http://webserver.lemoyne.edu/~glennon/fred2.jpgFred Glennon, Ph.D.
Professor  (RH 227)
Department of Religious Studies
Le Moyne College
Syracuse, New York 13214
(315) 445-4774

REL 405

ACTIVITY OPTIONS

PARTICIPATION (Worth up to 100 points of total course grade).  

One of the assumptions I make is that students learn best in cooperation with others.  However, students do not always have the opportunity or the ability to do it.  One of my goals is to enable students to work collaboratively with others by providing such opportunities.  That is why the basic pedagogy in this class is cooperative learning:  students working in various groups to teach and learn from one another.  To pull this off, it is imperative that students be present and participate actively in their groups.  The Participation Activity is one way of providing incentive to do so.

I also believe that students ought to be rewarded for effort as well as ability.  Students often complain that, no matter how hard they work on an assignment, they can get no higher than a C or a B.  This leaves them disappointed and frustrated.  Through your participation in this class, you have the opportunity to make an A for 100 points of your grade.  That is because the Participation Activity grade measures the effort you put into the class.

 The student's grade for this activity will be determined by class attendance, reading preparation, and successful completion of assessment activities (see list of Assignments on Canvas).

·         Attendance is critical if cooperative learning is to take place. Each student should expect to attend all classes. (But because students want to know how many classes they can miss, students who miss more than 4 classes will receive a D for their participation grade.  Students who miss more than 6 classes can expect no higher than D on their final grade.  Students who miss 7 or more classes will receive an F for the course.  (Note for Athletes:  your participation in the sport will use up your allowable absences.)

·          The online reading response portion of the participation grade will come from successful completion of online reading responses during the semester. (See Canvas under Assignments/Reading Responses for a description of what these entail.)  They should be completed by class time on Thursdays of each week).  Late reading responses will receive no credit. 

·         The final portion of the participation grade will come from completion of assessment exercises (completion of a syllabus quiz, a learning covenant, discussion on learning covenant, mid-term class evaluation, and completion of a final social justice survey). The purpose of these exercises will be to assess student learning of course materials.  (See Canvas, Assignments for Assessment Activities for guidelines for each.).

SOCIAL JUSTICE ACTION/CLASS PRESENTATION/WRITTEN ANALYSIS (Worth 150-200 points of grade).

Click above for a description of this project. 

BOOK REVIEW ESSAY (Worth up to 100 points of course grade). This activity is a formal paper written critiquing several books on, generally, the same topic. Most book review essays review anywhere from two to five books (but this is not a hard-and-fast rule). The book review essay attempts to integrate the books while critiquing them around a common theme; the emphasis is on analysis, not description. The books may be selected from the references provided in the texts or chosen on your own.

Evaluation Criteria:

  1. Content (information and comprehension). How clear and appropriate is the thesis or theme that holds the critique together? How focused, informative, and comprehensive is the paper developed?  How well and accurately are the books understood?  Does the analysis come up with points which are more than descriptive and which lead to further insights? Do the points made in the critique go beyond the obvious?
  2. Organization (clarity, transition, and flow). Is there a logical progression and development of ideas?  How clearly are the ideas expressed?  How effective is the transition between ideas?  How effective is the introduction and conclusion?   
  3. Sources (variety/credibility of resources). Are there at least two books used?  How relevant, accurate, and credible is the information used from those books?  How well does the information support the thesis or theme being explored?  
  4. Presentation (grammar, spelling, vocabulary).  Are the grammar and spelling correct?  Are there a variety of proper sentence and paragraph structures employed?  Is the vocabulary accurately and effectively used?
  5. Documentation (appropriate sources and formatting).  How complete and correct is the documentation about the books used?

