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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-

NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.

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Table of Contents

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………….. 4

Field Guide………………………………………………………………………………. 6

A Student Perspective on Writing…………………………………………………. 12

From the Professionals………………………………………………………………. 15

Written Genres within the Religious Studies Field: A Genre Investigation………………………………… 18

Standardizing Learning Outcomes in Traditions Courses: A Proposal for Change…………………………………. 31

Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………. 36

About the Author………………………………………………………………………. 36

References……………………………………………………………………………… 37

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Dear Reader,

For some of you this portfolio may be your first encounter with the

field of Religious Studies (RS). For others it may not be. To all of you

newcomers and seasoned veterans alike, I say welcome. Welcome to a look

into the in the broad dynamic field that is Religious Studies. Within the

pages of this portfolio you will find information regarding the RS major

offered at DU. While there is information concerning several aspects of the

RS major, this portfolio is going to focus mainly on writing within the RS

major. This portfolio aims to give first-year and prospective RS majors a

better understanding of the different types of writing they can expect to

read and write in their RS courses. The information provided in this

portfolio comes from student and faculty interviews, courses syllabi,

student produced writing, scholarly journal articles, and online research.

Together these sources hopefully give an accurate account of writing in the

RS major today.

There are three major pieces that make up the bulk of this portfolio:

a field guide, a genre investigation, and a proposal for change. In the

following paragraphs I will briefly go over what each of these pieces are

about. The first major piece is entitled “A Field Guide to Religious Studies

at DU.” This piece is intended to give you an overview of the RS major as a

whole. Some of the elements present in the field guide include the course

requirements for the RS major, lists of transferrable skills learned as an RS

major, careers someone with an RS degree can go into, helpful research

resources, fun facts about world religions, and more.

The second major piece is entitled “Written Genres within the

Religious Studies Field: A Genre Investigation. In this piece we first look at

the concept of genre- what it is and what role it plays in communication.

We then go on to see how various written genres function within the field of

Religious Studies. This investigation pulls from three RS course syllabi,

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three journal articles from the same scholarly journal, and two student-

produced essays. Not only will we look at the function of each of these

three genres but also their form and how their form informs their function.

This will all become clearer once you read the piece. Hopefully this genre

investigation will provide you with a better understanding of why and how

students, professors, and scholars communicate within the field of

Religious Studies.

The third, and final, major piece of this portfolio, is entitled

“Standardizing Learning Outcomes in Traditions Courses: A Proposal for

Change.” RS majors have to take four classes about each of the five major

religions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Some of

these classes provide students with a comprehensive overview of a specific

religion, and some courses do not. In my proposal for change I propose

that there be a set of standard goals that students learn in Traditions

courses. This piece is intended to highlight a problem within the RS

Department, propose a solution, and provide students with ideas on how to

help implement the solution.

In conclusion, by the end of this portfolio you, the reader, will

hopefully have a better understanding and base knowledge of what to

expect from Religious Studies courses at DU. You will also hopefully have a

deeper appreciation for the vast and fascinating field that is Religious

Studies. Happy reading!

Best,

Leah Julian

Author

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A Field Guide to Religious Studies at DU

Welcome to the world of religious studies! Whether or not you have decided to become a Religious Studies major, you will find this guide to be an interesting and helpful window into the world of Religious Studies. More specifically, this guide is intended to show you what to expect from a religious studies classes at DU: what types of writing you will be doing in classes, what professors expect of your writing, possible careers, skills learned, and required courses for completing the major. In addition, you will find helpful research resources that will aid any future questions you might have about research, religious concepts, and religious studies at DU. Have fun exploring and learning!

Major Requirements The below table lays out what kinds of courses you are required to take as a Religious Studies Major. What’s great about Religious Studies is that there is a lot of room for students to take courses in whatever interests them. Take courses that spark your interest! Experiential Learning

4 courses required Ex: Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity

Service Learning 1 course required Ex: Religion & Race in America, Religion and Diaspora

Writing Intensive 1 course required Ex: Christina Classics, Islamic Fundamentalism, The Bible as Literature

Theory 2 courses required Ex: Religion and Moral Psychology, Body & Souls, Political Theology

Electives 2 courses required Ex: Dead Sea Scrolls, Sufism, Buddhism in the US, Jesus on the Silver Screen

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Top Ten Transferrable Skills Learned as an Religious Studies Major

1. Ability to analyze complex issues 2. Ability to think logically and critically 3. Ability to formulate, explain, and defend strong arguments 4. Ability to conduct research 5. Ability to work independently and collaboratively 6. Strong written and verbal communication skills 7. Expansive knowledge of world cultures and histories 8. Expansive knowledge of the worlds major religions 9. Ability to be open-minded but objective 10.Ability to communicate with people from all walks of life

Writing in Religious Studies The types of writing you will do for Religious Studies courses include:

• Interpretive essays • Site Visit reports • Presentations • In class essay exams • Reading responses • Discussion posts • Research papers

Top 15 World Religious Populations

1. Christianity: 2.1 Billion 2. Islam: 1.5 Billion 3. Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist: 1.1 Billion 4. Hinduism: 900 million 5. Chinese traditional religion: 394 million 6. Buddhism: 376 million 7. Primal-indigenous: 300 million 8. African traditional & diasporic religion: 100 million 9. Sikhism: 23 million 10. Juche: 19 million 11. Spiritism: 15 million 12. Judaism: 14 million 13. Baha’i: 7 million 14. Jainism: 4.2 million 15. Shinto: 4 million

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Research Resources

Religious Studies is a vast academic field encompassing a multitude of topics. To include research information about all those topics here would be unhelpful and nearly impossible. Instead, the resources listed on this page provide information about the general study of religion. Later on in your college career you will be asked to conduct in-depth research on religious studies topic of your choice, and it will be up to you find that information.

