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Welcome to Humanities 40: Religions of the World Dr. Dylan Eret

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This course meets all of the general education requirements for: 1. A.A. in Liberal Arts with emphasis in Arts and Humanities 2. CSU, area C2 3. IGETC, area 3 course articulation

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CENTRAL WEBSITE http://humanities40.wordpress.com CENTRAL WEBSITE

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SECRET PASSWORD holy Enter this password to access the FREE online flexbook, slides, study guides, etc.

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ALL INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND HERE.

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Week 1.1 (Opening Class) <ul><li>Welcome! </li></ul><ul><li>My story. Who am I? </li></ul><ul><li>Name game & discussion in pairs. </li></ul><ul><li>The Big Picture : Why study religion? </li></ul><ul><li>The Nitty Gritty : Syllabus & Expectations </li></ul><ul><li>Guiding frameworks and disputed definitions. </li></ul>

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I WILL NOT ADD ANY STUDENTS UNLESS OTHER STUDENTS DROP (OR DO NOT SHOW UP THIS WEEK).

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YOU WILL BE DROPPED FROM THE COURSE IF YOU ARE ABSENT THIS WEEK.

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POSSIBLE ADDS: WAITING LIST STUDENTS ONLY.

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YOU MIGHT RECEIVE A PERMISSION NUMBER ON THE CONDITION THAT SOMEONE IS DROPPED AND YOU ARE NEAR THE TOP OF THE WAITING LIST .

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WAITING LIST ADDS (DEPENDS ON CLASS) LIKELY: STUDENTS 1-3 NOT SO LIKELY: STUDENTS 4-7 UNLIKELY: STUDENTS 8-13

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MY STORY

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NAME GAME

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Building Trust: Truth/Lie Game <ul><li>Write down two truths and one lie about yourself. </li></ul><ul><li>Share this with your group and have them guess which statement is a lie. </li></ul>

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Example: Truth/Lie Game <ul><li>I have a cat named Spiderman. </li></ul><ul><li>I come from a wealthy family. </li></ul><ul><li>I am missing a spleen. </li></ul>

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Example: Truth/Lie Game <ul><li>I have a cat named Spiderman. </li></ul><ul><li>I come from a wealthy family.***(lie) </li></ul><ul><li>I am missing a spleen. </li></ul>

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More Questions (After Name Game) Discuss the following questions with your group partner: 1. What is “religion”? 2. Why is religion important to study?

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THE BIG PICTURE: WHY STUDY RELIGION? (Student Responses)

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understanding different beliefs and values among diverse communities

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effective communication

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moral codes

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tradition

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history

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culture

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How should we live?

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not rush to judgment

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a framework for understanding the personal vs. community vs. the greater universe.

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to look at yourself where you are

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where we come from as a whole

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how we got here

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where we’re going

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hope for the future

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purpose

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connection beyond just our physical presence

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religion as a form of (sacred) storytelling

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What is truth?

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based on the spirituality of the individual

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our souls

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Where am I supposed to be at?

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What am I supposed to do?

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understanding the body

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deeply personal

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used and “good” and “bad” ways

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religion as a form of social control

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Politicians use religion to persuade populations and maintain order.

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large role in history and politics

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Religion goes beyond “texts.”

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REQUIRED TEXT

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COURSE TOPICS Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Yoruba Religions, New Religious Movements

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BIG QUESTIONS Why are we here? What happens when we die? How should we live our lives? What is the self? Who (or what) is God?

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READINGS

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PODCAST

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VERNACULAR RELIGION PROJECT

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QUIZZES

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FINAL PORTFOLIO

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EMAIL BLOGS [email_address] AND [email_address] Use this email to send weekly blogs.

