Course Syllabus
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Course Description and Prerequisites | Course Objectives | Time Expectation | Course Requisite Technical Skills | Textbooks and Materials | Course Grading | Course Policies | Student Rights & Responsibilities | Overview of Assignments | Taking Proctored Assessments | Your Email Account | Student Resources | Accommodation Policy and Statements | NOVA Online Policies and Procedures | Course Summary (Assignment Schedule and Critical Dates)
Course Title: REL 238 - Religions of the West (3 credits)
Semester: INSTRUCTORS WILL TYPE INFO HERE
Faculty: INSTRUCTORS WILL TYPE INFO HERE
Print Syllabus: You may use the Print feature of your browser to print out the syllabus or save it as a PDF document.
Course Description and Prerequisites
Course Objectives
Time Expectation
Course Requisite Technical Skills
In order to succeed in this online course, you must be comfortable working with technology. At a minimum, you must possess the following technical skills:
- Ability to use the Internet in an effective and efficient manner, including installation and management of browser plug-ins and add-ons.
- Basic knowledge about the operation of a computer, file management, and software installation.
- Working knowledge of the Canvas learning management system.
- Ability to proficiently search the web for information
- Ability to download and print information from websites
- Ability to download, view, and/or print PDF files
Textbooks and Materials
Required Textbooks
Additional Resources
This link will take you to the online materials from the publisher of our text book. There you can access:
- interactive e-text to read on your computer or other mobile device
- self quizzes for each chapter
- highlight text and create "study bits" for review of material you want to come back to and build your own set of flash cards and quiz questions based on your own selected content
- videos embedded in the e-text
Other online resources:
- Mentor's web site lecture notes
- Interactive review activities
- Video lectures linked to in the weekly assignment folders. Most of these YouTube videos are not created by your instructor but neither did your instructor write the text you are using. Between the text, your mentor's lecture notes, and the Video lectures from other professors, you get at least three different perspectives on the material. What one of us neglects, another may go into more depth on. In fact, many of the video lectures echo much of what your professor would present in the classroom.
- Links to other online videos in weekly assignment folders (I provide links to numerous online video clips that are valuable supplements to your reading. Many of these videos are from the Religion & Ethics Newsweekly website.
- Study guides, PowerPoint presentations and other helpful resources for each unit of study are made available as needed in the learning Modules.
Be sure to also check the Learning Resources module of this course site for links to study guide resources as well as websites on various religions.
Necessary browser plugins:
- Click here to download a free PowerPoint viewer (if you don't have PowerPoint on your computer)
- RealPlayer (to view online videos)
- MAC users Click here to download Windows Player for MAC
Many of the videos provide transcripts. You may have to set the YouTube videos to show captions or click on the word "transcript" below a video at the Religion & Ethics website.
Acquiring Textbooks and Course Materials
Course Grading
Course Policies
Attendance Policy: INSTRUCTORS WILL TYPE INFO HERE
Late Work Policy: INSTRUCTORS WILL TYPE INFO HERE
Grading Turnaround Time:
All completed assignments will be graded no later than seven days after the due date, and sooner when possible.
Incomplete Policy:
Withdraw from the Course
Student Rights & Responsibilities
Plagiarism Helpful Resources:
What is plagiarism? Plagiarism is using other people's ideas (paraphrasing) as well as words (quoting), passing them off as your own (without citing your sources). Check out this site if you are not sure what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it.
Plagiarism will not be tolerated! Copying from the Web is the easiest and most tempting way to plagiarize. It is also the easiest way for your teachers to check for plagiarism. Any suspect papers will be submitted to Turn-It-In and/or suspect phrases will be "googled". If it becomes clear that you have not done your own work, you will receive no credit for the plagiarized assignment and no opportunity to redo the assignment.
Cite your sources: Phrases taken from sources are to be indicated by quotations (or block indents for lengthy quotes). Any sources used should be indicated properly on a "works cited" page. Check out this site for guidance on proper format for citations (or this one on MLA). However, quotations are to be used sparingly. The bulk of your written work should be in your own words, reflecting your own thinking and your own presentation.
While MLA no longer requires URLs to be included for web based sources, I do prefer URLs - especially when citing web sources in discussion posts. Simply copy and paste your URLs.
No second chances: If you submit a second assignment that is also plagiarized you will automatically fail the course
Overview of Assignments
Taking Proctored Assessments
Your Email Account
Student Resources
Accommodation Policy and Statements
NOVA Online Policies and Procedures
Course Summary:
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