RELS/WMST 375:  Women and Religion

•   Course Description and Objectives   • 

In a sense, the purpose of this course is to explore the reasons for the existence of such a course.  Why study “women and religion” as distinct from religion in general?  Are women’s religious experiences different from those of men?  In what ways?  Have the major world religions served to enhance or degrade women’s status through history?  Is that a fair question?  What methods are appropriate to trying to answer it?  What role does religion play in the social construction of gender?   What cross-cultural similarities in the roles and images of women in religion can be found?  These questions are the point of departure for our semester-long investigation into the religious experiences of women. 

The course is structured around five cross-cultural themes:  re-reading history; women and creation stories; the body and sexuality; goddesses and other sacred females; and the current global tension between feminism and fundamentalism.  Under each of these headings, we will consider different case studies that reveal both common patterns and unique instances in the ways in which religion works to construct (and deconstruct) women’s lives. 

It is hoped that by the end of the semester you will have achieved:

• A working understanding of selected religious concepts, figures, and texts as they pertain to the lives of women
• A richer, more complex understanding of both “religion” (it’s not just a set of beliefs) and “feminism” (it’s not just the belief that women are equal to men)
• An appreciation of the ambiguous relationship between religious ideas and the construction of gender roles in history and contemporary society
• Tools to continue to explore the significance of religion and gender in your own life and society

Things that are not prerequisites of this course:
            Being a woman
            Being a feminist
            Prior work in Religious Studies or Women’s Studies

Things that are prerequisites of this course:
Ability to listen respectfully and thoughtfully to ideas with which you may disagree
            Willingness to open your own ideas to critical examination
            Patience with the frustrations that come with real dialogue

•   Theme O:  Women’s Issues  •

This is an approved General Education course for Upper Division Theme O, Women’s Issues.  Courses in this theme seek to:

• Define various feminist theories, perspectives, and methods of studying women as these theories relate to the discipline represented by the course
• Explore the impact of class, race, gender, and sexuality on women’s lives and place in society
• Discuss the historical and current practices, institutions, and belief systems that maintain the subordination of women
• Read materials by feminist writers and researchers
• Identify ways in which have brought about social, economic, and political change

These courses are multidisciplinary in nature and share the goal of modifying academic studies in both content and form to include and enhance the experiences of women.  Your experience with the theme courses will be enriched by keeping these objectives in mind and observing the different ways your courses fulfill and integrate them. 

•   Required Texts • 

• Tamara Agha-Jaffar, Women and Goddesses in Myth and Sacred Text (available at the AS Bookstore)
• Arvind Sharma and Katherine K. Young, Her Voice, Her Faith (available at the AS Bookstore)
• Packet of Supplemental Readings, available at Mr. Kopy  
• Selected readings available on e-reserve

•   Course Requirements and Grading  • 

This course is participatory in nature.  You simply will not do well if you do not come to class, complete reading and writing assignments, and make an effort to contribute to class conversations.  I will take attendance daily and make regular notes about participation.  Any more than two absences will result in a reduction of your final grade by 1/3 letter (e.g. B- to C+) for each subsequent absence.

We will form small groups at the beginning of the session with whom you will work on two in-class projects.  These will require a small amount of preparation work (for which you be evaluated individually), and in-class collaboration and presentation (on which you will receive a group grade). 

In order to ensure that you are keeping up with the reading and to help develop your critical reading skills, you will be required to submit a reading prep most weeks on one of the assigned readings (specific instructions to follow).

At the end of three of our units, I will assign a 4-6 page integration paper, drawing together the material from that unit in response to a question I will raise.  These papers require you to make explicit use of readings and lectures, as well as to incorporate your own critical reflections.  Three paper assignments are offered; everyone must do one (specific instructions to follow).

To encourage you to keep up with the basic data of the course, there will be four short, unannounced quizzes of various styles (mostly multiple choice or true/false) throughout the semester.  Some of these will be done in groups.

Finally, there will be a midterm and a final exam that will involve both objective and written elements.  Study guides will be provided. 
Grading will be based on the following point system:

• Attendance and participation                  see above

• Group projects                                           60 points total (2 at 30 points each)

(15 points for individual preparation, 15 points for group presentation.  Points based on level of collaboration; depth of analysis; specific use of readings, clarity of presentation, etc.) 

