College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Department of Religion
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RELI 75 Mysticism and the Spiritual Quest -- Fall 2012
MW 2:55-4:20
Davison 101

In a false world, the only true life is an other life. -- M. Foucault

Ann Burlein
104K Heger Hall
Ann.Burlein@Hofstra.edu
516-463-7238

Office Hours: W 12:00 - 2:00 (except the first Wed of the month, when I will hold office hrs by appt).

Assignment summary:25% attendance & discussion -- 25% each test (total 75%)

Books to buy:

• Woodhead, Christianity: A Very Short Introduction -- * on syllabus
• Foucault, Security, Territory, Population -- * on syllabus
• John Powers, A Concise Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism -- * on syllabus
• Barrett, The Rastafarians -- * on syllabus

This is a picture of a sculpture by Bernini entitled the Ectasy of St. Teresa (1647-1652). It is in the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome.

Course Schedule

W Sept 5
Theoretical Frameworks

Richard King, "Mysticism and Spirituality," from Routledge Companion to the Study of Religion, ed. John Hinnells (NY: Routledge, 2005): 306-322. This text will be emailed to your Hofstra email address a week before class. You must read it BEFORE class begins and come prepared to discuss. There are extra copies in the plastic folder outside my office door (104K Heger).

M Sept 10
Background Information

*Christianity: A Very Short Introduction, chaps 1-4. This is background reading -- you are not responsible for all of these facts.
If your copy has not arrived, you can read the text at:
http://www.tigers-bay.com/yahoo_site_admin1/assets/docs/Christianity.24560658.pdf

Review for test # 1 on Christian medieval mystics and Foucault

In preparation for your take home essay that will focus on reading a primary text, go back to our readings from Christian women mystics: the secondary materials by Bynum and the primary materials (or first-hand insider documents) by Hadewijch. Bring in some examples of mysticism functioning as a counter-conduct: a way that medieval women said "I do not want to have my conduct be conducted in that way; in that name; by that person or institution; for that end." It could be any of those. Be sure to think about the specifics: if not "for that end," then for what end do they want to conduct their conduct? If not by that person or institution, then by whom do they want to be governed?

*Concise Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, chapter 5.

Om Mani Peme Hung (mantra)
Om Mani Peme Hung (sung with prayer wheel)
Vajradhatu mandala -- be sure to click on explanations/ books with questions marks

Read summary of Vajrasattva purification and hear the mantra

Chenrezig sadhana

Contemporary counter-conduct: Clips from Kundun -- we will watch the opening lines which set the scene, chapters 3-4 (10:48-32:36) and then chapter 15 until the end (1:40-2:13).

Ronald Davidson, "The Victory of Esoterism and the Imperial Metaphor." Do NOT read the article! In class, I will give out a handout that walks you thru the key passages from Davidson and relates his material to counter-conduct.

Preece, chapters 15 and 18 from The Psychology of Buddhist Tantra.

Assignments:

• There is no one textbook that holds this class together. To do well in this course, attendance is crucial. To reflect this, 25% of your final grade will come from your participation. You must 1) ATTEND ALL classes, 2) have read and PREPARED all assignments before coming to class and 3) DISCUSS relevant issues.
  **** You must also 4) attend at least two events on campus that are connected with religion in some way, and send me a very brief email one week after you do each one answering the 'So what?" question: So you went! So what? What did you learn?

How this works: If you attend class regularly and pay attention (rather than constantly doing facebook on your computer), BUT NEVER SPEAK, you earn a D. If however, you attend class regularly AND you attend 2 campus events, you earn a C. If you attend class regularly and speak occasionally and show evidence of preparation AND attend 2 events, you earn a B. If you attend class regularly and speak frequently with evidence of thought and preparation AND attend 2 campus events, you earn an A.

What does "attend regularly" mean? Because there is no one textbook that holds this class together, absences in this class work like karma. You have two days to be absent without consequences. On your third day of absence, you lose all benefit of the doubt when it comes to your final grade. For every absence thereafter, you lose 1/3 of a letter grade from your final participation grade. (If you cut class twice in the beginning of the semester, and then become sick for two days at the end, karma will take effect and your final grade will go down).

When you are absent, YOU are responsible to find out from another student what went on in class and for making up the work that you missed.  MAKE FRIENDS. If you are absent on a day when we are scheduled to take a test, see my policy on late work.


• 75% of your final grade will come from 3 tests, each worth 25%. Each test will be a mix of
  • different kinds of objective questions which test your retention of information (true/ false, matching, etc.)
  • short answer questions which test your comprehension of concepts; and
  • 2 take home essay(s) which test your ability to use a theoretical framework to make sense of a religious phenomenon. One of these essays will require you to analayze a primary text (something written by an insider in the religion). The other will ask you to engage in a practice (loosely related to the religion in question) that you will need to do over a period of time before the essay is due so that you can write an essay reflecting on your experience of how this prctaice works (or does not work) as counter-conduct.

Late Work Policy -- It is hard for me to give you feedback (and fulfill my other obligations) if I do not recieve your work when it is due. As a result, I do not accept late work -- unless you are under severe duress (comatose will count) AND you let me know BEFORE the work is due (email is best; phone will count).

Grading

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.

Academic Dishonesty: This course is dedicated to helping you develop your own thinking about what religion is. Thus I regard plagiarism as a serious violation of the academic compact, because it involves passing off someone else's thought as your own. This can happen by copying someone else's words or re-phrasing someone else's ideas in your words. Neither is your own thought: If through conversation with you I determine that you have committed an academic violation, you will receive a zero for the assignment and I will file a report to the Provost and Dean (as per University policy). I regard cheating on a test similarly: you are encouraged to work and study with others before the test, but when you are in a test you are on your own, without notes or cell.   

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 by Undergraduate Students at Hofstra University" for details about what constitutes plagiarism, and Hofstra’s procedures for handling violations. 

Disabilities Policy: 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.

Goals:

This course fulfills the following goals for the religion department:

Goal #1 -- Students will be able to describe religions' historical contexts.
Goal # 3 -- Students will be able to analyze the social implications of religion.
Goal # 4 -- Students will be able to interpret a variety of religious texts.