INTRODUCTION TO CHRISTIAN FAITH

REL 1002. Section WA01A – Fall 2022

August 27 – October 21 (8 Weeks Online)

Professor Information
Dr. Wilson McCoy
wmccoy@rochesteru.edu

RU Mission Statement Course Description

Rochester University prepares students for
professional and personal success as they
serve in God’s world.
From the Rochester University catalog: this
course is “A survey of the central narrative and
primary themes of the Christian faith with a brief
discussion of historical developments and schools of
thought that have shaped the belief and practice of
the Christian tradition.”

Syllabus Table of Contents

Learning Goals and Outcomes 2

Institutional Policies and Information 3-4
Course-Specific Policies and Information 5
Assignment List 6-9
Course Calendar 10
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Learning Goals and Outcomes

EPIC Learning Goals Course Learning Outcomes Assessed

As part of our General Education By the end of this course, students should: through
program, this course addresses:
EXPLORING RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE -Discussion
Students will broaden their Recognize their own religious assumptions Boards or
understanding of the world in its and respectfully exchange ideas with people Reading
beauty, diversity, and complexity. from other backgrounds. Responses
PREPARING CHRISTIAN STORY -Discussion
Students will acquire knowledge Have a grasp of the basic story, sources, and Boards or
and develop skills to serve in their beliefs of the Christian faith in conversation Reading
neighborhoods, organizations, with communities of faith both local and Responses
and businesses. global, contemporary, and historical, and be
able to discuss them in a responsible and
well-informed way.
INTEGRATING VOCATIONAL AWARENESS -Vocation
Students will connect and apply Begin to understand the implications and Journals
knowledge and skills to their expressions of Christian faith in personal -Vocation
personal and professional lives. and corporate life, particularly as it relates Meetings
CALLING to the task of discerning vocation through -Vocation
Students will discern what God the lens of the Christian story. Essay
has called them to be and do.
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Institutional Policies and Information

These policies are shared across the institution.

CODE OF ACADEMICThe institutional code of integrity can be found at
INTEGRITY http://rochesteru.edu/academicintegrity.
ATTENDANCE Rochester University expects regular and punctual attendance. Any
POLICY student who misses more than 30% of class meetings will receive a
grade of F for the course. Institutionally approved absences for
athletics, performances, or other activities are included in (not in
addition to) the 30% acceptable limit. Note: Students who do not
attend the first two weeks of any class will be administratively
dropped from their courses.
• WEB 8wk: In online courses, “attendance” is defined as
“watching the lecture videos on the Canvas site” and is
recorded weekly. Students are allowed a maximum of two
absences (weeks with no lectures watched) before
automatically receiving a failing grade.
WITHDRAWAL It is the responsibility of the student to withdraw from the course
DATE before the last day to withdraw, if the student so chooses.
• 8-WEEK:
o Students may drop this course only if they have never
participated.
§ Full refunds are issued for drops (unless the
student is still within the 12-18 hour tuition
block).
o The last day to withdraw is September 30 (A) or
November 25 (B).
§ Refunds are limited or non-existent for
withdrawals, depending on the date.
§ Withdrawals are reflected on a student’s
academic transcript.
The institutional calendar can be found in the Course Catalog:
https://rochesteru.edu/catalog.
CANVAS SITE & • The Canvas site (https://rochesteru.instructure.com) is essential
COURSE to this course, as the submission method for all assignments (no
COMMUNICATION printed hard copies will be accepted), as well as the location of
the course gradebook and other relevant files (PPTs, PDFs, etc.).
• If you need technological assistance, call or visit the Information
Technology Department (248.218.2080).
• The “Announcements” forum within the Canvas site is the
location of all course emails. You will need to adjust your Canvas
notification settings in order to receive these emails in real time.
ARRANGEMENTS In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990,
FOR STUDENTS Rochester University provides reasonable accommodations for all
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WITH DISABILITIES persons with disabilities. If you are seeking accommodations, you are
required to register with the Disability Services office. Please visit
https://my.rochesteru.edu and click on Disability Services and
Accessibility Resources tab to learn more about the
accommodations process and apply for accommodations. If you
have questions about the process please contact the
Accommodations Officer (248-218-2231 or
accommodations@rochesteru.edu). Please note that lectures may be
recorded by students with disabilities who require auxiliary aids to
ensure equal access in the classroom. Instructors and classmates may
not forbid the use of an aid that has been approved by the
accommodation officer.
ACE The Academic Center for Excellence (ACE) offers free peer tutoring
sessions, 24/7 online tutoring support, study resources, computer
and printer stations, and much more for all Rochester University
students. For more information, email acelab@rochesteru.edu or
visit www.rochesteru.edu/ace.
HAM LIBRARY The Ennis and Nancy Ham Library offers electronic, print, and
audio-visual materials to all students, employees, and guests. Users
have remote and on-campus access to indexing and full-text articles
in over 60 electronic databases, as well as numerous electronic
books. For more information, visit www.rochesteru.edu/lib.
STUDENT If you are experiencing challenges (such as mental health, food
WELL-BEING insecurity, homelessness, personal emergencies, etc.) that are
interfering with your coursework, you are encouraged to notify your
instructor, or contact the Director of Student Success & Well-Being
or the Dean of Students for support and referrals to campus and/or
community resources.
DEFINITION OF A One unit of credit equals three hours of your time per week for 16
CREDIT HOUR weeks.
• 8-WEEK: For this two-credit course, that is 96 hours total.
However, since the course runs for eight weeks, that 96 hours
is divided by eight weeks rather than sixteen, which means it
would be reasonable to expect 12 hours of homework each
week for this course.
GRADING SCALE 87-89 B+ 77-79 C+ 67-69 D+
93-100 A 83-86 B 73-76 C 63-66 D
90-92 A- 80-82 B- 70-72 C- 60-62 D-
COVID-19-SPECIFIC Rochester University continues to recommend, but not require,
POLICIES vaccinations and support individuals' decisions regarding masks. We
continue to monitor health data and recommendations. If policy
changes become necessary, they will be clearly communicated.
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Course-Specific Policies and Information

These policies are unique to this course

REQUIRED • Kathleen A. Cahalan. The Stories We Live. (William B. Eerdmans
MATERIALS Publishing, 2017.)
• Justo Gonzalez. Knowing Our Faith. (William B. Eerdmans
Publishing, 2019.)
• Any Bible translation of your choosing, though the New Revised Standard
Version (NRSV) is recommended, as this is the version I will use. You can
access the NRSV at http://bible.oremus.org. Commented [NW1]: I know Bible Gateway has NRSV. But it
LATE WORK • WEB POLICIES: also has ads, and those ads are TRASH.
o For Discussion Boards: Late work is not accepted. Your
classmates depend on your timely initial post in order to
be able to post the required comments.
o For Vocation Journals, Meetings, and Essay: One letter-grade
(10%) is deducted for each day the assignment is late, up
to four days. Due to the accelerated nature of an eight-
week course, late work is not accepted after the fourth
day it is late.
• Many problems you encounter in your time as a student can be resolved
through communicating with your instructors often and early. I want you to
succeed, but I cannot help you with problems I do not know exist.
PLAGIARISM • Plagiarized work does not earn credit. Plagiarism is reported to
POLICY the Registrar and included in your student record, in addition to
other penalties as outlined in the Code of Academic Integrity,
linked in the previous section of this syllabus.
• Completion of the Plagiarism Quiz (with a perfect score of
100%) is a requirement for enrollment in this course. It is not
included in the calculation of your final grade. You can retake
the quiz as many times as necessary to achieve this perfect score.
No other assignments will be graded until the Plagiarism Quiz is
completed with a perfect score.
• It will be easier to receive a 100% on that quiz on your first attempt if you
review the following websites: http://www.plagiarism.org/article/what-is-
plagiarism and http://turnitin.com/assets/en_us/media/plagiarism-
spectrum.
RESPECTFUL • Agreement with the instructor or other students is not a
DIALOGUE requirement in this course; however, respect is. Especially in a
course in which the subject matter overlaps with religious beliefs,
you should be considerate in your responses.
• Respectful classroom dialogue is marked by critical thinking and
genuine curiosity. You are encouraged to ask questions and to
share your views, even (especially!) when you disagree.
SYLLABUS This syllabus represents the plan for the semester. It is subject to change, based
upon extenuating circumstances. All changes will be communicated via Canvas
Announcements forum. (See previous section, “Canvas Site & Course
Communication.”)
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ASSIGNMENTS

Plagiarism Quiz – Due August 29

The Plagiarism Quiz on Canvas is a requirement for enrollment in this course. Students
must complete this quiz (with a perfect score of 100%) before any other written work will be
accepted or graded. Therefore, the quiz is a requirement for enrollment in this course. You can
retake the quiz as many times as necessary to achieve this score. The quiz is not included in the
calculation of your final grade.

