Course Syllabus

SYLLABUS FOR PHI 232-1149 (3 credits)
Lake Land College

Aug. 19-Oct. 11, 2024 (online class)

Welcome to World Religions!

My name is Tara Blaser and I am your instructor (please call me Tara).

 CONTACT INFORMATION:

Online Office Hours: My office is in NW 6 and my office hours are Mondays from 10:30am-2:30pm, and I have 3 more hours that are not time specific when I answer emails each college day.

 

You must use Canvas e-mail anytime you wish to email me. Furthermore, if you e-mail Friday afternoon or during the weekend, please understand that you will not hear back from me until Monday. Of course, you are welcome to stop by my office or to call during office hours. 

  

REQUIRED SUPPLIES:

1. A computer. Canvas does not reliably support phones and tablets, so even if you have the app, you must stick with using a laptop or a desktop computer to complete assignments. Consequently, please note that you are NOT permitted to use your phone or tablet in this class for anything aside from checking email.
2. Reliable internet. It is your responsibility to meet all deadlines, so you must have a backup plan for what to do if your internet connection goes down.
3. The books we will use with this course are entitled: Invitation to World Religions, 3^rd edition, by Jeffrey Brodd, Layne Little, et al. (ISBN13: 978-0190690816), and God, Reason, and Religion, by Steven M. Cahn (ISBN # 0-495-00507-X). These books need to be picked up or purchased from the Lake Land College Bookstore before classes start. For more information, call the bookstore at (217) 234-5275.
4. A ChatGPT account. You can sign up for a free one here.

 

CLASSROOM LOCATION:

This is an online class, so everything for the course will take place on Canvas.

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course is designed to promote cultural diversity associated with religious practices.  It includes a survey of religious systems and examines concepts and theories related to the nature of deities, good and evil, reason and faith, ethics, and afterlife.

NOTE: While this class is called "World Religions," it is not strictly a survey course. In other words, we will not just study lots of different religions. This class is unique in that it combines philosophy of religion with a survey of religions. We will spend time learning about different religions while we also spend time thinking about the philosophical issues involved in religion (ex: reason vs. faith).

  

SPECIFIC COURSE INFORMATION

1. The entire class is available to you now. That means you ARE permitted to work ahead. Please keep in mind that assignments will not be graded until the after actual deadline, though. 
2. Your lowest quiz grade will be dropped. Canvas will automatically calculate this, so your current grade will always be accurate because it will include the lowest quiz grade being dropped. YAY!
3. Your lowest written response grade will be dropped. Canvas will automatically calculate this, so your current grade will always be accurate because it will include the lowest written response grade being dropped. Extra YAY!
4. Assignments are always due in the mornings at 11am. That way, if you have any issues with Canvas, you can contact someone at the help desk to assist you (217-234-5439).
5. Late work is docked 20% per day, beginning one minute after the due date.
   In other words, if you submit work one second after the 11:00am deadline, it will be counted as late and docked 20%. If you submit work two days late, it will be docked 40%, and so on. Please note that I will NOT debate with you over when an assignment was submitted. This late grade policy will be determined by the clock that Canvas keeps.
6. You are responsible for deadlines, even if you have technical difficulties.
7. When you click on the link to take a quiz, you must complete it at that time - you cannot begin and then pause or come back later. 
8. Quizzes: YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO USE YOUR NOTES DURING THE QUIZZES, UNLESS OTHERWISE DIRECTED. 
9. When you take a quiz, you will receive your score in Canvas immediately. However, you will not have access to correct answers until after deadline.
10. When you submit assignments, you can immediately click on the attachment and view exactly what I can view. Consequently, I will not check it for you or send you a confirmation that I have received your assignment. 
11. If you need help learning how to submit assignments, please contact the nice Lake Land computer folks at 217-234-5439. 
12. It is your responsibility to be sure I have received all assignments through the assignment button (attachments). Technological problems do arise, but it is your responsibility to meet all deadlines, regardless of any problems. Any technological problems that are not directly Lake Land College's fault are your responsibility. You must have a back-up plan for how to complete and submit assignments in case you have a technological issue. If, however, Lake Land College is responsible for a technology failure (ex: the server is down), I will make appropriate accommodations for the class. Again, direct technological questions to 217-234-5439.
13. Under no circumstances is this class to serve as a soap-box for your chosen religious practices. In other words, I will kindly ask you to withdraw from the class if your intention is to spend time endeavoring to recruit others to your specific religion, if your intention is to preach your religion, or if your intention is to bash religions other than your own. Is it ok to use your religion as a foundation for how you think about questions? Of course. However, you should be aware that I will ask you to stop if you answer all of the questions by quoting a religious text, such as the bible. You are never going to be asked questions where you should respond with your personal religious beliefs, so beware of giving such responses - such information is not appropriate in this course and will earn you the grade of a zero.  It will be important in this class to retain an open mind so you are receptive to learning about other religions. 
14. You may be withdrawn from this class at midterm if your grade is not 50% or higher.
15. You will use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in this course. AI can be an awesome aid for learning, but let's use it the right way. You're totally welcome to dive into AI when I specifically say so – it's going to help you tackle assignments and projects like a pro. But hey, here's the deal: if you're using AI outside of those instructions, it's a no-go and counts as cheating, which unfortunately means you'll bite the dust on that assignment and earn a zero if you use it. We're all about learning here, instead of shortcuts. Remember, if you've got any doubts about using AI, just give me a shout. Let's keep it fair, square, and AI-aware.

