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Course
Description
This seminar offers majors in Religious Studies the opportunity for intensive
study of theory and method in our field. This semester, we will consider
what makes the study of religion an academic enterprise and what
distinguishes the academic study of religion from other perspectives on
religion. To do this we will consider three, interrelated themes that
have played significant roles in the Study of Religion in past decades:
ritual, the sacred, and place/space. We also will explore in some depth
the work of three theorists who have been formative in shaping the field:
Mircea Eliade, J. Z. Smith, and Catherine Bell. As we explore these themes
and theorists, we will focus on the way theory shapes our perception of
religious phenomena-and the very concept of "religion" itself.
Office
Hours
Mondays and Wednesdays 1-3 (or by appointment at x-4472;)
I encourage you to come speak to me in my office to discuss our work in
the course or other matters. If you can't make office hours, I will be
happy to speak with you about setting up an appointment.
Course
Requirements and Grading
General Comment: I take seriously the qualifier "intensive"
in the first sentence of the "Course Description" above. This
course plays a crucial role in your Religious Studies major, for, ideally,
it should give you tools that will help you become a more perceptive and
critical student of religion. I expect each of you to make the course
a priority this semester.
1) Participation (30%): You are expected to attend class regularly
and participate actively in class discussions. Readings have been selected
not in order to lead you to a conclusion predetermined by the instructor,
but to raise timely questions and stimulate constructive debate. Together
in class we will attempt to bring these questions and debates to life.
To accomplish this, you will need to read all the material carefully so
as to a) understand and be able to articulate in class what the author
is saying and b) reflect critically on his or her position and on the
debate(s) in which he or she is engaged. Each Friday, I will post a reading
guide on the class Blackboard to help orient your readings for the following
week. Each member of class will then post a thoughtful response to one
of the questions on the guide by Monday at 9:00 p.m. and will be responsible
for reading the posted responses of the other members of the class.
2) Group Work (35%): The class will be divided into three groups
of 3-4 students. Each group will have two primary responsibilities. First,
during Weeks 5-7 each group will organize one class session. This will
entail a) posting on the Blackboard a preliminary collaborative report
on the reading by midnight on Sunday night (this will replace my reading
guide for the week). Each member of class will then post a thoughtful
response to the report by Monday at 9:00 p.m.. On Tuesday, the presenters
will take no more than 15 minutes to summarize the material assigned for
the day and to present crucial issues-derived from the group's own discussions
and from the Blackboard-for class discussion. The second task for each
group will be to teach one of the books we will be reading during the
last weeks of the semester. Your group will be responsible for meeting
with me in advance to discuss the text, assigning the sections of the
book the class will read, posting a preliminary report on the Discussion
Forum, and leading two discussions of the book. Your grade for group work
will be determined by a combination of teacher and peer-evaluation.
3) Papers (35%): Four papers will be assigned during the course
of the semester: three short papers (2-3 pages) during the first half
of the semester and a final paper (7 pages) after the end of classes.
The final paper will be worth 15% of your course grade.
Reading
and Assignment Schedule
Week 1:
Intro
Aug: 29: Introduction to course
Week 2:
Studying Religion
Sept. 3: "Religion, Explanation of," "Religion, Phenomenology
of" and "Study of Religion" in
The Harper-Collins Dictionary of Religion, ed. J.Z.Smith (course packet)
Sept. 5: Robert Segal, "In Defense of Reductionism"
Daniel Pals, "Explaining, Endorsing, and Reducing Religion"
Week 3: Theory and Practice
Sept 8: Catherine Bell, Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice, 1-29
Sept. 10: Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice, 30-54
Paper #1: Due Sept. 11 by 5:00 p.m.
Week 4:
The Sacred and the Profane
Sept. 17: Mircea Eliade, The Sacred and the Profane, 8-65
Sept. 19: The Sacred and the Profane, pp. 68-116
Week 5:
Eliade
Sept. 24: Russell McCutcheon, "Autonomy, Discourses, and Social Privilege"
(course packet)
William Paden, "Before 'The Sacred' Became Theological"
Sept. 26: The Sacred and the Profane, pp. finish
Week 6:
Taking Place
Oct. 1: J. Z. Smith, "The Wobbling Pivot"
Oct. 3: J. Z. Smith, To Take Place, Chap. 1
Paper #2: Due Oct. 4 by 5:00 p.m.
Week 7: J. Z. Smith
Oct. 8: To Take Place, Chaps. 2-4
Oct. 10: To Take Place, Chap. 5
Week 8: Maps and Territories
Oct. 15: Sam Gill, "Territory"
Oct. 17: Arjun Appadurai, "The Production of Locality"
Paper #3 Due Oct. 18 by 5:00 p.m.
Week 9: Bell on Ritual and Theory
Oct. 29: Catherine Bell, Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice, 69-117
Oct. 31: Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice, 118-42
Week 10: Producing the Sacred
Nov. 5: Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice, 171-223
Nov. 7: Penelope Margaret Magee, "Disputing the Sacred"
Veikko Antonnen, "Sacred"
Week 11:
Group #1 Presentations
Reading: Chidester and Linenthal, eds.: American Sacred Space
Week 12: Group #2 Presentations
Reading: Belden Lane, Landscapes of the Sacred
Week 13: No Class
Week 14:
Group #3 Presentations
Reading: Micaela di Leonardo, Exotics at Home
Week 15: Review
Final Paper Due: Dec 16
Texts (available at the Bookstore)
Catherine Bell, Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice
David Chidester and Edward Linenthal, American Sacred Space
Mircea Eliade, The Sacred and Profane
Micaela di Leonardo. Exotics at Home
Belden Lane, Landscapes of the Sacred
J. Z. Smith, To Take Place
Course Packet
Required
Reserve Readings (on e-reserve: please bring texts to class)
Veikko Antonnen, "Sacred"
Arjun Appadurai, "The Production of Locality"
Sam Gill, "Territory"
William Paden, "Before 'The Sacred' Became Theological"
Daniel Pals, "Explaining, Endorsing, and Reducing Religion"
Robert Segal, "In Defense of Reductionism"
J. Z. Smith, "The Wobbling Pivot"
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