Introduction to Religion

Instructor: Lori Veilleux Office Hours: TBA Email: Lori_Veilleux@brown.edu Phone: 401-863-3104

Course Description
What is religion? What does it do? What do people do with it? How does religion influence the way people understand themselves and the world around them? What psychological, social, or political impacts might religion have? How might people use religion to shape their social and political context? This course offers an introduction to the academic study of religion. It focuses on ideas about one key topic in this fascinating field of inquiry: the effects that religion might have or the roles it might play in the world around us. This topic has generated considerable debate in religious studies and many other disciplines. In this course, you will critically evaluate a range of different positions in these debates. Most importantly, you will become confident participants in the conversation, constructively engaging diverse viewpoints, forming your own position, and developing the skills to articulate your perspectives effectively. The course uses materials from religious studies, anthropology, sociology, history, and other fields. It has a dynamic, participation-oriented format. Class meetings regularly include interactive lectures, multimedia presentations (including videos), group discussions, and lively exercises.

Goals
A successful graduate of this course will y understand possible relations of influence between religion and other aspects of human life y be able to critically evaluate different theories about the course topic y be able to confidently articulate his or her own ideas and opinions about the course topic. Students will also develop core skills, including y reading comprehension y critical evaluation of competing arguments y effective communication y application of theories to primary sources.

Assignments, Activities, and Assessments

Readings. Every class meeting is structured around assigned readings. Our activities and discussions
build upon the content of these readings. Coming to class with an understanding of assigned texts is extremely important. Indeed, having lively and productive class meetings depends upon it.

Recaps. We will often devote class time to clarifying complex arguments and ideas from the readings.
But in general, you should strive to understand them on your own. Aim to come to class with a grasp of key points and concepts from the assigned readings. You should be able to identify and explain these in your own words. Regular recap assignments ask you to demonstrate these abilities. Your efforts on these assignments will go a long way, including making other assignments and class activities easier and more successful.

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Recap assignments will also help you to develop core skills like reading comprehension and effective communication. We will consciously work toward improving these skills over the semester. (With any skill, there is always room for improvement!) The recaps and other assignments/activities give you opportunities to develop your skills and track your progress. Often you ll check your own work on the recaps (or a peer s) as we go over them in class. Roughly one third of the recap assignments will be collected and graded at random. All recap assignments will be graded as part of your portfolio (see below). The format of recap assignments varies. Examples include: y Write a one-paragraph synopsis of the main argument. y Visually represent a key idea from the reading (e.g. with a cartoon or a flow chart). y Explain a passage from the reading on a quiz.

Discussions and In-Class Activities. These give you a chance to talk about, apply, and critically evaluate the class materials. They are designed to help you develop and express your own perspectives on the issues we address. They also allow you to practice and improve your critical thinking and communication skills. Discussions and activities are graded for participation. Their format varies. Examples include: y Share a recap assignment with a partner and offer constructive feedback. y Pros and Cons: Work in small groups to prepare an argument in support of or in opposition to a position advanced in a reading assignment. Present your argument to the class. y Theory Lab: Work in small groups to analyze films, non-theoretical materials, or primary sources in light of a theory. Short Writing Assignments. These writing assignments ask you to critically reflect on a theory or
set of theories and state your own perspective on the relevant issue or topic. Each one should be three to five pages long. Please see the MyCourses website for a full description of these assignments, instructions, grading rubric, and helpful examples.