The DU Department of Religious Studies Website

• Benefits: This website is extremely useful in finding out about major requirements, course descriptions, faculty, department events, etc. The website also has information on why religious studies is important, future careers in religious studies, and internships. This information is extremely helpful for figuring out what the heck you can do with a religious studies degree.

• Limitations: This website has little to no information on topics of research. It should simply be used as a portal to the happenings and workings of the department.

http://www.du.edu/ahss/schools/rlgs/

Encyclopedia of Religion and Society, Hartford Institute of Religion Research

• Benefits: An excellent online encyclopedia that briefly covers hundreds of topics relevant to the study of religion. Each entry is well cited. Could be useful for gaining a quick understanding of concepts you are unfamiliar with, and as pre-research tool.

• Limitations: Provides only a quick overview of topic. When conducting research, you should not simply use the information provided by the encyclopedia. Instead, use it as a jumping off point for the rest of your research.

http://hirr.hartsem.edu/ency/index.html

Cambridge Companion to Religious Studies, online

• Benefits: This online book is a compilation of essays written by prominent scholars, that provide information on the study of religion, and the issues religious studies scholars deal with. This resource is useful for learning about the field of religious studies.

• Limitations: May not provide in-depth information on many research topics within religious studies.

http://0-universitypublishingonline.org.bianca.penlib.du.edu/cambridge/companions/ebook.jsf?bid=CBO9781139017084

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1. Ministry 2. Counseling 3. Social Work 4. Law 5. Medicine 6. Teaching 7. Museum/ Archival work 8. Media/ communications 9. Marketing 10. Foreign Service/NGO work (Peace Corps)

Peggy Keeran , Arts and Humanities Reference Librarian • Benefits: Peggy is an incredible resource! She has extensive

knowledge on how/where to find research in any field within the Arts and Humanities, including religious studies. Her job is to help student and faculty conduct research, so use her!

• Limitations: In order to get in contact with Peggy, you must email her or set up an appointment with her in the research center. Because she is in high demand, you may have to wait a couple days before you can meet with her. However, her help is well worth the wait.

DU Library Website • Benefits: This is perhaps the most

useful resource available to you. Through it you can access millions of online/print journals, books, articles, and databases. It is from these journals and databases that you will find the best resources for any research topic.

• Limitations: The amount of information available through this website is almost incomprehensible, which can be overwhelming when trying to find relevant information. Just learn how to refine your searches and you will be fine. Also, not all the resources are online, so access is not always immediate. However, if you order it through the library it will be available within a couple days.

Religious Studies Faculty • Benefits: Faculty are extremely

knowledgeable about the field of religious studies, after all they have dedicated their life’s work to the study of religion. Ask them questions!

• Limitations: They may not be able to answer all your questions but they will be able to point you in the right direction.

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Hinduism Founded: 1500 BCE or earlier Founder: none Theism: pantheism Sacred Text: Vedas, Upanishads, Sutras, Bhagavada gita Place of worship: temple, home shrine Major divisions: Saivism, Vaisnavism, Saktism Main locations: India, UK, USA

Judaism Founded: c. 2500 BCE Founder: Abraham Theism: Monotheistic Sacred text: Tankh, Talmud Place of worship: Synagogue Major divisions: Reform, conservative, orthodox Main locations: Israel, USA, Europe

Buddhism Founded: c. 520 BCE Founder: Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) Sacred texts: Pali Canon, numerous Mahayana sutras Place of worship: Temple, meditation hall Major divisions: Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana Main locations: China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia

Islam Founded: 622 CE Founder: Muhammad Theism: Monotheistic Sacred Text: Qu’ran Place of worship: Mosque Major divisions: Sunnie, Shiite, Sufi Main locations: Middle East, North Africa, Indonesia

Christianity Founded: 33 AD Founder: Jesus of Nazareth Theism: Trinitarian monotheism (Holy Trinity) Sacred Text: The Bible (Old and New Testament) Place of Worship: Church, Chapel, Cathedral, Basilica, meeting hall Major divisions: Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant Main Locations: Europe, N. America, S. America

The World’s Five Major Religions

While I am sure most of you reading this portfolio are already familiar with the world’s major religions, below is an info-graphic intended to provide a taste of what you’ll be learning as well as to whet your appetite for religious fun facts.

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What makes a good essay? What do Religious Studies professors think makes a good essay and what do they look for in an “A”

paper? Look below to find out.

Good sentence length and structure

Should be no longer than three lines and

contain only one idea.

Critical Thinking Make sure you have

thought carefully and purposefully through

your argument

Citation Chicago style is

proffered.

Argument What you are trying to convey to your audience. Should

not be too complicated

Scholarly tone Active voice, no

contractions, more complex vocabulary. First person is ok!

Clarity Make sure

arguments and evidence are

presented in a clear manner.

Evidence Have lots of it! Footnotes

Provides your audience with extra information

and citation info.

Good structure Will include Intro and Conclusion.

Paragraphs should never be too long.

Formal Essay

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A Student’s Perspective on Writing

In order to gain a better understanding of writing in the Religious

Studies major from a student perspective, I interviewed Krystal Chavez, a senior double majoring in Religious Studies and Anthropology. During the interview I asked her questions about what types of writing are done in religious studies courses, what she thinks makes a good writer, about research, and advice she would give to college freshmen about writing.

According to Krystal, religious studies courses primarily ask students to do ethnographic writing. This means writing about the customs of various religious groups. For instance, she wrote an extensive research paper about Tibetan identities. Part of her research was meeting with Tibetans and going to various Tibetan places/events, and writing about her observations. When asked what kinds of writing she has done in terms of essays, exams, etc. Krystal said that exams are not a major focus of most religious studies classes. Besides ethnographic writing, she has done a lot of interpretive writing for her religious studies courses. This type of writing involves interpretation of various religious texts. Similarly, Krystal has had to give various ethnographic presentations in various courses. For her Islam and Buddhism she gave presentations about visiting a mosque and a monastery. Besides the interpretive and ethnographic research, there is not much research done fore religious studies courses.

