Throughout the ages, religions from around the world have shaped the political, social, and cultural aspects of societies. This course focuses on the major religions that have played a role in human history, including Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Shintoism, and Taosim. Students will trace the major developments in these religions and explore their relationships with social institutions and culture. The course will also discuss some of the similarities and differences among the major religions and examine the connections and influences they have.
Prerequisites: None
Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to...
- Analyze different definitions of the word “religion”
- Consider how different groups of people approach religion
- Identify elements that religions have in common
- Discuss some of the functions of religion for society
- Demonstrate understanding of some of the ways to categorize religions
- Demonstrate understanding of Hinduism’s ancient origins
- Discuss several denominations of Hinduism
- Identify the four objectives of Hinduism and the four paths to God
- Identify important Hindu texts and rituals
- Recognize the influence of Hinduism on South Asian culture
- Discuss the historical and religious figure of the Great Buddha
- Demonstrate understanding of the Buddha’s basic teachings
- Describe some of the basic developments that have occurred in Buddhism since the time of the Buddha
- Identify the two primary divisions of Buddhism
- Recognize the influence of Buddhism on different world cultures
- Identify the origins of Judaism
- Summarize the 3,500 year history of the Jewish people
- Identify the sacred texts of Judaism
- Distinguish among the major divisions of modern Judaism
- Understand the beliefs and practices of modern-day Jews
- Discuss Jesus of Nazareth and other key figures in the origin of Christianity
- Demonstrate understanding of the basic teachings of Jesus
- Map the spread of the Christian faith throughout Europe and the world
- Distinguish between Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism
- Identify Christian influences in world art and culture
- Identify the origins of Islam
- Discuss the life of the prophet Muhammad
- List the Five Pillars of Islam
- Distinguish among the major divisions of modern-day Islam
- Demonstrate understanding of the role of Islam in current affairs
- Outline the basics principles of Confucian thought
- Recognize the influence of Confucian thought in Chinese culture
- Demonstrate understanding of the sacred texts of Confucianism
- Discuss the influence of Confucius and Mencius
- Consider some of the rites and rituals of Confucianism
- Outline the basic principles of Shintoism
- Demonstrate understanding of some of the different types of Shinto
- Examine the common elements of Shinto shrines
- Discuss some of the practices and rituals of Shinto
- Analyze some of the Shinto festivals and their role in the religion
- Examine the ancient origins of Taoism
- Identify the historic/religious figure of Lao Tzu
- Demonstrate understanding of the basic principles of Taoist thought
- Demonstrate understanding of the different types of Taoism
- Demonstrate understanding of the rituals and customs common to Taoist practice
- Define challenges that the modern world presents to religion
- Identify the role of religion in global politics and social policies
- Recognize reasons why religious tolerance is more important than ever
- Demonstrate understanding of the Interfaith Movement
- Identify theories about the future of religious practice
Course Outline:
Unit 1: The Study of World Religions
Unit 2: Hinduism
Unit 3: Buddhism
Unit 4: Judaism
Unit 5: Christianity
Unit 6: Islam
Unit 7: Confucianism
Unit 8: Shintoism
Unit 9: Taoism
Unit 10: Religion in the Twenty-First Century
Resources Included: Online lesson instruction and activities, opportunities to engage with a certified, online instructor and classmates, when appropriate, and online assessments to measure student performance of course objectives and readiness for subsequent academic pursuits.
Additional Costs: None
Scoring System: Michigan Virtual does not assign letter grades, grant credit for courses, nor issue diplomas. A final score out of total points earned will be submitted to your school mentor for conversion to their own letter grading system.
Time Commitment: Semester sessions are 18-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1 or more hours per day in the course to be successful. Summer sessions are 10 weeks long: Students must be able to spend a minimum of 2 or more hours per day, or about 90 hours during the summer, for the student to be successful in any course. Trimester sessions are 12-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1.5 or more hours per day in the course to be successful.
Technology Requirements: Students will require a computer device with headphones, a microphone, webcam, up-to-date Chrome Web Browser, and access to YouTube.
Please review the Michigan Virtual Technology Requirements: https://michiganvirtual.org/about/support/knowledge-base/technical-requirements/
Instructor Support System: For technical issues within your course, contact the Customer Care Center by email at [email protected] or by phone at (888) 889-2840.
Instructor Contact Expectations: Students can use email or the private message system within the Student Learning Portal to access highly qualified teachers when they need instructor assistance. Students will also receive feedback on their work inside the learning management system. The Instructor Info area of their course may describe additional communication options.
Academic Support Available: In addition to access to a highly qualified, Michigan certified teacher, students have access to academic videos and outside resources verified by Michigan Virtual. For technical issues within the course, students can contact the Michigan Virtual Customer Care by email at [email protected] or by phone at (888) 889-2840.
Required Assessment: Online assessments consist of formative and summative assessments represented by computer-graded multiple choice, instructor-graded writing assignments including hands-on projects, model building and other forms of authentic assessments.
Technical Skills Needed: Basic technology skills necessary to locate and share information and files as well as interact with others in a Learning Management System (LMS), include the ability to:
- Download, edit, save, convert, and upload files
- Download and install software
- Use a messaging service similar to email
- Communicate with others in online discussion or message boards, following basic rules of netiquette
- Open attachments shared in messages
- Create, save, and submit files in commonly used word processing program formats and as a PDF
- Edit file share settings in cloud-based applications, such as Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides
- Save a file as a .pdf
- Copy and paste and format text using your mouse, keyboard, or an html editor’s toolbar menu
- Insert images or links into a file or html editor
- Search for information within a document using Ctrl+F or Command+F keyboard shortcuts
- Work in multiple browser windows and tabs simultaneously
- Activate a microphone or webcam on your device, and record and upload or link audio and/or video files
- Use presentation and graphics programs
- Follow an online pacing guide or calendar of due dates
- Use spell-check, citation editors, and tools commonly provided in word processing tool menus
- Create and maintain usernames and passwords
Additional Information: None