Portland State University
Spring 2010
All linked pages of original content are (c) John S. Ott

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Instructor: Prof. John Ott
Office: Cramer Hall 441-M (Department of History)
Office hours: By e-mail appt. only
Office phone: 503.725.3013 (ott@pdx.edu)
Course webpage: http://www.web.pdx.edu/~ott/unst113A/index.html
Mentor: Angela Bernard (abernard@pdx.edu)


Course description

FRINQ 113A: Faith and Reason III continues our year-long inquiry into two of the foundational ways of knowing and explaining the experience of what it is to be human.  During Spring term, we will examine a broad range of readings spanning the early twentieth century to the present, with the aim of tracking enduring debates, and particularly modern permutations, of “faith” and “reason” in intellectual and popular discourses.  We will consider a range of issues and experiences raised by modern life: the question of evil and moral uncertainty, the sometimes uneasy relationship belief and scientific knowledge, the contemporary religious landscape of the world and U.S.; cultural disjunctures in ways of knowing; and the role of religious thought in environmentalism.  This term we will also finish two of the culminating endeavors of the Freshman Inquiry Program: the e-portfolio and a 12-15-page research paper.

Course organization and objectives

Each week of the course will have two class and two mentor section meetings.  Mentor sections will supplement classroom activities, assignments, and discussions.  Our ongoing goals will be:

• to gain an introduction to a historical and contemporary range of ideas addressing the nature of faith and reason;
• to gain exposure to and eventual mastery of University Studies’ four learning goals: (1) inquiry and critical thinking; (2) communication; (3) personal and social ethics; and (4) the diversity of human experience;
• to develop academic and audience-oriented writing and oral communication skillst;
• to produce an e-portfolio of each student’s work during the year;
• to produce a research paper using Millar Library and its collections and electronic databases.
  

Course materials

Students are required to obtain the following materials for the course.  Books may be purchased at the PSU Bookstore, or on-line from private retailers like Amazon.com.

• Anne Fadiman, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1997);
• Ways of Writing. A Guide to College Composition, 2d ed. (PSU Writing Center, 2009) [Students new to the course should pick up a copy; enquire at Bookstore or Writing Center in Cramer.]
  

Still highly recommended, but not required, is:

• William Strunk, Jr., and E.B. White, The Elements of Style, 4th ed. (Needham Heights, Mass: Allyn and Bacon, 2000)

Student evaluation

Students will be evaluated according to the following criteria.  Assignment guidelines will be linked to the on-line syllabus.  Refer there for details.

• Attendance and active participation in class discussion – 20%.  As this course will be largely based on discussion of ideas and assigned readings, it is imperative that students come prepared daily to contribute actively to class discussions and mentor sections.  This means reading the assigned work in advance of class and being prepared to offer quality observations, comments, and/or critiques gleaned from the texts.  An attendance sheet for students to sign will be circulated in all class and mentor sections.  Half of your participation grade will be based on attendance, half on the level and quality of your participation.  Please note: Excellent attendance without oral participation will usually be assessed a grade of “C.”  Satisfactory attendance with little or no participation will be assessed a grade of “C-” or lower.
• In-class assignments – 10%.  Assigned throughout the term; no make-ups.
• Portfolio reflective essay – 10%.  Students will complete a reflective essay for inclusion in their FRINQ e-portfolio.  Due in Mentor Session June 2.
• Research paper (13-15 pp.) – 60%.  This will be completed in graded stages: (1) statement of research topic and initial bibliography (5%); (2) 1-page thesis statement and introduction (10%); (3) rough draft for peer review (15%); (4) final paper (30%). Due Tuesday, June 8, in main class.
  

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Use of personal technology in the classroom

Throughout the year, our classroom will be a personal-technology free space.  Students are requested to silence and stow their mobile phones, iPods/iPhones, Blackberries, and laptops before class begins.  The policy will also apply in mentor sections, which are conducted in computer-furnished classrooms.

Plagiarism policy

Plagiarism, intentional or unintentional, is an intolerable infraction in any setting where ideas are exchanged and discussed.  It is also a violation of the PSU Student Code of Conduct, and egregious or multiple cases may be grounds for suspension or expulsion from the university.  Thanks to recent software advances, detecting plagiarism is extremely easy.  Papers that can be shown to have been plagiarized will automatically receive an “F” grade (or “0”).  Students will be required to resubmit their papers, and will be automatically deducted in their grade an amount appropriate to the late paper policy given in the assignment guidelines.  Remember, ignorance is no excuse!  The PSU Code of Student Conduct considers as plagiarism work submitted for other courses and turned into me as original, and I will ask students to submit new, original work in addition to taking the penalties above.

Students with disabilities and other resources

Students with disabilities who need additional consideration for the timely completion of any of the course requirements should speak to the instructor at the beginning of the term, and must be registered with PSU’s Disability Resource Center (drc@pdx.edu).  Links to additional campus resources (SHAC, Career Advising, the Writing Center) may be found on the on-line course syllabus page.

E-mail policy

E-mail can be a superb tool by which students communicate with the course instructor about the course material, content, and assignments.  It is especially useful for providing feedback to student ideas and for commenting on student theses or paper topics.  But please bear in mind the following:

• I consider 48-72 hours to be a reasonable period in which to respond to inquiries.  I am usually much faster than this, but not always.
• I will not, in general, respond to student e-mails received after 5:00 p.m. until the following day(s), nor will I generally respond to student e-mail sent after 5:00 on Friday until Monday morning.  Please plan accordingly.
• Please remember to identify yourself in your e-mail and state your query as clearly as possible.
• I will not fill in students who miss class on the details of a particular lecture, discussion, or in-class exercise.  Please seek that information from your fellow students.
  

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Syllabus

I.  The Fight for God

Tuesday, March 30 – Introduction: term themes, ideas, research paper


Thursday, April 1 – Belief, Believers and Terror


II.   The Problem of Evil

Tuesday, April 6 – The Holocaust, part 1


Thursday, April 8 – Anxieties of the modern age


Tuesday, April 13 – The Holocaust, part 2


Thursday, April 15 – The Holocaust: reckonings


Tuesday, April 20 – Interlude: The Research Paper



III.  Modern Conundra

Thursday, April 22 – Religion today in the U.S.


Tuesday, April 27 – Religion today in the U.S. (cont’d)


Thursday, April 29 – Cults and esoteric religions


Tuesday, May 4 – Colliding Cultures


Thursday, May 6 – Colliding Cultures (cont’d.)


Tuesday, May 11 – The satirical eye



Thursday, May 13 – MAIN CLASS CANCELLED, INSTRUCTOR AT CONFERENCE


Tuesday, May 18 – Religion and Environmentalism


Thursday, May 20 – Non-Overlapping Magisteria (NOMA)


Tuesday, May 25 – MAIN CLASS CANCELLED, INSTRUCTOR AT CONFERENCE



Thursday, May 27 – MAIN CLASS CANCELLED, INSTRUCTOR AT CONFERENCE


Tuesday, June 2 – Modern debates on God, science, religion I



Thursday, June 3 – Modern debates on God, science, religion II


Finals week – note special meeting time

Tuesday, June 8 (10:15-12:05) – Conclusions, special recognitions, and farewells.