Course Description

NOTE: This course code has changed from FDREL 122 to REL 122. Students may occasionally see references to the old course code or title.

REL 122 examines the second half of The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ beginning with Alma 30 and ending with Moroni 10.

Course Objectives

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that “the Book of Mormon [is] the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and that a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book,” (See Introduction to the Book of Mormon). This course is designed to bring students closer to God by helping them gain a better understanding of the doctrines and principles taught within the Book of Mormon.

Seven of the primary objectives of this course are to help students with the following:

1. Develop greater faith and testimony in Jesus Christ and deepen their personal conversion.
2. Read and understand the context and content of the text for the course.
3. Develop an ability to learn and teach by the Spirit.
4. Develop a habit of regular scripture study.
5. Identify, understand, and apply doctrines and principles from the scriptures and the words of the prophets.
6. Develop the ability to explain, share and testify of true doctrines and principles.
7. Master key scriptural passages—understand and be able to explain and apply them to everyday life.

Course Architecture

The foundation for this course is the students' personal study of the Book of Mormon. Each week, students will complete a combination of assignments to supplement their personal study and to help them gain a better understanding of the Book of Mormon and its teachings.

This course is organized into 14 weeks (W01–W14). Due dates will appear on the students' Calendar. For more clarification on the flow of this course, see the Weekly Patterns and Expectations section below.

Each week, the instructor will post administrative information, answer general questions, and share thoughts about the week’s content on the Announcements page.

Weekly Assignments

1. Study—Readings: There is no substitute for reading the scriptures. One of the course objectives is to help students develop a habit of meaningful daily scripture study. The insights they gain from the weekly readings will be helpful as they complete the rest of their assignments. At the end of each week, students will report on whether they completed their week's readings in the Personal Study Report. Students will choose one option for reading the scriptures each week and again choose one option for the supplemental reading each week, as follows:
   1. Scripture Readings: Each week, students will spend time reading out of the scriptures. There are two different options they can choose from:
   1. Option 1: Read the entire scripture block—This option is ideal for those who want to familiarize themselves with the basic storyline and teachings of the Book of Mormon.
   2. Option 2: Study within the scripture block for 30 minutes at least five days a week—This option is better suited for those who already have a basic familiarity with the Book of Mormon and would like to study the doctrines and principles within the scripture block in greater detail.
   2. Supplemental Readings: Students are also required to choose an additional reading to supplement their scripture study. Students will have two options to choose from:
   1. Option 1: Read chapters from the Book of Mormon Institute Manual—Links to the chapters will be provided inside the course material for students to use, but the manual is also available on the Church's website, Church of Jesus Christ.
   2. Option 2: Read one additional talk or article from church leaders—The links to these talks will also be provided inside the course material for students to use.
2. Directed Study: Each week, students will be asked to write a 150–300-word response to a prompt regarding a significant theme or principle from within the scripture block. Students will submit a document that they create to share their insights.
3. Digging Deeper: Each week, students will be asked to watch at least six video highlights that add further insight into the doctrines and principles they are studying. A wide variety of videos have been selected from prophets, Church leaders, Mormon messages, and others. The insights gained from these videos can help students in completing their weekly assignments. At the end of each week, students will report on watching these Digging Deeper videos in the Personal Study Report assignment.
4. Personal Study Report: At the end of each week, students will take a brief quiz to indicate whether they have completed the Assigned Reading, the Supplemental Reading, and the Digging Deeper videos assignment. Students will also be asked to share one highlight from the week.

Bi-Weekly Assignments

Each week, students will complete one of the following assignments:

