HUM 2270: East/West Synthesis

Class Theme: The Search for Meaning

“When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.”—

C.S. Lewis, “On Three Ways of Writing for Children”

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“Unless the measuring rod is independent of the things measured, we can do no measuring.”—C.S. Lewis, “The Poison

of Subjectivism”

“All people try to make sense of the rules of the world by developing ideas. These ideas flow in patterns, which we call worldviews. People’s worldviews lead them to value certain things, which lead to particular convictions governing their

behavior. These convictions solidify into habits that affect the way they—and others—live.”—Jeff Myers, Understanding the

Times

Professor Michael T. Jahosky: Please see my Website for more details about me: http://www.spcollege.edu/instructors/id/jahosky.michael

Main Required Textbook

1. The Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions, by Karen Armstrong, the paperback edition with the four men on the front of the book!

*Make sure you get the paperback version of this book that looks just like this: it is important that you get the PAPERBACK VERSION…NOT THE HARDCOVER!

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Saint Petersburg College Course Description:

Prerequisite: (ENC 0020 or ENC 0025) or EAP 1695 or satisfactory score on the CPT. This course is a study of non-Western cultures, including the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Emphasis is placed on acquiring knowledge of non-Western arts, values, and ideas relative to Western culture and developing an awareness of a world community. This course partially satisfies the writing requirements outlined in the General Education Requirements. (Credit is not given for both HUM 2270 and HUM 2270H.) 47 contact hours.

Professor’s Class Description:

My class curriculum focuses on introducing students to non-western and western worldviews and comparing various ultimate issues of self, truth and meaning, religion, and morality. As such, my class focuses on—but is not limited to—the following disciplines of the Humanities: History, Religion, Philosophy and Logic, Morality, and Literature. This is not an art history class, though students will be exposed to several iconic examples of the visual and performing arts during our survey. The class curriculum focuses on the following civilizations primarily during their formative historical periods in the ancient world: India, China, Israel, and Greece. Despite the fact that Japan is not mentioned in our textbook, I also include it in the curriculum. I have selected the ancient world period and these civilizations because they have given us the most popular worldviews that continue to shape the lives of people today. My goal to is help students see life and ultimate issues from at least these four points of view and to understand the worldviews that are shaping the lives and destinies of people today. Most importantly, I want students to develop the critical thinking skills necessary for thinking through complex issues pertaining to each of our lives.

Class Policies:

1. Late Work Policy: All students get 1 and only 1 chance to make up 1 missed assignment. Any late work that is the result of family, health, or

work emergency requires signed paperwork to prove why you were unable to complete your work.

2. Attendance Policy: If a student accumulates 6 or more unexcused absences prior to the “W” deadline, that student will be dropped from the class for insufficient attendance and participation. If a student accumulates 6 or more unexcused absences after the “W” deadline, their final grade will suffer a dropped letter grade. An excused absence must be verified via documentation presented to the professor; excused absences include illnesses, family emergencies or other extreme or dire circumstances (within reason). Documentation (i.e. doctor’s notes, hospital visitation/badges, jury duty, etc) is required for all excused absences.

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3. Tardiness Policy: Please arrive before class starts or on time . If you make a habit (3 or more times) of being tardy, I will begin to mark them as absences after the third tardy, regardless of you being there or getting up and walking out. So do not make it a habit! What is “on time?” It means before or by the beginning of your class section time (i.e. 930am, 11am, 1230pm, etc). Because I know parking is an issue most times, I am grating everyone a 5 minute window (i.e. 935am) to be considered “on time” before being counted tardy.

4. Plagiarism is absolutely not tolerated. Any student caught plagiarizing will receive an automatic “0” after I speak with the student, and any other student involved will also receive a “0” for permitting this

5. Online sources whether they be Google searches, Wikipedia, Encyclopedias or otherwise are strictly prohibited. All the information you need is in your class textbook or in a library or scholarly online database. See me before attempting to use any online outside source, or you will receive a “0” automatically!

6. Please consult the syllabus frequently for information about readings, assignments, grading questions, policies, and due dates for assignments.

7. Electronics and Talking Policy: This class has plenty of opportunity for you to talk to me and your fellow students; do not talk amongst yourselves when I am lecturing or leading discussion. Under no circumstances are you allowed on your cell-phones at any time unless you have a personal emergency and have notified me first. You will be told ONCE to stop, then asked to leave. I have a zero tolerance policy about this.

8. Computer Policy: Front row only, no exceptions.

Contact Information:

Instructor: Professor Jahosky

Contact: Jahosky.Michael@spcollege.edu or MyCourses email (preferred!)

