Course Description Form

Course Code GEN1302

Course Title World Religions
Credit Value 3
QF Level 4
Pre-requisite Nil
Objectives 1. Impart general knowledge of worldviews and major religions of today
to students
2. Introduce the origins, central beliefs, rituals, cust
3. oms and social organizations of the major religions
4. Inform students that religion being the most essential and
indispensable part of a culture and society imparts a transcendent
worldview to tell believers what is right and what is wrong
5. Inform students that a worldview imparts meaning of life to believers,
guide their daily activities and evaluate the relations between culture
and society
6. Guide students to reexamine their worldviews in terms of
interpretative and evaluative framework
Course Upon satisfactory completion of this course, the student should be able to:
Intended (a) define world views and their relationships with religions
Learning (b) trace the origins, central beliefs, rituals and customs of a religion
Outcomes (c) identify the links between sources of religious beliefs and the social
(CILOs) organizations
(d) interpret religious traditions with sympathetic understanding to their
respective backgrounds, esp. to unbelievers
(e) understand religious dimension of human life and ultimate concern
Course 1. Introduction of World view
- Monotheism
Synopsis/
- Deism
Indicative - Pantheism
Syllabus 2. Judaism
- As devotion to the Law of God,
- Torah
3. Christianity
- As love
- As Grace and Truth
- Theological problem of evil
4. Islam:
- Sunni and Shia
- Jihad and Eschatology theodicies
5. Hinduism:
 - Maya: illusion
- Reincarnation &Caste system
- Moksha
6. Buddhism:
- The illusory nature of the physical world
- The noble truth of the cause of suffering
- Middle path
- Karma and Nirvana
7. Taoism:
- “The Tao”
- ‘Yin’ and ‘Yang’
- Feng Shui
8. Cult
- The definition of cult
- Exclusivism, inclusivism, & pluralism
- The emergence of cult
Learning & Lectures
Teaching Lectures are used to introduce the concept of worldview, origin, central
Methodology beliefs, rituals and customs of a religion.

Problem-based learning (PBL)

Case studies are used to invite students to analyze and compare cases
through specific questions and examples. The interactive learning
techniques are employed to develop students’ ability of questioning,
summarizing, predicting, and clarifying strategies. More interactive and
specific than a lecture, a seminar seeks to help students reformulate their
inadequate concepts to adequate ones.

Site visit or observation tour

An observation tour or site visit personalizes knowledge and skills
learned in lecture and PBL. Learning through first-hand experience helps
motivate students, stimulates their thinking, and encourage them to
reflect on their own lives. An observation tour to church, temple or
mosque not only broadens students’ horizons to the social organizations,
but also sharpens their thinking and analytical skills.

Assessment
Methods in Specific assessment % Course intended learning
Alignment methods/tasks weighting outcomes to be assessed
with Course (Please tick as appropriate)
Intended (a) (b) (c) (d) (e)
Learning  Quizzes 50     
Outcomes  Projects 30     
 Site Visits 20     
Total 100%
Explanation of the appropriateness of the assessment methods in
assessing the intended learning outcomes:

Quizzes
Quizzes are set up to ensure students to grasp the essence of different
worldviews and the basic facts of a religion.

Group projects
To heighten students’ capacities to conduct research, students are
required to form groups of four. To assess students’ competence in
interpretation, analysis and evaluation, each group of students will select
a case to analyze; that is, how a denomination of a religion respond to
human predicament in modern time.

Reflective journal for site visits

As an outsider, each student is required to write a reflective journal after
the site visit.
Student Class contact:
Study Effort  Lectures 20 Hrs
Required  Problem-based learning 20 Hrs
 Site visits/Tour 5 Hrs
Outside study:
 Self-study 40 Hrs
 Preparation for projects 40 Hrs
 Preparation for site visits 10 Hrs
Total student study time 135 Hrs
Reading List Textbooks
and Shouler, Kenneth (2002). The Everything world’s religions book. (2nd
ed.). MA: Adams Media.
References

References
1. Armstrong, K. (2002). Islam: A short history. NY: Random House.
2. Banks, R. (1994). Paul’s idea of community. Peabody, MA:
Hendrickson Publishers.
3. Herrlee, Creel (1970). What is Taoism? Chicago: University of
Chicago Press.
4. Kessler, G. E. (2003). Studying religion: An introduction through
 cases. 2nd ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill.
5. Kinsley, David R. (1993). On Indian religion, read Hinduism: A
cultural perspective. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
6. Miller, James (ed.) (2006).Chinese religions in contemporary
societies. Santa Barara: ABC-CLIO.
7. Rahula, W. (1990). What the Buddha taught. London: Wisdom
Publication.

Related Web Resources

1. www.chinapage.com/laotze.htm/ This site provides a complete text
of the Daodejing in both English and Chinese.
2. www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/moses.html You
will find a lot of information about Moses on the Web.