General Education Course Proposal

NB:

(i)Colleagues are advised to read the GE Programme document before preparing the course proposal.

(ii)All GE course proposals must be submitted through the respective offices of the Deans/AVA Directorvia the Heads of Departments.

(iii)Please send the GE course proposalin pdf format to >.

Part I

Proposer(s):Chan Sze Chi_Department Faculty/School/AVA: __REL______

Course Title: __Religious Conflicts in the West___

Pleaseselect and check ‘√’ the appropriate box(es)below.

Application History

New GE Course

First draft proposal / Revised draft proposal

Revision of a Complementary Studies Course to a GE Course

First draft proposal / Revised draft proposal

GE Categories

Core Requirements(please select ONE category)

Core Categories
Information Management Technology
Numeracy
Physical Education
History and Civilization / 
Values and the Meaning of Life

Distribution Requirements

For single-discipline or interdisciplinary course within a category, please select ONE category.

For cross-category interdisciplinary course¹,please select TWOor more categories.

Distribution Categories / Single-Discipline
(Category) / Interdisciplinary
Within a Category / Cross-category
Arts / N/A
Business / N/A
Communication/Visual Arts
Science/Chinese Medicine
Social Sciences / N/A
Number of Units: / 3
Contact Hours: / 39 hours (3 hours per week)
Course Co-ordinator(s)/Teacher(s) / (Name)Chan Sze Chi / (Dept) Religion & Philosophy
(Name) / (Dept)
(Name) / (Dept)
(Name) / (Dept)
Course Aimsand Descriptions(150 – 250 words):
This course examines major episodes of religious conflicts in the West, to identifytheir nature, major trends and historical figures that were involved in them. In the end, students would be allowed to utilize concepts and methodologies learnt from the course to conduct inquiry into current religious conflicts from a cultural-historical perspective.
Students would be made to recognize that religions have always played leading role in forging strong values and beliefs and ways of life, thereby inadvertently leading to strong value and civilization clashes among peoples, which would not be easily resolvable until newer situations have arisen to render such conflicts obsolete. Persistent efforts would be made to relate such historical conflicts to present religious conflicts that have become global, affecting even modernizing societies in the East like Hong Kong. In the course of such historical examinations, students would learn to be aware of the uses and limitations of different historical evidence, and that proper methodological principles and procedures free from religious bias must be observed in order to conduct truly objective inquiry into religious conflicts.
Special attention would be paid to how various historical forces cause such conflicts to fizzle or play themselves out, resulting in newsocial situation and even harmony beyond such conflicts. The evolution and nature of such new historical situation are particularly interesting to all religious people who want their religions to play positive rather than negative roles in society. In the process they can also evaluate the strengths and weakness of their own religious and cultural-historical tradition and heritage.

Course Intended Learning Outcomesfor this course (CILOs):

(Please take note of the ILOs for the overall GE programmeon Page 1 and the ILOs of the relevant GE category/categories on Pages 4 – 9 as set out in the GE programme document.)

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

No. / Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs)
1 / Identify major religious conflicts in the West in history, their major trends and historical periods and figures, and outline what new social situationhas resulted at the end of theseconflicts
2 / Relate past religious conflictsin the West to contemporary conflicts and civilization clashes in the world, and conduct inquiries into such conflicts from one’s cultural-historicalperspective
3 / Analyze historically the hidden dimensions of such religious conflicts like power, ideology, personality clash, cultural differences, social changes etc.
4 / Reflect ethically on such religious conflicts from one’s cultural-historicalheritageor value perspective, and to spell out their own ideals for religious harmony in a civil society

Alignment of Teaching and Learning Activities (TLAs) with the Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs):

CILO No. / TLAs
1,2 / Informative and analytical lectures to introduce major religious conflicts in the West and what new social situationshaveemerged at the end of such conflicts
2,3 / Movies and other AV materials would be used to enrich students’ understanding on particular Western religious conflicts, and to stimulate reflection on their nature, cause and contemporary impact.
2,4 / Special visits to or lecturesby religious workers(limited to 3) to focus on remarkable current religious conflicts related to the West and theireffort to achievesocial harmony. Students wouldlearn from the ideological and value perspectives of these dedicated practitioners..
2,3 / Tutorials and group discussions to allow students to exercise critique and analysis on the historical forces that give rise to specific historical and contemporary religious conflictsrelated to the West.
2,3,4 / Written Group Project + Peer Assessment:
Through teamwork, students will work on a chosen religious conflict related to the West relevant to themselves, and to present their historical findings, to spell out their interpretations, and ethical reflections based on their respective values and beliefs, andelaborate their own ideals for social harmony. Students’ critical thinking and communication skills will be enhanced through mutual peer assessment.

Alignment of Assessment Methods (AMs) with the Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs):

Type of Assessment
Methods / Weighting / CILOs tobe addressed / Description of Assessment Methods
Tutorial Discussion / 10% / 2,3 / Tutorial discussions will assess students’ skills in analyzing historical and contemporary religious conflictsrelated to the West.
Term Paper / 20% / 2,3 / Term paper will assess students’ ability to analyze historicallyspecific religious conflictsin the West, to critique their various dimensions and to relate them to conflicts in the present
Written Group Project +Peer Assessment / 30% / 2,4 / Written GroupProject + Peer assessment will assess if students can work in team tocombine concepts and methodologies learnt from lecturesto analyze a chosen religious conflict relevant to themselves, and to present their historical interpretations and ethical reflections based on their values and beliefs, and to communicate it intelligently totheir peers
Examination / 40% / 1,4 / Long essay answers will comprehensively assess students’general and specific knowledge of religious conflicts, as well as their ability to provide value reflection on them

Part II

Alignment with the Intended Learning Outcomes of the GE Programme (PILOs)

(See Annex and GE Programme document - Page 1. Your course DOES NOT have to meet all PILOs. Prioritize your top 3 – 4 outcomes. Focus on a few outcomes that you know your course will help students to achieve.)

