STANDARD COMPETENCIES:

 

 1. Explain the difference between different definitions of “religion” .

 2. Differentiate between arguments of where religion came from .

 3. Demonstrate the difference between Religious Studies, Philosophy of Religion, and Theology .

 4. Develop the ability to use religious studies as a “lens” for looking at a culture .

 5. Critique different methodological approaches used in the study of religions .

 6. Discuss how religion can be defined a cultural system .

 7. Develop the ability to speak and write critically about religion in such a way as to present a nuanced argument that contextualizes religious traditions and religious people in a way appropriate to a complex historical understanding.

 8. Develop an understanding of the history, major figures, significant texts and modern context of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Taoism, Confucianism, Sikhism, and Shinto .

 9. Demonstrate knowledge of the modern religious context, including New Religious Movements, globalization, revitalization movements, and sectarianism.

 10. Recognize and interpret religious symbolism .

 11. Develop critical thinking through an analysis of religious phenomena .

 12. Demonstrate improved ability to communicate both orally and in writing.

 TOPICAL OUTLINE:

 

 I. Understand the impact of the arrival of the Aryan people in the Indus River Valley region

 II. Learn how the Vedas were developed and the philosophic worldview contained within the texts

 III. Discuss and analyze the ontological worldview of Hinduism, including reincarnation, karma, dharma, and caste

 IV. Engage the ideas of monotheism and polytheism in the Hindu context

 V. Examine the impact the arrival of the Muslims in Northern India had on Hindu culture: the development of “Hindu” as a distinct religion

 VI. Understand the effect the British had on Hinduism

 VII. Analyze the modern context: sectarianism and the many “Hinduisms”

 VIII. Synthesize an understanding of how Hindu epistemologies inform Indian law and legal practices.

 

 Buddhism

 IX. Learn about the historical figure of Siddhartha Gautama

 X. Understand the Buddha as a charismatic figure

 XI. Analyze the teachings of Buddhism including dukkha, ahimsa, non attachment, the Four Noble Truths and the EightFold Path

 XII. Engage the historical development of Buddhism and the split into Theravada and Mahayana

 XIII. Study the Pali Canon and other Buddhist texts

 XIV. Compare the major differences between different schools of Buddhism, including Pure Land, Zen, Tibetan, and American Buddhism

 XV. Discuss how and why a religion changes when it enters or encounters a new culture

 

 Jainism

 XVI.   Learn the historical development of Jainism, including early leaders

 XVII.  Understand Jain ethics

 XVIII. Discuss Jainism as an atheist tradition in order to formulate a critical understanding of the nuances of theism and atheism

 XIX.   Compare the differences between Jain and Hindu understandings of karma and dharma

 XX.    Contrast the Jain understanding of ahimsa with the understandings found in Hinduism and Buddhism

 

 Sikhism

 XXI.        Discover the historical development of Sikhism and become familiar with the Ten Gurus

 XXII. Compare the Sikh understanding of ahimsa with the other Indian religious traditions

 XXIII. Study and critically engage the Sikh texts, including the Adi Granth, the Guru Granth Sahib, the Dasam Granth, and the Janamsakhis.

 XXIV. Engage the politicization of religion during colonialism through an analysis of the British use of Sikhs during the British occupation of India

 

 Taoism

 XXV. Understand the context of Chinese folk culture in order to situate Taoism within a historical context

 XXVI. Discover the myth of Lao Tzu and the Tao de Ching

 XXVII. Engage the ethos of Taoism: its philosophy and worldview, through an analysis of the Taoist principles

 XXVIII. Critically reflect upon the varying manifestations of Taoism: Chinese medicine, martial arts, monastic tradition, aesthetics

 XXIX. Analyze the ways in which Taoist practiced were impacted with the arrival of Communism

 

 Confucianism

 XXX. Engage the historical figure of Kung Fu Tzu

 XXXI. Analyze the social philosophy found in the Analects

 XXXII. Identify the premises underlying Confucian ethics through an analysis of the role of government, the Five Constant Relationships, and the Confucian principles

 XXXIII. Differentiate between Taoist and Confucian ontologies and metaphysics

 XXXIV. Construct and be able to articulate an analysis of recent Chinese history following the Maoist regimes and synthesize how Confucian legal practice informs Chinese law.

 XXXV. Discuss reasons for the proliferation of new religious movements in modern China in light of the history of Taoism, Confucianism, and Chinese Buddhism

 

 Shinto

 XXXVI. Develop an understanding of Shinto as “the way of the Spirit”

 XXXVII. Engage Japanese myth and understand how Shinto mythos contributes to Japanese ethnocentrism

 XXXVIII. Examine how and why Chinese Buddhism influenced Japanese Shinto

 XXXIX. Analyze spiritual paths and practices such as the Samurai, the Japanese Tea Ceremony, and Zen monasticism as examples of Japanese Shinto aesthetics

 XL. Identify the Shinto meaning of emperor deification

 XLI. Engage the metaphysical meanings of Japanese Shinto festivals such as bon, and the Cherry Blossom Festival

 XLII. Differentiate between the forms of Shinto found before and after the defeat of the Japanese in World War II