REL 101-01: INTRO TO RELIGIOUS STUDIES
Prof. Olga Solovieva
MWF 9:15-10:20 a.m., Old Main 207
Office hours: MW 1-2:30 p.m. or by appt.
Office: Old Main 405
Phone: x3191
osolovieva@washjeff.edu
"Religion [means] orientation--orientation in the ultimate sense, that is, how one comes to terms with the ultimate
significance of one's place in the world… The religion of any people is more than a
structure of thought; it is experience, expression, motivations, intentions, behaviors,
styles, and rhythms."
Charles H. Long, Significations
Religion is the quest, within the bounds of the human, historical condition, for the power
to … negotiate one’s ‘situation’ so as to have ‘space’ in which meaningfully to dwell…
Religion is a distinctive mode of human creativity, a creativity which both discovers
limits and creates limits for human existence.
J.Z.Smith, Map is Not Territory
Course Description:
This course introduces students to the study of religion as an important
dimension of human life and culture. By looking at a variety of media
(texts, film, ritual, visual art), we will explore how religious imagination
operates within particular cultural and historical contexts as to formulate,
and practically engage with, the ultimate questions of human existence.
Our topics will include the nature and characteristics of religious texts and
language; types and functions of ritual practices; religious significance of
sacred space and land; the role of visual images in conveying the ultimate
realities and meanings; and the issues of the selfhood, body, gender, and
social engagement as articulated in a variety of religious traditions, both ancient and modern.
Required Texts
James Livingston, Anatomy of the Sacred (6th ed.)
Diana Eck, Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India
Books are available for purchase at the bookstore;
other readings will be available as handouts or online. Please note that it is your responsibility to
obtain and keep all handouts throughout the term.
There will be a number of videos screened in class;
should you miss any screenings, please make
arrangements to watch that video as soon as possible.
Learning Objectives
Students who successfully complete this course will a) acquire knowledge of important concepts,
theoretical approaches and methodological tools in the academic study of religion; b) learn to
approach diverse religious traditions and cultures from a sympathetic and critical-analytical
perspective; c) demonstrate a basic knowledge of key ideas, stories, practices, values, and historical
background of several religious traditions; d) develop their ability to read and interpret primary
sources and scholarly discussions, and to effectively express their findings in written and oral form.
Requirements
1. Participation
2. Tests (2 x 25)
3. Reading Journal (Reflection Papers)
4. Religious Visitation Project
10 points
50 points
25 points
15 points
Please keep in mind that a large(r) part of your work will be done outside of our classroom,
independently or in cooperation with your classmates; a general rule of thumb is that you should
expect to spend 3-4 hours working on class requirements for each hour that you spend in class.
Grading Scale
This course will be graded on the following scale (point values approximate, subject to adjustment at
the instructor’s discretion):
100-94
93-90
89-87
86-83
82-80
79-77
=
=
=
=
=
=
A
AB+
B
BC+
76-73
72-70
69-67
66-63
62-60
below
=
=
=
=
=
=
C
CD+
D
DF
A: Active and in-depth involvement with the material as demonstrated in class discussions and
written and oral assignments; outstanding quality of writing and ability to analyze and appreciate
difficult concepts and ideas.
B: Above-average performance on written assignments and tests; consistent and thoughtful
engagement with the material.
C: Adequate performance on tests; consistent attendance and on-time completion of reading journal
entries.
Class participation
Your participation is vital to the success of our course, so please take this requirement seriously! You
must attend classes regularly and come to class prepared, i.e., having done the readings and ready to
talk about them. I will lecture occasionally but much of our class time will be devoted to the
discussions of assigned readings and your responses to them. Please bring your copies of readings to
class and be prepared to discuss them. Your active and meaningful participation in class discussions
will raise your participation grade (5 pts by default) while no-shows or evident negligence in reading
will lower it.
