This course is designed to give you an overview of what we in the West term "non-Western religions." This is a difficult phrase because it is based upon two shaky assumptions: 1) we are in the West, and so every religion not practiced here is "non-Western"; and 2) no one who is from the West practices a "non-Western" religion. Neither of these assumptions is particularly credible, but they nevertheless are the points from which we begin.

Over the course of the semester we will discuss four religious traditions: Hinduism, Taoism, and Buddhism We will begin with a section on the study of religion in general. To give you an idea of how difficult our subject is–John D. Caputo, with whom we begin the course, opens his book by offering that the study of religion is a "subject matter [that] does not exist." This is not a course in comparative religion, so our goal is not to compare these religions, either to each other or to Christianity or Judaism. Invariably, though, we will find ourselves doing that kind of comparison since it is much easier to understand a new concept in terms of an old one. This is a 300-level course; as such, the work load will be ambitious. In addition to looking at an overview of each religious tradition, we will do some reading in the primary sources associated with the traditions. Your reading will be extensive and rigorous as will be class discussion. Some of the course texts are more difficult than others, but all have been chosen in order to enrich your understanding of the materials. As you read, use a good dictionary and the glossaries in your texts for difficult terms or words.

Because a good college education is about thinking and analyzing, you will be expected to participate in class discussions on a regular basis and to contribute as much to the course as you get from it. This is a small class, intentionally so, and you should take advantage of that small size.

Course Requirements: Class Participation

• Three Short (4-6 page) papers: one will be assigned for each portion of the course; you may opt out of one of the four assigned; if you do all five, the fifth will be counted as extra credit; you may not opt out of essay one
• One longer (8-10 page) paper on a topic of your choosing (approved by the instructor), using at least three secondary sources
• Midterm Examination
• Final Examination

• John D. Caputo, On Religion (Routledge)
• Eva Wong, The Shambhala Guide to Taoism (Shambhala)
• A.L. Basham, The Origins and Development of Classical Hinduism (Oxford)
• Donald S. Lopez, The Story of Buddhism: A Concise Guide to Its History and Teachings (Harper)
• Samuel Bercholz, Sherab Chodzin Kohn, ed. The Buddha and His Teachings (Shambhala)

Attendance: Students are expected to attend class regularly. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class meeting. If you miss more than four class meetings, you will fail the course. Lateness will have a similar effect. If you are sick or have an emergency which forces you to miss more than two consecutive classes, call the Office of Student Affairs and let them know. This way, they will contact all of your instructors, and you might not be held accountable for those absences. Don't disappear for two weeks and then reappear, expecting everything to be all right.

N.B. Papers are to be double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font. Papers must be handed in on time. Papers handed in late will receive a one grade deduction for each class/meeting it is late. If deadlines weren’t important, they wouldn’t begin with "dead." Since this is an upper level class, there are certain reasonable expectations about your ability to write essays and papers in a scholarly manner. Any work that is turned in must be well-researched, properly-documented, spell-checked, proofread, grammatically correct, and compositionally sound. Noteworthy and irritating lapses in writing will affect grades. Issues that arise should be dealt with in one of three ways: through consultation of a grammar or style handbook such as A Writer’s Reference; through consultation with the instructor; or through consultation with the on-campus Writing Center.

Academic Honesty: Plagiarism is the theft of someone else's ideas and work. Whether a student copies verbatim or simply rephrases the ideas of another without properly acknowledging the source, the theft is the same. In the preparation of work submitted to meet course requirements, whether a draft or a final version of a paper, project, or computer program, students must take great care to distinguish their own ideas and language from information derived from sources. Sources include published primary and secondary materials, the Internet, and information and opinions gained directly from other people. Whenever ideas or facts are derived from a student's reading and research, the sources must be properly cited. The instructor will use the University’s subscription to turnitin.com when necessary.

It is the student's responsibility to learn the proper forms of citation according to standards delineated by Black Hills State University. Students who have questions about the standards of scholarly writing should speak with their instructors before beginning research on assigned papers and projects. Violations include, at the discretion of the instructor, failure for the individual paper to failure for the course; such violations may be entered in the student’s permanent academic record, and upon multiple offenses the Dean may recommend expulsion from the University.

Special Accommodation: Reasonable accommodations, as arranged with the disabilities coordinator, will be provided for students with documented disabilities. Please contact the BHSU Disabilities Services Coordinator at 642-6099.

Getting in touch: You can always reach me by e-mail. I check it several times a day. My e-mail address is davidsalomon@bhsu.edu. Please do not abuse e-mail with excuses ("I won’t be in class today") but do use e-mail for questions and advice.

The World Wide Web (WWW) address for this class is http://www.bhsu.edu/artssciences/asfaculty/dsalomon/hum388/spring2003/

At this site you will find helpful links for materials we will cover in the course, as well as a copy of this syllabus and course assignments. It will be updated occasionally. The links provided at this page are for reference purposes only; as we will discuss, online sources (exclusive of online journal articles) are not admissible as sources for papers. You will need, especially for the longer paper, to use Interlibrary Loan services for your research. The BH Library holdings in religion are getting better, but they are still lacking.

Grading Guidelines: If you are enrolled in the course to get a grade, drop now. Education is about more than grades. Unfortunately, grades are a necessary evil. Your work will be graded on a scale from A to F with pluses and minuses. Although BHSU does not use pluses and minuses in semester grades, I believe they are helpful in evaluation throughout the semester. If, at the end of the semester, your grade is teetering between two grades, attendance and class participation become important factors. You must submit all required work to pass the course.

A range: The work is extraordinary. It has said something different or is conceived in an interesting and unusual way. Written work is virtually free of errors in writing or fact. Conventionally, an "A" means the work is perfect.

B range: The work is above average. It presents the material more than competently and is well-written and well-organized.

C range: The work is average. Written work might have some problems in construction, grammar, or conception. Organizational problems may also be present as may some misunderstandings of the texts or topics.

D range: The work is below average. Written work probably has serious problems in grammar and organization. It might show severe misunderstandings of the texts or topics.

F: The work is failing. Written work probably has severe problems in basic grammar and shows little or no understanding of the texts or topics. Note: a grade of F is an earned grade and will not be awarded if work is not submitted or completed (that type of performance "earns" a 0).