HUM 2093: World ReligionsFall 2020James R. AdairContact InformationEmail: james.adair@utsa.edu
Course Links
Exam Study Guides |
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| Week | Date | Assignments Due IWR=Introducing World Religions |
|---|---|---|
| UNIT ONE: RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS OF THE WEST | ||
| Week 1 | Week of Aug 24 | Course introduction Possible Definitions of Religion Approaching religious traditions - IWR ch. 1 Class videos: Intro to HUM 2093 - Intro to Religion An Indian Love Poem, by Sarojini Naidu (interaction between a Muslim man and a Hindu woman) The Global Religious Landscape The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050 America's Changing Religious Landscape Week 2 Discussion Board comments lost from Blackboard: Question 1, Question 2, Question 3 |
| Week 2 | Week of Aug 31 | Religious traditions of Oceania, America, & Africa - IWR ch. 2 Class videos: Intro to Religion, Expressive Traditions - Zoroastrianism, pt. 1 - Zoroastrianism, pt. 2 Zoroastrianism - IWR ch. 3 Zoroastrian worship service, with priest chanting Yasna, centered around sacred fire Reza Aslan, "Vodou in Haiti" |
| Week 3 | Week of Sep 7 | Judaism - IWR ch. 4 Class videos: Judaism, pt. 1 - Judaism, pt. 2 - Judaism, pt. 3 - Judaism - The Name of God The Six Orders of the Mishnah Talmud bBabaMetzia 59 Thirteen Principles of Maimonides Tree of Life in Jewish mysticism Hebrew, English Gold medallion recently unearthed in Jerusalem Jewish cantor blowing a shofar during Rosh Hashanah service Jewish Reactions to the Shoah/Holocaust |
| Week 4 | Week of Sep 14 | Christianity - IWR ch. 5 Class videos: Christianity, pt. 1 - Christianity, pt. 2 - Christianity, pt. 3 - Christianity, pt. 4 The Christian Canon Defining Orthodoxy in the Early Church The Divine and the Human in Christ - different views The Nicene and Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creeds Icons of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Unam Sanctam, a papal bull (decree) issued by Pope Boniface VIII The Last Judgment by Hans Memling (ca. 1470) Cologne Cathedral (13th-15th C, Germany): aerial view, interior South Rose Window of Chartres Cathedral Nestorian Tablet (image), (text) (record of Christian activity in China from the 8th century) |
| Week 5 | Week of Sep 21 | Islam - IWR ch. 6 Class videos: Islam, pt. 1 - Islam, pt. 2 - Islam, pt. 3 The Five Pillars of Islam Muslim Call to Prayer (Adhan) Great Mosque of Córdoba from the air, interior view Whirling Dervishes (traditional Sufi dance) Hajj in Mecca Illuminated (illustrated) 17th-century Quran |
| UNIT TWO: RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS OF THE EAST | ||
| Week 6 | Week of Sep 28 | EXAM 1 (one hour, must be completed by Oct 3) Visit report 1 due Oct 2 Interview 1 due Oct 2 Class videos: Bahai - Jainism Baháʾí - IWR ch. 7 The Baháʾí Faith Shrine of the Báb, Haifa, Israel Jainism - IWR ch. 8 Kevala Jnana of Mahavira, the 24th tirthankara inside and outside of Jain temple The Message of Jainism: Non-Violence is the Highest Virtue (from Jain Temple, Rajasthan, India) |
| Week 7 | Week of Oct 5 | Buddhism - IWR ch. 9 Class videos: Buddhism, pt. 1 - Buddhism, pt. 2 - Buddhism, pt. 3 Sand Mandala Demonstration Buddhanet Wheel of Life, representing the six realms of rebirth Dharma Wheel Collection of koans used in Zen Buddhism Sumedha, who would be Siddhartha Gautama in a future life, receiving the prediction of Buddhahood from the Dipankara Buddha Mandala, used in tantric traditions to enhance or focus meditation Distribution of major Buddhist schools Journal of Buddhist Ethics, oldest religious studies journal on the web, founded in 1993 |
