Part I (Short Answer): You should be able to explain the following concepts:- The four things that, according to Huston Smith, the textbook is not.
- The three things that, according to Huston Smith, the textbook is.
- The four things that, according to Hinduism, people want.
- The concepts of Atman and Brahman and how they are related.
- The four paths to God in Hinduism and what characterizes each path.
- The caste system in India as well as some of its advantages and disadvantages.
- The concepts of Samsara and Karma and how they are related.
- The two major strands of Hinduism.
- The story of the Four Passing Sights and the impact it had on Siddhartha Gautama.
- The three phases of Siddhartha's quest for enlightenment.
- The six common features we find in most religions and how Buddhism rejects each of these.
- The Four Noble Truths.
- The Eightfold Path.
- The three "Rafts" of Buddhism and how they are distinguished from each other.
Part II (Essay): You will need to write a short essay in which you discuss the major themes of the film we watch in class and relate those themes to the readings and class discussion. The essay should be about two hand-written pages.
Grading Criteria for Exam Essays: The goal for the student is to provide evidence that s/he has read and considered the course material and is able to write intelligibly about the concepts covered therein. You want to identify the prompt to which you are responding and provide evidence that you have understood the material.
To earn an A, your responses provide evidence of the ‘B’ standards below, plus that you have really thought about the concepts covered in the reading and lectures: - You use very original examples to illustrate the concepts of the reading.
- You apply very specific events or discussions from the reading to some new situation.
- Your writing is excellent and/or your style is very interesting
To earn a B or higher, your responses provide evidence of your having read and comprehended the material. In addition to the ‘C’ standards below:
- You apply ideas from the reading to correspondent ideas presented in the classroom.
- You use examples from the lectures to illustrate the concepts in the reading.
To earn a C or higher, your responses provide evidence of your having read and comprehended the material.
- You answer correctly all basic questions about the main ideas and characters.
- You show recognition of all main ideas or characters’ names and their respective associations.
- You correctly identify all concepts introduced or reviewed in the reading.
- You correctly identify and apply all terms from the reading and lectures.
- Your writing is relatively free from spelling and grammatical errors.
- You use examples from the reading or lectures to illustrate your answers.
To earn a D or higher, your responses provide some evidence of your having read, thought about, and comprehended the material:
- You answer correctly some but not all basic questions about the main ideas.
- You show some recognition of main ideas or characters’ names.
- You correctly identify some but not all concepts introduced or reviewed in the reading and lectures.
- You correctly identify and apply some but not all terms introduced or reviewed in the reading and lectures.
To earn an F, you provide hardly any or no evidence of having read, considered, and comprehended the material.
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