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Prof. Mary Suydam |
Merriam Webster Online Dictionary |
| The Bible Unbound | |
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Class: MWF 11:10 - 12 |
LBIS Consort: Course Reserves and E-RES |
| The Bible on the Web | |
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Phone PBX 5067 |
Pluralism |
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Ten Commandments for Essay Writing |
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Office: Ascension 011 |
Twenty Rules Not to Follow |
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Film Viewing Guidelines |
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Office Hours: Monday-Wednesday 1-3 |
The Academic Study of Religion |
| Defining Religion | |
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Email: suydam@kenyon.edu |
The Seven Dimensions of Religion |
| Symbolism | |
| Myth |
Timelines and Glossaries
The aim of this course is to enable you to think clearly and critically, from an academic rather than a devotional perspective, about the various human phenomena that we call "religious". The academic study of religion takes a global and pluralistic approach, looking at religion critically while attempting to understand religious phenomena from the perspectives of participants. Learning the ways in which scholars attempt this "double stance" - critical yet empathetic - is a major goal of this course.
A second major goal of this course is to introduce you to some of the basic concepts and categories that are used by scholars in the academic study of religion. The major categories that we will study this semester are: IDENTITY, MYTH, MORALITY (or ethics), in terms of both INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETY, RITUAL, and the SACRED.
These concepts do not exist in an abstract vacuum but were created as tools to understand specific religious phenomena. Therefore, a third major goal of the course is to introduce you to some of the major religious traditions and to see how these concepts help us to understand these traditions better. The traditions that we will survey this semester are Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism. In our study, we will learn 1) some of the basic worldviews of each tradition, 2) how the traditions have developed historically, and 3) how religion shapes and is shaped by cultures.
Course Requirements
This course is structured as a collaborative exchange of information between students and professor. The format of the class is a combination of lecture and discussion. Active discussion of the topics is a critical component of this class. Missing more than two classes or two weekly assignments will lower your final grade by one full point (B becomes C, for example). Grades will be based upon:
There will be weekly writing assignments each week to aid in preparing for discussions of the texts. Because critical reading of the texts is so important, you will be assigned a study partner for this class. Reading and assignments will be done as a partnership. Some writing will be in-class; some will be done outside of class and brought to the class. Click here for weekly grading guidelines.
Refer to Guidelines for Short Papers
Texts
Required:
Lawrence Cunningham and John Kelsay, eds., The Sacred
Quest: An Invitation to the Study of Religion, 3rd edition (New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2002)
Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley, The Autobiography of Malcolm X. NY: Ballantine Books.
Ramdas Lamb, Annual Editions World Religions Reader
(McGraw-Hill)
Barbara Miller, trans., The Bhagavad Gita.
The Bible: New Advent Library (Note: You may use your own copy of the Bible, or download sections you need from
the Online Bible listed on the course website)
Course Outline
| UNIT ONE: IDENTITY AND COMMUNITY | |
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Week 1: Jan. 12, 14, 16: Intro to class; the academic study of religion.
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| Assignment 1 |
| Week 2: Jan. 19, 21, 23: Identity and Community: Symbols | |
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Readings:
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| Assignment 2 |
| Week 3: Jan. 26, 28, 30: Identity and Community: Ritual | |
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| UNIT TWO: MYTH | |
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Week 4: Feb. 2, 4, 6: Myth; Hinduism Monday: Film: Test 1: Islam 330 Million Gods
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| Assignment 3 |
| Week 5: Feb. 9, 11, 13: Myth in Hinduism | |
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| UNIT THREE: ETHICS | |
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Sign Up Sheet: Paper Bibliographies Week 6: Feb. 16, 18, 20: Hinduism
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Week 7: Feb. 23, 25, 27: Buddhism Film: Footprint of the Buddha Milinda's Chariot, The Man Who Lost his Body (P/Class) Cunningham, Sacred Quest, chapter 7 The Perfections of the Boddhisattva
Paper Bibliographies Due |
SPRING BREAK MARCH 1 -- MARCH 15 Week 8: MARCH 16, 18, 20: Mahayana Buddhism
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| UNIT FOUR: THE SACRED | |
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Week 9: March 23, 25, 27: Mahayana Buddhism
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| Week 10: March 30, April 1, 3: Christianity | |
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| Week 11: April 6, 8, 10: Christianity |
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Readings:
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| Week 12: April 13, 15, 17: | Putting it Together: Holiness, Community, and Society: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam |
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| Go Down Moses, another version | Exodus clip |
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| Friday: | |
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| Week 13: April 20, 22, 24: Putting it Together: |
Holiness, Community, and Society: Hinduism |
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Monday: Film: Excerpts from the Mahabharata
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For Friday: World Religions Reader: "The Sacred is the One True Reality of Brahman" ---------------Paper Re-Writes Due Friday, April 24 ----------------------- |
| Week 14: April 27, 29, May 1: Putting it Together: |
Holiness, Community and Society: Buddhism |
Monday, April 27: Film: Mandala: the Sacred Circle of Vajrabhairava Stupas around Mt. Kailash |
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| Wednesday, April 29 : Assignment 9 |
NO CLASS FRIDAY, MAY 1.
Final Exam handed out in class Wednesday, April 29. Take-home portion will be due at the beginning of the in-class exam, May 4.
Exam date: Monday, May 4, at 8:30 am in the regular classroom.
