EXP 0003-S - The Origins of Religion

Transcription

1 EXP 0003-S - The Origins of Religion Spring, 2012 Dr. Paul Cassell Course description What is religion? Why is it such an important and universal feature of human culture? In this class, we will examine and evaluate the material culture of prehistoric religion, its interpretation, and current theories of religion and human origins. How has human evolution created the conditions for religious experience and forms of social organization? What role might religion have played in early Homo sapiens development? Class content should help us understand why religion seems to be tied so deeply to what is fundamental to our humanity, and gain a perspective for evaluating the place of religion in human life. Student evaluation Students will be graded on four tasks: a 5-page paper analyzing the key components of religion (20%); a 7 minute oral presentation on a cutting study dealing with neuroscience/genetics and religion (20%), a 10 page paper that will allow the student to investigate further any theme we have developed in the course, requiring outside research (35%). In addition, quality of preparedness and engagement in class participation will be graded (25%). Papers and presentations will be graded with reference to style (clarity, spelling, grammar, transitions, citations) 1/3; structure (thesis statement, development, examples, conclusion) 1/3; content (addresses question, intellectual competence and creativity, satisfies length) 1/3. Schedule Prehistoric Cave Art Jan 24 Class expectations and syllabus Movie: The Cave of Forgotten Dreams Article: Lowenthal Voodoo Articles: Three on Deadhead religion : Reist, Sutton, Hartley What is religion? Jan 31 Online video voodoo Online video Grateful Dead concert footage Discuss Lowenthal, Reist, Sutton, and Hartley Presentation: material culture from Nat Geo, Color Plates in Becoming Human and The Believing Primate; Clottes; Clottes/Lewis-Williams

2 Book section: Ritual and Religion in the Making of Humanity What is religion? Feb 7 Discuss Ritual and Religion in the Making of Humanity ***Five page paper due next class: What are the key components of religion?*** Book section: Hayden - The Making of Humanity and the Origin of Religion in Shamans, Sorcerers, and Saints Evidence concerning religion, evolution, and humanity Week Feb 14 Turn in papers Discuss The Making of Humanity Movie: The Journey of Man Book section: Becoming Human; ch s 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 13 Evidence concerning religion, evolution, and humanity Feb 21 Discuss Becoming Human and The Making of Humanity Article: Donald Précis of Origins of the Modern Mind Article: Deacon - The Role of Symbolic Capacity in the Evolution of Religion Book section: Mithen Out of the Mind in Becoming Human Book chapter: Ward Innovation in Material and Spiritual Culture in Becoming Human Book section: Marsh in The Evolution of Religion Article: Gobleki Tepe in National Geographic How is what makes us human tied to religion? Feb 28 Discuss Donald, Deacon, Mithen, Ward, Marsh, and the article on Gobleki Tepe Book chapter: Shamanism in Winkelman and Baker, Supernatural as Natural Book chapter: Shamanism in Hayden, Shamans, Sorcerers, and Saints Shamanism as the original religion Mar 6 Movie: Magical Death Discuss Winkelman and Baker, and Hayden

3 Class divided into 4 groups each group reads ¼ of the 42 articles in The Evolution of Religion (not Marsh, DS Wilson, Kydd). Meet and decide which are the strongest of each group, and each student prepares a 5 minute individual presentations of an article; grade contributes to participation grade) The evolutionary psychology of religion Mar 13 Presentations Discussion of the forbidden experiment Article: Wilson, Evolutionary Social Constructionism (in The Believing Primate) Article: Wilson, Evolution and Religion (in The Evolution of Religion) Article: Haidt (in The Believing Primate) Science fiction (optional): Missile Gap by Charles Stross Group selection Mar 27 Video: Superorganisms Discussion of Wilson and Haidt Article: Berger - Some 2nd thoughts Article: McClenon - Shamanic healing Article: Holloman - Ritual opening Sands and Sands 2010 Griffiths et al 2008 Book chapter: Wildman and Brothers Article: Csordas - Notes for a Cybernetics of the Holy Book chapter: Kydd (from Evolution of Religion) Alternative states of consciousness Apr 3 Online movies: Chi and the martial arts Discussion of Berger, McClenon, Holloman, Wildman and Brothers, Csordas, and Kydd Article: Watanabe and Smuts Book chapters: Laughlin and McManus, d'aquili and Laughlin, from The Spectrum of Ritual Ritual Apr 10 Discussion of Watanabe and Smuts, Laughlin and McManus, and d Aquili and Laughlin Class does research on the latest published articles concerning neuroscience and religion, genetics and religion