Portfolio, Consultation, and Self-Assessment. Over the semester, you will build a course
portfolio that contains your notes, recaps, activity worksheets/products, and short writing assignments. We will meet individually twice during the semester to discuss your portfolio, assess class participation, identify areas for improvement, and consider strategies for making those improvements. The final component in the portfolio is a written self-assessment. In this five-page paper you describe and assess your own performance in the course. This assignment should be improvement-oriented. That is, it should be a statement of the progress that you made toward the goals of the course (p. 1). You ll refer to materials in your portfolio to substantiate and illustrate this progress. Please see the MyCourses website for a full description of these assignments, instructions, grading rubric, and helpful examples. Recaps Participation in Class Activities and Discussions Short Writing Assignments Portfolio and Self-Assessment 25% 25% 25% 25%

Course Materials
y

All readings for the course are contained in a coursepack. This can be purchased from the Brown bookstore. Also, please purchase a 1 3-ring binder to use as your portfolio. It might also be helpful to buy an inexpensive 3-hole punch.

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The syllabus, grading policies, detailed instructions for assignments, examples of assignments, links to helpful outside resources, and other course materials are posted on MyCourses. There is also a Google calendar for the course. Students must use this calendar to schedule portfolio consultations and irregular office hours. Students who join the calendar can receive email reminders about upcoming due dates with links to MyCourses.

Accommodations
y

Students who may need accommodations/services for a disability or medical condition should contact Disability Support Services [DSS] to discuss their needs and begin the registration process. This office evaluates and coordinates requests for accommodations and services. For more information, call 401-863-9588 (V/TTY) or visit http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Office_of_Student_Life/dss/. Regardless of your relationship with DSS, please feel free to discuss any concerns or questions you may have about a disability or condition, accommodation request, or related issue.

Course Policies
y

The university has a strict policy against plagiarism. A link to the policy is posted on our MyCourses page. Please review it. Please silence cell phones, tablets, and laptops before class. Students using these devices to surf the web, email, send text messages, etc. will be asked to leave the class. Please do not eat during class. Drinks are fine.

Course Schedule
Unit I: Defining Religion 9.6 Square One After introductions and a course overview, we try our hand at defining religion. We then consider different ways of defining religion (substantive, essentialist, polythetic, etc.). 9.11 Why Definitions Matter In this class we examine the stakes of defining religion. Smith looks at the consequences of some legal understandings of religion from the point of view of a student of religion, including Supreme Court Justices working definitions of religion (375). Smith, J.Z. God Save This Honorable Court: Religion and Civil Discourse. In Relating Religion: Essays in the Study of Religion, 375-390. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004. 9.13 Definitions and Data In this class, we look at data about religion in the U.S. We ll focus on the ways major surveys define and measure religion. In class, we critically evaluate concepts of religion, survey questions about religion, and quantitative findings about religion Complete the Scientific Study of Religion: Measuring Religiosity Worksheet. In this assignment, you use the quantitative data from the Association of Religion Data Archives (theearda.com) to explore different ways to measure religion.

