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Sample Syllabus – Subject to Change
BBST 105—Foundations of Christian Thought
SAMPLE SYLLABUS – SUBJECT TO CHANGE
PROFESSOR/CLASS INFORMATION
Jason Oakes Ph.D., M.A., M.Div., B.A.
Course Code: BBST 105
Course Title: Foundations of Christian Thought
Term/Year: Summer 2015
Credit Hours/Units: 3 credits
Office Location: Talbot East 308
Class Days/Time/Classroom Location: Online
Office Phone: 562.944.0351 ext. 3518 (email/Canvas
Professor E-Mail: jason.oakes@biola.edu
message preferred)
Meeting with Professor: Online Office Hours available University Website: http://www.biola.edu
via email/Canvas Message
B&TS Administrative Staff: Tammy Felix &
B&TS Office Phone: 562-903-4819
Cristina Malais
B&TS Webpage:
B&TS on Facebook: Biola Biblical &
http://www.biola.edu/academics/undergrad/bibstud/
Theological Studies
BIOLA UNIVERSITY MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of Biola University is biblically centered education, scholarship and service—equipping
men and women in mind and character to impact the world for the Lord Jesus Christ.
TRUTH~TRANSFORMATION~TESTIMONY
The mission of Biola University is biblically-centered education, scholarship, and service; equipping men
and women in mind and character to impact the world for the Lord Jesus Christ.
More information about Biola's Mission, Vision, and Values can be found here.
BIOLA UNIVERSITY POLICY STATEMENTS
DISABILITY SERVICES: Disability Services exist to assist any student who thinks he or she may need
such assistance. Students desiring accommodations for this class on the basis of physical learning,
psychological and/or emotional disabilities are to contact The Learning Center which houses both
learning assistance and disability services. The Learning Center is located in the Biola Library, Upper
Level, Room U-137, and this department can be reached by calling 562.906.4542 or by dialing extension
#4542 if calling from “on campus.”
NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY: The University deplores the unfair treatment of individuals based on
race, gender, socio-economic status, age, physical disability, or cultural differences, regardless whether
such treatment is intentional or simply resultant from careless or insensitive behavior. Rather, employees
Sample Syllabus – Subject to Change
and members of the student body should embrace the expectation of Scripture to love God with all their
being and their neighbors as themselves.
ACADEMIC HONESTY: Biola University is committed to ethical practice in teaching, scholarship, and
service. As such, plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Please see
the undergraduate/graduate student handbook and/or the departmental/program/school policy on
academic honesty. It is imperative that you present all written, oral, and/or performed work with a clear
indication of the source of that work. If it is completely your own, you are encouraged to present it as
such, taking pleasure in ownership of your own created work. However, it is also imperative that you
give full credit to any and all others whose work you have included in your presentation via paraphrase,
direct quotation, and/or performance, citing the name(s) or the author(s)/creator(s) and the source of the
work with appropriate bibliographic information. To do otherwise is to put oneself in jeopardy of being
sanctioned for an act or acts of plagiarism that can carry serious consequences up to and including
expulsion from the university. See http://studentlife.biola.edu/handbook/policies-procedure/academicintegrity/ and http://plagiarism.org/plagiarism-101/overview/ (Links to an external site.) and Plagiarism &
Academic Misconduct
DIVISION OF BIBLICAL & THEOLOGICAL STUDIES (B&TS) MISSION STATEMENT
A strong emphasis in Biblical & Theological Studies has always been at the core of Biola's curriculum. It
is intended that all students regardless of major will graduate with a working knowledge of the Scriptures
and a Christian worldview, integrated with academic learning as well as personal and professional living.
More information about Biblical Studies at Biola can be found here.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Biola Catalog Course Description: BBST 105—Foundations of Christian Thought: Introduction to
theology with special emphasis on learning to do theology, understand the doctrine of Scripture,
introduce the integration of various fields of knowledge with the Bible, and see the importance and
development of a Christian world view. Note: Must be completed during the first year. Unit(s): 3.
Offered every semester as a traditional course and typically offered online during summer and interterm
sessions.
COURSE OBJECTIVES AND STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the completion of this course with all of its various learning tasks (including class participation,
readings, assignments, group interactions, etc.), the following objectives and learning outcomes will be
assessed and demonstrated (these are from the IDEA course evaluation tool used at the end of the
course):
IDEA Objective #2: Learning fundamental principles, generalizations, or theories (Essential emphasis).
