A message for the members of St. Stephen's Church, January 2010

REL3127:  Church and State  (online)

REL3127, Church and State, will introduce you to the key issues surrounding the interpretation and implementation of the First Amendment protection of freedom of religion. Our study will take us from the time before the American Revolution to the present. It will highlight the background of the Amendment and important cases and laws used to guarantee this most crucial of human rights.

Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:
• Recite the First Amendment provision for freedom of religion and understand the complexities of its wording;
• Place consideration of the Amendment within its historical context;
• Clearly understand and discourse upon the distinction between the free exercise and establishment clauses of the Amendment
• Identify the key issues governing the adjudication of the Amendment
• Discuss key cases and laws contributing to the interpretation of the Amendment
• Discuss the major tests used by the courts to determine the constitutionality of laws under the Amendment
• Recognize the major issues relating to religion and politics.

Dr. Northup earned her B.A. in Radio, TV, Film from the University of Wisconsin , Madison , back in the 1960s, when it was an armed camp. After living in New York City for many years, where she was, among other things, a cab driver, she earned an M.Div. from the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge , MA , and was ordained an Episcopal priest. Subsequently, she received an M.A. and Ph.D. from the Catholic University of America in Washington , D.C. She taught for a number of years at the University of Maryland before coming to FIU in 1993. Her research interests have focused on myth and ritual and religion in America , specifically Episcopal Church history. She has won a Florida State TIP award for teaching excellence, and two FIU teaching awards. In addition to her academic and ecclesiastical careers, she is also a retired Navy commander.

To learn more about this professor, please see the Department of Religious Studies homepage.

There are no prerequisites for this course.

For more information about prerequisites.

• E-mail: Contact me via my personal email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . This is IMPORTANT!
• Discussion Forum: This is NOT the appropriate way to communicate with me about course housekeeping or problems! Use my email (above).
• Please contact the technical support folks at FIU Online directly for questions pertaining to unavailability of course material, broken links, computer compatibility, and so on.

In order to mitigate any issues with your computer and online assessments, it is very important that you take the “Online Learning Practice Quiz” from each computer you will be using to take your graded exams. It is your responsibility to make sure your computer is compatible with Blackboard CE6 (http://www.Blackboard CE6.com/tuneup) and that it meets the minimum hardware requirements (http://online.fiu.edu/future_whats_required.html). Please take this practice quiz within the first 2 weeks of class.

There are 13 quizzes throughout the semester. NB:  There is no quiz 7.  See the course calendar for the availability dates. The availability period for each quiz starts from 12:00 am and ends 11:55 pm. Each student has two attempts at quizzes. The higher of the two scores will count. Each quiz is worth 10 points. There will be 10 questions. There are more questions in each quiz database than the 10 that appear, so your second attempt may be on entirely different questions. To take a quiz, click on "Quizzes" under "Course Menu." Once you open the quiz, you will have ten (10) minutes to save all the answers and submit it. (Remember not to touch the computer Back button within Blackboard CE6—use the arrow to scroll backward.) Some servers may eject you from Blackboard CE6 in the middle of a quiz. This is the reason for the second attempt. Do not ask for a reset unless my tracking will confirm that you were ejected from both of your attempts.

Please study all course material relevant to the quizzes and be prepared prior taking the quizzes. You need to do the quizzes and exams by yourself. Any interaction of any form with others will constitute cheating, and may have serious repercussions.

Exams are intended to assess your comprehension, retention, and knowledge of the materials covered in lectures and the assigned texts for a group of lessons. The midterm (Exam 1) will cover the first half of the course, the final (Exam 2) the second half only. You have only 1 attempt to take each exam. Exams will be available for a 24 hour period from 12:01 am to 11:55 pm. There will be one hundred (100) questions on each exam. Once you open the exam, you will have 2 hours to complete and submit the exam. Once the time expires, you cannot save any more answers but only can submit it. Failure to take the exam in the allotted time period will result in a zero (0).

Exam questions will be taken from the quizzes, but since there are more questions in the database than the number of questions on the exam, you may get the different questions that you did on the quizzes. Multiple choice questions are randomized across students so no two students will have the same questions.

