RE 207 Studying Religion, Final Exam Study Guide, Winter Term, 2013; Instructor: Dr. Barry Stephenson
The Exam: The exam consists of three parts – 30 multiple choice questions, and two sections of written responses.
While the exam does draw on material from the first half of the course, it weighted more towards topics dealt with
since the midterm exam. Aids allowed: Sexson’s Ordinarily Sacred and Lincoln’s Holy Terrors.
Part 1 – Multiple Choice; 30 questions. Focus your studying on material from the second-half of the course, but be
sure to review the midterm multiple choice questions. Sample question:
1.
Who described religion as “that which invests specific human preferences with transcendent status by
constituting them as revealed truths, ancestral traditions, divine commandments, and the like.”
a. Lynda Sexson
b. Barry Stephenson
c. Bruce Lincoln
d. Rene Girard
Part 2 – Written Response: In roughly two to three pages (single-spaced, in the provided examination book), answer
any 1 of the following three of the following questions. You may use your course text in crafting your answer.
Part 2 deals with Lincoln’s Holy Terrors. You will be presented with three options. In studying, focus on Lincoln’s
notion of maximalist vs minimalist religion, the historical context informing this distinction (Enlightnement) and his
efforts to examine similarities between seemingly opposed beliefs and ideologies (like Bush and bin Laden, or the
Falwell/Robertson and the hijackers). Lastly, you should be able to offer a critical look at Lincoln’s central ideas
(which I do in class).
Part 3 – Written Response: 5 of the following 7 questions will appear on the final exam. You are to write on any 3 of
those 5 questions. Roughly two or three pages (single-spaced, in the provided examination book).
1. Is refusing to walk under a ladder an example of ritual? Why or why not? What is at stake in the question?
How does this question help us better conceptualize ritual?
2. What is metaphor, why is it important in the study of religion, and how and why is metaphor so central to
Lynda Sexson’s approach to studying and thinking about religion?
3. What does Rene Girard mean by “mimetic desire” and the “single victim mechanism” in his attempt to
theorize the origins of religion as the foundation of human culture?
4. In the context of Sam Gill’s article on the Hopi, discuss each of the following: (1) identify a few (say, 4 or 5)
common features of initiation; (2) describe Arnold van Gennep’s theory of rites of passage; and (3) What is
Gill’s argument in this article?
5. Pick a definition of religion from the midterm, one that you think is a useful definition of religion. Memorize
the definition, so that you can write it out (more or less). With reference to a particular example or context,
explain why you think this is a good definition, and how does it helps us to think about and study religion.
6. In class, I suggested that ritual is “embodied, condensed, prescribed enactment.” Unpack each of these key
terms, explaining why and how they are relevant to thinking about and studying ritual. Be sure to apply the
definition to a concrete example of ritual—for example, the Navajo Kinalda ceremony/initiation that we
considered.
7. In my article on Luther’s Thesenportal (the Theses Door in Wittenberg), I introduce Lindsay’s Jones’s notion
of the “ritual-architectural event”. What does Jones mean by this phrase, and how does it help us understand
the meanings and functions of the Theses Door in Wittenberg?
Each written response question is worth 10 marks, and half marks can be awarded (4 questions x 10 = 40 marks)
Total: 30 m.c. + 40 written response = 70 marks
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