ANTK 410
Myth and Ritual
Spring 2015
Class Location:
Instructor:
Office:
Office Hours:
Class Hours:
Contact Phone:
Contact Email:
FH 203
Floyd Berry, PhD
FH, 217G
MR 1:00 – 5:00; T 9:00 – 1:00
W 6:00 – 9:00 pm
254-519-5705 (prefer Bb message)
fberry@ct.tamus.edu (prefer Bb message)
1.0
Course Description
This course primarily examines the history, beliefs, and practices of small-scale societies based on
ethnographic literature. The course is part of the academic literature called the anthropology of
religion. Topics include religious origins, shamanism, trance and other altered states, healing and
bewitching, new religions, and certain treatments of the major religious traditions of Hinduism,
Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This course satisfies a course requirement for a minor in
Anthropology.
2.0
Accessing Blackboard (Bb)
This is a lecture course with online components in Blackboard (Bb). The student accesses Bb on the
TAMUCT website (“Quick Links”). The student may get assistance 24/7 by phone or live chat.
3.0
Course Objectives
1.
Students will demonstrate writing skills appropriate to upper-level college work in general and
the discipline of anthropology in particular.
2.
Students will demonstrate proficiency in the use of technology appropriate to upper-level
college work in general and the discipline of anthropology in particular.
3.
Students will be able to analyze and interpret beliefs, practices, and social structures in religious
traditions from an anthropological perspective.
4.
Students will understand key concepts in the academic and research field of anthropology.
5.
Students will appreciate various forms of religious expression as adaptations to environmental
and social conditions.
4.0
Textbook
4.1
Required for Course
Warms, R., Garber, J., & McGee, R. J. (Eds.)(2009). Sacred realms: Readings in the anthropology
of religion (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN: 978-0-19-534132-4.
4.2
Recommended but not Required
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological
Page |2
Syllabus for ANTK 410: Myth and Ritual
Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. NOTE: This work will be referred to as the APA
Manual in this syllabus and in the course.
Struck, W., & White, E. B. The elements of style. (Any edition will do.)
NOTE: The student is expected to have an adequate knowledge of the essentials of
grammar and writing style and of the guidelines for paper organization and referencing
in accordance with the APA Manual, consistent with upper-level college standing. If the
student does not have adequate knowledge in these areas, then the purchase and use
of the two additional books is recommended. Failure to provide written work in
accordance with the essentials of acceptable, English writing style and APA guidelines
will result in poor grades.
4.3
5.0
Suggested Books for Further Reading (Optional)
See list of works in Section 15.0
Course Requirements
5.1
Exams (300 pts)
The student will take three exams. Each exam is valued at 100 points. The student has a
maximum of 90 minutes to take the exam, given immediately after roll call. The exam window
closes, however, when 90 minutes has elapsed. Exams will take about an hour to complete, on
average. The exams are essay in nature, and the student must use a blue book. The student is
advised to review his work before submission.
5.2
Class Participation (100 pts)
The student is expected to participate in class discussions. The student earns a point for full
attendance on a specific day (appears on time and does not leave early). He earns another
point for participating in class discussion. (No points are awarded on exam days, however.)
Thus, the student earns 0-2 points on each class day (total of 13 days), which translates into the
following grade for class participation in the course:
Points
26
24-25
22-23
20-21
18-19
5.3
Grade
100
95
90
85
80
Points
16-17
14-15
12-13
10-11
0-9
Grade
75
70
65
60
0
Reaction Comments (100 pts)
At the conclusion of each class, the student will submit a Reaction Comment (RC), due before
midnight. In Bb, the student will send an email to the instructor, reacting to material discussed
or experienced in class. A few sentences are sufficient. The student expresses his reaction to
something discussed or experienced (such as the mid-term exam) in class. The reaction may be
emotional, cognitive, insightful, positive, negative, or neutral. A mere summary of material
discussed in class, however, is insufficient for credit. The student shall identify his email with
the heading of RC1, RC2, etc., as indicated in the Course Calendar. Please use only RC1, RC2,
etc. for credit. An inaccurate heading may result in no credit.
Page |3
Syllabus for ANTK 410: Myth and Ritual
# of RC’s
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9
Grade # of RC’s
100
8
94
7
87
6
81
5
74
4
68
3
61
2
55
1
Grade
48
42
35
29
22
16
9
3
5.4
Academic Honesty
During the first week of class, the student is to read the section in the syllabus on Academic
Honesty and the material at the Purdue University OWL website regarding plagiarism. The
student must sign the document on Academic Honesty and return it to the instructor. NOTE:
The student will not be allowed to continue in the course without notifying the instructor of his
comprehension of this material (by signing the document and submitting it to the instructor).
