Ethics and World Religions (REL 3015.

02)

Junior Cornerstone Seminar

Belmont University

Fall 2020

Instructor: Dr. Sally Holt

Credit Hours: 3 hours

Class Location: Synchronous Learning

Meeting Time: 11:40-12:55 T/TH

Contact Info: [email protected] or (615)-460-6678

Office Hours: Virtual

“We believe growth and learning are uncomfortable so it’s going to happen here—you’re
going to feel that way. We want you to know that it’s normal and it’s an expectation here.
you’re not alone and we ask that you stay open and lean into it. . . . If you’re comfortable,
I’m not teaching and you’re not learning. It’s going to get uncomfortable in here and
that’s okay. It’s normal and it’s part of the process.”

~Brené Brown, Daring Greatly, p. 198–199

Required Textbooks and Resources

Brodd, Jeffrey, Layne Little, Bradley P. Nystrom, Robert Platzner, Richard Hon-chun
Shek, and Erin E. Stiles. Invitation to World Religions. Oxford University Press, 2016.

New Interpreter’s Study Bible.

Methods of Instruction

This religion course is taught in the Junior Cornerstone Seminar format. Thus,
collaborative learning, including group projects and groups presentations, is a
central component of the instruction. There will also be mini-lectures, discussions in
small groups and with the whole class, collaborative exercises and discussion,
reflective and research based writing, and group papers and projects.

Course Description

Prerequisite: Junior Standing. Prerequisite: REL 1010 for General Education.

Prerequisite: for religion majors / minors REL 1020 and REL 1250. Does not count
toward a major or minor in religion. This course is an exploration of ethics and
choice in the major world religions, examining how these traditions perceive the
purpose of human life and ultimate concerns in relation to the Divine. This course
explores the frameworks of Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Islam.
The goal is to develop the ability to recognize distinctive elements of the moral
consciousness that have arisen in each religious tradition. This will be accompanied
by a more general inquiry into how these religions might find common ground in
specific areas of moral concern (human rights, violence, respect for life, etc.). This
course fulfills the Human Experience category B requirement of the BELL Core. It
should be taken in the junior year, or as close to the junior year as possible.

Junior Cornerstone Seminar (JCS) Description

JCS is the third of four signature BELL Core courses, along with First-Year Seminar,
Interdisciplinary Learning Community, and Senior Capstone. Fulfilling the
requirement for First- Year Seminar and Learning Community courses is a pre-
requisite for Junior Cornerstone; Junior Cornerstone is a prerequisite for Senior
Capstone.

Following up on the First-Year Seminar theme of “Ways of Knowing” and the

connection between two particular ways of knowing from learning community
courses, JCS will allow you to experience the actual practice of a specific disciplinary
way of knowing that is outside your major. Your JCS will also typically
simultaneously satisfy another requirement in the BELL Core, such as the Social
Science, Humanities, or Religion requirement. Therefore, you are also to learn
substantial content in the discipline in which the course is taught.

What makes JCS unique among the BELL Core courses is that conscientious
attention will be paid to developing skills of collaboration and problem solving.
After all, the ability to solve problems as part of a team is a skill possessed by
liberally educated people. It is also a skill that is critically important in nearly any
professional setting. In fact, during the development of the BELL Core, employers
time and again indicated that Belmont graduates would be more marketable if skills
of collaboration and problem-solving were further developed. The common
objective of Junior Cornerstone Seminars, therefore, is to create an environment in
which you, working collaboratively with a group of peers, are called upon to
encounter a discipline outside your major. Naturally, you will have an opportunity—
likely at the end of the semester—to share the results of your collaborative efforts in
a manner that is reflective of the discipline.

So, while the intellectual content of JCS courses vary according to the discipline in
which they are offered, the means of accessing that content is the same across all JCS
courses: collaborative learning.

Shared Learning Outcomes for JCS

 Participate effectively in a collaborative project

 Engage productively in the methodologies and skills specific to a particular
discipline
 Competently present collaborative work to an audience of peers
 Understand the relevance of a discipline by engaging in disciplinary-based
research in order to address a current issue or problem in the field.
 Communicate your results via a discipline-appropriate venue.
 Learn to work effectively within a group and to recognize the value of
collaboration and the advantages of bringing together people with different
backgrounds and perspectives to address a common issue.
 Further develop your critical reasoning skills through working in
collaboration with peers.

