Encountering World Religions

Dates: 10/10/2016 - 21/10/2016
Mode of Delivery: Onsite and Online

Level: 4 (Year 1)

Credit Value: 20 (for regular BA Study)

• The complexities of understanding, comparing and representing religious traditions; problematizing the notion of ‘world religions’; interpretive approaches. • Christianity and Hinduism: their core beliefs and practices within (various) historical frameworks and with reference to related traditions (Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and Sikhism). • Broad differences between eastern and western thought; various metaphorical and linguistic frameworks. • Key concepts: the ultimate reality, canonical texts – hermeneutics and schisms, human condition and destiny, models and dilemmas of institutionalization, sacred action and morality. • Responses to the challenges of modernity – traditions, transformations and issues of interpretation, negotiation and representation.

Registration

This module is Bhaktivedanta College’s BA degree program in Theology and Religious Studies, accredited by the University of Chester. To pursue the BA, you must complete the application procedure and be accepted into the program. The academic year starts in September. This module can also be taken without special requirements. You may study the BA module as an auditing participant, independent of BA accreditation, without an obligation to complete the final assessment. You would be expected to complete the reading assignments, view/hear the lectures, and take part in the discussion forums. By clicking “Enrol Now” you will be redirected to Bhaktivedanta College Online Campus, where you will proceed with registration and payment. The Paypal fee for this module is €99 fully inclusive. Once your registration is complete, you will have access to the virtual classroom and all learning materials. Upon successfully completing this module, you will be awarded with a Certificate of Attendance mailed to your home address.

Enrol now or request more information.

• Module Tutor

  

  Ana Knez

  Anupama dasi (Ana Knez) holds a M.A. in Philosophy and Religious Studies from the Jesuit College at the University of Zagreb and a B.A. in theology from Bhaktivedanta College. Anupama currently teaches Encountering World Religions, Modern interpretations of the Bhagavad Gita and Bhakti sastri.

• Expected Student Learning Activity and Contact Hours

  200 hours notional learning hours of which 32 hours will be contact time. Distance learning students will have access to videoed or recorded lectures and seminars, and to a moodle interactive learning environment.

• Attendance Guidance

  Students are expected to attend all lectures and seminars. Distance learning students will participate in the lectures as explained in section 11 of this module descriptor.

• Aims

  • To provide knowledge of, and appreciation for, the diverse religious beliefs and practices covered in the module. • To promote a critical, interpretive, dialogical and reflexive approach to classifying, understanding and representing the religious traditions of the world, and to dealing with the associated pitfalls and challenges. • To critically examine the changing role, relevance and influence of religious people and traditions within contemporary society. • To equip students to negotiate, with reference to their own evolving faith (or non-faith) stances, various religious, secular and professional contexts.

• Methods of Learning and Teaching and Formative Assessment

  Lecturing, whole class discussions, debate, case studies, individual reading and homework, use of course hand book and power point presentations. Appropriate forms of delivery and assessment will be offered to distance learning students to ensure comparability of learning opportunity. Lectures and seminars onsite will be video recorded; within 24 hours the video will be available in the moodle environment. We will also have separate MP3 audio recordings of the class.

• Learning outcomes

  By the end of the module students will be able:

  1. Demonstrate a reflective knowledge, understanding and appreciation of Christianity, Hinduism and their related traditions.
  2. Identify, analyse and account for similarities and differences of thought and practice amongst and within these traditions.
  3. Critically examine the conceptual, metaphorical and linguistic frameworks that underpin religious practice, and its representation.
  4. Reflect on the significance of their learning to both the contemporary world and their own careers aspirations.

• Assessment and Reassessment Components and Weighting

  1. A 2,000-word essay (50%) [LO 1-4]. 2. (i) A 2-hour written exam (CAMPUS students only) (50%) [LO 1-3], OR (ii) a 2,000-word essay (DISTANCE students only) (50%) [LO 1-3]. Reassessment: As assessment.

• Key references

  Coward, H. (2007). Sin and Salvation in the World Religions: A short Introduction. Oxford: OneWorld. De Lange, N. (2010). An Introduction to Judaism. (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. Kessler, E. G. (2002). Studying Religion: An introduction Through Cases. New York: McGraw Hill. McGrath E. A. (2011). Christian Theology, An Introduction. London: Willey-Blackwell. Perbish, C., & Keown D. (2010). Introducing Buddhism. (2nd ed.). London: Routledge. Rodrigues, H. (2006). Introducing Hinduism. London: Routledge. Urubshurow, K. V. (2008). Introducing World Religions. New York: Routledge. Waines, D. (2003). An Introduction to Islam. (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. Primary sources are provided as excerpts in the Module Handbook and as full texts in electronic or printed form.