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Reading Education

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Course Descriptions

Reading Education

College of Education

READ 240. Children's Literature. 3 credits.

The study of a variety of children's literature and the practices, principles and procedures for selecting and evaluating works for children, giving consideration to their motivational and developmental effects. Prerequisite: Completion of Cluster One.

READ 254. Literature for Adolescents. 3 credits.

A study of literature which has been written for or appeals to young adults and adolescents, including practices, principles and procedures for evaluating and making literary materials appealing to adolescents. Prerequisite: Completion of Cluster One.

READ 312. Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum in the Middle Grades. 3 credits.

An introduction for preservice teachers to the foundations of reading and writing development and the elements of balanced literacy instruction in the middle grades. Through reading, writing and field applications across content areas, preservice teachers explore literacy engagement, diversity and special needs. Corequisites: EDUC 310, EDUC 311 and Practicum.

READ 366. Early Literacy Development and Acquisition. 3 credits.

This course provides preservice teachers an understanding of the foundations of early literacy development and instructional strategies and assessment techniques that support the acquisition of literacy.

READ 414. Reading and Writing in the Content Areas. 1 credit.

Study of how to use print and media resources to support the acquisition of knowledge and the development of reading and writing skills in all content areas. This course may not be used for credit in minor programs in early and middle education.

READ 420. Content Area Literacy, K-12. 2 credits.

This course is designed for preservice teachers and will provide an introduction to the foundations of reading and balanced literacy instruction for students in kindergarten through grade 12. Through reading and writing across content areas, preservice teachers will explore literacy engagement, diversity and special needs.

READ 430. Development, Assessment and Instruction of Literacy, K-12. 3 credits.

This course is designed to provide preservice teachers with a foundation of literacy development. Instructional strategies and assessment techniques, which support the acquisition and development of literacy in diverse classrooms across the curriculum in grades K-12. Prerequisite: CSD 300. Corequisite: SPED 410.

READ 436. Literacy Learning in the Elementary Grades. 3 credits.

This course will provide preservice teachers with an understanding developmentally appropriate instructional strategies and assessment techniques to help all students in elementary grades become literate using reading, writing, listening and speaking in strategic and authentic ways. Prerequisite: Grade of "C" or better in READ 366.

READ 440. Literacy-Based Learning in Secondary Education. 3 credits.

This course will provide preservice teachers in secondary education with an understanding of how to create productive contexts for literacy-based learning. Particular areas of emphasis include selecting reading materials, understanding literacy development, and facilitating individual student engagement.

READ 472. Literacy Assessment and Instruction in the Content Areas for the Middle Grades. 3 credits.

The course will introduce preservice teachers to the relationship between literacy assessment practices and instructional design for teaching reading and writing in content area classrooms. Using case study methodology, preservice teachers will explore individual students' literacy strengths, areas that need development and specific instructional strategies. Prerequisite: READ 312. Corequisites: MSSE 370, MSSE 371 and Practicum.

READ 490. Special Studies in Reading Education. 1-3 credits.

Designed to give capable students, under faculty guidance, an opportunity to engage in the independent study of educational problems. Prerequisite: Plan for the study must be approved by the faculty adviser and the coordinator of the program in which the student is enrolled.

Department of Philosophy and Religion

GREL 101. Religions of the World. 3 credits. Offered fall and spring.

An investigation of the world's major religions which will give attention to their origin, history, mythology and doctrines.

REL/HEBR 131-132. Elementary Biblical Hebrew. 4 credits each semester.

An introductory course for students who intend to acquire the ability to read the Massoretic text of the Bible. Systematic study of the fundamentals of grammar with emphasis on reading, pronunciation and translation.

REL 200. Exploring Religion. 3 credits.

An examination of the various components in the study of religion including myths, rituals, mystical experiences, theologies, ethics and current issues. Examples will be taken from the sacred texts, rituals and the lives of religious personalities in traditions around the world.

REL 201. Introduction to Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. 3 credits. Offered fall and spring.

A study of selected texts from the books of Genesis-Malachi that will examine their literary, historical and theological dimensions from the perspective of their ancient Israelite and Judahite contexts.

REL 202. Introduction to the New Testament. 3 credits.