Office Hours and Location: HS 125 (The Humanities Building on Gibbs Campus/Virtual Office on MyCourses)

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Office Telephone: 727-341-4276

Mondays and Wednesdays: 830-930am, 2pm-5pm

Tuesdays and Thursdays: 830am-930am, 330pm-5pm

Fridays: Digital Office Hours: 12:00pm-1:00pm

Spring 2018 Class Sections, Times and Locations: All classes are Mondays and Wednesdays in TE 235Section 2981, 930amSection 2983, 11amSection 2985, 1230pmPlease review the college’s syllabus addendum before the end of the first week. https://www.spcollege.edu/addendum

DEPARTMENTAL LEADERSHIPDean of Fine Arts and Humanities: Dr. Jonathan Steele, Clearwater Campus, CR 154

Department Chair/Academic Coordinator: Nancy Smith, Gibbs Campus, HS 118

Office Location: Crossroads Building/Humanities Building, SAINT PETERSBURG GIBBS CAMPUS

SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS:

If you wish to request accommodations as a student with a documented disability, please make an appointment with the Learning Specialist on campus. If you have a documented hearing loss, please contact the Program for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing at 791-2628. If you need assistance during an emergency classroom evacuation, please contact your campus learning specialist immediately about arrangements for your safety. The Office of Services for Students with Disabilities can be reached at 791-2628 or 791-2710 (CL), 341-4758 (SP/G), 394-6108 (SE) 712-5789 (TS) or 341-4532 (AC).

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STUDENT SURVEY OF INSTRUCTION:The student survey of instruction is administered in courses each semester. It is designed to improve the quality of instruction at St. Petersburg College. All student responses are confidential and anonymous and will be used solely for the purpose of performance improvement.

Grading Scale (Percentage Gradebook)—Yes I will consider rounding up on .5%

100%-89.5%= “A89.4%-79.5%= “B79.4%-69.5%= “C69.4%-59.5%= “D59.4%-Below= “F”

Required Materials and Documents:

1.Working computer (or access with Student ID on campus to a computer) and consistent, reliable internet connection2. 1 blue or black pen; 1 red pen for grading3. A 3 or 5 subject notebook4. Class textbook5. Adventure Map (Download from MyCourses on first day and save to your computer or thumb drive)6. Class Syllabus (print and read from MyCourses on first day)7. Index Cards

The Adventure Map (Typed homework): 30% of your final grade: A worldview is a map of reality and life. This fully typed portfolio-like assignment will be turned in in Unit segments at the end of each Unit online in dropboxes. Answers to the questions can be found in a combination of three places: Class lectures, class textbook, and the Unit PowerPoints. There are 3 Units. Each Unit will have a variety of different questions based on the lectures and the assigned readings (the readings are printed at the beginning of each Unit). At the end of each Unit, you will submit that Unit, including the Cultural Project for that Unit. The cultural project is part of the Unit. Please read the directions on the Adventure Map after reading about it here on the syllabus.

Cultural Projects (20% of your final grade): In this class, we will be surveying five major civilizations: China, India, Israel, Greece, and Japan. These civilizations’ worldviews

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gave us our major secular and religious traditions today and continue to exert great influence in the marketplace of ideas.

In each Unit, I ask you to complete a specific project that will help you learn more about the worldviews which come from that culture. Please see the Adventure Map for descriptions of these assignments, which are built in to Units I-III (there is no Cultural Experience Project for Unit IV!).

Unlike your other typed answers (the textbook and lecture questions), for these projects, I am looking for 250-500 word short essay outlining what you did, where, when, how, and why. Please document your visit to any locale or festival with receipts, pictures, etc. This 250-500-word short essay will be typed directly into your Adventure Map at the beginning or end of any given Unit and it will be submitted with your Unit homework at the end of the Unit.

*While you will be turning in your cultural projects along with your Unit submissions, I will grade these assignments in a different category of the Grade Book. *

Philosopher’s Café: 20% of your final grade: At the beginning of the semester, I will divide you into groups which you will then sit near the rest of the semester. The first time you meet with your group, please elect a Group Leader who is responsible, respectful, communicative, and dependable. There will be 7 group discussions throughout the semester. Group leaders will serve as the official representative of each group and be responsible for the following things: 1. Keeping track of group attendance (keep a record of who is present and who isn’t each time), 2. Keeping track of each group member’s participation and ability to stay on task in the group, 3. Assigning a participation grade on a 1-5 scale (1 being unacceptable and 5 being outstanding) based on each individual’s contribution to the group,4. Reporting to me group participation and attendance at the end of each class discussion. Grades are individual, not group. To earn your grade, each student must be present on time, in class and actively participating within their group when I assign a class discussion prompt. To earn your grade, each student must be present on time, in class and actively participating within their group when I assign a class discussion prompt. The topics are listed at the bottom of this syllabus. Group leaders: Please make a note of each person’s score (out of 5) in your notebook so that you have an ongoing record of all discussion scores throughout the semester. Then, at the end of class, I ask that all group leaders bring me an index card with all the scores on them to submit to me for review. I will be walking around class during discussion evaluating each group as well. Finally, I will submit your individual discussion grade online. Group leaders must be