Besides talking about what types of writing and research she has encountered throughout her major, Krystal urged students to take writing seriously, and take advantage of all the opportunities to improve. Employers always look for good writers, so make sure you work hard now so you can get a job later.

Q: What kinds of writing do you do in your religious studies classes? A: So, a lot of the work I have to do is ethnographic work so actually going out and visiting local temples and churches and really getting to know people that go there interviewing them in terms of what the topic is. But yah, as of now it’s been purely ethnographic. Q: What have you done in classes in terms of essays, exams, etc. A: A lot of the religious studies classes don’t focus on exams. A lot of them focus on ethnographic work like I said but its really more interpretive work,

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incorporating texts we’ve learned, yah interpretive work, its not really research based, it’s more about your opinion and how we construct things, how religion helps construct certain perspectives on the world and people. Q: What do you think teacher’s look for when they are grading writing? What do you think a successful writer in the religious studies major does? A: From my interpretation of what a successful writer does, obviously your writing has to be very clear and very concise, you have your thesis statement where you say I’m gonna hit this point and this point and this point and you have to have your supporting evidence. Obviously the conclusion is you sum up everything and your overall ideas, its going in saying this is what I’m gonna do and this is what it is with the evidence- very clear very concise. Q: Do you ever have to do in class writing like essays or presentations, write up talks, etc.? A: Yah of course, some of the assignments I’ve done in my courses, well nothing to too deep, but like here are some texts we’ve read, this book or this religious text, now give me an interpretation of what it really means in this context and this modern context. So we do a lot of that kind of work. As well we do presentations, not too common in the courses I’ve taken, they are based on the experiences I’ve had at the site visits that I’ve had to do through various courses. Q: What classes specifically have you had to give presentations for? A: Specifically, I had to make one for Islam, I visited a local mosque in Denver and I presented on that one. And as well for my Buddhism class where I had to visit a monastery, and make a presentation on that as well. Q: Have you had to do any research for your religious studies courses? A: What I’ve noticed from religious studies, besides the interpretive work, in order to really understand what you’re learning about you have to go to those primary sources that tells you what you are learning specifically and helps you unravel those ideas about what’s going on in class. It’s kind of like additional information that can help you really understand what is going on Q: Are there any journals, books, websites, etc. that you recommend? A: Honestly, and this is just me, I don’t look for any Journals to develop my writing. I think it’s important to use the resources that your school has. So I’ve believe in going to the research center or writing center and sitting down with someone to help you, for the to read and pick up little trends in

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your writing. Yah, I think that’s a good way to improve. That’s the most important way to go about your writing and develop your writing Q: Do you ever look at outside sources that keep you up to date on what scholars are currently thinking? A: Yah, of course. Especially with my majors: anthropology and religious studies. Yes. We are highly encouraged to refer to journals. Especially anthropology. We are really encouraged to go out and read what’s going on in terms of our specific field and in terms of our professional options yah and go out and read what’s going on and what’s relevant to what you want to study and see how you could incorporate it into your research. Q: What advice would you give to college freshman or incoming college freshman about writing in the religious studies major and/or writing at a collegiate level? A: From my experience, its really important… cause I know there’s definitely been experiences where I haven’t taken writing too going on in terms of your own fields seriously, my first years, I’d be like “well I’ll just write it the day before, and that’s not it, it definitely hinders your ability to advance as a writer. Making sure you’re aware of all the resources at school that can help you develop your writing, making sure you’re aware of what’s going in on in terms of your own research or your own field, being very educated on those subjects as well as being in contact with your major advisors and see what kinds of options you have open. Writing and assignments- seeing if they notice any trends in your writing. And they’re personal experiences are also really good. Q: Anything else you ‘d like me to know? A: These four years are really important, you should really focus on developing your writing, b/c I know in high school it’s a completely different jazz. Like I know you come into college and its different. It’s not the usual 5 paragraph essay. You have to do lots of outside interviews. You have to, whether maybe interviews and primary sources or what not, yah take it seriously cause you don’t if you’re inability to write at a collegiate level, people might not take you as seriously when you go out into the professional world. You need to develop your writing.

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From the Professionals

There really is no better way to learn about writing in the Religious Studies major than to hear a professor’s approach to writing. Dr. Andrea Stanton, whose specialty is Islam, provided this invaluable insight in an interview. In my interview with Dr. Stanton we talked about what kinds of writing she assigns in her courses, how she asses formal papers, how writing students do relates to professional writing, what kinds of writing she does, and research in general. Lots of topics were discussed and lots of useful information was put forth. In terms of what kinds of writing she assigns in her courses, Dr. Stanton explained that there are two types of courses she teaches and the writing various from each: writing intensive courses and non-writing intensive courses. In all her courses she assigns reading responses, discussion posts online, and short essay exams. In her writing intensive courses she always assigns one long-form formal essay. These essays usually involve interpreting some text presented in class. These papers always include some kind of peer-review process because she thinks that is critical in students’ development as writers. She also has recently started experimenting with student presentations in some of her classes. When asked if the writing she assigns in her courses is standard throughout the department, she said that the types are pretty standard but that quantity varies. Additionally, Dr. Stanton talked about how writing in religious studies relates to professional writing. According to Dr. Stanton, Religious Studies students learn how to critically read and analyze texts, and then write about them in a meaningful way. These skills are very important for any profession, religious studies related or not. Dr. Stanton also talked at length about the kinds of writing she does professionally. Professionally she writes articles, book chapters, books, talks, and grants. For the classroom she write copious amounts of notes that act as a guide for future classes. Instead of including the entire interview (which was 38 minutes long) in the portfolio, I have included some of the most helpful quotes from the interview. These quotes deal mostly with writing.

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On writing as communication… “Until we develop things like telepathy we’re gonna have to continue to use words to communicate.”

On footnoting… “ I understand [footnoting] is not really the fun part of writing but it’s about being intellectually honest, right, so you are telling someone ‘here, you can go check my work because here is my source, and you can see if I’m using it accurately or you’re giving someone who reads your work and wants to know more the chance to go back read that source for themselves. There is a purpose to footnoting.”