Learning Outcomes / Please indicate alignment by checking‘√’the appropriate box
PILO1 / PILO2 / PILO3 / PILO4 / PILO5 / PILO6 / PILO7
CILO1 /  / 
CILO2 / 
CIL 03 / 
CILO4 /  /  / 

Alignment with the Intended Learning Outcomes of the GE Category (Cat-ILOs):

(See Annex and GE Programme document – Pages 4 to 9. Your course DOES NOT have to meet all Cat-ILOs. Prioritize your top 2 – 3 outcomes. Focus on a few outcomes that you know your course will help students to achieve.)

(Please fill in therelevant GE category in the space provided.)

Single-discipline History and Civilization______(Category)

Learning Outcomes
Cat-ILO1 / Cat-ILO2 / Cat-ILO3 / Cat-ILO4
(if applicable)
CILO1 /  / 
CILO2 /  /  / 
CILO3 /  / 
CILO4 / 

Course Contents in Outline:

Topic / Teaching Hours
1) Introduction –Tensions and conflicts as endemic to civilization and religious interactions among peoples: their nature, course and historical consequences / 3 hours
2) Jewish-Islamic conflict- Early Jewish and Palestinian animosityin Palestine in Biblical times,and its relation with the current Israel-Palestinian conflict / 3 hours
3) Jewish-Christian conflict - Early Christian conflict with the Jewish religious establishment, medieval persecution of the Jews in Christian Europe,the Holocaust its impact on post-War JewishChristian reconciliation / 3 hours
4) Christian-Roman conflict - Emperor Diocletian and early Christian conflict with the Roman society and establishment, Christianization of Roman Empire under Constantine and the birth ofmedieval Christendom / 3 hours
5)Early Intra-Christian Conflict and Early Christian-Islamic interactions –Theological and iconoclastic controversies and split within Christendom, and its interaction with the Islamic conquest in the Eastern Roman Empire, Christians under early Islamic rule. / 3 hours
6) Later Christian-Islam conflict in Western Europe - Crusadesand the conquest of Spain and the resultant cultural exchange andsynthesis / 3 hours
7) Later Intra-Christian Conflicts within Western Europe–the trials of scientists by the church, the Reformation, the Thirty Years’ War, and the birth of modern Europe / 3 hours
8) Religious Conflicts of English Christianity–Puritans and Catholics under persecution and the great Mayflower Exodus –the founding of a religiously tolerant America / 3 hours
9) Religious Harmony and Conflicts within American Protestantism – The rise and persecution of indigenous sects and cults like Mormonism, the entrenchment of Evangelical tradition in American conservatism / 3 hours
10)Religious Conflict due to Fundamentalism - Conflict between Conservative America and Liberal Europe –the rise of American Fundamentalism versus European Liberalism and its impact on global Christian missions / 3 hours
11) 19th Century Christian-Islamic Conflicts -European expansion in the Middle East and religious persecutionsand genocide withinOttoman Empireand Arab lands / 3 hours
12) 21st Century Clash of Civilization between Christianity and Islam– the 911 incident and the US-Afghanistan, US-Iraq Wars, theirreligious and historical causes,nature, and future prospects / 3 hours
13) The globalization of Western Religious Conflicts– Religious conflicts exported to other regions, esp. Asia and Africa, and budding religious conflicts at home in Western countries due to Muslim immigration / 3 hours

Key References(up to ten):

1. / Richard S. Dunn, The age of religious wars, 1559-1715, New York : Norton, c1979
2. / Jonathan Riley-Smith, The First Crusade and the idea of crusading, Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009
3. / Joinville and Villehardouin, translated Caroline Smith; Chronicles of the Crusades, London ; New York : Penguin, 2008.
4. / 海姆。馬克比編著，黃福武譯，傅有德校；猶太敎審判: 中世紀猶太, 基督兩敎大論爭；濟南 : 山東大學出版社, 1996
5. / Robert Goldenberg, The nations that know thee not : ancient Jewish attitudes toward other religions, New York : New York University Press, c1998.
6. / Michele Renee Salzman, The making of a Christian aristocracy : social and religious change in the western Roman Empire, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2002.
7. / Earl Raab(ed.), Religious conflict in America : studies of the problems beyond bigotry, New York : Doubleday, 1964
8. / Randall Balmer and Lauren F. Winner, Protestantism in America, New York : ColumbiaUniversity Press, 2002
9. / Julie Scott-Jones, Being the chosen : exploring a Christian fundamentalist worldview, Surrey, England ; Burlington, VT : Ashgate Pub., c2010.
10. / Jürgen Helm & AnnetWinkelmann (eds.)Religious confessions and the sciences in the sixteenth century, Leiden : Brill, 2001.

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Revised Jun 10

Part III

Preferred quota of students per session:____50______

Preferred number of sessions the teacher(s) is/are prepared to offer: __1______

Is the course ready for pilot-test before 2012?

No / Yes, please indicate when it can be offered
○Semester1 2011/12 ○Semester2 2011/12

Endorsement and Resource Commitment2

Endorsement and confirmation of resource commitment to teaching the proposed GE course by all Heads and Deans/AVA Director concerned.

Department/Programme Head
Signature: / Date:
Department/Programme Head
Signature: / Date:
Department/Programme Head
Signature: / Date:
Faculty/School Dean/AVA Director
Signature: / Date:
Faculty/School Dean/AVA Director
Signature: / Date:

2 It is the strong recommendation of the 334 Working Group on GE that GE courses should be taught by full-time faculty members.

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Revised Jun 10