Course Syllabus

  • General Information (Select in order to expand this section)
    • REL3027: Meditation and the Mystical Traditions; Section RVC

      Instructor Erin Weston

      Please Use Canvas' Email feature

      (305) 348-1329

      DM 322B (MMC)

       


      Course Description and Purpose

      This course has been developed by the faculty of the Department of Religious Studies, with each professor lecturing on meditation and mysticism in his or her area of religious specialization. The course will examine meditation and mysticism within each of the major world religions, as well as within some indigenous religions. Each module consists of PowerPoint lectures by faculty, readings, a weekly quiz, brief weekly assignments (of which each student must submit four), and two exams, each consisting of multiple choice questions and an essay portion.


      Course Objectives

      Students will be able to:

      • Explain the basic history, development, and belief system of various religious traditions.
      • Recognize religious themes and concepts found in other cultures.
      • Identify the meaning behind religious concepts and symbols.
      • Apply critical thinking to various topics in the field of religious studies.
      • Think creatively about religious issues in the contemporary world.
      • Perform field research to better understand a particular religious community.
  • Important Course Information (Select in order to expand this section)
    • Policies

      Please review the FIU's Policies webpage. The policies webpage contains essential information regarding guidelines relevant to all courses at FIU, as well as additional information about acceptable netiquette for online courses.


      Technical Requirements & Skills  

      One of the greatest barriers to taking an online course is a lack of basic computer literacy. By computer literacy we mean being able to manage and organize computer files efficiently, and learning to use your computer's operating system and software quickly and easily. Keep in mind that this is not a computer literacy course; but students enrolled in online courses are expected to have moderate proficiency using a computer. Please go to the "What's Required" webpage to find out more information on this subject.

      Please visit our Technical Requirements webpage for additional information.


       FIU LIBRARY SUPPORT

      The FIU library provides a number of services to distance learning students. For example:

      Students can request a chat session in Blackboard for an explanation on how to access library resources. 
      Students can request detailed instructions on how to access library resources. 
      One-on-One assistance from the Distance Learning Librarian. 

      Don't struggle through your library research alone! Help is available. For further information, contact Sarah Hammill, Distance Learning Librarian, via email at hammills@fiu.edu or call 305-919-5604. 

      You can visit the FIU Library at: http://library.fiu.edu/ 


       Accessibility And Accommodation 

      The Disability Resource Center collaborates with students, faculty, staff, and community members to create diverse learning environments that are usable, equitable, inclusive and sustainable. The DRC provides FIU students with disabilities the necessary support to successfully complete their education and participate in activities available to all students. If you have a diagnosed disability and plan to utilize academic accommodations, please contact the Center at 305-348-3532 or visit them at the Graham Center GC 190.

      Please visit our ADA Compliance webpage for information about accessibility involving the tools used in this course.

      Please visit Blackboard's Commitment Accessibility webpage for more information. 

      For additional assistance please contact FIU's Disability Resource Center.

      Religious holidays
      Every effort will be made, where feasible and practical, to accommodate students whose religious practices coincide with class requirements scheduling. Please make sure to notify your instructor at the beginning of the semester of which dates you will be absent or any anticipated problems with completing course work.  


      Academic Misconduct Statement 

      Florida International University is a community dedicated to generating and imparting knowledge through excellent teaching and research, the rigorous and respectful exchange of ideas and community service. All students should respect the right of others to have an equitable opportunity to learn and honestly to demonstrate the quality of their learning. Therefore, all students are expected to adhere to a standard of academic conduct, which demonstrates respect for themselves, their fellow students, and the educational mission of the University. All students are deemed by the University to understand that if they are found responsible for academic misconduct, they will be subject to the Academic Misconduct procedures and sanctions, as outlined in the Student Handbook.

      Academic Misconduct includes: Cheating – The unauthorized use of books, notes, aids, electronic sources; or assistance from another person with respect to examinations, course assignments, field service reports, class recitations; or the unauthorized possession of examination papers or course materials, whether originally authorized or not. Plagiarism – The use and appropriation of another’s work without any indication of the source and the representation of such work as the student’s own. Any student who fails to give credit for ideas, expressions or materials taken from another source, including internet sources, is responsible for plagiarism.

      Learn more about the academic integrity policies and procedures as well as student resources that can help you prepare for a successful semester.  


      Proctored Exam Policy

      There are no proctored exams in this course.


      Course Prerequisites

      There are no prerequisites for this course.


       Required Course Purchase(s)

       
      Book cover for Mysticism: Holiness East and West

      Mysticism: Holiness East and West
      Denise Carmody and John Carmody
      Oxford University Press, 1996
      ISBN-10: 0195088190
      ISBN-13: 978-0195088199
      You may purchase your textbook online at the FIU Bookstore.

      Book cover for Worldly Wonder: Religions Enter the Ecological Phase

      Worldly Wonder: Religions Enter the Ecological Phase
      Mary Evelyn Tucker
      Open Court, 2003
      ISBN-10: 0812695291
      ISBN-13: 978-0812695298
      You may purchase your textbook online at the FIU Bookstore.

       
      Expectations of This Course  

      This is an online course, meaning that most of the course work will be conducted online. Expectations for performance in an online course are the same as for a traditional course; in fact, online courses require a degree of self-motivation, self-discipline, and technology skills that can make them more demanding for some students.

      In addition to the completion of writing assignments and exams, the primary requirement for successful completion of this course will be an open mind. Students are expected to exhibit respect to all religious traditions and peoples at all times. Thus, disrespectful or derisive commentary will not be tolerated in this course. Religion is, after all, a very personal and sensitive subject for many.