This course discusses the literature of the New Testament in light of the historical, social and religious conditions from which it emerged. Particular attention is given to historical issues related to Jesus and the origins of Christianity.

REL/PHIL 218. Philosophy of Religion. 3 credits. Offered fall 2006.

An intensive examination of religion from the standpoint of philosophical thinking with particular emphasis on the way philosophers view such problems as the existence of God, evil, immortality, religious language, etc.

REL/HEBR 231-232. Intermediate Biblical Hebrew. 3 credits. each semester.

An intensive reading course. Selections from the Massoretic text of the Bible. An introduction to the critical apparatus used within the Massoretic text as well as the variant reading apparatus printed in the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. Prerequisite: One year of college biblical Hebrew or equivalent.

REL 240. Jesus and the Moral Life. 3 credits.

This is an introductory course that focuses on the ways in which the moral teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, explored from both historical and multi-cultural perspectives, informed and continues to inform personal ideals and moral visions of society.

REL 270. Religious Ethics. 3 credits. Not offered 2006-2007.

An investigation of the historical development of religious values and moral concepts in the Western religious traditions of Judaism, Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.

REL 280. Religion and Science. 3 credits. Offered once every three years.

This course will provide a historical survey of the relationship between religion and the sciences; offer overviews of scientific and theological theory; examine the development of theory formation; focus on issues in astronomy, physics and biology; explore the ethical implications of scientific and religious theories; and trace developments.

REL 300. Selected Topics in Religion. 3 credits.

Selected topics in religion are studied in depth. See e-campus for current topic. Course may be repeated for credit when content changes.

REL 305. Islamic Religious Tradition. 3 credits. Offered fall 2006.

This course introduces the Islamic religious tradition from its inception to the present. Topics covered include the message and style of the Qur'an, the life and experience of Muhammad, the major beliefs and practices of Islam, and the theological, philosophical and mystical movements in the Islamic empire. Attention is also given to modern Islamic movements and their relation to the modern world inside and outside the Middle East.

REL 310. Hindu Traditions. 3 credits. Offered fall 2006.

This course examines the notions of world, community and self as experienced and interpreted by Hindus; the basic assumptions underlying their world view; how these assumptions interrelate with the various dimensions of Hindu physical, psychological and cultural experience; how they are expressed in myth, ritual and social structures; and the tensions we find between the ideal and the real.

REL 312. Religions of East Asia. 3 credits.

An introduction to the religions of China and Japan, including Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Shinto, folk religions and the "New Religions" of Japan. Attention to the role of religion in the family and the state, classic texts, the importance of nature and expressions of spirituality in the fine arts.

REL 313. Hindu Ethics. 3 credits. Offered once every three years.

This course is an introduction to Hindu modes of moral reasoning. It gives special attention to the concept of moral order and its relationship to the pursuit of pleasure and of wealth, on the one hand, and the quest for liberation, on the other hand. Attention is paid to common moral obligations as well as to specified, and sometimes gendered, vocational duties incumbent upon Hindus.

REL 314. Gandhi, Nonviolence and Global Transformation. 3 credits.

Gandhi is unique as a social theorist, a philosopher and an activist. He challenged the dominant world structure of his time and struggled with some of the most significant issues of our time: violence, racism, oppression of women, role of religion, nature of capitalism and conflict between ethnic and religious communities. This course examines his theory and praxis on these and other issues.

REL 315. Women and Religion. 3 credits. Not offered 2006-2007.

Study of women and world religions, historically and today, emphasizing Buddhism, religions of China and Japan, Judaism and Christianity. The variety of women's religious roles and practices are studied in a comparative context. Feminist scholarship's proposals for revising our understanding of religious history and reforming religious traditions.

REL 316. Topics in Hinduism. 3 credits. Offered once every three years.

Study of selected topics in Hinduism. May be repeated for credit when course content changes.

REL 317. Exploring Gandhian Philosophy of Nonviolence. 3 or 6 credits. Offered alternate summers.

The JMU in India Summer program is a travel-study course. The program provides an interdisciplinary study to the history and contemporary application of the Gandhian philosophy of nonviolence through course work, field studies and direct experience.