1. Doctrinal Discussion Board: Students will be asked to participate in a doctrinal discussion board with their classmates. To earn full credit, each student will need to make three posts throughout the week. These posts are layered and are designed to build upon each other to help students better understand and apply the scriptures to their lives. These discussion boards occur every even week.
   1. Post 1 Scriptural Insight: For the first post (due by midweek at 11:00 p.m. [mountain time]), students will quote a passage of scripture and either share a meaningful insight regarding its significance to them or ask a meaningful question about the passage and the principles it is teaching.
   2. Post 2 Increased Understanding: (due by the end of the week at 11:00 p.m. [mountain time]) Students will add further insight or understanding into one of the posts made by their classmates by sharing related scripture or a quote from a Church leader, and then explaining how they feel it adds additional insights or understanding to the scripture or principle being discussed.
   3. Post 3: Personal Application: (due by the end of the week at 11:00 p.m. [mountain time]) Students will make a personal connection to one of their classmate's posts. They can either share a brief story of when they have seen that principle in their life, identify a way they are currently trying to live that principle, or share an example of a friend or family member who has exemplified that principle to them.
2. Share it! Students will be asked to share a scriptural insight with their friends or family. This activity occurs every odd week. When Students share their insight, they should do the following:
   1. Identify one insight from their personal study they want to share. This should include a scripture passage or prophetic quote along with an explanation of why it is important to the student.
   2. Share your insight! Students could talk with a friend, Skype their family, call their grandma, post something on social media, send someone a letter or email, or make a blog entry. Students should try to generate a discussion with others about what they shared and why it is important.
   3. Submit your assignment Students will submit an explanation of what, how, and who they shared their insight with.

Course Projects

Course Projects have two parts: a Project Plan Submission and a Project Report Submission. These will both be turned in separately at the beginning of the project, and again at the end of the project. Plan Submissions are due at the end of Weeks 02, 06, and 10; Report Submissions are due at the end of Weeks 04, 08, and 12.

1. Family Home Evening Lesson Plan: For this project, students will create a family home evening lesson plan to share with their family or friends (due at the end of Week 02). In Week 04, students will share a little about how it went.
2. Christlike Attribute Project: For this project, students will select one Christlike attribute, search the Book of Mormon for teachings regarding that attribute, and make specific goals to work on that attribute for at least two weeks (due at the end of Week 06). Then, in Week 08, students will submit a Project Report.
3. Ten Principles Presentation (from Alma 30 through Moroni 10): For this project, students will identify ten important principles from their Book of Mormon study in Week 10 and create a plan. In Week 12, students will use the plan to create a PowerPoint presentation discussing each identified principle. In a final slide, students will also include their feelings or testimony about what they have learned this term.

Weekly Pattern and Expectations

This course has a repeating pattern that students will follow week to week. Due dates for specific activities are indicated on the activity page, modules page, calendar, and other places in the course. It is very important that students update their Canvas Profile and be sure the time zone is set to their local time zone. This will ensure that the due dates in the course display for the students in their local time zone.

CAUTION: Students and instructors should be aware of daylight savings (DST) and how that could affect the times that assignments are due, as they may change throughout the semester. For instance, if a student lived in Sau Paulo, Brazil during the Winter semester, their time would be five hours ahead in January, then four hours ahead in February when Brazil DST ends, and only three hours ahead beginning in March when US Mountain Time DST begins.

In general, the course is organized as follows:

The tables below provide more detail on what students should expect each week and throughout the course. However, it is very important that students check their Calendar to see exactly when each item is due.

Weekly Patterns and Expectations

Weekly Pattern	Middle of Week	End of Week
Even Weeks	Study: Readings Assignment: Directed Study Study: Digging Deeper Doctrinal Discussion—Initial Post	Report: Personal Study
Odd Weeks	Study: Readings Assignment: Directed Study Study: Digging Deeper Share it!	Report: Personal Study

 

Course Project Schedule

Course Project Schedule
Week 02	Create and submit W02 Project: FHE Plan.
Week 04	Complete the W04 Project: FHE Report.
Week 06	Create and submit W06 Project: Christlike Attribute Plan.
Week 08	Complete the W08 Project: Christlike Attribute Report.
Week 10	Create and submit W10 Project: Ten Principles Plan.
Week 12	Create and submit W12 Project: Ten Principles Presentation.