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (Each learner will demonstrate satisfactory fulfillment of IDEA
Objective #2 by being able to):
Sample Syllabus – Subject to Change
•
Identify key ideas concerning loving God with your mind and some key figures and movements in
the history of the church. (Fulfilled by Tasks 1 and 4).
•
Recognize the major features of the Christian worldview as well as those of the most prominent
non-Christian worldviews.(Fulfilled by Tasks 1 and 4).
•
Name the components of the doctrine of the Word of God and why they are important. (Fulfilled
by Tasks 1 and 4).
IDEA Objective 10: Developing a clearer understanding of, and commitment to, personal values
(Essential emphasis).
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (Each learner will demonstrate satisfactory fulfillment of IDEA
Objective #10 by being able to):
•
Express how loving God with their mind, the relationship between faith and reason, and a deeper
commitment to the Christian worldview is integral to their faith. (Fulfilled by Tasks #2 and #3)
•
Explain the basics concerning truth and knowledge and why those concepts are important to
understand.(Fulfilled by Tasks #2 and #3)
•
Value the prominence of God’s Word in their life as Christians (Fulfilled by Tasks #2 and #3)
IDEA Objective 3: Learning to apply course material (to improve thinking, problem solving, and
decisions) (Important emphasis).
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (Each learner will demonstrate satisfactory fulfillment of IDEA
Objective #3 by being able to):
•
Apply the Biblical worldview (creation, fall, grace, and glory) individually(Fulfilled by Task 2a)
•
Analyze a piece of artwork demonstrating its major worldview assumptions (Fulfilled by Task 2b)
•
Recognize the illumination of the Holy Spirit through meditating on Scripture (Fulfilled by Task 2c)
REQUIRED TEXTS & RESOURCES
1. Required Textbooks/Resources (Each of the following is required and will be used in this course):
•
The Bible -- Bring a good translation of the Bible to class each day since we will be looking at
God’s Word regularly.
•
Mind Your Faith, David A. Horner (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2011).
•
Genesis in Space and Time, Francis A. Schaeffer (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 1972).
•
What is the Christian Worldview: Basics of the Reformed Faith, Philip Graham Ryken (Phillipsburg,
NJ: P&R, 2006).
•
Making Sense of the Bible: One of Seven Parts from Grudem’s Systematic Theology, Wayne
Grudem (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011).
2. Recommended Reading/Resources (Each of the following is recommended but not required):
Sample Syllabus – Subject to Change
•
Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis (New York, NY: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1943). [You will be
required to read Book 1: Right and Wrong as a Clue to the Meaning of the Universe. So, these
chapters of the book are required to read, but the rest of the book is recommended.)
•
The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalog, James W. Sire (Downers Grove, IL: IVP,
1976). [You will be required to read two chapters from this book; the rest are recommended and
can be used as a source for your BAALD assignment.]
3. Additional Reading/Resources:
Throughout the academic term, any number of hard-copy documents or various other resources (e.g.,
electronic) will be made available to students registered for this course. Those resources will be posted
here on Canvas for viewing and/or downloading. In addition, the Biola Library’s website provides access
to thousands of electronic books and journal articles for research. The library’s home page is available
at: http://library.biola.edu.
SPECIFIC LEARNING TASKS (Assignments) & ASSESSMENT (Grading)
Description of Assignments: The following tasks are not necessarily in sequential dated order.
Task 1: Lecture Quizzes & Reading Quizzes
Possible Points: 300 points.
Description: These quizzes will be taken online throughout the course. The questions will come from
lecture notes and reading guides.
Lecture Quizzes: Before you post your answer to the discussion board, you will need to watch the lecture
videos and then take the lecture quizzes. There will be 2 lecture quizzes in each Slice worth 25 points
each. Questions are drawn from the Lecture Notes and you may use your Lecture Notes for these
quizzes (they are open notes) but you will not have time to look up every answer since the quizzes are
timed. So, you should study as if you are not going to be able to use your notes at all. You may not work
in groups or with someone else while taking the quiz (they are not "open friend"). Working together will
constitute academic misconduct and the answers are randomized so that it will not be beneficial.
