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REL 203 - Understanding Chinese Religions

Course Description

  • Recommended Prep: Placement in ENG 22/60

Taoist, Confucian, Buddhist, Maoist and folk beliefs and practices in social and historical context.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of REL 203, the student will be able to:

  • Demonstrate an understanding of selected points and emphasis which religion, philosophy and culture offer to the question of the meaning and existence.
  • Develop his or her own philosophy and the meaning of existence and through the process of understanding eastern and western religion and to change or clarify his or her beliefs and values.
  • Acquire direct experiences of various religious, philosophical, or 'popular' answers to the question of the meaning of existence where possible. Secondary means of acquiring experiences will also be offered, such as films, speakers, lectures, and reading materials.
  • Share in the teaching/learning process by offering opinions, information, and beliefs in class interaction, and by evaluating and suggesting learning activities.
  • Show an awareness that there is no single "right" answer to the question, and that he must choose alternatives which seem to fulfill the needs of one moment and place, but which may change in the next moment and place and for the next person.
  • Demonstrate his or her ability to understand the major Chinese religions in terms of: Theological and Philosophical concepts, Tenets and Doctrines, Founders and its movements, Disciples and its subsequent expansion, Historical and culture milieu, Geographical location, Linguistic problems, Symbols and its meanings
  • Demonstrate his or her ability to recognize and to identify important terms as used and described by: Theology, Philosophy, Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology
  • Identify terms and relate them to the religion or philosophical concepts.
  • Identify terms and relate them to its founder and historical milieu.
  • Identify terms and relate them to its geographical location.
  • Demonstrate his ability to recognize and identify perennial problems concerning the inter-relationships between the individual and society.
  • Demonstrate his ability to discuss analytically the various proposals or solutions offered for those problems by the various religions and cultures under study.