It is not so very important for a person to learn facts. For that he does not really need a college. He can learn them from books. The value of an education in a liberal arts college is not the learning of many facts but the training of the mind to think something that cannot be learned from textbooks.
(Albert Einstein, 1921, in response to Thomas Edison’s opinion that a college education is useless)

In much wisdom is much vexation, and those who increase knowledge increase in sorrow.
(Ecclesiastes 1.18)

Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

(Anonymous)

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.

(William Butler Yeats)

Welcome!

Welcome back to campus and to Religion 601: Religion Capstone! This course is designed to provide Religion (i.e., World Religions or Christian Traditions) and Christian Education majors with an opportunity to reflect on the significant questions that have been raised, researched, and discussed during the past seven semesters, particularly those that lie at the heart of the study of religion at Westminster. You will now think reflectively and critically about the experience of having taken all the religion courses thus far. You will read, think, write, and speak reflectively and critically not only about religion, but about the study of religion and about how all the courses you've taken have influenced your thinking. More specifically, our aim for this synthetic analysis or analytic synthesis will be • to articulate how the themes and issues covered in Inquiry have related to what you have learned in your subsequent coursework, • to articulate the interplay between the liberal arts curriculum and the major courses, • to articulate what have become for you the most significant questions or issues as they have been raised and informed by your courses, and • to articulate how you see the integration of (or interplay between) academic learning and your beliefs and practices. Achieving these goals will not be easy; the course will require hard work on your part. At the same time, you can expect this course to be full of challenging, enlightening, exciting, frustrating, and rewarding experiences.

Requirements and evaluation for the course
Evaluation	For my criteria for evaluation of assignments go to Evaluation and read the information carefully.   NB: If you have any questions regarding any assignment, please 1) ask in class for the benefit of others or 2) make an appointment to see me.
Assigned readings	The readings are essential and should be completed before the classes for which they are assigned. Keeping notes on the readings is highly recommended. Occasionally I may assign additional readings, but these will ordinarily be short.   You must come to class with 2–3 pages of brief summaries of the main points or arguments of the readings and critical reflections (e.g., critical insights or questions) on them. These should demonstrate your ability   1) to grasp and organize the essential or significant ideas proposed by the readings and 2) your ability to articulate your understanding in a concise, coherent way.   What you write will provide the basis for our class discussion. This The primary focus throughout the course will be on cultivating the ability to analyze questions and arguments as well as to synthesize (or relate) that analysis with other questions and issues.   The quality of these weekly papers will constitute the major part of your participation grade.
Capstone Project	The Capstone project may be a research paper, or a combination of research paper and something else that is significant for your training in Christian Education or Religion (or for your future plans). You must discuss your plans with me for approval as early as possible in the semester, so that you can begin your work.   You will write a 15-page research paper (20–30 pp.) in which you address one or several aims of the course (see above). You may focus your research on a particular theme or issue of your choice, while drawing on all your college training and on your own experience of studying religion at Westminster.   To encourage and aid your self-reflection, professors in the department will visit the class to offer their own responses to some of the core questions, sharing their experiences in graduate institutions where they were trained, as well as in the professional or religious (or both) contexts in which they have taught. • You must submit (on the R-drive) and discuss with me the following two preliminary, ungraded assignments, the quality of which may affect your final paper grade. You must bring a hard copy of these for discussion.   1) Proposal: Submit in one file   1.1) a paragraph stating your proposal for research and   1.2) a preliminary bibliography that includes at least 10 secondary sources (besides course textbooks or reference books) you found to be promising for your paper, including 5 journal articles.   You may use Web sources for your research, but they will not count among the 10 sources required for this assignment. NB: Electronic sources count only if you provide evidence that they also exist in print form.   Use the Chicago Manual of Style (or Turabian) for the bibliography.   2) Draft: Submit in one file   2.1) a clear introductory paragraph that includes the thesis of your paper,   2.2) two sample paragraphs, and   2.3) your revised bibliography (or works cited). • The paper should represent original work (i.e., your own thoughts), not a mere digest of other people’s opinions. Your own reading and re-reading of the relevant texts, as well as review of other materials, are fundamental to the task. I want to know what you discover in your engagement with the text(s)—a "text" can be written works, art works, music, plays, movies, interview, research results, poll data etc.—whether or not you agree with the authors or the opinions presented in class, including mine.   Focus on honing your ability to argue for your opinions and conclusions by supporting them with evidence from texts (especially primary sources) and other relevant sources. • Your final bibliography (or works cited) must contain at least 8 sources, including 4 journal articles used in your paper.   Use only printed sources in your paper, even if you used Web sources during your research. NB: Electronic sources count only if you provide evidence that they also exist in print form.   Use footnotes to document your sources following the Chicago Manual of Style (or Turabian). Learn the automatic footnote function of your word processor. • Follow all the instructions given on my Evaluation page under Written assignments.
Capstone Portfolio	You will assemble and organize a portfolio containing the papers and projects you produced during the past seven semesters that have been most significant for your liberal arts journey and for your major. In that portfolio, the Capstone project will be included as the culmination of your reflection and work.   Part 1 will be a table of contents that outlines a logical progression or the interconnections among your various academic opera (including what insights or questions you gained, etc.).   Part 2 will contain annotations of your table of contents that briefly reflect on the significance of the contents.   [NB: If you wish, you may submit an annotated table of contents that combines the first two parts.]   Part 3 will be a narrative overview (3–4 pages) for the entire portfolio which will reflect on the curriculum represented by the contents and also on how such a curriculum has prepared you for life after college, no matter what the immediate future holds for you (e.g., further studies, work, travel).   An electronic portfolio would be preferred.   You will do a PowerPoint presentation of your portfolio in class (ca. 30 mins) and respond to questions and critique.
Terms	You will become familiar with the terms in the glossary of Loder's Transforming Moment.
Quizzes & exams	There will be 2 short quizzes (10–15 minutes long) and 1 longer quiz at midterm (20–30 minutes long). They will cover the materials in the course, including the reading assignments and terms, we will have covered by the time of the quizzes. The final exam will cover the entire sweep of the course. See my Evaluation page under Quizzes and examinations. The instructor reserves the right to administer pop quizzes, the results of which may affect the evaluation of your participation.   In lieu of the final exam, you may take a 30-minute oral exam. You must inform me at least a month before the exam date to discuss this option.
Grades	Grades will be assigned as fairly as possible. See my Evaluation page under Grades for more information. The final grade for the course will consist of the following: • project 50% NB: participation is a significant part of this course. See my Evaluation page under Participation for more information and instructions. • portfolio 20% • participation 30%   NB: If you have any questions about how you're doing in the course, please make an appointment to see me.
Extra credit	You may earn extra credit at various times during the semester. • Submit a 2–3 page reflection paper relating something from popular culture (e.g., movie, play, TV show, book, any performance) to a particular course text or theme (consult the instructor). It should be mostly critique and not merely a plot summary. • Do other extra credit assignments described in the file on the R-drive. NB: The instructor reserves the right to make the final determination concerning any extra credit. You may submit more than one, but the maximum extra credit earned (in addition to the percentages earned through regular assignments) will be 5%.