Shared Learning Outcomes for Religion BELL Core

 Students can recognize the connection between ancient and contemporary

expressions of perennial questions.
 Students practice an informed, reflective, and close reading of biblical texts
as they relate to the specific topic of the course.
 Students can think critically about the issues and questions that arise from
the religious meaning of texts.
 Students can evaluate complex issues from a variety of cultural perspectives
and recognize that their own interpretation of a text comes from a particular
social location while also realizing that persons with a different set of
experiences may see the text differently.

Specific Learning Outcomes for Ethics and World Religions

 To have a reasonable introductory knowledge of five major world religions

 To practice cooperation, tolerance, and civility in a group characterized by
diversity
  To discover and participate in a major world religion as it engages humanity
and seeks to contribute to the world
 To reflect on the role of religion in forming the ethos out of which arise moral
commitments and perceptions of what is right and good
 To become acquainted with frameworks for examining the ethical
orientations of various religious traditions

Course Requirements

1. Participation, Collaboration, and Attendance

Belmont University Institutional Statement on Student Class Attendance and

Absences: Belmont University is committed to the idea that regular class
attendance is essential to successful scholastic achievement. Absence is excused
only in cases of illness or other legitimate cause. Attendance is checked from the
first class meeting. Late registrants will have accrued some absences prior to
formal registration in the course. In the case of excused absence from class,
students have the right and responsibility to make up all class work missed.

You are expected to participate fully with your group throughout the semester.
Throughout the semester, each of you will evaluate and be evaluated by your
fellow group members. These evaluations will help me determine your grades.
As professor, I reserve the right to adjust these scores if there is a significant
disparity or other extenuating circumstances. Participation includes:

 Listening respectfully and without interrupting, inviting others’ participation

 Treating others with civility and respect, considering and building upon their
ideas
 Staying focused and on-task, taking individual responsibility for your
workload
 Completing assignments on time, coming to class and group meetings fully
prepared, and attending to group communication in a timely manner
 Contributing to your group projects with high quality work, pulling a fair
share of the work load, and helping resolve group conflict kindly and
productively

For this particular course, after the 6 th unexcused absence a student will be
involuntarily dropped from the course with the grade of WF.)

2. PEER EVALUATIONS
Students will be required to complete evaluations on each other’s participation
within the group.

3. QUIZZES
 Quizzes will be given throughout the semester and will be take-home,
scheduled exercises.

4. AUTOBIOGRAPHY
If one views life as a journey, then one’s decisions about “how to live” are
shaped by his or her life story. Based on this premise students are asked to
write their autobiographies. They must include these four elements. 1)
Students should include whatever personal information they feel
comfortable sharing such as location of birth, family structure, and important
role models (parents, teachers, coaches or youth ministers). 2) Students
should focus on major transition moments that have defined their lives. They
should answer the question: “What major transitions have defined your
life?” (Major events or transition moments might include death of a loved
one, relocation, or divorce.). 3) Furthermore, students should include how
they find meaning for their lives. They should answer the question: “What
sustains you and gives you purpose and hope?” Please include within
your autobiography any spiritual/religious experiences you may have had. If
you have participated in a faith community, you may want to consider the
role it has played or still plays in your life, discoveries about prayer,
description of your understanding of and relationship with God, rites of
passage, reflection on your own spiritual development and how you make
important decisions. If you do not come from a religious background or
orientation, you should include this as well. For example a student may
write: “As I grew up, my family did not attend church” or “I became an
agnostic when…” 4) Last of all, students should include how they engage the
world with their values and beliefs. They should answer the questions:
“How should I live?” “What do I contribute to the world?” The minimum
requirement is 5 pages typed and double-spaced and should answer the four
questions listed above.

5. INDIVIDUAL REFLECTION PAPER

At the end of the semester, you will write an individual paper (typed, five or
more pages, double-spaced) where you summarize and draw some
conclusions about your experiences this semester. In this paper you will
address 1) the overarching question of how or if genuine dialogue is
possible among the world’s religions. Furthermore, you will want to include
2) how you worked with the topics we studied this semester. What was it
like to struggle with such topics from your assigned religious viewpoint? Did
your views change? Why or why not? You will also want to include in your
paper 3) how well you worked with your group. Was the group able to
communicate with one another in spite of your different religious views and
your different personalities? What question did your group struggle with the
most? Did you feel members of the group were respectful of your views and
 contributions? Last of all, you will 4) discuss what, if any, impact the guest
speakers and field trips had on you and your views.

