Research and Writing for Religious Disciplines – RLGN 301
CG • Section 8WK • 11/08/2019 to 04/16/2020 • Modified 09/05/2023
Course Description
This course builds upon the concepts for scholarly research and writing to prepare students for completing scholarly research and writing specifically within the religious disciplines. The course covers various methods and aims for research within religious disciplines, tools for performing scholarly research, and the tools for writing clearly and effectively in an academic setting. As such, this course lays the foundation for future academic writing in the religious disciplines.
For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.
Rationale
This course prepares the student for advanced courses in the religious studies disciplines by reinforcing prior learning of the information literacy skills and resources needed for academic research, introducing a variety of credible resources and tools within the religious disciplines, and providing the student with opportunities to engage in academic writing on religious topics prior to entering upper-level religion courses.
Course Assignment
Textbook readings and lecture presentations
Course Requirements Checklist
After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.
Discussions (3)
Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to create a thread in response to the provided prompt for each discussion. Each thread must be 250–300 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be at least 150 words. (CLO: D)
Research Project Assignments
Research Project: Topic and Question Assignment
The student will select a research topic from a list of approved topics provided in the course and narrow that topic by proposing a specific research question to be addressed in his or her Research Project: Paper. (CLOs: A, D)
Research Project: Working Bibliography Assignment
The student will develop a Working Bibliography of at least 8 scholarly sources that will be used to address the research topic. This bibliography must be appropriately formatted in current Turabian style. Accompanying each citation will be an annotation addressing how the source addresses the research problem. (CLOs: A, B, C, D)
Research Project: Thesis and Outline Assignment
After collecting, reading, and evaluating the research materials, the student will produce his or her Thesis and Outline for the Paper. (CLOs: A, B, C, D)
Research Project: Paper Assignment
Using the materials collected throughout the course, the student will write a 2,000–2,500-word research-based paper in current Turabian format. A title page and reference page are required and are not included in the word count requirement. The paper must include at least 8 scholarly references in addition to the Bible. (CLOs: A, B, C, D, E)
Research Project: Revisions and Summary Assignment
Using the comments from the instructor and the principles learned in the course, the student will revise his or her Paper and resubmit it along with a 200-word explanation of the overall impact of the revisions on the paper. (CLOs: A, B, C, D, E)
Quizzes (4)
Each quiz will cover the Learn material for the modules: weeks in which it is assigned. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 25 multiple-choice and true/false questions, and have a 45-minute time limit. (CLOs: D)