HISTORICAL STUDIES OF RELIGION 

HISTORY 5308:  (38535)

 

Summer I 2017:  MTuWThF 2:00pm – 3:50pm

Holden Hall 255

TEACHER

 

John Howe                                                                                                                                        Office Hours:   MTuWThF 4:00‑4:30pm;

Office:  143 Holden Hall                                                                                                                                            TuTh 1:00-1:30pm;   

Telephone:  806 834-7544                                                                                                                                          and by appointment

E‑Mail:  john.howe@ttu.edu

Web:  http://myweb.ttu.edu/jhowe  (the best way to access this syllabus)

 

 

PURPOSES OF THE COURSE

            To acquire a general knowledge of historiographical traditions concerning religion.  To introduce problems involved in comparative study of religions.  To provide a general knowledge of common research perspectives in order to help orient work on historical problems related to religion.

          

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

 

Required Texts

Capps, Walter.  Religious Studies: The Making of a Discipline. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995.

Martin, Craig.  A Critical Introduction to the Study of Religion. 2nd edition, Sheffield: Equinox, 2017.

Stausberg, Michael, and Steven Engler, eds.  The Routledge Handbook of Research Methods in the Study of Religion. London: Routledge, 2012.

  

Required Reading

             This graduate topics class is primarily a reading class. There will be specific assignments for each class, either from the required book or single items to be chosen from the reading lists provided. The "Reading and Class Schedule" indicates how the course will proceed.  Since student participation is a major part of the course, it is important to have all assignments completed as scheduled.

 

Book Reviews

            Over the course of the Summer I semester, each student will write six book or source reviews based on the reading lists attached to this syllabus. Some reading lists contain mixtures of books and journal articles: to avoid temptations to minimize assignments, each student is required to base at least three of his or her reports on monographs. Each review should not be too much longer than two double‑spaced typed pages.  Students should be prepared to report orally in class on the works they review.

 

Midterm Examinations

          Midterm tests are scheduled for Wednesday, June 21; and Friday, June 30.  Each will include multiple choice questions, identifications, and a single essay (to be selected from two or more choices). Detailed testing is normally not part of graduate readings courses, but here test preparation provides useful opportunities to review an unusual range of interdisciplinary methodologies.

 

Research Proposal

            Each student will, over the course of the semester, prepare a three- to five-page summary description (about 900‑1200 words) of a specific historical research project related to religious studies. This description should indicate why the problem deserves investigation, offer a thesis relating to it which requires testing, present a method for testing it (alluding when appropriate to the relevant methodologies studied in this course), and note the types and locations of sources to be used.  The aim of this assignment is not to produce a formal thesis or dissertation proposal but simply to stimulate reflection about how to conduct historical research on a religious topic. This proposal must be received by July 8, but it can be submitted at any time over the course of the semester--early submission is strongly encouraged because problems can be fixed and the proposal resubmitted up until 1:20pm  on July 8.    

 

Class Attendance

            Successful completion of the course requires regular attendance.  Students who will need to miss more than four classes should not be enrolled because they will not be able to do their best work and fully demonstrate their knowledge.

 

 

GRADING

             The course grade will be computed as follows:  30% from the six book reviews (i.e.5% from each); 20% from the research proposal; 40% from the two midterm examinations (i.e.20% from each); and 10% from class participation.

            The class participation grade is computed on the basis of attendance, class preparation, and class contributions by dividing students up at the end of the semester into three groups:  1) outstanding; 2) generally average; and 3) significantly below acceptable standards.  In computing the course grade, the first group gets the class participation component credited as an `A'; the second group has these points dropped out (so they neither help nor hurt); and the third group has them credited as an `F'.

 

 

READING AND LECTURE SCHEDULE

 

Tu   June 6       Course Introduction

 

                                       Capps xiii‑xxii; Martin 1-32; Stausberg & Engler 3-20, 40-53.  Start Reading List#1: "Religion as a 'Western Invention'?"

 

W   June 7        What is Religion? What Is Religious Studies?

 

                                       Capps xiii‑xxii, 1‑30; Descartes; Kant; Schleiermacher; Otto. Continue List#1 

 

Th  June 8      The Quest for Religion's Substantive Essence (through Rudolph Otto)

 

                                      Capps 30-52; Martin 33-63; Continue List#1 

 

F  June 9        The Quest for the Illusory(?) Essence of Religion (through Today)

 

[F June 9        Last day to drop a course and get a full refund.]

 

                                      Finish List#1 

 

M   June 12   Reports & Discussion: Are the Categories of "Religion" & "World Religions" Western Inventions?

 

                        Capps 53‑104. Start Reading List #2: Mysticism   

 

Tu  June 13   The (Anthropological) Debate on the Origin of Religion

 

                                     Capps 105-56; Stausberg & Engler 21-39, 333-45; "Chicago School." Continue List#2

 

W  June 14    Phenomenology and Description of Religion

 

                                    Capps 157-208;  Durkheim ; Weber. Continue List#2

 

Th  June 15  The (Sociological) Functions of Religion

 

                                    Capps 209‑46; Stausberg & Engler 40-53,109-160, 355-65. Continue List#2

 

F  June 16   The Language of Religion Part 1:

 

                                    Finish List #2   

 

M June 19    Reports & Discussion: Mysticism and Religious Language

 

                                   Capps 246-65; Stausberg & Engler 366-81; Structuralism ; Lévi-Strauss

 

Tu June 20    The Language of Religion Part 2: Structures

                

                                  Study

 

W June 21    Midterm#1

 

                                Read John Howe. "The Awesome Hermit: The Symbolic Significance of the Hermit as a Possible Research
                                Perspective." Numen 30 (1983): 106-19
[access through JSTOR].   Read and write a book review of a short article
                                from
  Reading List # 3: Hagiographies.

 

Th.June 22    Discussion: Religious Biographies

 

                                Martin 143-81; Bellah. Start Reading List #4: Religious Ritual

 

F  June 23     Civil Religion

                 

                                Finish List #4 

 

M  June 26    Student Reports:  Religious Ritual    

                                   

                               Stausberg & Engler  217-44 382-420;

 

Tu  June 27    Field Research on Religion

 

                               Read Definition of Popular Religion, Peter Brown, and "From the Ground Up."  
                               Also read Reading List #5: Popular Religion BUT DO NOT WRITE A REPORT ON A BOOK--look
                               instead at the range of scholarship on popular religion.  Write
a couple of  pages explaining your view on
                               whether religious studies should or should not embrace the "popular religion" model.

                       

W   June 28   Discussion:  Popular Religion as a Religious Studies Paradigm

 

                              Stausberg & Engler 445-522 

 

Th June 29   Material Culture of Religion

 

                              Study

 

F June 30     Midterm #2

                             Prepare to report on your research proposals Start Reading List #6: Violence & Religion

                                       

M July 3      Proposal Reports

 

[Tu July 4    Holiday]

 

                           Finish Report from  List # 6:

 

W July 5     Reports & Discussion: Violence and Religion

 

                           Capps 331-48; Stausberg & Engler 2-12

   

Th July 6    The Future of Religious Studies as a "Discipline'

                          Finish Research Proposals

 

[Sat July 8   In lieu of a final exam, each student should present a finished research proposal, no later than 1:30pm on July 8, the official close of the final exam.]