NewTestament
Religion 211-212
Fall 2010 Syllabus
Teacher: B.J. Rowe (pronounced like cow—yes, very dignified)
Email:
Office: 142 Taylor
Office Hours: 2:00-3:00 MWF
Office Number: (208) 496-3157
Texts:
The primary text for this course will be The New Testament but we will refer frequently to the other standard works of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Furthermore, you will do a lot of note-taking and writing activities in class, so please bring a notebook to every class along with the scriptures. There will also be some additional readings from conference addresses and the institute student manual occasionally. These can both be accessed online and you will not be required to purchase them.
Expectations
You may expect that I will come to every class prepared to teach and learn by the Spirit. It is my great desire to inspire you to live the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Similarly, I expect you to come to every class prepared to learn and teach by the Spirit also. I expect you to have read the reading assignment before class in order to participate. God is good; He will bless you according to your preparation for each class. Preparation includes turning off cell phones and ipods, having your scriptures and a notebook, being well rested, singing the hymns with your heart during the devotional, not chatting when the instructor or a classmate is sharing something, not packing up until a closing prayer is said and an infinite number of other ways. The extent to which you “seek learning” will determine the type of experience you have in this course.
I also expect you to have many spiritual experiences on your own as you study the scriptures intently and master scripture passages.
Grading
Your grade in this course will be based upon these four things:
1. Attendance—200 points: You can potentially lose 20 points for each class.
Each day you attend you will mark the roll with a /, an x, or an *(asterisk). The slash means you are there and gets you ten points; the x means you are there and on time and is worth fifteen points; the asterisk means you are there, on time and completed the reading before class and earns you twenty points. Mathematically, this means that if you miss ten classes, you will forfeit all 200 of the attendance points for the semester although you may have attended the other sixteen class periods. That may all seem unfair, but I feel attendance is extremely important! I am no good to you as a teacher if you are in your apartment playing Xbox. Furthermore, it is important that you understand that more than 6 absences will result in a loss of credit and in failing the class anyway (Religion Department policy), so just come to class. Every non-University-excused absence counts (weddings, sicknesses, etc…; but when the sickness is prolonged, I will be flexible and will make arrangements with you).
2. Scripture Journal/Commentary—600 points: During the course of the semester, you will turn in 12 journal assignments at 50 points each.
I want to encourage meaningful DAILY scripture study. You will be assigned reading for each class period and be expected to read and then write your own personal scripture journal or scripture commentary. This will include informational insights you gain in your scripture study but even more importantly inspirational insights that you gain (these journal assignments are not just summaries). Your scripture journals–12 weekly entries, minimum of 500 words—will be turned in by 11:59 pm on Thursday every week (and although you only turn in your journal assignment on Thursday, please don’t do all your reading and writing on Thursday—again, the goal of these assignments is to encourage DAILY scripture study and preparation for class. Each week’s scripture journal will include your thoughts and commentary on various passages from the week’s reading (for example if the reading for Tuesday included chapters 1-5 of a book of scripture, and Thursday’s reading consisted of chapters 6-10, then your journal assignment for the week will consist of several entries which are based on scripture passages in chapters 1-10). Each journal assignment will be worth 50 points. Journal assignments may be turned in late for 80 % credit.
3. Mid-term Doctrinal Research Paper—100 points: 60 points for length; 10 points for teaching a gospel principle; 10 points for quoting 5 scriptures in the paper; 10 points for quoting 5 Latter-day General Authorities in the paper; 10 points for proper citation.
After selecting a gospel doctrine, you will prepare a 1,500 word research paper that teaches the doctrine that you have selected. You must use a scripture from the New Testament as your primary text and you must quote five scriptures and five latter-day prophets outside of the scriptures in the paper. This paper will be read, reviewed and graded by three of your peers.
4. Mastery of Scripture Passages—100 points: 5 quizzes—10 points each; Final Exam—50 points.
You will be expected to demonstrate mastery of five passages of scripture from the New Testament. There will be quizzes on each of the five scriptures during the course of the semester (10 points each) with a comprehensive final on all five scriptures at the end of the course (50 points). Mastery of each scripture includes being able to write it word-for-word, know where it is found, and explain the doctrinal significance of the passage.
