Fall 2016
REL 4933 (0008) Senior Seminar
TIME: Tuesday 5-6 (11:45-1:40), Thursday 6 (12:50-1:40)
PLACE: Matherly 102
CREDITS: 3 Semester Hours
INSTRUCTOR: David G. Hackett
Office: 122 Anderson Hall
Office Hours: Tuesday 2:00-3:00, Thursday 11:00-12:30 and by appointment
Phone: 273-2929; Email:
ENROLLMENT: 20
FORMAT: Seminar
WEBSITE: available to you in e-learning
DESCRIPTION
This is an intensive senior level seminar in religious studies that requires a substantial amount of weekly reading, regular writing, and participation. The purpose of this course is to substantively engage significant contemporary issues in religion and society.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
1) develop a sophisticated understanding of the impact of religion on contemporary society.
3) learn how to reflect critically on how you arrived at your beliefs and values and bring to consciousness the degree that these might be shaped by outlooks in the various cultures and subcultures in which you participate.
4) create an interactive community of learners engaged in a common quest
5) improve your skills in writing and constructing persuasive arguments
REQUIRED BOOKS
John L. Allen, The Francis Miracle: Inside the Transformation of the Pope and the Church (New York: Time Books, 2015)
Robert Bellah et al Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Community in American Society Second Edition (Berkeley: California, 1996)
Courtney Bender, The New Metaphysicals: Spirituality and the American Religious Imagination (Chicago: University of Chicago, 2010)
Atul Gawande, Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End (New York: Holt, 2014)
Bruce Lincoln, Holy Terrors: Thinking About Religion after September 11 Second Edition (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006)
Leah Sarat, Fire in the Canyon: Religion, Migration and the Mexican Dream (New York: NYU Press, 2013)
REQUIREMENTS, EXPECTATIONS, AND RESOURCES
1) Attendance. Class attendance is required. If you are absent from more than two classes without a written excuse, your final grade will be reduced one-third of a grade (e.g. B+ to B) for every absence after the first two. If you arrive late to class or leave early, I reserve the right to mark you absent.
2) Reading. Each week a core of common readings will form the basis of our discussions. Your careful reading and reflection upon these weekly readings is essential to the success of this course. If you haven’t done the reading, please don’t come to class.
4) Heard on the street (5% of grade). Twice you will be responsible for presenting some contemporary religious issue that you have read or heard about and you believe needs some common exploration by the class. What you are going to discuss, and why you think it is important, should be emailed to me prior to class. You will be assigned your day for completing this task on the first days of class and according to the alphabetical list of class members.
5) In-class presentations (15% of grade). Three times you will make a brief, 3 minute presentation (about 2 pages, 600 words, double-spaced) to the class introducing a specific reading or readings. Your presentation should analyze the reading’s primary themes and identify any problematic elements in it, and must offer questions to guide reading discussion. Your presentation is due to me as an email attachment by 11:59 p.m. the day before the class meeting in which the reading is discussed. Late presentations will lose one-third of a grade (e.g. B+ to B). You will be assigned your days for completing this task on the first days of class and according to a reverse alphabetical list of class members.
6) Six reaction papers (60%). Seven short three-page reaction papers will be assigned during the semester. You can skip one of your choosing. So you will write six reaction papers in response to class readings and discussions.
All reaction papers must include the following three elements: 1) a thesis, 2) clear evidence that you have read the assigned materials (page citations encouraged), and 3) your reaction to the readings and class discussions. Papers should be double-spaced and can exceed three pages in length.
7) Final paper (20%) – the final paper (six pages) will draw upon the readings of the course to present your understanding of religion in contemporary society.
Late or Make-Up Papers: You may receive an extension on an assignment only in extraordinary circumstances and with prior approval from the instructor. If an extension is not granted, the assignment will be marked down 1/3 grade (e.g., from B+ to B) for each school day it is late.
Papers will be graded according to the following criteria. An A essay demonstrates not only a factual command of the material but also the ability to construct a coherent and complex argument-driven thesis that is supported by evidence and presented in clear and accurate prose. A B grade will be assigned to essays that possess both an identifiable thesis and
adequate factual command, but that lack sufficient detail, or clarity and/or complexity in thinking or writing. Grades in the C range reflect essays that lack a thesis, or that provide minimal detail or evidence, or that exhibit significant writing problems. D grades will be assigned to essays that are clearly inadequate in content, organization, and writing.
Grading: Percent Points
Two Heard on the Street (2.5% or 10 points each) 5% 20
Three in-class presentations (5% or 20 points each) 15% 60
Six reaction papers (10% or 40 points each) 60% 240
Final paper (6 pages) 20% or 80 points) 20% 80
100% 400 points
8) Common Courtesy. Cell phones and other electronic devices must be turned off during class. Students who receive or make calls during class will be asked to leave. You may take notes on a laptop computer or other device, although the instructor reserves the right to ask you to turn off the computer. The instructor also reserves the right to ask any student engaging in disruptive behavior (e.g., whispering, reading a newspaper) to leave the class. Repeat violations of these rules will result in dismissal from the class.
9) Honor Code. On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: “On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.” The university specifically prohibits cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation, bribery, conspiracy, and fabrication. For more information about the definition of these terms and other aspects of the Honesty Guidelines, see http://www.chem.ufl.edu/~itl/honor.html. Any student demonstrated to have cheated, plagiarized, or otherwise violated the Honor Code in any assignment for this course will fail the course. In addition, violations of the Academic Honesty Guidelines shall result in judicial action and the sanctions listed in paragraph XI of the Student Conduct Code.
