RELS 201

THEMES IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES: RELIGION AND CHILDHOOD DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES, QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY, FALL, 2015

Instructor: Dr. Valerie Michaelson Time of Course: Monday, 2:30 – 5:30 pm Email: valerie.michaelson@queensu.ca Office hours: Tues, 9-10am; Fri 9:30–10:30 am Office: Theological Hall, Rm 233 Location of Course: Dunning 11 Pre-Requisites: Level 2 or above or 6.0 units at the 100 level in RELS Course Description Course Description From ancient times, religions have offered frameworks to children that help them to live in and to make sense of their world. Looking at issues in religion and childhood through the lens of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child (ICRC, ratified by Canada in 1991), we will investigate the role that children play in some of the world’s major religions and traditions and how those traditions construct their concept of childhood. Many of the methods used to study children and religion will be introduced, including empirical (qualitative and quantitative methods), cultural analysis and the study of sacred texts. We will also explore religious themes in children’s literature. Through a combination of theory and experiential learning opportunities, as well as individual and collaborative learning, students will develop the background knowledge and analytic skills necessary to identify aspects of what children need in order to thrive in today’s world and to determine how and when religions constructively address these needs. This course is for students who want understand the potentially positive, negative and ambiguous roles that religion can play in the lives of children today. This course is also structured to help students develop their academic writing, research and presentation skills. There is no textbook for this class. Weekly readings will be posted on the course website: readings include some website analysis. Assessment will take place through class participation (15%); a book review (15%); a group poster presentation (30%) and a final paper (40%). Please note that the group poster presentations will be on display in Stauffer Library from Monday, November 16th to Friday, November 20th. Friday, November 20th 2015 is Universal Children’s Day. Students must subscribe to the course email list on Desire to Learn (D2L) in order to receive course communications. LEARNING OUTCOMES As a result of this course, students will learn to:

• Develop critically reflective understandings of ways that some major religions view childhood and ways that childhood shapes religion.

• Gain respect for the diversity of opinions and thinking around many issues related to childhood and religion, including ritual, stories, spiritual development and responsibilities.

• Understand research methods used in research children and religion, and ethical issues related to research with children.

• Critically analyze the potential benefit of and potential danger of religion for children today and justify their thinking using reliable sources.

• Further develop research, writing and presentation skills LEARNING OUTPUTS During the course students will:

• demonstrate pre-class preparation and comprehension of key concepts and ideas • demonstrate an ability to identify and analyze aspects of child well-being and their

relationship to religious involvement • use acquired practical skills to examine primary and secondary sources including written

texts, movies/video, scientific literature, children’s literature, and web-based content in order to demonstrate a critical understanding of the complex relationships between children, childhood and religion.

Students will demonstrate this through:

1. regular participation in class 15% (assessed through participation in large and small group discussions, short responses to readings, and small quizzes)

2. book review 15% (due Monday, October 19th) 3. poster presentation 30% (due Monday, November 16th) 4. major paper 40% (due Wednesday, December 9th) Please see more details about assignments, assessment and due dates later in this syllabus.

14-Sep Introduction to Studies in Religion, Children and Childhood 21-Sep Ethical Issues; Qualitative Methods 28-Sep Quantitative Methods 05-Oct Sacred Texts 12-Oct Thanksgiving: no class 19-Oct Children, Cultural Stories and Religion 26-Oct Religion, Spirituality and Child Well-being 02-Nov Rites of Passage 09-Nov Children and Religious Education 16-Nov Poster Presentations in Stauffer Library 23-Nov Indigenous Traditional Values 30-Nov Exploring Children's Literature: Magic, Hope and Religion

Readings and Lecture Schedule There is no required text book for this class, however, weekly readings are posted on the course website. Unless otherwise stated, please do the readings before class as the readings will often be a part of class discussion. You may find the optional readings interesting as you think about individual paper topics. They will also be of help as you want to read more deeply in particular areas of interest. Other than a few online websites and optional readings that you will choose yourself, you will find all the readings in .pdf format on the course website. Please note that you will be asked to respond to readings on the D2L platform periodically throughout the course. Participation in this aspect of the course will contribute to your participation grade. A schedule of required online responses will be given during the first 2 weeks of class.

