California State University
RS 304: Women and Religion
Spring 2016
Instructor: Mary Jane O'Donnell, Ph.D.
Ticket Number: 13970
Course Day/Time: M-W/9:30 to 10:45 a.m.
Office Hours: M-W/11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Office: Room 419, Santa Susana Hall
Telephone: 818-677-6875 (M-W 0ffice hours only)
Email: mjod@csun.edu
Course Description: This course will explore the way in which women have been affected by the
world’s various historical religious traditions as well as the reverse. It will encompass both ancient
and contemporary examples—primarily through autobiography and primary texts—of women’s roles
in religion and society as well as the ways in which women have been placed—and have in turn
placed themselves—within religious contexts in various historical cultural settings.
Student Learning Outcomes for RS 304:
1. Students will be able to explain and reflect critically on the search for and evidence of
the “feminine sacred” and its persistence, meaning, and expression in pre-history and
history;
2. Students will be able to demonstrate their basic use of strategies to analyze and interpret
the roles, symbols and concepts of and about women in religion in oral and literary
cultures;
3. Students will define the concepts of "religion" and "religious" as they particularly apply
to women and religion;
4. Students will demonstrate basic familiarity with select histories and contemporary
experiences of women and religion in diverse global traditions;
5. Students will be able to analyze, interpret and reflect on the development of feminist
theologies and theories in both the Western and Eastern religious traditions and
societies;
6. Students will produce essays (following IC guidelines) on women and religion that utilize
one or more of the several methodologies introduced in the course and the reading.
Student Learning Outcomes for RS 304 as an Information Competency Course: Students will
progressively develop information competence skills throughout their undergraduate career by
developing a basic understanding of information retrieval tools and practices as well as improving
their ability to evaluate and synthesize information ethically. This is an upper-division GE course
that requires completion of writing assignments totaling a minimum of 2,500 words.
Specifically, students will write essays for this class, which will demonstrate your ability to:
1. Determine the nature and extent of information needed;
2. Demonstrate effective search strategies for finding information using a variety of
sources and methods;
3. Locate, retrieve, and evaluate a variety of relevant information including print and
electronic formats;
4. Organize and synthesize information in order to communicate effectively;
5. Explain the legal and ethical dimensions of the use of information.
Student Learning Outcomes for Arts and Humanities: Students will understand the rich history
and diversity of human knowledge, discourse and achievements of their own and other cultures as
they are expressed in the arts, literatures, religions, and philosophy. Students will:
1. Explain and reflect critically upon the human search for meaning, values, discourse and
expression in one or more eras/stylistic periods or cultures;
2. Analyze, interpret, and reflect critically upon ideas of value, meaning, discourse and
expression from a variety of perspectives from the arts and/or humanities;
3. Produce work/works of art that communicate to a diverse audience through a demonstrated
understanding and fluency of expressive forms;
4. Demonstrate ability to engage and reflect upon their intellectual and creative development
within the arts and humanities;
5. Use appropriate critical vocabulary to describe and analyze works of artistic expression,
literature, philosophy, or religion and a comprehension of the historical context within which
a body of work was created or a tradition emerged;
6. Describe and explain the historical and/or cultural context within which a body of work was
created or a tradition emerged.
Required Texts:


Women’s Studies in Religion: A Multicultural Reader by Kate Bagley and Kathleen McIntosh
Selected Readings (Online)
Instructor Office Hours: My office hours are posted above. I look forward to working with each
of you in class and on an individual basis. Therefore, I urge you to take advantage of my office
hours. I am happy to discuss any aspect of this course with you, and help you with the assignments.
I especially urge you to see me if you are confused about the course or an assignment. Really
successful students ask questions!
Course Assignments:

Students MUST attend each class and read assigned readings for each class. The reading
selections are listed in the Course Schedule (10% of your grade);

There will be eleven (11) quizzes to ensure the thorough reading of each week’s assignments.
You MUST have a Scantron with you for each quiz. (40% of your grade.)

Students will write two research papers. More information re the research papers on the RS
304 Moodle site. (40% of your grade.)

Students will participate in group work, which will include the following: all groups will
participate in weekly discussions regarding the material; each week one group will lead the
discussion re the material; and each week one group will discuss in depth an issue involving
women and religion in recent news. (10% of your grade.)
Course Requirements:

This is a discussion-based course. Students must demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the
readings, think critically and creatively about the material, come to class with ideas and
questions and actively participate in class discussions.