Reading Quizzes: Before posting your answer to the discussion board, you must complete the reading
and then take the lecture quizzes. There will be 2 lecture quizzes in each Slice worth 25 points each. In
these quizzes you will give both an account of how much of the reading you accomplished as well as
answer some multiple choice questions from the reading. Questions are drawn from the Reading Guides
and you may use your Reading Guides for these quizzes (they are open notes) but you will not have time
to look up every answer since the quizzes are times. So, you should study as if you are not going to be
able to use your notes at all. You may not work in groups or with someone else while taking the quiz (they
are not "open friend"). Working together will constitute academic misconduct and the answers are
randomized so that it will not be beneficial. Note: Be aware that there is a practice reading quiz that must
be taken to get the access code to take the first reading quiz. This practice quiz will ensure you
understand how the reading quizzes will be graded.
Sample Syllabus – Subject to Change
Assessment: Each Quiz will be assessed with a score out of 25 points and there will be 4 quizzes in
each slice.
Task 2: Academic Essays (students will write three academic papers, one per slice)
Possible Points: 300 points (each Academic Essay is 100 points)
Description: There are two styles of writing required for this class: academic writing and reflective
writing. The goal of both styles of writing is to help you apply course material. The academic essays in
this class is designed is to force you to think clearly about an assignment and then to express those
thoughts concisely. These papers have very clear instructions and high expectations concerning content
as well as writing style, spelling and grammar. Scores over 95 are reserved for excellent, publishable
papers. You will submit one Academic Essay at the end of each slice. Details for each academic essay
and sample papers are posted under the corresponding name at the ASSIGNMENTS tab.
Assessment: Each Academic Essay will be assessed with a score out of 100 points by the rubric posted
on Canvas. Academic papers will be graded very closely for content, writing style, grammar, and
spelling the appropriate rubric found at that assignment. Students are advised to edit these papers very
carefully.
Task 3: Reflection Essays and Food for Thought Readings (students will write three reflection
papers, one per slice)
Possible Points: 90 points (each Reflection Essay is worth 30 points)
Description: At the end of each slice, you will write a Reflection Essay. These papers are not intended
to be as academically rigorous as the academic essays but rather as an opportunity for you to apply the
material to your life personally before you move to the next slice. One aspect of these reflection essays is
to read a Food for Thought passage each week. In the Food for Thought readings you will be asked to
meditate on the assigned passage for at least 10 minutes and then try to connect that passage to the
course material as well as your life. You will record these connections in your Reflection Essay. Details
for each slice reflection and sample papers are posted under the corresponding name at the
ASSIGNMENTS tab.
Assessment: Each Reflection Essay will be assessed with a score out of 30 points by the appropriate
rubric found at that assignment.
Task 4: Discussion Boards (students will participate in 3 discussion boards, one each week)
Possible Points: 180 points (each discussion is worth 30 points)
Description: Students will be placed into small groups and will engage in online discussions. Students
will be responsible to give an initial post by drawing from the lectures and readings and then make
comments to other students’ answers. For detailed description of discussion board requirements,
Sample Syllabus – Subject to Change
expectations, and samples see Discussion Board Information and Sample Discussion Posts And
Comments
Assessment: Each answer will be worth 15 points and the comments as a whole will also be worth 15
points. Discussion boards are graded by the appropriate rubric found at that assignment.
*NOTE: Be sure to look at the "Calendar" for the deadlines for the discussion board (and that you have
clicked the checkbox for this class). There are multiple deadlines posted there (deadlines for the initial
post, substantial comments, and then the final deadline for the entire discussion) and you are responsible
for each of them. Be warned, only the final deadline shows up in the list under the "Syllabus" page...
don't miss the deadlines as listed in the "Calendar".
Task 6: Final Exam (students will take one final exam, at the end of the class during the final exam
period)
Possible Points: 100 points
Description: The Final Exam will be cumulative and will draw from materials from the entire course. It
will consist of 4 essay and short answer questions. Details will be found posted under
the corresponding name at the ASSIGNMENTS tab before the Final Exam is set to open.
Assessment: Each exam will be assessed with a score out of 100 points.
Task 7: Getting Started Assignments-- Introduction Discussion, Personal Introduction, and
Syllabus Quiz (students will introduce themselves to class material, each other, and to the
Professor at the beginning of the class)
Possible Points: 30 points
Description: Students will acclimate to the Canvas quiz system by taking a quiz over the syllabus and
then the discussion boards and to the assignments by giving introductions both in a discussion board
format as well as in individual introduction to the Professor. Details will be found posted under
the corresponding name at the ASSIGNMENTS tab.