Week 1: September 14 – Introduction to Religion, Children and Childhood Required Readings: UN Documents. (1924). Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child. http://www.un-documents.net/gdrc1924.htm (1) UN General Assembly. (1959). Declaration of the rights of the child. Available from http://www.unicef.org/malaysia/1959-Declaration-of-the-Rights-of-the-Child.pdf. (2) World Conference on Human Rights. (1993). Fact Sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf (4) Steinberg, N. (2010). 1 Samuel 1, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children, and “the best interests of the child.” Journal of Childhood and Religion, 1(3), 1-23. (23) UNICEF. Religions for Peace VIII World Assembly. (2006). A Multi-Religious Commitment to Confront Violence against Children. (2) http://www.unicef.org/violencestudy/pdf/Final%20Declaration%20VAC-28%20Aug-Kyoto.pdf Please browse this document: (you do not need to read the whole thing): Unicef. Partnering with Religious Communities for Children. New York, New York. http://www.unicef.org/about/partnerships/files/Partnering_with_Religious_Communities_for_Children_(UNICEF).pdf Optional Readings: Bowman, V., & Spencer, L. B. (2007). Toward a definition of children and childhood studies. In V. Bowman (Ed.), Scholarly resources for children and childhood studies (pp. 3-16). Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press Inc. (13)

Cooey, P. M. (2010). Neither seen nor heard: The absent child in the study of religion. Journal of Childhood and Religion, 1(1), 1-31. (31)

Week 2: September 21 – Ethical Issues in Researching Children’s Perspectives on and Experiences of Religion; Qualitative Methods

Required Readings: Wall, J. (2010). Human rights in light of childhood. In J. Wall (Ed.), Ethics in light of childhood (pp. 113-138). Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press. (25) Neill, S. J. (2005). Research with children: a critical review of the guidelines. Journal of Child Health Care, 9(1), 46-58. (12) NB: This week I will be explaining the “book review” assignment in detail and introducing the major paper.

Week 3: September 28 – Quantitative Methods in Researching Children and Religion

Required Readings: Csinos, David. (2013). Review: John Wall, Ethics in Light of Childhood. Journal of Childhood and Religion, 4(1), 1-3. (3) Wall, J. (2013). Response to David M. Csinos, “Review of John Wall, Ethics in Light of childhood.” Journal of Childhood and Religion, 4(2), 1-3. (3) Zine, J. Muslim youth in Canadian schools: Education and the politics of religious identity. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 32(4), 399-423. (24) *** Now that you know a bit about qualitative studies (from last week’s class), here is a sample study for you to read. Please read it, and using tools that you learned in the last class, be prepared to discuss both the content and a very basic overview of the methods of this study. Optional Readings: Levine-Rasky, C. (2009). The public poster session. Teaching Sociology, 37(3), 309-316. (7) (You may find that this reading helps you prepare your poster presentation.)

NB: This week Patrick Patterson from Stauffer Library is going to visit the class to talk about poster presentations, and I will introduce that assignment in detail. We will brainstorm topics of poster presentations and form groups for this project during class time.

Week 4: October 5 – Sacred Texts Required Reading: following up from last week: please visit the website for the National Study of Youth and Religion. Choose one quantitative study and read it. Be prepared to share a quick summary of this study in class. University of Notre Dame. (2015). National study of youth and religion. Retrieved from http://youthandreligion.nd.edu/. Baumgarten, E. (2009). Introduction. In J. Browning & M. Bunge (Eds.), Children and childhood in world religions: Primary sources and texts (pp. 1-14). New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. (14) (Total pages: 14 + web article of your choice) NB: This week, Research Librarian Gillian will visit our class to talk about finding the sources you need in Religious Studies Data Bases, which will be helpful for all of your assignments.

Week 5: October 12 – Thanksgiving, no classes or readings

Week 6: October 19 – Culture, Religion, and Spirituality BOOK REVIEWS DUE TODAY (15%) Book reviews must be handed in twice: 1) they must be submitted to the dropbox in D2L AND 2) are hard copy of the review must be handed in at the beginning of class. Any book reviews not submitted at the beginning of class will be marked late, and penalized as per the guidelines about late assignments later in this syllabus. Required Readings: Sachs Norris, R. (2011). The battle for the toy box: Marketing and play in the development of children’s religious identities. In S. B. Ridgely (Ed.), The study of children in religions: A methods handbook (pp. 189-201). New York, NY: New York University Press. (12)

Mercer, J. A. (2006). Capitalizing on children’s spirituality: Parental anxiety, children as consumers, and the marketing of spirituality. International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, 11(1), 23-33. (10) NB: Please note that this week, Valerie Ashford from the writing centre will visit our class to talk about writing a research paper. Note that a thesis statement and short (5 references) bibliography is due on Nov 16th and counts toward 5 points of your total mark out of 40 for this major assignment (5/40).

