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RELIGION AND SOCIETY

Winter 2010

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Fall/Winter 2009-2010
8/12 Credit Program, Evening and Weekend Studies
Faculty: Suzanne Simons, simonsc@evergreen.edu, X6710 and Stephen Beck, becks@evergreen.edu, X5488

CRN: 20159/202160
Program wiki page: www2.evergreen.edu/wikis/religionandsociety/
Meets: SEM II E1105, Wednesdays, 5:30-9:30 and every other Saturday, 10-5:30 (Jan. 9, 23, Feb. 6, 20, March 6)
12-credit section also meets: Tuesdays, 5:30-9:30, Sem II E2107.
Special expenses: $45 per student to participate in interfaith conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Seattle Feb. 20.


Link to the Program Covenant.
Link to Fall Quarter Schedule.


Fields of Study: Religious Studies, Media Studies, Philosophy (CR)

Note: This website is for both the 8-credit and the 12-credit options. Those parts of the syllabus that are for the 12-credit option are marked "(CR)".

The second of this two-quarter, writing-intensive program focuses on contemporary U.S. perspectives on religion, including how religion frames political and cultural issues within the U.S., and how religion shapes our comprehension of events around the world. Our guiding questions include what were the political and cultural forces that shaped religion in the U.S. during the course of our country’s history? What are the similarities and differences between a secular nation and a religious one? What is the place of religion in public political discourse, in which not all citizens share religious beliefs? How does mass media influence the ways we think about religion, and the relationship between religion and politics?

Students enrolling in the 12-credit option will study techniques of critical reasoning, with a focus on rhetorical techniques of persuasion, both fallacious and valid, and their presence in media and popular writing about religion.

Students who successfully complete both quarters of the program will understand the development and the major tenets of several major religions, understand the roles of religions within historical and contemporary cultures, and be able to critically evaluate texts on religion as well as claims about the place of religion in public life. Major areas of study will include philosophy, religious studies, history and writing.

Specifically, we will examine:

  • The history of religion in the U.S., particularly tensions between “conservative” and “progressive” Christianity as played out in pulpits and politics from the country’s founding to today.
  • Mass media coverage and representations of religion in mainstream, alternative, international and specialty publications, and the social, economic and political national and international issues often connected with it.
  • Contemporary intersections of religion, politics and culture through case studies in the Middle East, including the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Major class activities will include:

  • Service learning projects with local faith communities in order to deepen students’ understanding of those communities and how their practices, beliefs and activities intersect with our program studies. Projects may include creating an enduring public record through writing and photography, depending on the needs and interests of faith communities and students.
  • Student-organized public forum on religion in wartime. Students in the program will plan, publicize and implement a community event with guest speakers on a theme relating to religion and society for the Evergreen and greater Olympia communities.

Winter Program Objectives

  • Demonstrate understanding of the development of several major religions
  • Demonstrate understanding of the roles of religions in historical context
  • Demonstrate understanding of the roles of religions in contemporary cultures
  • Be able to critique mass media coverage of religion
  • Demonstrate understanding on the difference among various types of mass media, their uses and audiences
  • Demonstrate critical evaluation of texts on religion
  • Be able to critically evaluate claims about the place of religion in contemporary issues
  • Be able to write college-level papers
  • (CR) Be able to identify fallacious reasoning in popular sources on religion
  • (CR) Be able to critique persuasive writing on religion with respect both to rhetorical effectiveness and rational strength

Required Readings


A History of God, Karen Armstrong
The Age of Reason, Thomas Paine
The Scarlet Letter, Nathanial Hawthorne
Head and Heart: American Christianities, Garry Wills
Quoting God: How Media Shape Ideas About Religion and Culture, Claire Badaracco (ed.)
The Many Faces of Political Islam: Religion and Politics in the Muslim World, Mohammed Ayoob
(CR) Logic and Contemporary Rhetoric, (11th edition), Nancy Cavender and Howard Kahane
(CR) One of the following texts, associated with “New Atheism”:

  • God Is Not Great, Christopher Hitchens
  • The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins
  • The End of Faith, Sam Harris

Assignments

College-Level Work

You are expected to do college-level work in all program activities. Specifically, this means:

  • The ability to read, understand, and then summarize texts
  • The ability to learn from texts through discussion with others
  • The ability to analyze and pursue writing assignments
  • The ability to write coherent, focused, correctly punctuated prose
  • The ability to develop and defend a thesis
  • The commitment to do all of the above reliably

Program Schedule

Note: Schedule subject to revision. Please check here for the latest version.