6. GROUP PAPERS AND PRESENTATION

Students will be required to write two group papers and do one
oral/video/Power point/Prezi presentation.

The papers will demonstrate the reading and research of the group. They are
designed to give you the experience of the work of a religion and theological
scholar, and the particular “ways of knowing” used in this field. Thus you will
read what you need to read in order to research the problems and questions
that arise in class and these papers—including, but not limited to, the
assigned class readings. You will learn how to locate quality sources of
religious scholarship (which is different from Bible studies or popular
writing about religion), in addition to sacred texts and our class textbooks.
Your group will need to agree on an established citation system to use for the
entirety of the semester (such as APA, MLA, Turabian/Chicago, etc.). Your
group will work collaboratively on these papers using GoogleDocs, and
substantial class time has been set aside for this purpose. Each member is
expected to contribute independent research and thoughtful interpretation.
The papers will reflect the understanding of each religion’s view on the
question/topic presented in class and the dialogue that occurs among the
group. Each paper is worth 150 points.

The group presentation is worth 200 points. Your group will select a religion
and explore in more depth how that religion engages humanity through
consideration of a particular ethical issue. By participating with/speaking
with members of a faith community, your group will discover how that
religion seeks to contribute to the world and make the world a better place.
Thus, the purpose of this question is to deal with the outward manifestations
of the selected world religion’s teachings. Students will investigate and
research how their selected religion worships and serves its contextual
community. For example, your group has chosen to discover why and how
the Islamic Center on 12th Ave. ministers to the poor in their neighborhood.
The group will interview Muslim members, video the “activity or ministry,”
and even participate with the faith community if possible. Then the group
will present the video during the presentation, with each member discussing
a different aspect of the experience. Your assignment is to show and report
why and how this religion believes it serves humanity in its local context.

7. METHODS OF EVALUATION

Quizzes 200 points

Participation 100 points
 Autobiography 100 points
Individual Reflection paper 100 points
Group Papers (2 @ 150 points each) 300 points
Group Class Presentation 200 points
TOTAL POINTS 1,000 points

Grading Scale B+ 87-89 C+ 77-79 D+ 67-69

A 94-100 B 83-86 C 73-76 D 63-66
A- 90-93 B- 80-82 C- 70-72 D- 60-62
F below 60

University Policies

1. HONOR CODE
The Belmont community values personal integrity and academic honesty as the
foundation of university life and the cornerstone of a premiere educational
experience. Our community believes trust among its members is essential for
both scholarship and effective interactions and operations of the university. As
members of the Belmont community, students, faculty, staff, and administrators
are all responsible for ensuring that their experiences will be free of behaviors,
which compromise this value. In order to uphold academic integrity, the
university has adopted an Honor System. Students and faculty will work together
to establish the optimal conditions for honorable academic work. Following is the
Student Honor Pledge that guides academic behavior:

“I will not give or receive aid during examinations; I will not give or receive false
or impermissible aid in course work, in the preparation of reports, or in any other
type of work that is to be used by the instructor as the basis of my grade; I will not
engage in any form of academic fraud. Furthermore, I will uphold my
responsibility to see to it that others abide by the spirit and letter of this Honor
Pledge.”

2. ACCOMODATION OF DISABILITIES
In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with
Disabilities Act, Belmont University will provide reasonable accommodation of
all medically documented disabilities. If you have a disability and would like the
university to provide reasonable accommodations for the disability during this
course, please notify the Director of Counseling and Developmental Support in
the Office of the Dean of Students (460-6407) as soon as possible.
 3. COURSE EVALUATIONS
The university urges and expects all students enrolled in a Junior Cornerstone
Seminar to participate in all course evaluations, providing honest feedback to the
instructor and institution about the specific aspects and elements of the course.

Policies on Classroom Behavior and General Guidelines

1. Class attendance at every meeting is expected and required of all

students. Because Junior Cornerstone Seminars focus on collaborative
learning, students are responsible for reading and researching material on
their own. My role as professor is to serve as a resource, guide, and facilitator
for the groups. You as individuals and your small group as a whole are
responsible for the learning process. Regular class attendance is absolutely
necessary. If you do not come to class, you will miss out on a central part of
the learning in the course, and your grades will reflect that. Additionally, the
rest of us will lose the important perspective that you and only you can
contribute to the discussion! If you must be absent, it is your responsibility to
contact both the professor and your group members.

