SEMESTER AT SEA COURSE SYLLABUS. One or more courses in the academic study of religion (Religious Studies)

Transcription

1 SEMESTER AT SEA COURSE SYLLABUS Voyage: Fall 2013 Discipline: Religious Studies RELG 2559: Nonviolence, Activism, and Contemplative Life Lower Division Faculty Name: Thomas B. Coburn Pre-requisites: One or more courses in the academic study of religion (Religious Studies) COURSE DESCRIPTION This course explores a central paradox that runs through religious life. On the one hand, one of the distinguishing features of contemplative life is the aspiration to live timelessly, in the present moment. On the other hand, contemplatives have often been deeply involved in activist struggles to improve the social and political conditions of their time and place. How can this be? We will seek answers to this question through the conceptual lenses of nonviolence and global citizenship, as well as reflection on the contemplative life. Examples of how these issues converge will be drawn from around the globe, with particular attention to the different cultural settings on this semester s itinerary. COURSE OBJECTIVES 1. To familiarize students with the rationale for nonviolence in public and private life, and critiques of that rationale. 2. To introduce students to notable figures and movements, past and present, of contemplative nonviolence. 3. To explore the implications of nonviolence for those aspiring to global citizenship. 4. To appreciate the creative tension in contemplative life between withdrawal from the world and immersion in it, between the reclusive and the active life. 5. To flourish in a classroom learning environment that does not include laptops, cell phones, and related media. REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS AUTHOR: Gerzon, Mark TITLE: American Citizen, Global Citizen PUBLISHER: Spirit Scope ISBN #:

2 DATE/EDITION: 2010 AUTHOR: Holmes, Robert and Barry Gan TITLE: Nonviolence in Theory and Practice ISBN #: PUBLISHER: Waveland DATE/EDITION: 2012 AUTHOR: Nhat Hanh, Thich TITLE: The Miracle of Mindfulness PUBLISHER: Beacon Press ISBN #: DATE/EDITION: Most recent AUTHOR: Daniel Smith-Christopher (ed.) TITLE: Subverting Hatred PUBLISHER: Orbis Books ISBN #: -13: DATE/EDITION: 2007 (2 nd edition) AUTHOR: Tutu, Desmond TITLE: The Rainbow People of God PUBLISHER: Doubleday ISBN #: DATE/EDITION: 1994 TOPICAL OUTLINE OF COURSE This course is an inquiry into the dynamic interplay of religiously inspired activism and contemplative life. This interplay can be seen as the paradoxical tension between meditative immersion in the present moment, on the one hand, and strategic planning for social (economic, political) transformation, on the other. It is based on the fact that, in virtually all religious traditions, contemplative life sometimes entails withdrawal from the world and, on other occasions, deep immersion in it. Contemplative life is lived along a spectrum from reclusive to activist. In our exploration of this spectrum, we will first develop some conceptual tools. What do we mean by global citizenship, contemplative, and nonviolence? We will then examine a range of contexts where some discerning, thoughtful people have responded to this double-edged call to greater self-knowledge, on the one hand, and to engagement with the hurt points of the world, on the other. We will throughout be inquiring into the viability and limits of nonviolent options in the contemporary world. B1- August 27 2

3 1. Introduction to the intersection of nonviolence, global citizenship, and contemplation St. Petersburg: August 29- September 1 B2-September 2: 1a: Global Citizenship Gerzon, American Citizen, Global Citizen, Begin reading Tutu, The Rainbow People of God. Read at your own pace, but be sure to finish by B-13 (October 30), just prior to our arrival in Cape Town. B3-September 4: Gerzon, Hamburg: September 5-8 B4- September 10: Gerzon, Antwerp and Le Havre: September B5- September 17: Gerzon, B6- September 19: 1b: Contemplation Spend half an hour exploring this diagram and some of the links it offers: Tree of Contemplative Practices ( Nhat Hanh, The Miracle of Mindfulness, vii-xiii, 1-31 Dublin: September B7- September 25: Nhat Hanh, Lisbon and Cadiz: September 27- October 1 3

