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Canyon College

COURSE SYLLABUS: Religious Ethics

Course Title:	RL540 - Religious Ethics
Department:	Religious Studies
Instructor:	Don E. Peavy, Sr., Ph.D. E-Mail Vita
Prerequisites:	None

PURPOSE OF THE COURSE

Welcome to RL 540, Religious Ethics. If there is one thing all religions share in common, it is a central set of moral imperatives. All religions seek to prescribe a code of conduct which will assist its adherents in achieving the ultimate reality of the religion. In Islam, if one is to inherit eternal bliss in paradise, then one must follow the Five Pillars. In Buddhism, if one is to achieve Nirvana, then one must follow the Eight-Fold Path. One cannot understand religion completely unless one understands ethics and the role it plays in religion. That is the purpose of this course – to acquaint the student with the dimensions and roles of religious ethics.

INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE

Students should strive to use inclusive language in their writings. By inclusive language is meant language that is not gender specific and which attempts to include as many people as possible. For instance, instead of writing that "God wills that every man obeys His will," inclusive language would require us to write, "God wills that everyone obeys Gods will."

REQUIREMENTS

1. Readings. The required texts are: Online Bookstore
   
   "What Must I Do?": Bridging the Gap Between Being and Doing by Don E. Peavey Sr.. Kendall/Hunt (2006). ISBN13: 9780757533150 ISBN: 0757533159
   
   

2. Conferences. Students may schedule no more than two Internet conferences between the student and the professor. These should be scheduled as necessary by the student. Of course, students may ask questions of the professor at any time by sending an E-mail to the address at the link above or by posting them to the message board.

3. Exams. There will be no exams in this course.

4. Papers.There will be a short paper of at least two single-spaced pages or 1,250 words (not counting end-notes and bibliography), due at the end of each week=s readings in which students will answer the discussion questions and give a reaction to their readings. There is a mid-term paper due of between 1500 and 2500 words. These papers are to be e-mailed to the professor. Those who do not feel comfortable with e-mailing the papers can contact the professor for a mailing address. Papers should conform to the form and style outlined in Kate L. Turabian=s "A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations," 6th ed. Students should use end notes instead of footnotes. Finally, the papers are intended to be reflection papers and not research or the "author said" papers. Students should indicate their understanding of the texts and this cannot be done merely by quoting the authors.

5. Grades. Course work will be weighted as follows:
   
   

   Papers	60%
   Midterm Paper	40%

6. Grading Scale
   
   

   90 - 100%	A - Excellent
   80 - 89%	B - Above Average
   70 - 79%	C - Average
   60 - 69%	D - Below Average
   59% or below	F - Failing Grade

   
   
   A = Clearly stands out as excellent performance. Has unusually sharp insight into material and initiates thoughtful questions. Sees many sides of an issue. Articulates well and writes logically and clearly. Integrates ideas previously learned from this and other disciplines. Anticipates next steps in progression of ideas.
   
   B = Grasps subject matter at a level considered to be good to very good. Is an active listener and participant in chats, message boards, e-mails and conferences. Speaks and writes well. Accomplishes more than the minimum requirements. Work is of high quality.
   
   C = Demonstrates a satisfactory comprehension of the subject matter. Accomplishes only the minimum requirements, and displays little or no initiative. Communicates at an acceptable level for a college student. Has a generally acceptable understanding of all basic concepts.
   
   D = Quality and quantity of work is below average and barely acceptable.
   
   F = Quality and quantity of work is unacceptable.

WEEK ONE

Read Lecture One.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What are some of the key values by which you live your life?
2. How did you acquire these values?
3. Have your values changed over the years? Please explain.
4. What is a duty based ethical system?
5. What does teleology mean in ethics?
6. What is your system of ethics?

WEEK TWO

Read Lecture Two. Read Peavy Preface and Introduction.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. Please write down the muddiest point from last week’s lecture/discussions. That is, what did we discuss that remains unclear to you or which you have further questions about?
2. We said in week one that C.S. Lewis fails to account for the fact that there are moral communities that are not religious. How do you account for the fact that there are communities of people who are not religious but who possess an ethical system?
3. If ethics is common to all religions, is it possible to have a system of ethics that is the same for all religions? Why or why not?
4. How well does Peavy make his argument that Christian ethics ought to be the norm in the United States?

WEEK THREE

Mid-Term Paper. Read Peavy vii-40.

Your paper should be a coherent essay in proper APA or Turabian format of between 1500 and 2500 words.

On page 276 of his book, Anatomy of the Sacred, Livingston writes that “Cosmic or natural law is one of the important sources of ethical guidance.”

1. What does Peavy say is the source(s) of ethics? What do Cannon and Gilligan say is the source(s) of ethics?
2. What does Peavy say about the source(s) of ethics upon which Cannon and Gilligan depend? Does he agree with either or both of them?
3. With whom do you most agree? Why?

WEEK FOUR

Read Peavy 41-88.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. Can you think of an ethical issue which cannot be resolved by discerning God’s will? Please explain your answer.
2. Can there be a religion without ethics? Explain.
3. There is a battle being waged in the United States between the so-called Christian right and those who advocate a wall of separation between church and state. Based on your understanding of chapter six, is there a boundary between being a Christian and politics? Ought there to be such a boundary?
4. Can the issue of how to address the gay-lesbian issue be resolved without an appeal to religion? Why or why not?

WEEK FIVE

Read Peavy 89-end. Go to: http://www.pluralism.org. Click on Pluralism and read the two articles by Diane Eck.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. What is pluralism?
2. What does Diane Eck say is the place where all religions in the United States can come together?
3. You have been granted an opportunity to address the world’s religions. In two short paragraphs or less, what would you say to them in terms of finding a way all religions can work together and live together in peace and harmony?