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RECOMMENDED PREPARATION: ENGLISH 1A OR COMPOSITION

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WHAT YOU NEED <ul><li>Computer access </li></ul><ul><li>Two packs of index cards (white). </li></ul><ul><li>A three-ring binder (or portfolio). </li></ul><ul><li>Paper </li></ul>

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WEEKLY RITUAL READ, WATCH, OR LISTEN TO MULTIMEDIA FLEXBOOK OR COURSE READER, AND COMPOSE A SHORT JOURNAL ENTRY OR ONLINE BLOG

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WEEKLY BLOGS 1 Point, 1 Question, 100 words (minimum)

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WEEKLY BLOGS 3 BLOGS DUE EVERY 6 WEEKS, 9 TOTAL BLOGS COUNTED TOTAL (EXTRA POINTS FOR TIMELINESS, QUALITY, COMMENTS, IMAGES, VIDEOS, LINKS)

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WEEKLY BLOGS READ WEEKLY, GRADED CUMULATIVELY AT THE END OF THE SEMESTER (POINTS ASSIGNED FOR TIMELINESS, INSIGHT, ANALYTICAL RIGOR)

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WEEKLY BLOGS USE ALIAS: (For example, “Dylan Eret” in today’s section would be “DYERB1”) (BLOG 1 DUE: FRI, AUG 26, 10:00am)

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GRADES/ASSESSMENT http://engrade.com

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ATTENDANCE POLICY

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DROP OR WITHDRAWAL AFTER FOUR ABSENCES

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YOU MUST LET ME KNOW BEFORE CLASS IF YOU NEED TO BE ABSENT.

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GUIDING FRAMEWORKS

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the basic structure underlying a system, concept, or text framework

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1. Religion is a cultural system. 2. Religion is best understood as a vernacular practice (as lived). Two propositions

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BEFORE NEXT CLASS READ: Stephen Prothero, “Introduction” WATCH: Stephen Prothero on The Colbert Report

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THE SACRED

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Rediscovering the Sacred <ul><li>What really matters to us? </li></ul><ul><li>What practices are so important to us that we cannot live without them? </li></ul><ul><li>What is sacred ? </li></ul>

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Opening Exercise <ul><li>How would you define “religion” ? </li></ul>

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Opening Exercise <ul><li>Why do “religions” exist? </li></ul>

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<ul><li>religion (etymology): </li></ul><ul><li>ORIGIN Middle English (originally in the sense [life under monastic vows] ): from Old French, or from Latin religio(n-) ‘obligation, bond, reverence,’ perhaps based on Latin religare </li></ul><ul><li>‘ to bind.’ </li></ul>

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The “Reality” of Religion sacred profane gray area religion “ reality”

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<ul><li>religion (etymology): </li></ul><ul><li>ORIGIN Middle English (originally in the sense [life under monastic vows] ): from Old French, or from Latin religio(n-) ‘obligation, bond, reverence,’ perhaps based on Latin religare </li></ul><ul><li>‘ to bind.’ </li></ul>

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Definitions of Religion <ul><li>sacred vs. profane </li></ul><ul><ul><li>profane: ordinary elements of life </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>sacred: extraordinary elements of life; revered and awed </li></ul></ul><ul><li>religion as existential questioning </li></ul><ul><ul><li>immortality; purpose in life </li></ul></ul><ul><li>religion as supernature </li></ul><ul><ul><li>beliefs about things outside of nature </li></ul></ul><ul><li>Q: What is included or excluded in each </li></ul><ul><li>definition? </li></ul>

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<ul><li>The Elementary Forms of Religious Life (1912) </li></ul><ul><li>He identified the primary force of religion as the sacred. </li></ul>EMILE DURKHEIM: SOCIOLOGIST

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<ul><li>The Elementary Forms of Religious Life (1912) </li></ul><ul><li>The profane is made of “ordinary” events and experiences. </li></ul>EMILE DURKHEIM: SOCIOLOGIST

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<ul><li>The Elementary Forms of Religious Life (1912) </li></ul><ul><li>The sacred is set apart from and forbidden. </li></ul>EMILE DURKHEIM: SOCIOLOGIST

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<ul><li>The Elementary Forms of Religious Life (1912) </li></ul><ul><li>Religion is the expression of cohesion in human societies. </li></ul>EMILE DURKHEIM: SOCIOLOGIST

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<ul><ul><ul><li>Collective Effervescence : </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>energy generated by gathering in groups </li></ul></ul></ul>EMILE DURKHEIM: SOCIOLOGIST

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<ul><ul><ul><li>“ A society holds up symbols (or totems ) so that it can worship itself and propagate its value system.” </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>- Charles Kimball </li></ul></ul></ul>EMILE DURKHEIM: SOCIOLOGIST