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Complete the Compare Yourself to the Nation (Adults) Learning Activity at http://www.thearda.com/learningcenter/compare/index.asp. Critically evaluate the questions you are asked (and the measures of religion and religiosity they correspond to) as you go through the activity. Be prepared to discuss the survey questions in class. 9.16 First Short Writing Assignment Due at Midnight Unit II: Religious Beliefs: P urposes , Mo tivati ons, and Impacts 9.18 Cognitive and Practical Needs We consider two classical theorists of religion whose perspectives on religion emphasize beliefs and intellectual activities, especially explanation. Tylor defines religion as belief in spiritual beings and argues that religious beliefs arose from a rational effort to make sense of the world. Frazer extends this approach to the Tower of Babel narrative in the Hebrew Bible. Tylor, Sir Edward Burnett. Animism. In Primitive Culture: Researches into the Development of Mythology, Philosophy, Religion, Art, and Custom, I. Boston: Estes and Lauriat, 1874. Excerpts from pp. 417-502. Frazer, J. G. The Tower of Babel. In Folklore in the Old Testament, I. London: Macmillan, 1918. Excerpts from pp. 362-387. 9.20 Cognitive and Practical Needs, cont. Horton presents a more recent version of the argument that religious thought and action are principally efforts to explain and control the world. Evans-Pritchard contends that witchcraft beliefs and practices address a particular aspect of the world. Horton, Robin. The Kalabari World-View: An Outline and Interpretation. Africa 32, no. 3 (1962): 197-220. Evans-Pritchard, Edward. The Notion of Witchcraft Explains Unfortunate Events. In Witchcraft, Oracles, and Magic among the Azande, 63-83. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1963. 9.25 Cognitive Influences & Explanation This set of readings includes recent responses to the old question, Why have humans, throughout history and across cultures, shown a strong tendency to believe in the existence of superhuman intentional agents and attached this belief to notions of morality, misfortune, and the creation of the world? (Barrett and Lanman, 109). Guthrie, Stewart. Animism, Perception, and the Effort after Meaning. In Faces in the Clouds: A New Theory of Religion, 39-61. New York: Oxford, 1993. Barrett, Justin L., and Jonathan A. Lanman. The Science of Religious Beliefs. Religion 38, no. 2 (2008): 109-124. Spilka, Bernard, Greg Shaver, and Lee A. Kirkpatrick. A General Attribution Theory for the Psychology of Religion. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 24, no. 1 (1985): 1 20. 9.27 Emotional and Cultural Needs Malinowski departs from those who argue that people use religion to explain the world. Instead, he claims that people use religious beliefs to cope with emotionally stressful situations. It
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provides schemes for interpretation and influence that allow people to act despite uncertainty and danger. Malinowski, Bronislaw. Magic, Science, and Religion & Other Essays. Garden City, NY: Doubleday Anchor Books, 1954. Excerpts from pp. 17-92. 10.2 Emotional and Cultural Needs, cont. We ll use Hall s historical chapter to conduct a theory lab. Hall, David D. The Uses of Ritual. In Worlds of Wonder, Days of Judgment: Popular Religious Belief in Early New England. New York: Knopf, 1989. Pp. 166-212. 10.4 Effects of Religious Beliefs The final set of readings examines the costs and benefits of religious beliefs. Clifford highlights the serious negative consequences that beliefs might have. In light of these grave possibilities, he famously argues, It is wrong in all cases to believe on insufficient evidence (363). James s response to Clifford emphasizes the psychological benefits of religious belief and minimizes the potential costs. James also takes a very different position on believing on insufficient evidence. Clifford, W. K. The Ethics of Belief. In Lectures and Essays, edited by Leslie Stephen and Frederic Pollock. London: Macmillan, 1886. Pp. 338-363. James, William. The Will to Believe. In The Will to Believe and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1979. 10.9 Effects of Religious Beliefs, cont. 10.11 Unit II Wrap Up 10.14 Second Short Writing Assignment Due at Midnight 10.14 Schedule Appointment for First Portfolio Consultation by Midnight Unit III: So cial Fun cti ons of Religion 10.16 Durkheim s Foundational Theory Durkheim initiates our shift to theories about the social functions of religion. Durkheim s definition differs considerably from those we have encountered thus far. He also places greater emphasis on religious rituals. Durkheim, Emile. The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, translated by Karen E. Fields. New York: Free Press, 1995. Pp. 1-8, 21-44, 207-225. Radcliffe-Brown, A. R. The Andaman Islanders: A Study in Social Anthropology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1922. Pp. 246-258. 10.18 Civil Religion Bellah s concept of civil religion draws on Durkheim s theory of religion. He gives us an opportunity to evaluate Durkheim s ideas about the social functions of religion in the American political context. Bellah, Robert. Civil Religion in America. Daedalus 96, no. 1 (1967): 1 21. Religion and the Legitimation of the American Republic. Society 15, no. 4 (1976): 16-23. 10.23 Social Boundaries Douglas theorizes that we use certain religious beliefs and practices to define social groups and demarcate boundaries between them.
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Douglas, Mary. Introduction, External Boundaries, and Internal Lines. In Purity and Danger: An Analysis of the Concepts of Pollution and Taboo. New York: Routledge, 1966. 10.25 Social Boundaries, cont. We use these two films to conduct a theory lab. Cordingley, David. Everything in Its Place. Face Values, 1978. [Film] Ramsden, Peter. Gypsies: A People Apart. Other People s Lives. BBC Television, 1982. [Film] 10.30 Communitas Turner theorizes the ways that religious rituals create changes in the personal and collective identities of participants. Turner, Victor. The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure. New York: Aldine de Gruyter, 1969. [Excerpts] . Pilgrimages as Social Processes. In Dramas, Fields, Metaphors: Symbolic Action in Human Society, 167-229. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1974. 11.1 Communitas, cont. We ll use this section of Malcom X s autobiography and our recent observations of Halloween to conduct a theory lab. X, Malcolm. Mecca. In The Autobiography of Malcolm X, 349-373. New York: Ballantine Books, 1965. 11.4 Schedule Appointment for Second Portfolio Consultation by Midnight 11.6 Unit III Wrap Up Unit IV: Religion a nd Meaning Making 11.8 Social Constructions Berger argues that people use religion to legitimate social constructions of reality. Berger, Peter. The Sacred Canopy: Elements of a Sociological Theory of Religion. New York: Anchor Books, 1967. Pp. 3-52. 11.11 Third Short Writing Assignment Due at Midnight 11.13 Religion as a Cultural System We ll carefully work through Geertz s influential essay on religion. Here Geertz offers a novel, highly influential theory of religion. But he also revisits many of the issues we ve considered thus far. Geertz, Clifford. Religion as a Cultural System. In The Interpretation of Cultures, 87-125. New York: Basic Books, 1973. 11.15 Problems and Solutions Ortner s ethnography of Sherpa Buddhism applies and develops aspects of Geertz s theory of religion. Ortner, Sherry. Introduction and Nyungne. In Sherpas through Their Rituals. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1978. Pp. 1-9, 33-55.