]Discussion Boards (50%) – Due weekly, Monday and Thursday [8-Week]

Completion of weekly readings is assessed by Discussion Boards (hereafter, “DB”). This
document (“How to Read”) will help you read well: http://bit.ly/HowToReadRU. Students will
be split into groups on Canvas, and will interact in those groups regarding the assigned readings.

By 11:59pm on Monday, you should submit a 450-500-word response to the DB questions posted on
Canvas These responses should include:
• No more than 50-100 words of summary. (See #4 in the “How to Read” document.)
• 400-450 words of reflection on the reading. (See #7 in the “How to Read” document.)

Original Response Grading Rubric

Criteria Rating Scale Points
Post follows grammatical rules. Yes (1 pt) No (0 pts) 1
Post answers the discussion prompts. Yes (1 pt) No (0 pts) 1
Post engages the assigned reading. Yes (2 pts) Sometimes (1 pt) No (0 pts) 2
Post reflects on the reading academically Excellent Good Acceptable No 6
and personally. 6 pts 5 pts 3 pts 0 pts
Total Points Possible: 10
By 11:59pm on Thursday, you should submit two 200-250-word comments, one each on two different
groupmates’ posts.
• Comments should engage:
o the assigned reading
o the content of the classmate’s post
o the content of the lecture videos uploaded to Canvas
• Comments should reflect a spirit of open and respectful dialogue and seek to stimulate further conversation
and insight, by asking a question.
Comments Grading Rubric
Criteria Rating Scale Points
Engages the content of peer’s post. Yes (2 pts) Somewhat (1 pt) No (0 pts) 2
References the assigned reading. Yes (1 pt) No (0 pts) 1
References the lecture video content. Yes (1 pt) No (0 pts) 1
Asks a question that prompts conversation. Yes (1 pt) No (0 pts) 1
Total Points Possible: 10 (5 each)
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Vocation Journals (25%) – Due weekly, Fridays by 11:59pm

At the end of each week, write a 500-word (8-WEEK) reflection on the effect that week’s
lecture content has on your ongoing discernment of vocation (calling). The goal is to consider
how the content might shape your sense of identity (who you are) or activity (what you do). Think
of the journals as asking the question: “So what?” or “If I were to live as if these ideas were true,
what would the implications be?”
Include no more than one sentence (25 words) of summary. Do not simply say (for
instance): “This week, I learned that God created all people in God’s image.” I know what the
topic of the week was, and don’t need you to summarize it back to me.
Be personal and specific. Do not simply say (for instance): “This week, I learned that God
created all people in God’s image, so we should all be kind to each other.” This is something that
anyone could say (it is not personal) and it does not tell me how you are called to participate in
this reality (it is not specific).
Tell me how this would inform your sense of vocation. For instance: “This week, I
learned that God created all people in God’s image. Because all humans are created in God’s
image, I believe that every student I serve as a teacher has inherent value and worth and I will
treat them accordingly. For example, different students have different learning styles, so I will try
not to value one way of learning over another, either in my lesson planning or in my feelings
about my students.” (**V**)

Vocation Journal Entry Grading Rubric

Criteria Rating Scale Points
Follows grammatical rules. Yes (2 pts) Somewhat (1 pt) No (0 pts) 2
Displays comprehension of course Yes (2 pts) Somewhat (1 pt) No (0 pts) 2
content.
Displays personal vocational Excellent Great Good Fine Acceptable No 6
6 pts 5 pts 4 pts 3 pts 2 pts 0 pts
engagement and reflection.
Total Points Possible: 10

Vocation Journal Meetings (5%) – By appointment; Weeks 4 and 8 (8-WEEK)

Twice during the semester, you will schedule a 15-minute synchronous meeting with the
instructor to discuss the journals completed so far. This discussion will be graded. The meetings
will take place in person and will be scheduled using Google Calendar. Dr. McCoy will be giving
out a link to make these appointments on Canvas. (**V**)

Vocation Meeting\ Grading Rubric

Criteria Rating Scale Points
Student prepared for meeting by Excellent Great Good Fine Acceptable No 5
reviewing grading comments. 5 pts 4 pts 3 pts 2 pts 1 pts 0 pts
Displays comprehension of course Excellent Great Good Fine Acceptable No 10
content. 10 pts 8 pts 6 pts 4 pts 2 pts 0 pts
Displays personal vocational Excellent Great Good Fine Acceptable No 10
engagement and reflection. 10 pts 8 pts 6 pts 4 pts 2 pts 0 pts
Total Points Possible: 25
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Portfolio Project: Vocation Essay (20%) – Due Friday, October 21

Write an essay reflecting personally and specifically on the implications of the course
material for your sense of vocation. (**V**) As with the weekly Vocation Journals:
• The goal of this essay is to address the question: “So what?” Or, “If I were to live as if
these ideas were true, what would the implications be?”
• More formal questions are provided below.
• You should be personal and specific.
• You may use portions of the Vocation Journals you’ve been writing throughout the
semester. However, simply copying-and-pasting the Vocation Journals together will not
earn you a good grade on this essay.

The introduction to your essay should not define vocation or calling (since I, as your
reader, already know what those things are). The introduction should directly state your current
understanding of your calling (career, activities, relationships, etc.).
The body of your essay should engage course content to support or explain why you
believe you are called to those things, or how those things to which you are called are a
participation in the life and mission of God.
Before writing the essay, reflect on all of the course material (both lectures and assigned
readings) and review the points below, which function as a summary of the course content. In
this course we learned that:
1. God’s identity is expressed in a mutually self-sacrificial community (Trinity).
2. God created us and the world in which we live (God the Creator).
3. Creation and our bodies are good (Humanity in God’s Image).
4. God is already and always bringing a new and perfect creation into existence (New
Creation).
5. God’s invites people join God in working toward this new creation (Vocation).
6. Jesus shows us what it means to be truly human (God the Christ).
7. The Holy Spirit leads us deeper into the way of Jesus and life with God (God the Spirit).
8. The church is a community of unity and diversity, which models the kingdom of God as a
way of life, for the sake of the world. (The People of God).
9. Salvation is both personal and public (Salvation, Spiritual Formation, and Social Justice).

The essay should be double-spaced, using a 12-point font and 1-inch margins, and submitted
as a Word Document (.docx) on Canvas.
The essay should be 1250-1500 words, divided approximately equally between all three
categories detailed on the next page. You do not need to address each of the “sub-questions”
below each category (the bullet points). Those are provided to “kickstart” thinking in each
category. Notice in the grading rubric (also on the next page) that all three categories are worth
an equal number of points. Therefore, you will want to spend an equal number of “words” on
each category.
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1. God calls me to and through life with God.

• How does the Trinitarian nature of God show me what a human is meant to be like?
o What characteristics or adjectives describe the Trinity?
o In what way will my calling reflect those same characteristics?
• How does Jesus show me what a human is meant to be like?
o What characteristics or adjectives describe Jesus?
o In what way will my calling reflect those same characteristics?

2. God calls me to and through life with others.

• Called through community:
o How have the practices of my community shaped me or shown me what the
kingdom of God looks like?
o How has my community helped me discern my calling? Have they recognized any
gifts or skills in me? Have they given me opportunities to practice a calling?
• Called to community
o What would it look like for my career or my life to create community?

3. God calls me to and through life in the world.

• What needs in the world do I feel drawn to address? What longing in the world do I feel
drawn to fill?
• What suffering in the world makes me long for a new creation? When and where do I
find myself most longing for the kingdom of God to come (for things to be
better/different than they are)?
• What would it look like for my career or my life to address those places of suffering?