 

LECTURE (Worth up to 50 points of total course grade). Le Moyne College brings a variety of scholars and others to campus each semester who often address ethical themes or issues.  Some already on the schedule include:

 

Speaker

Topic

Date, Time, Place

George Yancy, Ph.D.
Emory University

"Martin Luther King Convocation Speaker"

Thursday, Jan. 26, 4pm, James Commons

Brian Stolarz, J.D.
Partner, LaClair-Ryan

"Race and Justice on Death Row"

Thursday, Feb. 2, 4pm, SCA 101

Elizabeth Calvin

Berrigan Lecture

“’These aren’t children, they’re monsters:’ Sentencing Children to Die in Prison in the U.S”

Tuesday, Feb. 7, 6pm, Grewen Auditorium

Massimo Faggioli, Ph.D.
Villanova University

"The Trump Presidency and the Catholic Church between the US and the Vatican"

Thursday, Feb. 16, 7:00pm, Panasci Family Chapel

Khurram Hussain, Ph.D.

Hobart &William Smith

“Calling on Malcolm X in the Time of Trump - Racism, Muslim Oppression and Reimagining Resistance with Black Lives Matter”

Tuesday, Mar. 16, 5:00pm, Grewen Auditorium

Prudence Bushnell,

U.S. Ambassador to Kenya (ret)

"Genocide in Rwanda, 1994:  Personal, Policy, and Leadership Lessons"

Wednesday, Apr. 3, 5:30pm, Panasci Family Chapel

Joel Winkelman, Ph.D.
Hamilton College

 "The Vocation of a Citizen:  Lessons from American Political Thought"

 Tuesday, Apr. 4, 4:00pm, Reilley Room

 

 

 

 

This activity requires that you attend a lecture and discussion and write a reaction/analysis to the ideas presented. If you complete this activity, you should attend the ENTIRE event. Thus, you should arrive on time to attend the entire presentation and question session. You should participate if possible. You will write an analysis of the presentation and question session. Here again, the analysis should be critical, not merely descriptive.

Evaluation Criteria:

  1. Content (information and comprehension). How clear and appropriate is the analytical framework that holds the entire together? How focused, informative, and comprehensive is the paper developed?  How well is the lecture understood?  How well does the paper make connections between the various components of the lecture?  Does the critique of the lecture accurately interpret the presentation or are there distortions which seriously weaken the critique? Do the points made in the critique go beyond the obvious?
  2. Organization (clarity, transition, and flow). Is there a logical progression and development of ideas?  How clearly are the ideas expressed?  How well does the analysis illustrate the ideas drawn from the lecture?  How effective is the transition between ideas?  How effective is the introduction and conclusion?   
  3. Presentation (grammar, spelling, vocabulary).  Are the grammar and spelling correct?  Are there a variety of proper sentence and paragraph structures employed?  Is the vocabulary accurately and effectively used?

 

Two lecture analyses must be done for this activity to count for 100 points of grade.

ANALYSIS OF SOCIAL JUSTICE ORGANIZATION (Worth up to 50 points of total course grade). This activity requires that the student select an organization that works for social justice (e.g. food banks, Catholic Social Services, environmental groups, jail ministry/advocacy group, etc.). Talk with folks in the Campus Ministry office for possibilities. Arrange a visit to the organization to find out the mission and purpose of the organization, the population it serves or issues it addresses, and how they go about their work. In particular, focus on the values or beliefs that motivate their work. Then make a report on the organization which is not merely descriptive but analytical in that the report shows the connectedness between mission, beliefs/values, and organization. Moreover, you should include a critique of the organization from your perspective. This report can be written, but may use other media as well (such as photographs, videotape, etc.)

Evaluation Criteria:

  1. Content (information and comprehension). How clear and appropriate is the analytical framework that holds the entire paper together? How focused, informative, and comprehensive is the paper developed?  Is the organization understood well or are there major distortions which seriously weaken the report?  How well does the report make connections between the beliefs/values the organization professes and the work they do?  Does the report make points about the organization that go beyond the obvious?
  2. Organization (clarity, transition, and flow). Is there a logical progression and development of ideas?  How clearly are the ideas expressed?  How well does the report show the mission and work of the organization in question?  How effective is the transition between ideas?  How effective is the introduction and conclusion?   
  3. Sources (variety/credibility of resources). Are there a variety of materials from the organization used?  How relevant, accurate, and credible is the information used from those sources?  How well does the information support the analysis being developed?  
  4. Presentation (grammar, spelling, vocabulary).  Are the grammar and spelling correct?  Are there a variety of proper sentence and paragraph structures employed?  Is the vocabulary accurately and effectively used?
  5. Documentation (appropriate sources and formatting).  How complete and correct is the documentation about the organization?