Evaluation Scale:
1000-930…..A929-900….…A-
899-870…….B+
869-830……B
829-800…….B-
799-770…….C+ / 769-730……..C
729-700……..C-
699-670……..D+
669-630……..D
629-600……..D-
599-0………F, No Credit
Religion 211 Reading Schedule
Day / Date / Reading AssignmentsJournal 1 Thursday / 9/9 / Bible Dictionary-Gospels (682-3); Ensign Article on the JST
Tuesday / 9/14 / Matthew 1, 3:1-12; Mark 1:1-8; Luke 1, 3:1-18; John 1
Thursday / 9/16 / Matthew 2; Luke 2
Journal 2 Tuesday / 9/21 / Matthew 3; Mark 1:1-8; Luke 3
Thursday / 9/23 / Matthew 4; Luke 4:1-13; John 2
Journal 3 Tuesday / 9/28 / John 3, 4; CES Fireside 2007 - Bednar
Thursday / 9/30 / Matthew 10; Mark 3:13-19, 6:7-13; Luke 6:12-16
Journal 4 Tuesday / 10/5 / Matthew 5-7
Thursday / 10/7 / Matthew5-7 (continued); Luke 6, 11
Journal 5 Tuesday / 10/12 / Matthew 8-9; Mark 2; Luke 5, 7-8
Thursday / 10/14 / Matthew 11-12; Mark 2:23-3:12, 3:31-35; Luke 6:1-11, 8:19-21; John 5
Journal 6 Tuesday / 10/19 / Matthew 13; Mark 4; Luke 8
Thursday / 10/21 / Matthew 14; Mark 6; Luke 9:11-17; John 6
Tuesday / 10/26 / Mid-Term Paper Due!
Journal 7 Thursday / 10/28 / Matthew 15-17; Mark 7-9; Luke 9
Tuesday / 11/2 / Matthew 18; Luke 15
Thursday / 11/4 / Luke 10; LDS.org - Liahona Article - The Good Samaritan: Forgotten Symbols
Journal 8 Tuesday / 11/9 / Luke 11-18:8
Thursday / 11/11 / John 7-8
Journal 9 Tuesday / 11/16 / John 9-10
Thursday / 11/18 / Luke 19; John 11-12
Tuesday / 11/23 / Thanksgiving Break
Thursday / 11/25 / Thanksgiving Break
Journal 10 Tuesday / 11/30 / Matthew 21-23; Mark 11-12; Luke 19-20
Thursday / 12/2 / JS- Matthew (Pearl of Great Price); Matthew 25
Journal 11 Tuesday / 12/7 / John 13-17
Thursday / 12/9 / Matthew 26-27; Mark 14-15; Luke 22-23; John 18-19
Journal 12 Tuesday / 12/14 / Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20-21--Last Day of Class
Thursday / 12/16 / Final Exam: Section 04—8:45-10:15; Section 06—12:15-1:45; Section 29—TBD
Academic Honesty Policy
Brigham Young University-Idaho students should seek to be totally honest in all their dealings. They should complete their own work and be evaluated based upon that work. They should avoid academic dishonesty and misconduct in all its forms, including but not limited to plagiarism, fabrication or falsification, cheating, and other academic misconduct.
Honor Code
BYU-Idaho Student Baseline Campus Dress and Grooming Standards
The dress and grooming of BYU-Idaho students should always be modest, neat, and clean consistent with representing The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ.
For Women
A clean and well-cared-for appearance should be maintained at all times. Clothing is inappropriate when it is sleeveless, strapless, backless, or revealing; has slits above the knee, or is formfitting. Dresses and skirts must be knee length or longer. Pants, slacks or jeans should not be patched, faded, frayed or torn and must be ankle length--no capris or shorts may be worn on campus. Hairstyles should be clean and neat, avoiding extreme styles and unnatural colors. Caps or hats should not be worn in buildings. Excessive ear piercing (more than one pair) and all other body piercing are inappropriate. Shoes should be worn in all public campus areas. Flip-flops and other casual footwear are inappropriate on campus.
For Men
A clean and well-cared-for appearance should be maintained. Pants, slacks, jeans should not be patched, faded, frayed or torn and must be ankle length--no shorts. Hairstyles should be clean and neat, avoiding extreme styles or colors, and trimmed above the collar leaving the ear uncovered. Caps or hats should not be worn in buildings. Sideburns should not extend below the earlobe or onto the cheek. If worn, mustaches should be neatly trimmed and may not extend beyond or below the corners of the mouth. Men are expected to be clean shaven; beards are not acceptable. Earrings and other body piercing are unacceptable. Shoes should be worn in all public campus areas. Flip-flops and other casual footwear are inappropriateon campus.