4 Casablanca: October 3-6 B8- October 7: Nhat Hanh, Maureen Dowd (pdf), Why God? New York Times editorial 12/25/12 M. K. Gandhi (pdf), Selections from his autobiography (6 pp.) 1c: Nonviolence B9- October 9: Michael Nagler (pdf): What is nonviolence? Five principles of nonviolence. Nonviolence FAQ. Thoughts on the history of nonviolence Holmes and Gan, Nonviolence in Theory and Practice (NTP), xiii-xxiii, B10- October 12: NTP, 1-3, (Select traditional views, east and west) B11-October 14 NTP, 71-74, 83-87, , skim (Some modern landmarks) Anticipating Africa: Jacob Olupona, African Religion in Mark Juergensmeyer (ed.), Global Religions: An Introduction, (Oxford U.P., 2003), Takoradi/Tema: October B12- October 21: Midterm exam B13- October Nonviolence, global citizenship,and contemplation in context 2a: Africa Review of Ghana field experiences and getting ready for South Africa: NTP, Kurtz, Lester (pdf), The Anti-Apartheid Struggle in South Africa from Finish Tutu, The Rainbow People of God Video: Drive the Devil Back to Hell Field lab for our course Three Faiths Pilgrimage will take place on Wednesday, October 30, 4

5 our final day in Cape Town. Details will be forthcoming. In addition, please note that South Africa is an extraordinarily rich venue for deepening your understanding of the topics in our course. Time spent in some of the other field experiences ISE/SAS and faculty-led will be richly repaid. Cape Town: October B14- November 1: Review of South Africa field experiences: come with comments, questions, insights Work on field lab report B15- November 3: 2b: Jains Subverting Hatred (SH), vii-xxvi, 1-13 NTP, Field lab report due B16- November 6: 2c: Contemporary Pagans Starhawk (pdf), Toward an Activist Spirituality (from Starhawk (pdf), Many Roads to Morning: Rethinking Nonviolence, in Webs of Power: Notes from the Global Uprising, Video: Goddess Remembered B17- November 9: 2d: Nonviolence and Modern Judaism SH, B18- November 11: 2e: Christian Nonviolence SH, Read Wikipedia entry on liberation theology (pdf) Recommended as preparation for Salvador: (pdf) Sheila Walker, Everyday and Esoteric Reality in the Afro-Brazilian Candomble, History of Religions 30 #2 (Nov. 1990),

6 Buenos Aires: November B19- November 19: 2f: The Challenge of Dictators-1 NTP, The Sermon on the Mount (pdf): The Gospel according to Matthew, chapters 5-7, in J. Fieser and J. Powers, Scriptures of the World s Religions. Feisel Mohamed, In Syria and Beyond: The Tyrant as Target, (pdf) The Stone 5/11/13 Rio de Janeiro: November Salvador: November B20- November 29: 2f: The Challenge of Dictators-2: Bonhoeffer and the Nazis Dietrich Bonhoeffer (pdf): Selections from A Testament to Freedom: The Essential Writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 2-4, 9-12, 21-27, , , , Bonhoeffer quotations (pdf) from Bonhoeffer video PBS video: Bonhoeffer B21- December 1: Fieldwork essay due No additional assignment B22- December 4: 2g: Islam and Nonviolence Post-9/11 SH, B23- December 6: 2h: Reflections on Nonviolence and Religion SH, Gerda Lerner (pdf), Nonviolent Resistance: The History of an Idea, in her Why History Matters, Cuba: December