Attendance is mandatory. Any absence must be excused in advance, or if that is not
possible, must be accompanied by a documented explanation. If a student has two or more
unexcused absences, the student’s grade will be lowered by 10%.

You must be fully prepared for each class. All assignments must be read prior to the week
they are assigned, and all readings must be brought to class.

If you are absent from class on a day in which there is a quiz, you will only be able to make
up for this by writing a three-page detailed analysis of the central concepts in the material
covered by the exam. This option is available for only one missed quiz.

Please make sure you attend to your personal needs before or after the class. You may not
leave during class. No cell phones, texting, or Internet use for anything other than class
work.

All papers must be written according to basic scholarly standards appropriate for university
level work. Not only does this include proper citation as well as grammar, punctuation, and
syntax, but also serious reflection on your topic. There are many sources to help you with
your writing assignments. The most important is the Writing Program at CSUN’s Learning
Resource Center, which is on the 3rd floor/East Wing of the Oviatt Library. For more
information, go to: http://www.csun.edu/undergraduate-studies/learning-resource-center

All papers/assignments must be turned in or posted on Moodle on the date listed. Unless
students present a written and documented reason why an assignment is late or will be late,
which is accepted by the instructor, the grade will be deducted one letter grade per day.

Any evidence of plagiarism will result in a failing grade, certainly for the item plagiarized, but
also quite likely for the course. Moreover, you many not turn in a paper, whether whole or in
part, that you previously wrote and submitted to another class, whether at CSUN or
elsewhere. If you wish to build upon previous work you have done, please contact me prior
to incorporating previous work into your assignment.
Grading: Plus/Minus Grading will be used.




Class participation and attendance: 10%
Ten Quizzes: 40%
Two essays: 40%
Group Presentations: 10%
Letter Grades:



94-100 A
90-93 A87-89 B+



83-86
80-82
77-79
B
BC+



73-76
70-72
60-69
C
CD
Course Schedule:
Week 1:


January 25: Introduction
January 27: Read: “The Professor Suspended for saying Muslims and Christians Worship
the Same God” (online); “As Muslim Women, We Actually Ask You Not to Wear the Hijab
in the Name of Interfaith Solidarity” by Asra Q. Nomani and Hala Arafa (online) and
“Feminist Critics of Wearing Hijab in Solidarity Fall into Same Old Traps” by Mariam
Durrani (online.
o Quiz # 1: You must bring a small Scantron.
Week 2:
 February: Read: “Three Waves of Feminism: From Suffragettes to Girrls,” 1-23 (online)
o February Quiz #2: You must bring a small Scantron.
 February 3: Bring example of a current news article about women in religion
Week 3:
 February 8: Read: “Everyday Religion as Lived” by Meredith B. McGuire, 3-17 (online) and

“Following Naked Dancing and Long Dreaming” by Chung Hyun Kyung, WSR, 23-34
o Quiz #3: You must bring a small Scantron
February 10: Reports/discussion on women/religion in the news.
Week 4:
 February 15: Read: “The Church and the Second Sex” by Mary Daly, WSR, 105-113;

Rosemary Radford Ruether’s “Sexism and God Talk,” 306-324 (online) and “The Coming of
Lilith” by Judith Plasko, WSR, 174-175.
o Quiz # 4: You must bring small Scantron
February 17: Reports/discussion on women/religion in the news.
Week 5:
 February 22: Read: “Why ‘Womanism’? The Genesis of a New Word and What it Means”

by Justine Tally, 205-221 (online); “White Women’s Christ and Black Women’s Jesus” by
Jacquelyn Grant in WSR, 48-55; “Take My Yoke upon You” by Frances E. Wood, WSR,
128-136.
o Quiz # 5: You must bring small Scantron
February 24: Reports/discussion on women/religion in the news.
Week 6:
 February 29: Class will meet with Doris Helfer, research specialist, at the Oviatt Library in

Lab B from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. Subject: how to conduct research for RS 304 research
papers.
March 2: Reports/discussion on women/religion in the news.
Week 7:
 March 3: Read: “Forged under the Sun/Forjada baja el sol: The Life of Maria Elena Lucas”
by Fran Leeper Buss in WSR, 74-86 and “Violence Against Women in the Historical
Christian West and in North American Secular Culture: The Visual and Textual Evidence”
by Margaret R. Miles in WSR, 113-127.
o Quiz #6: You must bring small Scantron
March 5: Reports/discussion on women/religion in the news.
Week 8:
 March 14-16: Work on Paper
Week 9:
 March 21-23: Spring Break
 First Paper Due: Sunday, March 20 at 11 p.m.
Week 10:
 March 28: Read: “A Border Passage: From Cairo to America—A Woman’s Journey” by