5.5
Monitoring Bb for Announcements
It is the student’s responsibility to monitor Bb daily for Announcements and revised Course
Calendars. Failure to do so may result in poor scores.
5.6
Term Paper Topic (50 pts)
On 2/25/15, the student shall present to the class (orally) the topic of his term paper. This
should take about 2-5 minutes.
5.7
Term Paper Presentation (150 pts)
Beginning on 4/29/15, the student shall give an oral presentation of his term paper to the class,
using PowerPoint slides, and field questions. The student should limit his presentation to the
essential points of his term paper, taking about 10 minutes, before fielding questions.
5.8
Term Paper (300 pts)
On 4/29/15, the student shall submit a term paper, using APA guidelines, on a topic of interest
to the student and which pertains to the anthropological study of religion. The student is
encouraged to cite articles from the reader as sources of information. In addition, however, the
student must cite at least two articles from peer-reviewed academic journals from the TAMUCT
library website. The student must cite at least five, legitimate sources, two of which must be
peer-reviewed. “Googles,” Wikipedia, and similar sources are inappropriate for academic work.
The paper shall conform to the APA (American Psychological Association) Manual (6th ed.),
having a cover page, an abstract page, and a references page. The body of the paper shall have
section headings and be at least 7 pages in length, double-spaced. Thus the complete term
paper shall consist of at least 10 pages of a Microsoft Word document, including a cover page,
abstract page, body of paper, and references page. The typeface shall be either Calibri or Times
New Roman, size 12. The paper shall have a header with page number. (Choose Insert, Page
Number, Top of Page, Plain Number 3.) Use normal margins (1”).
Avoid the use of second-person pronouns and “etc.” Under no circumstances shall the student
quote any portion of a source. Instead, the student shall use his own words in conveying the
Page |4
Syllabus for ANTK 410: Myth and Ritual
meaning of cited source material. Points will be deducted for using these forbidden items or for
the use of sentence fragments (incomplete sentences). At least a sixth-grade level of grammar
must be used in your paper. Be sure to review your paper before submission.
The cover page shall include the following information, centered on the page:
An Examination of (your topic)
John Smith (your name)
ANTK 410-Myth and Ritual
Texas A&M University-Central Texas
The words “An Examination of” may be omitted, in accordance with APA guidelines. The
student shall use the “running head” feature of APA.
NOTE: Do not submit your term paper to turnitin.com.
Qualities & Criteria
Poor
Good
Excellent
Format/Layout
 Presentation of the text
 Structuring of text
 Requirements of
length, font, and style
 APA style
(Weight: 20%)
Content
 Elements of topics to
be addressed
 Information is correct
 Coherency
Follows poorly the
requirements related
to format and layout.
Mostly follows the
requirements related
to format and layout.
Closely follows all the
requirements related
to format and layout.
(0-30 pts)
Essay is not objective
and poorly addresses
the issues. The
information provided
is unnecessary or
insufficient to discuss
the issues.
(36-40 pts)
Essay is objective and
addresses all the
issues. Provided
information is
necessary and
sufficient to discuss
the issues.
(Weight: 40%)
(0-63 pts)
(31-35 pts)
Essay is mostly
objective and
addresses most of the
issues. Provided
information is mostly
necessary and
sufficient to discuss
the issues.
(64-71 pts)
Quality of Writing
 Clarity
 Grammar and English
usage
 Organization and
coherence
Essay is poorly
written and contains
flagrant spelling and
grammatical errors.
Essay is poorly
organized, lacks
clarity, and
incoherent.
Essay is well-written,
without spelling or
grammatical errors.
Essay is well
organized, clear, and
ideas are presented in
coherent ways.
(Weight: 20%)
(0-30 pts)
Essay is mostly wellwritten, without
spelling or
grammatical errors.
Essay is well
organized, is clear,
and ideas are
presented in coherent
ways.
(31-35 pts)
(72-80 pts)
(36-40 pts)
Page |5
Syllabus for ANTK 410: Myth and Ritual
Citations, References, & Style
 APA style
 Sources correctly cited
regarding content of
sources
(Weight: 20%)
6.0
Essay fails to follow
APA guidelines and
sources are
incorrectly cited for
content expressed in
sources.