WEB SITE EXPLORATION AND ANALYSIS (Worth up to 50 points of total course grade) 

This activity requires that students choose one or more web sites that address the themes discussed in class (sexuality, justice, economics, sexism, healthcare, the environment, etc.).  You must explore the entire site or sites, not simply one page on the site. The student will review the materials on that subject present at the web site and write an analysis (the mission and purpose of the site, the link structure, the materials, etc.) and evaluation (the appearance and ease of use of the site, effectiveness in achieving the site's mission and purpose, quality of the information found there, etc.) of the site (4-5 pages). The student does not need to supply written copies of the materials reviewed for her/his analysis, but should make sure the addresses of the sites are clearly indicated. (Note: note all web sites are of the same quality. It is important that you search out the best ones for this activity, those that are affiliated with a particular institution whether it be academic, research, or advocacy group. Stay away from personal web sites if possible. For suggestions on possible web sites, see the professor. Good search engines to use in this activity include Google (http://www.google.com) and Yahoo! Search (http://search.yahoo.com). 

Evaluation Criteria:

  1. Content (information and comprehension). How clear and appropriate is the thesis or theme that holds the website analysis together? How focused, informative, and comprehensive is the paper developed?  How well is the topic understood?  Have all the relevant questions/issues been addressed? Have counter-arguments (if appropriate) been presented and dealt with?  Does the analysis come up with points which are more than descriptive and which lead to further insights? Do the points made in the analysis go beyond the obvious?
  2. Organization (clarity, transition, and flow). Is there a logical progression and development of ideas?  How clearly are the ideas expressed?  How effective is the transition between ideas?  How effective is the introduction and conclusion?   
  3. Sources (variety/credibility of resources). Are there a variety of web sites or pages on a single web site used?  How relevant, accurate, and credible is the information used from those sources?  How well does the information support the thesis or theme being explored?  
  4. Presentation (grammar, spelling, vocabulary).  Are the grammar and spelling correct?  Are there a variety of proper sentence and paragraph structures employed?  Is the vocabulary accurately and effectively used?
  5. Documentation (appropriate sources and formatting).  How complete and correct is the documentation about the web site (s)?

 

Two website analyses must be done for this activity to count for 100 points.

MID-TERM EXAMINATION (Worth up to 100 points of total course grade). This activity will consist of an exam taken on Canvas that will cover the material in the first half of the semester (even if you make it due near the end of the semester).  The material from which the questions (objective and essay) will be taken consists of assigned readings and class.  The exam will have a 75 minute time limit.  

Evaluation Criteria for essay questions:

  1. Content (information and comprehension). How clear and appropriate is the answer in addressing the question asked? How focused, informative, and comprehensive is the essay developed?  How well is the subject matter understood?  Does the essay make points which go beyond the obvious?
  2. Organization (clarity, transition, and flow). Is there a logical progression and development of ideas in the answer?  How clearly are the ideas expressed?  How effective is the transition between ideas?  How effective is the introduction and conclusion?   
  3. Sources (variety/credibility of resources). Are there a variety of references used?  How relevant, accurate, and credible is the information used from those sources?  How well does the information support the question being answered?  
  4. Presentation (grammar, spelling, vocabulary).  Are the grammar and spelling correct?  Are there a variety of proper sentence and paragraph structures employed?  Is the vocabulary accurately and effectively used?

FILM OR PLAY REVIEW(S) (Worth up to 50 points of total course grade). This activity recognizes that there are many films and plays about social issues which have moral and ethical implications (e.g. Philadelphia, Capitalism:A Love Story, Sicko, John Q, Gattaca, the Island, Spotlight, Birth of a Nation, The Help, etc.). Unless otherwise specified the review (s) would take written form. The emphasis would be critical more than descriptive. 