Leila Ahmed in WSR, 35-47 and “The Issue of Woman-Man Equality in the Islamic
Tradition” by Riffat Hassan in WSR, 143-149.
o Quiz #7: You must bring a small Scantron
March 30: Reports/discussion on women/religion in the news.
Week 11:
 April 4: Read: “Challah for the Queen of Heaven” by Ryiah Lilith, WSR, 87-93 and “From

Riot Grrl to Yeshiva Girl” by Jennifer Bleyer, WSR, 176-181.
o Quiz #8: You must bring small Scantron.
April 6: Reports/discussion on women/religion in the news.
Week 12:
 April 11: Read: “Falling off the Tightrope onto a Bed of Feathers” by Darice Jones, WSR

137-143 and “Rev. Irene Monroe” by Gary David Comstock in WSR, 201-210.
o Quiz #9: You must bring small Scantron
April 13: Reports/discussion on women/religion in the news.
Week 13:
 April 18: Read: “Why Women Need the Goddess” by Carol P. Christ in WSR 163-174 and

“The Goddess as Metaphoric Image” by Nelle Morton in WSR, 192-197.
o Quiz #10: You must bring small Scantron.
April 20: Reports/discussion on women/religion in the news.
Week 14:
 April 25: Read: “Guadalupe the Sex Goddess” by Sandra Cisneros in WSR, 197-201 and

“Toward a New Theory of Sexuality” by Judith Plaskow, WSR 211-220.
o Quiz #11: You must bring small Scantron
April 27: Reports/discussion on women/religion in the news.
Week 15:
 May 2: Class will meet with Susanna Eng-Ziskin, religious studies specialist, at the Oviatt

Library in Lab B from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. Subject: how to conduct research for RS 304
research papers.
May 4: Reports/discussion on women/religion in the news.
Week 16:
 May 9-11: Work on Paper

Second Paper Due Friday, May 11 by 11 p.m.
Information online:

Elements and Standards of Critical Thinking Online Model:
http://www.criticalthinking.org/courses/Elements_standards_model.cfm
(Go to “Click to Open”) (This is an idea tool to self-check the construction of your
paper.)
Possible Websites to use for weekly discussions about women and religion in
the news:
*Los Angeles Times: http://www.latimes.com/
*New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/
*Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/
(The Washington Post offers free online newspaper subscriptions for students.)
*Newsweek: http://www.newsweek.com/
*Time: http://www.time.com/time/
*These websites now allow only limited access without a subscription. For example, you may read 15 stories
a month on the LA Times’ site, 20 on the Washington Post’s, and 10 on the NY Times’. One way to
make up for this is to use LexisNexis Academic on the Oviatt Library’s Website. This database allows
you access to the most recent articles from major world publications, including newspapers, magazines, wire
services, broadcast transcripts, and blogs. It also allows you to filter articles according to subject.
LexisNexis Academic:
http://www.lexisnexis.com.libproxy.csun.edu/hottopics/lnacademic/
Feminist Studies in Religion: http://www.fsrinc.org
Feminist.com/Our Inner Lives:
https://www.feminist.com/ourinnerlives/index.html
Feminism and Religion: http://feminismandreligion.com
Faith in Feminism: http://faithinfeminism.com
Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/religion/
Reuters: http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/
World Religion News: http://www.worldreligionnews.com
Religion News Service: http://www.religionnews.com
Patheos: www.patheos.com
Religion Dispatches: http://religiondispatches.org
The Immanent Frame: http://blogs.ssrc.org/tif/
Religion and Politics: http://religionandpolitics.org
The Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com
USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/
CNN: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com
Fox News: http://www.foxnews.com/us/religion/index.html
National Review: http://www.nationalreview.com
NPR: http://www.npr.org/
The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life: http://pewforum.org/
The Barna Group: http://www.barna.org/
And many more…
Important to note: This syllabus is subject to change. I will make every effort to notify you
in advance about any changes.
DRES: If you have a disability and need accommodations, please register with the Disability
Resources and Educational Services (DRES) office or the National Center on Deafness
(NCOD). The DRES office is located in Bayramian Hall, room 110 and can be reached at
818/677-2684. NCOD is located on Bertrand Street in Jeanne Chisholm Hall and can be
reached at 818/677-2611. If you would like to discuss your need for accommodations with
me, please contact me to set up an appointment.