RRE4205 – The three religions in contemporary perspective
Course content
This module builds on the course, The Emergence of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and discusses how the religious traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam have shaped the role these religions play in contemporary society individually and in their interaction. In this module students study how the formative periods of Judaism, Christianity and Islam affect religious beliefs and practices today but also how traditional beliefs and values may be affected by the challenges of secularism, majority and minority status, multi-culturalism, and the interaction of religion and public space.
Learning outcome
Knowledge outcomes
By the end of the course students will be able to:
- demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how contemporary Judaism, Christianity and Islam interact with the heritage from their formative periods.
- demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how contemporary Judaism, Christianity and Islam interact in public space and are affected by secularism, multiculturalism, and majority-minority relations
Skill outcomes:
By the end of the course students will be able to:
- Abstract reading assignments efficiently.
- Conduct independent research.
- Critically evaluate primary and secondary sources.
- Create a well-structured and well-argued essay that employs a consistent footnoting scheme and contains a complete bibliography.
Professional development outcomes:
By the end of the course students will be able to:
- Respect the views of others while putting forward one’s own views.
- See how a set of beliefs and worldview not shared personally function together as a different but coherent system.
- Demonstrate good time management skills.
- Demonstrate the ability to work independently.
- Demonstrate the ability to see a commitment/undertaking through to completion.
Admission
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
You must be admitted to the Master's programme Religious Roots of Europe (master) to register for this course.
Teaching
The teaching will combine:
- Compact seminar.
- Tutorials.
- Distance Learning
Teaching weeks: August 28 (week 35) to 19 November (week 46). There will be no teaching in weeks 44 and 45 (between 30 October and 12 November) due to the compact seminar in Lund.
Compact seminar in Oslo: 17-23 September (week 38; teaching will begin Monday morning, so most students will need to arrive Sunday the 17th, and the final activity will end Saturday about 1 pm, so flights home should be booked after 4 pm Saturday).
If a student 1) has attended the compact seminar and 2) has completed 80% of the e-learning assignments stipulated as part of the course curriculum at a satisfactory level, she or he may choose between a free and a fixed written examination. A student failing to fulfill either stipulated requirement must undertake the fixed written exam.
Syllabus
The mandatory reading will include approximately 1,500 pages of mostly scholarly literature. Approximately 1,000 of these pages are defined by the instructors before the beginning of the semester. Students doing free exams choose the remaining 500 pages or so. The instructors will define for the students doing a fixed exam the remaining 500 pages or so no later than one month before the deadline for submission of the exam paper.
Students will have regular reading and written e-learning assignments over the course of the semester. The written assignments will include personal work and reflection over what has been learned in connection with an assignment. They should not exceed 3 double-spaced pages of 12-font type. All e-learning assignments are be posted on Blackboard.
Examination
Deadline for both fixed and free exams is 11:59 pm 12 January 2018. The exam question for those doing a fixed exam will be announced by noon on 8 January, 2018, with the additional 500 pp. of mandatory reading released by 2 December.
All exams are to be between 19,200 and 24,000 characters, including spaces and references (8-10 pages). This does not include the bibliography or any title page or table of contents page that might be used. Both free and fixed examination papers are to be 8-10 pp. A page is defined as having 2,400 characters, including spaces. The limit includes notes but excludes bibliography. Written papers that do not comply with the specified length or specified format for references, quotations, and bibliography cannot be accepted for examination.
Use of sources and citation
You should familiarize yourself with the rules that apply to the use of sources and citations. If you violate the rules, you may be suspected of cheating/attempted cheating.
Language of examination
The examination text is given in English, and you submit your response in English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Explanations and appeals
Resit an examination
Withdrawal from an examination
It is possible to take the exam up to 3 times. If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline or during the exam, this will be counted as an examination attempt.
Special examination arrangements
Application form, deadline and requirements for special examination arrangements.