Attendance is required and will be recorded beginning the second week of the term. Each student is
allowed 3 unexcused absences during the term; each additional absence will lower your participation
grade by 1 point. Illness and family emergencies (documented by a note from the Health and
Counseling services/doctor/parents) count as excused absences, as are religious observances in the
tradition you belong to and documented W&J academic and athletic events requiring your
participation. Personal or family events (wedding, job interview, etc.) are very important events, but
they are not excusable absences—please plan accordingly and in advance! Also, remember—
communication is important, and if you anticipate being away from class (particularly for the
extended periods of time) please let me know as soon as possible so that we could decide on the most
helpful course of action.
Please arrive to class on time, and turn off your cell phone (beware: each time I catch you texting in
class will count as an absence!) Also, please refrain from using various electronic note-taking devices
in class—they tend to disrupt the subtle process of intellectual communion. If you need to use your
laptop in class due to specific academic needs please talk to me about that.
Tests
Two in-class tests will be administered over the course of the term, on the dates specified in the
Schedule of Readings. Tests are non-cumulative. They will be designed to cover material presented
both in the readings and in class (lectures, discussions and videos), so it is to your advantage to
familiarize yourself with all the material covered in the appropriate section of the course.
Study guides will be posted on-line at least 72 hours before the tests; when time allows, there will be
brief review sessions conducted before each test, or else we will do it online, via the “Forum” feature
on Sakai. You are encouraged to prepare for the tests by reviewing the terms and concepts identified
in these guides, and by reflecting on the questions presented. Please note that no make-up tests will
be given except for legitimate reasons and with prior arrangement.
Reading Journal (Reflection Papers)
This reading/writing assignment is designed to help you engage with the course readings in an indepth and creative way. Each paper must deal with the readings specified in the appropriate sections
of the Schedule of Readings. You are asked to identify important themes and key concepts introduced
in the readings, and also—very important!—to deal with them in a critical (i.e., serious/scholarly) yet
imaginative way, by offering your own interpretations and reflections. Some of the entries will have
specific questions posed (see the Schedule of Readings); others are open-ended. Some questions you
might address in such open-ended papers are: What are the key concepts/terms/perspectives
introduced in the reading? What are some of the important issues raised by the author(s)? What
questions do you have about the reading? How does the material presented in the readings relate to
your own experience, and/or to other readings you may have done in other classes?
Please bring your papers to class on the day they are due and be prepared to refer to them during class
discussions. I will collect papers after the class and return them to you once they are graded. (Please
note: e-mail submissions will not be accepted except by prior arrangement for special circumstances,
and are submitted at the student’s risk for all delivery failures; no late entries will be accepted for any
reason other than documented medical emergencies).
There are 24 possible entries scheduled for the term (see the Schedule of Readings); you must do 8 of
them; otherwise, your grade for this assignment will suffer. Your papers must be 350-550 words in
length (between 1 and 2 pages long, standard font and margins). If you write more than that I’ll
forgive you, but if you write less than 1 full page, beware! Completed entries will be graded as
follows: 1=“does not meet expectations,” 2=“meets expectations,” 3=“excellent.” You will
automatically receive 20 points (B/B+) on this assignment as long as you get “2” on all 8 entries;
each “1” will cost you one point off. Those students who consistently submit outstanding Reading
Journal entries (graded “3”) will be awarded additional points on this assignment, up to 25 pts
altogether (=“A”).
Site Visit Project
This is an independent fieldwork project to be undertaken outside of class time, which will involve a
visit to a religious service in a tradition you are not familiar with, and a subsequent written and oral
reports on this visit. Detailed guidelines for this assignment are available online; we will also discuss
them in class. There is a possibility that we might be able to arrange for a group field-trip at some
point in the term; however, I strongly encourage you to make your own visit arrangements—it will be
more convenient for you this way, and also, more fun!
