RELS 101 005
Approaches to Religion
MWF 1100 to 1150
2011 Spring
ECTR 219 (n = 35)
Dr. Eric L. Thomas
206 4B Glebe St.
3-3911
thomase@cofc.edu
Office hours: MWF 1000 to 1100; MW 1640 to 1740; and by appointment
Description: What is religious experience? What makes religious experience, or
religious phenomena in general, different from other kinds of experience? In this course,
we will look at several accounts of religious experience, from the mundane to the
mystical, from the (literally) awesome to the sublime: Hasidic mysticism, Pentecostal
snake-handling, spiritual naturalism, and Tantric Buddhism. In order to help organize our
readings, we will interweave among our readings four theories that represent four
different ways of understanding religion. One theory suggests that religious experience
originates from a real sacred reality, while another model theorizes that religion stems
from an inherent function of the human mind. Another theory argues that religion is
essentially a social creation that is imposed upon reality, while the last theory draws from
modern science and points to the origin of religion in our genes. In short, these four
theories describe religious experience as originating from a real external reality, human
psychology, human society, or human biology.
The purpose of this course is to explore accounts of religious experience, and to
understand how these accounts can be understood from the perspective of any of these
four theories of religion.
Objectives:
(1) To demonstrate knowledge of the multiple ways of understanding, explaining, and
conceptualizing religious practice and belief.
(2) To explain the strengths and weaknesses of any one particular approach to
understanding religion.
(3) To explore religion as a set of “experiences” and how those experiences share
similarities with, and show differences from, non-religious experiences.
(4) To examine how modern sciences have both challenged and supplemented our
understanding of religious experiences.
Exams, Paper, Participation, and Grading: Each regular exam (2 in total) is worth
20%; mid-term exam and Final Exam are each worth 20%; so, each exam is worth the
same percentage. Each exam will focus on one of the four books/religious traditions. The
Final Exam, however, will both focus on Buddhism, and it will also be cumulative. All
exams are short-answer, long-answer, or some combination of the two. The exams may
be in-class or take-home. Grading scale: 100-96.67: A+; 96.66-93.34: A; 93.33-90: A-;
89.99-86.67: B+; 86.66-83.34: B; 83.33-80: B-; 79.99-76.67: C+; 76.66-73.34: C; 73.33-
70: C-; 69.99-66.67: D+; 66.66-63.34: D; 63.33-60: D-; 59.99 and below: F.
Cumulatively, the exams are worth 80%.
A five-page paper will be worth 15%. This paper (the details of which will be shortly)
will be an analysis of a religious service, in relationship to one of the texts of the class.
The five-page paper will involve visiting a religious service (Christian, humanist, Jewish,
or Buddhist) sometime during the semester, and comparing the service with the
experiences of the author of a particular text. A hard-copy of the paper will be due on the
day of the final.
Participation, worth 5%, is a broader category. Most likely, it will take the form of pop
quizzes, or demonstrating knowledge of the assigned reading for that day.
Policies: (1) Attendance is mandatory. Two un-excused absences and three incidents of
tardiness allowed without five-point grade degradation. (2) Excused absences are
allowable for appropriate reasons (illness, death, athletics), and require documentation.
(3) Make-up work is only for students with documented, allowable absences. (4) While
taking tests, you may not leave the room; if you do so, you must hand in the test; (5)
Students must adhere to the Honor Code of the College of Charleston, which forbids
lying, cheating, stealing, plagiarism, and failing to report an Honor Code violation.
Receiving unauthorized help or donating unauthorized help, by a student or to a student,
on a paper or essay is a form of cheating. Cases of suspected academic dishonesty will be
reported directly to the Dean of Students. A student responsible for academic dishonesty
will receive a XF in the course, indicating failure based on dishonesty. Students can find
a complete version of the Honor Code and all related processes in the Student Handbook
at <http://www.cofc.edu/studentaffairs/general_info/studenthandbook.html>. (4) If you
have a disability that qualifies you for academic accommodation, please present a letter to
me from the Center for Disability Services at the beginning of the semester. Please
discuss with me any special needs you may have. For more information on the SNAP
program, see < http://spinner.cofc.edu/~cds/?referrer=webcluster&>
Classroom Electronics: Students must TURN OFF all electronic devices before class
starts; you are not permitted to engage in texting or reading electronic mail (etc.) while
class is in session. If you have a computer for taking notes, you must ONLY take notes
(no jumping to read email or surf the web). Computer users must sit in the front row for
monitoring. Every violation of this code will result in a deduction of points from your
final grade average; repeated violations will result in a failing grade for the course.