Grading

Grade Breakdown

Grade Breakdown

Letter Grade	Percentage Range
A	93%–100%
A-	90%–92.99%
B	83%–89.99%
B-	80%–82.99%
C	73%–79.99%
C-	70%–72.99%
D	63%–69.99%
D-	60%–62.99%
F	00%–59.99%

The general breakdown of course points is as follows:

Breakdown of Course

Activity Name	Points	# of Activities	Total Points	Percentage
Course Introduction Activities	35	1	35	5%
Directed Study Assignments	15	13	195	25%
Personal Study Reports	15	13	195	25%
Doctrinal Discussion Boards	15	6	90	12%
Share it	15	6	90	12%
Family Home Evening Lesson Project	50	1	50	7%
Ten Principles Project	50	1	50	7%
Christlike Attribute Project	50	1	50	7%
Total Points Possible			755	100%

The BYU-Idaho Learning Model

Understanding and implementing the BYU-Idaho Learning Model will help students to accomplish the objectives of this course. As students follow the principles and use the process of the BYU-Idaho Learning Model, their study of the Book of Mormon will be enhanced.

The Principles of the BYU-Idaho Learning Model

1. Exercise faith in Jesus Christ as a principle of action and power.
2. Understand that true teaching is done by and with the Holy Ghost.
3. Lay hold upon the word of God as found in the holy scriptures and in the words of the prophets in all disciplines.
4. Act for themselves and accept responsibility for their learning and teaching.
5. Love, serve, and teach one another.

The Process of the BYU-Idaho Learning Model

1. Prepare.
2. Teach One Another.
3. Ponder and Prove.

Love, Serve and Teach One Another

At BYU-Idaho, whether on campus or online, we love, serve, and teach one another. Students should keep this in mind as they interact with their classmates and instructor throughout the semester. Students should be kind in their comments. Students should recognize that many students come from different backgrounds with different experiences, attitudes, and perspectives than their own. Students should be considerate of others' views even if they disagree with them. Finally, students try to be helpful to their classmates if they need assistance. Any mean-spirited communication with classmates or instructor will negatively impact a student's grade.

Class Policies

Course Questions, Problems, and Concerns

If students have any questions, problems, or concerns about the course, they should be sure to email their instructor. Also, they should be sure to read their instructor's weekly announcements. Instructors may post week-specific information there that may answer student questions.

Learning in an Online Course

The fourth principle of the BYU-Idaho learning model is for students to act for themselves and accept responsibility for their learning and teaching. In an online course, students need to take responsibility by planning specific times in their schedule to complete their daily, weekly, and quarterly assignments. As the saying goes, if a student fails to plan, they are planning to fail in an online course.

In an online course, it is expected that students will spend 3–4 hours working for every credit earned. Therefore, in this course, students will need to plan to spend 6–8 hours each week completing their course work.

Late Work Policy

Assignments are due on the day indicated. Each week opens early in order to allow students some flexibility in determining their schedule. Late work will be accepted only at the instructor’s discretion. If a student feels their situation warrants personal consideration, they should inform your instructor before the assignment is due so that he or she has time to work with them. Any late work that is accepted is subject to a penalty as determined by the instructor.

University Policies

Students with Disabilities

Brigham Young University-Idaho is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere that accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. Students who have a disability and require accommodations should contact the Disability Services Office at 208-496-9210 or visit their website and follow the Steps for Receiving Accommodations. Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified documented disabilities. Services are coordinated with students and instructors by the Disability Services Office.

This course may require synchronous meetings. Students who are currently registered with the Disability Services Office and need an interpreter or transcriber for these meetings should contact the deaf and hard of hearing coordinator at 208-496-9219.

Other University Policies

Student Honor and Other Policies

Please read through the document called University Policies. It gives important information about the following topics:

• Student Honor.
  • Academic Honesty.
  • Student Conduct.
    • Sexual Harassment.
• Student with Disabilities.
• Complaints and Grievances.
• Copyright Notice.

Go to the Student Resources module to review further resources and information.

Disclaimers

The instructor reserves the right to change any part of this syllabus and/or schedule any time during the semester in order to adapt to changing course needs. Students will be notified prior to any changes that may take place and should pay attention to communication from their instructor.

Browser Compatibility: Students should not use Internet Explorer as their browser in this course. However, students may still experience an issue with some course content if they are using either Firefox or Chrome as their browser. As a default, these browsers will not load pages they determine are “insecure.” If any of the pages are not loading correctly or come up as a blank page, students should contact their instructor immediately.