Extra Credit Opportunities
There may be occasional opportunities for extra credit assignments offered during the term, such as
campus or community events focusing on religion-related topics. I may announce some of these
events in class or via e-mail; if you find any other events that you think might be relevant to our
course topic, feel free to ask me about them. You can earn up to 2 extra-credit points per term.
Notes and Policies:
Disability:
Washington and Jefferson College is committed to providing students with disabilities full and
meaningful access to all college programs and activities and strives to offer individualized
accommodations necessary for students to succeed. To arrange for special accommodations, you will
need to contact the Office of Academic Affairs. You should also talk to me as early in the semester as
possible.
Academic Integrity:
Responsible participation in an academic community requires respect for and acknowledgement of
the thoughts and work of others, whether expressed in the present or in some distant time and place.
Accordingly, I expect all students enrolled in this course to adhere to the standards of academic
integrity and avoid any forms of academic dishonesty. Please consult the appropriate sections of the
W&J Student Code of Conduct and College Catalog; also feel free to ask me for clarifications
regarding, but not limited to, collaboration, citations, and plagiarism. Remember: ignorance is not an
excuse for breaching academic integrity! All suspected cases of academic dishonesty are subject to
the disciplinary action.
Course Outline and Schedule of Readings
All readings must be completed prior to the class period for which they are assigned; please don’t forget to bring your
copies of readings to class. Reading designations: “t” = read from/to the first full paragraph at the top of the page; “m” =
the middle of the page; “b” = the last full paragraph at the bottom of page; no designation at all means you should read the
entire page. Any changes to the schedule will be announced in class or via e-mail
I. Introduction to the Course and the Study of Religion
Sep 1
Introduction to the Course
Sep 3
Why Do We Need to Know about Religion?
Readings: Stephen Prothero, Religious Literacy: What Every American
Should Know—And Doesn’t, selections (Sakai)
James Livingston, Anatomy of the Sacred, 9m-14
Reading Journal Entry # 1 due in class (Question: What do Prothero and
Livingston suggest about the importance of studying religion? Find a
recent news item that illustrates the prominence of religion in our society
and culture, and the dangers of religious illiteracy)
Sep 5
Religion: Definitions and Approaches
Readings: Livingston, 4-9m, 15-32
Rita Gross, “Passion and Peril: Transgressing Boundaries as
a Feminist Buddhist Scholar-Practitioner” (Sakai)
II. Religion in Popular Culture
Sep 8
Readings: Forbes and Mahan, Religion and Popular Culture in
America, 1-17 (Sakai)
Reading Journal Entry # 2 (Question: Think of a good example of a popcultural “text” [song, image, film, advertisement, etc.] which either
explicitly or implicitly references religious themes, or which functions
“religiously.” How do the arguments and analyses presented in our
reading apply to this “text”?)
Sep 10-12
Readings: Martin and Ostwalt, Screening the Sacred, 1-12,65-71 (Sakai)
Vogler, The Writer’s Journey, selections (Sakai)
Video: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (in class)
Reading Journal # 3 due Sep 12
III. The Sacred. Conceptions of the Divine and Ultimate Reality
Sep 15
Readings: Rudolf Otto, The Idea of the Holy, selections (Sakai)
Livingston, 37-42b
Reading Journal # 4 (Question: How does Rudolf Otto describe "the
numinous” experience? what are its key characteristics? Briefly discuss
an example of a numinous experience—a personal example if you’d ever
had one, or an example from the readings)
Sep 17
Readings: Livingston, 153-178b
Diana Eck, Darsan, 22m-31
Sep 19
Readings: Speaking of Silence: Christians and Buddhist on the
Contemplative Way, selections (Sakai)
Livingston, 330b-33 (nirvana, shunyata)
Video: Footprint of the Buddha (we’ll watch parts of it in class)
Reading Journal # 5 (Question: How do Buddhist and Christian
participants describe their respective conceptions of the ultimate reality
[God, shunyata / nirvana, buddha-nature]? What are some differences and
some meeting points between the two perspectives?)
