RELG
370:
Approaches
to the Study of Religion
|
Topics |
Readings |
|
W Jan 21: Syllabus, Expectations, Grading |
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F Jan 23: Introductions
and Overviews
|
|
Phenomenology:
William
James
The Varieties of Religious Experience, by William James
|
Week 1: Introduction to
the Class |
|
Week 2: Religion and Neurology; The Reality of the Unseen
|
James,
lectures II & III |
Week 3:
The Religion of Healthy-Mindedness; The Sick
Soul
|
James, lectures IV-VII |
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Week 4: The Divided Self; Conversion |
James, lectures IX-X |
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Week 5: Mysticism |
James, lectures XVI, XVII, XX |
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Week 6: Mysticism; Conclusions |
James, lectures XVI, XVII, XX Initial prospectus due
in class on Friday |
Humanistic
Psychology:
Abraham
Maslow
Religions, Values, and
Peak Experiences
Week 7:
Peak Experiences
|
Maslow, all Final prospectus due in
class on Friday |
Psychoanalysis:
Sudhir
Kakar
The Inner World: A
Psycho-Analytic Study of Childhood in India
Week 8: The Hindu World Image
|
Kakar, ch. 1 &2 |
(Week 10: Spring Break)
|
Week 10: Mothers and Infants; The Inner World in
Culture and History |
Kakar, 3 &5 |
The Analyst and the Mystic: Psychoanalytic Reflections on
Religion and Mysticism
|
Week 11: The Analyst and the Mystic |
Kakar, all Jeremiah’s paper (four
hard copies) due in class on Friday. |
|
Week 12: Tutorials In Class Discussion of
Papers: Monday: Jeremiah Friday: Alyssa |
Student Papers Four hard copies of
paper due in class: Monday: Julia Wednesday: Alyssa |
Mad & Divine: Spirit
and Psyche in the Modern World
|
Week 13: Saintly Figures |
Kakar, ch. 1-5 |
|
Week 14: Freud
in Goa |
Kakar, chs. 6-9 |
|
Week 15: Presentation of Papers |
|
|
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Participation |
300 |
|
Responses |
200 |
|
Paper |
500 |
Final Grade Values
1000 Points Possible
|
900 to 919 = A- 880 to 899 = B+ 820 to 879 = B 800 to 819 = B- 780 to 799 = C+ |
700 to 719 = C- 680 to 699 = D+ 620 to 679 = D 600 to 619 = D- 599 & below = F |
Track
your progress on Blackboard
Discussion Questions: Each student will direct two discussion sessions in
class, each time in cooperation with one other student. I will assign the dates for leading
discussion. The two students should come
up with four discussions questions (two each) and consult with each other in
advance to be sure that the questions are sufficiently different and that
together they should generate a comprehensive discussion of the reading
assignment(s) for that day. After
completing the questions, one of the two students should compile them into a
single document. That document must be
sent to me via email by 5:00 PM, two days
before the class discussion. I will
approve the questions or suggest alterations.
The final list of four questions should be posted as one document on the
discussion board by 8:00 PM the evening
before the discussion. List each
pair of questions under the name of the discussion leader who wrote them. Each student should then write responses to
his or her own two questions. Those
responses should be at least one substantial paragraph each. Do not post these responses. At the end of class on the day of the
discussion, one of the two students should give me a paper copy of the four
questions along with the responses from both students. If a student does not
show up in class to lead a discussion, s/he receives no points for the
assignment, a 30 point reduction from the basic participation score, and an
undocumented absence.
Discussion Responses: I will assign
two dates for each student to act as respondent, in cooperation with another
student. Each time, students will
compose written responses of no less than one full paragraph for the four
posted questions. These responses should
be submitted to me on the day of the discussion, at the end of class. No need to post the responses. Late responses will not be accepted.
Research Paper: The paper is an opportunity to develop your knowledge
of a religious phenomenon and at last two major approaches that might be taken
to the study of that phenomenon. The
paper, then, should have a focused object of study; it should explore and compare at least two theoretical
approaches, and it should present and support your own thesis.
Students must choose a
topic and submit a prospectus by the deadline indicated above. The prospectus
should include:
1. A statement of the focused
topic of the paper
2. A research question related to the topic
3. Brief description of two theoretical approaches that
have been taken in specific studies of the topic (cited in the prospectus)
4. An initial thesis
5. A bibliography of five scholarly books or articles
that relate directly to the paper topics and question.
Point reductions for lateness:
·
Initial and
final prospectus: Five points for each
day after the deadline. Lateness
exceeding five days after the deadline forfeits the assignment.
Papers should be organized
in such a way as to present the scholarly topic, formulate a question,
articulate a thesis, support the thesis with good scholarly material, discuss
the implication of your thesis, raise questions that
emerge from your work. Paper must be at
least fifteen pages in length, double spaced.
Pkease use endnotes. Citations can be in any standard format –
e.g., Turabian, MLA, APA, Chicago
– so long as the format is used consistently throughout.
The final grade for the paper
will be the averaged score of the two submissions, or the score of the one
submission, if there is only one.
My Attendance Policy: Attendance
is required. Without regular attendance,
students do not tend to do well in the class.
I allow three free days. As a
courtesy, please let me know when you will be taking a free day; no rationale
needed. After the three free days, each
undocumented absence results in a 15 point reduction. If a student is
absent on a day for which s/he is assigned to lead discussion or act as
respondent, the absence does not count as a free day. If a student acquires more than three
undocumented absences, s/he must withdraw from the class. After the deadline for withdrawal, the
student will receive an F for the course.
A note from a doctor, dentist, coach, or funeral director -- with
contact information -- is acceptable documentation. The student must present the note on the day that he or she returns to
class, otherwise the absence will be counted as undocumented. Without such a note, or in the case of a late
note, the absence will not be counted as documented. Please note
that a phone call or email message saying that you are ill is not sufficient,
nor is a note from the health center confirming an appointment.
My Office Hours:
My office number and hours are Wednesdays from 12:000-1:00 PM in MB
104. Please make an appointment if you
can, but feel completely free to drop by with your concerns, ideas, questions,
etc. I will always make time if I can. If need be, we can certainly communicate by
email, but in-person is always best.
Academic dishonesty in any form --
including plagiarism of self or others, falsified documentation of a doctor’s
note, etc. -- will not be tolerated. I
expect integrity. Cheating
of any kind results, without exception, in an “F” for the course.