Philosophy 103 - World Religions - Fall 2009
Taught over the World Wide Web!!!!
PHL 103 begins on August 22, 2009
PHL 103 web class ends Thursday, December 17, 2009
Nothing can be submitted after 10PM on December 17th.
No attendance, no on-campus orientation, and no on-campus tests
Dr. Michael Fuller - Professor of Anthropology
Office - Social Science Rm. SO 230 at Meramec
Office Phone: (314) 984-7987 [please use email because I can check email easily but voicemail is a pain!!]
Website:
http://users.stlcc.edu/mfuller
You will submit homework and take tests in this class using the Blackboard system
https://blackboard.stlcc.edu
Your USER ID is your Student ID code (mine looks like F12345678
Your initial password is the same as your 6-digit birthdate in MMDDYY format.
Confused? Go to
http://stlcc.edu/banner/
for information on resetting your
PIN or contact the admissions office at your campus. After logging in, students
should click on the appropriate course link. NOTE: PIN (Blackboard password)
modifications will not take effect in Blackboard until the following day.
St. Louis Community College Blackboard Help Desk for Blackboard related issues.
* Toll Free: 877 708-2934 or Local: 314 539-5934
* From an SLCC phone: Ext. 5934
Students in this courses absolutely must use their new my.stlcc.edu email account. The college has partnered with Microsoft Windows Live to offer customized email accounts for students. In order for my students to receive my messages, they must activate their accounts. Failure to do so will result in students not receiving important information about the course and official communication about add/drop dates, financial aid information etc. from the college. Go to this website for further instructions: http://www.stlcc.edu/Studentemail/
Email address: MFuller@STLCC.edu
Office Hours: 9 to 11 TTh and 11 to 12 MWF
Purpose of the Course:
An orientation course, examining the nature and function of
religion in human experience and culture, and an introduction to the history, content, and present
status of selected world religions, such as Traditional African religions, Traditional Native
American religions, Hinduism, Jainism, Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism
Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and New Age religions.
Textbook:
You will be assigned to read a dozen chapters that are embedded within the Blackboard website. You can print out one copy of each chapter, if you wish. I
recommend that you read the chapters, on-line. Saves paper.
Other Professors use a $70 book for this class.
Hope you don't mind saving the money and stress of driving to get the book or waiting
for it to be mailed from the bookstore. Tell me how this works out. I have also converted my ANT 101, SOC 101, HST 205 classes into
the same format of readings. YOU WILL do significant reading, but not from a paper textbook.
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Objectives:
1. We will use textbook readings, web resources, videos, and a
student survey data to study religion's impact on humankind's socio-political,
historical, economic, and spiritual quest.
2. Understand how religions are formed and respond to change.
3. Recognize the beliefs and rituals of the world's major religions.
Equipment Requirements:
Specific hardware and software requirements are a functional PC or Mac that can
support at least Netscape or Explorer. I only use Safari and Firefox when doing Blackboard! The computer can be at home, work, or in the college library. Several assignments involve streaming audio or streaming videos. These may not work if your have an antique computer.
Be aware that your email contact with me must be through the my.stlcc.edu email address. My assumption is that other email addresses will be spammers, hoaxers or angry boyfriends/girlfriends/parents. Yes, that happens!
VERY IMPORTANT...Sign your name to every email that you send me. Always fill-in the
subject heading of your email or the college spam filter will eat it.
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT....All homework must be submitted through Blackboard. Do not email your answers to me.
There is no way to assign a grade if the homework was not submitted correctly using SUBMIT HERE in Blackboard.
MEGA IMPORTANT... When submitting a homework assignment or taking a quiz, then the easy way to FAIL is by having multiple applications running at one time. Students from last semester have demonstrated that you can flunk an assignment by having Windows media player, facebook, myspace and black board at the same time. Blackboard will crash when multiple applications are running.
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Calendar of Learning:
Week 1 (Aug 23 to 30) Fill out Class Survey at Blackboard. Watch "Welcome" streaming video at Blackboard. Read "Globalization" pdf.
Week 2 (Aug 31 to Sept 6) Watch "Overview" streaming video at Blackboard. Submit Homework 1 that analyzes survey data.
Week 3 (Sept 7 to Sept 13) Watch "Osage" streaming video at Blackboard. Read "Native American Overview" PDF file at Blackboard. Do Hopi Assignment.
Week 4 (Sept 14 to 20) Do Quichol Assignment. Do Pygmy Assignment. Submit Homework 2.
Week 5 (Sept 21 to 27) Read "Hinduism" PDF file in Blackboard. Do Badagas Assignment. Do Bengali Assignment.
Week 6 (Sept 28 to Oct 4) Submit Homework 3. Read "Theravada Buddhism" as PDF file in Blackboard.
Week 7 (Oct 5 to Oct 11) Submit Homework 4. Take Quiz 1 covering assignments 1 to 4. It will consist of 40 questions. IT
MUST BE TAKEN BEFORE 10 PM ON Oct 11TH WHEN IT DISAPPEARS FOREVER!!! Also, homeworks 1 to 4 will not be accepted after Oct 11th.
There are 3 Quizzes during the semester. Each quiz is 40 multiple choice questions.
You will have precisely 80 minutes to take a quiz in the Blackboard computer system. You
get one chance to take a quiz. Don't goof it up!!!
Yes, each quiz is open book, and open notes. Not fair to have your mother take the quiz
(mainly because she won't know the answers!!!).
Beware, if you go surfing for the answers, then that often crashes Blackboard and voids your test.
That is very, very bad, because you will have to take an essay makeup examination.
You do not want to take the makeup test!!! Makeup tests are far more challenging.
How can you prepare for a quiz? There will be reviews for each quiz posted in blackboard!!!!
PS. Questions related to homework learning are also fair game!!!
ALSO.... I do not give incomplete or PR grades in myh classes. Your grade options are A, B, C, D and F. I can not withdraw or drop you from this class. You must contact the Admissions/Registration office to withdraw or drop from this class. The college can require you to come to campus to drop the class. Late drops can only be done with a doctor's note or hospital report. Here is the information on campus admission/registration:
Florissant Valley
3400 Pershall Road
1st Floor Admin Bldg.
St. Louis, MO 63135-1408
Phone: 314-513-4244
Fax: 314-513-4724
fv-admissions@stlcc.edu
M-Th: 8 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Fri: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