During Exams, all electronics must be silenced and placed inside cases/bags/packs, and
placed at the front of the room.
Texts:
1. Covington, Dennis. Salvation on Sand Mountain: Snake Handling and
Redemption in Southern Appalachia. New York: Penguin Books, 1995.
2. Sagan, Carl. Contact. New York: Pocket Books, 1985. [Use your free time to read
this book: feel free to skim the hard-core science; pay close attention to the more
religious and philosophical sections.]
3. Smith, Huston. The World’s Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions. New York:
HarperOne, 1991.
4. Wiesel, Elie. Night. New York: Bantam, 1982 [or the newest edition, from
Oprah’s Book Club].
5. Willis, Jan. Dreaming Me: From Baptist to Buddhist, One Woman’s Spiritual
Journey. New York: Riverhead Books, 2001.
Calendar:
Jan. 10: Introduction
Jan. 12: Salvation: Prologue; “Following Signs”
Jan. 14: “The Trial”
Jan. 17: MLK Holiday: No class
Jan. 19: “Sheep without a Shepherd”; “Under the Brush Arbor”
Jan. 21: “Jolo”
Jan. 24: “Roots”; “Snakes”
Jan. 26: “Salvation on Sand Mountain”; “War Stories”
Jan. 28: “The Wider Circle”
Jan. 31: “The Wedding”
Feb. 2: Exam 1
Feb. 4: Night: Chp. 1
Feb. 7: Chp. 2
Feb. 9: Chps. 3 and 4
Feb. 11: Chps. 5 and 6
Feb. 14: Chp. 7
Feb. 16: Chp. 8
Feb. 18: Chp. 9
Feb. 21: Elie Wiesel Today
Feb. 23: Exam 2
Feb. 25: Contact: “Transcendental Numbers”
Feb. 28: “Coherent Light” to “White Noise”
(Mar. 1: MidTerm Grades Available)
Mar. 2: “Prime Numbers” to “Decryption Algorithm”
Mar. 4: “Palimpsest” to “The Ethanol”
Mar. 7: Spring Break
Mar. 9: Spring Break
Mar. 11: Spring Break
(Mar. 13: Daylight Saving Time Begins)
Mar. 14: “Random Access” to “Precession”
Mar. 16: “The World Message” to “Babylon”
Mar. 18: “Harmonic Oscillator” to “The Elders”
Mar. 21: “The Dream of the Ants” to “Naked”
Mar. 23: “Grand Central Station” to “Causality”
Mar. 25: “Gilgamesh” to “Reprogramming”
Mar. 28: “The Artist’s Signature”
Mar. 30: Exam 3
Apr. 1: Buddhism in America
Apr. 4: Dreaming Me: “Dreaming Me: The Terror of Lions” to “Life at Home”
Apr. 6: “School in Alabam’” to “Trouble Along the Cable”
Apr. 8: “Dreaming Me, II” to “Blissed Out at Swayambhunath”
Apr. 11: “Too Gullible” to “Decision Time”
Apr. 13: “Dreaming Me, III” to “The Test”
Apr. 15: “Joy of the Dharma” to “Deciding to Become a Teacher”
Apr. 18: “Teaching in Paradise” to “My Great Seal Retreat”
Apr. 20: “Dreaming Me, IV” to “Church with Daddy”
Apr. 22: “Mama” to “Lions”
Apr. 25: Synopsis
Apr. 26: Reading Day
Friday, Apr. 29: Final Exam, 1200 to 1500, ECTR 219