Week 7: October 26 – Religion, Spirituality, and Child Well-Being Required Readings: Yust, K. M., Johnson, A. N., Eisenberg Sasso, S., & Roehlkepartain, E. C. (2006). Traditional wisdom: Creating space for religious reflection on child and adolescent spirituality. In Yust, K. M., Johnson, A. N., Eisenberg Sasso, S., & Roehlkepartain, E. C. (Eds.), Nurturing child and adolescent spirituality: Perspectives from the world’s religious traditions (pp. 1-14). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. (14) Louv, R. (2005). The spiritual necessity of nature for the young. In R. Louv (Ed.), Last child in the woods: Saving our children from nature deficit-disorder (pp. 285-300). New York: Algonquin Books. (15) Please choose ONE of the follow two readings and read by class (either Sridhar or Silberman) Silberman, S. (2006). Sanctifying time: A Jewish perspective on prayer, holy days, and blessings in the life of children. In Yust, K. M., Johnson, A. N., Eisenberg Sasso, S., & Roehlkepartain, E. C. (Eds.), Nurturing child and adolescent spirituality: Perspectives from the world’s religious traditions (pp. 199-209). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. (10) Sridhar, M. K. (2006). Sacred celebrations: The role of festivals in nurturing Hindu children’s spirituality. In Yust, K. M., Johnson, A. N., Eisenberg Sasso, S., & Roehlkepartain, E. C. (Eds.), Nurturing child and adolescent spirituality: Perspectives from the world’s religious traditions (pp. 223-235). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. (12) Optional Reading: Ebstyne King, P., Clardy, C. E., & Sánchez Ramos, J. (2013). Adolescent spiritual exemplars: Exploring spirituality in the lives of diverse youth. Journal of Adolescent Research, 20(10), 1-27. (27) NB: Today you will be given class time to work on your poster presentations in your groups.

Week 8: November 2 – Rites of Passage

Required Readings: Spagnola, M., & Fiese, B. H. (2007). Family routines and rituals: A context for development in the lives of young children. Infants and Young Children, 20(4), 284-299. (15) Burton, L. (1995). The rights and wrongs of teaching rites of passage. British Journal of Religious Education, 17(3), 180-188. (8) NB: You will be given class time to work on your poster presentation.

Week 9: November 9 – Religion, Children, and Education Required Readings: Zine, J. (2006). Unveiled sentiments: Gendered Islamophobia and experiences of veiling among Muslim girls in a Canadian Islamic school. Equity and Excellence in Education, 39(3), 239-252. (13) Required Browsing: There are many sites of interest related to this broader topic of “Religion, Children and Education” and you are encouraged to find ones that interest you. Please familiarize yourself with two websites related to the theme, and examine them through the lens of the International Convention of the Rights of the Child. Come to class prepared for discussion. You are not limited to these suggestions, but they will get you started. Buddhism: Buddhism for teenagers. http://dhammadana.fr/en.htm Christianity: McKinley, R., Holder, G., & Seay, C. (2006). Advent conspiracy. Available from http://www.adventconspiracy.org/. Gresh, D. (2015). Secret keeper girl. Available from http://www.secretkeepergirl.com/index.php. Hinduism: Hindu Kids World. (2011). Hindu kids world: Multi-language web-mag on Hinduism for the kids. Available from http://www.hindukidsworld.org/index.php/en/. Islam: ‘Alaikum, A. (2014). Muslim homeschool sites. Available from http://yemenlinks.com/blog/muslim-homeschool-sites/. Judaism: Stone, R. A., & Shimanowitz, M. Z. (2011). Torah tots. Available from http://www.torahtots.com/. NB: You should be printing your poster by Thursday of this week (Nov 12th)

Week 10: November 16 – Poster presentations

No readings for this week. Please use the time to finish up your amazing poster presentations. Instead of a lecture this week, you are responsible to be with your poster in Stauffer Library on Monday, November 16th during class time. Part of your mark will be based on your verbal presentation of your poster during this time. Guests will visit during this time, and you will also have the opportunity to visit other people’s posters. Posters will stay in the Library on display through Friday, November 20th, which is International Children’s Day. POSTERS: Posters must be brought to the circulation area of Stauffer Library between 8am and 10:00 am on Monday, November 16th. Either myself or a course research assistant/TA will be there to show you where to put up your poster. Since classes at Queen’s start at 8:30 am, if you have a Monday morning class, you are still responsible for getting your poster to the library during this time slot. Only one member of the group needs to bring the poster to Stauffer on Monday morning. There may be extraordinary reasons why you think you can’t get your paper to Stauffer at this time. If that is the case, please plan to print your poster early and arrange to give it to a classmate to bring on your behalf. All members of the group (ie. the entire class) must be at Stauffer, and our poster session, during regular class time.