Required books
•	Fowler, James W. Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1981.
•	Loder, James E. The Transforming Moment. 2nd ed. Colorado Springs: Helmers & Howard, 1989. [NB: 1st ed. 1981, same year as Fowler's]
•	Naugle, David K. Worldview: The History of a Concept. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2002.
•	Percy, Walker. Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book. New York: Picador, 1983.
•	Percy, Walker. Signposts in a Strange Land. New York: Picador, 1991.

Recommended books (* = highly recommended)
	Bennett, Clinton. In Search of the Sacred.
	Berger, Peter L. Elements of a Sociological Theory of Religion.
	Brown, Raymond. Biblical Exegesis and Church Doctrine. Wipf & Stock, 2002.
	Buckley, William F. God and Man at Yale: The Superstitions of "Academic Freedom"
	Connolly, Peter, ed. Approaches to the Study of Religion.
	Dewey, John. A Common Faith.
	Durkheim, Emile. The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life.
	Eliade, Mircea. The Myth of the Eternal Return.
	Fitzgerald, Timothy. The Ideology of Religious Studies.
	Geertz, Clifford. The Interpretation of Cultures.
	Goldman, Ari. The Search for God at Harvard.
	Eck, Diana. Encountering God: From Boseman to Benares.
	James, William. The Varieties of Religious Experience.
	Lewis, C. S. Surprised by Joy.
*	McCutcheon, Russell T., ed. The Insider/Outsider Problem in the Study of Religion. London: Cassell, 1999.
	Otto, Rudolf. The Idea of the Holy.
	Pals, Daniel L. Seven Theories of Religion. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.
	Preus, J. Samuel. Explaining Religion.
	Thielicke, Helmut. A Little Exercise for Young Theologians.
*	Twiss, Sumner B. and Walter H. Conser Jr., ed. Experience of the Sacred: Readings in the Phenomenology of Religion. Hanover: Brown University Press, 1992.
	Waardenburg, Jacques, ed. Classical Approaches to the Study of Religion.
	Whitehead, Alfred North. Religion in the Making.
*	Strunk, William, Jr., and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1979. (See my web page "Resources" under "Miscellaneous" for the first edition of Strunk.)

Keeping in touch

During the semester check your e-mail regularly for the latest messages from me regarding course matters (e.g., changes in the syllabus). Also visit this page for updates to the syllabus, as well as my homepage for other information and resources related to the course. Please feel free to make an appointment any time about any course matters.

One last word …

Regardless of how tough all the stuff above sounds, I’m pretty much a nice guy. I promise to be as fair as possible. I recognize that you’ll be quite busy this semester, striving after all your passions. I understand. I have my passions too: my awesome, wonderful family, music, the Bible, the Reformed tradition, nature, mountain biking, fixing things, and food, among other things. But I’m also very passionate about education, both yours and mine—I don’t just mean the business of acquiring knowledge, but more importantly the total development of honorable human beings. I don't require you to share my excitement about all the things we'll cover, but I do expect you to complete all the requirements for the course. To help you do that as well as you can, I will make myself available outside the class time and the office hours. I'll be more than glad to help you out when you're stuck while doing an assignment. Or if you have any questions, concerns, complaints, and even compliments, I will do my best to take the time to listen and offer my opinion or advice. Keep in mind that I'm here to help you learn and to continue learning myself. So, again, welcome to Religion 601: Religion Capstone!

•Bynum: The Complexity of Symbols (Twiss 265)

•Byrne: The Study of Religion (McCutcheon 248)

•Geertz: From the Native's Point of View (McCutcheon 50)
•Handout: Tylor, Frazer, Durkheim (handout)
•Kant: What is Enlightenment? (McCutcheon 133)
•Kristensen: Prayer (Twiss 167)

•McCutcheon: General  Intro & Intro to Part 1 (McCutcheon 1, 15)

•Ricoeur: Guilt, Ethics, and Religion (Twiss 223)
•Scheler: Basic Character of the Divine (Twiss 86)
•Segal: In Defense of Reductionism (McCutcheon 139)
•Smith: The Experience of the Holy and the Idea cof God (Twiss 238)
•Wach: The Meaning and Task of the History of Religions (McCutcheon 82)