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A Traditional Irish Blessing. |
This class will explore the world of the druid by examining what we know of the ancient druids and the culture of druidry today. It is important to note that the organizations of druids are generally not as organized in terms of creeds and beliefs as other pagan and neo-pagan traditions such as Wicca. The information presented here may not represent the beliefs of all individuals who title themselves as druids. Instead, we aim to learn of the generalities, not the specifics. There is no single source of information such as the Christian Bible nor are there central creeds expressed specifically such as Wiccas Charge of the God and Goddess. Instead there are fragments of epic poems recorded by Christian monks who were trying to conquer the Druidic culture and very brief accounts from historical figures such as Rome's Cesar. The contempt these sources often had for the druids make their accounts suspect by default. A few other scattered samples of observations about the Druidic culture as it stood in the Celtic nations of old.
Todays druidry is much the same. There are not central doctrines. There are general themes but even these may vary from group to group and organization to organization. There are several modern druidic organizations. These can be best explained by labeling them as denominations of druidry. These denominations make reference to various sources of ancient druidry and often interpret the information gathered there very differently. This will be discussed later in the class.
For now, understand that there is little that is known of the ancient druids that is historically accurate. Anyone claiming to have a direct lineage to the original ancient druids that walked the earth shortly after the erection of Stonehenge is probably yanking your chain.
Also, it should be noted that the vast majority of this document is text directly borrowed from the books, web sites and articles listed in this course.
There is a GREAT amount of reading involved in this course. If youre not the type that likes to read then this may not be the best course for you. Part of being a druid is study. In the original druidic traditions students were required to memorize huge amounts of information without the benefit of the written word. The path of today's druid is most often found in a book. The bulk of the content for this site is provided in Microsoft Word documents for easy printing in case you would like to read the content away from the computer.
The course is designed for students to progress through each topic listed from top to bottom. We estimate that serious students that dedicate 3-5 hours of study a week can finish one module in that time frame. If you choose to go faster or slower its totally up to you. Go at the speed you're comfortable with. No one will rush you. Remember, you only get out of the course what you put into it.
The easiest way to progress through the course is to start at the first module and work your way down reading each assignment in each module in the order they are presented and then completing the assignments & quizzes. Should you ever need assistance with any of the content please feel free to email one of the instructors.
Each module will have an associated quiz to make sure youv'e got the core concepts down from that unit of study. There is no need to be apprehensive about the quizzes. They are there as a learning tool for you. There is never a time limit on the quizzes and they're always considered "open book" or even "open friend," though I personally think you're cheating yourself out of learning if you rely on a friend's help.
There is no way around this. The only way for you to fully demonstrate to me that you have truly wrapped your mind around some of the concepts involved in this course is for you to write a short paper. Most papers will be between 1-5 pages in length. Spelling and grammar does count, but only to a lesser degree (That's why the gods gave us spell check). You have probably already noticed a few spelling errors in this course, no doubt. I'm more interested in what you have to say than how you have to say it. While that's true, one of the things you will learn in this course is that druidry has a tradition of of eloquent communication. You are expected to at least make some effort in that regard.
You are required to cite your sources. Knowledge without knowing where it comes from and how reliable it is can be a is at best shaky ground. You might consider using NoodleBib Express (a free tool) to help with citations. Citations are requied to be in APA format.
You are allowed to re-submit your first two papers after they have been graded and returned to you. After that point I expect you'll get the swing of things and you 'll only be allowed to submit a paper once so that I'm allowed to spread my time out amongst all the students in the course and not focused on re-reading an endless stream of papers. As time goes on and exceptional examples of papers are gathered I will display them as an example next to each assignment of what to shoot for. You are not required to turn in drafts or outlines, though if you would like to get my input on a a draft you can email it to me for review to see if you're on the right track.
If you do not have Microsoft Word I suggest that you use Google Docs to write your assignments. It has exceptional spelling and grammar correction and it allows you to save you work online in the google docs system so that you don't have to worry about losing your materials. I use google docs extensively and highly recommend it.
Plagiarism will get you kicked out of the course: I do use plagiarism software to detect plagiarized work. The software is surprisingly good. If you are caught submitting text blocks of plagiarized work I simply won't hesitate to kick you out of the course. If you're not going to put forth the effort for original thought and course work then I don't want to waste my time reading your work. I'd much rather be watching Big Bang Theory or re-runs of The A-Team on TV (or *gasp* reading) :) Using a line or two of someone else's work in your paper and then citing it as a source is NOT considered plagiarism. Feel free to do that. It's expected and encouraged. In fact, you'll have a hard time writing papers without doing it if you're writing correctly.