Week 11: November 23 – Indigenous Traditional Values One paragraph thesis statement and short bibliography (minimum 5 sources) for final paper due today (5%). A paper copy of this must be handed in at the beginning of class. No late assignments will be accepted. The paragraph should explain what you are planning to research in your paper, and also provide a short rationale for your paper. In other words, what are you doing, and why? Required Readings: Corona, Y., & Pérez, C. (2007). The sense of belonging: The importance of child participation in ritual life for the recreation of the culture of the Indigenous peoples. In T. Wyller & U. S. Nayar (Eds.), The given child: The religion’s contribution to children’s citizenship (pp. 125-142). Göttingen, Germany: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. (17) Tagalik, S. (2010). Inunnguiniq: Caring for children the Inuit way. Prince George, BC: National Collaborating Center for Aboriginal Health. (8) Tagalik, S. (2010). Inutsiaqpagutit: That which enables you to have a good life: Supporting Inuit early life health. Prince George, BC: National Collaborating Center for Aboriginal Health. (6)

Week 12: November 30 – Children’s Literature: Magic, Hope and Religion Required Readings: Corriveau, K. H., Chen, E. E., & Harris, P. L. (2014). Judgments about fact and fiction by children from religious and nonreligious backgrounds. Cognitive Science, 1-30. (30) Worsley, H. (2010). Children’s literature as implicit religion: The concept of grace unpacked. Implicit Religion, 13(2), 161-171. (10) Optional Reading: (If you are especially interested in this week’s topic, I think you will find some of the following readings very interesting to look at.) Nemeroff, C., & Rozin, P. (2000). The makings of the magical mind: The nature and function of sympathetic magical thinking. In K. S. Rosengren, C. N. Johnson, & P. L. Harris (Eds.), Imagining the impossible: Magical, scientific, and religious thinking in children (pp. 1-34). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. (34) Wicks, D. A., Freeburg, D., & Goldsmith, D. (2013). Depictions of religion in children’s picture books. Journal of Childhood and Religion, 4(3), 1-29. (29) Griesinger, E. (2002). Harry Potter and the “deeper magic”: Narrating hope in children’s literature. Christianity & Literature, 51(3), 455-480. (25) NB: Final Papers are due on Wednesday, December 9th. Final papers must be submitted in two ways: 1). Papers must be submitted to the course dropbox on D2L by midnight on December 9th. 2). Papers must ALSO be submitted in hard copy form to my office, Theology Hall, rm 233, between 10am and noon on Wednesday, December 9th. Late Assignments: The book review is due at the beginning of class on the stated day and in drop box by midnight on the stated day. The final paper is due on Wednesday, Dec 9th (see above). There will be an automatic grace period of one week in which late book reviews or final papers will be accepted but there will be a penalty of 10 marks (10/100) on the assignment no matter when in that week the assignment is handed in. No assignments will be accepted after that date unless negotiated before the initial due date and supported by documentary evidence to support the request (e.g., a medical note or a funeral notice). Any request for an extension must be accompanied by a note from Queen's Health Counselling and Disability Services (see further below). No late assignments will be accepted for the one page paper outline (due Nov 23rd) and the poster board (due Nov 16th).

Useful Web Resources Pertinent to This Class Canadian Children's Rights Council. (2003). Canadian children’s rights council. Available from http://www.canadiancrc.com/default.aspx. Commission of Canada. (2015). Truth and reconciliation: Commission of Canada. Available from http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitution/index.php?p=830. National Aboriginal Health Organization. (2015). Inuit traditional and cultural knowledge. Available from http://www.naho.ca/inuitmidwifery/sample-page/inuit-traditional-and-cultural-knowledge/. UN General Assembly. (1990). Convention on the rights of the child. Available from http://www.unicef.ca/en/policy-advocacy-for-children/about-the-convention-on-the-rights-of-the-child Declaration of the Rights of the Child. (1959). http://www.unicef.org/malaysia/1959-Declaration-of-the-Rights-of-the-Child.pdf Journal of Childhood and Religion: http://childhoodandreligion.com AAR Childhood Studies Group: http://childhoodreligion.com International Association of/ Journal of Children’s Spirituality: http://www.childrenspirituality.org/publications/ijcs.asp ASSESSSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING

Class Contribution Evaluated throughout 15% Book Review Due Oct 19th 15% Poster Presentation Due Nov 20th 30% (5% + 10% + 15%) Major paper Due Dec 9th 40%

1. Class Contribution (15%) This course is designed to be participatory and thus it is imperative that you attend class each week prepared to discuss issues that arise. The primary criteria that I will use for evaluating student contribution to class is based on evidence for pre-class preparation, engagement during small group work, and the nature and content of comments in large class discussion. Online responses to readings and other course material will also be required, and participation in this component of the course will also be reflected in the class contribution grade.