2. Come to class prepared and ready to contribute. Do the readings and

assignments on time and plan to discuss them with the group. Reflection,
questions, and discussion will be an essential part of our work together this
semester. The learning experience will be richer for everyone if we all come
well prepared, have positive attitudes, and exhibit a willingness to work
together.

3. Critical thinking is required, but total agreement is not. There is no

penalty for disagreeing with the professor, the readings, or your classmates.
You will, however, be challenged to examine your own perspectives and
identify the unspoken ideas and assumptions that underlie them. You will
also have the invaluable opportunity to dialogue together and learn from
those who have perspectives different from your own.

4. Practice hospitality in our discussions together. Let us be respectful of

one another’s traditions, life experiences, and opinions. Let us be sensitive
and supportive of one another as we all engage in the difficult task of
interpretation. Let us listen to one another, and to the biblical text,
thoughtfully and sincerely, with open minds and open hearts, that our
exploration might be exciting and fruitful.
 5. Keep in touch with me! I’ve set aside office hours for you, my students.
Please take advantage of this availability if you need extra help or just want
to talk. I want to help with any aspect of your learning in this course that I
can—academic, emotional, vocational, or spiritual. Just call or e-mail for an
appointment. If you do drop by unannounced, please understand that I may
not be available, but will be happy to set up another meeting time.

Guidelines for Effective Learning Together on Zoom

1. Keep webcams on during class, so you can fully participate. If this

expectation will create difficulties for you, contact me so we can work out a
solution.
2. Be comfortable and be present. Find a comfy place that works well for you to
Zoom from, wherever that may be, and sit up straight, make eye contact, and
engage with your classmates and professor.
3. Treat our Zoom class meeting like any other class meeting, and keep yourself
focused. Avoid video games, browsing, social media, texting, online shopping,
etc. I understand the temptation 100%, but do your best to resist and stay
with us!
4. I will work in brief breaks during each class meeting, to let us stretch and
look away from the screen for a minute. You can also do this on your own as
needed (within reason).
5. Let’s commit to being flexible with one another as this semester develops, as
the pandemic progresses, and as we move through the virtual learning curve.
6. Constructive feedback is so very useful in a brand-new situation like this one!
So please let me know as we go along what’s working, what’s not working,
and how we can improve our Zoom learning together!
7. What else? What will help you learn effectively online this semester?
Brainstorm:

Course Outline and Schedule

**Your learning is my principal concern, so I may modify the schedule as the

semester progresses, in order to facilitate this goal.
Week One

 August 20 – We will cover the syllabus and spend some time getting to know
each other

Week Two

 August 25– Group assignments/Pew Forum

Group Contracts & Team Building
 August 27– The Witness /Work on Groups and Contracts

Week Three

 September 1- Conversation about Sample Paper/Contracts Due

Discussion of Ethics and Religion
 September 3– Discussion of Hinduism/Sample Paper Due

Week Four

 September 8 –Turn in Hinduism Quiz

Discussion of Buddhism
 September 10—Conversation/Autobiographies Due

Week Five

 September 15 – Turn in Buddhism Quiz

Discussion of Judaism
 September 17– Conversation

Week Six

 September 22-Turn in Judaism Quiz

Discussion of Christianity
 September 24– Conversation
Work on Paper 1 Begins

Week Seven

 September 29 –Turn in Christianity Quiz

Discussion of Islam
 October 1—Work on Paper 1

Week Eight
  October 6– Turn in Islam Quiz/Conversation
 October 8- Work on Paper 1
Week Nine

 October13 – Paper 1 is Due/Peer Evaluations

Intersectionality
 October 15–Work on Paper 2 Begins
Religion & Gender

Week Ten

 October 20– Religion and Environment

 October 22– Work on Paper 2

Week Eleven

 October 27– Religion and Racism Paper 2 Due/Peer Evaluations

 October 29– Paper 2 Due/Peer Evaluations

Week Twelve

 November 3–Mystic Activists and Final Project Work

 November 5– Religion and Politics

Week Thirteen

 November 10– Project Work

 November 12- Project Work/Final Reflection Paper Due Friday

Final Exam Schedule

November 18th 11:00-1:00