Religion 291
Objectives
This course introduces students to the various methods used to study
"religion" over the course of this century. We will not try to define
'religion' or 'religious experience'. Rather we will accept that
certain phenomena are and have been studied by scholars, and we will concentrate
on the methods they have used for analyzing and interpreting these phenomena.
We will balance this academic study with more informal discussion of our
presuppositions of what is 'religion'. By this approach the course
sets out to accomplish the following objectives:
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Begin the semester's conversation with student-generated descriptions of
something 'religious' and with discussion of Silko's novel, Ceremony.
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Canvass the major thinkers and approaches of the study of 'religion' through
reading, lecture, and discussion.
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Reflect formally (response papers, exams) and informally (class and e-mail
discussion) on how the major texts of 'religious studies' inform and/or
change the students' understanding of 'religion'.
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End the semester with reflections on how 'religion' is used in current
media and with an analysis of a second novel, The God of Small Things,
using these venues to assess what change of perspective on 'religion' has
been wrought..