What is Religion? Shamans, Kool-Aid, and the First Amendment (FYS)
RELI 151F
Fall 2020
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01
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Were the people who drank the Kool-Aid at Jonestown brainwashed, or did they die for a noble cause? How do evangelical Christians read the Bible, and does it have anything to do with their support for Trump? Can theology help us be better environmentalists? What's the relationship between gender, shamans, and Stalin? What exactly does the First Amendment protect? This class will introduce you to the ways in which we study religions by reading critical case studies about the Peoples Temple, Mongolian shamanism, Jerry Falwell, ecospirituality and freedom of religion court cases. This is not a survey of world religions, and once you've taken What is Religion?, you'll know why we don't teach that at Wes. You will also have a critical set of intellectual tools for understanding the role of religion in the contemporary world. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS RELI |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (CJST-MN)(RELI-MN)(RELI) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 | | Special Attributes: FYS |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Representative Readings:
David Chidester, SALVATION AND SUICIDE
Susan Harding, THE BOOK OF JERRY FALWELL
Winnifred Sullivan, THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Manduhai Buyandelger, TRAGIC SPIRITS: SHAMANISM MEMORY AND GENDER IN CONTEMPORARY MONGOLIA
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Examinations and Assignments:
Assignments include two critical papers dealing with scholarly evidence and argumentation. Two in-class tests and a final exam |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
Attendance and participation are required. |
| Instructor(s): Quijada,Justine Times: ..T.R.. 08:50AM-10:10AM; Location: FEAS SEM; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 15 | | SR major: X | JR major: X | | |
| Seats Available: 0 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: X | JR non-major: X | SO: X | FR: 15 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 6 | 1st Ranked: 1 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 2 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 3 |
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