On what she focuses on when grading papers… “And in assessing formal papers what I often focus on is paragraphing, and sentences, and passive voice, and have increasingly focused on those particularly in undergraduate courses because that’s where it’s easiest for students to get vague. The passive voice holds a multitude of sins. One of those sins that it hides is that you’re not really sure what point you’re making, and you don’t know who your subject is… And with paragraphing and sentencing what I really watch for is long paragraphs and long sentences because they are usually a sign that that’s where a student is really struggling, they are struggling to make a point, to find a point to make, or they are trying to make too many points, and so it’s less of an issue of not having anything to say as of breaking down what it is you want to say”

On the power of good structure… “having good structure in a paper helps make your argument for you. A better structured paper is inherently more compelling to readers, that they are swayed already by the persuasiveness of your structure before they assess what you are saying content wise.”

On what she hopes she teaches… “What I want is to give students the tools to read and analyze because that’s where I think you get the questions you want to look at in your own research.”

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On the importance of peer review… “Everyone should be introduced to the writing center here. That is a really tremendous resource. I also think that one of the things you don’t realize that you should miss until miss it is how great it is to have people who are willing to read your stuff and help you make them better…After you lose your captive audience of faculty or free editing services… It’s just you! It’s really hard to edit your own work and I think that the peer review workshop, the goal of it is, to suggest that writing is a process. Between the first draft and the final draft there’s usually a week of time because I think it’s really helpful for people to go back and look at their writing with fresh eyes.”

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Written Genres within the Religious Studies Field: A Genre Investigation

Introduction Writing is an important component of any academic field. This is especially true for the field of religious studies. Scholars, professors, and students do a multitude of different types of writing. In this paper we are going to investigate three different genres, or types, of writing done in the religious studies field. We will examine three examples of religious studies course syllabi, three professionally written journal articles, and two student-produced interpretive essays. These works will serve as a representational sample of each genre as a whole. For each of the three genres we will examine the genre’s rhetorical situation and social action, the expectations surround the genre, the power structures inherent in the genre, and the typical features of each genre. By the end of this paper we will all gain a better understanding of what types of writing are done in the Religious Studies field and their purpose. However, before launching into these discussions I will first include an overview of why studying genres is important and I will define terms such genre, social action, and rhetorical situation. Genre Theory Overview

To the untrained ear the word “genre” may conjure up words like “mystery”, “romance”, “thriller”, “sci-fi”, etc. These words are all different genres of literature. In this sense, genres are simply categories. However, for the purposes of this paper we are going to take a broader view of “genre.” In this new broader definition, what does “genre” mean? Simply put a genre is an action taken in response to a situation (Miller). We are going to look at genre as a typified rhetorical action taken in response to a situation. Why study genre? Why do we care? According to rhetorician Carolyn Miller “what we learn when we learn genre is not just a pattern of forms or even a method of achieving our own ends. We learn more importantly, what ends we have [to communicate]. We learn to understand better the situations in which we find ourselves,” (Miller 165). By studying genre we learn about why we communicate, how we communicate, and the effectiveness of our communication. To Miller, and to this paper, it is extremely important to not only understand genre in terms of substance and form, but also the

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social action a genre fulfills. For example, why do people post statuses on Facebook? Not just what form do those statuses take and what their contents are, but WHY do people post statuses? What social need is the Facebook status fulfilling? By asking ourselves these questions we deepen our understanding of both how we communicate and why.

As mentioned previously, genre is an action taken in response to a situation. When considering genre and its social action we must also consider its context; “the conditions in which discourse occurs” (Kill, 211). We want to know what is causing the necessity of an action (a.k.a. situation) and why someone is carrying out the action (a.ka. a person’s motive). The formal term for this concept, which will be used throughout this paper, is rhetorical situation. The formal definition of rhetorical situation is “the nature of those contexts in which speakers or writers create rhetorical discourse” (Bitzer, 1). There are three important components to understanding a rhetorical situation: 1) exigence, 2) audience 3) constraints.

The term exigence refers to a defect or problem marked by urgency that is capable of modification. Trying to get a friend to go out on a Friday night is an example of exigence. It is an immediate problem that can be rectified. Things like death, natural disasters, and weather may be problems but since they cannot be modified they are not examples of exigence. The

rhetorical discourse that comes out of a rhetorical situation should be able to at least attempt to modify the exigence presented by the rhetorical situation. Rhetorical discourse, or genre, does not happen in a vacuum. Something must cause the genre to be used or created. The rhetorical situation is that cause.

The other two components of the rhetorical situation, audience and constraints, are much more straightforward. When considering how to best respond to an exigence, one must consider the audience being addressed and what the best way to reach them is. Similarly, one must consider what is constraining that response. For instance, if one is

teaching first graders about US history the language and content used is going to be much more simplified than if one is teaching and eighth grade

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class on US history. In this example, the audience’s (first graders) level of intellect constrains what you can teach and how you can teach it.

Now that you hopefully have a grasp of several genre theory concepts, we are going to move into our discussion of three types of writing present in the religious studies field: the syllabus, the journal article, and the student-produced interpretive essay.

