RELS 401 / WMGS 411: RELIGIOUS APPROACHES TO SEXUALITY - 2014
RELS 401:10 (CRN 50773)
WMGS 411:10 (CRN 50774)
Dept. of Religious Studies
Nicholson Tower #410
867-2436; bappleby@stfx.ca
Tree of life by Anjali Vaidya
Course Meeting Times: Q1/Q2 – Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:15 to 3:30
Location : NH154
Office Hours: Mondays 3:30 to 4:30, Tuesday 10:00 to 1:00, Wednesday 3:30 to 4:30
Department of Religious Studies and Women’s & Gender Studies Program: o Rels Chair: Dr. Robert Kennedy, rkennedy@stfx.ca
o Wmgs Coordinator: Dr. Nancy Forestell, nforeste@stfx.ca
Course Prerequisites: o Rels 100, 110 or 120; or Wmns 100; or permission of the instructor
Required Texts:
Sex & Religion by Christel Manning and Phil Zuckerman
Recommended Text:
Women & Religious Traditions, 2 nd
ed., Leona M. Anderson and Pamela Dickey Young, eds.
Online readings will be used for each CONTEMPORARY ISSUE and NEWS UPDATE.
Course description:
Do you think that modern people’s attitudes toward sexuality are influenced by religious faith traditions? What if people regard themselves as secular rather than religious, or as atheists?
You might be surprised! In this course you will have an opportunity to examine some of the interconnections among historical traditions and teachings, religious symbols, celebration of life stages, social patterns, gender roles, and sources of gender equality and inequality within
Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions. Rather than comparing religious traditions to one another, contemporary forms of religious practice will be examined in light of contemporary developments in sexual and reproductive health and rights movements.
In this course, we will investigate religious traditions from the perspective of teachings, traditions, and assigned gender and sexual roles for women and men using Sex & Religion as our primary text. Against this background, we will go on to examine the effects of each religious tradition on its attitudes toward sexuality, marriage, fertility, contraception, abortion, and family planning. Students who have not previously studied religion may find it helpful to also consult our recommended text, Women and Religious Traditions.
By the end of the year, you will have your own informed opinions and answers to the question,
Are modern people’s attitudes toward sexuality influenced by religious faith traditions? You will
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RELS 401 / WMGS 411: RELIGIOUS APPROACHES TO SEXUALITY - 2014 be able to explain some of the religious influences on people’s assumptions about the religious and sexual roles suitable for women and men. You will have a broader understanding of the interactions among religion, politics, and law with regard to family planning policies in specific modern countries, especially over the last 20 years. If you are open to the challenge, you may even find that your own attitudes toward sexuality will be transformed by learning about the attitudes and experiences of others. Why don’t you take the risk? Join us in this learning experience!
Student Assignments and Course Evaluation:
Assignment
Chapter reading responses (5)
Marks
10%
10%
SR Readings
Due Date
On scheduled date Seminar Leader for 1 required reading or
1 religious tradition
Contemporary Issues (10) – discussion question for each Issue
Seminar Leader for 1 contemporary Issue
Current news event presentation (group)
10%
15%
10%
On scheduled date
Throughout term
Essay o Essay proposal o Essay guidelines
25% Essay proposal due 21 Oct
Essay due 25 Nov
EXAM 20% TBA
PLEASE NOTE: All assignments must be completed and submitted as required. Late assignments without negotiated extensions will be penalized 1 point per day of the assignment value. All course requirements must be completed to receive a passing grade for the course.
University Policy on Class Attendance:
St. Francis Xavier University has a policy on class attendance which may be found in the
Academic Regulations section of our Academic Calendar on page 13
– Section 3.8
Class
Attendance and Withdrawal from University. In part it reads: “Faculty are required to report to the dean all unexplained absences in excess of three hours over at least two classes in any term.”
Attendance and Participation:
Students are required to attend all classes. If you are ill or have commitments which conflict with a class, please e-mail me prior to any missed class and explain your circumstances.
Should you have personal difficulties or challenges, please feel free to ask for suitable course accommodations before you miss a deadline or fail to complete an assignment. Unexplained or frequent absences will be reported to the Dean’s office.
This course is a 4 th year seminar course. You will be expected to attend each class and come to class prepared to contribute to class learning and discussion.
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RELS 401 / WMGS 411: RELIGIOUS APPROACHES TO SEXUALITY - 2014
Class and Lecture Notes:
Class notes will be available on our course web page. Reminders about due dates, class guests, individual or group presentations and so on will all be keyed in to the class dates throughout the term.
University Policy on Academic Integrity:
St. Francis Xavier University Faculty and Students value academic integrity. Instances of plagiarism and all forms of cheating or falsification are unacceptable. Potentially severe academic penalties will ensue if a student engages in any form of academic dishonesty. The
University has recently developed a detailed new policy on academic integrity; please read it in full at this address: http://www.sites.stfx.ca/registrars_office/academic_integrity
Further helpful information (with links to guidelines and examples) on plagiarism may be found at the Writing Centre’s website ( http://www.sites.stfx.ca/writingcentre/About , http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml
, http://library.acadiau.ca/tutorials/plagiarism/ ) and the StFX Library’s website
( http://sites.stfx.ca/library/plagiarism ).
Student E-Mail Accounts:
During the course of the year, I will provide you with class updates, special events, group information, and so on, by means of class e-mail messages. All students will be responsible for the information passed on in this manner. Please ensure that your StFX e-mail account is current, functioning and has the capacity to receive new messages at all times.
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