Course Description

What is “religion”? And what is “religious studies”? Scholars and students in Religious Studies don’t just study “religions,” they study things humans classify as religious, while asking question such as what gets to count as “religious” and what are the implications of classifying something as “religious.” Rather than study or compare religions, we are going to read three very different textbooks commonly used in introductory courses like this. We will consider each author’s approach to the topic, and think about how these types of books, these types of courses, and this type of discourse among the general public actually shapes the way we view “religion.” Along the way, you will have the opportunity to gain many new insights into the doctrinal and ritual dimensions of several cultural practices commonly labeled religions. However, the main point of the course is to figure out and articulate the assumptions, values, and goals that shape our thinking about religions.

Our course engages with three basic questions:

1. Definitional: What is “religion”—what are we studying when we study “religion”?
2. Methodological: How can or should we study “religion”?
3. Theoretical: What can we say about “religion”?

Required Course Materials

Great news! You don’t have to purchase any materials for this course, since we won’t be reading these textbooks in their entirety. However, if you (like me!) prefer to read from a book rather than a screen, I’ve linked to the purchasing sites for our three sources below.

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Note: Other course material will be posted in Blackboard.

Learning Goals

Together, we are going to practice how we

• Explain the critiques of the very term “religion” or “religious”
• Analyze the rhetoric of “good” and “bad” religion
• Identify the social consequences of the world religions paradigm and evaluate the idea of world religions
• Apply the social theories we encounter to a contemporary cultural artifact of your choosing

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Course Expectations

Technology Recommendations

Because portions of this course take place online, check and see if you have access to the following:

Hardware

• Ideally, you would have access to a laptop or desktop computer to complete this course. However, I have taken care to design a course that can also be completed from a mobile device. If you don’t have access to a computer, please let me know. Your feedback will help me improve our learning environment to support more students.
• Webcam and microphone are recommended to participate in live sessions via Zoom, but a smartphone/mobile device will suffice.

Software

• Windows 8.1 or OS 10.14 or above is recommended

Internet Connection

You will need a reliable internet connection. Test your internet speed using speedtest.net. Recommended internet speeds:

• Ping response is less than 100ms
• Download speed is at least 10Mbps
• Upload speed is at least 2Mbps

Browsers

• Chrome or Firefox work best (avoid Safari)
• Make sure you are using the most up-to-date browser

Please keep me aware of any difficulty or delay in acquiring these things. We can work it out.

For technology support, contact the IT Service Desk.

Course Components

ASSIGNMENTS	PERCENTAGE
Discussion Posts, Participation, Flipgrid TQEs	40%
Blog posts	40%
Midterm Flipgrid	10%
Final	10%
TOTAL	100%

Required course work consists of substantive discussions, essays on the blog, a midterm, and a final exam. Assignment instructions, details, and due dates will be posted in Blackboard. It is your responsibility to make sure that all assignments are submitted correctly and on time, according to the assignment instructions. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or concerns.

Assignments

Blog Posts, 40%  

The first three essays are 750 words, and the final essay is 1000 words (including multiple drafts and edits). You will comment on at least two of your classmate’s blogs.

Discussion Questions and Participation, 40%  

Compose weekly discussion questions (200-word min) and present them to demonstrate comprehension and interrogation of the material. You will include at least two quotes/citations from the text. These questions will structure our live discussions on Thursdays, so please read your colleague’s contributions. You will “star” the question you are most interested in (other than your own), and we will address the questions voted up by the class first.

You will also do a very short video assignment called a TQE, where you post a 2-minute video of your main Thought, Question, and Epiphany for the unit (with a most creative video contest!).

Midterm 10%     

This is a longer VoiceThread in which you respond to several prompts. This is self-graded.

Final Essay 10%           

You will have a limited time to respond (in essay form) to a new source that we have not covered in class. You will analyze this unseen source by applying the resources from our course.  You must cite a reading from every unit in your analysis.

Extra Credit: You may earn a total of three extra points over the course of the semester. These points can be accumulated by annotating up to three news articles (I will try to post opportunities often). If you find a news article you would like to analyze with our course framework/you see our course themes playing out in the news, send me the link to the news article and I will set it up for the class. This is a “ripped from the headlines” approach: if you see something in the world that relates to or reminds you of the concepts we’ve been covering in class, annotate it for credit.  I encourage you to submit extra credit immediately upon completing it. Here are some online mainstream news sources you can look to for extra credit:

• Washington Post
• BBC
• The Guardian
• The Atlantic
• New York Times
• Wall Street Journal
• Christian Science Monitor

Communication

If you contact me Monday-Friday, I will respond within 24 hours (usually much sooner). I do my best to reply on weekends but I’m human too and have been known to take breaks.

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Slack

We will be using Slack for our main course communication. Emails often get lost in the shuffle. Slack allows us to send instant messages so we can chat in real time (or, if you slack me when I’m unavailable, I’ll see it when I return!). We can also create channels to organize our communication, and you can instant message each other as well– create your own community!

We will go over how to use it on the first day of class. You can watch a brief introduction (it’s used by a lot of businesses, but it’s being integrated more and more in education as well!).

I recommend you download the app to your computer and/or mobile device. To get started, go to our course channel and sign in with you Bama credentials.

Blackboard

Assignment Feedback

We will use Blackboard primarily to post course content and to provide feedback. I will provide feedback and discuss grades with you in the appropriate “assignment” window in Blackboard, so please check in the assignment for notes from me. 

Extensions/Late Policy

Late work is dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Please consult with me in advance when possible.

Posting Difficulties

Always check to see that your response, link, or file has correctly posted before you exit Blackboard. Be sure to post in advance so that you have enough time to correct for any posting difficulties.