[Western Oregon University]

R 315:INTERPRETING RELIGIOUS PHENOMENA

SPRING 1998 SYLLABUS (CRN 9617) MWF 1 PM (MOD 103) FOR PROFESSOR DALE CANNON Email:  cannodw@wou.edu Office Hours:  MWF 11-12, TTh 2-3, and by appointment.


 
OBJECTIVES

 

EMPATHETIC OBJECTIVITY: the discipline of making real to yourself the inward life, the subjective reality, of the lives lived within traditions other than your own as they truly are (thereby discovering what is like yourself in the stranger) and coming to recognize and understand your own tradition objectively as one among others (thereby discovering what is strange about yourself).

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1.  A persistent effort to practice and master the discipline of empathetic objectivity in interpreting religious phenomena.

2.  Thoughtful preparation for and active participation in class discussion on the basis of scheduled readings and other assignments.  Write down and bring to class questions of clarification, critical reflections, and/or attempts to put key points in your own words on which you would like feedback.  It is suggested that you keep a journal for the course for this purpose, although a journal will not be required.

3.  Regular attendence, attentive taking in of what is conveyed in lectures, and active participation in classroom activities and discussion.  (2 to 3 absences in any three weeks of the course will reduce your grade by 1/3 of a grade point.  3 to 4 absences, a reduction of 2/3 of a grade point.  More than 5, a reduction of 1 grade point.  Any absence may be made up by carefully outlining the reading assignment for the day and writing a thoughtful response to it -- e.g., questions it raised, thoughts it ocasioned, and/or things you did not understand, plus going out of your way to learn what transpired in the class session and verifying that with me.  These outlines are due as soon as possible after your absence but in any case within one week of your return to class.)

4.  One to two page, empathetically objective brief interpretations of five religious phenomena, not later than the following dates: 1st by April 10, 2nd by April 17, 3rd by May 8, 4th by May 15, 5th by May 29.  Each of these interpretations are to focus on an example from a distinct tradition of a different one of the six ways of being religious we will be exploring in this course.  It should make clear how it is an example of that way of drawing near to (and coming into appropriate relationship to) what the tradition in question takes to be ultimate reality.  (Note, your choice of phenomena should be coordinated with your topic for the Field Research topic, for the latter must be an example of the remaining 6th way of being religious which is not covered by your 5 short papers.  Also note that a religious phenomenon may happen to involve simultaneously more than one way of being religious.  While you should explain whatever ways of being religious are involved, the phenomenon chosen for the paper should at least clearly exemplify the way in question and your paper should make that evident and not just say so.)  Each interpretation should be concisely summarized for the most part in your own words and, so far as possible, should empathetically but neutrally capture the central core of meaning involved for participants.  Endeavor to choose example religious phenomena that are as specific as possible (do your best to avoid generalizations), have your interpretation be wholly focused on the phenomenon you have chosen, and imagine your way into what it is like to be an insider participant.  Obtain sources that will enable you to fulfill these objectives.
          Depending on its quality, you may be directed to re-write any of these interpretations.  (Rewrites are normally expected to be completed by one week from receiving them back, accompanied by the original, and done in accordance with my suggestions.  Your grade for each will be based on the final product.)
          At the end of these brief papers you should cite any sources used in proper, MLA format.  (For those of you unfamiliar with the current MLA format for giving references, see my webpage on MLA format and/or consult chapters 4 and 5 of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 4th ed., by Joseph Gibaldi, on reserve in the library for this course.  Do not follow Miller and Selser's [Writing and Research in Religious Studies] guidance regarding documentation format.)  As background for doing library research for this assignment, read Miller and Seltser, chs. 1, 3, and "Section Two: Library Research" (pp. 1-3, 13-19, and 20-37) and be sure to attend our library orientation class session April 6.  Religious Studies Videos available in the ITC Lab (some of which are excellent) may also be used as sources for these papers.  (The five papers and general class participation will together count for 20% of grade.)

5.  An empathetically objective report of a religious phenomenon or practice based directly on your own fieldwork -- e.g., observing a religious ritual or intensive interviews -- supplemented as needed by reading and library research.  The phenomenon must exemplify the one of the six ways of being religious that you are not covering in your five brief papers.  While this report is not intended to be a comprehensive interpretation, it must provide sufficient (and accurate) background for your reader (and of course for you as well) to understand the phenomenon within its context and tradition and also provide for your reader enough of the concrete detail and feel of the phenomenon to convey something of the participants' perspective and experience.  Thus it will involve both library research and fieldwork.  To prepare for the fieldwork for this report, you must read Miller and Seltser, chs. 1 & 3 (if you haven't already) and "Section Three: Field Research in Religious Studies," pp. 38-89; your fieldwork should reflect the basic guidelines given by Miller and Seltser.  Before carring out your fieldwork but once you have done initial planning for the fieldwork itself, you must consult with me to help you focus your fieldwork and receive some suggestions for what to look for and what to ask.  You are encouraged to consult with me in relation to any other aspect of the assignment including possible places to visit and contacts.
          The resulting report, about 3-5 pages in length, is due Friday April 24 (unless special dispensation is granted -- e.g., for a report on the observance of some ritual which occurs the previous Wednesday or that weekend).  In addition to the usual MLA format for sources, you should give full citation of whatever interviews, visitations, etc., on which it is based.  Depending on its quality, you may be directed to re-write the report.  (Rewrites are normally expected to be completed by one week from receiving them back, accompanied by the original, and done in accordance with my suggestions.)
           You will be expected to make a brief 10-15 minute presentation in class concerning the subject of your fieldwork during the weeks of May 11 through 22. (The report plus your presentation will count for 20% of your grade.)