2. Book Review (15%) This short review should be double spaced, maximum 1000 words (about 4 – 5 pages). Students must choose a book to review from the following list. There is an excellent section on writing book reviews on Richard Ascough’s (Department Head of Religious Studies) website. http://post.queensu.ca/~rsa/Book_Reviews.htm Please follow his principles and approach. IN ADDITION, based on what you have learned in class, please also comment on the method(s) that are used in the book you have chosen. If more than one method is used, explain, and comment in depth on one of the methods that is used. Some questions to guide you are: What method has the author chosen to use? Was the method appropriate to the research question? What are the strengths and limitations of this method in this particular study? This section of your review should take up about one paragraph, or 150 to 200 words of your review. You will have to be concise. Fader, A. (2009). Mitzvah girls: Bringing up the next generation of Hasidic Jews in

Brooklyn. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Louv, Richard. (2005). Last child in the woods: Saving our children from nature-deficit

disorder. New York: Algonquin Books. Ridgely Bales, S. (2005). When I was a child: Children’s interpretations of first

communion. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. Sasson, V. R. (Ed.). (2013). Little Buddhas: Children and childhoods in Buddhist texts and

traditions. New York: Oxford University Press. Because this book is substantially longer than any of the other books on this list, if you choose this book for review, you are responsible for Part Two only: Children and Childhoods in Buddhist Traditions (pg 227-482 inclusive). Please also include the short introduction to the whole book in your review.

Sirin, S. R., & Fine, M. (Eds.). (2008). Muslim American youth: Understanding hyphenated

identities through multiple methods. New York: New York University Press. Smith, C., & Lundquist Denton, M. (2005). Soul searching: The religious and spiritual lives

of American teenagers. New York: Oxford University Press. 3. Group Poster Presentation: (30%) For this assignment, you will work in groups of 2-4 participants. Students will choose groups based on common interest in a given topic. In your group, you will: 1). Choose an issue to explore based on readings and class discussions and 2). learn about different aspects of this issue and prepare a poster presentation that you will present to the class during week 10 of the class. Posters will be on display in Stauffer Library between Monday, November 16th to the end of the day on Friday, Nov 20th, which is International Children’s Day. Posters must be set up Monday morning (between 8 am and 10am) on November

16th. Information on collecting your poster at the end of the week will be given during class. All group members should be involved in developing the presentation. This assignment will be partially graded using the Peer Evaluation Rubric at the end of this syllabus. Peer evaluation will account for 5 marks of the grade; the instructor’s assessment of the group presentation will account for 10 marks of the grade and the content of the poster itself will account for 15 marks of the grade. In week 3 of the class, further orientation to this project will be given, including instruction about how to prepare an academic poster presentation. The collaborative learning potential of these poster presentations is invaluable to this course and engagement with posters of other students is expected. Some class time will be allocated to working on this group project. Our class on Monday, November 16th will take place in Stauffer Library. During this time, students will respond to posters from their classmates, and answer questions about their own poster from classmates and visitors to the library. More information will be given in class, including a rubric that the instructor will use for evaluation. Please note that groups will be responsible for the cost of printing final posters. This cost should be divided evenly between all group members. The standard size for an academic poster is 36” tall by 48” wide (or 91cm by 122 cm). Depending on size and colour, you can expect to pay about $42.00 (total) to get your poster printed. One place you can get your poster printed is in the Department of Chemistry in Chernoff Hall at Queen’s. http://www.chem.queensu.ca/services/poster-printing Please see their website for full details. This price includes a discount offered to Queen’s classes. Please note that Chernoff does NOT print on weekends, and they also need to receive files 24-48 hours in advance to guarantee printing. This means that if you choose to have your poster printed at Chernoff, you will need to submit it by Thursday, November 12th. An electronic version of your poster must also be submitted through dropbox on the course Desire 2 Learn site by Monday, November 16th. 4. Final paper (40%) The final paper will require you to identify and explore an issue related to course content, and to be agreed upon with instructor by week 10. A one paragraph thesis statement and short bibliography (minimum 5 sources) for final paper due in class on Monday, November 23rd (5%). You should begin immediately to consider topics of interest to you and to consult with your classmates and instructor for resources that will be of help in exploring your topic. This paper should be between 7 and ten 10 pages, 1.5 spacing. A marking rubric for this paper is at the end of this syllabus. Final papers must be submitted in two ways: 1). Papers must be submitted to the course dropbox on D2L by midnight on December 9th. 2). Papers must ALSO be submitted in hard copy form to my office, Theology Hall, rm 233, between 10am and noon on Wednesday, December 9th. COURSE POLICIES Academic Integrity: Academic integrity is constituted by the five core fundamental values

of honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility (see http://www.academicintegrity.org/icai/home.php). These values are central to the building, nurturing and sustaining of an academic community in which all members of the community will thrive. Adherence to the values expressed through academic integrity forms a foundation for the “freedom of inquiry and exchange of ideas” essential to the intellectual life of the University (see the Senate Report on Principles and Priorities at (http://www.queensu.ca/secretariat/policies/senateandtrustees/academicintegrity.html). Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the regulations concerning academic integrity and for ensuring that their assignments conform to the principles of academic integrity. Information on academic integrity is available in the Arts & Science Calendar on the Arts & Science website under “Academic Integrity” (http://www.queensu.ca/artsci/academics/undergraduate/academic-integrity) or from the instructor of this course. Departures from academic integrity include plagiarism, use of unauthorized materials, facilitation, forgery and falsification, and are antithetical to the development of an academic community at Queen's. Given the seriousness of these matters, actions that contravene the regulation on academic integrity carry sanctions that can range from a warning or the loss of grades on an assignment to the failure of a course to a requirement to withdraw from the university. Accommodations: If you have a physical, psychological, or learning situation that may require accommodations in this course, please contact immediately Queen's Health Counseling and Disability Services (HCDS), located in the LaSalle Building, 146 Stuart Street (613-533-6467), in order to receive documentation identifying needs requiring accommodation by the instructor (http://www.queensu.ca/hcds). Copyright of Course Materials: Course material distributed in-class and online is copyrighted and is for the sole use of students registered in this course. This material shall not be distributed or disseminated to anyone other than students registered in these courses. Failure to abide by these conditions is a breach of copyright, and may also constitute a breach of academic integrity under the University Senate’s Academic Integrity Policy Statement. Course Completion: Students wishing to negotiate a course grade of “Incomplete” (IN) must bring the “Permission for an Incomplete Grade” form (http://www.queensu.ca/artsci/sites/default/files/Permission_for_an_incomplete_grade%2021jan2011.pdf ) to the instructor before the end of classes and must provide documentary evidence to support the request (as per the “Accommodations” policy, above). Failure to do so will result in the submission of a final grade based on work completed by the end of the course. Due Dates: All assignments are due on the stated date. As already stated, there will be an automatic grace period of one week in which late assignments will be accepted but there will be an automatic penalty of 10 marks (10/100) on the assignment no matter

when in that week the assignment is handed in. No assignments will be accepted after that date unless negotiated before the initial due date and supported by documentary evidence to support the request (e.g., a medical note or a funeral notice). Any request for an extension must be accompanied by a note from Queen's Health Counselling and Disability Services (see further below). Electronic Devices in the Classroom: It is important that we maintain an atmosphere of respect and focus on learning in the classroom. Since the use of electronic devices in the classroom can be disruptive both to the instructor and to other students, the use of these devices may be restricted at the discretion of the instructor. The use of laptops is permitted, but their use is restricted to taking notes and following up course material at the behest of the instructor. The use of recording devices for lectures is not allowed unless you have requested and been given the express permission of the instructor. Non-course related use of electronic devices (e.g. playing games, watching movies, social networking, texting), including smartphones, tablets and laptops, is particularly disruptive to others in the classroom; if you feel you must use class time for these pursuits please do so outside of the classroom itself. If you are engaged in such pursuits you may be asked by the instructor or by other students to cease doing so or otherwise leave the classroom. Please refrain from making or receiving telephone calls during class (even if it is your mother calling!). Format of Assignments: Assignments must be submitted as a hard copy and not via email except in exceptional circumstances and when negotiated with the instructor beforehand or indicated in the assignment description. Please observe all page length restrictions – failure to do so may detrimentally affect your grade on the assignment. Please do not hand in assignments enclosed in a covering of some sort (e.g., binder, plastic sleeve); just place a staple in the top left corner. Grading: All components of this course will receive numerical percentage marks. The final grade you receive for the course will be derived by converting your numerical course average to a letter grade according to Queen’s Official Grade Conversion Scale:

A+ 90 – 100%

B+ 77-79 %

C+ 67-69 %

D+ 57-59 %

F

A 85 – 89%

B 73-76 %

C 63-66 %

D 53-56 %

49% and below

A- 80 – 84 %

B- 70-72 %

C- 60-62 %

D – 50 – 52%

Grading Rubrics: With permission, the major papers will be assessed based on the Rubric developed by Prof. Richard Ascough, and found at the end of this syllabus. Rubrics for the reflective paper and the group assignment will be distributed in the first class. The Peer Evaluation component of the group assignment will be assessed using the Peer evaluation (individual) for “Rites of Passage” Group presentation found in this syllabus.

Peer Evaluation for Poster Presentation (Monday, Nov 16th, 2015) Please fill out this template and submit it to myself or the course RA/TA. (This will be specified during class on Monday, November 9th). The following guidelines should be followed:

• Identical evaluations of all team members are unlikely. Please do not avoid the responsibility of this procedure.

• Very high and very low evaluations should be given extra substantiation in writing.

