| Note | Week: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
I will be available in my office in Patterson 121 every day from 9:30 until 10:30, and at other times by arrangement.
The schedule of assignments, quizzes, etc. remains negotiable until Friday of week 9. Changes must be made before this date.
Week 1 - Introduction: the Academic Study of Religion
Wed. 9/2 Introduction to the course: the class
description, the webpage, and textbooks.
A brief
introduction to the academic study of religion.
Fri. 9/4 The Problem of Definition: terms and categories of the study as themselves providing models of religion. An introduction to the idea of "Dimensional" Models of religion.
How does this apply to contemporary America? See Diana Eck's A New Religious America and The Pluralism Project
Mon. 9/7 The "phenomenology" of religion.
Chris Arthur,
"Phenomenology and the Art of Story-telling."
Wed. 9/9 Smith's "point of departure," pp. 8 - 15 and
the Foreword, Preface, and List of Contents from Novak's collection of texts.
(Note that required readings from the two textbooks are shown in blue. Other readings, usually provided on the
class R: drive, are shown in red).
Fri. 9/11 Religious narratives as models of Human Experience.
Clifford Geertz on Religions as "models of" and "models for" human life.
Week 3 - Religious Traditions: The Oral Traditions
See BigMyth.com for many of the world's traditional oral myths.
Prof. Rennie will be off campus this week at an international conference. So this will be our
opportuity to practice some hybrid/online learning techniques. See
this document
for detailed instructions (this is available only to registered students).
Novak Chapter Eight, Smith Chapter IX.
Mon. 9/14 Creation Myths. Water symbolism and creation.
See Novak's collection for examples of the creation myths of oral peoples.
Fri. 9/18 QUIZ #1 (Defining Religion, Studying Religion, Oral Traditions--and how are we doing so far?)
Week 4 - Hinduism. Make sure you know the basic geography of India. See Maps of India
In fact, make sure you know the location of all of the countries
involved.
See these maps (1)
& (2).
Varnasramadharma - the blessed rage for order.
Novak chapter One.
Mon. 9/21 The Vedas and Varnashramadharma.
Wed. 9/23 An Introduction to the BhagavadGita.
The BhagavadGita in the Mahabharata.
Fri. 9/25 The valid aims and stages of life.
Smith 16-25, 40-46.
Week 5 - Hinduism, Continued.
Mon. 9/28 The Yogas.
Smith 26 - 39.
Wed. 9/30 Video, 330 Million Gods. Take especial note of references to the various formal stages of Hindu life in the
family of Shivesh Takur. What other elements of the Varnashramadharma does the video touch upon?
Smith 47 - 57.
Fri. 10/2 A discussion of the video and of Rajayoga: How can "heterophenomenology" be applied to Hinduism? Especially to
Week 6 - Buddhism
The Buddhadharma - challenging tradition.
Novak chapter Two (especially pages 49-65)
Smith 59-97.
Mon. 10/5 Rel 111: The Life of the Buddha.
Wed. 10/7 Video, excerpts from Bertolucci's The Little Buddha.
Fri. 10/9 Discussion: Buddhist narratives as models of human experience: The Discovery of Meditative Insight, The parables of the Poisoned Arrow and Carrying a Girl (see Novak, pages 53, 64, 107).
Week 7 - Buddhism continued.
Mon. 10/12 The Dharma and the Sangha. Buddhist Meditation - the Saddhu and the Bhikshu.
Wed. 10/14 Video: Footprints of the Buddha.
Fri. 10/16 Discussion: Is Theravada Buddhism a "religion?"
Week 8 - Chinese Religion
See these maps (1)
& (2).
San Chiao - Unity and Diversity.
Novak chapters Three and Four
Smith 99 - 143.
See also this note on transliteration and this map of China during the Han period.
Wed. 10/21
The San Chiao; China's three traditions and See this website for
Classical Chinese Scriptures.
Fri. 10/23 Cults and Sects in China.
Week 9
Mon. 10/26 QUIZ #2 (Hinduism,
Buddhism and
Chinese Religion).
