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RLS111_Wenisch_Syllabus—Page 1 [Note to the General Education Committee: Dates and locations will, of course, be adjusted to the individual semester in which the course is offered.] Judaism, Christianity, and Islam RLS 111-0001, Fall, 2016 Dr. Fritz Wenisch; 874-2226; [email protected] Class Time and Location: Tuesdays and Thursdays; 2:00-3:15 p.m. in Chafee 271. Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays; 12:45-1:45 p.m., and by appointment. Office Location: Chafee 231. Course Description Comparative study of the teachings, the histories, and the practices of the three religions of Abraham; emphasis on their teachings. (Lec. 3) (L) [D] Course Goals 1. To understand the teachings and practices specific to each one of the three religions mentioned in the course description; 2. To understand important common elements of the three religions mentioned in the course description; 3. To appreciate that tolerance, even friendship, among members of the three religions mentioned in the course description is not only possible, but desirable. RLS 111 and General Education The course is designed to provide general education credits for the following two outcomes: 1. Humanities; 2. Global Responsibilities. Course Materials Text: Fritz Wenisch, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—Differences, Commonalities, and Community, Second Edition, Cognella Academic Publishing, 2015. On the SAKAI site for this course, you will find links to on-line versions of the Bible and of the Qur’an. Study questions and other course materials will be posted on SAKAI. Course Outline I. INTRODUCTION A. How this course approaches the study of religion; an explanation of the reasons for this approach. 1. Religious teaching in other environments in contrast to religious teaching in this course 2. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the U.S. Supreme Court 3. Consequences of the various court decisions for the teaching of religion at public institutions of higher learning in the United States RLS111_Wenisch_Syllabus—Page 2 II. THE GOD OF JUDAISM, CHRISTIANITY, AND ISLAM A. The significance for humanity of the Jewish idea of God B. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael; overcoming Muslim Hesitancy about calling God a “person” C. Other important attributes of the God of Judaism, Christianity and Islam III. JUDAISM A. Beginning of Judaism to A.D. 136 1. Abraham 2. Isaac, Jacob, and his 12 Sons; migration to Egypt 3. Moses, the Exodus, the giving of the law, and 40 desert years 4. Settling the “Promised Land”; the Period of the Judges; the Unified Kingdom and the Divided Kingdom; destruction of the Northern Kingdom 5. Destruction of the Southern Kingdom; the Babylonian Captivity; return from the captivity; Ezra and Nehemia 6. Alexander the Great; the Seleucids; the Maccabees; Herod and the Roman Empire B. History of Judaism in North America, 1654–1924 1. A small group of Jews (1654–1825) a) Background: Colonialism, Spain, Portugal, and Pernambuco b) First Jewish community in North America (1654) c) Second Jewish community in North America (1658)—oldest still existing North American synagogue (Touro Synagogue, 1763) d) The situation around 1800 2. Immigration of German Jews (1825–1880) 3. Immigration of East European Jews (1880–1924) C. The three present-day “denominations” of U.S. Judaism 1. Orthodox (or Traditional) Judaism a) Remarks on the Jewish Bible, the Mishna, and the Talmud b) Origin c) Practices d) Beliefs 2. Reform (or Liberal) Judaism a) Origin b) Practices c) Beliefs 3. Conservative Judaism a) Origin b) Practices c) Beliefs 4. Statistics D. Miscellaneous items 1. Additional groups of U.S. Judaism 2. The Jewish calendar 3. Some Jewish holy days IV. CHRISTIANITY A. Remarks on history; the Christian Bible 1. Background history RLS111_Wenisch_Syllabus—Page 3 2. The Christian Bible a) Two testaments b) The Old Testament c) The New Testament d) The authors of the Gospels: An ancient tradition e) A contemporary theory about Gospel origins: The Two-source Hypothesis (2SH) f) Difficulties with the 2SH g) Fritz Wenisch’s “modest proposal” concerning the Synoptic problem B. The life of Jesus of Nazareth according to the New Testament 1. Jesus prior to his public ministry 2. Jesus’ public ministry 3. Jesus enters Jerusalem, is arrested, found guilty, and executed C. Fundamentals of Christian theological teaching 1. Christian monotheism 2. The Trinity 3. The person of Jesus of Nazareth according to Christianity 4. The purpose of Jesus’ suffering and death according to Christianity D. The moral teaching in Jesus’ Message 1. Christianity and the 613 Torah laws: non-moral and moral laws 2. The two greatest commandments 3. “Do unto others . . .” E. Jesus merely a great human? The “Liar, Lunatic, Lord” Conundrum V. ISLAM A. The Origin of Islam: Two perspectives 1. A non-Muslim’s understanding of the origin of Islam 2. A Muslim’s understanding of the origin of Islam B. The place of origin of Islam at the time of Muhammad’s birth 1. Arabia 2. The religious situation in Arabia when Muhammad was born C. The life of Muhammad D. Religious practices: The so-called “Five Pillars” of Islam 1. The Creed 2. Prayer 3. Fasting 4. Almsgiving 5. Pilgrimage to Mecca E. The basic teachings of Islam 