  

FINAL EXAM

You will find the final exam schedule here.

Since this is an online course, you will not be required to come to campus for a final exam.

 

GRADE BREAKDOWN

Your class grade is based on this scale:

100%-90% = A 

89%-80% = B

79%-70% = C

69%-60% = D

59% and below = F

You will be tentatively be graded based on the following criteria. Assignments may be added to or subtracted from the list below:

• various assignments (each worth 10-25 points)
• 5 quizzes (each worth 30 points)
• 1 research assignment (worth 50 points)

 

HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS CLASS

1. Begin each module every Monday morning.
2. Work through each module.
3. Submit assignments on time (before 11am on due dates).
4. Contact the Canvas Help Desk if you have tech problems (217-234-5439).
5. Spend at least 3 hours/day on this class. For any full semester 3 credit course, a college student is expected to spend 9 hours a week working on that particular class. Since we are an accelerated class (2 month instead of 4 months), then you need to keep up by putting in the work every single day.
6. Read all assignments and take notes.
7. Watch all videos and take notes.

 

STUDENT CONDUCT

You are expected to behave in a professional manner, which means you should not be rude, threatening, or harassing. If you behave in such a manner, disciplinary actions will be taken.

Here is Lake Land College's Student Code of Conduct.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY ISSUES

If you engage in any type of academic dishonesty, such as cheating or plagiarism, you will fail the class and be reported to V.P. Lynch for further disciplinary action. Plagiarism is the presenting of others’ ideas as if they were your own, including work produced by AI when your teacher does not explicitly tell you to use it. When you write an essay, create a project, or create anything original, it is assumed that all the work is yours, except for that which is attributed to another author or creator. Consequently, it is extremely important to provide credit when you use any words or ideas from another person or AI, even if you put the information into your own words. Examples of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to:

• • • paraphrasing the work of another, including AI, and not giving credit to that source
    • copying word-for-word from another source, including AI, and not giving that source credit
    • submitting an assignment that you copied from the internet or AI (partially or whole)
    • submitting an assignment that someone else, including AI, wrote (partially or whole) 
    • having someone else, including AI, do your homework for you (partially or whole)
    • receiving help from a friend or elsewhere, including AI, to complete an assignment
    • giving an assignment to someone else after you have completed it
    • giving answers to someone else during or after you have taken a quiz
    • using answers from someone else before or during a quiz
    • using the book, notes, AI, or internet during a quiz
    • using another project as your own
    • using an image or a copy of an image with crediting its source

[Adapted from the Modern Language Association’s MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. New York: MLA, 1995: 26.]

Here is Lake Land College's Academic Integrity Policy.

 

GRADING RUBRIC FOR WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
You will be graded based on this rubric:

“A” level writing meets all of the following criteria:

• Writing thoughtfully and thoroughly responds to the prompt
• Writing is well-articulated with no unnecessary information
• Writing leaves no questions in the reader’s mind because it is fully developed
• Writing is free of grammar, spelling, and formatting issues
• Writing utilizes proper MLA or APA citations, with none missing and no mistakes

 

“B” level writing meets or exceeds all of the following criteria:

• Writing thoughtfully and thoroughly responds to the prompt
• Writing is well-articulated with little unnecessary information
• Writing leaves few questions in the reader’s mind because it is well developed
• Writing has few grammar, spelling, and formatting issues
• Writing utilizes proper MLA or APA citations, with none missing and few mistakes

 

“C” level writing meets or exceeds all of the following criteria:

• Writing responds to the prompt
• Writing contains some unnecessary information
• Writing leaves questions in the reader’s mind because it is not fully developed, but it does meet the minimum length requirements
• Writing has some grammar, spelling, and formatting issues, but not enough to hinder the reading of the text
• Writing utilizes proper MLA or APA citations, with none missing and few mistakes

