Religion 101 Religions of the World

Transcription

1 Religion 101 Religions of the World Spring 2015 Instructor: Gareth Fisher M 6:45-9:30 gfisher@syr.edu SOM 103 Office: Hall of Languages 505 Office Hours: W 12-2 or by appointment Course Overview This course will examine the engagements of human beings throughout history, usually in social environments, with beings and forces that they believe to inhabit realms of reality that mostly exist in an invisible realm, albeit one that has significant influence and power on the ordinary, visible realm of human beings. This course will study the historical evolution of human relationships with these invisible realms and the influence of those relationships on society, art, literature, economics, and politics. Course Readings There is no textbook for this course. All course readings listed below are available on the course blackboard page listed in alphabetical order by the author s last name. All listed readings are required for the successful completion of this course. Readings are taken from ethnographic (anthropological) case studies of human societies; literature and film; and philosophical ideas about the nature of human existence. Course Assignments and Requirements 1. Class Participation (20%). With the exception of the first week, each class will open with a discussion of the readings and themes presented in the previous week. Both small group and whole group discussion formats will be used. To receive an acceptable grade in this section of the course, your active, regular participation is required. Attendance will also be taken and students missing two or more classes may receive a failing grade in this portion of the course. Per university policy, students may be excused from class only for one of the following three criteria: (1) serious illness; (2) bereavement; (3) NCAA athletic participation (with signed letter from athletic coordinator only). If you believe you fall under these criteria, please contact your TA. In fairness to all students, you will still be responsible for 1

2 making up the missed class at a later time. Participation in other extracurricular activities, including sorority and fraternity recruitment events, does not constitute grounds for excused absences. 2. Reflections for Section (20%). Beginning from Jan. 26, for each week of the course (a total of thirteen), you should submit a short informal written reflection ( words) on the subject matter of the week. You should your reflection to me at gfisher@syr.edu no later than 11:30 a.m. on the day of class. Please write your question in the body of the message text and not as an attachment. You should also bring a printed or electronic copy of your reflection with you to section for your reference as it may be used in discussion. On the day following each class, a series of short reflection questions will be posted on the course blackboard page under the assignments tab. You can either: 1) Write your reflections in response to these questions or 2) Write and answer your own question related to the readings and lectures for the week. Reflection questions will focus on (1) the content of lectures and films from the second half of the previous week s class and (2) the blackboard readings assigned for each week. If you are answering your own question, you must also include discussion on each of these elements and you will be graded on your ability to do so. Because of this, it is important to maintain good attendance and keep up with the assigned reading. If you encounter a problem in meeting these requirements for any reason, you should speak to me as soon as possible. Questions to be considered in your reflection can include the following: What are the roots of particular beliefs and practices we are studying? Why are they compelling / believable to their adherents? What beliefs and practices seem strange or counter-intuitive? Are there any that don t quite fit into what we imagine adherents of a particular religion to be like (or any religion)? Why? What do these beliefs and practices say to me in my life? How do they relate to what I have experienced or studied? What do they say to me as a (non-)believer in any particular invisible realm? You may end your reflection in a question or series of questions or simply provide a set of experiences and statements. You do not have to come to any definitive conclusions but you should avoid merely summarizing the course material. 3. Short Quizzes (10%) At the end of every class, a short multiple-choice quiz will be assigned. The material covered on the quizzes will be taken from the lecture that has just been delivered. 2

3 4. Three short analytical take-home examinations (4-5 pages each) relating course readings, lectures, films, and discussions will be assigned throughout the semester. The first two examinations will be due on Feb. 16 and Mar. 23 respectively at the beginning of class. The final examination will be due at the end of the final examination period on Friday, May 8 at 5 p.m. Question prompts for the first two examinations will be distributed in class and made available under the assignments tab on blackboard two working weeks prior to the due date. Question prompts for the final examination will be made available at the end of the final regular day of class. The first two examinations will be worth 15% of your course grade; the final examination will be worth 20%. Please note that there are no in-class examinations for the course. You will not be asked to memorize and regurgitate terminology. You will be expected to think through and use key terms and concepts very precisely in your written assignments. University Requirements and Recommendations Academic Integrity Syracuse University s Academic Integrity Policy holds students accountable for the integrity of the work they submit. Students should be familiar with the policy and know that it is their responsibility to learn about course-specific expectations, as well as about university policy. The university policy governs appropriate citation and use of sources, the integrity of work submitted in exams and assignments, and the veracity of signatures on attendance sheets and other verification of participation in class activities. The policy also prohibits students from submitting the same written work in more than one class without receiving written authorization in advance from both instructors. The presumptive penalty for a first offense by an undergraduate student is course failure, accompanied by a transcript notation indicating that the failure resulted from a violation of Academic Integrity Policy. For more information and the complete policy, see Students with Disabilities / Special Needs If you believe that you need accommodations for a disability, please contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS), located at 804 University Avenue, room 309, or call for an appointment to discuss your needs and the process for requesting accommodations. ODS is responsible for coordinating disability-related accommodations and will issue students with documented disabilities Accommodation Authorization Letters, as appropriate. Since accommodations may require early planning and generally are not provided retroactively, please contact ODS as soon as possible. Faith Tradition Observances Syracuse University does not have non-instructional days for any religious holiday and students must notify instructors by the end of the second week of classes when they will be observing their religious holiday(s). 3

