Religious Studies 3860 (F07): Implicit Religion

Transcription

1 Religious Studies 3860 (F07): Implicit Religion Instructor: Dr. Jennifer Porter Classroom: C2033 Slot: 20 (Tues/Thurs. 3:30-4:45pm) Office Hours: Mon 9-12, Tues/Thurs 9-10:00 Office: A5009 Course Description: This course begins with the question of whether it is possible to find religion in non-religious places. What does the term religion mean? Does religion always and only have to be found in a church/mosque/temple? Or can it be found in other so-called secular places? Is Hockey a religion? Are visits to Graceland or Star Trek conventions a modern form of pilgrimage? Are Raves an urban expression of religious transcendence and healing? This course will explore the concept of implicit religion using these and other examples. Key theorists of religious studies concepts will be introduced and their ideas explored and applied to the examples covered in class. Texts: There is no assigned textbook for this class. Readings will be placed on reserve in the library. Requirements: Assignments 15% each) 45% Take Home Final Exam 55% Assignments: This class is going to follow a mixed lecture/discussion format. Although I will be giving lectures to cover the necessary introduction to the topics and theoretical ideas that we will be studying in the class, these lectures will be interactive: you are encouraged and expected to come prepared by having read the assigned readings, and to have comments and questions relevant to the topic ready to contribute in class. Please make sure you come prepared to class: it will make the class more enjoyable for everyone! At the end of each section of our course, you will be asked to hand in an assignment worth 15% of your final grade (for a total of 45% of your grade

2 over the course of the semester.) These assignments will consist of two sections: first, a brief discussion of all of the assigned readings for this section of the course, identifying common themes and arguments, key issues under debate, key theoretical arguments, etc. Second, an analysis and critique of the arguments presented: do you find the argument that Star Trek fandom is religious feasible, for example? Is Hockey really a religion in Canada? Are Raves really a path to spiritual healing for Ravers? What is your interpretation of the definitions of religion, transcendence, healing, church, etc. used in this section of the course are they adequate definitions, and does the topic example of Star Trek, Hockey, etc. fit those definitions well? Why or why not? Take-home Exam: This course will have a final take-home exam. It is worth 55% of your final grade. This exam will be essay-style, with multiple questions, and with some choice of questions. There will be questions that focus on the various specific examples of implicit religion covered in class, and others that encourage analysis of themes present in several or all of the examples we have studied. The exam is designed to encourage you to show your understanding of the details and implications of the material we have been studying. You may draw upon outside sources to answer the questions on the exam; however, you are not required to do so. This exam is due on whatever date during the exam period that is assigned to us by the Registrar s Office. It will be handed out on the last day of classes (or possibly earlier.) Course Outline: Introduction: Sept Introduction to the Course key concepts, theories, issues. Read: Implicit Religion, Encyclopedia of Religion. Accessed August 30, 2007.

3 Section One: Religious dimensions of television and film fandom: Star Trek and Star Wars September Star Trek fandom as Religious. Read: Jindra, Michael. Its about Faith in our Future: Star Trek fandom as Cultural Religion. Religion and Popular Culture in America. Ed. Bruce Forbes and Jeffrey Mahan. Berkeley/Los Angeles/London: University of California Press, 2000, Sept Star Trek Philosophy and Community Read: Jindra, Michael. Star Trek to Me is a Way of Life: Fan Expressions of Star Trek Philosophy. Star Trek and Sacred Ground: Explorations of Star Trek, Religion and American Culture. Ed. Jennifer Porter and Darcee McLaren. NY: SUNY Press, 1999, Watch: Trekkies 2Sept. 27 Star Trek conventions as pilgrimage Read: Porter, Jennifer To Boldly Go: Star Trek Convention Attendance as Pilgrimage. Star Trek and Sacred Ground: Explorations of Star Trek, Religion and American Culture. Ed. Jennifer Porter and Darcee McLaren. NY: SUNY Press, 1999, Porter, Jennifer Pilgrimage and the IDIC Ethic. Intersecting Journeys: The Anthropology of Pilgrimage. Ed. Ellen Badone and Sharon Roseman. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2004, pp? Oct The Spirituality of Star Wars and Star Wars fandom Read: Bowen, Jonathan and Rachel Wagner Hokey Religions and Ancient Weapons: The Force of Spirituality. Finding the Force of the Star Wars Frachise: Fans, Merchandise and Critics. Ed. Matthew W. Kapell and John Shelton Lawrence. New York: Peter Lang, 2006, NOTE: MID-TERM BREAK OCT. 8-9.

4 Oct The Jedi Path Porter, Jennifer I Am a Jedi: Star Wars Fandom, Religious Belief, and the 2001 Census. Finding the Force of the Star Wars Frachise: Fans, Merchandise and Critics. Ed. Matthew W. Kapell and John Shelton Lawrence. New York: Peter Lang, 2006, Watch: The Force Among Us NOTE: ASSIGNMENT #1 DUE OCT. 18!! Section Two: Religious dimensions of music and dance: Raves and Elvis. Oct Raves as Religion Read: Gauthier, François Rave and Religion? A Contemporary Youth Phenomenon as seen through the lens of Religious Studies Studies in Religion 2004, vol. 33, no3-4, Gauthier, François Orpheus and the Underground: Raves and Implicit Religion From Interpretation to Critique Implicit Religion 8(3) 2005, pp.? Oct. 30-Nov. 1 Raves and Healing, Transformation, Ecstasy (the religious kind!) Read: Scott R. Hutson 2000 The Rave: Spiritual Healing in Modern Western Subcultures. Anthropological Quarterly 73 no1(ja) Watch: Better Living Through Circuitry Nov. 6-8 Elvis the King Read: Doss, Erika. Saint Elvis, in Elvis Culture: Fans, Faith & Image. Lawrence, KA: U of Kansas P, con t

5 Duffett, Mark False Faith or False Comparison? A Critique of the Religious Interpretation of Elvis Fan Culture. Popular Music and Society, Vol. 26, No. 4, 2003, NOTE: ASSIGNMENT #2 DUE NOV. 8!! Section Three: Religious dimensions of Sport: Hockey and Wrestling Nov Hockey as Religion Read: Tom Sinclair-Faulkner A Puckish Look at Hockey in Canada. Religion and Culture in Canada. Ed. Peter Slater. CCSR, 1977, Trothen, Tracy. Hockey: A divine sport? Canada s national sport in relation to embodiment, community and hope. Studies in Religion 35(2) 2006, Watch: The Chiefs Mar Wrestling as Religion Read; Ball, Michael R. The Ritual Drama, in Professional Wrestling as Ritual Drama in American Popular Culture. Lewiston/Queenston/Lampeter: The Edwin Mellen Press, 1990, Nadelhaft, Matthew Death, Religion and Wrestling: A Serious Undertaking. CJAS 1(1), 2005, Watch: WWE matches Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant; Hulk Hogan turns heel; redemption of Hulk Hogan NOTE: ASSIGNMENT #3 DUE NOV. 27!! Nov. 30 Conclusion Is the concept of Implicit Religion integral to a full understanding of Religion in the modern world?