Religion & Philosophy at Lyon College

Throughout the semester the syllabus will be subject to periodic revision. Students should check the syllabus on-line at least once a week.

Requirements:

Students will be expected to complete all reading assignments on time, attend classes, take all exams, respond to the questions in the "Try It" sections of Revealing© World Religions, and write a 600-900 word essay on the religious issues raised by the movie Gandhi. (The movie is available in the Lyon library, but there is only one copy.)

It is important for students to keep in mind that the college requires all students to turn in their own work in accordance with the Lyon College Honor Code. If students have questions about what constitutes plagiarism, they should read the MLA Handbook’s discussion of plagiarism and consult with someone in the writing lab or with me prior to turning in the paper. Students may find it helpful to make an appointment with the someone in the Writing Lab for advice on writing their papers.

CELL PHONES, COMPUTERS, AND OTHER ELECTRONICS: Cell phones should either be turned off or put on silent or vibrate in class. They should be put away and not visible. Texting during class is not permitted. If you are awaiting an emergency call, then you should sit near the class entrance, and when your phone vibrates, you should quietly exit and take your call in the hallway out of earshot of the class. Students may use computers in class to keep notes only (unless directed otherwise by the professor). Listening to iPods or other mp3 or similar players is prohibited in class. Violation of these requirements will adversely affect your participation/ attendance grade for the class.

Grades will be weighted as follows:

 All graded work in this class is to be pledged in accordance with the Lyon College Honor Code.

Attendance & Presentations:

Every student is expected to attend all classes and to complete all assignments, progress reports, and exams on time. Attendance and participation in presentations are graded. All students will be assigned to a team to do a class presentation on a religion covered in class. Students will research details of a major ritual or festival of the religion in order to demonstrate to the class what that ritual or festival is like. This material should provide information not covered in the DVD or lectures. Presentations will be graded on their accuracy (25%), their creativity (25%), their ability to involve the class in the demonstration (25%), and how well the group explains the significance of the ritual or festival for what the religion means (25%). PowerPoint presentations and professionally produced video are not allowed. Student-created video, live performances, use of music (live or pre-recorded), are all permitted. The presentation should be accompanied by a one page handout summarizing the ritual or festival. Presentations should last at least 30 minutes in order to be complete.

Communication:

In keeping with Lyon College policy, students are expected to check their Lyon e-mail accounts daily. This is the primary way professors and college officials have to communicate with you. Students are responsible for information regarding due dates, assignments, exams, etc., that are sent through the Lyon e-mail system.

Extra Credit:

Students may earn up to 3 semester points of extra credit. Various opportunities for extra credit will be discussed in class.

Exams:

Twenty percent of your grade is made up of objective exams over the readings from Revealing World Religions, Sacred Choices, and material covered in class. Each exam has a due date -- prior to that due date, you may take the exam as often as you like in order to achieve a grade on the exam with which you are satisfied. Please note that the exams must be taken in a manner consistent with the Lyon College Honor Code, without the help of any aids, including notes, on-line resources, the textbooks, friends, etc.  In addition to the objective exams, you will also take several essay exams (worth a total of 10% of your grade) that will raise comparative and analytical questions over the course material. Unlike the objective exams, these exams cannot be retaken.

Gandhi Paper:

The paper is a 600-900 word essay discussing the role of religions in the life of Gandhi as depicted in the movie Gandhi directed by Richard Attenborough. The discussion should note which religions are depicted, how they influenced the events in Gandhi's life, and how the depiction of those religions compares to the way they are presented in Revealing World Religions. The essay should be double-spaced in Microsoft Word format and e-mailed to the professor by the due date indicated below.

Please note: Students seeking reasonable accommodations based on documented learning disabilities should contact the Office of Academic Services at 307-7332.

Course Outline: