RELS 357: The End of the World
Instructor: Micki Lennon
Spring 2009
Office: TRNT 234 Meeting times: MW 4-5:15
Phone: 898-5263 Office hours: MW 2-3, Tu 9:30-11:30 and Email: plennon@csuchico.edu and by appointment
Course Description and Objectives:
How do human beings cope with catastrophes? How do they deal with the possibility of extinction? How do they use religion to make sense of the world? This course will introduce students to the stories religions tell about the world, focusing specifically on religious visions of cosmic struggles between good and evil, and religious warnings about the end of the world. We will examine apocalyptic and millennial themes in Judaism, Christianity, Native American religions, and new religious movements. We will explore the ways religious visions of the end of the world have helped human beings adapt to an often unstable and unpredictable world and cope with the possibility of global annihilation (such as the prospects of nuclear war and ecological catastrophe). We will also look at the ways in which secular discussions of these issues in the 20th and 21st centuries have been shaped by broader religious narratives.
This course meets the general education requirements of Theme U, Catastrophe and humanity. It addresses the human search for meaning in an unpredictable world and explores the relationship between society and nature and the role religion plays in helping different societies manage crises, deal with change, and recover from disasters and catastrophic events. By the end of the semester, students will be able to explain and differentiate between different religious perspectives on the end of the world; they will also be able to analyze and articulate the ways religious apocalypticism has helped shape cultural discussions of potential global catastrophes such as nuclear war or environmental collapse.
Required Texts:
Paul Boyer, When Time Shall Be No More
Walter Miller, A Canticle for Leibowitz
Course Reader, available at Mr. Kopy (119 Main St., next to 7-11—Packet # 103)
Course Requirements and Grading
Participation/Homework 25% (250 points)
Exam 25% (250 points)
Research Project 25% (250 points)
Final Paper 25% (250 points)
Grading
Grading will be on a 1000 point scale. 935 or more points, A; 895-934 points, A-; 875-894 points, B+; 835-874 points, B; 795-834 points, B-; 775-794 points, C+; 735-774 points, C; 695-734 points, C-; 675-694 points, D+; 595-674 points, D; below 595, F.
Participation (25%)
This will be a discussion-oriented course, so your attendance and participation is vital to its success. Your participation grade will be based on attendance, level of preparation for class, contributions to class discussion, and your listening skills.
There are two specific components to your participation grade. The first is your level of preparation for class, and the second is actual attendance and participation.
Preparation/Homework questions (150 points)
It is essential that you complete the assigned readings and reflect on them to allow class discussion to take place. Throughout the calendar of required readings you will find Homework questions. These questions are due at the beginning of class. They may be typed or handwritten, but if they are handwritten they must be legible, in blue or black ink, and written on standard size (8.5 by 11) paper. Responses to questions should be 2-3 paragraphs in length (approximately one page). Please remember to write your name, the date, and the class in the upper right-hand corner of the assignment.
Homework questions will be worth 10 points each. Late homework will be accepted for half credit and should be turned in on a day when another assignment is due so it doesn’t get accidentally misfiled. The last day I will accept late homework for credit is Friday May 16.
Attendance and participation (100 points)
I will take attendance, and I will monitor student participation. If you have an illness or another problem which will affect your ability to attend class regularly, you must let me know as soon as possible. If you miss more than two classes without a valid excuse, it will hurt your attendance grade.
If you regularly come in late or leave early, this will negatively impact your participation grade. If you have a serious and compelling reason to leave class early, please let me know in advance. It is your responsibility to make sure I know you were in class if you arrive after attendance has been taken.
Exam (250 points)
There will be a midterm exam on April 13. The exam will be a combination of multiple choice and essay. The essay will be given out in advance, and I am open to making this portion of the exam take-home, depending on the preferences of the class.
Canticle for Leibowitz Paper (250 points)
The final paper for this class will be a 3-6 page review of A Canticle for Leibowitz that connects it to some of the major concepts or themes of this class. For example, you might discuss the ways the novel illustrates one of the major apocalyptic narrative patterns we have discussed in class; you might compare the novel's depiction of the post-nuclear landscape to one of the other such texts we have examined in class, such as Barefoot Gen or Princess Mononoke; or you might explore the extent to which the novel conforms to (or fails to conform to) Protestant, Catholic, or secular apocalyptic thinking. This paper will be due during the final exam period (May 18 at 6 p.m.).
Research Project (250 points)
Every member of the class is required to conduct a research project for the course. There are three options for this research project:
1. Group Presentation (This is preferred).
2. 8-10 page research paper on a theme related to the course
3. 8-10 page research review of 2 apocalyptic novels or 3 apocalyptic films.
This research project is designed to give you an opportunity to explore a particular religious group’s understanding of the end of the world in more depth. Whichever option you select, remember that this is a research project and requires extensive use of scholarly research sources.
DEADLINES FOR RESEARCH PROJECT
•Selection of which option you are choosing: March 2
•Proposal due March 23 (one paragraph outlining your project, and for groups, a breakdown of responsibilities, with a bibliography of at least 5 scholarly sources. For people doing the research review, this is five sources in addition to your films/novels)
•Annotated bibliographies due April 27. (Only group presentations need to turn these in—people writing papers need only submit a regular bibliography with their paper. Each group member should individually turn in an annotated bibliography of at least 4 sources.)
• Group Presentation dates: 4/27, 4/29, 5/4, 5/6
•Research papers and research reviews due 5/4
A. Guidelines for Group Presentation Option
Group projects should be 20-25 minutes in length. Groups should be composed of 2-5 members, and members should participate equally in both the research and the presentation itself. Each group member must turn in an annotated bibliography with four unique sources (that is, sources not being used by other group members) due April 14 . All groups must meet with me no later than one class period before their presentation to apprise me of their progress. Projects will be judged on research, creativity, organization, and coherence. Please be sure to select a research topic that can be coherently presented in 25 minutes! Group presentation dates will be determined by signups in class.
Breakdown of the grade for group projects
Proposal: 25 points Group research: 50 points
Meeting: 25 points Organization: 50 points
Annotated bibliography: 50 points Creativity: 50 points
•When you form your groups for group presentations, be sure to exchange contact information and be sure everyone is clear on group responsibilities and how meetings will be arranged. Missing more than one group meeting or vanishing from class for more than a week without contacting other group members is grounds for being expelled from the group.
•The only written part of the group presentation grade is the annotated bibliography. An annotated bibliography gives the complete citation for each source and also includes a paragraph’s worth of description of the material in the source that was relevant for the project. For example, an annotated bibliography entry for The Lorax might look like this:
Theodore Seuss Geisel, The Lorax (New York: Random House, 1971).
The Lorax is an environmental parable in which the story of the “Onceler” is told. The Onceler is a sort of proto-capitalist who comes to exploit the paradisical land of the Lorax. Before the coming of the Onceler, Truffula trees bloom, Brown Barbaloots play, and all is happy and joyous. The Onceler sets about making products from Truffula trees, and as a result destroys the animals’ habitats and pollutes the air and water. The Onceler becomes rich, but undercuts his own profit-making abilities by destroying all of the Truffula trees. The film is an indictment of capitalism, industry and unbridled expansion, calling on the viewers to treat nature with care. In this project, I am using the Lorax as an example of secular apocalypticism. The narrative structure of the Lorax closely follows the Christian master narrative (paradise, a fall, a savior figure, collapse, final judgment, hope for the future).
Possible topics:
•Basic beliefs, practices, or controversies surrounding specific millennial or apocalyptic groups in history or in the present day, e.g. Sabbatians, Branch Davidians, Solar Temple, Aum Shinrikyo, Montana Freemen
•Native American millennialism (Ghost Dance Religion; Hopi apocalypticism) or related topics (e.g. the Mayan calendrical system and the way the date 2012 gets interpreted by modern New Age groups).
•Muslim visions of the end times
•Secular appropriation of apocalyptic fears, e.g. the panic over Y2K; survivalism; nuclear fears and responses in a particular historical period, such as the bomb shelter movement in the 50s; appropriation of apocalyptic language in pop culture texts such as music, art, cartoons, anime, etc., e.g. Godzilla movies as reflections of Japanese nuclear fears; environmental themes in anime, etc.
•Fears of a biological apocalypse (e.g. influenza pandemic; bird flu, etc.) or actual historical responses to pandemics (e.g. the Black plague and the cultural responses to it)
•Environmental apocalypse, e.g. Earth First!; environmental apocalyptic themes in Japanese anime, children's cartoons, or popular film
•Fears of a nuclear apocalypse
•Apocalyptic thought in history: Zoroastrian apocalypses; apocalyptic Judaism in the intertestamental period; medieval European apocalyptic ideas; Puritan apocalypticism; apocalypticism and the Protestant Reformation; apocalpticism in the English Civil War; etc.
•Media and other popular responses to catastrophes such as the South Asian tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, etc.
B. Guidelines for those choosing the research paper option:
See the suggestions above for group presentation topics; any of those would also be appropriate for your paper, which must be 8-10 pages and have no fewer than 8 sources. The sources for your paper should be scholarly sources, not websites (unless they are academic sites accessed through the library search engine, or unless you are using a group’s website—e.g. the Heaven’s Gate website—as a primary source, but you should get approval from the instructor before doing that).
Your paper should do more than simply present information on your topic; you should have a thesis (argument) which you defend with evidence from your sources.
Please be careful to document your sources, both in the text and in a works cited/bibliography page. The religious studies department has a very strict plagiarism policy that is discussed at more length below.
C. Guidelines for those choosing the research review option:
Instead of doing a research paper on a specific apocalyptic group, you may write a research review of two apocalyptic novels or three apocalyptic films. A “research review” is a review that (a) does more than summarize the plot of your primary texts; it picks out one or two major themes or points of comparison in the text to make some sort of argument; and (b) draws on scholarly literature to support that argument or to enhance your analysis of the films/novels.
Some sample theses for reviews of this type:
Stephen King’s The Stand and Connie Willis’ Doomsday Book both examine biological apocalypse in the light of Christian religious imagery, but while King’s story reflects a dualistic struggle of good v. evil, Willis is more interested in showing the persistence of love and goodness in the face of total social collapse.
While many people see zombie movies as simply an excuse for lots of cinematographic violence, a comparison of Dawn of the Dead, Sean of the Dead and Land of the Dead shows that the zombie film is actually a criticism of many aspects of modern society, especially the abuse of the poor by the rich and the excessive consumerism of modern society.
A comparison of three different versions of War of the Worlds—the original radio broadcast, the 1950s film, and the recent Spielberg version—shows that in every case, the story uses fear of aliens as a symbol for America fears of literal invasion, but in each case the invaders represent different fears—fascism, communism, and terrorism.
Some possible films and novels you might use:
Margaret Atwood, A Handmaid’s Tale; Ray Bradbury, “There Will Come Soft Rains”; David Brin, The Postman; Brian Caldwell, We All Fall Down; Michael Crichton, The Andromeda Strain; Phillip K. Dick, “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep”; Pat Frank, Alas Babylon; Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, Left Behind series; C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle; Larry Niven, Lucifer’s Hammer; Stephen King, The Stand; Stephen King, Dreamcatcher; Bud McFarlane, Pierced by a Sword; Frank Peretti, This Present Darkness or Piercing the Darkness; Marge Piercy, Woman on the Edge of Time; Isaac B. Singer, Satan in Goray; Elizabeth Scarborough, Nothing Sacred; Starhawk, The Fifth Sacred Thing; Sherri Tepper, Gibbon’s Decline and Fall; Connie Willis, Doomsday Book. For films, here are some possibilities: Planet of the Apes; Invasion of the Body Snatchers; Mad Max movies; Signs; Twelve Monkeys; Matrix; Omen ; Independence Day; War of the Worlds; Soylent Green; The Day After; The Day After Tomorrow; Seventh Sign; The Seventh Seal; Stigmata; The Postman. TV shows you might write on include the X-files; Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Jericho. You may not write your research paper on a book or film we are covering in class without special permission from the instructor.
Please be careful to document your sources, both in the text and in a works cited/bibliography page. The religious studies department has a very strict plagiarism policy that is discussed at more length below.
General Guidelines for writing assignments
●Students are required to keep a copy of all written assignments submitted to me, and to resubmit written work if required.
● Please be aware that I will not grade any assignments submitted via email. If you have to miss class for a serious reason (e.g. illness, family emergency) and want credit for handing in the assignment on time, you may submit it in the text of an email, but I will only grade the assignment when I receive a hard copy of it. (When you turn in the hard copy, write “submitted on time via email” at the top). Also please note that because of problems I’ve had the past with students inadvertently sending me viruses, I will automatically delete any messages with attachments. Cut and paste the assignment into the body of the email—don’t send me attachments, please!
● All written assignments should be typed, double-spaced, on standard 8 1/2 by 11 paper. Margins should be one inch on all sides. Please use a 12 point font; I prefer Times New Roman. All assignments should include your name, class and section number, the day the assignment is due, and (for exams) the number of the question you are responding to or (for papers) the title of your paper. A title page is not necessary. All assignments must be stapled and paginated! If you turn in an assignment in which the pages are not stapled together, I accept no responsibility for lost pages. Please do NOT turn in assignments in binders or plastic covers.
● All assignments should be accompanied by a bibliography or works cited page, in addition to citations you use in the text. (Exception: homework assignments do not need a works cited page, though you should use in-text citations).
●Any instance of plagiarism or other academic dishonesty (e.g. cheating on exams) will result in an “F” for the course and a report of academic misconduct submitted to Student Judicial Affairs. If you borrow the ideas of others in composing your written work, they must be cited; if you borrow the words of others, they must be enclosed in quotation marks and cited. If you have any doubts as to whether or not something needs to be cited, play it safe and cite it—or ask me about it. Any standard citation format (MLA, APA, etc.) is fine.
● If you are having health problems or personal crises which might tempt you to plagiarize, please talk to me. In some cases, I may be able to make accommodations for your situation; in other cases, I may advise you to take the late penalty (see below). Students who plagiarize on more than one occasion will be expelled from the university. In the long run, it is far better to receive a lower grade (or even a failing grade) than to jeopardize your entire academic career.
● Please note that material from the internet is still someone else’s work, and must be cited appropriately! If you are unsure of how to do this properly, consult the following website: http://www.csuchico.edu/engl/Links/style_guide.html
●Written work may be submitted late for a point deduction of 20%. (Exception: late homework will only be eligible for half credit). The last day I will accept such late work is the last day of classes before finals.
Students with certified disabilities
Please notify me of any special need relating to your disability within the first two weeks of the semester. I will make every reasonable effort to facilitate your success in this course. Please note that you may be required to show documentation of your disability.
If you have a documented disability that may require reasonable accommodations, please contact Disability Support Services (DSS) for coordination of your academic accommodations. The DSS phone number is 898-5959 V/TTY or FAX 898-4411. Visit the DSS website at <http://www.csuchico.edu/dss/>.”
Course Calendar and Reading Assignments
Readings labeled “Boyer” are from Paul Boyer, When Time Shall Be No More; those labeled “Canticle” are from A Canticle for Leibowitz; those labeled “reader” are from the course reader (course packet from Mr. Kopy). Please note that this schedule is tentative and may change if necessary.
●●●ALL READINGS ARE DUE BY THE DATE LISTED●●●
For example, by February 2 , you need to have read the selections from Daniel and Meredith McGuire in the course reader.
1/26: Introduction to the Course
Unit One: Apocalyptic Narratives: Genre, Plot, Narratives, Vocabulary
1/28: What is apocalypticism? Some key terms
Film: The Lorax
Homework question: You will receive 10 points toward your homework grade if you bring in a passport-size photo of yourself (e.g. a color copy of your drivers’ license or ID photo). You will not get this photo back, so don’t give me anything precious or irreplaceable.
2/2: Varieties of apocalyptic narrative
Reading: Daniel, chapters 1:1-6:28; Meredith McGuire, "The Provision of Meaning and Belonging," (both in course reader). Optional: Theodore Ludwig, "The Sacred Story and Its Historical Context," (Reader).
2/4: Religious apocalypticism
Film: The Rapture
Reading: Matthew, chapter 24; Revelation, chapter 6. (Reader)
2/9: Narratives of religious apocalypticism
Reading: Boyer, Prologue (pp. 1-18)
Homework question: Apply three of the following terms to analyze the biblical passages we’ve read so far OR the Lorax OR the Rapture: worldview, crisis of meaning, anomie, plausibility structure, sectarianism, dualism, millenarianism
2/11: Origins of Jewish apocalypse
Reading: Boyer, chapter 1 (pp. 21-48); Daniel 7:1-12:13 (Reader)
If you don’t quite understand Daniel, don’t panic—we will spend time in class going over it.
