ANTH 8: ANTHROPOLOGY OF RELIGION
(A Critical Writing Course)


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Dr. Heather Claussen, FALL 2009
Section 62748, Wed. 6:00-9:05 p.m.

Office Hours:
ON CAMPUS: Room 432, 5:30-6:00 p.m. and 9:05-9:30 p.m.
ONLINE (Blackboard chat or e-mail): Mondays: 9:30-11:00 a.m.

AND BY APPOINTMENT

Office Voice Mail: 477-3700 x 1601

E-mail: hlclaussen@yahoo.com (please CLEARLY identify yourself as a student if you e-mail...thanks!)

WWW: http://www.cabrillo.edu/~hclaussen/courses.html
Blackboard: https://online.cabrillo.edu/webct/entryPageIns.dowebct



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 This course involves the exploration and analysis of religious traditions in diverse cultural contexts from an anthropological perspective.  Major anthropological perspectives on and theories of religion will be discussed, as will various aspects of human religious life in contemporary societies—including mythology, symbol systems, magic, witchcraft, sorcery, revitalization movements, shamanism, healing, spirit possession, altered states of consciousness, fundamentalism, ritual, and the ways in which religion relates to gender and ethnicity within the contemporary world.  Critical, analytical written work is the primary means of evaluating student performance in this course.

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Required Texts:

Farrer, Claire R.  1994. Thunder Rides a Black Horse. 2nd ed. 
    Prospect Heights: Waveland Press, Inc.

Lehman, Arthur C., James E. Myers, and Pamela A. Moro, eds.  2008. Magic,
    Witchcraft, and Religion: An Anthropological Study of the Supernatural

    7th ed. Mountain View: Mayfield Publishing Company


Lewis, William F.  1993. Soul Rebels: The Rastafari. Prospect Heights:   
    Waveland Press, Inc.


*additional required readings, as listed on the syllabus, will be distributed via Blackboard 
     and/or in class.
*some readings will be RECOMMENDED but not required, marked (REC).
*copies of Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion are ON RESERVE in the Cabrillo library.

 


STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Class Participation/Attendance:

    I expect active student participation in class discussions, and I would encourage everyone to freely ask questions, provide feedback, and otherwise contribute to our in-class coursework.  I also expect students to attend class on time, having completed required readings/assignments beforehand. I will hold you responsible for all course material--so get good notes from other students if you miss class!  More than 2 unexcused absences will result in a loss of points.  We will have a break every class period, and I will pass around the roll sheet at some point every class period.

Coursework:

    You will be responsible for:
a) a short self-reflexive essay 
b) a short paper about your experience of some form of ritual 
c) a class midterm AND a final exam—both essay format, both take-home (to be posted on Blackboard)
d) in-class exercises

Any material turned in late will be docked 10% PER WEEK LATE, and I will not accept assignments more than two weeks past their due date except under extraordinary circumstances.


Grading:

Class Participation (including attendance and effort)       25 
Classroom Exercises (10 pts each)                                      100
Self-Reflexive Essay                                                              50
Ritual Paper                                                                          75
Midterm                                                                               100
Final Exam                                                                         
100
Point Total                                                                           450



405-450 pts (90-100%)  =  A
360-404 pts (80-89%)    =  B
315-359 pts (70-79%)    =  C
270-314 pts (60-69%)    =  D
0-269     pts (0-59%)      =  F

Or CR/NC: see me



Academic Honesty:

 Students are expected to exercise academic honesty and integrity.  Cheating or plagiarism will result in disciplinary action, possibly including recommendation for dismissal.  Papers may be turned in to TURN IT IN.COM or other plagiarism detection services. According to Cabrillo College Writing Center guidelines, “(p)lagiarism is loosely defined as the use of another person's words or ideas without giving any credit or making any acknowledgment of the original source. This is true for both written texts (essays, articles, books, web pages, etc.) and for spoken language (speeches, lectures, interviews, etc.).” All sources used must be properly documented (see reference guidelines, and ASK ME FOR HELP IF YOU AREN’T SURE HOW TO DOCUMENT YOUR SOURCES!)

Special Accommodations:

    Many of you may need special accommodations, whether due to disabilities, language difficulties, or other conditions.  I am very willing to work with you in order to help create a more positive learning experience.  However, I do need some advance notice in order to accommodate students with special needs; if you have special needs, please inform me of your situation within the first two weeks of class.
  


