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Staffing

Examiner:

Rationale

Religion is one of the principal cultural phenomena in which humans participate. Humankind has been concerned throughout recorded history with religious questions, such as the existence of God, the meaning and purpose of life and death, and the sense we make of our lives. In the contemporary world, religion has a significant influence on individuals and societies across the globe, informing significant global events, as well as the everyday detail of people’s lives. In the study of religion, students become aware of their own religious beliefs, the religious beliefs of others, and how people holding such beliefs are able to co-exist in a pluralist society. An understanding of the key religions throughout the world is important in understanding other peoples and cultures, which in turn is crucial in a pluralist and diverse 21st Century. The religions are studied in such a way that students acquire a sense of what it is like to belong to a particular religion and how that influences the way in which the followers of that religion understand the world, act in it, and relate and respond to others.

Synopsis

World Religions provides an overview of the key religions of the world. This course presents an analysis of religion and religious ideas. It explores religious traditions as lived by diverse people within particular geographical, social and historical contexts. The course looks at religion through common themes and examines symbols, rituals, followers, sacred texts, doctrines and beliefs, experiences, ethics and moral concerns, architecture, art and music in the five major world religions: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism. The course covers religions and religious thought from the earliest humans to the Ancient and Classical Worlds and right through to today. It seeks to promote respect for the diversity of religious beliefs, both locally and globally, with the aim of enhancing international and inter-religious understanding.

Objectives

Topics

Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed

Reference materials

Student workload expectations

Assessment details

Important assessment information

1. Attendance requirements:
   
   There are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students’ responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.
   
   
2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
   
   To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks for that item. Depending upon the requirements in Statement 4 below, students may not have to satisfactorily complete each assessment item to receive a passing grade in this course.
   
   
3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
   
   Students should refer to the Assessment Procedure (point 4.2.4)
   
   
4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
   
   To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
   
   
5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
   
   The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative items for the course.
   
   
6. Examination information:
   
   There is no examination in this course.
   
   
7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
   
   There is no examination in this course, there will be no deferred or supplementary examinations.
   
   
8. ¾«¶«´«Ã½app Student Policies:
   
   Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene ¾«¶«´«Ã½app policies and practices. These policies can be found at .
   
   

Assessment notes

1. Referencing in assignments must comply with the APA referencing system. This system should be used by students to format details of the information sources they have cited in their work. The APA style to be used is defined by the USQ library's referencing guide. This guide can be found at .
   
   

Evaluation and benchmarking

Internal USQ accreditation/reaccreditation processes which include (i) stringent standards in the independent accreditation of its academic programs, (ii) close integration between business and academic planning, and (iii) regular and rigorous review.