4 Religion and the brain, religion and genetics Apr 17 7 minute graded class presentation on an a neuroscience/genetics and religion paper 10 page essay on any theme of the course that was intriguing. Research beyond course material required. Final wrap up Apr 24 Discussion: What is religion? What does it mean to be human? Bibliography of sources Books to buy Bulbulia, Joseph, Richard Sosis, Erica Harris, Russell Genet, Cheryl Genet, and Karen Wyman The Evolution of Religion: Studies, Theories, & Critiques: Collins Foundation Press Rappaport, Roy A Ritual and religion in the Making of Humanity. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press Renfrew, Colin, and Iain Morley, eds Becoming Human. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Articles and book chapters that will be provided Berger, Peter Some Second Thoughts on Substantive versus Functional Definitions of Religion. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 13 (2): Csordas, Thomas J Notes for a Cybernetics of the Holy. In Ecology and the Sacred, edited by E. Messer and M. Lambek. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. d'aquili, Eugene, and Charles Laughlin The Neurobiology of Myth and Ritual. In The Spectrum of Ritual, edited by E. d'aquili, C. Laughlin and J. McManus. New York: Columbia University Press. Deacon, Terrence, and Tyrone Cashman The Role of Symbolic Capacity in the Origins of Religion. Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature, and Culture 3 (4): Donald, M Précis of Origins of the human mind: Three stages in the evolution of culture and cognition. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 16 (4): Hartley, Jennifer 'We Were Given This Dance'. In Deadhead Social Science, edited by R. Adams and R. Sardiello. Walnut Creek: Altamira Press. Hayden, Brian Shamans, sorcerers and saints. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Books. Holloman, R. E Ritual opening and individual transformation. American Anthropologist 76 (2): Laughlin, Charles, and John McManus Mammalian Ritual. In The Spectrum of Ritual, edited by E. d'aquili, C. Laughlin and J. McManus. New York: Columbia University Press. Lowenthal, Ira P Ritual Performance and Religious Experience: A Service for the Gods in Southern Haiti. Journal of Anthropological Research 34 (3): Mann, Charles The Birth of Religion. National Geographic, June 2011.

5 McClenon, James Shamanic Healing, Human Evolution, and the Origin of Religion. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 36 (3): Reist, N Counting stars by candlelight. The Journal of Popular Culture 30 (4): Stross, Charles Missile Gap. In Wireless, edited by C. Stross. New York: The Berkley Publishing Group. Sutton, Shan The Deadhead Community. In Deadhead Social Science, edited by R. Adams and R. Sardiello. Walnut Creek: Altamira Press. Watanabe, John M., and Barbara B. Smuts Explaining Religion without Explaining it Away. American Anthropologist 101 (1): Wildman, Wesley, and Leslie Brothers A neuropsychological-semiotic model of religious experience. In Neuroscience and the Person, edited by R. J. Russell, N. Murphy, T. Meyering and M. Arbib. Vatican City State; Berkeley, CA: Vatican Observatory Publications; Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences. Winkelman, Michael, and John R. Baker Supernatural as natural: a biocultural approach to religion. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Movies Herzog, Werner Cave of Forgotten Dreams: MPI Home Video. Asch, Timothy, and Napoleon Chagnon Magical Death. In Yanomamo: Documentary Educational Resources. Wells, Spencer The Journey of Man. USA: PBS Home Video. Various online video sources