2/16: Early Christian apocalypticism
Reading: Revelation (Reader). Just as with Daniel, don’t panic if you don’t understand Revelations; we will discuss it in class.
Homework question: Revelation is filled with many symbols: number symbolism (e.g. 7, 12, 666, 144,000); symbolic objects (7 seals; 7 bowls of wrath; 7 hills, Babylon) and symbolic beings (the lamb, the two witnesses, the four horsemen, the whore of Babylon, the woman who flees into the desert, the dragon, the beast from the sea, the Alpha and the Omega, etc.) Pick two of the symbols in Revelation and do an internet search: what sort of explanations do you find? Write 1 paragraph per symbol summarizing some of the explanations you found; be be sure to include the name and complete URL of the sites you used.
UNIT TWO: Millennialism in American history
2/18: Background and terminology for American Apocalypticism
Reading: Boyer, 46-79
2/23: Postmillennialism: building the perfect society on earth
Reading: Sarah Vowell, “Excerpts from Assassination Vacation” (reader); John Humphrey Noyes, “Christian Perfectionism” (Reader); Boyer, 80-112.
Homework question: (A)What were the goals of the Oneida community? What motivated Noyes to start it? (B) How did Noyes himself define key terms like “perfect holiness” and “Bible communism”? [You need to do both readings to answer these.]
2/25: The premillennial impulse: Adventism and its legacy
Reading: Paul Conkin, “Apocalyptic Christianity;” Edwin Gaustad, “Millerites,” “Adventism,” “Millennialism,” “Holiness and Perfectionism.” (Reader)
3/2: Twentieth century millennialism: Protestant and Catholic Signups for group projects today
Reading: Michael Cuneo, “The Vengeful Virgin; ” Excerpts from Veronica Leuken’s Virgin Mary’s Bayside Prophecies; (both in Reader); Optional: Hal Lindsey, “Israel, O Israel” (Reader)
Homework question: How is Catholic apocalypticism different than Protestant apocalypticism?
3/4: Christian Millennialism in the 20th century
Reading: Boyer, 181-224.
Film: “A Thief in the Night”
Unit Three: Catastrophic Millennialism in America: Some case studies
3/9: New religious movements: terminology and theory
Reading: Catherine Wessinger, "Introduction" and “How the Millennium Comes Violently” (Wessinger, chapters 1 & 2)
Homework question : Why does Wessinger reject the term "cult"? What does she think of the term "brainwashing"? What are some features that lead to “catastrophic millennialism?”
3/11: Native American Apocalypticism: Ghost Dance Religion
Readings: Joel Martin, “New Religions in the West (Reader); Michelene Pesantubbee, “From Vision to Violence: The Wounded Knee Massacre.” (Reader)
Homework question: What does Pensantubbee identify as the causes of the Wounded Knee massacre? To what extent did cultural misunderstanding play a role? How might Wessinger’s theories (from Monday’s readings) apply here?
3/23: Catastrophic millennialism and the People's Temple Group project and paper proposals due today
Reading: “1978—Jonestown” (Wessinger, ch. 3); David Chidester, "Jim Jones, The People's Temple, and Jonestown." (Reader)
3/25: Understanding Jonestown
Reading: Rebecca Moore, "American as Cherry Pie." (Reader)
Homework question: Rebecca Moore had two sisters who died at Jonestown, and she has since become an authority on New Religious Movements. How has her own understanding of Jonestown changed over time? What does she think caused the violence at Jonestown?
3/30: Catastrophic millennialism and UFO religions
Reading: “1997, 1998—Heaven’s Gate” (Wessinger, 239- 246)
Unit Four : Secular Apocalyptic Narratives: nuclear war and environmental catastrophe
4/1: The impact of the Atom Bomb on the Apocalyptic Imagination
Film: Barefoot Gen
4/6: The impact of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Readings: Murray Sayle, “Did the Bomb end the war? And Paul Fussell, "Thank God for the Bomb;" (both in Reader).