| Week 8 | Week of Oct 12 | Hinduism - IWR ch. 10 Class videos: Hinduism, pt. 1 - Hinduism, pt. 2 - Hinduism, pt. 3 Reza Aslan, "Aghori Sadhus in India" Maurya Empire Hindu gods: Brahmā, Shiva, Ganesha, Vishnu, Krishna (and Arjuna), Kali Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva within a sacred Om Hindu temple at Angkor Wat, Cambodia Traditional Caste System in India Worship in Hindu Temple in Edmonton |
| Week 9 | Week of Oct 19 | Sikhism - IWR ch. 11 Class videos: Sikhism, pt. 1 - Sikhism, pt. 2 - Sikhism, pt. 3 Sikh worship service, with explanation Punjab region, Amritsar, Punjab, India Guru Nanak List of Sikh Gurus Sikh Golden Temple |
| Week 10 | Week of Oct 26 | Chinese traditions - IWR ch. 12 Class videos: Chinese Religion - Confucianism - Daoism - Shinto Oracle Bone from Shang Dynasty Ceremony at a Confucian temple The Great Learning, from Sanli, a traditional Chinese book especially revered in Confucianism Portrait of Confucius from the Tang Dynasty Zhuangzi Loses His Wife Traditional Daoist Taiji Diagram (yin-yang symbol) Dudeism, a modern take on Taoism (sort of) Shinto - IWR ch. 13 Introduction to Shinto Plan of a typical Shinto shrine:
Itsukushima main shrine Mount Fuji |
| UNIT THREE: TOPICS AND STORIES | ||
| Week 11 | Week of Nov 2 | EXAM 2 (one hour, must be completed by Nov 7) Visit report 2 due Nov 6 Interview 2 due Nov 6 Discussion: The Life of Pi |
| Week 12 | Week of Nov 9 | Groups and Group Presentation Assignments Discussion topic: The problem of evil (Group 1 present, Group 5 lead discussion) - Presentation Discussion topic: Divine-human mediators (Group 2 present, Group 6 lead discussion) - Presentation Discussion topic: Eschatology (Group 3 present, Group 5 lead discussion) - Presentation Discussion topic: Nature of god(s) and (semi-)divine beings (Group 4 present, Group 6 lead discussion) - Presentation |
| Week 13 | Week of Nov 16 | Discussion topic: Religious expression in art & architecture (Group 5 present, Group 1 lead discussion) - Presentation Discussion topic: Life, death, and afterlife (Group 6 present, Group 2 lead discussion) - Presentation Discussion topic: War, peace, & violence (Group 3 present, Group 1 lead discussion) - Presentation Discussion topic: God(s) and sexuality (Group 4 present, Group 2 lead discussion) - Presentation - audio for slide 4 Book report due Nov 20 |
| THANKSGIVING BREAK | Week of Nov 23 | |
| Week 14 | Week of Nov 30 | Discussion stories: The Binding of Isaac (Judaism) & Hatthi-Pala Jataka (Buddhism) (Group 6 present, Group 4 lead discussion) Presentation Discussion stories: Bhagavad Gita chapters 1-2 (Hinduism) & The Crucifixion of Jesus (Parallel Gospels ##165-180) (Christianity) (Group 1 present, Group 3 lead discussion) - Presentation Discussion stories: Muhammad's Night Journey (Islam) & Prying Open Boxes (Daoism) (Group 2 present, Group 4 lead discussion) - Presentation Discussion stories: Guru Amardas Is Missing! (Sikhism) & The Origin of Eternal Death (Native American Wishram Tribe) (Group 5 present, Group 3 lead discussion) - Presentation Visit reports 3+ due Dec 4 Interviews 3+ due Dec 4 |
| FINAL PRESENTATIONS | Dec 11 | Final Group presentations on other religious traditions
Individual report on other religious traditions |
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