Peer evaluations submitted one day late will result in a deduction by one-third of a letter grade on your own peer evaluation score (e.g. if your teammates rated your participation as B+ it would be reduced to a B). Those submitted two days late will result in a deduction of two-thirds of a letter grade on your own peer evaluation score (e.g. B+ to B-). Evaluations submitted more than two days late will result in you receiving an F for your own peer evaluation score. Four factors should be considered separately for each team member. For each factor a letter grade should be assigned using the GPA system ranging from an A+ (4.3) to F (0.0). Grades in the A range indicate that you think your teammate’s efforts exceeded expectations, those in the B range indicate that you think your teammate’s efforts met expectations, those in the C range indicate that you think your teammate’s efforts were somewhat below expectations, those in the D range indicate that the that you think your teammate’s efforts were much below expectations, and areas in which your teammate did not participate should receive an F.

• Amount of work done: meetings attended, research and analyses, report writing, typing, editing, etc.

• Intellectual contribution: ideas, provocative suggestions, sage advice, useful devil's advocacy, etc.

• Reliability: the team member's performance at meeting deadlines, attendance at meetings, delivery of work promised, etc.

• Group relations: leadership supplied, constructive actions vs. disruptive behavior, assistance provided to teammates, etc.

Student Reviewer’s Name: ____________________

Title of Poster: ______________________________

Please assign a letter grade for each column. (A+, A, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, F)

Team Member Amount of work done

Intellectual contribution

Reliability Group relations

]

COMMENTS:

Please include 1 paragraph explaining the grade assigned for each team member evaluated. Religion and Childhood: Rubric for Assessment of Poster Presentations

Group members: ___________________________________________ Title of Poster: _____________________________________________ 1. Content: 20 points Introduction/background (4) Why is this important? (4) Discussion (4) Conclusion (4) Bibliography (4) 3. Oral summary of poster (3 minutes): 10 (This summary will be presented during class time on November 16th, during the session at Stauffer Library) 3. Answers to questions: 10 4. Contribution & attitude: 10 5. Overall visual impact of poster: 10 Total: 60

Assessment of Written Assignments (Book Review and Major Paper)

Wow! A+ 4.3 90-100 Distinguished Assignment is of sufficient substance and style to be submitted to a refereed

journal for publication based on the critical thinking evidenced.

Exceeds expectations for this assignment for students at the graduate or undergraduate level.

A 4.0 85-89 Outstanding

Superior understanding of the subject matter. Evidence of original thinking and an extensive knowledge base. Careful, concise, critical analysis with a clear and well argued hypothesis based on the material. Shows a capacity to analyze, synthesise, and evaluate material. Shows a grasp of all the scholarly issues involved. Shows evidence of learning being extended beyond the initial learning situation. Clear thesis and conclusion. Well-researched and documented. Stylistically flawless.

A- 3.7 80-84 Excellent

Superior understanding of the subject matter. A careful analysis with some precision and attention to the details of the material. Shows some critical capacity and analytic ability and some original thinking. Needs a bit of fine-tuning of the details. Clear thesis and conclusion. Good research and documentation. Stylistically flawless.

Meets expectations for this assignment for

students at the graduate or undergraduate level.

B+ 3.3 77-79 Accomplished

Solid understanding of the subject matter. Good analysis and some critical reasoning. Reasonable understanding of relevant issues and familiarity with the material. Demonstrates a solid understanding of the relationship or connections among the basic concepts. Needs to be more concise or precise in details and more careful in forming arguments. Stylistically sound.

B 3.0 73-76 Good

Generally accurate account of the subject matter with acceptable analysis and some critical reasoning. Some interaction with relevant material. Demonstrates some understanding of the relationship or connection among the basic concepts. Needs more precision and attention to details and greater precision in the use of arguments. Some careless stylistic errors.

B- 2.7 70-72 Fine

Generally accurate description of the subject matter and an adequate grasp of the critical issues and ideas involved. Demonstrates rudimentary understanding of the relationship or connection among the basic concepts. Needs more attention to detail and better use of arguments. Some careless stylistic errors.

Below expectations for this assignment for

students at the graduate or undergraduate level.

C+ 2.3 67-69 Developing

Acceptable treatment of the subject matter. Demonstrates an understanding of the basic facts, vocabulary, details, and elemental concepts. Shows an ability to deal with simple issues arising out of the material. Needs to explore the subject matter more fully and formulate ideas more clearly. Closer attention should be given to stylistic elements including sentence structure and paragraph organization.

