Meeting Times, Location, & Course Delivery Details
Contact Information
Barks, Coleman. The Essential Rumi. San Francisco: Harper, 1995.
Fisher, Mary Pat. Living Religions. 10th Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2017.
Course Description
Welcome to Comparative Religions I: Judaism and Islam! As described in the College catalogue, this course introduces two of the three great world monotheistic faiths. An ancient Near Eastern tradition, Judaism is the parent tradition of both Christianity and Islam. All three of these monotheistic faiths trace their roots back to Abraham, the Old Testament patriarch traditionally identified as the first person to worship the one God. We will focus in this course not only on the historical origins and development of Judaism and Islam, but also on how they are practiced and lived today. As a Global “G” course, Comparative Religions aims to deepen and enrich your understanding of world religious traditions and cultures by addressing how these traditions deal with issues of global importance like women’s and human rights, environmental ethics, and interreligious/intercultural dialogue.
Course Goals
This course will:
- Explore themes, events, people, and issues found in various world religions
- Examine world religions with reference to Western traditions
- Encourage thoughtful yet critical and spirited discussion about religious ideas
- Introduce sources and methods in religious studies and encourage further study
- Study religious traditions in their wider social dimensions and cultural context
Global Education Goals
With reference to Wilmington College’s mission, vision, core values, and queries, students will
- develop knowledge of
- the perspectives of cultures other than their own
- global issues, especially as they relate to peace, social justice, and/or ecology;
- reflect upon the interconnectedness of the world and their own roles as engaged members of a global community.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, you should be able to:
- Demonstrate a basic knowledge of Judaism and Islam
- Think and write clearly about world religious traditions
- Recognize, evaluate, and apply different critical approaches to the study of world religions
- Recognize and analyze similarities and differences among diverse religious traditions
- Analyze religion as part of a wider cultural and historical context
Schedule of Topics and Readings (Subject to change)
Week 1
T 8/25 Introduction and Orientation HW: Fisher pp. 250-261
TH 8/27 Judaism: Origins and Early History HW: Fisher 261-269/“Genesis as Allegory” (online article):
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/genesis-as-allegory/
Week 2
T 9/1 Rabbinic Judaism HW: Fisher 269-279/Short Paper #1
TH 9/3 Short Paper 1 Due/Mystical & Medieval Judaism/Holocaust & Zionism HW: Fisher 279-290
Week 3
T 9/8 Torah, Practices and Festivals HW: Fisher 291-299/”What Do Jews Believe About Jesus?”
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/what-do-jews-believe-about-jesus/
TH 9/10 Contemporary Judaism HW: Fisher 374-376/Short Paper #2
Week 4
T 9/15 Short Paper 2 Due/Islam Stereotypes/Video HW: Fisher 375-380
TH 9/17 Muhammad and Islamic Origins HW: Fisher 381-392
Week 5
T 9/22 Qur’an and Central Teachings HW: Fisher 392-395
TH 9/24 Video on the Hajj HW: Fisher 395-398; 401-407/Short Paper #3
Week 6
T 9/29 Short Paper 3 Due/Islam in the Medieval and Modern West
HW: Fisher 398-407
Barks 100-101 (“Sunrise Ruby”); 252 (“Elephant in The Dark”); Barks 2 (“Who Says Words With My Mouth?”); 22 (“Quietness”);69-70 (“Fasting”); 70-71 (“Wean Yourself”); 109 (“The Guest House”); 165-168 (“Moses and the Shepherd”); 199-200 (“The Gift Of Water”); 265-266 (“The Worm’s Waking”); 274-276 (“Birdsong from Inside the Egg,” “Say I am You”);
TH 10/1 Rumi Poetry Workshop HW: Fisher 407-426
Week 7
T 10/6 Contemporary Islam around the World HW: Rumi Reflection Paper
TH 10/8 Final Exam (Rumi Paper, due as a Microsoft Word document on Blackboard by 9:00AM today)/Last Day of Class.
Course Requirements
The major requirements for this course are three short papers (300 words each), a 750 word reflection paper on a poem by the medieval Islamic mystic Rumi (Rumi Reflection Paper), and the final exam. The final exam for this course will be held the last day of class on Thursday, October 8, and will involve sharing of insights from the Rumi Reflection Papers and Westheimer Peace Symposium.
Three Short Papers (submit as Microsoft Word documents on Blackboard)
To receive an A on the short papers, you must at a minimum 1) answer all parts of the question; 2) quote directly or cite specific examples from readings (or video); 3) meet the length requirement; 4) list all your sources in a bibliography/references section at the end; and 5) submit your essay on time.
NOTE: Make sure to steer clear of generative AI. Papers written using generative AI will receive a zero—I want to know what you think and feel, not the computer!
Short Paper #1 (300 words, double-spaced, due Thursday, September 3)
During the first week of class, we will be reading briefly through the two creation stories in Genesis at the beginning of the Jewish Tanakh (what Christians call the Old Testament). For the first short paper, please first read the article “Genesis as Allegory” (accessed at the following link) about Jewish interpretation of the biblical creation stories: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/genesis-as-allegory/
After reading this article, please respond in your paper to the following questions:
Summarize in a few sentences the Jewish approach to interpreting the Genesis creation stories as described by Jeffrey Tigay. What beliefs about God and the world/universe in these stories does Dr. Tigay highlight?