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11.20 Religion as a Cultural System, cont. We ll use Meyerhoff s ethnographic chapter, and excerpts from her film, to conduct a theory lab. Meyerhoff, Barbara. A Symbol Perfected in Death: Continuity and Ritual in the Life and Death of an Elderly Jew. In Number Our Days, 163-207. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1978. 11.22 NO CLASS: THANSKGIVING HOLIDAY 11.25 Fourth Short Writing Assignment Due at Midnight. Unit V: Religion and Ideology 11.27 Religion and Oppression Marx s influential perspective on religion is scattered throughout several of his works. It s also difficult to separate it from his larger theoretical framework. Pals chapter provides a clear and helpful summary of Marx on religion. We ll look at passages from Marx s writings in class. Pals, Daniel L. Karl Marx. In Eight Theories of Religion. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. Pp. 118-148. Eagleton, Terry. Ideological Strategies. In Ideology: An Introduction. London: Verso, 1991. Pp. 33-61. 11.29 Religion and Liberation Raboteau and Rey use historical research and ethnographic fieldwork to reconsider Marx s ideas about religion and oppression. Raboteau, Albert. Religion, Rebellion, and Docility. In Slave Religion: The Invisible Institution in the Antebellum South. New York: Oxford University Press, 1980. Pp. 289-318. Rey, Terry. The Marianism of the Hatian Poor. In Our Lady of Class Struggle: The Cult of the Virgin Mary in Haiti. Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 1990. Excerpts from pp. 237-290. 12.4 The Political Dimensions of Religion We ll use these primary source materials to conduct a theory lab. Rauschenbusch, Walter. The Social Principles of Jesus. New York: The Womans Press, 1917. Benita Eisler, ed. The Lowell Offering: Writings of New England Mill Women, 1840-1845. New York: Norton, 1977. Excerpts. 12.6 12.9 12.11 12.17 Unit V Wrap Up Fifth Short Writing Assignment Due at Midnight Portfolio and Self-Assessment Workshop Portfolio and Self Assessment Due at Noon

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