 

“D” level writing contains one or more of the following:

• Writing does not respond to the prompt
• Writing is not well-articulated and contains unnecessary information
• Writing leaves a lot of questions in the reader’s mind, is under-developed, and/or does not meet the minimum length requirements
• Writing has grammar, spelling, and formatting issues that hinder the reading of the text
• Writing does not utilize proper MLA or APA citations, with some missing and/or containing mistakes

 

“F” level writing contains one or more of the following:

• Writing does not respond to the prompt
• Writing is not well-articulated and contains unnecessary information
• Writing leaves a lot of questions in the reader’s mind, is under-developed, and/or does not meet the minimum length requirements
• Writing has grammar, spelling, and formatting issues that hinder the reading of the text
• Writing does not utilize proper MLA or APA citations, with many missing and/or containing mistakes
• Writing contains AI produced work that was not authorized by the teacher
• Writing contains work produced by anyone but you, including AI, and is not properly cited

  

Please note that lack of citations is plagiarism and means that you automatically earn a zero. Consequently, please make sure to provide proper MLA or APA citations.

You are required to cite all sources that you use in this class, so be sure to do so in all assignments. Otherwise, you will be plagiarizing, which is academic dishonesty. Failure to document all sources, within the assignment AND within a works cited/reference page, will result in failure. 

 

 

HELPFUL INFORMATION

Everyone has issues at one point or another in life.

Lake Land College has services that may be able to help you.

 

Office of Student Accommodations - Lake Land College is committed to providing a quality educational experience to all students. As such, Lake Land provides academic support services for students who have a documented disability. Find out if you qualify and get support at this office.

 

Financial Aid Office - Get financial aid information and questions answered at this office.

 

Foundation Office (scholarships) - Find out what kinds of scholarships you can apply for and get those applications at this office.

 

TRiO - TRiO is funded by the U.S. Department of Education to help students complete their academic goals and graduate from Lake Land College. The TRiO counselors and advisors work with each student individually, providing and connecting students with a wide variety of support services, events and activities. TRiO provides one-on-one meetings with staff, informative workshops, and access to educational, social and cultural opportunities available only to TRiO participants. All of TRiO services are free to eligible students. 

 

Veteran Programs - The Veterans' Office is located in the Financial Aid Office. You are welcome to stop by to ask what services are available to veterans or you can contact Danielle Downs in the Financial Aid & Veteran Services Office at (217) 234-5255.   

 

Laker Food Pantry - With support from the Lake Land College Foundation and its partnership with the Eastern Illinois Foodbank, Lake Land College is working to end food insecurity and hunger among our students and their families. If you are a Lake Land College student, it is easy to obtain food through the Laker Food Pantry. Ask a teacher for help OR complete the Shopping List linked in the Pantry site. Food is available for same-day pick-up at the pantry or for next-day delivery to another location on campus.

 

Tutoring Center - Get tutoring and other help at this office.

 

Lake Land College Early Advantage Program (LEAP) -  This program is free, voluntary, and confidential. The Lake Land College Early Advantage Program (LEAP) identifies services on campus that might be beneficial to achieving success in courses for which the student is struggling.  Students can join the program themselves or ask a teacher to enroll them. 

 

Safe Zone - Safe Zone was created by the Inclusion & Diversity Education Task Force to address the concerns of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and ally community at Lake Land College and the surrounding area. Safe Zone is a way to reach out to these students and welcome them in all areas of the LLC community. Safe Zones are areas on and around campus where supportive people provide information and work toward the elimination of myths, misconceptions, and stereotypes. 

  

Fitness Center - Use this facility to work out.

 

Mental Health Services - Find out about BETTERMYND, which gives you free access to online therapy sessions.

Crisis and Community Mental Health Resources - These are community services available to you.

 

 

GEN ED GOALS

Critical Thinking:  Upon successful completion of this course, students will apply critical thinking skills through locating information, evaluating sources, and transferring insights to new contexts

Diversity: Upon successful completion of this course, students will recognize the unique characteristics of others through, understanding diverse cultural contributions, understanding multiple economic, geographical or historical perspectives, and understanding the values and actions of diverse populations.

 

COURSE OUTCOMES

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate proficiency in understanding key names, terms and concepts specific to the course
• Apply course material to a selected personal, social, or educational topic 
• Discuss and/or analyze course material effectively in writing, including the appropriate use of a documentation method when specified by the instructor. 

IAI

H4905 : Philosophy of Religion (3 semester credits)

A study of selected religious concepts and theories, such as the existence and nature of a deity, the nature of good and evil, reason and faith, ethics, and the afterlife. May include an examination of the nature of religious language and experience.