Religion and the Humanities

Program Coordinator: Jonathan Z. Smith, HM 403, 702-6022

Program of Study

The aims of the program in religion and the humanities are to acquire (1) understanding of religion as one of humankind's primary responses to and expressions of the human condition and (2) appreciation of the difficulties and possibilities inherent in undertaking a critical, disciplined study of religion. The location of the program within the Humanities Collegiate Division and its use of courses from a variety of programs imply that neither the study of religion nor its data are the privileged possession of a single discipline. The basic courses, being problem oriented, imply that there is an intellectual tradition of the study of religion that must be mastered.

Program Requirements

Basic Courses. All students in the program are required to take a one-quarter course in each of four areas that serve as a disciplined base for further work. These areas emphasize either key methodological questions in the academic study of religion or characteristic religious data. No fewer than two of these areas must be fulfilled by taking courses within the religion and the humanities program; up to two of these areas may be fulfilled by taking courses offered by other programs. Any variation requires the written consent of the program coordinator. The four basic areas are as follows:

1. Basic problems in the study of religion (Area A). The intent is to isolate a key problem in the study of religion and to examine critically a representative sample of the kinds of data that give rise to the problem and the sorts of answers that have been proposed.

2. Basic strategies in the interpretation of religion (Area B). One or more fundamental approaches to the study of religion is carried through a given body of religious materials with rigor and criticism.

3. Basic issues in the self-interpretation of religion (Area C). A study of those texts whereby a religious tradition interprets itself to its community and to those who are outside the tradition.

4. Religious literature and expression (Area D). The focus is on specific religious texts or artifacts and techniques for their interpretation.

Other Courses in the Program. Students are required to take one Western and one non-Western civilizational sequence (or their equivalents) in order to gain appreciation for the problems of interpreting religion within a wider historical and cultural setting. One of these sequences may be used to fulfill the College's Common Core requirements. In addition to the four basic courses, students, with the approval of the program coordinator, select at least five courses from the wide range of College and graduate courses regularly offered on some aspect of religion. Some of these may be independent study. At least three of these courses must represent concentration in either a particular religious tradition or in a coherent set of problems in the study of religion. Finally, each student submits a senior project to be developed in consultation with the program coordinator. For students eligible for honors in the program, this project usually takes the form of a research paper developed in consultation with the program coordinator.

Summary of Requirements

General Civilization sequence (may be Western

Education or non-Western)

Concentration 3 civilization sequence (Western or non-Western, whichever was not taken for Common Core requirement)

4 courses, one in each of the four basic areas

5 courses in religion (three of which must represent an area of concentration)

- senior project

12

Faculty

ANNE CARR, Professor, the Divinity School and the College

JONATHAN Z. SMITH, Robert O. Anderson Distinguished Service Professor of the Humanities, Committee on the History of Culture, and the College; Program Coordinator, Religion & the Humanities

Courses

The following courses fulfill the area requirements of the program. The area represented is indicated by a letter in parentheses at the end of each description. They are open, without prerequisites, to all students in the College.

223. Myths and Symbols of Evil (=Fndmtl 223, Hum 212, RelHum 223). This course examines in depth Martin Buber's Good and Evil and Paul Ricoeur's Symbolism of Evil. There are a few brief lectures, but emphasis is on seminar discussion and student participation. A. Carr. Winter.

230. Hellenistic Mystery Religions. A close reading of Mediterranean mystery texts from Late Antiquity and of contemporary theories concerning them. A special topic is the question of the relation of the mysteries to early Christians. J. Z. Smith. Winter. (A, D)

292. Classics in the Study of Religion: M. Eliade, Patterns in Comparative Religion (=Fndmtl 239, RelHum 292). A close reading of Eliade's major work on religion and a consideration, through several specific examples, of the Eliade tradition in religious studies. J. Z. Smith. Autumn.

294. St. Augustine's Confessions (=Fndmtl 276, Hum 207, Id/Met 390, RelHum 294, SocSci 207). This course consists of a close reading of the text in English translation along with On the Freedom of the Will and The Teacher. We study Augustine's conceptions of philosophy and belief, focusing on his notion of the philosophical life and on his concept of the will. We then relate these conceptions to the ways Augustine clarifies and criticizes the culture in which he matured, as he writes about the practices that shaped education, friendship, marriage, sexuality, family, and political vocation. We also devote attention to Augustine's rhetoric and how it influences his search for wisdom and happiness. W. Olmsted. Autumn.

295. Readings in Ritual Theory. A critical and comparative reading of a representative collection of contemporary theories of religious ritual. J. Z. Smith. Spring. (A)

299-1,-2,-3,-4. Reading and Research. PQ: Students are required to submit a formal proposal and receive the consent of the program coordinator. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. J. Z. Smith. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

562-563. The Story of the Stone I, II (=ComLit 510-511, DivRL 562-563, EALC 576-577, Fndmtl 267-268, RelHum 562-563). PQ: Consent of instructor. In this two-quarter sequence on the monumental classic of eighteenth-century China, The Story of the Stone (or Dream of the Red Chamber), lectures and discussion are supplemented by readings in a common core of criticism and student presentations. EALC students are expected to work with original texts and sources, while students with no Chinese may use either the five-volume edition by Penguin or the French translation. A. C. Yu. Autumn, Winter.