A good film review is not simply a discussion of the film with a personal opinion attached to the end. It is not picking up an important theme in the film and then spending most of your time discussing your view on the subject either. Rather, a good film review generally begins with an interpretation of what you think the central theme (or themes) of the film is. (To get at this you might ask yourself, "What does the filmmaker want the viewer (me) to take from this film?") What is the filmmaker saying about this theme (themes)? You should be able to state this clearly in one or perhaps two paragraphs. The bulk of the remainder of the review should then discuss/describe key scenes from the film that illustrate why your interpretation of the filmmaker’s intent or theme makes sense. You don’t have to discuss every scene in the film, but you should be sure to discuss most of the relevant scenes to support your view. You may then discuss a bit whether or not you think the filmmaker was successful in her/his efforts. You should then conclude the review with a good summary of your argument/discussion.

Two film reviews must be done for this activity to count for 100 points.

Evaluation Criteria:

  1. Content (information and comprehension). How clear and appropriate is the paper in identifying and analyzing the main theme (s) of the film?  How focused, informative, and comprehensive is the analysis developed?  How well is the film and subject matter understood?   How appropriate is the film for this course?  Do the points made in the critique go beyond the obvious?
  2. Organization (clarity, transition, and flow). Is there a logical progression and development of ideas in the paper?  How clearly are the ideas expressed?  How effective is the transition between ideas?  How effective is the introduction and conclusion?   
  3. Sources (variety/credibility of resources). Are there a variety of scenes referenced in the review?  How relevant, accurate, and credible is the information used from those scenes?  How well does the information from the scenes support the analysis being developed?  
  4. Presentation (grammar, spelling, vocabulary).  Are the grammar and spelling correct?  Are there a variety of proper sentence and paragraph structures employed?  Is the vocabulary accurately and effectively used?
  5. Documentation.  How complete and correct is the documentation about the film?

INTEGRATIVE ESSAY OVER REQUIRED TEXTS (Worth up to 75 points of total course grade) This activity, which would be due toward the conclusion of the semester, calls for you to link each of the texts used in the course around some integrative/ analytical theme or thesis of your own devising. Since most of the required readings are essays, you would pick out key essays that fit your thesis. The emphasis is on analysis rather than mere description.

Evaluation Criteria:

  1. Content (information and comprehension). How clear and appropriate is the thesis or theme that holds the paper together? How focused, informative, and comprehensive is the paper developed?  How well are the texts understood?   Does the analysis come up with points which are more than description and lead us to further insights not already made in the books? Do the points made in the essay go beyond the obvious? 
  2. Organization (clarity, transition, and flow). Is there a logical progression and development of ideas?  How clearly are the ideas expressed?  How effective is the transition between ideas?  How effective is the introduction and conclusion?   Are the points made supported by examples, good reasoning, etc., or are they merely asserted?
  3. Sources (variety/credibility of resources). Are key parts of the course texts used?  How relevant, accurate, and credible is the information used from those texts?  How well does the information support the thesis or theme being explored?  Does the critique accurately interpret the authors or are there major distortions which seriously weaken the essay?
  4. Presentation (grammar, spelling, vocabulary).  Are the grammar and spelling correct?  Are there a variety of proper sentence and paragraph structures employed?  Is the vocabulary accurately and effectively used?
  5. Documentation (appropriate sources and formatting).  How complete and correct is the documentation?

THOUGHT PAPERS (Worth up to 75 points of total course grade). This activity consists of short (3-5 pages) typed papers which are your reactions to things which have been happening in class or reactions to ideas you have come across elsewhere (e.g. in a book, in discussions with friends, etc.). The thoughts should be ORIGINAL and UNIQUE, they should not merely restate what others have said. These may or may not be distributed to the entire class depending upon whether you want them to be or not. They should be tightly focused and should concern themselves with only a single topic; as such, they should be logical and well-written. A minimum of three (3) must be submitted and due dates for each should be given.

Evaluation Criteria:

  1. Content (information and comprehension). How clear and appropriate is the thesis or issue that holds the entire paper together? How focused, informative, and comprehensive is the paper developed?  How well is the topic understood?    
  2. Organization (clarity, transition, and flow). Is there a logical progression and development of ideas?  How clearly are the ideas expressed?  How effective is the transition between ideas?  How effective is the introduction and conclusion?   
  3. Evidence and Insightfulness (credibility of argument). How effective is the use of evidence to support the points made in the paper?  How well does the paper make points that go beyond the obvious rather than simply restate some other perspective?  
  4. Presentation (grammar, spelling, vocabulary).  Are the grammar and spelling correct?  Are there a variety of proper sentence and paragraph structures employed?  Is the vocabulary accurately and effectively used?

