Leighton 402 Leighton 318. Course Description

Transcription

1 RELG 110: 1 Religion 110: Introduction to [THE STUDY OF] Religion Fall 2008 William Elison Leighton 402 Leighton 318 MW 12:30 1:40, F 1:10 2:10 office hrs.: T 1:00 3:00 or by arrangement /welison@carleton.edu Course Description The purpose of this course is to introduce key concepts in the comparative study of religion. There is no claim to comprehensiveness here. The field of religious studies is a loose and eclectic one, and the scope of the symbols, discourses, practices, institutions, and identities people have come up with that scholars classify under the heading of religion is wildly diverse. How can we make order out of this chaos? Working together in the class, we ll try our hands at drafting a map itself an enterprise characteristic of religion. Religion will be understood here as a human phenomenon. The first half of this course locates religion as a complex of ideas and practices an object of inquiry to be approached through the methods of the social sciences. The arguments introduced will be representative of a variety of disciplines and schools whose contributions historically have been, and continue to be, influential among scholars of religion in the modern academy. Think of the ideas introduced in the first half of the course as a toolbox. We will try to put these tools to work in the second half as we examine representative voices from various traditions. Please keep in mind that this course has not been designed as a survey of the world s religions. The texts representation of religious diversity will be impressionistic at best. Theological approaches, underserved in the first section, should surface among these voices in the second. Both sets of readings reflect the bias of the instructor (this is perhaps inevitable, but it seemed just as well to be up front about it here). The themes I will focus on in the readings have to do with religion s role in constructing identity in the phenomenal world. And this world we and the authors of both kinds of texts live in is a world embedded in history and conditioned by relations of power. Even divine revelation has to be communicated through human mouthpieces and human words, and no text operates independently of interpretation. As you work your way through the readings in Parts I and II alike, remind yourself to ask: What is the author saying as a historical actor? A final word of caution: Criticism and religion can be a volatile mixture. Whatever your beliefs, at some point in the course you are likely to encounter material that will seem offensive racist, sexist, and, of course, blasphemous. The trick and it s a delicate one is to proceed with both respect for difference and analytical rigor.

2 RELG 110: 2 Mircea Eliade, The Sacred and the Profane Sigmund Freud, The Future of an Illusion Carlo Ginzburg, The Cheese and the Worms Required Texts Andy Rotman, trans. Divine Stories: Divyavadana Ali Shariati, Hajj St. Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle Optional Text John R. Hinnells, A New Handbook of Living Religions Reading assignments taken from sources outside of these books will be placed on e-reserve. Films will also be made available as reserve materials. Course Requirements 1. Class participation (attendance, discussion, etc.): 20% 2. Group presentation: 15% 3. Midterm exam: 25% 4. Final paper, 8+ pp.: 40% Boilerplate 1. Eating in class bugs me, so please don t bring in anything solid to chow down on while class is in session. If you feel you have to, for blood sugar related reasons or anything else, tell me about it before we begin. 2. I reserve the right to make fun of you if your cell phone goes off. 3. Please turn in all written assignments to me (or my office mailbox) on paper. It s up to you to print it out in time, not up to me. And when I grade papers, I mark them up with comments, so make sure you pick them up! 4. Late assignment policy: In principle, pretty mellow. As far as I m concerned, there s one cardinal rule: If you need more time than what I ve indicated, get in touch and clear it with me. I promise to be accessible by , by office phone, and in person before and after class and at the office. Don t be a stranger: if you need help with the assignments whether your concerns are time-related, text-related, or anything else consider me your first stop.

3 RELG 110: 3 Course Schedule week 1 Introductions Sep. 15 (M) introductions of members of the class, the general scheme of the class, its goals and standards, and of key problems and terms in the academic study of religion distribute handout: Mary Douglas, Heathen Darkness 17 (W) discussion will center on world map and brainstorming list of synonyms reading: Mary Douglas, Heathen Darkness assign ungraded 3-pp. written exercise, How I Think of Religion 19 (F) reading: Lucien Lévy-Bruhl, How Natives Think, chap. 1, Collective Representations in Primitives Perceptions and the Mystical Character of Such (e-reserve) determine group presentation assignments Part I: Critical Approaches week 2 The Archetype: The History of Religions 22 (M) reading: Mircea Eliade, The Sacred and the Profane, introduction, chaps. 1 2 How I Think of Religion statements due 24 (W) in-class screening: The Power of Myth: The Hero s Adventure (prod. Joseph Campbell, 1988) 26 (F) reading: Mircea Eliade, The Sacred and the Profane, chaps. 3 4 week 3 Anthropologists 29 (M) reading: Robin Horton, Patterns of Thought in Africa and the West, chap. 1, A Definition of Religion, and Its Uses (e-reserve)

4 RELG 110: 4 Oct. 1 (W) reading: Robin Horton, Patterns of Thought in Africa and the West, chap. 7, African Traditional Thought and Western Science (e-reserve) 3 (F) reading: Clifford Geertz, from The Interpretation of Cultures, Religion as a Cultural System (e-reserve) week 4 Sociologists 6 (M) reading: Emile Durkheim, The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life, book 1, chap. 1, Definition of Religious Phenomena and of Religion (e-reserve) 8 (W) reading: Emile Durkheim, The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life, book 2, chap. 7, The Origin of These Beliefs End (e-reserve) 10 (F) readings: Max Weber, from Sociology of Religion, Religious Ethics, the World Order, and Religion ; Castes, Estates, Classes, and Religion (e-reserve) week 5 Secret Codes 13 (M) reading: Sigmund Freud, The Future of an Illusion, entire 15 (W) reading: Claude Lévi-Strauss, The Savage Mind, chap. 1, The Science of the Concrete ; chap. 2, The Logic of Totemic Classifications (e-reserve) 17 (F) wrap-up discussion, Part I: Critical Approaches review of readings and preview of exam questions week 6 Rite of Passage 22 (W) in-class midterm exam 24 (F) reading: Wendy Doniger O Flaherty, Other People s Myths, introduction; chap. 1, The Hunter and the Sage ; chap. 2, The Cave of Echoes (e-reserve)

5 RELG 110: 5 Part II: Representative Texts week 7 Contemplation: Inner Experience and Identity 27 (M) reading: St. Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle, first half 29 (W) reading: St. Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle, second half 31 (F) in-class screening: Hajj: The Pilgrimage (dir. Shojun Hata, 2000) week 8 Pilgrimage: Spatial Experience and Identity Nov. 3 (M) class canceled owing to American Academy of Religion conference 5 (W) reading: Ali Shariati, Hajj, first half 7 (F) reading: Ali Shariati, Hajj, second half week 9 Scripture: Narrative and Didactic Discourse 10 (M) reading: Andy Rotman, Divine Stories, selections 12 (W) reading: Andy Rotman, Divine Stories, selections 14 (F) readings: Thomas Merton, from Ishi Means Man, The Cross-Fighters ; The Sacred City (e-reserve) week 10 Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy: Speaking, Truth, and Power 17 (M) reading: Ginzburg, The Cheese and the Worms, first half

6 RELG 110: 6 19 (W) reading: Ginzburg, The Cheese and the Worms, second half 24 (M) Final Paper Due: 5:00 IN MY MAILBOX, RELIGION DEPARTMENT