REL 318. Exploring Contemporary India. 3 or 6 credits. Offered alternate summers.

The JMU in India Summer program is a travel-study course. The program provides an interdisciplinary introduction to contemporary India from the point of view of religion, mythology, literature, music, art and architecture through course work, field studies and direct experience.

REL 320. Judaism. 3 credits.

An examination of the beliefs, practices and historical development of the various forms of Judaism represented in America today: Orthodox, Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist.

REL/SOCI 322. Sociology of Religion. 3 credits.

A sociological analysis of religion; how it influences and is influenced by social existence. See cross listing in Department of Sociology and Anthropology.

REL 325. Catholicism in the Modern World. 3 credits.

Study of the variety of responses by contemporary Catholic theologians and philosophers to key elements in Christian doctrine and practice. Topics include Vatican II; scripture, tradition and modern scholarship; Jesus and Christology; contemporary Catholic spirituality; moral issues in the church; and ecumenism.

REL 330. African and African-American Religion. 3 credits.

An examination of the character and nature of religious traditions and liturgical practices of African and African-American communities through history.

REL 342. The Historical Jesus and the Roman Imperial World. 3 credits.

A study of the historical Jesus and the Jesus-movement as a response to Roman power, domination and violence. Includes discussion of historiographical problems raised in past and present scholarly "quests" for the historical Jesus.

REL 344. Christianity in the Roman Empire. 3 credits. Not offered 2006-2007.

This course examines the rise of Christianity in the social and religious context of the pagan Roman Empire. It focuses on crucial struggles and conflicts in the volatile period from Jesus to the fourth century A.D.

REL 346. Religions in Greece and Rome. 3 credits.

This course explores the religious traditions of ancient Greece and Rome. Through study of the diverse gods and goddesses and the divine honors paid to them, the course covers central aspects of Greco-Roman culture and society. Attention is also given to new religious traditions, in particular the Mystery religions, that gained prominence in the world of the Roman Empire.

REL 360. History of Western Religious Thought. 3 credits. Offered fall 2006.

A survey of the development of Western religious thought from the classical period through the modern period. The primary emphasis will be on the person, ideas, beliefs and critical turning points in the development of Christianity and Judaism with some reference to Islam and to contemporary religious developments.

REL 370. Mysticism. 3 credits.

An examination of the nature of mysticism and its forms of practice in selected religious communities through the world.

REL/PHIL 375. The 19th Century: Age of Ideology. 3 credits.

A study of selected 19th-century philosophers and theologians with special attention to rationalism, romanticism and idealism. Views of Hegel, Schleiermacher, Ritschl, Marx and others are considered.

REL 380. Contemporary Theologies. 3 credits.

A survey of one or more of the following contemporary theological movements: continental, North American, African and South American, including Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant approaches, and covering themes such as the conflict between history and faith, Christology, fundamentalism and liberalism, and the emergence of liberation, feminist, black, neo-conservative, secular, pluralist and ecological theologies.

REL/PHIL 385. Buddhist Thought. 3 credits. Offered fall 2006.

Buddhist thought from its origins to the contemporary world in South Asia and East Asia. Emphasis on the understanding of the human condition; analysis of the mind and nature of the cosmos; and the expression of Buddhist thought in the fine arts and in social activism.

REL 420. Cross-Cultural Philosophy of Religion. 3 credits. Offered fall 2006.

Philosophy of religion questions examined from the perspectives of multiple religious world views using a philosophical approach. Readings draw upon multiple conceptions of the divine; faith, knowledge and religious experience; justice and karma; exclusivity and religious pluralism. Does not repeat REL/PHIL 218. Prerequisites: GREL 101 and junior standing or permission of instructor.

REL 450. Religion and Society. 3 credits.

A survey and/or selection of major Western approaches to issues of religion and society, including but not limited to, traditional understanding of church and state issues. Significant figures, texts and methodologies will be critically examined. Fulfills the College of Arts and Letters writing-intensive requirement for the major. Prerequisite: One of the following: REL 240, REL 270, REL 360, REL 380 or permission of instructor.

REL 460. Topics in Ancient Jewish and Early Christian Literature. 3 credits. Offered fall 2006.