The Syllabus The syllabus is a classroom genre that you may already by familiar with. Many high school teachers hand them out at the beginning of the year as an introduction to the class. In college however, the syllabus plays a much bigger role in the classroom. The rhetorical situation that calls the need for a syllabus into existence is a very important one. Students need to know what they are going to learn in a class, how they will be learning, and how to do well. Similarly, teachers need to inform students about the structure, expectations, and schedule of the class so students have somewhere to refer to throughout. These two issues are the exigences of the rhetorical situation. As can be inferred the audience needing to be addressed is the class’s students. The professor is constrained by the need for their communication to be easily understandable. The syllabus is the response, or social action, to the rhetorical situation that called the need for a syllabus into existence. A syllabus answers all the questions raised by the exigence in the rhetorical situation because it informs students on what to expect from a class and what the professor expects from the students. Not only is the syllabus the answer to students’ needs but also to the professors’ needs. It provides a central place for the professor to lay out everything they think their students need to know about the class. Instead of having to pester the professor about due dates and grading, students can refer back to the syllabus. It acts as a little piece of the professor’s brain that students always have access to. Sometimes the syllabus is considered a contract between students and professors. Within the syllabus are the standards at which the professor holds their students. If students do not live up to those standards then the

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professor can award them a bad grade. Similarly if a professor deviates from the policies outlined in the syllabus, the student has the right to complain and hold the professor accountable. Typical Features The syllabus is a highly structured document. While there are no requirements about what must be on a syllabus, there are quite a few standard features. In this section I take my examples from three religious

studies course syllabi: Intro to Judaism, Intro to Islam, and Psychology of Religion. While these three examples are only a few of the thousands of syllabi out in the world, they are standard for DU religious studies courses. Not only will we look at the typical features of a syllabus, we will also examine how they fulfill social actions presented by the rhetorical situation of a syllabus. The first page of the syllabus usually provides the most basic information needed for the class: the class

title, class location, the professor’s name, course description, and course objectives. For instance, on the first page of all three religious studies course syllabi is the title of the course, the time and location of the course, the professor’s name and contact info. The size, font, and boldness on each syllabus are different but the same information is all there.

The other two features found on the first page are a course description and the learning objectives/goals for the course. In the course description professors give a brief overview of the course topic and through what lens or lenses the topic will be studied. Not all course descriptions have the same lay out but they all occur on the first page and carry out the same social action: inform students about what will be learned in a course.

To illustrate these differences in formatting, the

Intro to Islam syllabus has no heading introducing the course description or objective, while both the Judaism and Psychology of Religion class do. The course overview of each syllabus begins with “This course is designed to…” , “This course introduces students to…”, and “This course will consist of…”. As you can see while there are obvious differences in formatting, they all have the same purpose and share the same type of information with their audience. Similarly, the course objectives (or what the professor hopes the students

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learn) are listed either numerically or with bullet points underneath the course description. In the Judaism and Psychology of Religion syllabi these learning objectives are all content based.

From “Judaism” syllabus by Prof. Menachem Mor

From “Psychology of Religion” syllabus by Prof. Sandra Lee Dixon

In the Intro to Islam syllabus however, course objectives are not only content based but also skill based. A few examples of these skill based course objectives include:

From “Introduction to Islam” syllabus by Prof. Andrea Stanton

As seen through these various examples, there are several ways to communicate course descriptions and objectives on syllabi. However, they all communicate what will be learned in a course and always begin on the first page.

After the first page however, syllabi component order tends to vary.

Some include items that others and have different placement of those items. However, before discussing the differences between the three religious studies syllabi we are going to continue to explore what they have in common. Here is a list of those elements:

• Overview of major assignments- tells you what major assignments will be done in the course. Sometimes these are so thorough in terms of requirements that professors don’t hand out separate assignment sheets.

• Grading policy- usually a percentage breakdown of how the professor calculates grades, and what components go into that grade. Both the

Course Objectives 1. To encourage thought about the psyche in religious thought, feeling, and behavior. 2. To become familiar with the psychological methods and tools by which religion is

studied 3. To develop awareness of how theories and programs of research originate and

persist.

Goals: 1) You will learn a basic framework of the historical development of Judaism 2) You will be introduced to some primary sources of Jewish Literature 3) You will be introduced to foundational Jewish beliefs and rituals, as they arise from our discussion of the texts and your first-hand experience of Jewish communities

• “Develop skills for reading and assessing scholarly works across multiple disciplines

• Be able to approach sources in various media, including film and the Internet, as subjects of serious scholarly inquiry

• Further develop writing skills, including technical skills like paragraphing and expression skills like making an argument

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Islam and Judaism syllabi have this section, while the psychology syllabus has grading information within the assignments section.

• Required Texts and Readings- what books you will need to buy for the class and what outside articles will be read.

• Course Schedule- some are more detailed than others but all three include specific topics to be discussed for each day, assignment due dates, and readings to be done for class.

• Academic Integrity- This section may include/exclude many different things depending on what the professor finds important. They usually have an anti-cheating and plagiarism disclaimer in them.

• Attendance Policy- usually explains how many absences a student can have before their grade goes down, but again it varies from professor to professor.

• Technology Policy- probably one of the newer syllabi features, professors lay out their laptop and cell phone policy. Its usually- turn it off!

• Graduate Student Only Sections- unlike other departments, religious studies courses often have graduate students in them. Graduate students usually have tougher/more assignments than undergraduates do, and the syllabus explains those. As an undergraduate don’t worry about those, but be aware that they exist.

As demonstrated above, there are quite a few features that all syllabi

have in common. The placement and comprehensiveness of these features vary however. For instance, the course schedule in the Judaism syllabus comes before all the various policies mentioned above. In the Psychology and Islam syllabi the course schedule is the very last element of the syllabus. Similarly, each professors’ technology agreement is under a different subheading. To illustrate the differences in breadth the Intro to Islam syllabus is 13 pages while the Judaism syllabus is only 5. This implies that the Islam syllabus goes more in depth than the Judaism syllabus does.

