INDIANA UNIVERSITY – PURDUE UNIVERSITY

FORT WAYNE, INDIANA

REL 112 – 05I (CRN: 24019) - RELIGION AND CULTURE

PROPOSED SYLLABUS FOR ONLINE STUDENTS

FOR SPRING SEMESTER 2010

INSTRUCTOR: Johnathan P. Decker, PhD, MSL, MA OFFICE: CM 23

E-MAIL ADDRESS: TELEPHONE: (260) 481 – 6366

OFFICE HOURS: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 8:00 – 8:40 AM, and also by appointment.

TEACHING ASSISTANT: Mr. Brian Pierce E-MAIL ADDRESS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is an introduction to the academic study of religion emphasizing the principle thinkers, theories, and methodologies, which have shaped the modern critical study of religious phenomena. Explored in relation to case studies drawn from various world religious traditions. The course fulfills the AREA IV, Humanistic Thought, General Education requirement. Fulfills A&S, Cultural Studies requirement (Western Traditions).

COURSE OBJECTIVES

The main objective of this course is to fulfill the general objectives and goals of the framework for the IPFW Baccalaureate Degree. Upon successful completion of this course students will be expected to;

  1. Recognize, situate, and contextualize the presence of things “religious” in contemporary public life and discourse in an informed and thoughtful manner.
  2. Think, write, and speak analytically and critically about religion and/or culture as forces, which shape human experience most especially thoughts, lifestyle and worldview in time and space.
  3. Read critically, analytically and decide which religious ideas and beliefs are helpful for their particular worldview and philosophy. The goal is to make the student and independent thinker – a scholar who relies on what others tell him or her but engages in independent inquiry and discovery.
  4. Think seriously and independently about the meaning of polyphony, diversity, and heterogeneity in human societies by employing critical reflection upon the manifold ways in which things both “religious” and “cultural” have served to frame human experience within and across a range of diverse cultural locations and social settings.

REQUIRED COURSE TEXT

PALS, Daniel L. Eight Theories of Religion (Second Edition). New York: Oxford

University Press, 2006. ISBN: 13:978-0-18-530458-9 (hard: alk. Paper);

13:978-0-19-516570-8 (pbk: alk. Paper).

PALS, Daniel L. Introducing Religion: Readings from the Classic Theorists. New

York: Oxford University Press, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-19-518149-4 (pbk. : alk

paper). 978-0-19-518148-7 (hardcover : alk. paper).

DVD SELECTIONS FOR THE SEMESTER

For the purposes of fulfilling the case studies part of this course, the following DVDs titles have been selected for viewing in class. These will help re-enforce the theories studied in class. Students as such are encouraged to take notes during the showings as exam questions might be taken from the DVDs.

Titles for viewing during the semester will include the following,

  1. Judaism (2003)
  2. Animism: Living in the Dreamtime (2004)
  3. Mircea Eliade: His name, His destiny (2002)
  4. Inside Mecca (2003)

The titles have been placed on reserve in the Helmke library and can be checked out by students for two-hour periods.

DISABILITIES STATEMENT

If you have a disability and need assistance, special arrangements can be made to accommodate most needs. Contact the Director of Services for Students with Disabilities (Walb 113; telephone 481-6658) as soon as possible to work out the details.

Once the Director has provided you with a letter attesting to your needs for modification, bring the letter to me. For more information please visit the web site for SSD at

POLICY ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY/HONESTY/CHEATING

Each student is expected to familiarize him or herself with and abide by the policies on academic integrity. These policies can be found in the Bulletin under “Academic Regulations, part 7.9 – Academic Honesty,” also available online at and supplemented by II.A (Academic Misconduct) of the “Code of Students Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct” as it can be found in the Bulletin and the Student Handbook Planner.

Also, please read the department’s policy regarding cheating at

In the event that there is a violation these policies will be followed in administering a resolution. I would expect everyone to observe these.

