(IS) RELI 150
Approaches to the Study of Religion
Tuesday & Thursday 12:45-2:10
Gallon Wing 0017
Dr. Ann Burlein
104K Heger
ann.burlein@hofstra.edu
516-463-7238
Office hours: Tuesday 2:15-3:15 and Wednesday 2:00-3:00
To print syllabus, use Internet explorer or this syllabus in pdf.
Texts| Assignments | Late Policy | Absence Policy | Grading Policies
Academic Dishonesty Policy | Disabilities Policy |
Blossoms in the Night by Paul Klee -- SFMoma
This course is intended to haunt you for years to come! Our goal is twofold: to acquaint you with some of the major ways of thinking about religion and to help you learn how to use those theories by watching a scholar do just that! (You will fulfill Department Goal 2 and 3).
We will have two main texts which you must purchase: Mama Lola by Karen McCarthy Brown and The Politics of Piety by Saba Mahmood.
Our procedure will be as follows: first we will read some of the theorists which Brown and Mahmood use. Then we will read their text, to see how Brown and Mahmood use a theoretical lens to bring a dimension of a religious phenomenon into focus. Because most thinkers draw on theoretical lenses from different disciplines, we will also attend to the complex nature of interdisciplinary thinking.
Course Schedule
Classic Theorists Meet Vodou
Th Sept 2
Introductions and sign-ups
Durkheim, TWO selections from Elementary Forms
Weber, selections from The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
Marx, Toward a Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Law"
Raymond Williams, "Hegemony" from Marxism and Literature
Clifford Geertz, 'Deep Play"
Also due today: Paper topic plus bibliography (3 sources)
Th Sept 30 (Anthropology) Allison McFarlane & Rebecca Rothberg
Theorists Think the Contemporary: Gender and Difference, Islam and the Secular
Paper # 1 due at start of class. Bring two paper copies -- and email me yours by 12:45!!
3 copies of your feedback due on T Nov 2
Hayley Margulies & Rachel Scher
Hayley Margulies & Rachel Scher
- Attendance and Participation (20%) --This is a small, upper level class. What you will learn from this class comes primarily from what you put in to this class. You are expected
to 1) attend ALL classes, 2) have read and prepared ALL
assignments before coming to class and 3) DISCUSS relevant
issues. Given that you have lives outside of this particular class, you will be given ONE free absence and TWO homework passes. So: when we sit around and discuss, if you have NOT read the reading for that day, you can sit in the outer circle (rather than having to pretend that you did a reading that you did not do) -- with no penalty for the first two times. If you are absent more than once, or if you sit outside the main discussion more than twice, or if you sit in the inner circle when you have not read the reading, you will be docked a letter grade from your FINAL GRADE for each time you breach our contract.
If you are someone who rarely speaks, then this will be an opportunity for you to work with me to find ways to help you feel more comfortable speaking in class. If you are someone who often speaks in class, then this will be an opportunity for you to learn how to monitor your speaking by limiting your contributions so that others have a chance to jump in.
- Class Facilitations (total of 20%) -- If you facilitate singly, you will do two. If you work in a pair, you will do four. See the sheet I use to grade your facilitation.
- Semester Paper (total of 60%)
Grading Policies:
Studying religion is both an academic and a
personal exercise. In your written assignments you will be graded
on thinking and argumentation. I will not grade your personal
beliefs or non-belief. Nor will I grade or the particular
position you take. I will grade how well you articulate why you (or someone) thinks this way as well as your ability to reflect
critically on the position you take.
Grading Scale:
0 -- You turned in work that was not your own. Don't let
this be you!
F -- You can earn an F in two ways: 1) Your writing was
fantastic, but late (and you did not contact me BEFORE the due date to make alternative arrangements); OR 2) Your writing fails to answer the questions, expresses little
accurate information, and/ or is not coherent.
D -- shows effort,
but the information and explanation are weak. You need to make
more references to the readings.
C -- articulates what you think clearly. You need to
engage in a more detailed and systematic way with the readings.
B -- explores why you think the way you do. You need to engage more with perspectives other than your own.
A -- reserved for excellence, when you use the material as a
springboard for higher level thinking. You engage with other
perspectives and counter-arguments. You elaborate a creative and
original take on the readings and issues being discussed in class,
and you articulate your thoughts in your own voice. You go beyond
stating your point of view to evaluate the pros and cons of
thinking the way you do.
In order to return your work to you promptly with detailed and constructive feedback, I do not accept late work. You will earn an F, and will forfeit your right to my feedback. If there is an emergency or a tragedy in your life and you need an exception, you must communicate with me BEFORE the due-date. This includes tests: if you are too sick to attend class on a day when we are scheduled to take a test, you must call and let me know BEFORE class begins that you will not be able to take the test and arrange time for a make-up.
If you believe you need accommodations for a disability, please contact Services for Students with Disabilities(SSD). In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, qualified individuals with disabilities will not be discriminated against in any programs, or services available at Hofstra University. Individuals with disabilities are entitled to accommodations designed to facilitate full access to all programs and services. SSD is responsible for coordinating disability-related accommodations and will provide students with documented disabilities accommodation letters, as appropriate. Since accommodations may require early planning and are not retroactive, please contact SSD as soon as possible. All students are responsible for providing accommodation letters to each instructor and for discussing with him or her the specific accommodations needed and how they can be best implemented in each course. For more information on services provided by the university and for submission of documentation, please contact the Services for Students with Disabilities, 212 Memorial Hall, 516-463-7075.
Plagiarism is a serious ethical and professional infraction. Hofstra’s policy on academic honesty reads: “The academic community assumes that work of any kind [...] is done, entirely, and without assistance, by and only for the individual(s) whose name(s) it bears.” Please refer to the Procedure for Handling Violations of Academic Honesty for details about what constitutes plagiarism, and Hofstra’s procedures for handling violations.
You will fulfill the following Distribution Goals:Goals 1a through 1e; Goals 2 and 2f; and Goals 4a through 4f.
Page written by Ann Burlein.
Last edited August 25, 2010