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ContemporaryReligiousThought(REL240‐01,Fall2012)WisterHall304

[MWF11:00am–11:50am]

Instructor:Dr.AnthonyPaulSmith(smithanthony@lasalle.edu)McShainHallRoom211773‐931‐9570(cell)

Officehours:MWF10:00‐11:00am,T11:00am‐12:00pmorbyappointment

CourseDescription “WhereisGod?WhereisHe?”someonebehindmeasked...

Formorethanhalfanhour[thechildinthenoose]stayedthere,strugglingbetweenlifeanddeath,dyinginslowagonyunderoureyes.Andwehadtolookhimfullintheface.HewasstillalivewhenIpassedinfrontofhim.Histongue

wasstillred,hiseyeswerenotyetglazed.

Behindme,Iheardthesamemanasking:

“WhereisGodnow?”

AndIheardavoicewithinmeanswerhim:

“WhereisHe?HereHeis—Heishanginghereonthisgallows....”–ElieWiesel

“Misery’stheriveroftheworld.”–TomWaits

Theexperienceofsufferingisoneofthemostprofoundinallofcreation.Peoplewhoundergosufferingoftentrytofindmeaninginwhytheyaresuffering.Someturntoreligionforthatmeaning,othersturnawayafterfeelingthatthemeaningofferedthereishollow.Butineachcase,thereissomerelationshipbetweenabstractthoughtandsuffering,betweentryingtomakesenseofwhatallofthisisandtheoverwhelmingexperiencethatseemstooutrunourabilitytoaccountforit.ThiscoursewillexaminetheproblemofsufferingandabstractthoughtbylookingatthebookofJob(thoughttobethefirstoftheHebrewScripturestobewritten)andcontemporaryresponsestothatancienttext.Theclassisecumenicalinthegreatestsenseofthatword,meaningwearenotjustgoingtoreadChristiansresponses,butwillreadtheresponsesofContemporaryJewish,Muslimandsecularthinkersaswell.Wemaynotfindanyanswerforoursuffering,butwemayhave,bytheendofitall,createdsomethinginthemidstofit.

LearningOutcomesUponcompletingthecoursethestudentshouldbeableto:

• engagewithavarietyofreligiousdiscoursesandpractices;• understandandusedifferenttheoreticalmethodsinreligiousthought;• identifyandexplainthedifferentethicalandsocialpositionsarisingoutof

variousformsofreligiousexperience;• beabletoidentifythecentralthemesandargumentsofthetextsandstatethem

inaclearandsympatheticwayinclassdiscussionthroughparticipationandleadingthediscussion;

• beabletoformulatecriticismsinawaythatisattentivetotheoriginalauthor’sintentandargumentation.

GradeSummaryTherewillbetwotests(comprisedofshort‐answerquestionsandessayquestions),

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discussions,leadingaclassseminarandpreparingaprotocol,andafinalpaper(10‐pages,double‐spaced).Eachtestwillcountfor20%(foratotalof40%)ofyourfinalgrade,leadinggroupdiscussionwillcountfor20%,thefinalpaperwillcountfor30%,andfinally10%forclassparticipation(whichincludesattendance).Itisimportantthatyoudonotmissaclassandespeciallyanexam.Anymake‐upforthein‐classexamswillonlybegivenduetoextremesituations,andthisisdoneveryrarely.Youmusthavepriorpermissionfromtheinstructoricaltotakeamake­up.ThepaperisdueviaBlackboard(informationonhowtosubmitwillbegivenlaterinthesemester)bytheendoftheday(11:59PM)onFriday,May10th.Thepaperistobesubmittedelectronicallyonly.IpreferthatthepaperbeaPDF.Detailsconcerningthepaper(itsformatandcontent)willbepassedoutafterthefirstexam.Latepaperswillnotbeaccepted.Cheating/plagiarismwillbedealtwithastheseriousinfractionsthattheyare,possiblyleadingtofailure;seetheAcademicIntegrityPolicyfordetails(availableontheportal).Thegradescaleisasfollows:100‐95=A,94‐90=A‐,89‐87=B+,86‐84=B,83‐80=B‐,79‐77=C+,76‐74=C,73‐70=C‐,69‐67=D+,66‐64=D,63‐60D‐,59andbelow=FCellPhone,LaptopandTabletPolicyWhileIunderstandtheaddictiontocellphones,especiallysmartphones,thematerialwearestudyingisverydifficultandthereforerequiresyourundividedattention.Ifyouarecaughtusingyourphoneduringalectureyouwillbegivenonewarning(eitherverballyorbyemail).Ifyouarecaughtasecondtimeormoreyouwillfaceareductionoffivepointsforeachoffensefromyourhighestscoringpieceofcoursework.Pleaseturnallcellphonesoffduringthelecture.IfIcandoit,socanyou.

