Unit 1: The Ancient Origins of World Religions

To begin the course, we will quickly survey the approximately 150,000 years of human history, identifying the chief differences between hunter-gatherer, tribal human existence and the "civilized" existence that developed during the last 10,000 years. In doing this, we will examine the major contributions of eight ancient civilizations: Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, Greece, Rome, Islam and Maya.

Probably the most enduring and important legacies of the ancient civilizations are the religions that formed during these ancient times and are still practiced today. Therefore, we will spend the bulk of this unit discussing the 5 major religions of the world: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. We will learn about their ancient origins, about their main beliefs and practices, and about where they are practiced in the world today. We will focus on the following questions:

Where and when did the major religions of the world form?

Is it morally acceptable to use violence to spread one's religion? Is violence ever acceptable?

Should governments be allowed to use their power to promote a religion?

What aspects of the major religions do you like or dislike, believe or not?

Assignments:

1) Reading Questions (10 pts.) Read pages 12 -16 in your textbook and do the reading questions given to you in class. Complete them in your notebook under the title “Judeo Christian Tradition.” They will be checked and stamped on the day they are due.

2) Reading Quiz (20 pts.) Read about the Reformation on pages 48-52, and prepare for a reading quiz. It is an open-note quiz and the questions focus on the information identified below. Take extensive notes on these topics:

a) Describe the problems with the Catholic Church during the early 1500’s. What is an indulgence?

b) Describe Martin Luther’s background.

c) What were the main ideas in the 95 Thesis and where were they put? What is the Reformation?

d) How did the Pope respond to the 95 Theses?

e) What did Luther’s ideas inspire among peasants in Germany?

f) What did the word Protestant come to mean?

g) What did the Peace of Augsburg establish?

h) What did Henry VIII do so that he could have a son? How did it change the religion of England?

i) What did Queen Elizabeth do with respect to religion in England? What happened to the Spanish Armada?

3) World Religions Presentation (35 pts.) See the handout for this assignment

4) Geography Test (STANDARD) (34 pts.) There will be a geography test. You must be able to find all of the following countries on a map of the world:

Russia Italy Japan South Africa Australia France Pakistan Saudi Arabia Afghanistan

Israel Germany Mexico Nicaragua Canada Turkey India Spain USA

Poland Iraq Brazil Iran Great Britain (UK) Indonesia Burma (Myanmar) Colombia South Korea

China Nigeria Vietnam Egypt Taiwan Philippines è You must know the seven continents-- Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, Australia, and Antarctica.

5) Test on World Religions (70 pts) There will be a test on the most important aspects of the major world religions. Be sure to pay attention and take notes during student presentations and lectures. And, STUDY before the test. The test is mostly multiple-choice, but there is one written part. You must respond to the following series of questions:

1) Describe how at least two of the major world religions spread in history? Be as specific as you can--how did these two religions get from where they originated to the areas they are practiced today? What role did violence play in this spread?

2) What do the teachings of the 5 religions we studied say about violence? Do you agree with these positions? Do you believe it is morally acceptable to use violence to spread one’s religion? Do you believe that violence should ever be used? When and why?

3) Do you believe that our society has become too immoral? Should governments be allowed to use their power to promote religious values and ethics? Would this be fair? What values should our government promote? Do you think that letting the government fund and promote religion would make our society more moral? Should public schools be allowed to set aside time for religious prayer? Should public schools have classes that teach students to follow the ethical and moral ideas that religions teach, such as encouraging abstinence until marriage or more modest (unsexy) dress?

Class Web Page: http://www.mcglashan.com/tyler/world.htm