Judaism
Novak chapter Five
Smith 179 - 203.
The People of the Book
Bear these questions in mind as you study.
Wed. 10/28 The Texts, and the History.
Fri. 10/30 General Discussion. Some consideration of Biblical narratives as models of and for human life.
Week 10 - Judaism Concluded.
Mon. 11/2 - Guest Speaker: Rabbi Martin Shorr of the local Jewish community will speak to the class at some point in this section of the course.
Wed. 11/4 - Video: Mightier than the Sword. "A detailed examination of the remains of some of the greatest cities of the time ... shows the nature of the Eastern Hellenistic civilization of which Jerusalem was a part and into which Jesus was born."
Fri. 11/6 - Online class. (Prof. Rennie will be in Montreal for the AAR Conference and the NAASR Sessions.) See these documents on The Greco-Roman Context, Greek and Roman Mysteries, Mithraism and Gnosticism, and see here for instructions.
Week 11 - The History of Religion in the Ancient Mediterranean World.
Mon. 11/9 - There will be a regular in-class meeting to discuss the online materials, see
here for instructions.
Wed. 11/11 - Zoroastrianism: the religion of the Persian Empire.
Fri. 11/13 - Introduction to
the Insider/Outsider problem in the study of religion.
Look at this as well.
You are required to turn in a working bibliography for your paper at the end of next week. This must contain at least five properly documented sources, written up in the style required by the notes on the essay.
Week 12 - Christianity
The Jesus of history and the Christ of faith. Smith 205 - 216.Mon. 11/16 Consider The Liturgy of Christianity and try to answer the question, "How do the Christian narratives of Easter and Christmas relate to the seasons of the solar year? What, in your opinion, is the significance of this?"
Wed. 11/18 Further discussion of
the Insider/Outsider problem in the study of religion.
The Historical Jesus and the Christ of Faith (see Smith, 206-213). The difference and the difference it makes.
Fri. 11/20 Christianity in History: the successful spread of the early Church.
Students should see Rel 111:
"Early Christian Growth.doc"
Your working bibliography is also due today (Friday 20th) and should be sent by e-mail. This must contain at least five properly documented sources, written up in the style required by the notes on the essay.
Week 13 - Christianity Continued.
Mon. 11/23 The Sacraments of Christianity.
Week 14
Mon. 11/30 "Myths and Models" in the Christian Canon:
Consider some examples, such as: "God Tests Abraham's Faith," Novak, p. 182 from Genesis 22:1-19; the battle between David and Goliath from 1 Samuel 17:1-54; The marriage at Cana from John 2: 1-11; and The cursing of the fig tree from Mark 11:12-14.
Novak chapter Six.
Wed. 12/2 - QUIZ #3 (Judaism, Graeco-Roman Religion, and Christianity).
Fri. 12/4 - 
Islam
Novak chapter Seven
Smith 145 - 159.
An Introduction to Islam: The Prophet and the Book, the Caliphate and the origins of the Sunni/Shia division.
Today is your last chance to have a rough draft of your paper checked.
Week 15
Smith 160 - 177.
Mon. 12/7 - The Five Pillars of Islam and Principles of Islamic Theology.
Wed. 12/9 - Guest Speaker, Dr. Ahmad Abul-Ela, a leading member of the local Islamic Society will talk to the class at some point in this section of the course.
Fri. 12/11 - Heterophenomenology and Islam.
Mon. 12/14 The last class. Your paper is due in today (as an e-mail attachment, by 4:30).
Explanation of the Final Examination.
Student Assessments of the course.
I will hand out the take-home final in this class.
The Completed take-home final examination must be handed in as an e-mail attachments anytime before the deadline, but you must await a positive response from me that I have received your paper before you assume that I have got it, because I will not accept any excuses whatsoever for final exams that have been somehow lost.
Reading Day: Tuesday, December 15th.
The deadline for the take-home
final is during the Final Examination Period.
They can be
submitted earlier.
Finals period Wednesday 12/16 to Friday 12/18.
Term ends Friday 12/18.
