Introduction to the Study of Religion RELIGIOUS STUDIES 105‐001 $ Spring 2010 EMAIL: VTOUNA@AS.UA.EDU MS. VAIA TOUNA OFFICE: MANLY 315 (348‐7223) OFFICE HOURS: M 3:00‐4:00 P.M AND BY APPOINTMENT DEPARTMENT OFFICE: MANLY HALL 212 (348‐5271) LECTURES COURSE WEBSITE 11:00‐12:15 TUES/THURS $ MANLY 207 WWW.AS.UA.EDU/REL/REL105TOUNA.HTML DESCRIPTION As the honors introduction to the academic study of religion, REL 105 focuses in detail on the problem of defining religion, in theory and in practice. The course examines classic approaches to defining religion, identifies the theories of religion’s role or purpose implicit in each, and uses actual US Supreme Court cases as examples of how religion is defined in practice (and the practical implications [that is, social, economic, political] of defining it in this or that way). As a Core Curriculum Humanities course, REL 100’s goal is for all students to learn to define, accurately describe, and compare in a non‐evaluative manner so as to find significant similarities and differences among forms of observable human behavior. OBJECTIVES Among this course’s many objectives are the following goals: 1. To learn to identify and distinguish between essentialist, functionalist, and family resemblance definitions. 2. To learn to identify and distinguish between theological and anthropocentric approaches to the study of religion. 3. To learn to identify and distinguish between an emic and an etic viewpoint. 4. To learn to define key concepts and identify scholars relevant to the academic study of religion. BOOKS The course has only two required books, that can be purchased at the University Supply Store, local book stores, or at such sites as amazon.com or bn.com; used copies are probably also available: Russell McCutcheon, Studying Religion: An Introduction (Equinox Publishers, 2007) Euripides, Hippolytos (Oxford University Press, 1973/1992) ONLINE READINGS The course website contains links either to online readings or PDFs (portable format documents; see the reading schedule below). You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to read them. This free software is installed on all A&S computer lab computers. The schedule below provides a list of the readings that you will be responsible for on any given day. Doing all of your assigned readings well in advance of class is important because our lectures and discussions all presume that you have the necessary background knowledge provided by these readings. 1
QUIZZES, TESTS, AND EXAMS Quizzes, which will only take a few moments to complete, will take place on the last day when we devote attention to each chapter of Studying Religion: An Introduction. You will be asked to take out a sheet of paper and briefly define no more than three technical terms that appeared in the chapter in bolded text. Each of these terms is defined in the book’s Glossary. There will be eight quizzes. There are no rewrite opportunities for missed quizzes. Tests are in a multiple choice format and are based on material presented in class as well as the technical terms and scholars’ information contained in Studying Religion: An Introduction. There are three tests. If you miss a test, you must contact the professor immediately to explain your absence; make‐up tests are not an option in this course; instead, for absences deemed legitimate by the professor, the portion of the grade dedicated to the missed test will be completely transferred to the following test. There is a cumulative final exam in this course, in multiple choice format. Failing to attend the final exam for what the professor deems a legitimate reason will result in the final exam’s portion of the overall grade being divided evenly between the three previous tests. The results of all multiple choice tests can be obtained through MyBama, which requires that you enter your Campus Wide ID (CWID) and Password. REQUIREMENTS 1. This course has 8 scheduled quizzes, each comprised of no more than three brief definitions of technical terms that appear in each of Studying Religion’s chapters. Only those terms in the chapter in question will be on a quiz. The terms you will be tested on appear in bold in each chapter and are defined in the book’s Glossary. Collectively, the quizzes are worth 20% of your final grade. 2. This course has one group assignment. You will be asked in group of three to find at least three definitions of religion. You will need to quote and cite each definition (quotations must be double spaced, neatly typed, grammatically correct). They are due at the next meeting of the class (19 January). The citation style should be as follows: Author Surname, Author First Name, “Article or Chapter Title,” Full BookTitle, Edition or volume number, City of Publication: Publisher, page number(s). This assignment is worth 10% of your final grade. 3. This course has three multiple choice tests. These tests will be based on class content as well as the technical terms and the scholars covered in portions of Studying Religion (see schedule below). The relevant information on the scholars discussed in the chapters will be: the period in which they lived; their research specialty/area of expertise; their contribution and/or relevance to the academic study of religion. Each test is worth 10% of your final grade for a total of 30%. 4. This course has a cumulative, multiple choice final examination which covers all material included in the previous tests and quizzes. This cumulative exam is worth 40% of your final grade. 2