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honest and responsible with these scores, or they will risk failing the class for violating both my and SPC’s Academic Honesty policy. Please evaluate each member of your group on a 1 to 5 scale, 5 being the best and 1 meaning needs drastic improvement. Use the following Rubric to guide your evaluation: 1. Attendance (1 pt): Is the individual physically present? 2. Preparation (2 pts): Does the student seem to be doing the readings and reviewing the material at home on their own time? Are they aware of what we’re studying/reading/learning about? 3. Participation (2 pts): Has the individual contributed something worthwhile, on-topic, and relevant to the discussion prompt?

Unit Quizzes (In class): 20% of your final grade: There will be 5 quizzes throughout the semester (3 in Unit I, and 1 quiz in Units II, III, and IV). Each quiz evaluates your retention of the material I am teaching which is largely based on the outline given in the Adventure Map. Questions from the textbook may also make an appearance, so be sure to do the required reading. Usually, however, I stick to terminology from the Adventure Map (and therefore the lectures) when I create the quizzes.

Even so, you are still responsible for reading the assigned readings during any given Unit. There will be 10 questions per quiz and I will administer the quizzes in class by projecting a Microsoft word document on the projectors. All questions will be shown at once. Work at your own pace but all students will be given 15-20 minutes to complete the quiz. Please complete your quiz in blue or black ink.

After you have finished, please close your notebooks and wait for time. When we have all finished, we will grade the quiz together. To do this, please swap quizzes with a person next to you in your group. You will grade your neighbors and vice versa. Please grade the quizzes in red ink and then write the grade at the top of the page out of 100 (each question is 10 points), and then hand it back to its owner.

Group Leaders: Please make a note of each person’s score in your notebook before going home for the day. Lastly, at the end of class, I ask that all group leaders bring me an index card with all the scores on them to submit to me for review. Group leaders must be honest and responsible with these scores, or they will risk failing the class for violating both my and SPC’s Academic Honesty policy.

What’s Your Worldview? Project: 10% of your final grade: You will be doing academic research and writing using the library to complete this assignment. All google-searches, non-academic websites, and Wikipedia uses will disqualify you from earning your

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grade. You must find a minimum of 2 academic sources and have them listed in MLA format in a Works Cited at the end of this paper. All citations in text will be MLA format as well (Jahosky, 28). The rest of the paper must be single-spaced, include a cover-page with title, and must be in Times New Roman size 12 font. The paper must be a minimum of 5 pages (remember, SINGLE spaced). No extra spaces between paragraphs to make it look like a longer paper.For this assignment, you are being asked to research, discover, and then write about your worldview. You may already know what your worldview is, especially if you were raised in a religious environment, or perhaps a secular one (atheists, agnostics, etc). A great many of you will not, however. The assignment is the same for everyone despite your background. Unit I’s material will be extremely helpful to you and I have a list of recommended books you can go look for to help you with your research.

Directions: In your 5-page minimum paper, please research, reflect, and then address the 5 ultimate questions of worldviews that we learned about during Unit I: 1. Origin, 2. Identity, 3. Meaning, 4. Morality, and 5. Destiny. Then, please look at the supplemental class PowerPoint which has information on all the world’s most popular worldviews in addition to doing your own research and then settle on which worldview you think you have. Next, please explain if and how your selected worldview holds up under the 4 worldview tests we learned about: 1. Test of Reason, 2. Test of Outer World, 3. Test of Inner World, 4. Reality Test.

In conclusion, please explain whether your worldview is tenable, that is, if your theory of reality actually fits reality as it is consistently. If not, explain what course of action you will take to make changes in your life to do something about this. Remember this: With many worldviews, if we live happily, then we are not living consistently, and if we are living consistently, we are not living happily. Does this describe your chosen worldview? If so, what can be done to fix this in your life? If not, and you believe you are living happily and consistently, then how will you address doubts that arise in your worldview? Outside challenges from others? Explain!

