REL 580/685 Requirements

Attendance

This class is organized as a seminar, so attendance and participation are crucial. However, for obvious reasons, I don't want you to come to class if you're feeling ill, so I will not be requiring a doctor's excuse for medical absences this semester.  Just let me or my GA know that you didn't come to class because you felt sick and you'll be excused.

You will need to provide documentation for excused absences.  To paraphrase the Undergraduate Catalog, you may be excused from class without penalty:

1) for University sanctioned activities,
2) for severe illness as evidenced by a written doctor’s excuse (but see above), and
3) for a death in your immediate family.

Each unexcused absence results in a 2 point deduction from your attendance grade.  However, each student begins with 6 points of extra credit for perfect attendance.  This means you can have three unexcused absences before losing any of your 20 pts. 

Reading and Participation

The reading assignments are the life blood of a seminar course since they stimulate discussion. To be prepared for class you must read the assignments carefully and make notes.  During class I will expect to see a notebook in front of you with notes in it.  Some of your notes should be made with an eye toward what you can contribute to the discussion.  A substantial portion of your grade is based on discussion participation.  Your ability to earn a high mark for discussion participation depends heavily on your reading habits and thoughtful note taking.  All students are expected to participate in class discussions, and everyone will have the opportunity to lead discussion.  The course is designed to foster critical yet respectful discussion wherein everyone’s views get a hearing. 

Textbooks

Required:

Pals, Daniel. Nine Theories of Religion, 3d ed.

Strenski, Ivan. Understanding Theories of Religion: An Introduction (Second Edition). Oxford: Wiley Blackwell, 2006.

Chapters and Articles:  Print, read, and bring to class.  Some are accessed via Web links and others are available as indicated on the Calendar page:              

1)  Course Documents:  Posted on Blackboard.

2)  At http://library.missouristate.edu, click on the Journal Finder tab, enter the journal title, then link to correct issue and article.  Whenever possible, save and print out as PDF (rather than HTML or other version).

Supplemental Resources:

King, Richard, ed., Religion, Theory, Critique: Classic and Contemporary Approaches and Methodologies. Columbia University Press, 2017 [Library eBook].

Kunin, Seth, ed., Theories of Religion: A Reader. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2006 [BL50 .T46 2006].

Olson, Carl, ed., Theory and Method in the Study of Religion. Belmont: Wadsworth/Thompson, 2003 [BL41 .T48 2003].

Pals, Daniel L., ed., Introducing Religion: Readings from the Classic Theorists. Oxford University Press, 2009 [BL51 .I6565 2009].

Stausberg, Michael and Steven Engler, eds., The Oxford Handbook of the Study of Religion. Oxford University Press, 2017.

Stausberg, Michael and Steven Engler, eds., The Routledge Handbook of Research Methods in the Study of Religion (Routledge, 2014) [Library eBook]

Strenski, Ivan, ed., Thinking about Religion: A Reader. Oxford: Blackwell, 2006 [BL41 .T49 2006].

Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers, 7th, 8th, or 9th ed. (University of Chicago Press).

Reading Responses

Usually I have pop quizzes on the readings in my upper level courses to keep students motivated, but in order to avoid the spread of germs by passing around scantrons during the pandemic, I'm going with another method of encouraging engagement with the reading this semester.  Each week you will submit a 200-300 word response to one of the reading assignments.  Divide it into two paragraphs.  In the first paragraph, you will summarize the main argument or theme of the text in your own words.  Include some discussion of the data/evidence that contributes to the argument.  In the second paragraph, you will either bring up some questions you have about the reading, or critically engage with it.  You are welcome to do a little of both.  These response must be submitted before class meets to discuss the reading.  Indeed, the main reason for this exercise is to prepare students to take part in the discussion.  Therefore, grading of these assignments will be by a simple check, check minus, or check plus system, and if I comment at all on your response, my comment will be brief.

Reading Facilitation and Handout

You will present the reading and lead its discussion once during the semester.  This will include creating a two page formal outline of the reading for the day and distributing it to the class via Blackboard by noon before class.  Being able to identify the major points and sub-points of a well-written composition is a valuable skill.  It can improve your reading comprehension as well as your own writing.  Click here for an excellent discussion of how to do a proper formal outline.  This discussion includes a sample of the "full sentence outline style." You should mostly follow it except that I will allow you to use "full phrases" as well as short "full sentences."  I will post a sample outline for you to emulate.

When it is your turn to present the readings and lead the discussion, briefly explain the key points covered by the reading with an eye toward what will initiate meaningful discussion.  Do not elaborate on everything in your outline!  That will take too much time and be boring for fellow students since they have already read the assignment and have your outline.  You should spend about ten minutes making your points at the beginning and then begin to elicit discussion with your brilliant observations and questions.  You should be prepared to raise at least three serious points for discussion.  These points may relate to making sense of the theoretical position itself, they may raise methodological concerns, or they may have to do with connecting the reading to issues raised by other theories or topics.  You have the freedom to come up with other angles for discussion provided they do not take us too far afield from the topics of the reading.  You should take an active role in leading class discussion, though I will still participate as needed.

Critical Essays

You will write two essays that critically engage the readings.  Undergraduate students will write 3-4 pages and grad students 5-6 pages. These papers are not meant to be simply summaries, although doing some summarizing in your own words can help you to sort out the most important issues raised by the readings.  Instead, these essays are meant to show evidence of your attempt to think through aspects of the theories covered and to compare, contrast, synthesize, and critique their ideas.  More specific instructions will be provided for each essay.

Seminar Paper

Your single most involved assignment will be a research paper.  Undergraduates will write a 12-15 page paper; grad students will write an 18-22 page paper.  You will choose a religious phenomenon you’re interested in and research it from a theoretical perspective.  Further instructions concerning the range of acceptable topics and approaches will be provided on Blackboard. 

Seminar Paper Presentation

Each student will make a formal twelve minute presentation of his or her research. The presentation will include distributing a double-sided one page handout to the class via Blackboard that begins with an abstract/précis of the paper.  An abstract is a 200 to 250 word summary of the paper.  It usually includes a brief description of the subject matter investigated in the paper and a brief statement and explanation of the paper's thesis.  We will see some examples in the journal article reading assignments.  Next, include a formal outline of the presentation and any tables or other content that will help your audience follow your presentation.  Finally, provide an bibliography of at least four sources.  Your paper will have many more sources, but these will be the most relevant.  Plan on ten minutes of presenting and two minutes of discussion.

Final Exam Essay and Discussion

For the final exam period, each student will write a an essay on the relationship of the academic study of religion to the public affairs mission of Missouri State University drawing in the content of the course. Undergraduate students will write 3-4 pages and grad students 5-6 pages.  By reflecting critically on the study of religion and its potential impact on the wider society, you will be able to contextualize theories of religion and the scholarly practice of studying this subject. Further instructions will be given. 

Grading

Your Course Grade will utilize plus/minus grading.  As someone has said, "Earnestly desire the higher gifts."

• Grades will be kept on the course's Blackboard site so that you can check your performance in the class on your own at any time.
• Late work will be penalized a letter grade.  Missed papers must be made up by Study Day or you will receive no credit for those assignments.

Additional Course Policies