messages. Forwarded emails to and from your ASU to a personal account is not
recommended as often times course related emails are “lost” in cyberspace. ASU faculty
will not respond to other than ASU account addressed emails.
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This course uses LearningStudio for the facilitation of communications between faculty and
students, submission of assignments, and posting of grades. The LearningStudio Course
Site can be accessed through MyASU at http://my.asu.edu or the LearningStudio home
page at http://ecollege.asu.edu.
Campus Network or LearningStudio Outage
When access to LearningStudio is not available for an extended period of time (greater than
one entire evening – 6pm till 11pm) you can reasonably expect that the due date for
assignments will be changed to the next day (assignment still due by 11:59pm).
Studying and Preparation Time
The course requires you to spend time preparing and completing assignments. A three-
credit course requires approximately 180 hours of hours of student work. Please expect to
spend approximately 27 hours a week preparing for and actively participating in this
course.
Late or Missed Assignments
Please notify the instructor BEFORE an assignment is due if an urgent situation arises and
the assignment will not be turned in on time. Published assignment due dates (based on
the Arizona time zone) are firm.
Rewrites
Due to the compressed schedule for this class, rewrites are not permitted.
Submitting Assignments
All assignments, unless otherwise announced by the instructor, MUST be submitted via
LearningStudio. Each assignment will have a designated place to submit the assignment.
Do not submit an assignment via email.
Drop and Add dates
Because this course is 7 weeks in length and is a foundational part of an on-going
sequenced program, there is limited opportunity to either drop or add the course. Please
check with your advisor and notify your instructor/s if you need to add or drop this course.
Student Conduct Statement
Students are required to adhere to the behavior standards listed in the Arizona Board of
Regents Policy Manual Chapter V – Campus and Student Affairs: Code of Conduct
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http://www.azregents.edu/policymanual/default.aspx, ACD 125: Computer, Internet, and
Electronic Communications http://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd125.html, and the
ASU Student Academic Integrity Policy http://provost.asu.edu/academicintegrity .
Students are entitled to receive instruction free from interference by other members of the
class. If a student is disruptive, an instructor may ask the student to stop the disruptive
behavior and warn the student that such disruptive behavior can result in withdrawal from
the course. An instructor may withdraw a student from a course when the student’s
behavior disrupts the educational process under USI 201-10 http://www.asu.edu
/aad/manuals/usi/usi201-10.html.
Appropriate online behavior is defined by the instructor. This includes the number and
length of individual messages online. Course discussion messages should remain focused on
the assigned discussion topics. Students must maintain a cordial atmosphere and use tact
in expressing differences of opinion.
Inappropriate discussion board messages may be deleted if an instructor feels it is
necessary. Students will be notified privately that their posting was inappropriate.
Student access to the course Send Email feature may be limited or removed if an instructor
feels that students are sending inappropriate electronic messages to other students in the
course.
ASU expects and requires all its students to act with honesty and integrity, and respect the
rights of others in carrying out all academic assignments. For more information on
academic integrity, including the policy and appeal procedures, please visit
http://www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/studentlife/srr/index.htm.
Academic Integrity
ASU expects and requires all its students to act with honesty and integrity, and respect the
rights of others in carrying out all academic assignments. Students are expected to adhere
to the ASU Academic Integrity policy (http://provost.asu.edu/academicintegrity). Anyone in
violation of this policy will forfeit their points for the assignments/exam and risk failure of
the course. Please refer to university policies regarding these matters and other courses of
action that may be taken.
Plagiarism — the use of another person’s writing or use material from another source
without proper attribution — is strictly prohibited. Incidents of plagiarism will be reported
immediately to the proper university authorities and will result in a failing grade for the
entire course.
Prohibition of Commercial Note Taking Services
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In accordance with with ACD 304-06 Commercial Note Taking Services, the copyright
protection of spoken words rests in common law. Copyright regarding notes or other
written or recorded works is statutory.
End of Course and Faculty Evaluations
All students are expected and requested to complete the End of Course Evaluation and the
Faculty Evaluation during the last week of the course. Evaluations are very important to
assist the College to continually improve the course. Students will be notified through the
course announcements when the online evaluation forms are available.
Syllabus Disclaimer
Instructors view the course syllabus as an educational contract between the instructor and
the students. Every effort will be made to avoid changing the course schedule but the
possibility exists that unforeseen events will make syllabus changes necessary. Instructors
reserve the right to make changes to the syllabus as deemed necessary. Students will be
notified in a timely manner of any syllabus changes via email or in the course site
Announcements. Please remember to check your ASU email and the course site
Announcements often.
Accessibility Statement
In compliance with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504, and the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990, professional disability specialists and support staff at the Disability
Resource Centers (DRC) facilitate a comprehensive range of academic support services and
accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. DRC staff coordinate transition from
high schools and community colleges, in-service training for faculty and staff, resolution of
accessibility issues, community outreach, and collaboration between all ASU campuses
regarding disability policies, procedures, and accommodations.
Students who wish to request an accommodation for a disability should contact the
Disability Resource Center (DRC) for their campus.
Tempe Campus
http://www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/ed/drc/
480-965-1234 (Voice)
480-965-9000 (TTY)
Polytechnic Campus
http://www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/ed/drc/
480-727-1165 (Voice)
480-727-1009 (TTY)
West Campus
http://www.west.asu.edu/drc/
University Center Building (UCB), Room 130
Downtown Phoenix Campus
http://campus.asu.edu/downtown/DRC
University Center Building, Suite 160
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602-543-8145 (Voice) 602-496-4321 (Voice)
602-496-0378 (TTY)
Student
Success
Course Procedures
This is an online course, each week you are asked to:
Read course announcements at the course website.1.
Read all course email messages. Promptly respond to emails from faculty and group
members.
2.
Complete any pre-class preparation assignments and readings.3.
Complete selected online discussion assignments early in the assigned time and
return to the discussion boards frequently and regularly to view and respond to
messages posted by faculty and other students.
4.
Complete any other assignments as directed.5.
How to Succeed in this Course
Check your ASU email regularly.1.
Log in to the course website daily.2.
Communicate with your instructor and classmates as needed.3.
Create a study and/or assignment schedule to stay on track.4.
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