Course Outline: 2015-16
Religious Studies 2725F
Liturgics 5307A
Location:
HC-W17
Day(s):
Mondays
Time:
12:30p.m.-3:30p.m.
Instructor(s): Dr. Andrea S. Allen
Contact info: aallen65@uwo.ca
Prerequisites Required for this Course:
It is the student’s responsibility for ensuring that he/she has successfully met the course prerequisite
or has obtained special permission from the Dean of their Faculty. Unless you have either the
prerequisites for this course or written special permission from the Dean to enroll in it, you will be
removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be
appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a
course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
Course Syllabus:
Have you ever wondered why Anglicans take the Eucharist? Why Muslims prostrate themselves?
Why Buddhist monks shave their heads? This course will examine why ritual is so central not only
to religions throughout the world, but also to human cultures. What does ritual do? Why is it so
powerful? This class will address these very questions and investigate how the rites and customs
that humans create and participate in can tell us much about particular peoples, cultures, and
religions. Major topics that will be covered include: myths, ritual practice, sacrality, defilement,
gender, politics, and sexuality among other topics. In addition, students will be introduced to the
analytic tools provided in ritual studies, drawing on sociological, anthropological, and performance
theories. Students will apply these principles to a ritual practice in field analysis, group work, formal
writing, and presentations.
Course Objectives:
1)
Recognize and critically engage some of the major social scientific approaches and
debates to the study of ritual in religious and nonreligious contexts.
2)
Understand how rituals are shaped by the intersecting axes of religion, culture, gender,
politics, and power.
3)
Develop nuanced awareness of how socio-political and historical factors influence
perceptions and experiences of religious rituals.
4)
Reflect, both personally and analytically, on the implications of the study of ritual in
relation to our material and everyday realities.
5)
Augment proficiency in critical thinking, research, and analytical skills.
6)
Improve oral and written communication.
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Course Evaluation*
Class Participation
Midterm
Two short papers (3-4 pages)
Ethnographic Project (6-7 pages)
10%
25%
30% (15% each)
35%
*Requirements different for masters students.
Course Materials:
All required readings will be made available on the course OWL Sakai website:
https://owl.uwo.ca/portal
Assignments & Method of Evaluation of Assignments:
Class participation (10% of final grade): An excessive number of absences (i.e., more than two) will result
in a deduction from your participation grade. Regular lateness to class may also result in deductions.
Disruptive behavior (described in the Policies section) will result in deductions as well. In addition,
participation in class discussion and an overall engagement in the course are required. The
participation grade will be based upon the following criteria: how regularly one participates in
discussions; whether or not one exhibits that he/she has done the readings; whether or not one is
respectful toward professor and classmates; whether or not one speaks excessively, keeping others
from speaking or interrupting them; whether or not one’s comments demonstrate that she/he have
analyzed the material; and whether or not one asks questions in class.
Midterm (25% of final grade): midterm will involve short answer questions, identifications, and/or essay
questions. The midterm will cover all course material, e.g., required texts, lectures, and films, up
until the midterm. (Further guidelines will be posted on OWL and discussed in class). Midterm
Date: October 26, 2015.
Two short essays (30% of your grade): The three-four page essays should cover only the readings that
were assigned on or before the assignment is due. The essay must have a thesis. Thesis must be
italicized in essay. The essay should address an interesting theme that struck you from the readings,
a short critique, or a comparison of an aspect of the readings. The essay must be double-spaced, in
12 pt. Times New Roman font, with no extraneous spaces between paragraphs. Papers are to be
handed in at the beginning of class. Detailed instructions and guidance will be provided in class and
on the course website. Paper due dates: October 5, 2015; November 16, 2015.
Ethnographic project: (35% of your grade for six-seven page paper); First, students will attend and observe
religious and spiritual services of any religious or spiritual tradition. Guided by the readings and
lectures, students will describe and analyze their ethnographic experiences in an essay. The essay
must have a thesis. The essay must be between six-seven pages, double-spaced with no extraneous
spaces between paragraphs. In addition, students will be expected to give a presentation about their
ethnographic project. Guidelines for the ethnographic project will be discussed in class and posted
on OWL. Due date: December 7, 2015
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Additional Statements:
Submitting Assignments:
Please hand in hard copies of all written assignments in RS 2725F; you are also required to
submit electronic copies of all written assignments (excluding tests/exams) to Turnitin.com
through the course Owl Sakai links.