3.  Reading preps                                            100 points total (10 at 10 points each)
(Points based on accurate representation of the thesis and supporting points, thoughtfulness of the question raised.  Everyone starts with a free 10 points--you may omit one prep of your choice.)

4.  Integration paper                                       50 points total (2 at 50 points each)
(Points based on clarity of writing, demonstration of understanding of central issues of the unit, use of course-specific supporting material.  Three papers assigned; each student must choose one.)

5.  Quizzes:                                                      40 points total (4 at 10 points each) 
(Quick check-ups drawn from recent readings and lectures.)

6.  Midterm and final exams:                           100 (50 points each)
(objective and essay questions)
                                                                                                                                                                                               
Total                                                                 350 points

•   Other Things You Need to Know  • 

Course etiquette:  We will work together in to develop a contract regarding appropriate behaviors and expectations on your part and mine.  Failure to adhere to this contract is grounds for failing the course. 
Lateness:  In fairness to those who could have done better with more time, I will penalize late papers at the rate of 1/3 letter grade per business day.  For instance, a B+ paper that is two days late receives a B-.
Office Hours:  Use them!  I am available to you to discuss course material, your progress, and general issues of women and/or religion.  We can talk in person during my scheduled hours, or by e-mail.  Talking with students is one of the most pleasurable aspects of my job, so don’t hesitate to drop by. 
Students with Certified Disabilities:  Please notify me of any special needs relating to your disability within the first two days of the course.  I will make every effort possible to facilitate your success in this course.  Please note that you may be required to show documentation of your disability.
Academic Dishonesty:  If there is evidence that you have been involved in any form of academic dishonesty, you will receive an “F” grade for the course, and a report will be provided to Student Judicial Affairs for further action.  Be careful in all of work (classroom presentations as well as written assignments) to properly cite your sources (including online materials).  Please see the “Religious Studies Academic Integrity Policy” under “Student Resources” on the RS Department Home Page for more information on what constitutes academic dishonesty and the departmental policy.  Ignorance of proper citation methods is not a legitimate excuse for violation of this policy.
Vista:  Assignments and announcements will appear on Vista.  Please be sure to check regularly. 

Schedule of Topics, Readings and Assignments*

*Subject to revision.  Readings are listed for the date by which they should be read.  Those followed by (Packet) can be found in the Packet of Supplemental Readings, which is available at Mr. Kopy and on reserve at Meriam Library. 

Tuesday 1/27            Introductions; basic issues in religion and feminism

Thursday 1/29          

Read:                   Her Voice, “Introduction” (pp. 1-9)

Rita Gross, “Defining Feminism, Religion, and the Study of Religion” (Packet)

                        THEME 1:  The Search for a Usable History
                       
                                    Case study #1:
Marija Gimbutas and the Controversy over “Old Europe”

Tuesday 2/3 

Read:                   Marija Gimbutas, “Images of Gods and Goddesses” (Packet)                                                           Marija Gimbutas, “Matrilineal Social Structure” (Packet)       
Lynn Meskell, “Goddesses, Gimbutas, and ‘New Age’ Archaeology” (Packet)

Thursday 2/5
Read:                   Kathryn Rountree, “The Past is a Foreigner’s Country” (Packet)
Due:                      Reading prep #1:  Meskell
Tuesday 2/10           
In class:               film:  “Goddess Remembered”

                                    Case study #2:
Jewish Women and the Question of the Covenant    
Thursday 2/12                      
Read:                   Her Voice, ch. 5 (pp. 145-167); Women and Goddesses, ch. 11 (pp. 194-201)

Tuesday 2/17:          
Read:                   Book of Exodus excerpts (skim) (Packet),
Judith Plaskow, “Torah:  Reshaping Jewish Memory”  (Packet)
Due:                      Reading prep #2:  Her Voice, ch. 5 (Susannah Heschel, “Judaism”)  
In class:               film:  “Miriam’s Daughters Celebrate”

Thursday 2/19:         
Due:                     Individual prep for Project #1

In class:                 Group Project #1:  Feminist Midrash on Biblical Women      

THEME 2:  Women, Creation Accounts, and the Rise of Patriarchy
                       
Tuesday 2/24:          
      Read:                   Women and Goddesses, ch. 3 (pp. 42-65) and ch.12 (pp. 202-211)
                                    Plato’s Timaeus (Packet)