Week 1, 1/5-1/9

(CR) Tuesday, 1/5

Topics: Critical Reasoning Introduction

Review of Central Concepts of Formal Reasoning


Wednesday, 1/6

Theme: Introduction to Religion and Society
Activities:
Introductions and program overview
Lecture: The Historical Context of the Reformation (Stephen)
Student survey – do in class

Saturday,1/9

Theme: Introduction to Religion and Society
Readings:
Quoting God, foreword + pp. 1-36, 43-58, 79-99, 107-128, 193-200
Activities:
Faith community service orientation -- see Faith Community Service Learning Project Handout
Lecture: Religion Coverage in Mass Media (Suzanne)
Media Groups orientation -- see Media Workshop handout and the News Groups Assignment
Seminar, assigned readings
Public forum signup and planning
Work Due:
New students - Religion memoir and map (2-3 pages)
Response to assigned reading (1 page)

Week 2, 1/12-1/13

(CR) Tuesday, 1/12

Topic:Reasoning, Persuasion, and Rhetoric
Readings:
Kahane, ch. 1-3
Work Due: Problem sets

Wednesday, 1/13

Theme: Religion and Community
Readings:
Head and Heart, pp. 1-117;
The Scarlet Letter, through chapter X.
Activities:
Faith community service learning panel: Sister Monika Ellis, St. Placid Priory; Ellen Shortt-Sanchez, director, TESC Center for Community-Based Learning and Action, Rev. Howard Ullery, Lacey Community Church, TBA
Forum planning update – student committee
Seminar: Assigned readings
Work Due:
Response to assigned reading
Community service journal


Week 3, 1/19-1/23

(CR) Tuesday, 1/19

Topic: Fallacious Reasoning
Readings:
Kahane, ch. 4 & 5
Work Due: Problem sets

Wednesday,1/20

Theme: The Enlightenment and Religion
Readings:
The Scarlet Letter, to end;
Head and Heart, pp. 121-171.
Activities:
Public forum update – student planning committee
Community service check-in
Seminar: Assigned reading
Work Due:
Response to assigned reading
Community service journal

Saturday,1/23

Theme: The Enlightenment and Religion
Readings:
History of God, ch. 9;
Age of Reason, pp. 1-84;
Head and Heart, pp. 173-249 (recommended).
Activities:
Lecture: The Enlightenment and Religion (Stephen)
Media Workshop: Think tanks
Seminar: Assigned reading
Work Due:
Response to assigned reading
Media journal

Week 4, 1/26-1/27

(CR) Tuesday, 1/26

Topic: Why Fallacies are Effective
Readings:
Cavender and Kahane, ch. 6
Work Due: Problem sets

Wednesday,1/27

Theme: Religion in the 19th Century
Readings:
Wills, Head and Heart, pp. 253-349
Activities:
History paper - small group presentations
Forum update –student planning committee
Film
Seminar: Assigned reading
Work Due:
Response to assigned reading
Community service journal
U.S religion history paper (See Guidelines) (3-5 pages)

Week 5, 2/2-2/6

(CR) Tuesday, 2/2

Readings:
Harris, The End of Faith, through ch. 3 OR
Hitchens, God Is Not Great, through c. 9 OR
Dawkins, The God Delusion, through ch. 5
Topic: The New Atheism: Workshop on Dawkins, Harris and Hitchens
Video: Debate between Sam Harris and Reza Aslan
Work Due: Questions on Sources in Harris, Hitchens or Dawkins

Wednesday, 2/3

Theme: Culture Wars
Readings:
Head and Heart, pp. 353-396
Activities:
Lecture: Religion and Politics (Stephen)
Forum Update -- student planning committee
Faith community service check-in
Seminar: Assigned reading
Work Due:
Response to assigned reading
Faith community service journal -- see Worship Service Observation Guidelines