1. The Qur’an 2. Relationship of the Qur’an to earlier “revelations” 3. Monotheism 4. Jesus in the Qur’an 5. Islam and the “Last Things” F. Two controversial Muslim beliefs 1. Polygamy 2. Holy war, aka jihad: What is it? RLS111_Wenisch_Syllabus—Page 4 G. Remarks on the history of Islam EPILOGUE: Why Jews, Christians, and Muslims should regard one another as brothers and sisters --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Additional Course Information: NOTE: Prior to the second class meeting, you must read this entire syllabus and the more detailed syllabus posted on SAKAI. Lack of awareness of the information contained in these documents will jeopardize your grade and will not be accepted as an excuse. ATTENDANCE: Required. If you miss more than eight class meetings, you will not receive a passing grade; for each absence, there will be a two-point deduction from your semester average and/or a score of “0” for a quiz you may miss, unless you are excused through a legitimate and verifiable reason to be presented to me in the classroom at the beginning of the class meeting within a week following your absence. In addition, you also must give me written answers to the study questions on the material covered when you were absent. You must staple your absence verification and the answers to a copy of the Absence Make-up Work Cover Sheet (to be printed from the SAKAI site). You must fill that sheet in and follow all instructions on it. VERY IMPORTANT: For an absence to be excused, you must have a legitimate reason and do the makeup work by the deadline, as well as submit the work according to the procedure specified in the preceding paragraph. QUIZZES AND EXAMS: Four quizzes (dates: [to be determined]); first exam on [to be determined], during class; final exam on [to be determined]. Quiz and exam questions will be similar to the study questions posted on SAKAI. There will be so-called “short-essay” and “multiple choice” questions. MATERIAL ON QUIZZES AND EXAMS: At each quiz, you will have to know the material for which you will not have been held responsible at an earlier quiz or exam. The first exam will cover the material from class # 1 on; the final exam will be limited to the material for which you were not responsible at the first exam. MISSING OF QUIZZES AND BEING LATE ON QUIZ DAYS: Quizzes cannot be made up. A quiz missed will be recorded as a “zero,” unless you are excused for your absence through complying with the rules set under “ATTENDANCE,” above (see also the “VERY IMPORTANT” segment). If the absence is excused, the quiz will be dropped, and your quiz score will be based on the remaining quizzes only. If you are late for a class at which there is a quiz, your score also will be “zero.” MISSING THE CLASS PRIOR TO A QUIZ: Missing a class for a legitimate reason does not excuse you from a quiz scheduled for the class at which you return. Rather, you are expected to come prepared by reading and studying the textbook segment on the class(es) you missed (see the SAKAI “Reading Assignments” file). RLS111_Wenisch_Syllabus—Page 5 GRADING: The weight of the cumulative quiz score is 20%, that of the first exam 30%, and that of the final exam 50%. Penalty points (if any) will be deducted from the score determined in this way. In the case of students with no unexcused absences, the lowest quiz will be dropped. _____________________________________________________________________________ Other Guidelines: ACCOMMODATIONS FOR SPECIAL NEEDS Any student with a documented disability is welcome to contact me as early in the semester as possible so that we may arrange reasonable accommodations. As part of this process, please be in touch with Disability Services for Students Office at 330 Memorial Union, 401-874-2098. ACADEMIC HONESTY All work on quizzes, exams, and make-up work to be excused from absences for a legitimate reason must be your own. ACADEMIC ENHANCEMENT CENTER The work in this course is complex and intensive. To do the best you can, you may want to visit the Academic Enhancement Center (AEC) in Roosevelt Hall. The AEC offers a comfortable environment in which to study alone or together, with or without a tutor. AEC tutors can answer questions, clarify concepts, check understanding, and help you to study. You can make an appointment or walk in during office hours—Monday through Thursday from 9 am. to 9 pm, Friday from 9 am to 1 pm, and Sunday from 4 pm. to 8 pm. For a complete schedule For a complete schedule—including when tutors are available specifically for this class—go to www.uri.edu/aec, call (401) 874-2367, or stop by the fourth floor in Roosevelt Hall. STANDARDS OF BEHAVIOR Students are responsible for being familiar with and adhering to the published “Community Standards of Behavior: University Policies and Regulations” that can be accessed in the University Student Handbook. If you must come in late, please do not disrupt the class. Please turn off all cell phones, pagers, or any electronic devices. RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS It is the policy of the University of Rhode Island to accord students, on an individual basis, the opportunity to observe their traditional religious holidays. Students desiring to observe a holiday of special importance must provide written notification to each instructor.