4 SU s religious observances policy, found at recognizes the diversity of faiths represented among the campus community and protects the rights of students, faculty, and staff to observe religious holy days according to their tradition. Under the policy, students are provided an opportunity to make up any examination, study, or work requirements that may be missed due to a religious observance provided they notify their instructors before the end of the second week of classes. Course Readings and Assignments I. INTRODUCTION Jan. 12 What is religion? What are religions? Where did the idea of religion come from? How do we study it? 1) Fisher, Mary Pat Religious Responses. In Anthology of Living Religions. New York: Pearson. Pp only. 2) Lopez, Donald How the Buddha Got Ismed. Tricycle: the Buddhist Review. 10(1): your reflection on today s lecture and the assigned readings by Mon., Jan. 26 Jan. 19 No class Martin Luther King Day. II. LOCALIZED AND INDIGENIZED RELIGIONS A. Rituals and the Life Cycle Jan. 26 How does ritual mark the passage of time? How do indigenous societies explain unfortunate events? 1) Evans-Pritchard, E.E [1932]. The Notion of Witchcraft Explains Unfortunate Events. In Witchcraft, Oracles, and Magic Among the Azande. New York: Oxford University Press. Pp ) Somé, Malidoma Patrice.2008 [1994]. Of Water and Spirit: An African Boy s Initiation. In An Anthology of Living Religions. Mary Pat Fisher and Lee W. Bailey, eds. 2 nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson / Prentice-Hall. Pp

5 your reflection on today s lecture and the assigned readings by Mon., Feb. 2 B. Death and the Afterlife Feb. 2 What happens after death in indigenous societies? What is the relationship between the invisible and the visible realm? What kinds of persons can travel between those realms and remain alive? 1) Eberhardt, Nancy Souls into Spirits. In Imagining the Course of Life: Self-Transformation in a Shan Buddhist Community. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. Pp ) Metcalf, Peter [1978]. Death not be Strange. In Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion: An Anthropological Study of the Supernatural. Pamela A. Moro, James E. Myers, and Arthur C. Lehmann, eds. Pp ) Potter, Jack M Cantonese Shamanism. In Religion and Ritual in Chinese Society. Arthur P. Wolf and Emily Ahern, eds. Stanford: Stanford University Press. your reflection on today s lecture and the assigned readings by Mon., Feb. 9 III. RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY IN ASIA A. Ritual Life and Social Organization Feb. 9 How do Asian religions engage with invisible beings? What role does the supernatural play in hierarchy and social organization? 1) Gutschow, Kim Gendering Monasticism. Being a Buddhist Nun: the Search for Enlightenment in the Himalayas. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Pp ) Wolf, Arthur P Gods, Ghosts, and Ancestors. In Religion and Ritual in Chinese Society.Stanford: Stanford University Press. Pp (Roman Numerals I and II only). your reflection on today s lecture and the assigned readings by Mon., Feb. 16 5

6 B. Devotionalism and Pilgrimage Feb. 16 What are worship practices like in Asian religions? What is pilgrimage, and why is it such a key part of religious practice in Asia? Take-home examination 1 due at the beginning of class. 1) Erndl, Kathleen M The Dynamics of Pilgrimage. In Victory to the Mother. Oxford. Pp (end at heading Communitas ). 2) Soucy, Alexander Offerings and Blessings. In The Buddha Side: Gender, Power, and Buddhist Practice in Vietnam. Honolulu: University of Hawai`i Press, pp your reflection on today s lecture and the assigned readings by Mon., Feb. 23 C. Ascetics and Monastics Feb. 23 What sorts of persons are religious leaders and professionals in Asian religious systems? How and why do they differ from indigenous religious experts? Why is asceticism so powerful in Asian religious cultures? 1) Brown, Sid A Young Buddhist Goes Forth. In Even Against the Wind: the Journey of One Buddhist Nun. Introduction and Chapter 1. Albany: SUNY Press. Pp Watch: 2) Movie: Gandhi [Videocassette 8181] your reflection on today s lecture and the assigned readings by Mon., March 2 D. Mystical Insights Mar. 2 What are the core philosophies of Asian religious systems? How and why does the monistic view of Asian philosophy differ from western philosophy and religious thought? 6