WHERE TO GO ON CAMPUS TO FIND HELP

1. THE SPOT LEARNING CENTER

Make your study time not only more effective, but also more efficient by signing up for free tutoring available in the SPOT in Kettler G21 (next door to the Writing Center). You are entitled to two free hours per week of one-to-one, course-specific help in understanding concepts, practicing the application or explanation of material being learned, and developing effective test-taking strategies. Make all appointments online through TutorTrac at If you don’t see a tutor available for your class, contact the center in Kettler G21! Drop-in tutoring is also available for math (schedule on Web site) and a few other subjects. If you need help with study skills in general, drop by the SPOT to view their self-paced tutorials or make a one-to-one appointment. Information about STEPS (Student Technology Education ProgramS) classes can be found on the CASA Web site, too. Questions, please call 481-5419. SPOT Learning Center hours for spring 2010 are Monday through Thursday 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM and Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

2. THE WRITING CENTER

Save time and write better papers or presentations for any class through free one-to-one or small group consultations in the Writing Center, Kettler G19 (next door to the SPOT Learning Center). Remember to take your assignments, questions, ideas, and a draft (if you have one). Consultants can help you get started, write more clearly, revise, edit, and cite sources responsibly. Go see them as you begin writing and/or revise your work. Drop-ins are welcome if time is available, but appointments, made online through TutorTrac, receive preference. For TutorTrac, online consulting, and resources to make your writing process easier go to Should you have any questions, please call (260) 481-5740.

3. CAREER SERVICES

Assistance with the following areas is provided for IPFW students and alumni: academic major and career choices; career assessments; full-time, part-time, internship, and work- study employment opportunities posted on our JobZone job database; job-and internship-search strategies; resume and cover letter creation; and graduate school and interview preparation. A comprehensive list of our services is available on our web site at For questions please visit Kettler 109 or call (260) 481 – 0689.

LATE POLICY

All assignments are due in class on the due date and time. Any work submitted thereafter will be deemed late. The grade for such work will start dropping per class session. For example, from A to A-, B to B-, and so on.

MAKE-UP

All make-up in this class must be completed by Friday, April 23, 2010 at the end of the class session. It is the responsibility of the student(s) concerned to make all the necessary arrangements with the instructor for such make-up(s). Please remember that instructors like everyone else have superiors to answer to, and deadlines to meet. Your co-operation on this and all other matters relating to the success of course is therefore very highly solicited.

METHOD OF EVALUATION

1. Bi-weekly Discussion - 20%

There are five bi-weekly discussions each worth four points.

2. Exam I - 4%

3. Examinations II and III - 20%

4. Modular Projects - 56%

There are Eight Modules each worth 7%, and every project under each

module is weighted. Consult individual projects.

COURSE GRADING SCALE

Beginning Fall 2008, IPFW permitted Final Grades to be submitted with plus-minus grade designations. This action completed the implementation of SD 98-11, passed in 1999, by which IPFW conformed to the then newly-instituted Purdue University grading policy which conformed to the Indiana University grading policy. This scale provides uniformity in grading for all the universities involved in the cooperation

In conformity to the demands of Senate Document SD 98-11, therefore, the following grades will be assigned as final grades for this course;

A+ = 100 – 97%

A = 96 – 94%

B+ = 89 – 87%

B = 86 - 84%
B- = 83 - 80%
C+ = 79 - 77%
C = 76 - 74%
C- = 73 - 70%
D+ = 69 - 67%
D = 66 - 64%
D- = 63 - 60%
F = 59 - 0%

EXPLANATION OF COURSE GRADING SCALE

A, A+, A- - Outstanding achievement

B, B+, B- - Above-average achievement

C, C+, C- - Average achievement

D, D+, D- - Below-average achievement;

Lowest passing grade

F - Failure

SKELETION COURSE OUTLINE FOR THE SEMESTER

MONTH/WEEK SYNOPSIS OF THE COURSE FOR THE SEMESTER

01/11 Classes begin – introductory, distribution of syllabus, memorandum of

understanding (approach to religious studies in a public non-confessional

institution – “What is religious studies?” - clarifying the content of the main

points in the syllabus. Remember to do all the readings.

01/18 Background studies with definitions of critical terms. Muller’s “science of

religion.” Eight Theories, Pages 3 – 15; Introducing Religion, Pages xiii - xxvi

Monday, January 18, 2010 - Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday - No classes

Friday, January 22, 2010 - Module One Due at Noon

01/25 Background studies with definitions of critical terms. Muller’s “science of

religion.” Eight Theories, Pages 3 – 15; Introducing Religion, Pages xiii – xxvi

(continued). Friday, January 29 - DVD (Judaism, 2003).