Assessment: The introduction discussion board will be worth 20 points and the introduction
assignment will be worth 10 points.
CLASS POLICY INFORMATION
1. Class Participation Philosophy and Policy:
Theology should be done in, by, and for community. Therefore, regular discussion board participation is
expected of all students.
Sample Syllabus – Subject to Change
If a student misses 1 entire discussion board (No initial prompt and no comments), their final grade will
be lowered by one full letter grade (from a B- to a C-). If a student misses 2 entire discussion boards,
they will fail the course due to the Talbot School of Theology policy that I cannot pass you if you miss 2
weeks of class.
2. Course Communication Policy
I will use the Canvas messaging system for course communication, announcements, and messages
about specific assignments. It is the responsibility of the student to make sure that you receive all such
course communications (you can change these notification defaults at the "Settings" tab at the top right,
click HERE (Links to an external site.) to learn how to do this). Failure to receive a message through
Canvas about a late or missing assignment will not be an excuse.
Since this is an online class, communication will be crucial. I will check my email, Canvas messages, and
the Ask Prof Oakes Board at least every 24 hours during weekdays (often, I will check it more than
this). It is not the fault of the professor if I fail to respond to a question about an assignment that is due
before that 24 hour window.
3. Assignments & Late Penalties
•
Final Exam: The Final Exam will be unavailable when the deadline passes. The Final Exam may
not be taken late. The Final Exam must be attempted to pass the course, a student with a zero on
any exam will fail the course.
•
Reading Quizzes: You will not be allowed to take Reading Quizzes after the deadline. Be aware
that you must read the instructions for the reading quizzes carefully. You are required to mark
THREE answers correct to receive full credit if you read 100% of the points. You must take the
practice reading quiz to get an access code before you are permitted to take the first reading
quiz. If you made a mistake in filling out any of the reading quizzes, I will not reset the quiz and
allow you to take it over. You will accept the score that you have input.
•
Lecture Quizzes: You will not be allowed to take Lecture Quizzes after the deadline.
•
Academic Essays: Any Academic Essay that is turned in late will be penalized and will not be
returned to students with comments. Late Academic Essays will have 20 points taken off. The
late penalty will go to 50 points after two weeks. One month after the due date, the penalty
will go to 80 points. Academic essays that are incorrectly submitted will be asked to resubmit by
a given deadline and will lose 10 points if they are submitted by that deadline. All academic
papers must be attempted to pass the course, a student with a zero on any academic paper will
fail the course.
•
Reflection Essays: Any Reflection Essay that is turned in late will be penalized by 10 points. I will
not accept Reflection Essays that are more than one week late.
Sample Syllabus – Subject to Change
•
Discussion Boards: Since posts are time sensitive, turning in your work on time is very important
for the overall success of the group and therefore late penalties are costly. You will lose 10 points
for initial posts that are posted after the deadline. But, late initial posts must be posted at least 12
hours after the first discussion board deadline to receive any points at all (this is to give time for
other students to read your answer and make comments). Initial posts put up after this 12 hour
time period will not receive any points. Since the comments must be made while other students
are reading the boards, there will be no points given to comments made after the comments
deadline. It is impossible to make up for missed work on discussion boards. If a student misses
1 entire discussion board (No initial prompt and no comments), their final grade will be lowered by
one full letter grade (from a B- to a C-). If a student misses 2 entire discussion boards, they will fail
the course due to the Talbot School of Theology policy that I cannot pass you if you miss 2 weeks
of class.
•
End of Semester Deadline (no exceptions): No assignment will be accepted after the Final Exam
deadline. If you contact the professor with a request to submit a paper after finals week, you will
be turned down.
4. Turning in Assignments
Assignments are only received through Canvas. Emailed assignments will not be accepted.
All academic Essays must be saved and submitted through Canvas as a PDF. - Here is a link of a
website that will convert files to PDF if you are not sure how to do that: CONVERT INTO PDF (Links to
an external site.)
It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that the assignment has been properly uploaded through
Canvas.