While syllabi have a lot in common with each other, they vary in content and organization depending on the course and the professor. However, all syllabi serve the same purpose, or social action: inform students about what to expect from a course and how to do well in it. The Journal Article Another important genre of writing within the religious studies field is the journal article. While as an

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undergraduate student you will never have to write one, journal articles are important to be familiar with. In almost every college course, not just religious studies, you will be assigned to read at least on journal article. If you are ever doing research for a paper, journal articles are extremely useful. Similarly, if you want to be up to date on a topic of interest for your own knowledge, journal articles are an excellent resource to go to. In order to investigate the genre of “journal article” we will look at three different articles from the same journal as representative of the genre as it relates to religious studies. All three articles are from the Journal of Contemporary Religion- an online international peer-reviewed journal that deals with the broad topic of contemporary religion. The three articles we will examine are from Volume 27 of the journal and were published in 2012. The rhetorical situation of the journal article is a very formal one. The exigence causing the need for a journal article to exist is the need for scholars to stay informed and be published. The audience needing to be addressed is an academic audience- other scholars within the religious studies field. However, in order to have an article published there are a few constraints scholars must adhere to. For the Journal of Contemporary Religion articles must go through a peer review process and deal with an issue/topic within the realm of “contemporary religion.” Journal articles must also be written in a formal academic tone and be very well researched. These requirements are fairly standard throughout academic journals.

Journal articles are direct responses to the exigence that calls their need into existence. They carry out the social action of keeping scholars informed and published. While specific articles or journals may individually fulfill different social actions their main purpose is to provide a forum for the transfer of knowledge and publication. For instance, the Journal of Contemporary Religion publishes articles whose “purpose is to both document and evaluate the anthropological, sociological, psychological, and philosophical aspects of emerging manifestations of religiosity in any part of the world—whether within innovative movements or mainstream institutions” (Journal of Contemporary Religion Aims and Scope). Here we can see that the journal’s purpose and its articles’ purpose is to “document and evaluate” and thus to inform.

Within the genre of journal articles there is a significant structure of

power that influences the writing, reading, and publication of articles. At

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the top of the power structure are the editors of a journal. The editors get to decide what and who gets into their journal. If a scholar wants to get published their article must adhere to the editors’ expectations and requirements. On the second power level below the editors are the peer-reviewers. These are other scholars within an author’s field. Their job is to verify and validate the author’s research and arguments, and decide if an article is suitable for publication. They influence whether or not an article gets published. They also have influence over the final content of an article because of suggestions they make to an author.

At the bottom of this power structure is the author. Because they are

at the mercy of the journal editors and peer reviewers, the author holds little power over anyone except their readers. As mentioned however, they do have power over their readership. The author is the authority on whatever subject they have written about. They have done the research and the thinking and are communicating what they think the audience should know. The readership must have faith that the author’s information is reliable. Because all articles include their references, it is possible for anyone to go and look up information presented in an article. However, this process is long and arduous and if the author has done their job well then there is no need. Therefore, the audience must at least consider the arguments and/or research presented in a journal article.

Typical Features Now we are going to examine the features common to the genre of journal articles. Article structure and content varies from journal to journal and from topic to topic but there are significant commonalities. As mentioned earlier, for the purposes of this paper we are going to look at the features of the three articles from the Journal of Contemporary Religion as representative of all religious studies journal article features. The article entitled “Religious Writing by Orthodox Jewish Women” for the purposes of this paper will be called “Article 1,” the article entitled “ Organised Atheism in India- An Overview” will be called “Article 2”, and the article entitled

“Young People and Performance Christianity in Scotland” will be called “Article 3.”

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All three articles start out with title, author(s), and publication information. While Article 1 and Article 2 have one author, Article 3 has four authors. The next feature present in all three articles is the “Abstract.” The Abstract is basically a summary of the article. It briefly explains the articles content, argument(s), research, and findings. An abstract is usually only one paragraph.

After the abstract, before launching

directly into their argument, all three articles provide an introductory section usually entitled “Introduction.” The introduction neatly and clearly gives an introduction to the topic, the author’s arguments, the articles aim and relevancy, what types of research information and arguments are drawn from, and finally provides a roadmap of the order and organization of the article. Not all these elements of an introduction fall in this order, or are they all present in every article. However, they do seem to be standard issues addressed in each of these three introductions. The three introductions of all three articles do however vary in length and comprehensiveness. Article 3’s intro is less than one page, while the intro of Article 2 is two full pages and includes a paragraph defining key terms used in the article. Article 1’s intro is also two full pages and includes more background information than either of the other two articles. Similarly, at the end of each article is a conclusion. The conclusion sums up the arguments and findings of the article and provides conclusions that can be drawn from the findings of the article. A conclusion also usually addresses the implications of the arguments and finding of the article. Like introductions, conclusions vary in length and comprehensiveness. Both Articles 1 and 2 have a one-page conclusion while Article 3 has a two-page conclusion. After the conclusion, all three articles have the same three concluding sections: information about the author, Notes, and References. Immediately following the conclusion is information about the author. Information provided includes where the author works, what their research interests are, and where they got their degrees. These credentials give the author’s work credibility. Next is a “Notes” section. Instead of using footnotes, the articles in the Journal of Contemporary Religion have one long section at the end with notes from the entire article. Superscripts found throughout the article refer to a note in the “Notes” section.

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The contents of these notes vary but generally contain reference material, extra information on a specific topic, explanation or translation of a word or concept, and how/where to find more information on a specific topic or concept. After the “Notes” section is the “References” section. This section contains the formal citation of all sources used by the author. In the Journal of Contemporary Religion citations are in MLA format. However, other journals use APA citation and others use Chicago- style citation. While all three journal articles are very similar in terms of structure, there are a few noteworthy differences. The first noteworthy difference is that Articles 1 and 2 have an “Acknowledgments” section immediately following the end of their conclusion. In this section the authors thank whatever people and/or organization were influential at any point in the process of researching, writing, and publishing the article. The other important difference to note is that Article 2 contains pictures while the others do not. I am not sure how standard this is but I do feel comfortable saying this is probably a newer feature and one that will be seen more frequently as society becomes more adapted to visual learning. Student Produced Interpretive Essays The next genre we will examine is the student-produced essay. Students at every level of schooling and within every field of the humanities write essays. They are a standard assignment given by teachers for students to practice writing skills, argumentation skills, and demonstrate learning. In college, and especially in the Religious Studies Major, a large portion of assignments are essays. These essay assignments can vary from in-class exam essays, to research papers, to reflective essays about a site visit, to interpretive essays.