7 1) Thich Nhat Hanh Nothing to Do, Nowhere to Go: Practices Based on the Teachings of Master Linji. In The Best Buddhist Writing Boston: Shambhala Press. Pp ) Van Voorst, Robert E Taoism. In Anthology of World Scriptures. 2 nd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Pp your reflection on today s lecture and the assigned readings by Mon., March 16 Mar. 9 No class Spring Break IV. SECTARIAN FAITHS OF THE ABRAHAMIC TRADITION A. Christianity Mar. 16 Film (in class): Gran Torino 1) Brown, Robert McAfee Jesus Story: From Head Trips to Foot Trips. In Unexpected News: Reading the Bible with Third World Eyes. Philadelphia: Westminster John Knox Press. Pp ) Flowers, Sandra Hollin, Hope of Zion ; Edgerton, Clyde, Raney, and Gurganus, Allan, It Had Wings In The Christ-Haunted Landscape: Faith and Doubt in Southern Fiction. Ed. by Susan Ketchin. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. Pp ; ; ) Rice, Andrew Mission from Africa. The New York Times Magazine. April 12. Online version. your reflection on today s lecture and the assigned readings by Mon., March 23 Mar. 23 What are the core differences between western and eastern religions? What were the core teachings of Jesus and how was Christianity an innovative religious tradition? What kind of diversities do we find in the church today? B. Judaism How do the teachings of Judaism differ from those of Christianity? How has the Jewish faith evolved since the exodus from Jerusalem? Take-home examination 2 due at the beginning of class. 7

8 1) Heilman, Samuel [1984]. The Gate Behind the Wall. In Religious Autobiographies, Gary Comstock (ed). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Pp ) Paretz, I.L [1894]. Kabbalists, Teachings of the Hasidim, and The Rebbe s Pipe. Trans. by Ken Frieden. In Classic Yiddish Stories of S.Y. Abramovitsh, Sholem Aleichem, and I.L. Peretz. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press. Pp your reflection on today s lecture and the assigned readings by Mon., March 30 C. Islam Mar. 30 What are the basic tenets of Islam? Why is it the largest growing religion in the world today? What are some common misconceptions about Islam? 1) Abdo, Geneive Heeding the Call. In Mecca and Main Street: Muslim Life in America after 9/11. New York: Oxford University Press. Pp ) Ling, Martin Muhammad. New York: Inner Traditions [excerpts]. your reflection on today s lecture and the assigned readings by Mon., Apr. 6 V. RELIGION IN THE MODERN WORLD A. Colonization and Globalization Apr. 6 What was colonialism and what is its effect on religion today? How did the process of colonialism connect to the creation of the category of religion? How does modern globalization create the religions of the world? 1) Gombrich, Richard and Gananath Obeyesekere Protestant Buddhism. Buddhism Transformed: Religious Changes in Sri Lanka. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Pp [abridged] 2) Urban, Hugh B Avatar for Our Age: Sathya Sai Baba and the Cultural Contradictions of Late Capitalism. Religion 33: [abridged] 8

9 your reflection on today s lecture and the assigned readings by Mon., Apr. 13 B. Syncretism, Indigenization, and Resistance Apr. 13 How have colonized peoples responded to their conditions through religion and spirituality? What challenges do immigrants face in their religious practice? 1) Kehoe, Alice Black [1989]. The Ghost Dance Religion. In Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion: An Anthropological Study of the Supernatural. Pamela A. Moro, James E. Myers, and Arthur C. Lehmann (eds). Boston: McGraw Hill. Pp ) Ong, Aihwa The Production of Possession. American Ethnologist 15(1): [abridged] 3) Ong, Aihwa The Ambivalence of Salvation. In Buddha is Hiding: Refugees, Citizenship, the New America. Berkeley: University of California Press. Pp [abridged] your reflection on today s lecture and the assigned readings by Mon., Apr. 20 C. Secularization and Atheism Apr. 20 What is secularism and how has it shaped what we think of as religion today? What controversies exist between secularism and religion? What is atheism? How is created by secularization? 1) Bowen, John R Scarves and Schools. In Why the French Don t Like Headscarves: Islam, the State, and Public Space in France. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Pp [abridged] 2) Hawkins, Richard The God Delusion. New York: Houghton Mifflin [excerpts]. your reflection on today s lecture and the assigned readings by Mon., Apr. 27 D. Scripturalism, Fundamentalism, and the Return of the Religious Apr. 27 What are scripturalism and fundamentalism? Do they represent a return to the core ideas of religious faiths? 9

10 How and why are religious movements pushing back against the project of secularism? Take-home examination 3 due Friday, May 8 at 5 p.m. to Hall of Languages