6.  One in-class examination drawn from short essay questions given out ahead of time that relate to readings and lectures.  This will be held Friday May 1.  You will be given the option of gaining up to one half of any points missed on the exam by rewriting any of the answers from scratch outside of class upon consulting anew appropriate sources..  Such rewrites are due one week after receiving the exam back and accompanied with the original exam.  (This will count 20% of grade.)

7.  An essay comparing the examples from Buddhism and Christianity of any one of the ways of being religious covered in chs. 9 through 14 of Six Ways of Being Religious, based on an attempt to answer with care each of the study questions at the end of the chapter in question and having read both chapters 7 and 8 which survey Buddhism and Christianity in their entirety (which will help you situate the examples you will be comparing).  The resulting essay, which is due Friday, May 22, should be between 3 and 6 pages and should be a coherent, empathetically objective comparison of the two religious phenomena that more or less stands on its own, and should use MLA format for any references on which it relies, including the class text.  The essay should not simply be the set of answers you come up with to each of the study questions, but should rather be a coherent essay drawing upon your answers to them.  The sources from which each of the excerpts are taken will be placed on library reserve, so that you may consult the larger work and context from which they have been taken if you so wish.  You are encouraged (but not required) to consult the other references given at the end of the chapter as well.  It may draw upon as much external research as you like, but it will not be graded down if no external research beyond the text is conducted.  You are encouraged to consult with me in relation to any aspect of the assignment.  This essay also may be rewritten for an improved grade, following the same guidelines given above.  (This essay will count for 20% of grade.)

8.  One take-home final essay exam due Monday, June 8 at Noon at the latest.  This will be in answer to a set of optional questions given out well in advance which will involve a critical discussion of competing approaches to the interpretation religion found in Paden's Interpreting the Sacred and Cannon's Six Ways of Being Religious.  You are encouraged to consult with me in relation to any aspect of the assignment.  (This exam will count for 20% of grade.)

9.  Extra Credit:  Find, describe, and evaluate in written form (2 to 3 pages) an Internet website that appears to offer valuable information on some religious tradition or phenomenon as to its value and usefulness as a reliable source for empathetically objective interpretations of the religious tradition or phenomenon that it represents.  This must be done in accordance with the principles and criteria otherwise used in the course.  It can be turned in at any time, but not later than the final week of classes.  Depending on its quality, it can raise your grade up to 1/3 grade point.  This can be done not more than twice for credit.


 
COURSE TEXTS
 


 
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE
(All items except the required texts are available on library reserve or reference.)

Mar 30  Introduction to the Course and Introductory Video

Apr 1  Introduction to Each Other and to Public Education Religion Studies

Apr 3  Empathetic Objectivity

Apr 6  Library Research in Religious Studies

Apr  8  Ways of Studying Religion and Phenomenology of Religion

Apr 10  First short paper due.

Apr 10  Defining Religion

Apr 13  Religion as a Cultural System

Apr 15  The Problem of Meaning and the General Idea of Ways of Being Religious

Apr 17  Second short paper due.

Apr 17  The Way of Sacred Rite

Apr 20  The Way of Right Action

Apr 22  The Way of Devotion

Apr 24  Fieldwork Report Due.

Apr 24  The Way of Shamanic Mediation

Apr 27  The Way of Mystical Quest

Apr 29  The Way of Reasoned Inquiry

May 1  Mid-Term Examination.

May 4  Ways of Being Religious, Examples, Combinations, Permutations

May 6  Religious Common Sense and Evaluative Considerations

May 8  Third short paper due.

May 8  Critical Reflections on the Framework of Ways of Being Religious

May 11 - 22 Oral Presentations of Fieldwork Reports.

May 11  Applying the Framework of Ways of Being Religious

May 13  TBA

May 15 Fourth short paper due.

May 15  TBA

May 18  TBA

May 20  TBA

May 22 Comparative essay due.

May 22  TBA

May 25  Interpretive Frames; Critical Interpretations of Religion

May 27  Social Interpretations of Religion

May 29 Fifth short paper due.

May 29  Psychological Interpretations of Religion

June 1 Comparative Perspective and Views from the Inside

June 3  Contextuality of Interpretations

June 5  Plurality of Interpretations

June 11 Take-home examination due by Noon.

June 13  Last class session.
  (Wednesday at Noon)

RELIGIOUS STUDIES ESSAYS I: Public Education Religion Studies

RELIGIOUS STUDIES ESSAYS II: Empathetic Objectivity . . .

TOPIC SELECTION FOR ASSIGNMENTS

EASTERN RELIGIONS VIDEO LIST

WESTERN RELIGIONS VIDEO LIST

EXAM STUDY QUESTIONS

R315 GLOSSARY

PEER REVIEW GUIDE FOR RESEARCH PROJECT

MLA FORMAT
 

 

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Copyright © 1997 Western Oregon University

Direct suggestions, comments, and questions about this page to Dale Cannon.