Course Requirements:

1. Attendance and Class Participations (10%): Full class attendance is expected. If an absence is unavoidable due to medical and family circumstances, notification and explanation should be given prior to, or in special situations, after the absence. More than or up to 4 absences will automatically result in dropping 1 half letter in the total course grade. Students are expected to actively participate in class: keep up the readings according to the teaching schedule, raise questions whenever there is doubt or obscurity, actively response to questions of instructor and classmates, and raise questions vice versa. Active participation in class will substantially contribute to the overall assessment of the final grade.
2. Short Written Assignments (10%): This course consists of a vast scope of materials and is conducted on an intensive schedule. A detail class schedule is designed in order for students to prepare and study on a daily base. Each student is expected to complete an assigned portion of reading materials according to the schedule before attending the class. Short written assignments will be given to assist in focusing and reflecting on our readings of course materials and to better prepare ourselves for discussion and reflection.
3. Presentation (20%): Small group of 4-5 students will give a presentation (each 45 mins.) on a topic of the course. The group will select a topic from a list of major themes of the course materials. This will be a verbal presentation and no written report is needed, but the group will format its main outline in Power Point slides (at least 10 slides). The instructor will provide a separate handout on the details of the format and requirements of the presentation. The performance of the group will be evaluated by the whole class. Everyone in the same group will receive the same grade, which is a combination of scores given by the whole class and the instructor.
4. Term Papers (40%): Two short papers will be given on major topics of the course. The first short essay is a comparative overview of the life of Gautama and Jesus. The second research paper will focus on a comparative topic of Christian-Buddhist dialogue. Special handouts of standard format and grading criteria will be given in class.
5. Final Exam (20%): Essay type questions that cover whole course. There will be in-class review and other assistance provided.