Proposal for New Course

University Curriculum Committee

1. Is this course being proposed for Liberal Studies designation?
If yes, route completed form to Liberal Studies. / Yes No / You may need to right-click
boxes to check/uncheck →
Then Select ”Properties”
2. New course effective beginning what term and year? (ex. Spring 2009,
Summer 2009) See effective dates schedule. / Fall 2011
3. College / Arts & Letters / 4. Academic Unit /Department / Comparative Cultural Studies
5. Course subject/catalog number / REL 295 / 6. Units/Credit Hours / 3
7. Long course title / Topics in Comparative Religion
(max 100 characters including spaces)
8. Short course title (max. 30 characters including spaces) / Topics in Comparative Religion
9. Catalog course description (max. 30 words, excluding requisites).
An examination of selected aspects of, or developments in, religious belief, practice, or history, involving comparative considerations of more than one religious tradition.
10. Grading option:
Letter grade / Pass/Fail / or Both
(If both, the course may only be offered one way for each respective section.)
11. Co-convened with / 11a. Date approved by UGC
(Must be approved by UGC prior to bringing to UCC. Both course syllabi must be presented)
12. Cross-listed with
(Please submit a single cross-listed syllabus that will be used for all cross-listed courses.)
13. May course be repeated for additional units? / Yes / No
a. If yes, maximum units allowed? / 6
b. If yes, may course be repeated for additional units in the same term?
(ex. PES 100) / Yes / No
14. Prerequisites (must be completed before proposed course) / None
15. Corequisites (must be completed with proposed course) / None
16. Is the course needed for a new or existing plan of study
(major, minor, certificate)? / Yes / No
Name of plan? / B.A. in Comparative Cultural Studies, Minor in Religious Studies
Note: If course is required, a new plan or plan change form must be submitted with this request.
17. Is a potential equivalent course offered at a community college (lower division only) Yes No
If yes, does it require listing in the Course Equivalency Guide? ) Yes No
Please list, if known, the institution and subject/catalog number of the course
18. Names of current faculty qualified to teach this course: / Professors BeDuhn, Donnelly, Sullivan, or staff

19. Justification for new course, including unique features if applicable.

(Attach proposed syllabus in the approved university format).

This course, with variable topics, will allow diversification of the curriculum in Religious Studies.

We anticipate having visiting instructors with varying areas of expertise. This course will enable us to offer a lower-division course in an area in which we do not have an existing course.

20. Person(s) to contact for questions about details of this proposal:

Prof. Alexandra Carpino, Chair, CCS

For Official AIO Use Only:
Component Type
Consent
Topics Course

21. Approvals

Signed: Department Chair (if appropriate) / Print Last Name / Date
Signed: Chair of College Curriculum Committee / Print Last Name / Date
Signed: Dean of College / Print Last Name / Date
Signed: Curriculum Process Associate / Print Last Name / Date

For Committee’s use only

For University Curriculum Committee Date
Action taken: / _____Approved as submitted / _____Approved as modified

Please attach Syllabus here.

Northern Arizona University

College of Arts & Letters

Dept. of Comparative Cultural Studies

REL 295 Topics in Comparative Religion

(Secondary Title for this topic) TBA

Instructor: TBA Day/Time: TBA

Office Location: TBA Location: TBA

Office Hours: TBA 3 credit hours

E-Mail: TBA Office Phone: TBA

Course Description

This course is an examination of selected aspects of, or developments in, religious belief, practice, or history, involving comparative considerations of more than one religious tradition. Each iteration of this course will address at least one of the three Global Learning Outcomes, namely, Global Engagement, Environmental Sustainability, and Diversity. The course may be repeated for credit once with a different title and topic, for a total of 6 credits. Liberal Studies: Aesthetic & Humanistic Inquiry block;

Essential Skill: Critical Thinking.

Liberal Studies Information

REL 295 is a Liberal Studies course in the Aesthetic & Humanistic Inquiry distribution block.

(1) This course supports the Mission of the Liberal Studies Program by preparing students to live responsible, productive, and creative lives as citizens of a dramatically changing world, and helping students develop their abilities in the following ways:

• To understand the world’s peoples and their diversity.

• To understand the traditions and legacies that have created the dynamics and tensions

that shape the world.

• To practice the habits of an examined or self-reflective life to facilitate ethical and

responsible living.

(2) REL 295 is in the Aesthetic & Humanistic Inquiry distribution block and supports the intent of the block by:

• involving students in the study of the human condition through philosophical inquiry and analysis of the various forms of creative expression.

• helping students develop an understanding of the relationship between context and human creative expression, in this case, the history of religions in American culture.

• helping students develop an understanding of major conceptual frameworks utilized to make sense of the creative arts, and how human experience and values are expressed through creative endeavors, in this case, literary expressions of religious ideals and dilemmas.

• helping students develop their capacities for analysis and ethical reasoning along with an understanding of the multiple facets of the human condition.

(3) REL 295 will help students develop essential skills as defined in the University’s Liberal Studies Program. This course will emphasize Critical Thinking as its essential skill, and students will learn to think analytically (both about their own writing and other works), demonstrated in the following ways:

• articulating the meaning of a statement;

• judging the truth of a statement, keeping in mind possible biases;

• determining whether a conclusion is warranted by the evidence provided.