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<ul><li>Religious experience is characterized by human awareness of the sacred. </li></ul>MIRCEA ELIADE The Sacred and the Profane (1959)

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<ul><li>Religious experiences are made of hierophanies (manifestions of the sacred) and theophanies (manifestations of God). </li></ul>MIRCEA ELIADE The Sacred and the Profane (1959)

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Defining Religion <ul><li>Substantive or essentialist definitions characterize religion by some basic essence which is common to all religious systems, but not to any non-religious systems. They say what religion is: </li></ul>“ Belief in invisible superhuman power together with feelings and practices that flow from such a belief.”

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Defining Religion <ul><li>Functionalist definitions focus on the way religion operates or functions in human life. They say what religion does : </li></ul>“ A set of beliefs and practices which serve to subordinate us to something superior or holy in order to justify the events that control our lives”

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Definition <ul><li>r eligion : </li></ul><ul><li>a set of symbolic forms and acts that relate man to the ultimate conditions of his existence </li></ul><ul><li>- Robert Bellah </li></ul>

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Definition <ul><li>r eligion : </li></ul><ul><li>(1) a system of symbols which acts to (2) establish powerful, pervasive, and long lasting moods and motivations in [people] by (3) formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and (4) clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic. – Clifford Geertz </li></ul>

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Alfred Schutz, “On Multiple Realties” (1945) <ul><li>finite provinces of meaning : </li></ul><ul><li>a turning away of attention from the “ paramount reality” of everyday life such as the world of work and striving: e.g., being awake, absorbed, theorizing, dream, fantasy, etc. </li></ul>

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Religious Analogues <ul><li>Argument: Religious “realities” or experiences emerge from (or are a response to) the attitudes one takes on during everyday life activities. </li></ul><ul><li>Argument: The converse also holds: Everyday life, or ordinary events, when repeated in a meaningful manner, can resemble or become “religious” expressions of human experience. </li></ul>

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Jerome Bruner <ul><li>Model of Human Development : </li></ul>

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Three Modes of Representation <ul><li>Enactive : 0-18 months old </li></ul><ul><li>Iconic : 18 months - 6 years old </li></ul><ul><li>Symbolic : 6-18 years old </li></ul>

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Jerome Bruner <ul><li>Enactive : action-based representations </li></ul><ul><li>Iconic : image-based representations </li></ul><ul><li>Symbolic : language-based representations </li></ul>

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Thought Processes <ul><li>Enactive : learning by doing, motor skills, physical actions (e.g., tying a knot) </li></ul><ul><li>Iconic : thinking is based on mental images (iconic) based on different senses (e.g., creating shapes, images, patterns) </li></ul><ul><li>Symbolic : information is stored through language and other objects of representation (e.g., music, mathematics, poetics, art) </li></ul>

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Religious Analogues <ul><li>Argument: Religious experiences are forms of symbolic representation that attempt to meet the needs of individuals and groups during their psychosocial development. </li></ul><ul><li>In other words, religious experiences address the critical changes and transitions that occur during the human life-cycle through various forms of representation (body/ritual, image/art, story/order). </li></ul>

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Mental/Bodily Processes <ul><li>Enactive : body/ritual </li></ul><ul><li>Iconic : art/image/play </li></ul><ul><li>Symbolic : story/order </li></ul>

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Religious Analogues <ul><li>Enactive : ritual, liturgy, sequential movement (kneeling, sitting, standing, spinning, meditating (e.g., lotus posture), prostration, dancing, rhythmic movement, eating, drinking, fasting), “unitive” experiences (self-other merging) </li></ul>

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Religious Analogues <ul><li>Iconic : centered design, patterns, mandalas, ordered coherence, images; </li></ul><ul><li>self-other differentiation </li></ul>

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Religious Analogues <ul><li>3. Symbolic : language, writing, music, mathematics, architecture, poetry, oratory, theology, law, moral codes, narrative, beliefs and values; self-development, integration with religious community, and differentiating self at the same time </li></ul>