Thursday 2/26: 
      Due:                      Reading prep #3:  Women and Goddesses (on Genesis 1-3)
      In class:               group work with Genesis creation accounts

THEME 3:  Religion, Women’s Bodies and Sexuality

Case study #1:

Native American menstruation rituals

Tuesday 3/3:              

      Due:                         Integration Paper #1: Women’s Religious History        

      In class:               film:  “Period Piece”

Thursday 3/5:           
Read:                   Mary Brave Bird, “Moon Power” (Packet)
Inez Talamantez, “Images of the Feminine in Apache Religious Tradition” (Packet)
Recommended:  Women and Goddesses, chs. 17 and 18
Due:                      Reading prep #4:  Talamantez and Brave Bird

Tuesday 3/10:           Catch-up and review for midterm

Thursday 3/12:             Midterm Exam             

SPRING BREAK:  March 16-20

Case study #2:
A Buddhist experience of childbirth      
Tuesday 3/24:          
      Read:                   Her Voice, ch. (pp. 59-98)

Thursday 3/26:         
      Read:                   Linda Chrisman, “Birth” (Packet)
      Due:                      Reading prep #5:  Chrisman

Tuesday 3/31:           Cesar Chavez Day: no class

Case study #3:

                                    Muslim women and the politics of veiling

Thursday 4/2:

      Read:                   Her Voice, ch. 7 (pp. 215-242)

Tuesday 4/7:

      Read:                   Homa Hoodfar, “The Veil in their Minds and on Our Heads”   (Packet)          
                                    Naheed Mustafa, “My Body Is My Own Business” (Packet)    
      Due:                      Reading prep #6:  Hoodfar
      In class:               film:  “Under One Sky”

Thursday 4/9:                                   
      Due:                      Individual prep for Project #2

      In class:                 Group Project #2:  What Does it Mean to Veil?         

THEME 4:  Goddesses and Other Sacred Females

                                    Case study #1:
Hindu Goddesses of the Fang and the Breast
Tuesday 4/14:          
      Read:                   Her Voice, ch. 1 (pp. 11-57)

Thursday 4/16:                     
      Due:                         Integration Paper #2:  Religions and the Female Body             

Tuesday 4/21:          
      Read:                   Women and Goddesses, ch. 7 (pp. 150-160) and ch. 8 (pp. 161-172)
                                    Lina Gupta, “Kali, the Savior” (Packet)
                                    William Dalrymple, “Serving the Goddess”
      Due:                      Reading prep #7:  Dalrymple

                                    Case study #2:
                                    Gender Implications of African Goddess Traditions
Thursday 4/23:         
      Read:                   Women and Goddesses, ch. 16 (pp. 249-256)
                                    Sabrina Sojourner, “From the House of Yemanja” (Packet)
                                    Gore and Nevadomsky, “Practice and Agency in Mammy Wata Worship in Southern Nigeria” (available on e-reserve)
      In class:               Film:  “Mammy Water:  In search of the Water Spirits in Nigeria” (excerpts)

Tuesday 4/28:
      Due:                      Reading prep #8:  Sojourner

                                    Case study #3:        
                                    The Riddle of Mary
Thursday 4/30:                     
      Read:                   Women and Goddesses, ch. 13 (pp. 212-226)
                                    Rodriguez, “Theological Significance” and “Conclusions” (Packet)

Tuesday 5/5:

      Read:                   Sandra Cisneros, “Guadalupe the Sex Goddess” (Packet)
      Due:                      Reading prep #9:  Jeanette Rodriguez, “Theological Significance” (Packet)
      In class:               Film:  “Flowers for Guadalupe”

THEME 5:  Current Prospects:  Feminisms and Fundamentalisms

Thursday 5/7:           
            Read:             Rosemary Ruether, “The War on Women” (Packet)
Rita Gross, “What Next?  Postpatriarchal Religion” (Packet)
                                    Karen McCarthy Brown, “Fundamentalism and the Control of Women” (Packet)

            Due:                Reading prep #10:  McCarthy Brown
     

Tuesday 5/12:

      Due:                          Integration Paper #3:  Goddesses and Women’s Lives      

Thursday 5/14:          catch-up and review for final exam

FINAL EXAM SESSION:         Tuesday 5/19, 6 to 7:50 p.m.    (note time change)
                                                Please bring Scantron answer sheet and blue book