JOURNAL (Worth up to 75 points of total course grade). This activity consists of developing a journal that includes at least three entries per week and should be entries which have been generated by ideas which you have come across in class, readings, the interactions of those in class, etc., and they should reflect broadly on the religious and/or moral dimensions of human experience. (In other words, don't write about your date on Friday Night unless you can discuss the religious or moral aspects of it.) The journal entries may take several different forms---they could be highly analytical, they could be emotive, they could focus on one problem or issue throughout the entire semester, etc. Whatever form it takes it must be specified prior to beginning its writing. The journal will be due twice during the semester; once around mid-term and once at the conclusion of the semester (unless otherwise specified). The mid-term evaluation will be returned with comments (no grade). A grade will be assigned at the conclusion of the semester.

Evaluation Criteria:

  1. Content (insight and reflection). How clear and appropriate are the entries in the journal? How focused, informative, or reflective are they?  How well do the entries reflect the emotions, ideas, reflections of the writer?
  2. Organization (consistency and clarity). Are there an appropriate number of entries for this activity?  Does the journal reflect a consistent effort or does it appear more thrown together at the last minute?  How clearly are the ideas expressed?  How effective is the organization of the journal?    
  1. Presentation (grammar, writing style).  Are the journal entries legible with minimal errors that detract from the content?

ARTWORK (Worth up to 75 points of total course grade): The purpose of this activity is to allow those with artistic ability to demonstrate their learning through this creative medium.  This might include works such as poems, paintings, cartoons, photographs, videotapes, sculptures, performances, and the like which you actually create. (See chart below to see how much each project can count toward final grade.)  The object is to convey some ideas, thoughts, or feelings through the use of symbols which enables you to demonstrate that you have met one of content course learning objectives 2-6 (see syllabus for these objectives) or a content learning objective you developed and the professor approves.  (In other words, although the artwork activity may enable you to develop your artistic abilities or to express your understanding of the relationship between religion and ethics through a creative medium, it must also demonstrate your learning in one of the content areas of the course.). These may be shared with the class or they may be shared only with the professor. In addition to the piece of artwork itself, you should attach a brief (2-4) page written statement which explains the purpose of the artwork, the learning objective you sought to meet, and how you have attempted to accomplish it.

Poems, collages, photographs:  0-50 points
Paintings, sculptures, video creations, performances:  0-75 points

Evaluation Criteria:

FILM PRESENTATION/DISCUSSION LEADERSHIP (Worth up to 50 points of total course grade). This activity requires that you select a film, arrange to have it shown at an appropriate time during the semester, and lead a discussion of the film following its viewing. This may be an academic or relevant popular film. This activity must be done outside of class. (arrangements must be made to have the discussion videotaped.)

Evaluation Criteria:

  1. Content (information and comprehension). How appropriate is the film for the course?  How clear is the topic and the purpose that holds the presentation together? How focused, informative, and comprehensive is the presentation made?  How well is the film and topic understood?    
  2. Organization (clarity, transition, and flow). How well (smoothly and as planned) did the presentation go?  Is there a logical progression and development of ideas in the presentation?  How clearly are the ideas expressed?  How effective is the transition between ideas?  How effective is the introduction and conclusion?   
  3. Sources (variety/credibility of resources). Are there a variety of sources used to make the presentation?  How relevant, accurate, and credible is the information used from those sources?  How well does the information support the theme in the film being explored?  
  4. Ability to interest and involve the audience (impact). How effective were you in engaging the students in the presentation (i.e. how many were involved and how intense were they)?  How well did you prepare students for the film (i.e. provide readings ahead of time)?  How effective were you in enabling students to gain insight into the film?

Caveat: This activity should be completed no later than two weeks prior to the end of the semester.