Saturday,2/6

Theme: Culture Wars
Readings:
Head and Heart, pp. 397-446
History of God, ch. 10
Activities:
Lecture: Religion and the Pacific Northwest (Suzanne)
Seminar: Assigned reading
Media group presentations
Program reflection/quiz
Mid-quarter conferences
Work Due:
Response to assigned reading
Media journal

Week 6, 2/9-2/10

(CR) Tuesday, 2/9

Readings:
Cavender and Kahane, ch. 7
Topic: Emotive and Cognitive Language
Work Due: Purpose, Audience and Tone in Dawkins, Harris and Hitchens

Wednesday, 2/10

Theme: Framing Conflicts
Readings:
Head and Heart, pp. 451-494 (495-552 recommended)
Quoting God, pp. 211-231.
Activities:
Lecture: Competing Media Frames: Israeli-Palestinian Conflict as Colonial Project or Religious Destiny? (Suzanne)
Forum update -- student planning committee
Faith community service check-in
Seminar: Assigned reading
Work Due:
Response to assigned reading
community service journal

Week 7, 2/16-2/20

(CR) Tuesday, 2/16

Readings:
Cavender and Kahane, ch. 11
Topic: Critical reasoning and analysis of news media
Work Due: Definition of Terms in Harris, Hitchens or Dawkins

Wednesday,2/17

Theme: Religion in the Contemporary World
Readings:
Political Islam, in entirety
Activities:
Lecture: Political Islams' Many Voices (Suzanne)
Film -- Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land
Forum update -- student planning committee
Seminar: Assigned readings
Work Due:
Response to assigned reading
community service journal

Saturday,2/20

Theme: Religion in the Contemporary World
Activities:
Sabeel Conference, Seattle. See Friends of Sabeel -- North America and Sabeel Seattle Conference
All-day field trip. $45 to be paid to student accounts; van drivers needed.
Work Due:
Conference reflection (written on site)

Week 8, 2/23-2/24

(CR) Tuesday, 2/23

Readings: Remainder of
Harris, The End of Faith OR
Hitchens, God Is Not Great OR
Dawkins, The God Delusion
Topic: Discussion of "New Atheism"
Work Due: Summary of main points

Wednesday, 2/24

Theme: Religion in the Media
Readings:
Quoting God, pp. 59-66, 233-245, 259-263
Activities:
Media analysis paper -- small group presentations
Forum update -- student planning committee
Program quiz and reflection
Seminar: Assigned reading
Work Due:
Media analysis paper (3-5 pages)
Community service journal
Response to assigned readings

Week 9, 3/2-3/6

(CR) Tuesday, 3/2

Readings:
Excerpts from two sources critical of Harris, Hitchens or Dawkins, plus | Karen Armstrong, "Think Again: God", along with | Sam Harris' reply, "The God Fraud"
See Partial Bibliography
Activities:
Video, debate between Hitchens and Boteach
Concurrent seminars on each text and critics
Work Due:
Summary of main points of critical sources

Wednesday, 3/3

Theme: Religion in War Time
Activities:
Religion and Society Community Forum -- Evergreen Longhouse
Work:
Students responsible for Longhouse setup, hosting and welcoming, distributing programs, and take-down
Community service journal

Saturday, 3/6

Activities:
Self-evaluation workshop
Faith community poster presentations and family potluck
Work Due:
Poster presentation with your field supervisor on your faith community work
Faith community paper (3-5 pages)

Week 10, 3/9-10

(CR) Tuesday, 3/9

Activities:
Presentations of critical review essays, in groups
Quiz
Work Due:
Critical review essays

Wednesday, 3/10

Readings:
History of God, ch. 11
Activities:
Program de-brief
Seminar: Assigned readings
Work Due:
Response to assigned reading
Program portfolio with self-evaluation

Evaluation Week, 3/15-19

Activities

Self-evaluation critique groups
Evaluation conferences

Full credit for the program requires attendance at your evaluation conference. Your seminar faculty’s evaluation of you will be based on your depth of understanding and progress as evident in papers, class portfolio and seminar participation.
Faculty evaluation (at time of final conference. May be given to faculty, or to EWS program secretary Sharon Wendt, Sem II B 2124)

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