Deadlines are registered as the date/time these assignments are due to Turnitin, and late penalties
are assessed based on the submission time to the Turnitin site – so please don’t forget to load your
paper to Turnitin on time! Again, we also need hard copies to mark, so assignments not handed in
during class must be deposited in the Huron essay drop box, located near the Huron College
Information Desk.
Essays not submitted to Turnitin will receive grades converted to 0.
Policy on Missed/Late Assignments: students who submit assignments late without
making a prior agreement with the Instructor, or without a valid medical certificate, will be
penalized 3% for every 24-hour period past the assignment deadline (also see #8.
Accommodations for Absences for more information).
Attendance Policy: an excessive number of absences (i.e., more than two) will result in a deduction
from your participation grade. Regular lateness to class may also result in deductions.
Policy on classroom etiquette: in order to maintain a respectful and productive learning
environment, it is essential that students arrive at class ready to listen and attend to lectures and
films. Disrespectful and disruptive behaviour during class will not be tolerated and will affect one’s
participation grade. Disrespectful and disruptive behaviour includes the following: texting or talking
on mobile phones, chatting on or browsing Facebook or other social media sites, persistent talking
during lectures or films, wearing headphones, emailing, and/or surfing the Internet for non-class
purposes. Students observed to be engaging in this behaviour during class will be asked to stop. If
disruptive behaviour persists, the professor will use her discretion and judgment in deciding how
best to deal with the situation.
Email Policy: if you have any questions or concerns related to the course, feel free to contact me
through OWL, the course website. I will try to respond within 48 hours. If there is an emergency,
please contact me at aallen65@uwo.ca. Please use your Western email account in order to reduce
the chance that your email will be labelled as spam. In addition, I will send out emails regularly in
this course. I expect that you will check your email and the course website at least once a day.
Failure to check your email regularly will not be considered an excuse for failing to complete an
assignment or for failing to do so according to specified directions. Finally, if you email me, please
follow proper letter-writing etiquette.
Statement on Use of Electronic Devices during Tests and Exams: if the use of electronic
devices during tests and exams is required for either medical or non-medical academic
accommodation, then such documentation must be submitted by the student directly to your
Faculty’s Dean’s office (or academic counselor), and not to the instructor.
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Statement on Academic Offences: Scholastic offences are taken seriously and students are
directed to read the appropriate policy, specifically, the definition of what constitutes a Scholastic
Offence, at the following web site: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook/appeals/scholoff.pdf.”
Plagiarism-detecting Software/Computer Marking:
All required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to the
commercial plagiarism detection software under license to the University for the detection
of plagiarism. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents
in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently
submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently
between The University of Western Ontario and Turnitin.com ( http://www.turnitin.com ).
B) Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams may be subject to submission for
similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that
may indicate cheating.
Support Services:
UWO Registrar’s Office: http://www.registrar.uwo.ca
Huron’s Faculty of Theology, Office of the Dean:
http://www.huronuc.on.ca/faculty_of_theology/info_for_current_students
Faculty of Theology office: srice@uwo.ca, 519-438-7224, ext. 289
Huron’s Writing Skills Centre: http://www.huronuc.on.ca/student_life/writing_services
UWO’s Mental Health website: http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ Students who are in
emotional/mental distress should refer to this website for a complete list of options about how to
obtain help.
UWO Student Support and Development Services:
http://communications.uwo.ca/current_students/student_services.htm
Accommodation for absences:
If documentation is required for either medical or non-medical academic accommodation, then such documentation must
be submitted by the student directly to your Faculty’s Dean’s office (or academic counselor), and not to the instructor.
For the Faculty of Theology, all such documentation must be submitted to room A227. It will be the Dean`s office
that will determine if accommodation is warranted.
Non-medical absences for assignments: students who submit assignments late without
making a prior agreement with the Instructor, or without a valid medical certificate, will be
penalized 3% for every 24-hour period past the assignment deadline.
Non-medical absences from mid-terms: documentation and a request for relief should be
submitted to the Dean’s Office in order for accommodation to be considered.
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C)
Medical absences: See also the Policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness
—Undergraduate Students, at http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook/appeals/medical.pdf)
For work representing 10% or more of the overall grade for the course, a student must present
documentation indicating that the student was seriously affected by illness and could not reasonably
be expected to meet his/her academic responsibilities. Documentation must be submitted as soon
as possible to your Faculty Dean’s office (Huron Arts & Social Science students should take their
documentation to the Academic Counsellor, through the Academic Services Centre at Huron),
together with a Request for Relief specifying the nature of the accommodation requested. The
request and documentation will be assessed and appropriate accommodation will be determined by
the Dean’s office in consultation with the instructor(s.) Academic accommodation will be granted
ONLY where the documentation indicates that the onset, duration and severity of the illness are
such that the student could not reasonably be expected to complete his/her academic
responsibilities.