FIELD TRIP (Worth up to 100 points of total course grade) This activity may include either a trip you take by yourself or with others to some place of significance for the course (Women's Rights museum in Seneca Falls, Skä•noñh – Great Law of Peace Center on Onondaga Lake Parkway, Holocaust Museum, or site of some significance for issues related to oppression and injustice, etc.) or you might arrange to take the entire class (or all those willing and able to go). Note: Upon completion of the trip a report (either written or oral) must be made in which you describe what you did to prepare for the trip, what you did on the trip, what was learned, etc.

Evaluation Criteria:

  1. Content (information and comprehension). How clear and appropriate is the field trip for the course?  How focused, informative, and comprehensive is the report made?  How well is the field trip understood and executed?  How insightful are are the observations and conclusions of the report?
  2. Organization (clarity, transition, and flow). How well (smoothly and as planned) did the field trip go?  Is there a logical progression and development of ideas in the report?  How clearly are the ideas expressed?  How effective is the transition between ideas?  How effective is the introduction and conclusion?   
  3. Sources (variety/credibility of resources). Are there a variety of sources drawn from the site visited to make the report?  How relevant, accurate, and credible is the information used from those sources?  How well does the information support the report being made?  
  4. Presentation (grammar, spelling, vocabulary).  Are the grammar and spelling correct?  Are there a variety of proper sentence and paragraph structures employed?  Is the vocabulary accurately and effectively used?
  5. Documentation (appropriate sources and formatting).  How complete and correct is the documentation?

GAME (Worth up to 50 points of total course grade) This activity asks you to create a game relevant to this course.  In addition to the game itself (which includes directions, appropriate equipment, etc.) there should be an accompanying written statement which details the purpose of the game and explains PRECISELY how the purpose is achieved by the game. The statement should be detailed, thorough, and precise.

Evaluation Criteria:

  1. Content (information and comprehension). How clear and appropriate is the game for the course?  How focused, informative, and comprehensive is the game?  How insightful is the game in provoking interest and learning for the players?  
  2. Organization (clarity, transition, and flow). How well is the game developed?  Is there a logical progression between the objective of the game and directions for playing?  How clearly are the directions expressed?   How well does the game accomplish its stated objectives?  
  3. Sources (variety/credibility of resources). Are there a variety of sources used to develop the game?  How relevant, accurate, and credible is the information used from those sources?  How well does the information support the purpose and playing of the game?  
  4. Presentation (look and structure).  Does the game merely "imitate" standard games or does it modify them or develop some new concepts?  How appealing is the look of the game?  How well are the game pieces, board, cards, etc., developed?  With regard to the written statement, are the grammar and spelling correct?  Are there a variety of proper sentence and paragraph structures employed?  Is the vocabulary accurately and effectively used?

TEACHING/CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT (Worth up to 50 points of total course grade) This activity involves one or more students in assessing the effectiveness of the teaching and learning processes used in the course.  Students will meet bi-weekly with the professor to discuss what occurred in the previous week’s classes and what will happen in the weeks ahead. I will provide students with copies of my objectives and selected activities for each class ahead of time so that they can write comments as the class proceeds. In particular, students are to note if the objective for each class was achieved or not and what helped or hindered its achievement. At our meetings, we will discuss your comments and make suggestions for how the class might be improved upon and what I need to do in classes ahead to insure that the material is learned better.  In addition, students should pay attention to the processes that are going on in class that help or hinder the effectiveness of the class.

Evaluation Criteria:

  1. Effort.  How much time and effort did you put into this activity?  How faithful were you in attendance at meetings?  How well did you understand the overall direction of the class?  How prepared were you for our discussions?  How detailed were your procedural notes and record-keeping?
  2. Initiative and leadership.  How effective were you in taking initiative in bringing issues that arose in class to the attention of the professor?  
  3. Insightfulness and creativity.  How insightful were your understandings of what worked and did not work in the class?  How helpful were your suggestions for improvement?

Wild Card (Worth up to 50 points of total course grade). The list of activities I have provided are meant to be suggestive, but not exhaustive. If you can develop new and unique activities, I encourage you to do so. However, you must discuss these with me and you must assist in the development of appropriate evaluation criteria and restrictions for those activities.