IV. Speaking About the Sacred
Sep 22-24
Religious Symbols. Myth
Readings: Livingston, 53-58, 63-71 (read for Sep 22)
The Homeric Hymn to Demeter (Sakai) (read for Sep 24)
Reading Journal # 6 due Sep 24
Sep 26
Scripture
Readings: Genesis 1-3 (Sakai)
Qur’an, selected suras (Sakai)
Livingston, 96-113t
Reading Journal # 7
Sep 29
Parables
Readings: Livingston, 59-62
The Parables of Jesus, selections (Sakai)
Reading Journal # 8
Oct 1
Mystical Poetry
Readings: Bernard McGinn, The Essential Writings of Christian
Mysticism, introduction (Sakai)
Rumi, Love Is A Stranger, intro and selected poems (Sakai)
Emily Dickinson, selected poems (Sakai)
Rilke, selected poems (Sakai)
Reading Journal # 9 (Question: What are some of the key characteristics of
a mystical perspective on human life, the nature of the ultimate/divine
reality, and humans’ relationship with it? [Hint: use McGinn’s
overview to identify those characterisitcs]. How are those perspectives
articulated in the poetry of Rumi, Emily Dickinson, and Rilke?)
V. Imaging the Sacred
Oct 3
Religion as Visual Practice
Readings: David Morgan, The Sacred Gaze: Religious Visual Culture in
Theory and Practice, 1-15, 48-74 (Sakai or e-book)
Reading Journal # 10 (Question: What does Morgan mean by the “sacred
gaze”? What is the relationship between “belief” and visual practice? What
are the seven functions of religious images? Think of a good example of a
sacred image and describe how it functions religiously)
Oct 6
Seeing the Divine Image in India
Readings: Diana Eck, Darsan, 3-22m, 32-58
Video: 330 Million Gods
Reading Journal # 11
Oct 8
Sacred Images in Western Traditions
Readings: Miles, Image as Insight, 41-62 (Sakai)
Reading Journal # 12
Oct 10-15
Religious Seeing in Film
Video: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter… and Spring (in class)
Readings: Conroy, “Seeing with Buddha’s Eyes,” Journal of Religion
and Film 11:2
http://www.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol11no2/ConroyBuddha.htm
Livingston (for background on the Buddhist ritual practices and
ethics): 81b-82, 223m-27m, 246t-47m, 268t-b (Bodhisattva),
309b-11b
Reading Journal # 13 due Oct 15
Oct 17
TEST # 1
VI. Locating the Sacred
Oct 22
Sacred Space
Readings: Livingston, 42b-50
Mircea Eliade, The Sacred and the Profane, selections (Sakai)
Eck, 59-63b
Reading Journal # 14 (Question: What are the special qualities and
characteristics of “sacred space” according to Mircea Eliade? Why are
sacred spaces significant, and what are their functions? Briefly discuss one
specific example from Eliade’s, Livingston’s, or Eck’s readings)
Oct 24
Sacred Land
Readings: Deloria, “Sacred Land and Religious Freedom” (Sakai)
Video: In the Light of Reverence
Reading Journal # 15 (Question: Discuss the Native American
understanding of the sacred lands and their importance. What kinds of
issues are faced by Native American communities in their religious
practice?)
Oct 27-29
Pilgrimage: Seeking the Sacred
Readings: Wolfe, “The Real Mecca” (Sakai)
Eck, 63b-75
Video: Inside Mecca
Reading Journal # 16 due Oct 29
Oct 31
The New “Sacred Spaces”?
Readings: Selections from Ira Zepp, The New Religious Image of Urban
America (Sakai)
Reading Journal # 17
VII. Ritual
Nov 3-5
Nov 7
Types and Functions of Ritual Action
Readings: Livingston, 74-93
Video: TBA
Reading Journal # 18 due Nov 5 (Question: What is ritual? What are the
defining features of ritual? Why are rituals important and what do they do?