An in-depth examination, using critical academic methods, of the historical, literary and cultural dimensions of selected texts from the literatures of Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity. Fulfills the College of Arts and Letters writing-intensive requirement for the major. Prerequisite: REL 201, REL 202 or permission of the instructor.

REL 475. Inter-Religious Dialogue. 3 credits.

Dialogue is, today, the most important response of the world's religions to the diversity of world religions. It is a vehicle for mutual understanding, mutual challenge and joint response to contemporary problems. Students will study the theory and practice of dialog and then engage in dialog. Fulfills the College of Arts and Letters writing-intensive requirement for the major. Prerequisite: Familiarity with two world religions or permission of the instructor.

REL 490. Special Studies in Religion. 3 credits. Offered fall and spring.

Designed to give capable students an opportunity to complete independent study in religion under faculty supervision. Prerequisite: Permission of the department head.

REL 499. Honors. 6 credits. Offered fall and spring.

Year course.

Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures and Cultures

RUS 101-102. Elementary Russian (4, 1). 4 credits each semester. Offered fall and spring.

The fundamentals of Russian through listening, speaking, reading and writing. Practice in pronunciation and development of comprehension. One hour's work a week in the language laboratory.

RUS 111-212. Intensive Russian (6, 1). 6 credits each semester. Offered May and summer.

The fundamentals of Russian through listening, speaking, reading and writing. The first semester is the equivalent of RUS 101-102 and the second of RUS 231-232.

RUS 231-232. Intermediate Russian. 3 credits. each semester. Offered fall and spring.

A thorough review of grammar, vocabulary building, conversation, composition and reading. Prerequisite: One year of college Russian or equivalent.

RUS 265-266. Russian Literature in Translation. 3 credits. each semester.Offered fall and spring.

First semester: Russian literature to 1880; second semester: 1880 to the present. All lectures and readings are in English.

RUS 300. Russian Grammar and Communication. 3 credits. Offered fall and spring.

Intensive training in grammatical structures and their application to oral and written communication. Instruction is in Russian. Fulfills the College of Arts and Letters writing-intensive requirement. Prerequisite: RUS 232 or equivalent.

RUS 308. Introduction to Russian Civilization. 3 credits.Offered fall and spring.

A study of Russian life and culture and the outstanding contributions of Russian-speaking peoples. Instruction is in Russian. Prerequisite: RUS 300.

RUS 320. Russian Oral and Written Communication. 3 credits. Offered fall and spring.

Intensive training in the use of modern, everyday Russian with emphasis on conversation and composition. Readings in Russian will provide a context for discussion and writing. Prerequisite: RUS 300.

RUS 400. Advanced Conversation. 3 credits.Offered fall and spring.

Discussions deal with topics of current interest. Instruction is in Russian. Prerequisite: RUS 300 or equivalent.

RUS 405. Russian Literature of the 19th Century. 3 credits. Offered fall and spring.

Readings and analyses of poetry, prose and drama by such writers as Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Turgenev, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and Chekhov. Instruction is in Russian. Prerequisite: Three years of college Russian or equivalent.

RUS 406. Russian Literature of the 20th Century. 3 credits. Offered fall and spring.

A study of the works of major Russian writers of the 20th century. Instruction is in Russian. Prerequisite: Three years of college Russian or equivalent.

RUS/ENG 438. Studies in Russian Literature. 3 credits. Offered fall and spring.

A study of selected works of Russian literature. Instruction is in English. May be repeated for credit when course content changes.

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Following most course titles and credit hours is the anticipated semester offering, indicating whether a course may be scheduled in the fall, spring or summer semester. This information is provided to help students plan their course schedules. The anticipated semester offering is not the same as the schedule of classes, and the semesters listed are indicative of when the courses may be offered, not a guarantee that the course will be available every semester listed.

A G in bold and italics or an asterisk (*) preceding the course prefix and number indicates a course which potentially meets general education requirements. (If the course is part of a course sequence, the asterisk appears after the appropriate course's prefix and number.) See General Education information.

If a course has a separate laboratory period, the number of lecture hours and the number of laboratory hours per week will be shown in parentheses immediately following the course title.