10) Accommodation for Disabilities. Students requesting classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student, who must then provide this documentation to the Instructor when requesting accommodation.
11) Counseling Resources available on campus for students:
a. University Counseling and Wellness Center, 3190 Radio Rd, (352) 392-1575
b. Student Mental Health, Student Health Care Center, 392-1171
c. Sexual Assault Recovery Services (SARS), Student Health Care Center, 392-1161
12) Software Use. All faculty, staff, and students of the University are required and expected to obey the laws and legal agreements governing software use. Failure to do so can lead to
monetary damages and/or criminal penalties for the individual violator. Because such violations are also against University policies and rules, disciplinary action will be taken as appropriate.
13) In accordance with the Faculty Senate resolution of December 14, 2006, the University of Florida's grading scale was changed effective with the Summer 2009 term to include minus grades. The decision was made in order to provide faculty with more options for assigning grades.
REL 4933 CLASS SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNMENTS
*Available on the Files tab on course’s Canvas web site
I Orientation
Tuesday, August 23
Discussion
Thursday, August 25
View in class: David Foster Wallace, “This is Water”
A. Orientation in the Stages of Religious Development
Tuesday, August 30
Readings:
*James W. Fowler, “Stages of Faith,” Faith Development and Pastoral Care
(Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1987).
*Mary Oliver, “The Summer Day” and “Wild Geese” from her New and Selected Poems (Boston: Beacon Press, 1992), 94, 110.
*Ranier Maria Rilke, “Living the Questions” in his Letters to a Young Poet (New York: Norton, 1954), 34-35.
Thursday, September 1
Reading:
*Sharon Parks, “Emerging Adulthood in a Changing World: Potential and
Vulnerability” in her Big Questions, Worthy Dreams: Mentoring Emerging Adults
in Their Search for Meaning, Purpose and Faith (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass,
2011), 1-19.
First reaction paper assigned. It should be based on the readings and
discussions in the above two classes.
B. Orientation in American History
Tuesday, September 6
Reading:
Robert Bellah et al Habits of the Heart, Preface – 54.
Paper #1 – three page reaction paper due
Thursday, September 8
Readings:
Habits, “Finding Oneself”, 28-84 and “Love and Marriage”, 85-112.
*Ranier Maria Rilke, from On Love and Other Difficulties ed. John J.L. Mood (New York: Norton, 1975), 25-37.
Tuesday, September 13
Reading:
Habits, 219-296, Introduction to the Second Edition “The House Divided”
Thursday, September 15
Reading:
*David Brooks, The Road to Character,(New York: Random House,
2015), xi-15 and 240-270.
Second reaction paper assigned. It should be based on the readings and discussions for
the above four classes.
II Contemporary Issues
A. Islam
Tuesday, September 20
Reading:
Lincoln, Holy Terrors, chapter one, 1-18
Paper #2 - three page reaction paper due
Thursday, September 22
Reading:
Lincoln, Holy Terrors, chapters two and three, 19-50
Tuesday, September 27
Reading:
Lincoln, Holy Terrors, chapter fours and five, 51-92
Thursday, September 29
Reading:
Lincoln, Holy Terrors, chapter six, 93-95
Third reaction paper assigned. It should be based on the readings and discussions for
the above four classes.
B. Immigration
Tuesday, October 4
Reading:
Sarat, Fire in the Canyon, introduction, 1-26
Paper #3 - three page paper due
Thursday, October 6
Reading:
Sarat, Fire in the Canyon, part one, 29-83
Tuesday, October 11
Reading:
Sarat, Fire in the Canyon, part two, 87-142
Thursday, October 13
Reading:
Sarat, Fire in the Canyon, part three and conclusion, 145-208
Fourth reaction paper assigned. It should be based on the readings and discussions for
the above four classes.
C. Contemporary Religious Experience
Tuesday, October 18
Reading:
Bender, The New Metaphysicals, introduction, 1-20
Paper #4 - three page paper due
Thursday, October 20
Reading:
Bender, The New Metaphysicals, chapters one and two, 21-89
Tuesday, October 25
Readings:
Bender, The New Metaphysicals, chapters three and four, pp. 90-152
*Sherry Turkle, “The Flight from Conversation” in Reclaiming
Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age (New York: Penguin,
2015), 19-26.
Thursday, October 27
Reading:
Bender, The New Metaphysicals, ch. five and conclusion, 153-190
Fifth reaction paper assigned. It should be based on the readings and discussions for
the above four classes.
D. Being Mortal
Tuesday, November 1
Reading:
Gawande, Being Mortal, intro and ch. one “the independent self,” 1-24
Paper #5 - three page paper due
Thursday, November 3
Reading:
Gawande, Being Mortal, chapters two, three, and four, 25-110
Tuesday, November 8
Reading:
Gawande, Being Mortal, chapters five, six, and seven, 110-230
Thursday, November 10
Readings:
Gawande, Being Mortal, pp. 231-264
*Poems on Presence
Sixth reaction paper assigned. It should be based on the readings and discussions for
the above four classes.
E. Pope Francis
Tuesday, November 15
Reading:
Allen, The Francis Miracle, 1-88.
Paper #6 - three page paper due
Thursday, November 17
Reading:
Allen, The Francis Miracle 89-158.
Tuesday, November 22
Reading:
Allen, The Francis Miracle 159-248.
Seventh reaction paper assigned. It should be based on the readings and discussions
for the above three classes.
III Integration of the Course
Tuesday, November 29
Presentations
Paper # 7 - three page paper due
Thursday, December 1
Workshop presentations of final papers
Tuesday, December 6
Workshop presentations of final papers
Tuesday, December 13 Final Six Page Paper Due
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