The two essays we will be examining in this section are interpretive essays from two different religious studies courses. Interpretive writing is one of the main types of writing done by religious studies majors. Therefore it is an important genre to study. One of the interpretive essays is entitled “Madness in Vajrayana Buddhism: The Story of Milarepa” by senior Julia Owen written for a Buddhism class. The other essay is entitled “The Carrot or the Stick: Gaining Converts/Followers through Education or

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Manipulation” written by First-year Drew Lohrberg for an Islamic Fundamentalism course. Interpretive writing serves an important role within the religious studies field and is an essential skill for religious studies majors to develop. A large part of the religious studies field involves interpreting and responding to religious texts and other related primary sources. Therefore there is an exigence for students to not only learn about religious beliefs as portrayed in primary sources, but to learn how to approach those primary sources and write about them in a meaningful way. Additionally, teachers need a way to evaluate students’ progress in developing interpretive writing skills as well as check on their understanding of content.

These exigencies make up a rhetorical situation that must be responded to. The audience needing a rhetorical response is the professor and perhaps the educated non-specialist who wants to learn something from the essay. The constraints informing what form the response to the rhetorical situation will be include adhering to the parameters of the assignment and writing in a formal academic tone. Assignment parameters will vary but it is important that they are followed.

Student produced interpretive essays are the social action to the exigence created by the rhetorical situation. It provides students with an avenue through which to demonstrate knowledge about a text and develop primary source skills as well as the ability to form an argument and present relevant evidence. Similarly, the essay topics themselves may deal with issues relevant to current social issues. For instance, Lohrberg’s essay discusses a talk given by influential Islamic Fundamentalist Anwar al-Awlaki and how leaders like Awlaki convert people to Islamic fundamentalism. In cases like this, the social action of the interpretive essay is also to inform its audience about a pressing issue and add to the discussion on how to

deal with that issue. Lots of expectations surround the genre of

student produced interpretive essay. First, professors expect the paper’s topic to be within the assignment parameters. If the essay does not address questions asked in the assignment sheet then the essay is not likely to get a good grade. Second, professors expect the paper to present a thoughtful and insightful argument that is supported by evidence from the

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given texts being interpreted. It should be clear that a lot of thought was put into deciphering the meaning of a text and then crafting an argument out of it. Third, professors expect the essay to have an academic tone and be well written and organized. These expectations are not exclusive to religious studies courses. They are common expectations of any writing done in any field. If these expectations are not met, a professor is likely to assign a bad grade.

The professor’s power over the evaluation and grading of a student

essay is one component of power structure present in this genre. Within the genre of student produced interpretive essay, professors hold all the power. They decide what students write about and assign the grades. Therefore, students’ must adhere to professors’ expectations if they want to do well. Typical Features Essays are a genre of writing we are all probably very familiar with. The features of these essays are also very familiar. First off, all start out with a title and the author’s name. Unless the professors specifies otherwise, formatting the title and name portion of the essay is up to the student. For instance, Lohrberg’s name is up in the top left hand corner of the page while Owens’s name is up in the top right hand corner. Lohrberg’s title is bolded, while Owens’s is not. Similarly, both authors include what course the essay is for and the date. The essays are also sectioned off into the introductory section, body section, and concluding section. Text is double-spaced. Lohrberg’s essay also includes footnotes, which Owens’s does not. The inclusion or exclusion of footnotes will depend on the professor’s preferences. Inclusion of page numbers is up to the author’s discretion, unless the professor specifies otherwise; Lohrberg’s has them and Owens’s does not. Both essays do however include a references section at the end where they formally cite their sources used. Essay length varies from assignment to assignment and from class to class. For instance, Lohrberg’s essay is eight pages, double-spaced, while Owens’s is five pages, double-spaced. Sometimes interpretive essays are intended to be longer research papers that draw from multiple sources while others are intended to be shorter essays that draw on one main idea from one source. Interpretive essays are not as distinct in term of structure

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as syllabi and journal articles, but student-produced interpretive essays do have distinct features that set them apart from other genres. Conclusion The study of genre helps us learn how humans communicate and why. It tells what our best means of communication are and helps us create our own means of communication. In this paper we investigated three different genres with the religious studies field: the syllabus, the journal article, and the student produced interpretive essay. We looked at the rhetorical situation that calls these genres into existence, the social action they fulfill, the expectations surrounding those genres, the structures of power inherent within the genres, and the typical features of each genre.

We learned that syllabi exist to inform students about the structure, content, and expectations of a class. We also learned that syllabi within the religious studies department vary in length and comprehensiveness but also that they share a similar structure. When it comes to journal articles we learned that scholars write/read them in order to stay informed as well as get published. Similarly, we learned that journal article structure is pretty uniform. Additionally, we discovered that student produced interpretive essays allow students to demonstrate knowledge as well practice writing, research, and argumentation skills. Interpretive essays vary in length and formatting but all share a similar purpose.

As of now, scholars and professors, who are the ultimate creators of all three of these genres, find the genre’s current form to be the best response to the social action they fulfill. Perhaps in the future scholars and professors will find a new way to communicate the same information. Maybe they will. Maybe they won’t. Only time will tell.

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Standardizing Learning Outcomes in Traditions Courses: A Proposal for Change

Religious studies majors at the University of Denver must take a

class on four out of the five major religions: Judaism, Hinduism,

Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism. In these classes, which are commonly

referred to as Traditions courses, students are supposed to gain an

understanding of the religion being studied. Unfortunately however, not all

Traditions courses are created equal. Some courses are structured in a way

that allows students to gain a broad understanding of all the major aspects

of a religion. Some courses are not.

