Central
concepts in religious thought, such as God, faith, and
immortality; problems of religious knowledge and revelation.
Problems connected with the relation of theology and philosophy
discussed with reference to selected medieval, modern, and
contemporary texts.
All work in this course is
conducted online through computers and the
internet. There are NO class meetings with the
professor..
OBJECTIVES:
Objectives:
To enable a student to:
-
Become
familiar with a variety of the worlds living religions and be
able to compare and contrast some of their features
-
Have
some understanding of the findings and theories of the
sciences concerning religion and the current status of the
relationship of science to religion
-
Have
an understanding of the traditional arguments based upon
reasoning for the existence of a deity, a supreme being and
the weaknesses and values of those arguments
-
Have
an understanding of the traditional arguments based upon
experience for the existence of a deity, a supreme being and
the weaknesses and values of those arguments
-
Have
an understanding of arguments for the existence of a soul and
theories of the after life along with an understanding of
their weaknesses
-
Have
a critical understanding for the nature of religious language
-
Have
a critical understanding of the relationship of reason to
faith
-
Have
an understanding of the relationship of Religion to ethics,
the foundations of the moral order for any society
-
Have
a critical understanding of what the essence of religion might
be
-
Develop
skills of critical
analysis and dialectical
thinking.
-
Analyze and
respond to the comments of other students regarding philosophical
issues.
COURSE
ACTIVITIES :
The
course is divided into 9 Modules, and each module contains 1 or more chapters from the textbook.
Modules may last from one to three weeks.
The
following
learning activities
apply to each module:
1.
Read
the assigned textbook
material.
2. Respond to
discussion questions submitted by the instructor.
At least once in each discussion forum in the module.
3. Create and
submit a discussion question about the material.
At least one in each module-a student led discussion.
4. Respond
publicly
to
some or all
of the questions submitted by other students.
5.
Reply
to students who respond to your question and responses.
Virtual
Seminars/Discussions
In
every module you will find a "Virtual Seminar." A virtual
seminar is like a class discussion. Here, for each module and topic,
you are expected to reply to questions from the instructor, you will
ask a "critical thinking" question about some topic in the
chapter, get responses from other students, and reply to those
responses. Here too, you will answer the questions posed by other
students, and they will reply to your answers. You are welcome to keep
up this "virtual discussion" as long as you wish. The idea
here is for each student to join in and to lead a discussion with the
other students about some important issue introduced in the chapter.
This
is the
heart
of this course as far as your instructor is concerned. It is here that
the process of philosophy will be in evidence. It is here that you get
an opportunity to
DO PHILOSOPHY. This is the component of this online course that fosters the
dialectical process of inquiry that is the heart of Philosophy.
Essays:
Upon
completion of each module there is an essay question. These questions
are my way of testing your understanding of the texts and Virtual
Seminar/Discussions for that module. You will know what the questions
or topics are at the start of each module. You should post your essays
during the 2-day "window" that is established for
submissions, not before. Unlike your responses to the discussion
questions posed by me and the other students, you will submit your
essays just to me, not to the whole class. You need to consider these
essays as "take-home, open-book essay exams", which require
well-organized, thorough responses.
Talk with
the Professor
In
each module there is a "Talk with the Professor" area. Here
I will ask questions which each student should respond to. Also, you
may ask me questions, which I will respond to. Most often, I expect
these questions (mine and yours) will be related to the discussions or
the textbook - but nothing is "off-limits."
Ask a
Question
Most
documents you will be reading On-Line have a "Ask a
Question" button at the bottom of the page. When you use this
button, it creates a discussion thread that the professor and other
students can participate in. It is the equivalent of "raising
your hand" in the classroom.
GRADING
REQUIREMENTS:
1.
Class Participation & Discussion: 16%
2.
Critical Analysis Essays (Papers) : 52%
3.
The Quality of Your Discussion Threads: 32%
REQUIRED
TEXTS:
|
There
is a great deal of material presented in an online textbook.
All of the assignments can be completed by reading the
materials on the internet. However, if a learner
prefers to have a printed paper text in addition to or
instead of the online material, the two texts below
are very good. The Philosophy text by Pojman would
be good for everyone in the course to have. |
Schmidt, Roger,
et al; Patterns
of Religion, Belmont, CA.:Wadsworth, 1999.
ISBN 0534 506 496 |
Patterns
of Religion
by Roger
Schmidt, Gene C. Sager, Gerald Carney, Julius J. Jackson,
Kenneth Zanca, Albert Muller, Julius Jackson
Our
Price: $67.95
Used
Price: $43.75
Availability: This title is
currently on back order. We expect to be able to ship it to
you within 3-5 weeks.
Click
here to order from Amazon.com
|
|
Pojman,
Louis P. Philosophy
of Religion: An Anthology.
3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth,
1998.
ISBN 0-534-52956-9
|
Philosophy
of Religion: An Anthology
by Louis P. Pojman (Editor)
Our Price: $75.95
Used
Price: $42.50
Availability: This title usually
ships within 4-6 weeks. Please note that titles occasionally
go out of print or publishers run out of stock. We will
notify you within 2-3 weeks if we have trouble obtaining
this title.
Click
here to order from Amazon.co
Try also these sites for the lowest prices available
half.com
ecampus.com |
d.