Student Learning Expectations & Outcomes for this Course

This course will directly address the Global Learning outcome of Diversity:

• Diversity: Students will learn about and critically reflect upon the nature and consequences of diversity in both the social (e.g. ethnic, religious, cultural) world and the natural environment, and develop an understanding of how this diversity both alters and is altered in a world characterized by increasing global interaction.

Active engagement with the content of this course will enable the student

1. To describe and analyze the various roles played by religious beliefs and institutions.

2. To describe and analyze the historical development of religious thought in diverse cultural settings.

3. To develop ability in the use of interdisciplinary approaches to studying religion.

4. To develop ability in the comparative analysis of diverse religious traditions.

5. To prepare students to critically engage primary and secondary source material in order to become informed participants in discourse about religion.

Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes

Readings, response papers, and discussions of those readings will enable the students to demonstrate a grasp of factual information and various interpretations of the ideas expressed. Students will present their ideas in class discussions and react to those of their fellow students. Exams and the term paper assess factual knowledge of readings and various analytic and interpretive frameworks for understanding the topic. The paper assesses the student’s ability to think critically and write effectively about issues encountered in the course.

Methods of Assessment

TBA

Requirements and Grading Scale

Grading Scale:

90% + = A

80% + = B

70% + = C

60% + = D

Below 60% = F

Timeline for Assessment: Course Schedule

Please come to class having already read the assigned readings listed for that day.

TBA

Final Exam: At the time designated by NAU.

Course Structure & Approach

Our method is academic inquiry concerning the topic of particular religious traditions. The course will include lectures and discussions. Films and images will be shown to illustrate aspects of the traditions studied.

Texts & Required Readings

Texts TBA

Primary documents will be made available via Blackboard.

Course Policies

Your attendance and attention are both mandatory.

Disability Services: If you have disabilities that require accommodations, you need to notify me as well as the Disability Center.

Electronics: Headphones are not allowed for any reason. Cell phones and other communication devices are to be turned off and out of sight before entering class.

Withdrawals and Incompletes:

Deadlines for dropping the course and withdrawing from the course will be posted in the schedule, and those dates are not negotiable except under extraordinary circumstances. Also, do not disappear from the course and expect that I will automatically withdraw you; you are responsible for your registration status.

Note: The instructor reserves the right to modify the syllabus to accommodate the needs of the class.

Please see the additional page of policy statements from NAU appended to the syllabus.

Recommended Readings

A bibliography of recommended readings will be provided to students in the course website. Such works may be useful for the papers as well as lifelong learning in this area.

Example of a fully articulated syllabus:

Northern Arizona University

College of Arts & Letters

Dept. of Comparative Cultural Studies

REL 295 Topics in Comparative Religion

(Secondary Title for this topic) Religion in America

Instructor: TBA Day/Time: TBA

Office Location: TBA Location: TBA

Office Hours: TBA 3 credit hours

E-Mail: TBA Office Phone: TBA

Course Description

Essential Skill: Critical Thinking.

This iteration of REL 295 presents a historical survey of the development of religious traditions in America. There are many ways in which the story of American religious history can be told. Many of us are familiar with stories that begin with the first Thanksgiving and end with a happy and astonishing religious pluralism; this is a narrative that applauds America’s capacity to accommodate, usually peacefully, the greatest spectrum of religious diversity in the world. This narrative is not without some merit and truth, but it is by no means an accurate depiction of American religious history.

This semester we will approach American religious history through the lens of encounter with the “other.” As we examine key historical events, personages, and ideas involved in the life of the many religious groups that comprise the tapestry of religion in America, we will turn a critical eye to the many ways in which historical actors have responded to religious diversity – to the presence of the “other.” The value of this approach is that it seeks to tap into the present by making us aware of our own present-day encounter with religious diversity. As we survey the development of the religiosity of a wide variety of communities (Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Spiritual but not Religious, and many shades in between), we will not only parse out who believed and practiced what but we will also consider why such beliefs and practices were vital for the maintenance of identity for religious “insiders” and “outsiders” alike.

Liberal Studies Information

REL 295 is a Liberal Studies course in the Aesthetic & Humanistic Inquiry distribution block.

• To understand the world’s peoples and their diversity.

• To understand the traditions and legacies that have created the dynamics and tensions

that shape the world.

• To practice the habits of an examined or self-reflective life to facilitate ethical and

responsible living.

(2) REL 295 is in the Aesthetic & Humanistic Inquiry distribution block and supports the intent of the block by:

• involving students in the study of the human condition through philosophical inquiry and analysis of the various forms of creative expression.

• helping students develop an understanding of the relationship between context and human creative expression, in this case, the history of religions in American culture.

• helping students develop their capacities for analysis and ethical reasoning along with an understanding of the multiple facets of the human condition.

• articulating the meaning of a statement;

• judging the truth of a statement, keeping in mind possible biases;

• determining whether a conclusion is warranted by the evidence provided.

Student Learning Expectations & Outcomes for this Course

This course will directly address the Global Learning outcome of Diversity:

Active engagement with the content of this course will enable the student

1. To describe and analyze the various roles played by religious beliefs and institutions in America.

2. To describe and analyze the historical development of religious thought in America in diverse cultural settings.