Laptopsandtabletsareacceptableintheclass,butfornotetakingonly.Ifyouappearnottobepayingattentionbecauseyou’redistractedbysomethingnon‐lecturerelatedonyourlaptopthenIwillaskyoutoreadthelastlineofnotesyouhavejustwritten.Ifyoucan’tthenyouwillbegivenawarning(eitherverballyorbyemail).Ifyouarecaughtasecondtimeormoreyouwillfaceareductionoffivepointsforeachoffensefromyourhighestscoringpieceofcoursework.

BlackboardPleasemakesurethatyouchecktheemailattachedtoyourBlackboardprofile.Iwillbesendingemailstothataddress.Allcoursedocuments,powerpoints,audiooflectures,andotherhelpfullinkswillbeavailableontheBlackboardcoursepage.

RemarksonLectures,Readings,Films,andClassroomDiscussionsWearedealingwithadultthemesandarangeofdifferentbeliefsystemsinthisclass.Youwillbeexposedtodifferentwaysofthinkingbothinthereadings,thelectures,anddiscussionsinclass.Attimesyoumayfindyourselfoffendedbyoneormoreoftheideaspresentedandwhenyouarenotoffendedafellowclassmatemaywellbe.Thisisok!Whileofcourseverbalorphysicalabuse(namecalling,useofhatespeechdirectedatanotherstudent,etc.)isstrictlynottolerated,wehavetogiveeachotherpermissiontobeoffensive(withintheboundsofrespectfuldiscourse)andtobeoffended.Byremaininginthiscourseyouareagreeingtohaverespectfulconversationsaboutawiderangeofdifferentbeliefswhichmaysometimesbecomeheated.

Thisgoesespeciallyforthefilmsandclipswewillwatchinclass.AttimesIhavechosenmaterialthatmaybeoffensivetosome.Somefilmswillberated‐RandsomeclipsfromTVshowswillberatedTV‐MA.Byremainingenrolledinthisclassafterthefirstsession

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youareenteringintoanon‐verbalagreementthatyouunderstandandacceptyouwillbeaskedtowatchthesefilmsandclips.

RequiredTexts(Alltextsareavailablefromthebookstore,thoughsometimesmaybecheapertobuythemonline.Pleasechecktomakesureyouarebuyingthecorrectedition.)

• CourseReader(pdfsonBlackboard):o ElieWiesel,MessengersofGodo MartinBuber,ThePropheticFaitho PhilippeNemo,JobandtheExcessofEvilo RenéGirard,“JobasFailedScapegoat”

• TheBookofJobinRobertAlter(trans.),TheWisdomBooks(Norton)• CGJung,AnswertoJob(Princeton)• AntonioNegri,TheLaborofJob(Duke)• GustavoGutiérrez,OnJob(Orbis)• NavidKermani,TheTerrorofGod(Polity)

OutlineofCourseandReadingScheduleReadingslistedaretobereadforthatclassperiod.IfthereadingislistedunderSeptember14th,itistobereadpriortotheSeptember14thsessionofclass.Thescheduleandproceduresforthiscoursearesubjecttochangeintheeventofextenuatingcircumstances;changeswillbeannouncedinclass.Eachclasswillconsistoflectureandorganizedgroupdiscussionofthetext.January14th IntroductionJanuary16th Job,pp.11‐70. January18th Job,pp.71‐126January21st NoClassMLKJrDay January23rd Job,pp.127‐179January25th Wiesel,pp.211‐236(onBlackboard) January28th Buber,pp.183‐202(onBlackboard)January30th Nemo,pp.81‐99(onBlackboard)February1st SeminarGroup1 February4th Gutiérrez,pp.xi‐10February6th Gutiérrez,pp.11‐30February8th Gutiérrez,pp.31‐49February11th Gutiérrez,pp.51‐66February13th Gutiérrez,pp.67‐81February15th Gutiérrez,pp.82‐103

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February18th SeminarGroup2February20th Jung,pp.3‐29 February22nd Jung,pp.29‐56February25th Test#1February27th Jung,pp.57‐82 March1st Jung,pp.82‐108March4th–8th NoClass(Mid­SemesterHoliday)March11th Girard(ArticleonBlackboard)March13th Girard(articleonBlackboard)March15th SeminarGroup3

March18th Kermani,pp.2‐30March20th Kermani,pp.30‐57March22nd Kermani,pp.57‐93March25th Kermani,pp.93‐126March27th Kermani,pp.126‐155March29th–April1stNoClassEasterBreakApril3rd Kermani,pp.155‐179April5th Kermani,pp.180‐206April8th Kermani,pp.206‐222April10th SeminarGroup4

Negri,pp.xvii‐9April12th Negri,pp.9‐29April15th FilmTBA(usethesedaystogetaheadonyourreadingaswell)April17th FilmTBAApril19th SeminarGroup5April22nd Negri,pp.29‐47April24th Negri,pp.48‐69

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April26th Negri,pp.69‐91April29th Negri,pp.91‐107May1st SeminarGroup6May3rd Test#2May10th FinalPaperdue(bymidnight)FinalPaper

Thepaper(2500words,whichisaround10pages,normal12ptfont,doublespaced,normalmarginswithcitations)(informationonhowtosubmitwillbegivenlaterinthesemester)bytheendoftheday(11:59PM)onFriday,May10th.Thepaperistobesubmittedelectronicallyonly.IpreferthatthepaperbeaPDF.YoucansavethepaperasaPDFinWordbyclicking“Saveas”andselectingPDFwhereitsays“Saveastype”.Latepaperswillnotbeacceptedexceptforextremesituations.Cheating/plagiarismwillbedealtwithastheseriousinfractionsthattheyare,mostlikelyleadingtofailure;seetheStudentHandbookfordetails.