      On the other hand, class participants can expect academic freedom to express their views. Although religion can be personal, this is an academic course taken for college credit and thus students are expected to examine the topics rigorously. Religion shall not be exempt from the scrutiny placed on any and all academic subjects. Students will be responsible for all materials covered in class. Exams may include any and all of the aforementioned materials.

      Students are expected to:

      • Review the how to get started information located in the course content
      • Introduce yourself to the class during the first week by posting a self introduction in the appropriate discussion forum
      • Take the practice quiz to ensure that your computer is compatible with Blackboard
      • Interact online with instructor and peers
      • Review and follow the course calendar
      • Log in to the course at least 5 times per week
      • Respond to discussion boards, blogs and journal postings by the deadline.
      • Respond to messages within 3 days or sooner.
      • Submit assignments by the corresponding deadline

      The instructor will:

      • Log in to the course 4 times per week
      • Respond to blogs and journal postings within 1 week.
      • Respond to messages within 3 days or sooner.
      • Grade assignments within 2 weeks of the assignment deadline.
  • Course Details (Select in order to expand this section)

    Course Communication

    Good communication is vital to successful online courses.

    Contacting me through Canvas' Email feature.

    Visit our Writing Resources webpage for more information on professional writing and technical communication skills.  


    Discussions

    Keep in mind that your discussion forum postings will likely be seen by other members of the course. Care should be taken when determining what to post.


    Assessments

    In order to mitigate any issues with your computer and online assessments, it is very important that you take the "Practice Quiz" from each computer you will be using to take your graded quizzes and exams. It is your responsibility to make sure your computer meets the minimum hardware requirements.

    Assessments in this course are not compatible with mobile devices and should not be taken through a mobile phone or a tablet. If you need further assistance please contact FIU Online Support Services.

    Quizzes

    A weekly time-restricted, online quiz will be given based on the materials covered each week. You can take each quiz two times, and the higher of the two attempts will be recorded. Even if you do well on the first attempt, it is advisable to use both attempts. You will not receive the same quiz every time; the computer randomly chooses the questions from a quiz database. The objective questions in Exam 1 and Exam 2 will be taken directly from this database. Thus, the more times you take the quiz, the more questions you will receive and the better prepared you will be for the exams.

    For the quizzes, you will have 20 minutes to complete 10 questions. Each quiz will be open from Monday to Sunday, and you can take it on any of those days at any time.

    Important Policy on Quiz Resets: Quiz resets will not be granted. You will receive two attempts to complete each quiz, if you are logged offline or you have technical failure while attempting the quiz, then you still have the second attempt to complete the quiz.

    Resetting quizzes after they have passed will require a serious and verifiable reason (death in the family, hospitalization, serious accident, etc.).

    If you know that you will be unable to take a quiz during a specific week, contact the instructor in advance, and the quiz may be opened so you may take it early. It is the responsibility of students to keep up with the readings and take the quizzes on time.


    Exams

    Exam 1 and Exam 2 consist of both objective and essay portions. The objective portions of Exam 1 and Exam 2 are both online, time-restricted examinations. They are in the Assessments area. Students  have only one attempt to complete the objective portions of the Exam 1 and Exam 2 unlike the quizzes. Please make note of this important difference.

    The essay topics for the exams will become available in the Assessment area during the exam availability time. The essay portions of these exams must be submitted to turnitin.com via Blackboard (you do not need to register separately with Turnitin.com). Review the detailed Turnitin Instructions on how to submit your assignments and how to review the Grademark comments (feedback) from your professor. Please see the folder under Course Content labeled "Assignment Dropbox" for links.

    The essays for Exam 1 and Exam 2 should each be approximately 500-750 words long.


    Assignments'

    • There will be ten (10) assignments posted, but you will need to complete only four (4) of these. The assignments will be turned in to the Assignment Dropbox Folder. Click on the link in the Assignments folder on the Course Content page.
    • These should not be written off the top of your head, but should demonstrate that they are informed by the readings and lectures. You need not agree with parts of the readings or lectures, but should be able to discuss the basis of your disagreement.
    • Each assignment should be approximately 250-500 words, depending on the essay topic. Some of the assignments require longer responses than others.
    • Keep electronic and paper copies of all written work. For your own protection, keep a copy of your turnitin.com electronic receipt (confirmation of assignment submission) until you have received your final grade for the course.
    • Late work will not be accepted

    PLAGIARISM
    Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Plagiarism, or attempting to pass off another's work as your own, falls into three different categories:

    1. A written work that is entirely stolen from another source;
    2. Using quotations from another source without properly citing them; and
    3. Paraphrasing from another source without proper citations.

    Students are expected to understand the definition of plagiarism. See the University Code of Academic Integrity if you need further clarification. Offenders will receive a grade of F for the plagiarized assignment, and possibly the course.

    **STUDENTS MAY NOT SUBMIT WORK FROM A PREVIOUS SEMESTER OR FROM ANOTHER CLASS FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT OR ANY OTHER ASSIGNMENT IN THIS COURSE. IT WILL BE FLAGGED FOR PLAGIARISM BY TURNITIN.


    Grading 
    Course Requirements Number of Items Points for Each Weight
    Midterm Exam (Objective - 50 points and Essay - 50 points) 1 100 30%
    Final Exam (Objective - 50 points and Essay - 50 points) 1 100 30%
    Quizzes 13 100 20%
    Assignments 4 100 20%
    Total 19   100%

    Letter Range (%) Letter Range (%) Letter Range (%)
    A 95 or above B 83 - 86 C 70 - 76
    A- 90 - 94 B- 80 - 82 D 60 - 69
    B+ 87 - 89 C+ 77 - 79 F 59 or less

     

Course Summary:

Date Details Due