The UWO Student Medical Certificate (SMC) and Request for Relief are available at the Student
Centre website (https://studentservices.uwo.ca/secure/index.cfm), Huron University College
Academic Counselling website (www.huronuc.on.ca) or from the Dean’s Office or Academic
Services Centre at Huron.
Course Outline
Module 1: Introduction to Ritual Studies
Week 1 (September 14): Introduction to Ritual Studies
Week 2 (September 21): What is Ritual?
Emile Durkheim (1995 [1912]). Excerpts from Elementary Forms of the Religious Life. New York:
Free Press. 208-224.
Ronald Grimes (1982). “Mapping the Field of Ritual.” The Beginnings of Ritual Studies. Lanham,
MD: University Press of America. 19-33.
Keith Roberts (2012). “The Cultural Construction of Religion: Experience, Myth, Ritual.”
Religion in Sociological Perspective. Homewood, IL: Dorsey Press. 66-89.
Week 3: (September 28): Ritual, Culture, and Embodiment
Ervin Goffman (1959). “Introduction.” The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Garden City, NY:
Doubleday. 1-14.
Pierre Bourdieu (2005). “Structures and the Habitus.” Anthropology in theory: issues in epistemology.
Henrietta Moore T. and Sanders, eds. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 407-416.
Tanya Luhrmann (1991). Excerpts from Persuasions of the Witch's Craft. Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press.
Week 4 (October 5): Ritual Methodology and Criticism
Ronald L. Grimes, Excerpts from The craft of ritual studies. New York: Oxford University Press.
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Ute Hüsken, ed. Excerpts from When Rituals Go Wrong: Mistakes, Failure and the Dynamics.
Numen Book Series 115. Leiden: Brill.
(FIRST PAPER DUE)
Week 5 (October 12): Thanksgiving
Module 2: Religious Rituals and Issues
Week 6 (October 19): Religious Garments
Sarah Bailey (2013). Excerpts from Clerical Vestments: Ceremonial Dress of the Church. Oxford: Shire
Publications.
Mikelle Smith Omari-Tunkara (2005). Excerpts from Manipulating the Sacred: Yoruba Art, Ritual, and
Resistance in Brazilian Candomblé. Detroit: Wayne University Press.
Week 7 (October 26): Midterm
Week 8 (November 2): Ritual and Gender
Sheema Khan (2009). Excerpts from Of hockey and hijab: reflections of a Canadian Muslim woman
Toronto: TSAR Books.
Sima Zalcberg (2007) “Grace Is Deceitful and Beauty Is Vain”: How Hassidic Women Cope with
the Requirement of Shaving One’s Head and Wearing a Black Kerchief. Gender Issues 24(3): 13-34.
Week 9 (November 9): Religious Sacrifice
Mircea Eliade (1996). “Ritual and Myth.” Readings in Ritual Studies. Ronald L Grimes (ed.). Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. 194-201.
Kathryn McClymond (2008). Excerpts from Beyond sacred violence : a comparative study of sacrifice.
Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press.
Walker Burkert (1983). “The Function and Transformation of Ritual Killing.” Homo necans : the
anthropology of ancient Greek sacrificial ritual and myth. Peter Bing, trans. Berkeley: University of
California Press. 35-47.
Module 3: Secular Rituals
Week 10 (November 16): Ritual and Film
Documentary: If only I were an Indian
(SECOND PAPER DUE)
Week 11 (November 23): Ritual and Rites of Passage
Amy L. Best (2000). Excerpts from Prom Night: Youth, Schools, and Popular Culture. New York;
London: Routledge.
Victor Turner (1969). Excerpts from The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure. Hawthorne, NY:
Aldine de Gruyer.
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Week 12 (November 30): Ritual and Politics
Eric. J. Hobsbawm (1983). “Introduction: Inventing Tradition.” The Invention of Tradition. Eric
Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger (Eds.). Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press. 1-14.
David Kertzer (1988). Excerpts. Ritual, politics, and power. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Week 13 (December 7): Ritual and Popular Culture
TBA
Greg Bowe Mod (2010). “Reading Romance: The Impact Facebook Rituals Can Have On A
Romantic Relationship.” Journal of Comparative Research in Anthropology & Sociology 1(2): 61-77.
(ETHNOGRAPHIC PAPER DUE)