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Abraham Maslow <ul><li>Deficiency-cognition : food, water, security, sex, sleep, etc. (a “deficiency” of these basic needs leads to the urge to eliminate them) </li></ul><ul><li>2. Being-cognition : wholeness, perfection, completion, justice, aliveness, richness, simplicity, beauty, goodness, uniqueness, effortlessness, playfulness, truth, self-sufficiency (the state of “being” whole: the need to experience life “more fully” with purpose and meaning) </li></ul>

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MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS

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World Religions <ul><li>Christianity </li></ul><ul><li>Hinduism </li></ul><ul><li>Islam </li></ul><ul><li>Buddhism </li></ul><ul><li>Judaism </li></ul><ul><li>Size and influence on society </li></ul>

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Seven Dimensions of the Sacred (Ninian Smart)

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sacred: regarded with great respect or reverence by an individual or group

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sacred: induces experiences of awe and wonder

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wonder: a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable

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<ul><li>SEVEN DIMENSION OF THE SACRED </li></ul><ul><li>(1) Ritual or Practical </li></ul><ul><li>(2) Doctrinal or Philosophical </li></ul><ul><li>(3) Mythic or Narrative </li></ul><ul><li>(4) Experiential or Emotional </li></ul><ul><li>(5) Ethical or Legal </li></ul><ul><li>(6) Organizational or Social </li></ul><ul><li>(7) Artistic or Material </li></ul>

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<ul><li>Ritual or Practical </li></ul>Worship, meditation, pilgrimage, sacrifice rites, healing

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<ul><li>Doctrinal or Philosophical </li></ul>fundamental beliefs and practices: e.g., impermanence, sin, nirvana, heaven, hell, etc.

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<ul><li>belief: </li></ul><ul><li>a conviction or feeling that something is real or true </li></ul><ul><li>(2) intellectual assent to an idea </li></ul><ul><li>(3) mental acceptance of a proposition, statement, or fact as true, on the grounds of authority or evidence </li></ul>

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<ul><li>Mythic or Narrative </li></ul>Stories, histories, traditions, “founding” myths, life, death, and resurrection, heroes and villains

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<ul><li>Experiential or Emotional </li></ul>Enlightenment, redemption, visions, healing, holiness, health, conversion, redemption, quest

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<ul><li>Ethical or Legal </li></ul>Legal codes, ethics, morals, virtues, taboos

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<ul><li>Organizational or Social </li></ul>Religious specialists or authorities: gurus, lawyers, shamans, doctors, pastors, rabbis, imam, teachers, therapists, politicians, coaches, etc.

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<ul><li>Artistic or Material </li></ul>Religious Sites: Churches, Chapels, Monasteries, Temples, etc.

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Seven Dimensions of the Sacred: Examples

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<ul><li>CHRISITIANITY (Orthodox/Classical after Constantine) </li></ul><ul><li>Ritual or Practical : Mass, Liturgy, Eucharist; ineffability of the Divine Being through re-enactment </li></ul><ul><li>(2) Doctrinal or Philosophical : fused together motifs from Jewish tradition and neo-Platonism (Plotinus and followers in the 3 rd and 4 th centuries B.C.); </li></ul><ul><li>(3) Mythic or Narrative : Egyptian mythology, Old and New Testament, Genesis, The Flood, The Last Supper </li></ul><ul><li>(4) Experiential or Emotional : Monasticism; devotional ritual, chanting </li></ul><ul><li>(5) Ethical or Legal : Ten Commandments </li></ul><ul><li>(6) Organizational or Social : priests, pastors </li></ul><ul><li>(7) Artistic or Material : monasteries, icons, churches </li></ul>

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<ul><li>AMERICAN NATIONALISM </li></ul><ul><li>Ritual or Practical: Union, rebellion against British </li></ul><ul><li>(2) Doctrinal or Philosophical: democracy </li></ul><ul><li>(3) Mythic or Narrative: flag, wars, ceremonies, sports </li></ul><ul><li>(4) Experiential or Emotional: patriotism </li></ul><ul><li>(5) Ethical or Legal: Puritan ideals, values, legal system, Constitution </li></ul><ul><li>(6) Organizational or Social: military </li></ul><ul><li>(7) Artistic or Material: monuments, memorials </li></ul>