COURSE SCHEDULE
      (subject to revision as necessary during the course of the semester)

NOTE: ALL READINGS ARE REQUIRED EXCEPT THOSE LABELED
     “REC” (RECOMMENDED)

9/2: COURSE INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS RELIGION AND HOW CAN WE STUDY IT?
film: “The Asmat of New Guinea”
REC: “Religion” (MWR 6)
REC: “Religious Perspectives in Anthropology (MWR 20)

9/9: MYTH AND SYMBOLISM
Farrer, Chapters 1-2
"Nyoro Myth" (MWR 63)
"The Virgin of Guadalupe: A Mexican National Symbol" (handout)
film: clips from “Guadalupe”
REC: "Harelips and Twins" (MWR 68)
REC: “The Study of Mythology” (MWR 51) 

9/16: MYTH, SYMBOLISM, TABOO, AND SOCIAL ORDER
Farrer, Chapters 3-4
“Mother Cow” (handout)
film: “Maharajah Burger”
*SELF-REFLEXIVE ESSAYS DUE
REC: "Taboo" (MWR 76)

9/23: RITUAL AND MAGIC
Farrer, Chapters 5-6
“Return to Wirikuta” (MWR 109)
“The Goat and the Gazelle” (MWR 274)
film: The Mask of Rangda”

9/30: RITUAL AND MAGIC
Farrer, Chapter 7
"Body Ritual Among the Nacirema" (MWR 140)
 “Baseball Magic” (MWR 302)
“Consulting the Poison Oracle among the Azande” (MWR 290)
film: clips from “The Azande”

10/7: RITES OF PASSAGE
“Betwixt and Between” (MWR 91)
Farrer, Chapter 8: BE PREPARED TO DISCUSS FARRER

10/14: RITES OF PASSAGE
“The Cremated Catholic: The Ends of a Deceased Guatemalan” (MWR 336)
film: “The Devil’s Playground”
*RITUAL PAPER DUE

10/21: DEATH AND THE UNDEAD
“I Can Only Move My Feet Toward mizuko kuyo” (MWR 127)
 “Death Be Not Strange” (MWR 332)
"The Real Vampire" (MWR 319)
film: TBA
 
10/28: EVIL-DOERS
"The Evil Eye among the Amhara" (handout)
“An Anthropological Perspective on the Witchcraze” (MWR 265)
“Sorcery and Concepts of Deviance among the Kabana, West New Britain" (MWR 272)
film: TBA
*MIDTERMS DUE

11/4: SHAMANISM
“The Shaman: A Siberian Specialist” (MWR 155)
"Dark Side of the Shaman" (MWR 163)
film: “Between Two Worlds”
Lewis, Chapters 1-2
REC: “Psychedelic Drugs and Religious Experience” (MWR 205)
REC: “The Sound of Rushing Water” (MWR 199)

11/11: SHAMANS AND RELIGIOUS SPECIALISTS
"Eyes of the Ngangas: Ethnomedicine and Power in Central African Republic" (MWR 216)
“Mothering and the Practice of ‘Balm’ in Jamaica” (MWR 230)
film: “Soothsayers, Cigars, And San Simon”
Lewis, Chapters 3-4
REC: “Religious Specialists” (MWR 147)

11/18: PRIESTS, PROPHETS AND REVITALIZATION MOVEMENTS
“Training For the Priesthood Among the Kogi of Colombia” (MWR 167)
“The Ghost Dance Religion” (MWR 391)
“Lubavitch: A Contemporary Messianic Movement” (handout)
Lewis, Chapters 5-6
film clips: TBA

11/25: REVITALIZATION MOVEMENTS AND CULTURAL CHANGE
"Cargo Cults" (MWR 372)
“Serpent Handling as Sacrament” (MWR 77)
film clips: Holiness Churches
Lewis, Chapters 7-8
REC: “Revitalization Movements” (MWR 361)

12/2: RELIGION AND CULTURAL CHANGE
"The Peyote Way" (handout)
“The Rave” (handout)
“Religious Dimensions of the UFO Abductee Experience” (MWR 418)
film: White Shamans, Plastic Medicine Men
Lewis, Chapters 9-10
REC: “On the Peyote Road” (MWR 188)

12/9: RELIGION, THE STATE, GLOBAL CULTURE, AND MODERNITY
"Reflections After Waco: Millenialists and the State” (MWR 182)
“The Veil in Their Minds and on Our Heads” (MWR 433)
Lewis, Chapters 11-12
film: Inside Mecca

12/16: 7:00-9:50 p.m. FINAL EXAMS DUE VIA BLACKBOARD OR IN CLASS

HAVE A GREAT BREAK!!!