Do the biblical creation stories make more sense to you as literal, scientific accounts, or as more symbolic stories or allegories? Explain your thinking.
Short Paper #2 (300 words, due Tuesday, September 15)
For the second Short Paper, please first read the article "What Do Jews Believe About Jesus?" at the following link: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/what-do-jews-believe-about-jesus/
In your paper, please then address the following points/questions:
- In what major ways do Jews and Christians differ in their beliefs or perspectives on Jesus?
- What beliefs about God or the messiah in the Jewish tradition account for the particular perspective Jews have on Jesus?
Short Paper #3 (300 words, due Tuesday, September 29)
In this third paper, you are asked to reflect on the video we watch and discuss in class Thursday, September 24 on the hajj (sacred pilgrimage to Mecca), one of the Five Pillars of Islam. What stereotypes about Islam or Muslims did you hold before watching this video, and how did learning about the hajj dispel or correct those stereotypes? What aspects of the hajj seemed most powerful or significant to you, and why?
Rumi Reflection Paper (750 words, typed, double-spaced, minimum, due Thursday, October 8) (Submit as Microsoft Word document on Blackboard)
The Rumi Reflection Paper will give you an opportunity to reflect and comment on a single poem by the thirteenth century Sufi mystic poet Rumi, whose work we will be reading and analyzing in class near the end of the term. Questions to consider in writing your paper include: What is the main message of this poem? What symbols or metaphors does the poem employ, and what do they represent? What does this poem teach about life, about being human, about God, about religion and the universe? What about this poem speaks to you, and why?
As with the short papers, to receive an A on the Rumi Reflection Paper, you must at a minimum 1) answer all parts of the question; 2) quote directly or cite specific examples from readings (the Rumi poem and Fisher); 3) meet the length requirement; 4) list all your sources in a bibliography/references section at the end; and 5) submit your essay on time.
General Guidelines for Evaluation of Papers
More generally, all papers will be evaluated based on 1) how well you develop and organize your ideas; 2) how effectively you use and integrate evidence from class readings, lectures, and other source materials to support your conclusions; 3) organization, coherence, and consistency of your argument; 4) accuracy of information; 5) creativity and originality of ideas and approach; and 6) proper acknowledgement and citation (in papers) of all terms, ideas, concepts, and words not your own.
Schedule of Requirements Course Grade Breakdown
- Thurs.., Sept. 3: Short Paper #1 Due Short Paper 1: 15%
- Tues., Sept. 15: Short Paper #2 Due Short Paper 2: 15%
- Tues, Sept. 29: Short Paper #3 Due Short Paper 3: 15%
- Thurs., Oct. 8: Rumi Paper Due Rumi Paper: 40%
- Thurs., Oct. 8: Final Exam Final Exam: 05%
- Participation: 10%____+___________________
Total: 100%
Grading Scale
A=90-100 B=80-90 C=70-80 D=60-70 F=59 or less
Instructor Course Policies
Students who do well on reading quizzes/exercises, participate actively in class discussions and test design, and attend every class will generally receive a full ten points for participation. To succeed in this course, you must attend all classes, but I will not reduce your grade unless you accumulate more than one week of unexcused absences. Please see the current Student Handbook for the College’s attendance policy, especially as it pertains to excused absences.
Please let me know (in person, or by phone/email) as soon as possible if you must miss a class. If you have scheduling conflicts due to athletic competition or other collegiate activities, please let me know right away.
No make-up exams will be allowed except in the rarest of circumstances. For make-up exams to be approved, they must be arranged in advance, and must be taken within one week of the originally scheduled date. Make-up exams will be significantly more demanding and comprehensive than regularly scheduled ones. In the interest of fairness, late papers will be docked a fraction of a grade for each class period they are late.
Students engaging in academic misconduct (using generative AI, cheating on a test, turning in another person’s work as your own) will receive a zero for the assignment and possibly fail the course. Please see the current Student Handbook for the College’s Academic Integrity policies as they pertain to examinations, plagiarism, classroom behavior, and the process for handling academic misconduct charges.
Institutional and Program-Level Policies
All exams will follow the Final Exam Schedule. Students scheduled to take three or more final examinations on one day may request to arrange their examination schedule, so no more than two exams occur on one day.
Requests for early or late exams are considered only under extreme circumstances. Prior to the exam period, the student must file a written request on the Early/Late Exam Form available in the Student One Stop Center, Academic Records, and on the WC portal. The form must be signed by the Instructor and the Academic Dean, approving the alternate exam time. This process must be completed prior to the scheduled exam period.
Undergraduate: FA26 Final Exam Schedule
Out-of-class Work Expectation A minimum of 2 hours of out-of-class student work is expected for each hour of in-class time for traditional face-to-face courses. For online and hybrid courses, the combination of face-to-face time and out-of-class work should be equal to 3 hours per credit hour per week. |
Instructional Course Delivery Definition of Courses |
Academic Integrity Policy The use of generative AI is prohibited except where expressly allowed in assignment instructions. Academic Integrity Policy |
Class Attendance Policy Institutional Class Attendance Policy |