Introduction to the Study of Religion RELS2001

Course Information TR 9:30 - 10:45am Langdale 327 CRN: 13688 www.rels2001spring2017.wordpress.com TR 9:30 - 10:45am Langdale 327 CRN: 13688 Course Information

Instructor Clare van Holm, MA cvanholm1@gsu.edu Office Hours: TR 11:00am - 12:00pm 25 Park Place, 17th Floor, Office 1728 Instructor

Name academic year hobby / something interesting Tell me about yourself

Approaches in this class: RELS2001: Course introduction Approaches in this class: historical thematic comparative experiential (lived religion) Introduction to the Study of World Religions: sections thinking about religion historical development & discourse ritual religion, gender & sexuality religion in america

Grade determination RELS2001: Course Introduction This course utilizes the digital platform TopHat. At the beginning of class, use a smart device (laptop, cell phone, tablet) to sign into the app. Attendance - 15% “Check-in” at the beginning of class for the day’s attendance You are allowed four (4) absences before your grade is negatively effected Participation & Reading Responses - 25% The participation grade includes response to the interactive lecture via TopHat app. Prompts include multiple choice, open answer, “voting”, etc In addition to interactive prompts, lectures will include questions directly related to the reading. These answers are graded independently of class participation, instead acting as a “quiz” of sorts to ensure students have completed the assigned readings before class. Participation grade also includes in-class discussion You may opt out four (4) times before your grade is negatively effected

Grade Determination, Con’t rels2001: Course Introduction Grade Determination, Con’t Travel blogs to Religious Sites - 60% Visit four (4) religious sites (church, synagogue, temple, mosque, etc) during a service / ritual Create travel blog using web platform of choice (wix, weebly, wordpress, etc) Analytically write about experience and connect to class discussion and readings Detailed assignment guide will be posted on course blog and reviewed in class on Jan 24th

Class Discussion & conduct Rels2001: Course Introduction Class Discussion & conduct Thoughtful, critical discussion is vital to studying religion. Personal attacks upon individual students or against religious communities will not be tolerated. This class with provide a safe, thoughtful atmosphere in which each student is welcome to develop and refine her/his own perspective Students’ and instructor’s private religious or theological opinions, beliefs and practices are irrelevant to this course Academic dishonesty: Don’t do it includes, but not limited to: plagiarism, not citing sources, falsifying attendance

What is religion?

Some definitions Etymological Definition Rels2001: Course Introduction Some definitions Etymological Definition latin root - “fear and awe one experiences in the presence of a spirit or god” Paul Tillich - “That which is of ultimate concern; that which we value about all things” William James - “Belief in an unseen order, with which we should work to harmonize ourselves”

Academic approaches to Religion RELS2001: Course Introduction Academic approaches to Religion Ninian Smart monothetic (one essence) polythetic (many essences, not all necessary) 4 “virtues” of the academic study of religion Bracketing our assumptions not evaluating Truth Informed empathy understanding a perspective is different from accepting it as your own belief Historical / Contextual imperative knowledge of the origins and original meaning of a text, belief, or ritual symbolic sensitivity symbols are the vocabulary of mythic thinking

For Thursday: Thinking about Religion RELS2001: course introduction For Thursday: Thinking about Religion Bruce Lincoln’s “The Study of Religion in the Current Political Moment” What is Talal Asad’s argument? How does that relate to our conversation today about the definition(s) of religion? Peter Berger’s Onbeing podcast: “The Cultural Dynamics of Globalization” What types of interactions does Berger describe in response to modern religious and cultural encounters?