C 2.0 63-66

Adequate

Generally acceptable treatment of the subject matter and issues. Demonstrates an awareness of the basic facts, vocabulary, details, and elemental concepts. Impressionistic or vague at points. Shows that the learning experience was profitable. Lacks clarity in formulating the issues and shows little or no evidence of critical reflection on the issues or data. Closer attention should be given to grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

C- 1.7 60-62

D+ 1.3 57-59

Marginal

Adequate understanding and treatment of the data and issues, but imprecise, impressionistic or vague. Lacks clarity in expressing the issues and shows no evidence of critical reflection on the issues or data. Major problems related to issues of style.

D 1.0 53-56

D- 0.7 50-52

Ouch! F 0-49 Inadequate Sloppy, imprecise, or careless discussion of the material with little or no evidence of critical reflection.

© 2011, Richard S. Ascough.

This rubric may be used by other instructors with

permission.

OUTSTANDING EXCELLENT

ACCOMPLISHED GOOD FINE

DEVELOPING ADEQUATE

MARGINAL INADEQUATE

Arg

umen

t

Clarity A clear and well argued hypothesis based on the material

Draws on the primary material as illustration for the thesis.

Presents a basic understanding but needs a more full exploration.

Sloppy, imprecise or careless discussion of the material.

Thesis

Thesis is clearly articulated within the opening paragraphs.

Thesis is present but not articulated clearly; must be intuited or occurs late in the essay.

“Thesis” statement is a summary of the approach but does not frame the argument.

No thesis statement and/or no clearly discernable overarching question or concern.

Conclusion Reiterates thesis and briefly summarizes the arguments.

Reiterates thesis but does not link it to arguments made.

Closes the essay but does not link it to the thesis or arguments.

No conclusion present.

Idea

s

Knowledge

Primary material is synthesized clearly and concisely, organized logically, and integrated well.

Primary material is summarized but needs synthesis.

Primary material is presented but not summarized nor organized in any way.

No clear summary of the primary material is provided.

Understanding

Uses old ideas to construct new meaning; generalizes from given facts and relates knowledge from several areas to draw conclusions.

Reiterates general ideas and shows how they relate to the topic at hand; the ideas are not necessarily used to advance an argument

Mostly descriptive, summarizing the material but not showing its relevance to a central thesis topic or a sustained argument.

Lacks clarity in expressing ideas. Arguments are based on faulty logic, subjective opinion or vague notions.

Con

nect

ions

Analysis

Demonstrates careful, concise, critical analysis of the primary and secondary material. Shows a grasp of the issues involved and recognizes patterns. Understands and dialogues with counter positions.

Demonstrates some analysis and critical reasoning. Includes appropriate references to other positions but does not interact much with them.

Demonstrates an understanding of the basic facts, vocabulary, details, and elemental concepts. Shows an ability to deal with simple issues arising out of the material

Treatment of data and issues is imprecise, impressionistic, or vague and has no evidence of critical reflection or understanding.

Application

Uses the ideas to solve complex problems or complete tasks. New discoveries are made or a new way of interpreting, relating, or manipulating the material is explored.

Uses the ideas to solve problems or complete tasks in a good albeit sometimes simplistic way.

Shows an understanding of how the ideas could be used solve problems or complete tasks, but struggles to articulate how to do so.

No connections are made amon concepts and ideas raised in the essay.

Ext

ensi

ons Evaluation

Draws conclusions based on the use of the critical thinking skills and the available evidence.

Measures the strength of evidence and critiques other approaches to defend a conclusion.

Compares and contrasts competing arguments and draws preliminary conclusions.

Provides no evaluation of the evidence and no assessment of argumentation.

Generation

Evidence of original thinking and the formulation of a hypothesis that accounts for evidence synthesized.

Demonstrates a good understanding of the relationship or connection among the concepts discussed.

Demonstrates a basic understanding of the relationship or connection among the basic concepts

Reiterates some rudimentary ideas from the material but doe not integrate it into an argumen

Styl

istic

Ele

men

ts *

Structure & Organizatio

n

Clear structure with proper use of subtitles where necessary.

Generally clear structure that needs some clarification in parts.

Loose structure based on catchwords or partially related themes.

No discernable structure.

Writing Style

Prose flows nicely and does not detract from arguments.

Some imprecision detracts from arguments.

Sentences and paragraphs are awkward and demand re-reading to be understood.

Incomplete sentences. Underdeveloped paragraphs. Awkward phrases.

Grammar and

Spelling

Stylistically flawless. Some minor grammatical and/or spelling problems.

Many grammatical and/or spelling problems.

Major grammatical and/or spelling problems.

Footnotes & Bibliograph

y

Full information, properly formatted.

All information included but improperly formatted.

Partial information, properly formatted.

Partial information, improperly formatted.

*Content elements are weighted more than stylistic elements. Be sure to check the general evaluation standards on the reverse. © 2011, Richard S. Ascough.

This rubric may be used by other instructors with

permission.