RE 207 Studying Religion
Laurier Brantford
Winter Term, 2011 (Jan. 7 – April 8)
INSTRUCTOR
Barry Stephenson
Office: RCW 318
Hours: Tuesdays, 5:30-6:30p.m.
E-mail: bstephenson@wlu.ca
Phone: x5437
CLASSTIME/LOCATION
Tuesdays, 7-9:50 p.m.
Room: GRH 207
Reading Week Feb. 18th – 22nd
I hold a PhD in Religious Studies, from the University of Calgary. My research and teaching focus
on religion and modernity, emphasizing the areas of religion and literature and ritual studies.
For a link to my CV, and other information on my work and teaching, visit
http://barrystephenson.ca.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
‘Theoretical and methodological issues pertaining to the academic study of religion,
including an examination of selected theories of the origin, character, and function of religion
as a human phenomenon’ (from the University calendar). As the course title suggests, this is
an introduction to the study of religion, as opposed to the study of a particular religion. The
aim is to get you thinking about ideas and approaches, theories and methods used in the
academic study of religion, and learn about the history of the field. Of course, we can’t study
religion without some actual “data” to study, so we will be introduced to various religious
phenomena from a variety of traditions.
EVALUATION
Midterm Exam 30% (deals chiefly with material from Herling, and part of Sexson; a mix of
multiple choice, true-false, matching, short answer; 2hrs). Students must be
available, in class on February 12th, to write the midterm.
Review Essay
Final exam
1
30% (~ 2500 words; details given in class). The review essay is due March
26th by 11:59p.m.; submit through MyLearningSpace, in the dropbox titled
(Review Essay). Be sure to review the late policy, below.
40% (registrar scheduled final exam covering the course in its entirety;
students must be available during the exam period, no exceptions.)
READINGS
Bruce Lincoln, Holy Terrors: Thinking About Religion After September 11
Lynda Sexson, Ordinarily Sacred
Bradley Herling, A Beginner’s Guide to the Study of Religion
- These three texts are required and are available through the university bookstore, or an
online reseller
Various additional articles, as noted below
SCHEDULE
The weekly readings listed below should be finished in advance of class. Notes, readings and
additional information for each weekly session is available on MyLearningSpace.
January 8th - Course Introduction
Reading: The course syllabus
Reading: select passages from the Hebrew Bible
January 15th - A classic text in the history of religious studies: Freud’s The Future of an Illusion
Reading: Freud: The Future of An Illusion
Reading: Herling, “Beginnings in the Study of Religion” (chapter 1 of A Beginner’s Guide)
January 22th Key Themes in Method and Theory
Reading: Herling, “Theory in the Study of Religion,” (chapter 2 of A Beginner’s Guide)
Reading: Sexson, Ordinarily Sacred, chapters 1-3 (up to page 68)
January 29th Classic Theories in Religious Studies
Reading: Herling, “Classic Theories in the Study of Religion, Part 1” (chapter 3 of A
Beginner’s Guide)
February 5th Classic Theories, part 2
Reading: Herling, “Classic Theories in the Study of Religion”, Part 2 (chapter 4 of A
Beginner’s Guide)
Reading: Sexson, Ordinarily Sacred, chapters 4 and 5
February 12th
Midterm exam (2hrs)
Reading Week
February 26th Myth, Dream, Story
Reading: Sexson, Ordinarily Sacred, chapters 6-8 (rest of the book)
March 5th Sacred Space
Reading: Barry Stephenson, “Luther’s Thesenportal”
March 12th Initiation
Reading: Sam Gill, “Disenchantment: A Religious Abduction”
March 19th Religion and September 11
Reading: Bruce Lincoln, Hoy Terrors, chapters 1-4
2
March 26th Religion and Politics
Reading: Lincoln, Holy Terrors, chapters 5 & 6
Reading: Herling, “Conclusion” to A Beginner’s Guide
• Review Essay Due (11:59p.m. through TurnItIn)
April 2nd Religion and Popular Culture
Reading: Sean McLoud, “Popular Culture Fandoms, the Boundaries of Religious Studies, and
the Project of the Self”
Final exam – registrar scheduled final exam (2hrs).
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND POLICIES – Please read carefully
University Policies: 1. Plagiarism can result in failure of an assignment or, if a repeated offense, the entire
course. Since it is your responsibility to know what constitutes plagiarism, you must read the Calendar
statement on academic and research misconduct. Faculty & instructors may use software to check for
plagiarism, and students may be required to submit written work in electronic form to facilitate such a
check. 2. It is your responsibility to make yourself available for exams regardless of when they are
scheduled. 3. Students with disabilities or special needs should contact Laurier Brantford’s Accessible
Learning Office for information regarding its services and resources, as well as review the Calendar for
additional information regarding services available on campus. 4. If you are taking evening courses, call
FOOT Patrol. After class, call 751-7875 for a walk or drive home. The Special Constable Service is
available to escort students, faculty or staff to their vehicles. To reach a special constable call 519-7568228 ext. 5762. In cases of emergency, the special constables can be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week at ext. 5888. As part of the on-going campus safety initiatives, the Special Constable Service is
partnered with the Brantford Police Service Downtown BEAT Unit and has implemented a campus
surveillance system and increased campus lighting. For more information on this service click here to
visit their web site. The Special Constable Service is located on the first floor of the Market Place Building
at 45 Market Street.
Instructor’s Policies: 1. Assignments are due on the due date in the syllabus, in the stated form.
Assignments and papers arriving after the due date are considered late. 2. If for some reason, you can’t
submit an electronic version of an assignment, do not leave it in an instructor’s or tutor’s mail box or put
it under the instructor’s door without having the departmental administrative secretary date and sign it.
Otherwise, assignments are dated by the instructor or tutor when the papers are in hand. 3. Except in the
case of emergencies, you must notify the instructor or tutor before rather than after a late assignment is
due. 4. Late papers or assignments unaccompanied by a letter from a doctor, counsellor, or funeral
director will be docked 10% per day. Even with such a letter, extension times must be reasonable, and
the note must specify what is considered a reasonable extension. This late policy will be enforced. 5.
Papers occasionally get lost, so you are required to retain a copy of your paper; do not hand in your only
copy. 6. Attendance in the course is required; poor attendance or lack of participation can result in
a lowering of your final grade or even failure of the course. 7. Be sure to read the syllabus carefully,
and prepare for each class by doing the required readings and other work. Treat the syllabus like a
contract; school is your work, and the readings and class preparation are part of that work. 8. Be sure to
regularly check MyLearningSpace for announcements, discussions, and additional work related to class
preparation and requirements. 9. E-Mail: I prefer to be contacted through my Laurier e-mail address
(bstephenson@wlu.ca) rather than through the MyLearnigSpace e-mail system. Please only send e-mails
from your Laurier account; otherwise, I may never receive your message, due to filters.
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