HAVE A QUESTION?

Contact Me

The best way to reach me is by email.

My email address is Karen.moore@cerrocoso.edu.  Send the email and expect a response within 24 hours.   

ASK A PEER

Use the Q&A Discussion for General Questions or post your questions on Pronto for quick responses from your classmates. 

If you encounter a general question about the course, I invite you to ask it in the Q&A Discussion. Your question will be seen by your peers and if anyone has the answer -- by all means, answer it! If your question is personal in nature, please send it directly to me through email or the Canvas Inbox.

OUR PACT

What you can expect from me:

1. As your professor, I will be actively present in your learning experience of Religious Studies; just as the Director of the marching band is present as the band marches in a parade.

2. I will provide clear, concise, free content and practice material including video clips and other reading material that helps you learn in addition to the textbook, the Religious Toolkit. Whenever you let me know I'm falling short of this goal, I'll try different ways to explain it better right away.

3. I will answer your questions about religious studies within about one school day, and I will provide feedback on your exams within one week.

4. I will show respect for your individual learning style, experiences, and needs, and I will create a positive and supportive environment where you will feel safe to ask questions and take on challenging material.

5. I understand that you are busy and that you have many competing priorities. When needed, I will be flexible to support your successful completion of this course.

What I will expect from you:

1. You will establish a weekly study routine that allows you to complete all assignments and prepare for the exams.

2. You will focus on understanding the concepts and performing the skills of this course, aiming for your own personal best.

3. When you have a Philosophical or Religious question, you will turn to the "human resources" of the course for help. The human resources include me (your instructor), your peers, and free online and on-campus tutoring. You will sample a variety of outreach strategies early in the term, so you can identify and use your best strategies for getting help.

4. You will uphold academic integrity by submitting only work that you understand for yourself. At exam time,  You will complete your open book exam on your own.  When you press the submit button, you are giving your word that you have completed the exam on your own. 

5. You will be thoughtful in your interactions with peers while taking extra care to respect diverse perspectives. You will support your classmates as you share this learning space and time.

MY TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

1.    My general philosophy is that in our own way each of us is doing the best we can to learn, grow intellectually and emotionally, and in Philosophy we look for the content and structure of the arguments rather than getting "correct" answers.

2.    In Philosophy we are more concerned with asking questions, than finding answers because answers tend to generate more questions.   Hopefully, this course can be a safe space for you to challenge yourself and your thinking in one word, to learn.

3. Your peers can be a valuable asset for your learning and growth, particularly since we all come from different backgrounds. Our different perspectives give each of us different insights into religion. We will have regular collaborative activities that will enable us to learn from each other, give and receive constructive feedback, and support each other.

4.   Dues dates are established to help you navigate the class.  Life happens, so if the due date doesn’t work for you, then keep me, your instructor in the loop, so that you can establish a due date that works for you.  You have a voice in this class, use it, ask your questions, and explain your circumstances.

5.  The hardest part of this class for some students is the oral presentations and the oral final exam and the term paper.  You are free to choose any topic in any of the religions we will study, and write about it, talk about it, in relation to any of the philosophical theories about religion.   In this online class, you can either come to the zoom session where we will share the oral presentations, or you can make a video of you reading your oral presentation verbatim.

My Advice for Success

1.  Right now, make a commitment to yourself to complete each week's work by Sunday evening using your own mind and not using AI. You are smarter than AI.   I allow you a lot of scheduling flexibility because I know everyone's schedule is packed. Committing to a schedule that is tailored to you -- and also allows you time to think, and time to get help --  will set you on the path toward solid learning and strong scores.   If you find that you won't be able to meet the Sunday due date, contact me right away to share this concern and let me know when you can complete the assignment.  Let's talk about how to make the course work well for you. 

2. Participate in Group Discussions, you can learn with and from your fellow students.

3.  There are two assignments, walking a labyrinth, and interviewing a religious person that are key to the surprises of studying religion, so enjoy those two.

4. Be the best student you can be, whether you are a believer, an atheist or an agnostic.

How This Course Works

• Our course is housed within Canvas, and you'll find all of our course content there. (The login link is found at the bottom of this page.)

• Course Modules: During this 16-week course, You will be given new philosophical tools each week for the study of religion.    Those tools are in the text and each module contains LEARNING RESOURCES are included in each module. You'll always have a full week to study each module before its suggested due date.  There will be chapter questions and a summary of the lessons due each Sunday night by 11:59 PM.  Usually, there is a small group discussion, and you are asked to make an initial post by Wednesday and then respond to each of your group mates by Sunday at 11:59 PM. 

•  Hopefully, during the first week we will schedule a virtual wave or handshake via zoom at 9 AM on Thursday morning for extra credit and an opportunity to see your classmates.   When it comes time for oral presentations, you can either make a selfie video of you reading your paper verbatim or you can come to a zoom meeting for extra credit and read your paper and share your thesis supporting YouTube video. 

Course Materials

 You will need a textbook: The Religious Toolkit.

I do suggest that you find a notebook or simple folder where you can keep your notes for this course.  You make take pics of the screen or just return to Canvas as you need to review.

All texts are open book, but you must complete the exam by yourself, it is not a group exam. 

Technology requirements:

1. Mac users, you'll need to install the Chrome and/or Firefox browser.  

2. You can install the Canvas Student app on an Apple or Android smartphone, or iPad. If you rely on the Canvas app regularly, identify a computer where you'll be able to access the course at least once a week using the Chrome or Firefox browser. The app and browser versions of the course come across with some differences, so it's important to check on the browser version each week to avoid missing anything.

Due Dates for Week One

• Put these dates on your calendar now.

  • Due by Wednesday 11:59 PM   Introduce yourself in your discussion

  • Thursday 9 AM  Extra Credit Zoom virtual wave.  

  • Due by  Sunday, a quiz on the syllabus

  • Due by Sunday is a written explanation of the difference between the Academic Study of religion and the Devotional Study of Religion. 

    • • Please set aside 2-5 hours to complete each weekly module. You will get a good idea of your individual pace this week.

      •   Help is always through posting questions on Pronto or in your discussion groups, and your quizzes are never time-limited and always an open book quizzes. You'll also show what you know through small group discussions which you can complete on your own schedule Wednesday through Sunday.

      • Please keep in mind that you should study for understanding and mastery,  

Support for You:

Learning Assistance Center:  This link will connect you with sources for tutoring

Schedule a Librarian Zoom Meeting This link will take you to the library, you can schedule an appointment with a Librarian via zoom for help with papers, and finding resources in the online library. 

Disabled Students Assistance This link will connect you to the links for help. 

Have a great semester. 

What's My Role?

As your professor, I am the person you should contact if you need help with the course.  I strive to make this course clear and ensure you can see your pathway to success. I understand that each student is different and will always strive to respond to your questions quickly and efficiently.

You can reach me directly within Canvas - I will show you where to find the Inbox tool. Email works, too. We can arrange time to meet in Zoom to work through your challenges.

Follow this link to sign into Canvas at Cerro Coso