What are the major categories of religious rituals? Use examples from the
video we watched in class [and personal examples, if you have some] to
illustrate your answer).
Embodying the Sacred
Readings: Helminski, “Naked and Vulnerable on Ramadan” (Sakai)
Shaw, Passionate Enlightenment: Women in Tantric Buddhism,
selections (Sakai)
Lama Yeshe, Tantra (Sakai)
Video: The Changing Face of Worship
Reading Journal # 19
VIII. Religion in Contemporary World: Challenges and Possibilities
Nov 10-14
Reimagining Tradition: Women’s Roles and Voices
Reading Journal # 20 due by Nov 14 (Question: Discuss the issue of
women’s roles and status in contemporary religion and society. What
challenges and problems do women face in their traditions? In what ways
can religious traditions empower women? Use examples from at least two
religious traditions presented in our class material; you are also welcome to
incorporate additional examples from the news, readings done for other
classes, personal experience, etc.)
Nov 10
Readings:
Livingston, 362m-365t
Linda Hess, “Rejecting Sita: Indian Responses to the Ideal
Man’s Cruel Treatment of His Ideal Wife” (Sakai)
Rita Gross, TBA + revisit Shaw’s Passionate Enlightenment
Nov 12
Readings:
Livingston, 362-369b
Rita Gross, “Female God Language in a Jewish Context”
(Sakai)
Phyllis Trible, “Eve and Adam: Genesis 2-3 Reread” (Sakai)
http://www.womenpriests.org/ (browse around for something
you find especially interesting)
Nov 14
Readings:
Livingston, 369b-373m
Leila Dabbagh, “Muhammad’s Legacy for Women” (Sakai)
Kecia Ali, “Rethinking Women’s Issues in Muslim
Communities” (Sakai)
Saraji Umm Zaid, “Why Every Mosque Should be WomenFriendly” (Sakai)
Nov 17-24
The Sacred and the Secular: Modern Trends and Issues
Nov 17
The Challenge of Fundamentalism
Readings: Livingston, 341-357
Ali Minai, “A Time For Renewal” (Sakai)
Farid Esack, “The Muslim Vanguard” (Sakai)
Reading Journal # 21
Nov 19
Religious and Secular Worldviews: Conflict or Dialogue?
Readings: Stephen Prothero, “A Brief Coda on Atheism” (Sakai)
Chris Stedman, “Faitheist, Atheism, and Interfaith,” watch on
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbzSP4wze8o
Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster
http://www.venganza.org
(read the Open Letter To Kansas School Board, see what else
catches your attention) + Livingston, 203t-208t (“The
Anthropic Principle,” “Creation Science,” and “Intelligent
Design”) + The Clergy Letter On Religion and Science
(www.theclergyletterproject.org/Christian_Clergy/ChrClergyLtr.htm)
Reading Journal # 22
Nov 21
Building the Bridges: Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation
Readings: Diana Eck, A New Religious America: How a "Christian
Country" Has Become the World's Most Religiously Diverse
Nation, ch. 7 (Sakai)
Eboo Patel, “The Civic Relevance of Interfaith Cooperation”
(Sakai)
Reading Journal # 23
Nov 24
Religion in the “Public Square”
Readings: Livingston, 373m-374m (read carefully), 374m-382m (skim),
382m-393 (read carefully)
Thich Nhat Hanh, “Working for Peace” (Sakai)
Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
http://web.stanford.edu/group/King/frequentdocs/birmingham.pdf
Robert P. Jones, “Progressive and Religious: The New Face of
Religion in American Public Life” (Sakai)
Reading Journal # 24
Dec 1-5
Site Visit Project Reports
Dec 5
Test Review. SITE VISIT PAPERS ARE DUE IN CLASS!!!
Dec 8
TEST # 2 (9:00 a.m.—noon)