7 B24- December 13: B Day Finals FIELD WORK I strongly urge you to begin keeping a field journal and to carry it with you wherever you go during our voyage. These journal notes can apply not just to this course, but to the entire trip. They are for your eyes only. They are not formal writing, but quickly written phrases or images that come upon you in your travels in ports verbal snapshots, memorable insights and exchanges that don t want to lose in the rush of events. These notes, in addition to recording memorable moments, can provide seeds that you later nurture into the formal writings for this and courses. Anthropologists and other social scientists keep field journals. So should you. 1. FIELD LAB (At least 20 percent of the contact hours for each course, to be led by the instructor.) Field lab attendance is mandatory for all students enrolled in this course. Please do not book individual travel plans or a Semester at Sea sponsored trip on the day of our field lab. Failure to attend our field trip will result in a grade of zero for this portion of the course. Our field lab Three Faiths Pilgrimage will take place in Cape Town. Cape Town is a multiracial city that includes vibrant Muslim, Jewish and Christian communities. Islam was introduced by slaves brought over 300 years ago from Indonesia. The Jewish community traces its history to religious persecution in Europe. An estimated 80 percent of South Africans are Christians, and St. George s Anglican Cathedral was the site of much interfaith protest during the struggle against apartheid. Guided by South African peace activist Terry Crawford-Browne (a former SAS professor, who will also be a wonderful resource for further inquiry), the walking tour of downtown Cape Town will include a mosque in Bo-Kaap, the Jewish Center, the Slave Lodge and St. George s Cathedral. The visit to the Cathedral also includes an opportunity to walk the labyrinth (praying with your feet) to meditate upon the experiences. Please note: modest dress is required for the mosque. No shorts, short skirts, or exposed midriffs permitted. Women should bring a scarf to wear as a head-covering. Box lunch from the ship will be provided. Students will be provided with one or more questions to address in their field lab reports, which should be 3-5 pages ( words) in length. 2. FIELD ASSIGNMENTS Students should select and participate in three (3) of the ISE/SAS or faculty-led field programs listed at the end of this syllabus, with at least one of them occurring before the midterm exam (B11) and at least one after that exam. On the basis of those experiences, write an essay of 3-5 pages ( words) in which you identify specific ways in which those experiences have affected your understanding of religious life. Has it been expanded? reinforced? complicated? exploded? enriched? something else? You decide what the impact of these experiences has been on you. Do not simply describe what you did or what the experience was. Instead, identify the three field work assignments you attended and reflect on what the impact of field work has been on 7

8 your understanding of the issues in this course. Students are strongly urged to keep a field journal throughout the semester (not just on formal field experiences), in order to plant seeds for completing the field work essay, which is due on B21 (December 1) and will be graded. METHODS OF EVALUATION / GRADING RUBRIC 15%--Class attendance and participation. We will divide the class into small groups which, on a rotating basis, will give a 15 minute presentation to summarize and focus the day s reading for class discussion.. 15%--Field lab report on our Cape Town exploration 15%--Field work essay 20%--Mid-term exam 35%--Final exam RESERVE LIBRARY LIST AUTHOR Etty Hillesum: TITLE: An Interrupted Life and Letters from Westbork PUBLISHER: Henry Holt ISBN #: DATE/EDITION: 1996 AUTHOR Elie Wiesel TITLE: Night PUBLISHER: Hill and Wang ISBN #: DATE/EDITION: any ELECTRONIC COURSE MATERIALS Video: Drive the Devil Back to Hell Video: PBS Bonhoeffer Video: Goddess Remembered Assorted pdf files Video: My Stroke of Insight (TED presentation, available on the web) Video: Traces of the Trade (PBS 2008) HONOR CODE Semester at Sea students enroll in an academic program administered by the University of Virginia, and thus bind themselves to the University s honor code. The code prohibits all acts of lying, cheating, and stealing. Please consult the Voyager s Handbook for further explanation of what constitutes an honor offense. Each written assignment for this course must be pledged by the student as follows: On my honor 8

9 as a student, I pledge that I have neither given nor received aid on this assignment. The pledge must be signed, or, in the case of an electronic file, signed [signed]. APPROVED FIELD ASSIGNMENTS ON WHICH TO BASE YOUR FIELD WORK ESSAY STP Synagogue and Russian Orthodox church STP Orthodox St. Petersburg HAM Berlin Holocaust and Bonhoeffer museums HAM Concentration camp and Jewish history ANT Fort Breendonk ANT NGO visit Peace Village ANT Battle of the Bulge LEH WWII Memorial DBL Newgrange LIS Alcobaca,... Fatima CAD Seville & Cordoba CAD Seville Monument tour CAS Casablanca and Hassan CAS Fes ACR , Castles and Slave Dungeons ACR Essikado Queen Mothers ACR , Service Visit CAP , , , Township homestay CAP Township and church service CAP Amy Biehl CAP Orphanage CAP Capetown, etc. CAP Operation Hunger BUE Pope Francis BUE , , Lend a Hand RIO Carnival SAL Arte Consciente SAL Project Axe SAL Afro-Brazil, Candomble 9