Dr. Linda Groff
SBS 318 (2 sections)--Fall 1996
California State University, Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA 90747 USA

Cultural Pluralism & Global Politics

INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION AND INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE:

HONORING THE DIVERSITY OF THE WORLD'S SPIRITUAL TRADITIONS

--An Important Issue, Given That Many Wars & Conflicts Are
Now Being Fought (Perhaps Wrongly) in the Name of Religion(s)

NOTE: 40 out of 41 of the world's violent conflicts and wars in 1991 were intrastate/civil conflicts or internal wars, many of which involved different cultures with different religions. (Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Yearbook, 1993.) Yet at the same time, much interreligious dialogue is occurring in the world, as all our lives become more interdependent, and there is a great need to understand each other better. This course will focus on how different religions can help promote peace and understanding in the world, not conflict and war. Two UNESCO conferences have been held in Barcelona, Spain on this topic.

Required Texts:

• Marlo Morgan, Mutuant Message Down Under. (pb) For Part I (ICC) and Part II (IRD). On Spirituality of the Australian Aborigines.
• Huston Smith, The Illustrated World Religions: A Guide To Our Wisdom Traditions. Covers Point of Departure; Hinduism; Buddhism; Confucianism; Taoism; Islam; Judaism; Christianity; The Primal Religions; and A Final Examination.
• Brochures on What Is Religion? On Hinduism; Buddhism; Sikhism; Confucianism; North American Indian Spirituality; Judiasm; Christianity; Islam; and the Baha'i Faith.

Highly Recommmended Texts--to consult for extra credit in your Journal writing and/or for your group research paper:

• Peter B. Clarke, Consulting Ed., The World's Religions: Understanding the Living Faiths. (hc) On Religion in the Modern World; Judaism; Christianity; Islam; Zoroastrainism; Hinduism; Jainism; Buddhism; Sikhism; China's Religious Tradition (Daoism, Confuscianism, and Buddhism); and Shintoism (Indigenous Religion of Japan).
• Huston Smith, The World's Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions. Revised and Updated Edition of The Religions of Man. (pb) Covers the same topics as The Illustrated World Religions, but in greater detail, and without the illustrations. On Point of Departure; Hinduism; Buddhism; Confucianism; Taoism; Islam; Judaism; Christianity; The Primal Religions; The Relation between Religions, and The Wisdom Traditions.

Required Films:

• The Wisdom of Faith, Five Part Series for Public Television, in which Bill Moyers interviews Huston Smith on "The World's Religions"--the title of one of his books.

Additional Recommended Sources:

• Huston Smith. FORGOTTEN TRTUTH: THE COMMON VISION OF THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS. Harper San Francisco, 1976. Preface 1992. (pb)
• WORLD SCRIPTURE: A COMPARATIVE ANTHOLOGY OF SACRED TEXTS. A Project of the International Religious Foundation. New York: Paragon House, 1991. (hc)
• Mircea Eliade, Editor in Chief. ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RELIGION. New York: Macmillan, 1987.
• A hugh library of other books on all of the different world religious and spiritual traditions.
• Also extensive sources on the WORLD WIDE WEB and INTERNET on the world's religious and spiritual traditions. Please open an account at the CSUDH Computer Center so that you can access these online sources. We will find time early in the class to show you how to access these sources online, and in your group research paper (each group covering a different world religion), you will be expected to consult both traditional library sources, as well as online sources, for research on your topic.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS: READINGS AND ASSIGNMENTS:

PART I: Intercultural Communication:

Read:

• Groff, Class Handouts
• Groff,"Intercultural Communication, Negotiation, & Conflict Resolution." (Article)
• Morgan, MUTANT MESSAGE DOWN UNDER.

