PHIL 101: Great Religions of the World

Citrus College Course Outline of Record

Citrus College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Fall 2023
Credits: 3
Total Contact Hours: 54
Lecture Hours : 54
Lab Hours: 0
Hours Arranged: 0
Outside of Class Hours: 108
Total Student Learning Hours: 162
Strongly Recommended: ENGL 101.
District General Education: C2. Humanities
Transferable to CSU: Yes
Transferable to UC: Yes - Approved
Grading Method: Standard Letter

Catalog Course Description

The historical development, principal ideas and contributions of the world's religions. 54 lecture hours.

Course Objectives

  • demonstrate knowledge of the principal ideas of the world's major religions
  • recognize common themes in the world's major religions and the important differences among them
  • explain the meaning of key terms of each of the religions
  • relate their knowledge of world religions to their own religious views
  • write an essay in which they formulate a philosophical thesis about one of the principal ideas of one of the world's major religions.
  • show knowledge of major figures and principal ideas of the great religions of the world.

Major Course Content

  1. Why study religions of the world?
    1. Religions as wisdom traditions
    2. Relevance to one's own life
  2. Hinduism
    1. What do we really want?
    2. The yogas
    3. The caste system
    4. Cosmology
    5. Dualism and non-dualism
    6. Sikhism
  3. Buddhism
    1. The life of the Buddha
    2. The Four Noble Truths
    3. The Eightfold Path
    4. Basic Buddhist concepts
    5. The branches of Buddhism
      1. Theravada
      2. Mahayana
      3. Vajrayana
    6. The relation of Buddhism to Hinduism
  4. Confucianism
    1. The life of Confucius
    2. Historical context
    3. Realists, Idealists, and Confucianists
    4. Respect for tradition
    5. Confucian concepts
    6. What makes Confucianism a religion?
    7. Confucian influence in the modern world
  5. Taoism
    1. The meaning of Tao
    2. Philosophical Taoism
      1. the concept of ch'i
      2. the concept of wu wei
    3. Religious Taoism
    4. Taoist values
    5. Shinto as a similar religious view
  6. Islam
    1. The life of Muhammad
    2. The basic theological concepts of Islam
      1. God
      2. Creation
      3. the Human Self
      4. the Day of Judgment
    3. The Five Pillars
    4. Social teachings
    5. Sufism
  7. Judaism
    1. The Jewish quest for meaning
      1. Creation
      2. Human existence
      3. History
      4. Morality
      5. Justice
      6. Suffering
      7. Messianism
    2. The hallowing of life
    3. Revelation
    4. The chosen people
    5. Israel
  8. Christianity
    1. The historical Jesus
    2. The Christ of faith
    3. The End and the Beginning
    4. The Good News
    5. The Mystical Body of Christ
    6. The Church
      1. Roman Catholicism
      2. Eastern Orthodoxy
      3. Protestantism
  9. The Primal Religions
    1. Orality, Place, and Time
    2. The Primal World
    3. The Symbolic Mind

Suggested Reading Other Than Required Textbook

Suggestions for further reading listed in the textbook.

Examples of Required Writing Assignments

An essay in which the student formulates a philosophical thesis on one of the principal ideas of one of the world's religions; short-answer assignments reflecting on the exposition in the textbook.

Examples of Outside Assignments

Complete worksheets from I.A. Sparks' workbook to accompany Huston Smith's The World's Religions. Make reading notes reflecting important points in the assigned readings. Prepare to lead class discussion on an assigned topic.

Instruction Type(s)

Lecture, Online Education Lecture

IGETC Area 3: Arts and Humanities

3B. Humanities