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Prof. Mary Suydam |
Merriam Webster Online Dictionary |
| The Bible Unbound | |
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Class: MWF 10:10 - 11 |
E-Res |
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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: M - W-: 2:10 - 3 and T-Th 1-2:30 |
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). That being said, you should not come to class if you are sick. Instead, contact me by email before class. Before the next class write a short (1 typed page) paper explaining a point you would have made about that day's reading had you been there. 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. All assignments are due on the day assigned. Without prior permission of the instructor, failure to turn in an assignment or to take one of the tests will result in a zero on that assignment.
Refer to Guidelines for the Annotated Bibliography Project
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.
Barbara Miller, trans., The Bhagavad Gita.
The Bible: Note: You may buy a copy suggested for this class in the
bookstore, 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:Aug. 30, Sept 2, 4, 6: Intro to class; the academic study of religion.
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| Assignment 1 |
| Week 2: Sept. 9, 11, 13: Identity and Community: Symbols | |
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Readings:
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| Assignment 2 |
| Week 3: Sept. 16, 18, 20: Identity and Community: Ritual | |
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| UNIT TWO: MYTH | |
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Week 4: Sept. 23, 25, 27, : Myth; Hinduism Monday: Film: 330 Million Gods
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| Assignment 3 |
| Week 5: Sept. 30, Oct. 2, 4: Myth in Hinduism | |
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| UNIT THREE: ETHICS | |
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Week 6: Oct. 7,9: Hinduism
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Week 7: Oct. 14, 16, 18: Buddhism Film: Footprint of the Buddha Milinda's Chariot, The Man Who Lost his Body (P/Class) Cunningham, Sacred Quest, chapter 7 Bibliography Topics due
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Week 8: Oct. 21, 23, 25: Mahayana Buddhism Sign Up Sheet: Paper Bibliographies
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| UNIT FOUR: THE SACRED | |
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Week 9: Oct. 28, 30, Nov. 1: Buddhism test; Christian beginnings
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| Week 10: Nov. 4, 6, 8: Christianity | |
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| Week 11: Nov. 11, 13, 15: Christianity |
| Week 12: Nov. 18, 20, 22: | Putting it Together: Holiness, Community, and Society: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam |
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| Go Down Moses, another version | Exodus clip |
| Wednesday: | |
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| Friday: | |
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| ---------------THANKSGIVING
BREAK----------------- |
| Week 13: Dec. 2, 4, 6: 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"
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| Week 14: Dec. 9, 11, 13: Putting it Together: |
Holiness, Community and Society: Buddhism |
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Monday: Film: Mandala:
the Sacred Circle of Vajrabhairava
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| Friday, May 3 : Assignment
9 Tibetan Sand Mandala Example Tibetan Sand Mandala |
Final Exam handed out in class Friday, Dec. 13. Take-home portion will be due at the beginning of the in-class exam, Dec. 16.
Exam date: Monday, Dec. 16 at 7at 1:30 in the regular classroom.