(0-30 pts)
Essay follows APA
guidelines and sources
are correctly cited for
content.
(31-35 pts)
(36-40 pts)
Grading Criteria Rubric and Conversion
6.1
Rubric
Class Participation
Reaction Comments
Paper Topic
Presentation
Term Paper
Exams
Total
6.2
90 – 100%
80 – 89%
70 – 79%
60 – 69%
0 – 59%
Course Calendar1
Class
Topics
1/21
Syllabus
1/28
Academic Honesty
Introduction to
Anthropology of Religion
2/18
Religious Origins
Religion and society
Religion and the
environment
Exam 1
2/25
Paper Topic Due
3/4
3/11
3/18
Supernatural beings and
powers
Religious practitioners
Ritual practice
Spring Break
2/4
2/11
100
100
50
150
300
300
1000
Conversion to Course Letter Grade for Posting
Points
%
Grade
900 – 1000
800 – 899
700 – 799
600 – 699
0 – 599
7.0
Essay mostly follows
APA guidelines and
sources are (mostly)
cited correctly for
content.
A
B
C
D
F
Readings2
Assignments Due
Read syllabus & academic
honesty document
RC1 due by 11:59 pm
Introduction, Part 1, Section 1,
Chs 1-3
Plagiarism document due
at 6:00 pm
Part 1, Section 2, Chs 4-6
Part 1, Section 3, Chs 7-9
RC2 due by 11:59 pm
RC3 due by 11:59 pm
RC4 due by 11:59 pm
[syllabus, plagiarism,
Introduction, Chs 1-9]
Part 2, Section 4, Chs 10-13
RC5 due by 11:59 pm
Paper Topic Due
RC6 due by 11:59 pm
Part 2, Section 5, Chs 14-16
Part 2, Section 6, Chs 17-19
RC7 due by 11:59 pm
RC8 due by 11:59 pm
Page |6
Syllabus for ANTK 410: Myth and Ritual
3/25
4/1
4/8
Exam 2
Trance and altered states
Death and funerals
[Chs 10-19]
Part 3, Section 7, Chs 22-24
Part 3, Section 8, Chs 29-30
4/15
4/22
4/29
Healing
New religions
Exam 3
Paper due
Part 4, Section 9, Chs 31, 33
Part 5, Section 12, Chs 41-43
[Chs 22-24, 29-31, 33, 41-43]
RC9 due by 11:59 pm
RC10 due by 11:59 pm
RC11 due by 11:59 pm
RC12 due by 11:59 pm
RC13 due by 11:59 pm
Term paper due by 6:00
pm
Presentations
5/6
5/13
1
RC14 due by 11:59 pm
RC15 due by 11:59 pm
RC16 due by 11:59 pm
Presentations
Presentations
Events are subject to minor revision
2
Ch = chapter, Chs = chapters, pp = pages
8.0
Academic Honesty
Texas A&M University - Central Texas expects all students to maintain high standards of personal and
scholarly conduct. Students guilty of academic dishonestly are subject to disciplinary action. Academic
dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on an examination or other academic work,
plagiarism, self-plagiarism (“recycling”), or collusion. The faculty member shall initiate action for each
case of academic dishonestly and report the incident to the Associate Director of Student Conduct.
More information can be found at
http://www.tamuct.edu/departments/studentconduct/facultyresources.php
9.0
Disability Support
If you believe you have a disability and wish to self-identify, you can do so by providing documentation
to the Disability Support Coordinator. Students are encouraged to seek information about
accommodations to help insure success in their courses. Please contact Vanessa Snyder at 254-5015836 or visit Founder’s Hall 114. Additional information can be found at
http://www.tamuct.edu/departments/disabilitysupport/index.php)
10.0
Tutoring
Tutoring is available to all TAMUCT students, both on campus and online. Subjects tutored include
Accounting, Finance, Statistics, Mathematics, and Writing (APA). Tutors are available at the Tutoring
Center in Founder’s Hall 204 and also in the Library in the North Building. Visit
www.ct.tamus.edu/academicsupport and click “Tutoring Support” for tutor schedules and contact
information. If you have questions or need to schedule a tutoring session, contact Academic Support at
254-501-5830 or email Cecilia.morales@ct.tamus.edu.