GRADING SCALE C 70‐74 A+ 95‐100% D+ 65‐69 A 90‐94 D‐ 50‐59 B+ 85‐89 D 60‐64 B 80‐84 F below C+ 75‐79 GENERAL COMMENTS 1. Plagiarism is a serious scholarly offence and amounts to using the intellectual labor of another author without proper quotation, citation, and acknowledgment. If the instructor suspects that a student has copied the work of another author (whether that author is a peer, classmate, or published author), the case will immediately be referred to the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. 2. No grades of “I” (Incomplete) will be assigned in this course. In my experience, when awarded at the 100‐level a grade of “I” rarely leads to the completion of course requirements. Please speak with me well in advance if you are having difficulties satisfactorily completing the course’s requirements on time or if you anticipate your absence from class becoming routine. Although I cannot guarantee that reasonable accommodations can be made for all occasions that may arise, speaking with me before a problem arises will greatly enhance our ability to address the situation in a way that is both fair to your classmates and beneficial to you. 3. Students with documented physical and/or learning disabilities should contact the professor (not a student assistant) outside of class time (i.e., make an appointment to see him at his office), as soon as possible, to provide copies of their documentation and to discuss the reasonable accommodation(s) that can be made to meet their needs. However, prior to contacting the professor, ensure that you contact the Office of Disability Services, which is located at 133B Martha Parham Hall East (on the corner of 6th Ave. and Bryant Dr.); call them at 348‐4285 or visit their web site: http://ods.ua.edu/. TENTATIVE SCHEDULE Jan 12 Introduction to the Course Jan 14 Defining Religion Group Assignment Jan 19 What’s in a Name? Studying Religion Preface, Introduction and 1 U.S. Supreme Court Case: Nix v. Hedden, 1893 (link on course web site) * Quiz 1 on Studying Religion 1’s technical terms Jan 21 The History of the Category “Religion” Studying Religion 2 Jeff Strickler, “Spiritual But Not Religious” (link on course web site) * Quiz 2 on Studying Religion 2’s technical terms Jan 26 The Essentials of Religion 3
Jan 28 Feb 2 Feb 4 Feb 9 Feb 11 Feb 16 Feb 18 Feb 23 Feb 25 Mar 2 Mar 4 Mar 9 Studying Religion 3 Plato’s Euthyphro http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/euthyfro.html (link on course web site) The Essentials of Religion Plato’s Euthyphro http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/euthyfro.html (link on course web site) The Essentials of Religion Rudolf Otto, “Religion is an Experience of Awe and Mystery” (PDF on course web site) Paul Tillich, “Religion is an Expression of Ultimate Concern” (PDF on course web site) The Essentials of Religion Mircea Eliade, Foreward, Patterns in Comparative Religion (PDF on course web site) Karen Armstrong, Preface to Islam: A Short History (PDF on course web site) * Quiz 3 on Studying Religion 3’s technical terms The Functions of Religion Studying Religion 4 The Functions of Religion Karl Marx, “Religion is the Opium of the People” (PDF on course web site) Emile Durkheim, Excerpt on Magic and Religion, The Elementary Forms of Religious Life (link on course web site) The Functions of Religion Sigmund Freud, “Religion is an Illusion Produced by Psychological Projection” (PDF on course web site) Stewart Guthrie, Introduction to Faces in the Clouds: A New Theory of Religion (pages 3‐7; PDF course on web site) * Quiz 4 on Studying Religion 4’s technical terms Multiple Choice Test 1 on Studying Religion 1‐4’s technical terms and scholars The Public Study of Religion Studying Religion 5 Applications to U.S. Constitutional Law: Originalism vs. Living Document The Public Study of Religion Intelligent Design in the Science Class: The Decision of the U.S. Federal Court Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, PA, 2005 (link on course web site) * Quiz 5 on Studying Religion 5’s technical terms The Insider Outsider Problem Studying Religion 6 Horace Miner, “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema” (PDF on course web site) The Insider Outsider Problem Mark Meusse, “Making the Familiar Strange and the Strange Familiar” (PDF course web site) The Insider Outsider Problem 4
* Quiz 6 on Studying Religion 6’s technical terms Mar 11 Definition Theory Applied I: The U.S. Supreme Court and the Definition of Religion ‐ Lynch v. Donnelly, 1984 ‐ Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah, 1993 Mar 16 Multiple Choice Test 2 on Studying Religion 5‐6’s technical terms and scholars Mar 18 Spring Holiday Mar 23 Spring Holiday Mar 25 The Resemblance Among Religions Studying Religion 7 Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations, paragraphs 66‐70 (PDF on course website) Mar 30 The Resemblance Among Religions William Alston, “Religion” from The Encyclopedia of Philosophy (PDF on course web site) * Quiz 7 on Studying Religion 7’s technical terms Apr 1 Religion and Classification Studying Religion 8 Mary Douglas, “Ritual Uncleanness” and “Secular Defilement” (PDFs on course web site) Apr 6 Religion and Classification Mary Douglas, “The Abominations of Leviticus” (PDF on course web site) * Quiz 8 on Studying Religion 8’s technical terms Apr 8 Distinguishing the White Lies from the Disciplinary Lies Studying Religion, Afterword Apr 13 Multiple Choice Test 3 on Studying Religion 7‐8’s technical terms and scholars Apr 15 Definition Theory Applied II Ancient Greek Religion: History Apr 20 Definition Theory Applied II Ancient Greek Religion: Social Life Apr 22 Definition Theory Applied II Ancient Greek Religion: Drama and Heroes Apr 27 Definition Theory Applied II Euripides’s Hippolytos Apr 29 Definition Theory Applied II Euripides’s Hippolytos May 6 Final Exam, 8:00‐10:30 a.m. 5
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