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HUMN448 Final Exam Study Guide

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1. The Final Exam is open book, open notes.
The maximum time you can spend in the exam is 3 hours and 30 minutes. If you have not clicked the Submit for Grade button by then, you will be automatically exited from the exam. In the Final Exam environment, the Windows clipboard is disabled, so you still will not be able to copy exam questions or answers to or from other applications.

2. You should click the Save Answers button in the exam frequently.
This helps prevent connection timeouts that might occur with certain Internet service providers, and also minimizes the chance of lost answers in the event of connection problems. If your Internet connection does break, when you reconnect, you will normally be able to get back into your Final Exam without any trouble. Remember, though, that the exam timer continues to run while students are disconnected, so you should try to log in again as quickly as possible. The Help Desk cannot grant any student additional time on the exam.

3. See Syllabus "Due Dates for Assignments & Exams" for due date information.

4. Reminders:

You will only be able to enter your online Final Exam one time.
Click the Save Answers button often.
If you lose your Internet connection during your Final Exam, log on again and try to access your Final Exam. If you are unable to enter the Final Exam, first contact the Help Desk and then your instructor.
You will always be able to see the time remaining in the Final Exam at the top right of the page.

5. Assessments with Multiple Pages:

Make sure you click the Save Answers button before advancing to the next page (we also suggest clicking on Save Answers while you are working).
Complete all of the pages before submitting your Final Exam for instructor review.
Do NOT use your browser's Back and Forward buttons during the Final Exam.
Please use the provided links for navigation.

6. Submitting Your Final Exam:

When you are finished with the Final Exam, click on the Submit for Grade button.
Please note: Once you click Submit for Grade, you will NOT be able to edit or change any of your answers.

7. Exam Questions

There are 25 randomly selected multiple-choice questions each worth four points, for a total of 100 points.
There are four randomly selected essay questions each worth 50 points, for a total of 200 points.
The Final Exam covers all course TCOs and Weeks 1–7.

The exam questions are pooled, which means that not everyone will have the same questions. Even if you do have some of the same questions, they may not be in the same order. These questions are distributed among the TCOs. The entire exam is worth 300 points.
On the essay questions, your answers should be succinct, should fully address each part of the question, and should demonstrate your knowledge and understanding in a concise but complete answer. Most essay questions require answers that are a couple of paragraphs (not a couple of sentences) that directly speak to each part of the question. Some students opt to work on the essay questions first due to their higher point value and the length of time needed to adequately address each question, but this is entirely your choice.
Remember to always use proper citation when quoting other sources! This means that ANY borrowed material (even a short phrase) must be placed in quotation marks with the source (URL, author/date/page #) immediately following the end of the passage. Changing a few words in a passage does NOT constitute putting it in your own words, and proper citation is still required. Borrowed material should NOT dominate a student’s work but should only be used sparingly to support your own thoughts, ideas, and examples. Heavy usage of borrowed material (even if properly cited) can jeopardize the points for that question. Uncited material can jeopardize a passing grade on the exam. As a part of our commitment to academic integrity, your work may be submitted to turnitin.com, an online plagiarism-checking service, so please be VERY mindful of proper citation.
Sample essay questions:
- Compare and contrast Sigmund Freud's theory about the origin of religions with William James' theory. How does each of these psychologists view religion (positively or negatively)? Now analyze how the insights of Freud or James might illuminate your religious tradition or the tradition with which you are the most familiar. How would Freud or James understand that tradition? Use specific examples to support your answer (e.g., a specific belief or ritual).
- Explain and evaluate St. Thomas Aquinas' cosmological argument for the existence of God: “The first and plainest is the method that proceeds from the point of view of motion. It is certain and in accord with experience that things on earth undergo change. Now, everything that is moved is moved by something; nothing, indeed, is changed, except it is changed to something which it is in potentiality . . .”
- Identify and analyze three basic patterns in indigenous religions. Use examples from Native American religions to support your answer.

8. The lectures and the quizzes are prime targets for review.

9. Review the Proofs for the Existence of God in the Webliography.

10. Reviewing the TCOs will also be a great preparation for the Final Exam. I have listed them below for your convenience.

	Given a set of primary terms and definitions that are essential to understanding religion and religious experience, evaluate how at least three of these primary terms apply to one’s own experience.
	Given the major distinction between personal and institutional religious experience, compare the nature of each experience, including the strengths and weaknesses of each.
	Given classical, medieval, and modern descriptions of the experience of religion, analyze the way any one such description illustrates the specific set of terms essential to a study of religion.
	Given the social and scientific viewpoints on the nature and function of religion, compare and contrast one such analysis from psychology with one from philosophy or anthropology.
	Given the designation of various belief systems as “world religions,” compile a reference chart of these religions, utilizing their descriptions to identify the differences in prevalence of these systems across cultures; for example, the differences in the prevalence of Islam in Africa versus Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and so forth.
	Given the classification of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as world religions in Western culture, construct a diagram chart that identifies the primary elements of each religion, (e.g., “Sacred Stories/Myths/Texts: Judaism: Torah, Wisdom literature, Prophets, Psalms. Christianity: New Testament. Islam: Koran,” etc.), and use this chart to identify the elements that they have in common that render them “Western.”
	Given the primary texts of the three world religions in Western culture (the Torah, the Gospels, and the Koran), compare and contrast one theme these texts have in common, such as the nature of God, the creation of the universe, the creation of humanity, or an ethical mandate, and evaluate the cultural influence upon each theme.
	Given the classification of Hinduism, Confucianism, and Buddhism as world religions in Eastern culture, construct a diagram chart that identifies the primary elements of each religion, (e.g., “Sacred Stories/Myths/Texts: Hinduism: Vedas. Confucianism: Analects. Buddhism: The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path,” etc.), and use this chart to identify the elements that they have in common that render them “Eastern.”
	Given primary texts of the three major religions in Eastern culture (The Analects, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Four Noble Truths), compare and contrast one theme the texts have in common, such as the creation of the universe, the creation of humanity, the nature of the spiritual, or an ethical principle.
10	Given the prevalence of several minor but influential belief systems in Eastern culture, analyze these systems and their significant differences from the major religions in Eastern culture.
11	Given a grouping of so-called minor religions throughout history, compare one ancient and one contemporary group, analyzing how each differs from the concept of a major “world religion.”
12	Given several localized or regional groups exhibiting the characteristics and elements of a religion, analyze one such group and identify its similarities and differences from world religions, utilizing the elements of both “world religions” and “religion.”

If you have any questions for me, please post them to our Q & A or e-mail me. Good luck on the exam!