Being educated about all types of religious traditions is a

cornerstone of the Religious Studies major. Unfortunately not all Traditions

courses are providing students with that foundation. Some Traditions

courses are leaving students with large gaps in their knowledge because

the courses leave out crucial information to understanding a religion. Not

only that but Traditions courses have the potential to create a common

vocabulary through which Religious Studies students and professors can

communicate more effectively. If students are familiar with the vocabulary

of Islam for example, they will be able to participate more fully in and learn

more from a course like Islamic Fundamentalism. Instead of having to play

catch up the whole quarter, students will be able to engage more fully with

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the material. This common vocabulary will also help students become more

effective thinkers, speakers, and writers.

In order to deal with these problems, I propose the Religious Studies

Department create standard learning outcomes for all Traditions courses.

Learning outcomes are what skills and knowledge a student is supposed

come out of a course with. Examples of learning outcomes include:

“Understand the early history of Islam and its close connection with

Judaism and Christianity,” and “ Students develop skills for critically

reading and assessing scholarly works across multiple disciplines”

(Stanton, 1-2). If the Religious Studies Department was to standardize

learning outcomes, these learning outcomes could include: a basic

knowledge of the history, major figures, religious texts, major divisions,

doctrines, practices, and holidays of any given religion. It does not matter

what order or format these learning outcomes are taught in as long as

students learn them. If students were to take a test at the end of the

college career asking things like “what are the major sects of each of the

five major religions,” “what do each of the five religions think about the

afterlife,” “what are the major religious texts of each of the five religions,”

etc. students would be able to answer these questions. I am not advocating

for such a test but students should be able to answer those types of

questions.

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As mentioned previously, students and professors as well as The

College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (commonly referred to

AHSS) administration, and religious community members all have a vested

interest in students being properly educated about the major world

religious traditions. All students (both prospective, undergraduate, and

graduate) want their religious studies education to be as complete as

possible. Professors want to know they are helping create well- informed

scholars. They also just want their students to learn a lot in their course.

Similarly, the AHSS wants to make sure they are releasing well-informed

adults out into the world after graduation. Religious community members

however have a different interest in students have a well-rounded education

concerning their religion. When students go out into the community on site

visits, s requirement of most Traditions courses, religious community

members want to be able to worship in peace and not have to worry about

being unfairly judged by the outsiders attending their services. If students

already have a foundational knowledge of a religion going into the site visit

then religious community members will feel more at ease with strangers

being at their services. Similarly, students will be able to participate in and

learn more fully from the site visit.

While standardizing the learning outcomes for Traditions Courses

may be a good idea, many professors may be resistant to having to

standardize anything about their courses. They could argue that each

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religion is unique in its defining features and that what is important to

learn about one religion may not be as important for another Professors

could also argue that standardizing takes away their freedom and flavor in

designing course structures.

All of these arguments are reasonable and well founded. However, I

argue that by standardizing learning OUTCOMES not learning formats,

professors’ freedom to design courses is not being taken away, and that all

the listed aspects are universal to all five major religions. All religions have

a history, major figures, sects, texts, doctrines, etc. How that information is

imparted to students is up the professor’s discretion.

Standardizing learning outcomes in Traditions courses is a

completely feasible way to ensure students are getting a complete

education on each of the five major religions. In order to implement this

policy all professors have to do is hold one general meeting where they

decide what these standard learning outcomes are going to be. First

professors have to agree with the need for standard learning outcomes in

Traditions courses. However, because standardizing only learning

outcomes does not take away professors’ autonomy to structure a class as

they see best, there should be little reason for professors to not agree on

standardizing learning outcomes.

In conclusion, I am proposing that in order for students to gain a

comprehensive knowledge of Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism,

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and Islam the Religious Studies Department at DU should standardize

learning outcomes in all Traditions courses. This will ensure that not only

are students getting a complete education but that they will become better

speakers, thinkers, and writers when it comes to religious studies. Students,

professors, AHSS administration, and religious community members all

have a concerted interest in the students coming out of college with a well

rounded religious studies education. This solution is simple and completely

feasible. Religious studies majors- if you want to come out of college with a

comprehensive knowledge of what you came to college to learn, then tell

your professors! Create a petition, hold meetings, send emails to

professors and the administration; just make sure your voice is heard. Tell

them you do not want to be cheated out of a full education in the world’s

five major religious traditions!

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Acknowledgements There are many people I would like to thank for helping me complete this portfolio. First I would like to thank Professor Andrea Stanton and Senior Religious Studies major Krystal Chavez for all their helpful information. Second, I would like to thank my peer-reviewers for all their helpful feedback.

About the Author Leah Julian is a first-year student at the University of Denver who originally comes from Northern California. Besides majoring in Religious Studies, Leah is also majoring in Theatre. When not busy writing or being in the theatre, Leah likes to be outside with her friends and family, eat good food, and sing.

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References "Aims and Scope." Journal of Contemporary Religion. Taylor and Francis Online, n.d. Web. 2 May 2013. <http://www.tandfonline.com/action/aboutThisJournal?show=aimsScope&journalCode=cjcr20#.UZWcAoIyFsM>. Bitzer, Lloyd F. "The Rhetorical Situation." Philosophy & Rhetoric (1966): 1-14. Print. Miller, Carolyn R. "Genre as Social Action." Quarterly Journal of Speech 70.2 (1984): 151-67. Print. "Religious Studies: Careers." Department of Religious Studies. University of Denver College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, n.d. Web. 28 May 2013. <http://www.du.edu/ahss/schools/rlgs/careers.html>. "Major Religions of the World Ranked by Number of Adherents." Adherents.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2013. <http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html>. "Facts Facts on Buddhism." Religon Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2013. <http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/fastfacts.htm>. "Fast Facts on Judaism." - ReligionFacts. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2013. <http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/fastfacts.htm>. "Fast Facts on Islam." Religon Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2013. <http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/fastfacts.htm>. "Fast Facts on Christianity." Religion Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2013. <http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/fastfacts.htm>. "Fast Facts on Hinduism." - ReligionFacts. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 May 2013. <http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/fastfacts.htm>. Stanton, Andrea. Personal interview. 11 Apr. 2013. Chavez, Krystal. Personal interview. 16 Apr. 2013.

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