RELS 3159-01 [on] MWF [in] 1043 Bartlett Hall

[at] 11:00-11:50AM [w/] Professor Burnidge

Iowa Code 721.5 states: It shall be unlawful for any state officer, any state appointive officer, or state employee to leave the place of employment or the

duties of office for the purpose of soliciting votes or engaging in campaign work during the hours of

employment of any such officer or employee. (Want to check it for yourself? See: https://goo.gl/McgXrf)

Are you worried that you have to hold a certain affiliation to do well in this class? Have no fear!

By taking this class, I will….

1. Learn how religion and politics shape American culture

2. Learn how American culture shapes religion and politics.

Religion & politics have made and continue to make “America” what we understand it to be today. At the same time America influences how we think about “religion” and “politics.” In this class, we will learn why that is, how it came about, & who benefits.

3. Develop my critical thinking skills by using Historical Perspective and

Critical Social Theory.

4. Apply those skills to the 2016 Presidential Campaign

Critical thinking is the goal of most courses in the Arts & Sciences. It takes time and practice to become a critical thinker. In this class we will practice doing so by paying attention to change over time and being skeptical of our sources and subjects of information.

Despite what many people might say, college exists in the “real” world. What we read and discuss in class does not exist in a vacuum. It can change—I think it should change—what we think of the world around us. Likewise, the world around us can –and I think should—change the way we think about our class. I’ve designed this class so that we can apply what we learn directly to the “real” world, especially our engagement with the presidential primary and upcoming general election.

Professor Burnidge Fall 2015

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Course Materials & Assignments

Attendance & Participation Attendance is necessary to do well in this class. It will be taken in some form during each class. You do not receive a grade for occupying a seat in class; instead, you are graded on your participation in class. I expect all students to come to every class session. We cannot always meet this expectation and sometimes with reason. Reasonable absences are those that result from you or someone under your care being sick, injured, or hospitalized; from bereavement, military or civic duties; from official participation in a university event; and from observing a religious holiday. These absences won’t affect your grade so long as you inform me within 48 hours of your absence. Special accommodations (like deadline extensions) will be made on a case-by-case basis and must be requested before an assignment is due. All absences should be reported via eLearning. It is the student’s responsibility to catch up on what was missed.

Required Readings: Craig Martin’s A Critical Introduction to the Study of Religion (2014) & all PDFs, podcasts, videos, or the like posted on eLearning or emailed to the class.

I selected course materials and created assignments to assess your progress toward the above learning goals. The readings and assignments are designed to work together incrementally to help you reach these goals. You will see the most improvement & advancement if you complete all the readings & assignments to the best of your abilities.

The only textbook for this class is Craig Martin’s A Critical Introduction to the Study of Religion (2014). In addition to this textbook, I will post other required material on eLearning, including PDFs, podcasts, and videos. I expect all students to complete these assigned readings before class. In order to insure this will happen, I will assign short (½–1-page) Reading Responses and/or In-class exercises to correspond with each set of materials. These assignments will vary in format, but each will help you comprehend the topic we are discussing.

In addition to this steady stream of writing & discussion, I will assign 3 take-home essays (1-2 pages in length). A Group Project and Presentation will serve as the final “exam.”

All written work will be submitted via Google Drive and graded according to separate rubrics distributed to the class ahead of time. Due dates can be found on the course schedule.

Professor Burnidge Fall 2015

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For the next 16 weeks, I will see myself as your coach. Like other coaches, I will cheer you on and encourage you as you strive to better yourself. And make no mistake: learning requires you to strive. It requires intellectual sweat, a real effort that can be difficult and can be painful. You might not want to do it, or you might want to only do the bare minimum rather than attempt to do your best. But that’s where your coach comes in. I will push you to work harder and dig deeper so that you will be better than when you started. I expect all of my students to be different than when we met on the first day of class—to know more and to think in new ways.

Grading Philosophy & Policies Grading Rubric

Total 1,000 pts

A’s A: 1,000-925

A-: 924-895

B’s B+: 894-875

B: 874-825

B-: 824-795

C’s C+: 794-785

C: 784-725

C-: 724-695

D’s D+: 694-675

D: 674-625

D-: 624-595

In-class Participation 200 pts (20%)

Reading Responses 200 pts (20%)

3 Take-Home Essays 300 pts (30%)

Group Project 150 pts (15%) Group Presentation 150 pts (15%)

Final grades will be calculated according to the point system above. All points will be rounded to the nearest integer (0.5 and above will round up; 0.49 and below will round down) and assigned a letter according to the rubric below.

If you have any questions about your grade at any point, please contact me via email or come to office hours (or both!) so we can talk about it.

I expect all students to follow the UNI Student Academic Ethics Policy. Students who commit one of the outlined violations will be dealt with on an individual basis according to the Ethics Sanction guidelines. (http://www.uni.edu/policies/301)

If you have questions or concerns related to our class, I expect you to contact me to talk about it. If you are unhappy with your performance in this class, then I expect you to contact me to talk about it so we can improve together. If something is preventing you from doing your best, then I expect you to contact me to talk about it so I can help you strategize how you might work around or through it.

Professor Burnidge Fall 2015

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Contact information

The course will be broken roughly into four units. August 24-September 4: American History Review

9.7: No Class (Labor Day)

September 7-October 2: We the People… 9.11: Essay 1 Due 10.2: Essay 2 Due

October 5-Novemer 18: In Order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our Posterity…

TBA: Essay 3 November 23- 27: No class (Thanksgiving Break) November 30-December 11: Group Work & Final Presentations For students who prefer to plan their schedule ahead of time, this sparse list may be frustrating. A more detailed schedule will be provided after we iron out what topics we want to cover in the third section of class. That more detailed schedule will include dates and the corresponding readings. All schedules are subject to change. Students will be given advanced notice when this is the case and a new schedule will be distributed via email and eLearning. If you are unsure of any information, feel free to email me for clarification.

Course Schedule

Email: cara.burnidge@uni.edu

Twitter: @burnidge (#RELcats)

Office: 1095 Bartlett Hall

Office Hours: W 1:00-3:00PM or by appointment (you are always welcome to email me to set up an appointment)

ADA & Student Accommodations I wish to hear from any student who has a disability that may require modification of the seating, testing, or other class requirements so that appropriate arrangements may be made. Should a student have a request or complaint, he or she is welcome to contact me at any time. Those seeking accommodations based on disabilities should obtain a Student Academic Accommodation Request (SAAR) form from Student Disability Services (SDS) (phone 319-273-2677, for deaf or hard of hearing, use Relay 711). SDS is located on the top floor of the Student Health Center, Room 103.

Academic Learning Center For help beyond your Instructor on any assignments, the Academic Learning Center provides free assistance with writing, math, science, college reading, and learning strategies. UNI’s Academic Learning Center is located in 008 ITTC. You can visit the website at http://www.uni.edu/unialc/ or call 319-273-2361 for more information and to set up an appointment. UNI Counseling Center The UNI Counseling Center promotes personal development and psychological well-being. All appointments are confidential with a trained counselor. Currently UNI Students who have paid the mandatory health fee are eligible for Counseling Center services. The Counseling Center is located at 103 Student Health Center. You can visit the website at https://www.uni.edu/counseling/ or call 319-273-2676 for more information or to schedule an appointment.

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