Almost every unit of study in this course requires posting on a discussion board about various topics covered in that unit. Will be required to answer questions that really make you think. You will also be required to read and respond to the posts of your fellow students in the same meaningful and thoughtful way. Responses are evaluated and graded based on the quality of thought that goes into them. Responses such as "yeah, me too" that demonstrate little to no movement of the mind will be graded very poorly.
Forum Grading Guidelines:
Druidry is primarily (or in some circles, exclusively) a Celtic phenomenon. The ancient Celts were divided into several peoples usually sectioned into Ireland, Whales & Scotland (Indo-european cultures). We make an effort to cover all of the cultures possible in this course but we also try to balance the amount of information considering this course is geared toward individuals who are very new to Druidry.
Even though I make an effort to include all Celtic cultures in this course there is an obvious amount of information in favor of the Irish tradition. This is NOT due to cultural or social bias. My primary experience is with Irish druidry and I simply dont have access to a wealth of information from other traditions.
When we have had information available we try to include it in the course so long as it doesn'tt force too much information on the students. Professional instructional designers were consulted in the constructing of this course to make it academically sound and to ensure that students get as much value from the course as possible. It is the opinion of the instructional designers that the amount of information should be carefully controlled as no to overload students who are new to this subject.
Study the information provided in each unit just as you would in any other class. When you feel you have a sufficiently learned the material you may attempt the test for that unit. You are required to make 80% or better on each test for the certificate of completion (discussed below). If you do not make at least 80% you may put in more time studying and attempt the test again. The tests are intentionally set up to let you take them as many times as you like and to record your highest grade. The quizzes are not timed. You can but are not encouraged to use the printed material in the unit to answer the questions on the test. Directly copying the answers wont help you actually learn the material though.
After each test wev'e provided a discussion forum so that you can discuss what youv'e learned in this unit with other students. This is optional and you will not be graded on discussions of this nature but we highly recommend taking the time to discuss the material with your class mates.
Much like most of the students taking this course, I am also a professional with a regular 9-5 job and have my own professional and family commitments. I cannot monitor the course 24/7. I make a commitment to you, as a student, to grade your assignments and help you if you get stuck in the course material, but ultimately you get out of this course what you put into it. It's not my job to take you by the hand and guide you through the course. You must take responsibility for that. I am simply your guide on what I truly hope is a positive learning experience.
Your first line of defense for help is the course Frequently Asked Question document and the Students Helping Students section. The FAQ is exactly what the name says, a collection of questions frequently asked about the course or assignments and my answers to those questions. Students Helping Students is a student-run discussion forum where you can ask your classmates questions and get assistance. Your classmates will often be able to respond to you faster than I can so I strongly encourage you to use that resource. I also make a habit of checking that section of the site regularly to answer any outstanding questions.
Warning: If you ask a question that is clearly spelled out in the FAQ I will dock you 1 point on your FINAL grade PER QUESTION. Please, please take advantage of the help resources built into the course before asking a question. I would much rather spend the limited time I can give to the course answering serious questions from students that are taking the course seriously. :)
You must make an 80% or higher on your overall grade for the course in order to pass. Assignments are weighted as follows:
If you fail to make 80% on the course you are allowed to re-take the course at your discretion, but ALL of your student work will be cleared from the course and you will start the course over from scratch. You will be required to re-take all of the quizzes, re-do all of your discussion board postings and completely re-write your written assignments. This is not intended to be punative in nature. It is intended to motivate you to take your assignments as seriously as you would course work at a university.
The certificate of completion is totally optional for the course. You can complete the entire course for your own benefit but if you would like a frame able certificate of completion we have one available. There is a $10 (US Dollars) charge for the certificate to cover printing, mailing and time organizing the certificates to be printed. The certificate is suitable for framing and will state that you have successfully completed a Druidry 101 course from LinesoftheDragon.com. You must make at least an 80% or better on all quizzes and assignments to qualify for the certificate. Please verify your eligibility before asking for the certificate. Certificates may be paid for through paypal.com.
Merddyn
jdsangster@gmail.com