5. General Requirements for Written Projects
Whereas Biola University desires to maintain the highest standards with respect to the composition of all
written work, any student paper exhibiting poor grammar, spelling errors, typographical errors, or other
substandard academic expression shall have the overall grade for that paper reduced
accordingly. Generally, a paper will be deemed substandard and ineligible to receive an "A" grade when
it averages three or more compositional errors per page. Students deficient in writing skills may seek
assistance at the Biola Writing Center.
6. Respect for Divergent Viewpoints
In Christian higher educational institutions, it can be assumed that each believing learner is at a different
place of personal maturity and educational preparedness. For reasons such as these, it is requested and
expected that each student exhibit mutual respect, even when divergent viewpoints are expressed in the
classroom. Such respect, even if accompanied by frustrated silence, does not require or imply
agreement with or acceptance of any such perspectives. No matter what the divergence in viewpoints
might be, we desire that all will seek to be submissive to the Word of God.
Sample Syllabus – Subject to Change
7. Class Policy about Academic Honesty
As Christians, we should take dishonesty of every kind very seriously. Yet, because of our fallen
condition, we also understand the need to fight a sinful desire to gain an unfair advantage. Since we
worship a God of truth (Isaiah 65:6) and all dishonesty comes from our adversary (John 8:44), I feel that I
have a pastoral responsibility to take dishonesty in this class very seriously. If you have been dishonest
or have plagiarized on any assignment, essay or exam in this course you should confess it to me
immediately. When un-confessed cases of plagiarism and academic misconduct are found, I fail those
students for the class. The student may be granted an opportunity to receive a zero on the assignment
and, therefore, a chance to pass the class by: (I reserve the right to deny such requests when I deem
appropriate.)
1) admitting the plagiarism or academic misconduct with a signed, written note
2) rewriting and resubmitting the assignment by the new date.
There is a series of thee short videos on academic writing, citations, and plagiarism posted on
Canvas: Plagiarism & Academic Misconduct. You will be responsible for the information presented there.
It is your responsibility to become familiar with what constitutes plagiarism. I will not show grace to a
student who claims that they did not know plagiarism had occurred.
Sample Syllabus – Subject to Change
8. Computation of Final Grade
Before Class Starts
Points
Reflection: Personal Introduction
10
Introduction Board
10
Syllabus and Plagiarism Quiz
10
Slice 1
Prolegomena Reading Quiz
25
Prolegomena Lecture Quiz
25
Prolegomena Discussion Board
30
Biblical Worldview Reading Quiz
25
Biblical Worldview Reading Quiz
25
Biblical Worldview Discussion Board 30
Academic Essay: WILD
100
Reflection Essay
30
Slice 2
Knowledge Reading Quiz
25
Knowledge Lecture Quiz
25
Knowledge Discussion Board
30
Truth Reading Quiz
25
Truth Lecture Quiz
25
Truth Discussion Board
30
Academic Essay: BAALD
100
Reflection Essay
30
Slice 3
Revelation Reading Quiz
25
Revelation Lecture Quiz
25
Revelation Discussion Board
30
Scripture Reading Quiz
25
Scripture Lecture Quiz
25
Scripture Discussion Board
30
Academic Essay: IP
100
Reflection Essay
30
Final Exam
100
TOTAL POINTS
1000
Sample Syllabus – Subject to Change
9. Final grades will be awarded on the following point system:
A 940-1000 points
A- 900 – 939 points
B+ 870 – 899 points
B 840 – 869 points
B- 800 – 839 points
C+ 770 – 799 points
C 740 – 769 points
C- 700 – 739 points
D+ 670 – 699 points
D 640 – 669 points
D- 600 – 639 points
F
below 600 points
At the end of the semester, I will update your grade on Canvas before posting the grade officially. The
professor does not post, calculate, nor provide final grades to individual students. Final grades are
delivered by the Registrar’s Office, whose responsibility it is to perform that task.
10. Instructional Methods:
The following methods of instruction will be included in this course:
1. Reading
2. Group Discussion
3. Written Reports
4. Lecture
11. Report Delay:
In virtually every case that students do not meet the course requirements and when required course
tasks are not submitted to the professor, such students should anticipate receiving a failing grade. In
rare and unusual situations (e.g., serious illness of the student or illness or death of a student’s
immediate family), the student may formally request a report delay (RD) through the Vice Provost’s
Office. Details can be found in the student handbook.
12. Professor’s Disclaimer
This syllabus is intended to reflect information for the class accurately. The professor reserves the right
to modify any portion of this information to fit the educational needs of the class.