The other readings are the lessons and students contributions to the
class in the discussion areas and the professor's contributions to
those discussions.
WORKLOAD:
In a fifteen-week semester (Spring and Fall) the
workload for this course would be 9 to 12 hours per week. This includes all the reading, writing, and dialogue with
your instructor and fellow students.
In the SUMMER SESSION with only 8 weeks from May
29th to July 23rd the workload in effect is
double that of the regular 15-week semester.
It requires 12 to 24 hours per week to successfully complete
this online course.
This requires a serious commitment on the part of
the learner. You can
access the course at any time from any computer with an Internet
connection. However, you
must put in the effort, the labor, the work needed to meet the course
requirements and obtain a passing grade.
The course can prove to be a lot of fun for those
who take it seriously and keep up with the workload.
For those who are unable to put in the time and fall behind the
course could prove to be quite horrible.
PLEASE
consider carefully what time you have available for this course.
If you decide to continue on in the course, I look forward to
“seeing” you online.
RELATED WEBSITES:
Website for Professor
Pecorino (alternate
entry into course on this site)
http://web.acc.qcc.cuny.edu/SocialSciences/ppecorino/Default.htm
Website to learn about CUNY
ONLINE
http://cunyonline.cuny.edu/
And for STUDENT ORIENTATION
go to site and click on “Students”
Take the “Crash Course in
Using Course Info” Blackboard site:
http://www.blackboard.com
QCC ONLINE Help Desk
Before contacting the Help
Desk, please be sure your browser is Netscape or Internet Explorer 4.0 or
better. This will clear up many problems, including JScript errors. If you
have any Blackboard questions please contact :
BBSupport@qcc.cuny.edu at the ACC in Library floor 1. If you have
QCC EMAIL questions or problems call 718 631 6273 in the IT department
in Administration Bldg. 3rd floor.
==========================================
INSTRUCTIONS for
PREPARING and SUBMITTING WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS
Composing your assignment
Normally, you should
compose your response using your word processor or on paper. This will give
you the opportunity to revise, proofread, and spell check. When you have
completed your assignment document be sure to spell check it .
Make sure to read the
directions for each assignment carefully for details, due dates, and any
thing else that may be specific to the assignment.
Format For Submitting Written Assignments Whether you are in an ONLINE CLASS or a traditional class or
a hybrid class
·
By EMAIL
ppecorino@qcc.cuny.edu Do
not send attachments!!!
Copy and paste your text from the word processor directly into the message
window of the email. In the subject line put: first name , last name,
class ## , section, assignment#
Evaluations
The evaluation for your
assignment will appear directly in your document or with your document when
returned to you by email or returned directly to you by the instructor.
Evaluations are private and can only be read by the student and professor.
OBSERVE THE DUE DATES!! Check on due dates on the CLASS
CALENDAR:
All written assignments
may be revised and resubmitted. At least one assignment must be submitted
in draft form and then after receiving the instructor’s comments and
suggestions, it is to be revised and resubmitted for formal assessment.
Students may resubmit their revised assignments no more than three times
before the final day of class.
Criteria for evaluation
of the written assignments is given under Course Information document titled
” How you will be evaluated.” Other students will not view student written
assignments anywhere within the course. Students may send drafts of their
work to their classmates and discuss them through the use of email. They
may discuss the assignment itself within the course in the Student Café.
Academic Integrity
In all cases the written
work must show evidence of the author’s awareness of the materials made
available in the online textbook and through the related Internet links
found in the Online Textbook that is part of the course. Proper
citations and accreditation are to be made evident in the body of the
work. The learners are required to provide evidence of research and
scholarship and to AVOID Plagiarism! You may use the text of others
but you MUST provide the source of any materials and words that are not your
own. see
Academic Integrity
Accessing Blackboard and ePermit through the
CUNY Portal
INSTRUCTIONS to
enter the BLACKBOARD Discussion Board Website
The QCC Blackboard server can be
accessed at:
https://portal.cuny.edu/portal/site/cuny/index.jsp?epi-content=LOGIN
Log In Instructions
INSTRUCTIONS to
enter the BLACKBOARD Discussion Board Website
The QCC Blackboard server can be
accessed at:
https://blackboard-doorway.cuny.edu/
Log In Instructions
If you have trouble entering the
BlackBoard class site it might
be because you have failed to send me an email with your email address and so
you are not entered into the course. In that case be sure to notify me by email
ppecorino@qcc.cuny.edu
If you have trouble entering the class
it might be because you have a last name that is more than 12 characters
long. The email and Blackboard system are set for a maximum of 13
characters. If this is the case please go to the ACC (QCC Library
Building first floor) or contact them at 718-631-6624
INSTRUCTIONS FOR QCC EMAIL aka TIGERMAIL !!!
Log In and Passwords
If you have difficulty logging on call 718-631-6348 Monday thru
Friday between 9am and 5pm. For questions regarding your Tiger Mail
account send an email to: EMAILHELP@Tigermail.qcc.cuny.edu
What if I don't have an Email account?
You
must have an Email account to take an online course. QCC provides you
with an Email account. You can access your student email account at
http://tigermail.qcc.cuny.edu
Log In and Passwords
Having trouble accessing your student email? View the
Student Email Login
Procedures.
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