Prof. Gail Hamner
Office Hours (512 Hall of Languages): Mondays 9:30-10:30
a.m., and by appointment
This course will introduce the curious contemporary phenomenon
of "Theory" and will challenge us to take up the gauntlet the issues of
Theory throw down for the scholar of religion. The bulk of the semester
will be spent on close readings of texts that frame critical theory and
on discussion of the implications of these texts for the study of religion.
We then will end the semester with student projects that will attempt to
put current issues or debates within religion (or religion in culture)
under the same scrutiny.
Week 1: Introductory questions
Wed., January 19 Introductions
Fri., January 21
Mark Kishlansky, "How to Read a Document"
[introductory lecture on "Theory"]
Week 2: Enlightenment Background
Mon., January 24
Kant, Religion within the Limits of Reason Alone (1791): Prefaces
and Book I
[introduction to Kant]
Wed., January 26 Kant, Book II
Fri., January 28
Kant, Book III, Division I
Week 3: Kant (continued)
Mon., January 31 Kant, Book III, Division II and G.O.
Wed., February 2 Kant, Book IV, part I
Fri., February 4 Kant, Book IV, to the end
Week 4: the Nietzschean Critique
Mon., February 7
Derrida’s essay on Religion
[introduction to Friedrich Nietzsche]
Wed., February 9 Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morals, N’s "Preface" – "First Essay", Sec. 12
Fri., February 11
Nietzsche, 1st essay, Sec. 13 – 2nd essay, Sec. 11
Week 5: Nietzsche (continued)
Mon., February 14 Nietzsche, 2nd essay, Sec. 12 – 3rd essay, Sec. 11
Wed., February 16 Nietzsche, 3rd essay, Sec. 12 – Sec. 20
Fri., February 18
Nietzsche, 3rd essay, Sec. 21 – end.
Question period in preparation for your midterm papers
Week 6: Deleuze on Nietzsche
Mon., February 21
midterm paper due on Kant or Nietzsche
[introduction to Deleuze]
Wed., February 23 Deleuze, Nietzsche and Philosophy, chapter 1
Fri., February 25
Deleuze, chapter 2
Week 7: Deleuze (continued)
Mon., February 28 Deleuze, chapters 3-4
Wed., March 1 Deleuze, chapter 5 through section 9
Fri., March 3
Deleuze, chapter 5 section 10- conclusions
[introduction to Freud]
Week 8: Freudian Critique
Mon., March 6 Freud, Moses and Monotheism (1937), Parts I and II
Wed., March 8 Freud, Part III, Prefatory notes and Section I, parts 1-3
Fri., March 10
Freud, end Section I
Spring Break: March 13-17
Week 9: Freudian Critique (continued)
Mon., March 20 Freud, Part III, Section II
Wed., March 22 Derrida, Archive Fever, p. 1-31
Fri., March 24
Derrida, p. 33-81 This is a big chunk, but hard to subdivide.
Week 10: Bataille
Mon., March 27
Derrida, p. 83-101
[Introduction to Bataille]
Wed., March 29 Bataille, Theory of Religion, beginning through part 1
Fri., March 31
Bataille, part 2 through the end
[introduction to Foucault]
Week 11: Foucault
Wed., April 5 Foucault, TBA
Fri., April 7
Foucault, TBA
[Introduction to Irigaray]
Week 12: Feminist Theory
Mon., April 10 Irigaray, I love to you,
Wed., April 12 Irigaray
Fri., April 14
Irigaray
[hand out assignments for next week]
Mon., April 17 Discuss responses to newspaper articles
Wed., April 19 as above
Fri., April 21
no class: Good Friday
Week 14: Student assessments of critical theory and religion
Mon., April 24 student projects
Wed., April 26 student projects
Fri., April 28
student projects
Week 15: wrap-up
Mon., May 1
wrap-up discussion