Prompts:

1. CompareindetailanytworeadingsoftheBookofJobwe’vereadinthecourse.Forexample,butnotlimitedtotheseexamples,thispapercanlookatthedifferencebetweentheChristianandJewishreadingsbyfocusingonGutierrezandWeisel,oreventhedifferencebetweentheChristianreadingofGutierrezandGirard,orthedifferencebetweenNegri’ssecularreadingscomparedwithKermani’sIslamicone.

2. WriteanessayonthequestionoffaithandtheBookofJobthatengageswithoneofthereadingswe’vediscussedinclass.Thispapershouldinvestigatethemeaningoffaith(sowhatdoesitreallymeantohavefaithinGod)anditsrelationshiptosuffering.Job,remember,doesnotsimplyaccepthissuffering,butdemandsaresponsefromGod.Thislooksverydifferentfromasimplyfideisticfaith.

3. Writeanessayontheologicalmethodthatexaminesthewaywedotheologybycomparingthemethod’spresentinthespeechesofJob’sfriendsandJob’sresponseswiththemethodpresentinoneortwoofthebookswehaveread.Thiswillrequireyoutoanalyzethesetextsthemselvestoseehowtheyengagewiththeirtradition,reason,andsufferingpresentintheworld.

4. Chooseyourownadventure(mustspeak/email/meetwithmepriortobeginningresearchonyourtopic).

Youmustengagewithtextsinyourpaperandhaveabibliography!Citationsarenecessaryandextraresearchwillalsobenecessary.Inyourbibliographyyoumustincludeatleastonejournalarticle.Usewhateversystemofcitationyouarecomfortablewithbutitmustremainconsistent.Ifyouareunfamiliarwithcitationsusethesystemontheothersideofthispaper.Agoodruleofthumbisthatyoushouldhaveatleasttwocitationsperpage.

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Thisisauniversity­levelresearchpaperandyoumusttreatitassuch.ThismeansyoumustreadBOOKS.DonotquotefromDictionary.com,Biography.com,oraboveallWikipedia.com.ThiswillresultinanautomaticCasthehighestgradeforthepaper.Ifyouareunfamiliarwithbooks,gowheretheylive,inthelibrary,andtalktoalibrarian.Ifyouhaveanyquestionsaboutappropriatesourcespleasecontactme.

Rememberanessayhasabeginning,amiddle,andanend.Itshouldhaveaclearthesisstatement.Itshouldtakeeverythingitisarguingandrelateitbacktothatthesisstatement.Youshouldalsofeelfreetotryandwritecreativelyaslongasyoustaywithintheboundsofpresentinganargument.Istronglyencourageyoutosetupmeetingswithmetotalkaboutyourpaperatleasttwoweekspriortoitsduedate.

Citations:BookOneauthor

(Firsttimecitinginafootnote):MichaelPollan,TheOmnivore’sDilemma:ANaturalHistoryofFourMeals(NewYork:Penguin,2006),99–100.(Afterthefirstcitation):Pollan,Omnivore’sDilemma,3.(Bibliography):Pollan,Michael.TheOmnivore’sDilemma:ANaturalHistoryofFourMeals.NewYork:Penguin,2006.

Twoormoreauthors1.GeoffreyC.WardandKenBurns,TheWar:AnIntimateHistory,1941–1945(NewYork:Knopf,2007),52.2.WardandBurns,War,59–61.Ward,GeoffreyC.,andKenBurns.TheWar:AnIntimateHistory,1941–1945.NewYork:Knopf,2007.

Fortranslatedbooks1. Gabriel García Márquez, Love in the Time of Cholera, trans. Edith Grossman (London: Cape, 1988), 242–55. 2. García Márquez, Cholera, 33. García Márquez, Gabriel. Love in the Time of Cholera. Translated by Edith Grossman. London: Cape, 1988.

Journal article

In a note, list the specific page numbers consulted, if any. In the bibliography, list the page range for the whole article.

1.JoshuaI.Weinstein,“TheMarketinPlato’sRepublic,”ClassicalPhilology104(2009):440.

2.Weinstein,“Plato’sRepublic,”452–53.

Weinstein,JoshuaI.“TheMarketinPlato’sRepublic.”ClassicalPhilology104(2009):439–58.