Discussion One

02/01 E. B. Tylor and J. G. Frazer - Animism and Magic and the Origin of religion

Eight Theories, Chapter 1, Pages 18 – 48; Introducing Religion, Chapters 1 & 2,

Pages 37 – 70. Friday, February 5 - EXAMINATION #I

Friday, February 5 - Module Two Due at Noon

02/08 E. B. Tylor and J. G. Frazer - Animism and magic and the Origin of Religion

Eight Theories, Chapter 1, Pages 18 – 48; Introducing Religion, Chapters 1 & 2,

Pages 37 – 70 (continued). Wednesday, February 10 - DVD (Animism:

Living in the Dreamtime, 2004). Discussion Two

02/15 Sigmund Freud - Religion As Neurosis: Why people participate in religion?

Eight Theories, Chapter 2, Pages 53 – 81; Introducing Religion, Chapter 3,

Pages 71 – 97. Friday, February 19 - Module Three Due at Noon.

02/22 Sigmund Freud - Religion As Neurosis: Why people participate in religion?

Eight Theories, Chapter 2, Pages 53 – 81; Introducing Religion, Chapter 3,

Pages 71 - 97 (continued). Discussion Three

03/01 Emile Durkheim - Society as Sacred (The idea of society is the soul of religion)

Eight Theories, Chapter 3, Pages 85 – 114; Introducing Religion,

Chapter 4, Page 99 – 142. Friday, March 5 - Module Four Due at Noon

03/08 Monday, March 8 – Friday, March 12 - SPRING BREAK

03/15 Karl Marx – Religion as an Agent of Economic Oppression

Eight Theories, Chapter 4, Pages118 – 188; Introducing Religion, Chapter 5

Pages 143 – 170. Friday, March 19 - Module Five Due at Noon

03/22 Karl Marx – Religion as Agent of Economic Oppression.

Eight Theories, Chapter 4, Pages118 – 188; Introducing Religion, Chapter 5

Pages 143 – 170 (continued). Discussion Four

03/29 Max Weber – Religion and Culture Interwoven - A Source of Social Action.

Eight Theories, chapter 5, Pages 149 – 188; Introducing Religion, Chapter 8

Pages 237 – 270. Friday, April 2 - EXAMINATION II

Friday, April 2 - Module Six Due at Noon

04/05 Mircea Eliade – Religion as a Response to the Sacred: the Reality of the Sacred

Eight Theories, Chapter 6, Pages 193 – 225; Introducing Religion, Chapter 9,

Pages 271 – 308.

04/12 Mircea Eliade – Religion as a Response to the Sacred: the Reality of the Sacred

Eight Theories, Chapter 6, Pages 193 – 225; Introducing Religion, Chapter 9,

Pages 271 – 308 (continued). Friday, April 16 - DVD (Inside Mecca, 2002)

Friday, April 16 - Module Seven Due at Noon. Discussion Five

04/19 E. E. Evans-Pritchard – Primitive Religion and Modern Theories: Society’s

“construct of the heart.” Eight Theories, Chapter 7, Pages 229 – 257;

Introducing Religion, Chapter 10, Pages 309 – 340.

04/19 Clifford Geertz – Religion as worldview and Ethic: Religion as cultural system.

Eight Theories, Chapter 8, Pages 260 – 289; Introducing Religion, Chapter 11

Friday, April 23 - Module Eight Due at Noon

04/26 REVIEW FOR FINAL EXAMINATION (Students are encouraged to review

notes and come to class on Wednesday, the 28th with questions.

Wednesday, April 28 - Course Evaluations Due

05/03 FINAL EXAMINATION - Cut off on Wednesday, May 5 at Noon.

Kindly notice that there is no make-up allowed on final examinations.

SPECIAL NOTICE

Please notice that the syllabus could and would be amended and/or changed by the instructor as it becomes necessary for the benefit of the class without prior warning. Notice that this is only a provisional or proposed syllabus.

Students will be warned ahead of time about the days for movies and will be expected to take notes during the show as this will form part of the questions for tests and examinations.

Dr. Johnathan P. Decker

Instructor: Spring 2010

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