11.0
Late Work
As a rule, make-up work for RC’s, exams, and papers will not be offered or accepted. In rare instances,
however, one make-up exam may be offered, but with a 20-point deduction (written documentation
pertaining to a serious emergency will be considered for such a makeup). In no instance will a make-up
be offered for the final exam, and in no instance will a make-up for an exam be given after two weeks
from the original exam date. It is the student’s responsibility to contact his instructor within 24 hours
of having missed an exam for purposes of making it up. A request for make-up may or may not be
granted. The final course grade will be posted within a few days of the final exam, period. No
incompletes will be awarded for this course. If the student foresees that he will be unable to complete
the course, then he should drop the course or accept the posted grade.
Page |7
Syllabus for ANTK 410: Myth and Ritual
12.0
Modification of the Syllabus
The syllabus is subject to minor changes at the discretion of the instructor. It is the responsibility of the
student to note any changes that are made during the semester.
13.0
Contact with Instructor
The student should contact the instructor via the message feature on Bb about any topic or issue that
pertains to this course.
14.0
Announcements
It is the student’s responsibility to check for announcements on Bb and in class. The student should
check for announcements daily on Bb.
15.0
Suggested Further Reading
Bouquet, A. C. (1967). Comparative religion: A short outline (7th ed.). New York: Penguin.
Briggs, R. (1996). Witches and neighbors: The social and cultural context of European witchcraft. New
York: Penguin.
Broad, W. J. (2006). The oracle: Ancient Delphi and the science behind its lost secrets. New York:
Penguin.
Budge, E. A. W. (1967). The Egyptian book of the dead: The papyrus of Ani in the British Museum. New
York: Dover.
Calabrese, J. D. (2013). A different medicine: Postcolonial healing in the Native American Church.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Castaneda, C. (1968). The teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui way of knowledge. New York: Pocket.
Castaneda, C. (1971). A separate reality: Further conversations with Don Juan. New York: Pocket.
Castaneda, C. (1972). Journey to Ixtlan: The lessons of Don Juan. New York: Pocket.
De Waal Maleffijt, A. (1968). Religion and culture: An introduction to anthropology of religion. New
York: Macmillan.
Durkheim, E. (1915). The elementary forms of the religious life (J. W. Swain, trans.). New York: Free
Press.
Eliade, M. (1954). The myth of the eternal return or, Cosmos and history (W. R. Trask, Trans.).
Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Eliade, M. (1958a). Patterns in comparative religion (R. Sheed, trans.). New York: Meridian.
Eliade, M. (1958b). Rites and symbols of initiation: The mysteries of birth and rebirth (W. R. Trask,
trans.). New York: Harper.
Page |8
Syllabus for ANTK 410: Myth and Ritual
Eliade, M. (1959). The sacred and the profane: The significance of religious myth, symbolism,
and ritual within life and culture (W. R. Trask, Trans.). New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
Eliade, M. (1960). Myths, dreams, and mysteries: The encounter between contemporary faiths and
archaic realities (P. Mairet, trans.). New York: Harper.
Eliade, M. (1961). Images and symbols: Studies in religious symbolism (P. Mairet, trans.). Kansas City,
KS: Sheed, Andrews, and McMeel.
Eliade, M. (1963). Myth and reality (W. R. Trask, trans.). New York: Harper.
Eliade, M. (1964). Shamanism: Archaic techniques of ecstasy (W. R. Trask, Trans.). Princeton:
Princeton University Press.
Eliade, M. (1965). The two and the one (J. M. Cohen, trans.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Eliade, M. (1969a). The quest: history and meaning in religion. Chicago: Universtiy of Chicago Press.
Eliade, M. (1969b). Yoga: Immortality and freedom (2nd ed., W. R. Trask, Trans.). Princeton:
Princeton University Press.
Eliade, M. (1972). Zalmoxis: The vanishing god: Comparative studies in the religions and folklore of
Dacia and Eastern Europe (W. R. Trask, trans.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Eliade, M. (1973). Australian religions: An introduction. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Eliade, M. (1976). Occultism, witchcraft, and cultural fashions: Essays in comparative religion. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press.
Eliade, M. (1978a). The forge and the crucible: The origins and structures of alchemy (2nd ed.)(S. Corrin,
trans.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Eliade, M. (1978b). The history of religious ideas: Volume 1: From the stone age to the Eleusinian
mysteries (W. R. Trask, trans.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Eliade, M. (1982). The history of religious ideas: Volume 2: From Gautama Buddha to the triumph of
Christianity (W. R. Trask, trans.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Eliade, M. (1985). The history of religious ideas: Volume 3: From Muhammad to the age of reforms (A.