Assignments:

• Write Summary of Characteristics of Own Socialization in Different Areas, to Share in Small Groups in Class
• See Films from "Going International" Film Series ("Bridging the Cultural Gap"; "Managing the Overseas Assignment"; and "Working in the USA"), and write summary of what you learned from each film.
• Participate in Intercultural Communication & Negotiation Simulation, "Culture Blind," and write summary of what you learned from this experience.
• Write summary of what you learned from Morgan, MUTANT MESSAGE DOWN UNDER, about one's initial perceptions of a foreign culture, including citing a few examples of DIE, i.e., (Straight Factual) Description of Behavior [of Someone from Another Culture] vs. Interpretation of the Meaning or Reasons for the Behavior vs. Evaluation or Judgment of the Behavior as Good or Bad.
• In-Class Exam on Part I

PART II: Introduction to Different World Spiritual and Religions Traditions:

"If we take the world's enduring religions at their best, we discover the distilled wisdom of the human race."--Huston Smith
"There are many paths to God."
"The Tao that can be named is not the Tao."

Read:

• Smoker & Groff, "Exploring Inner and Outer Aspects of Religion and Peace." This is a shorter version of Smoker & Groff, "Spirituality, Religion, Culture, and Peace: Exploring the Foundations for Inner-Outer Peace in the 21st Century." Article written for UNESCO's Second Conference on "Contributions of Religions to a Culture of Peace," Barcelona, 1995, and published in Conference Proceedings; also published in International Journal of Peace Studies, Vol. I, No. 1 (January 1996). (Provides a framework for looking at all the world's religions.)
• Smith, Huston. THE ILLUSTRATED WORLD RELIGIONS.
• Also see five part film series, THE WISDOM OF FAITH, for public television (1996),in which Bill Moyers interviews Huston Smith on the world's religions.
• Brochures, WHAT IS RELIGION? (on the different world religions).
• Also recommended is Huston Smith, THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS, and Peter Clarke, Ed., THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS.

Assignment:

• Take notes and keep a JOURNAL on what you are learning about each religion (from the required readings and films under Part II above), and how those values may or may not relate to your own life, to turn in later in the semester. Also add notes later in the semester on what you learned from the simulation experience in Part III, about the different religions and their ability to find ways to increase understanding and cooperation between them (or not).
• In-Class Exam on Part II.

PART III: Interreligious Dialogue:

Goal is to gain understanding and appreciation of the rich diversity of the world's religious and spiritual traditions, and to see where they have common ground, as well as where they have differences. Goal is not to convert people to a different religion, or to create one world religion. Certain principles for such dialogue will be established.

Read: Declarations by Different Organizations on Religion and Peace

• UNESCO, "Declaration on Contributions by Religions to a Culture of Peace," signed by representatives of different world religions and peace researchers at conference held in Barcelona, Spain, December 1994.
• "Riva Del Garda Declaration" by World Conference on Religion and Peace, Sixth Assembly, Italy, November 1994.
• Declaration of Parliament of the World's Religions, Chicago, August 1993, "Toward a Global Ethic."

Assignments:

• Early in the Semester, the class will be divided into different groups, each representing a different world religion, with students selecting which group they want to be in. Each group will be given a format page of topics to research on their religion. Research will include: traditional library research and online research on the religion (including global groups active in the religion online), as well as a field trip in Los Angeles to a local group representing that religion, to also talk with them.
• Group Research Papers/Oral Presentations on the Key Characteristics of Their Religion in Different Areas (based on a common format of items to research on each religion). All religions/groups will present on the same characteristics each classtime, so the different world religions can be compared on the same items.
• An Interreligious Dialogue (In Class Simulation), on How the Different Religions Can Cooperate to Promote Peace, Not War and Conflict in the World. and in which the class, with each group representing their different religion, will come up with a final "Declaration on How Religions Can Help Support Peace and Cooperation in the World," based on core values shared by different world religions.

Student Showcase: Class Final Declaration on How Religions Can Help Promote Peace, Cooperation, and Understanding in the World

• Spring 1996 Semester
• Fall 1996 Semester

CONTACT LINDA GROFF, GLOBAL OPTIONS, VIA E-MAIL FOR MORE INFORMATION:

• Dr. Linda Groff . ljgroff@dhvx20.csudh.edu

Also contact Co-Directors, Global Options, if you have important information that you think should be added to this Home Page, or other related Home Pages. Thank you.

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