Vocation Essay Grading Rubric

Criteria Rating Scale Points
Essay follows grammatical rules. Excellent Great Good Fine Acceptable No 10
10 pts 8 pts 6 pts 4 pts 2 pts 0 pts
Life with God
--Content: Includes and Excellent Great Good Fine Acceptable No 15
understands course content. 15 pts 12 pts 9 pts 6 pts 3 pts 0 pts
--Engagement: Reflects on content Excellent Great Good Fine Acceptable No 15
personally, specifically. 15 pts 12 pts 9 pts 6 pts 3 pts 0 pts
Life with Others
--Content: Includes and Excellent Great Good Fine Acceptable No 15
understands course content. 15 pts 12 pts 9 pts 6 pts 3 pts 0 pts
--Engagement: Reflects on content Excellent Great Good Fine Acceptable No 15
personally, specifically. 15 pts 12 pts 9 pts 6 pts 3 pts 0 pts
Life in the World
--Content: Includes and Excellent Great Good Fine Acceptable No 15
understands course content. 15 pts 12 pts 9 pts 6 pts 3 pts 0 pts
--Engagement: Reflects on content Excellent Great Good Fine Acceptable No 15
personally, specifically. 15 pts 12 pts 9 pts 6 pts 3 pts 0 pts
Total Points Possible: 100
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COURSE CALENDAR

Week Topics Monday Thursday Friday

Of… (by 11:59pm) (by 11:59pm) (by 11:59pm)
Aug 27 (1) The Story of God Plagiarism Quiz -Watch Lecture Write Vocation
(Week 1) (2) Vocation: Our Story Read Cahalan: Videos Journal #1
in God’s Story Intro. and Chs. 1-2 -Write DB
Write DB Post #1 Comments Commented [NW2]: To choose DB questions (either set X
or Y), coordinate with:
Sept 3 (1) Faith as Life with Read Gonzalez: Open -Watch Lecture Write Vocation (1) the most recent version of yourself. Don’t use the same
(Week 2) God Letter, Intro., and Ch. 1 Videos Journal #2 DB questions you used last time.
(2) A Trinitarian God Write DB Post #2 -Write DB (2) Any other people teaching another online section of REL
Comments 1002 in the same session of you.

Sept 10 (1) God the Creator: A Read Gonzalez: Chs. 2-3 -Watch Lecture
Write Vocation For FA-22, we have:
(Week 3) Good World Write DB Post #3 Videos Journal #3 Session A – Wilson and Beth
Session B – Wilson and Chris Cobbler
(2) Humanity in God’s -Write DB
Image Comments It looks like Wilson is currently using Question Set X (in
(3) Damaged by Evil Summer Session B). So:
-In Fall Session A, Wilson will need to use Set Y.
Sept 17 Meet with Instructor (Monday-Wednesday) to discuss Vocation Journals #1-3 -In Fall Session A, Beth will need to use Set X.
(Week 4) (1) The Kingdom of Read Gonzalez: Ch. 9 -Watch Lecture Write Vocation
That means that in Fall Session B:
God: New Creation Read Cahalan: Chs. 5-6 Videos Journal #4 -Wilson will be back to Set X
(2) Vocation: Hearing Write DB Post #4 -Write DB -Chris will use Set Y.
the Callings of God Comments
Or, write yourself all new questions. I don’t care. :)
Sept 24 (1) The People of IsraelRead Cahalan: Chs. 3-4 -Watch Lecture Write Vocation
(Week 5) (2) God the Christ Read Gonzalez: Ch. 4 Videos Journal #5
Write DB Post #5 -Write DB
Comments
Oct 1 (1) God the Spirit Read Gonzalez: Chs. 5-6 -Watch Lecture Write Vocation
(Week 6) (2) The People of God Write DB Post #6 Videos Journal #6
-Write DB
Comments
Oct 8 (1) Salvation and Read Gonzalez: Ch. 10 -Watch Lecture Write Vocation
(Week 7) Spiritual Formation Read Articles on Moodle Videos Journal #7
(2) Social Justice Write DB Post #7 -Write DB
Comments
Oct 15 Meet with Instructor (Monday-Wednesday) to discuss Vocation Journals #4-7
(Week 8) Faith and Vocation: Read Cahalan: Chs. 7-9 -Watch Lecture Write Vocation
An Ongoing Journey Write DB Post #8 Videos Essay
-Write DB
Comments
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