Hiltebeitel & D. Apostolos-Cappadona, trans.). Chicago, University of Chicago Press.
Eliade, M., & Kitagawa, J. M. (Eds.)(1959). The history of religions: Essays in methodology. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press.
Esposito, J. L. (2002). Unholy war: Terror in the name of Islam. Oxford: Oxford.
Evans-Wentz, W. Y. (Ed.)(1960). The Tibetan book of the dead (3rd ed.). London: Oxford University
Press.
Page |9
Syllabus for ANTK 410: Myth and Ritual
Gaster, T. H. (Ed.)(1959). The new golden bough: A new abridgment of the classic work by Sir James
George Frazer. New York: Mentor.
Hammerschlag, C. A. (1988). The dancing healers: A doctor’s journey of healing with Native Americans.
New York: Harper and Row.
Harner, M. (1982). The way of the shaman: A guide to power and healing (2nd ed.). Toronto: Bantam.
Hashmi, S. H. (2012). Just wars, holy wars, and jihads: Christian, Jewish, and Muslim encounters and
exchanges. Oxford: Oxford.
Hutton, R. (1991). The pagan religions of the ancient British Isles. Oxford: Blackwell.
Jones, P., & Pennick, N. (1995). A history of pagan Europe. New York: Barnes and Noble.
Juergensmeyer, M. (2003). Terror in the mind of God: The global rise of religious violence (3rd ed.).
Berkeley: University of California.
Kurtz, L. R. (2012). Gods in the global village: The world’s religions in sociological perspective (3rd ed.).
Los Angeles: Sage.
Leeming, D., & Leeming, M. (1994). A dictionary of creation myths. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Lessa, W. A., & Vogt, E. Z. (1979). Reader in comparative religion: An anthropological approach (4th
ed.). New York: Harper and Row.
Levi-Strauss, C. (1979). Myth and meaning. New York: Schocken.
Lewis, B. (2004). The crisis of Islam: Holy war and unholy terror. New York: Random House.
Livingston, J. C. (2009). Anatomy of the sacred: An introduction to religion (6th ed.). Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Malinowski, B. (1954). Magic, science and religion and other essays. Garden City, NY: Doubleday
Anchor.
Monahan, S. C., Mirola, W. A., & Emerson, M. O. (2011). Sociology of religion: A reader (2nd ed.).
Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Morris, B. (2006). Religion and anthropology: A critical introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press.
Moscati, S. (1962). The face of the ancient orient: A panorama of Near Eastern civilization in preclassical times (2nd ed.). Garden City, NY: Anchor.
Pritchard, J. B. (Ed., 1969). Ancient Near Eastern texts relating to the Old Testament (3rd ed.). Princeton:
Princeton University Press.
Raboteau, A. J. (2004). Slave religion: The “invisible institution” in the antebellum South (2nd ed.).
P a g e | 10
Syllabus for ANTK 410: Myth and Ritual
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Radcliffe-Brown, A. R. (1952). Structure and function in primitive society. New York: Free Press.
Radin, P. (1957). Primitive religion: Its nature and origin. New York: Dover.
Rolleston, T. W. (1995). The illustrated guide to Celtic mythology. New York: Crescent.
Schniedewind, W. M. (2004). How the Bible became a book. Cambridge: Cambridge.
Sharpe, E. J. (1975). Comparative religion: A history. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.
Stark, R. (2007). Discovering god: The origins of the great religions and the evolution of belief. New
York: HarperOne.
Swanson, G. E. (1974). The birth of the gods: The origin of primitive beliefs. Ann Arbor: MI: University of
Michigan Press.
Van der Toorn, K. (2007). Scribal culture and the making of the Hebrew Bible. Cambridge, MA: Harvard.
Van Voorst, R. E. (2013). Anthology of world scriptures (8th ed.). Boston: Cengage.
Vitebsky, P. (1995). The shaman. Boston: Little, Brown and Co.
Wach, J. (1944). Sociology of religion. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Wach, J. (1958). The comparative study of religions (J. M. Kitagawa, ed.). New York: Columbia
University Press.
Wallace, A. F. C. (1966). Religion: An anthropological view. New York: Random House.
Weber, M. (1963). The sociology of religion (4th ed.)(E. Fischoff, trans.). Boston: Beacon.