During the course of the semester, each student should go onto the Discussion Forum and participate in the conversations taking place there. All students are expected to contribute on topics related to the course material. This is a good place to ask additional questions, share observations, and/or point out interesting materials you have found.  Ten percent of your final grade will reflect the extent to which you participated on the discussion board.

1. No extra work is accepted; you must master the assigned material.

2. The writing assignments in the course are the discussion forum postings; these are the principal means of integrating course material. Take them seriously.

3. I do not give Incompletes, except under the most stringent of circumstances.

4. Make-Up Policy: There are no automatic make-ups given in this course. All assignments are due as indicated. If some unforeseen emergency arises that prevents you from taking an exam or handing in an assignment, documentation must be provided (i.e., a summons for jury duty, letter on physician's letterhead stating explicitly why student could not hand in assignment/take exam, etc). This documentation will be verified by contacting the appropriate individuals. The final decision is entirely at the professor's discretion.

This is a fully online course, meaning that all course work (100%) will be conducted online. Expectations for performance in fully online courses are the same as for traditional courses; in fact, fully online courses require a degree of self-motivation, self-discipline, and technology skills that can make them more demanding for some students.

Fully online courses are not independent study courses. You will be expected to interact online with the professor and your fellow students; to do assignments; to meet deadlines; and in many classes, to work in virtual groups. In some fully online courses, you may be required to come to campus to take midterms and exams, but in most, you will take your tests online.

Tips for Success in your online course.

Online Etiquette.

The FIU library provides a number of services to distance learning students. For example:

·         Students can request a chat session in Blackboard CE6 for an explanation on how to access library resources.

·         Students can request detailed instructions on how to access library resources.

·         One-on-One assistance from the Distance Learning Librarian.

Don't struggle through your library research alone! Help is available. For further information, contact Sarah Hammill, Distance Learning Librarian, via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 305-919-5604.

If you have a disability and need assistance, please contact the Disability Resource Center (University Park : GC190; 305-348-3532) (North Campus: WUC139, 305-919-5345). Upon contact, the Disability Resource Center will review your request and contact your professors or other personnel to make arrangements for appropriate modification and/or assistance.  

The University's policy on religious holy days as stated in the University Catalog and Student Handbook will be followed in this class. Any student may request to be excused from (on-line) class to observe a religious holy day of his or her faith. It is imperative that each student reads and understands the Academic Honesty policies covered in class and described at Academic Policy.  

Statement of Understanding between Professor and Student

Every student must respect the right of all to have an equitable opportunity to learn and honestly demonstrate the quality of their learning. Therefore, all students must adhere to a standard of academic conduct, demonstrating respect for themselves, their fellow students, and the educational mission of the University. As a student in the College of Business taking this class:

• I will not represent someone else's work as my own.
• I will not cheat, nor will I aid in another's cheating.
• I will be honest in my academic endeavors.
• I understand that if I am found responsible for academic misconduct, I will be subject to the academic misconduct procedures and sanctions as outlined in the Student Handbook.

Failure to adhere to the guidelines stated above may result in one of the following:
Expulsion: Permanent separation of the student from the University, preventing readmission to the institution. This sanction shall be recorded on the student's transcript.
Suspension: Temporary separation of the student from the University for a specific period of time.

By taking this online course I promise to adhere to FIU's Student Code of Academic Integrity. For details on the policy and procedure go to ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT.

NOTE: Intensive Auditing of the course will be conducted to prevent academic misconduct.

Specific disciplinary action as follows:

1. Cheating: Cheating is a form of academic misconduct that involves the unauthorized use of books, notes, aids or assistance from another person with respect to exams/assignments. ANY STUDENT CAUGHT CHEATING WILL AUTOMATICALLY FAIL THE COURSE AND FURTHER DISCIPLINARY ACTION MAY BE TAKEN. ANY STUDENT WHO AIDS/ABETS THE CHEATING STUDENT WILL ALSO BE PENALIZED.

2. Plagiarism: Plagiarism is a form of academic misconduct that involves presenting the words, beliefs, opinions, facts, data, hypotheses, information of others as your own. ANY STUDENT CAUGHT PLAGIARIZING WILL AUTOMATICALLY FAIL THE COURSE AND FURTHER DISCIPLINARY ACTION MAY BE TAKEN.