SEMESTER SCHEDULE/DUE DATES

Please check the SPC Academic Calendar for a list of important dates

*If you have the hardcover copy of the text, in every chapter each of the 4 civilizations (China, Israel, India, and Greece) get discussed (with the

exception of Greece which isn’t mentioned in Chapter 1). Since the page #’s will be different for you, please look for the paragraph breaks and the big

capital letters which always signifies the start of a new section on a new culture. Look for key words to see which culture it is, and then do the

required reading. *

Unit I: Humanities 101 and the Legacies of India and Greece in the Modern World, Weeks 1-6

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Quiz #1: End of Week 3Philosopher’s Café #1: End of Week 3Section 1 of Unit I due end of Week 3

Quiz #2: End of Week 5Philosopher’s Café #2: End of Week 5Section 2 of Unit I due end of Week 5

Section 3 of Unit I due end of week 6 Quiz #3: End of Week 6Unit I Cultural Experiences (which are part of Unit I Adventure Map) both due end of Week 6 (India and Greece)

Unit II: The Legacy of Israel, Weeks 7-8 and 10-11 (Spring Break is Week 9; no classes!)

Philosopher Café #3, end of Week 8

SPRING BREAK WEEK 9

Philosopher’s Café #4: End of Week 11Quiz #4: End of Week 11Unit II of Adventure Map due end of Week 11Unit II Cultural Experience Project on Israel due end of Week 11

Unit III: The Legacies of China and Japan, Weeks 12-15

Philosopher’s Café #5: End of Week 13

Philosopher’s Café #6: End of Week 15Quiz #5: End of Week 15Unit III due end of Week 15Unit III Cultural Experience Projects on China and Japan due end of Week 15

Unit IV: The Way Forward, Week 16 (Last Week)

Assigned Readings: Pp. 466-476 (end of book)Philosopher’s Café #7: End of Week 16: Quiz #6: Final Quiz, End of Week 16What’s Your Worldview? Paper due end of Week 16

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PHILOSOPHER’S CAFÉ PROMPTS

Philosopher’s Café #1, Week 3: Discussion Prompt: French philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) said, “And is it not obvious that, just as it is a crime to disturb the peace when truth reigns, it is also a crime to remain at peace when the truth is being destroyed? There is therefore a time when peace is just and a time when it is unjust. Weaklings are those who know the truth, but maintain it only as far as it is in their interest to do so, and apart from that forsake it.”

Socrates died for “corrupting the youth” of Athens and was accused of “atheism” (see Plato’s Apology for more details), even though he spoke consistently about “the God.”

The Indian sages who compiled the Upanishads predated Socrates by about 300 years, as did the texts themselves. If we are attentive in reading these classical Indian scriptures, we will notice that they are one long brahmodya (see Chapter 1’s India reading again). This “Indian Dialectic Method” also predates Socrates’ famous method known as the dialectic or Socratic method. Put the following questions on the table for Group Discussion:1. Describe the theology and philosophy of Socrates/Plato and the Upanishadic sages. How do these philosophers view the nature of truth and knowledge? How are they similar/dissimilar? Which do you find more realistic and why?2. Lastly, why do you think American culture is hostile to the notion of absolute, objective truth, especially when applied to religion?

Philosopher’s Café #2, Week 5:Discussion Prompt: People who belong to religious worldviews are often accused by secular people that their beliefs are based on “faith” (and therefore irrational) whereas their secular values are based on “evidence” (and therefore rational). Define the terms faith and evidence before you begin. Then, I want you to determine if this is a sound or an unsound argument and tell me why.

Philosopher’s Café #3, end of Week 8, before Spring Break: The Problem of Evil is perhaps the most powerful argument against the existence of the Judeo-Christian God of the Bible. The argument comes in three different forms. Which did you find the most convincing and why? Be sure to give clear definitions of good and evil in your group discussion.

Philosopher’s Café #4, End of Week 11: Most Christians present Christianity as the only true religion rather than the only completely true religion. Explain the distinction as it was presented in class. How does this change the way you view Christianity? What consequences does this have in understanding other religious traditions, i.e., how does knowing this change the way you

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look at the relationship between Christianity and the others differently now? Lastly, what role does myth/worldview play in world religions, but especially Christianity?

Philosopher’s Café #5, end of Week 13: For this group discussion, I would like you all to compare the worldviews of Confucianism and Christianity. Confucius was not known for his metaphysics, but his teaching on ren resonates with Christianity. Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?

Philosopher’s Café #6, end of Week 15: For this group discussion, I would like you all to compare the worldviews of Shinto and Daoism with the Hellenistic Philosophies of ancient Greece from Unit I.

Final Philosopher’s Café #7 Week 16: Japanese culture has incredible influence through technological channels today, and it’s inherently religious pluralism has impacted our culture via Nintendo and Sony video game productions in particular. Most of us pick up our worldviews through technology, friends, and the arts today. Discuss the pros and cons of religious pluralism together in your group. How can we live in an increasingly diverse world that is hostile to the concept of absolute, objective truth, especially in its Christian manifestation? How can we still be pluralistic without being metaphysically pluralistic?

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