Homework question: Based on Fussell and Sayle's articles as well as Barefoot Gen, do you think the U.S. was justified in bombing Hiroshima? Why or why not? (Be sure to respond to some of the arguments brought up in the Fussell and Sayle pieces).
4/8: Nuclear fears and cold war culture
Reading: Reading: Daniel Wojcik, "Secular Apocalyptic Themes in the Nuclear Era," (Reader)
Film: Dr. Strangelove
4/13: Film: Dr. Strangelove. MIDTERMS DUE
4/15: Environmental catastrophe
Reading: Lester Brown, “A Planet Under Stress;” Rachel Carson, “Silent Spring.”(Both in reader)
Homework question: These two essays were written about 40 years apart, addressing somewhat different environmental problems (the longlasting effect of pesticides, and the future crisis in food and water supplies). What is similar in these essays? Do they seem to be predicting an inevitable environmental catastrophe, or is there hope that it can be prevented?
4/20: The industrial revolution and environmental catastrophe
Film: Princess Mononoke
Reading: A Canticle for Leibowitz
4/22: Princess Mononoke.
Reading: A Canticle for Leibowitz
4/27: Possible group projects. All annotated bibliographies due for those doing group presentations.
Homework question: Answer one of the following:
1. Is Princess Mononoke an apocalyptic movie? Why or why not?
2. What seems to motivate Prince Ashitaka, Lady Eboshi, and San? Who is the viewer supposed to be sympathizing with, and why?
3. Where do you see Shinto and/or Buddhist influences in the film? Give at least 2 specific examples.
Reading: A Canticle for Leibowitz
4/29: Possible group projects
Reading: A Canticle for Leibowitz
5/4: Possible group projects. Papers due for those writing research papers.
Reading: A Canticle for Leibowitz
5/6: Post-apocalyptic narratives: A Canticle for Leibowitz. Possible group project.
Reading: You must have finished Book I of A Canticle for Leibowitz
Homework question: Answer one of the study questions for Book 1, A Canticle for Leibowitz:
1. What events seem to have happened before the start of this story? What is the Deluge? The Simplification? How would you describe the pre-Deluge world in non-religious terms?
2. What do we learn about the life of Blessed Leibowitz? Why did he found the order? How does he seem to be connected to the pilgrim?
3. What is the significance of the “relic” Francis found? What do you think the relic actually is? [Note: a “relic” can refer to anything that had contact with a saint—a body part, something they touched, etc. Relics are often considered to carry miraculous power, eg healing]
4. How do you interpret the end of book one? What is the significance of Francis’ death?
5/11: Rebuilding after a catastrophe
Reading: You must have finished Book II of A Canticle for Leibowitz
Homework question : Answer one of the study questions for Book 2 of A Canticle for Leibowitz:
1. How would you characterize the relationship between the Thon Taddeo and Dom Paolo? How does it relate to the changed relationship between religion and science in this book?
2. Evaluate Thon Taddeo’s argument that the knowledge in the abbey should be freely available to all. Do you agree with that principle? Do the specific historic circumstances he is living in make a difference to your understanding of his motives? To what extent do you think scientists in general (and Thon Taddeo in particular) bear responsibility for the fruits of their research?
3. Note the retelling of the book of Job/Revelation in chapter 18—really the story of the Flame Deluge. [Job is a book in the Hebrew Bible/Christian Old Testament that tells of an upright man who God allowed to be tested by Satan. He lost his family and everything he had. Although he questions God’s wisdom for a time, eventually he submits and his wealth is restored and he gets a new family]. What does this story tell us about Miller’s thoughts on nuclear war?
5/13: Is humanity doomed to cause our own demise?
Reading: You must have finished Book III of A Canticle for Leibowitz
Homework question: Answer one of the study questions for Book 3 of A Canticle for Leibowitz . (Worth double points)
1. What is the significance of the character of Mrs. Grales? Why does she have two heads? How do you interpret what happens to her other head?
2. What do you think of the debate between Fr. Zerchi and the Green Star doctor? What ethical principles were behind their different attitudes towards euthanasia?
Extra credit: answer one of the study questions for the book as a whole (which are in the course reader).
5/18: Final paper due at 6 p.m. in the regular classroom.
This syllabus is subject to revision if necessary.