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School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Religious Studies
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Mission |
Outcomes |
Assessment |
Faculty |
Student Work |
RELIGIOUS STUDIES PROGRAM OBJECTIVES:
- OBJECTIVE I: Students will be able to communicate their ideas about religion and
related subjects with good writing skills that also exhibit critical thinking.
- Objective A: In each upper-division course, students will be able to write a
paper without major writing errors, develop their ideas in a logical fashion, and
support their conclusions.
- Objective B: In each upper-division course, students will be able to answer
examination essay questions without major writing errors. They will be able to
organize their answers clearly and support their conclusions.
- OBJECTIVE II: Students will be able to describe, interpret, compare, and explain
the most important beliefs and practices of the major religions of the world, using appropriate
scholarly methods.
- Objective A: Students will be able to describe the difference between the academic
study of religion, as it is taught and researched in universities, and the practice of
religion that is intended to establish and reinforce the norms of a religious community.
- Objective B: Students will be able to describe, interpret, compare, and explain
the beliefs, practices, and histories of the major religious traditions of the world.
- Objective C: Students will be able to identify some of the general characteristics
that most religions share in common.
- Objective D: Students will learn the concept of critical tolerance. They will
become aware of diverse cultural perspectives and religious practice.
- OBJECTIVE III: Students will be able to describe the historical origins of religions,
their transformation through the historical process, and the emergence of novel religious
forms and practices. They will be able to employ the major theories and methods of the
academic study of religion.
- Objective A: Students will be able to describe the historical sources of
major religious traditions and their evolution
- Objective B: Students will be able to employ social scientific methodology
in analyzing and interpreting beliefs and practices of the major world religions
- Objective C: Students will be able to use textual analysis to interpret the
literature of the major religious traditions
- Objective D: Students will gain knowledge of scholarly discussions of race,
gender, and ethnicity as they pertain to the nature and meaning of the major
religious traditions.
- OBJECTIVE IV: Students will be able to describe, interpret, and explain the moral,
experiential, doctrinal, and ritual dimensions of religion.
- Objective A: Students will be able to provide comparative examples of the
ways religion influences thought and action in relation to important social issues.
- Objective B: Students will be able to discuss interpretations of religious
experience comparatively.
- Objective C: Students will be able to describe differences in doctrine between
a minimum of one western and one Asian religious tradition
- Objective D: Students will be able to provide examples of religious rituals and
to explain what they mean to the communities from which they originate.
ASSESSMENT PORTFOLIO
Nearly every major at CSUB requires both a senior seminar and
some sort of assessment in addition to course grades. In the
Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, senior seminar
and assessment are combined. Assessment includes a portfolio,
which students will assemble. The Department urges students to
begin assembling materials for their portfolios as soon as they
declare a major. Students should keep duplicate copies of
everything they put in their portfolio, because it will not be
returned. The portfolio will not be graded, but it must be
completed before a grade is given for the senior seminar
The portfolio will consist of two sections: (1) an assessment
and (2) supporting evidence.
In the first section, students will include a personal
assessment of at least 1,000 words of the religious studies
program and their educational experience. The faculty want to
know what its majors think of the program, how it has
contributed to their educational goals and what recommendations
for change they would make. The student statement should be a
thoughtful assessment of the program and of the student's own
educational progress. The faculty want students to address each
of the goals and objectives listed above as they write their
assessments and indicate whether, in their opinion, the goals of
the program have been met. In addition, students may wish to
address other questions and issues that are important to them
and will help the faculty improve the program of study. Before
students write their assessments, the faculty recommend that
they review the courses they have taken including the
examinations, projects, and papers.
If students take senior seminar before they complete all major
requirements, they may update their self-assessments at any time
before graduation. The assessment should be submitted in a
sealed envelope. It will not be opened until after the student
has graduated. This procedure is intended to encourage an honest
evaluation of student progress and of the religious studies
program.
The second section of the portfolio should include copies of at
least four papers students have written in connection with their
major, either at CSUB or at other institutions. This material
should provide evidence supporting both the students assessment
of the program and their educational progress. The faculty
recommend that students not necessarily include only their best
papers or those with the highest grades; rather students should
pick examples from various stages in their college career, which
demonstrate abilities in the various facets of the religious
studies major, as well as papers that indicate whether or not
students have improved their skills in writing, critical
thinking, and constructing persuasive arguments.
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