“The essence of religion consists in a feeling

of absolute dependence …”

(Frederick Schleiermacher, The Doctrine of Faith)

The word “religion” comes to us from the Latin religio, an obligation, bond, and reverence, whose own origin is contested.  Some, famously Cicero, claim it comes from relegere, meaning to gather together, in the sense of to go through again or reread, by its conjunction of re-, again, to -legere, to read (the latter, derived from the Greek verb legein, logos, a laying before or out).  Others claim it is derived from the verb religare, to bind, in the sense of enacting an obligation.  Still others claim its origin to be religiens, careful, being the opposite of negligens, from which we get the word “negligence.”  Reading these multiple, possible origins together (and avoiding the linguistic debate) proves most insightful for our purposes, proposing of our course as the careful endeavor to understand this universal bind humanity has demonstrated, this obligation to something that leads us to reverence, by going through and rereading diverse considerations of religion. 

Our endeavor will be the consideration of the question “What is religion?”—asked philosophically, which means we won’t be satisfied with commonplace answers like: its an institution with rituals, a system of belief with practices, an explanation for the world or human history, an opiate for the masses, or salvation for creation.  Instead, our endeavor may be better understood as the consideration of what it means to ask the question “What is religion?”  What is it in ourselves that makes us come together to found religions, to establish rituals, and pen religious doctrine?  What is this impulse to religiosity?  What is it that makes us receptive to the religious call or creative of the religious tradition?  What is it that we experience when we have religious experience and, thus, have religion?  What path must we traverse on our way to faith?  To what does faith lead?

These questions are prompted by a selection of diverse texts.  The main narrative will begin with three remarkable accounts of trekking the path to faith (a fictionalized biography of Siddhartha by the famous contemporary novelist Hermann Hesse, Saint Augustine’s late antique autobiography, and a 12th c. Sufi poetic-narrative by Farid Ud-Din Attar), then turn to two contrary reflections on doubt leading to religious affirmation (from the Danish late modern and father of existentialism, Søren Kierkegaard, and the contemporary American pragmatist William James), and finally to two distinct reflections on doubt leading to the rejection of religion (by the eminently influential early contemporary Germans, Sigmund Freud and Karl Marx).

I.  COURSE READINGS:

Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha, trans. Hilda Rosner (New York: Bantam Classics, 1981).  Isbn: 978-0553208849, $5.99 OR trans. Olesch et al (Hollywood, FL: Simon & Brown, 2010).  Isbn: 978-1-936041-06-0, $11.95.

Augustine, The Confessions of Augustine, trans. Rex Warner (New York: Signet Classic, Penguin Putnam, Inc., 2009).  Isbn: 0-451-53121-3, $6.95.

Farid Ud-Din Attar, The Conference of the Birds, trans. Afkham Darbandi and Dick Davis (New York: Penguin Books, 1984).  Isbn: 978-0-14-044434-6, $15.00. 

Søren Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling, trans. Alastair Hannay (New York: Penguin Books, 1985).  Isbn: 978-0-14-044449-0, $14.00.

William James, The Will to Believe (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2012).  Isbn: 978-1470179618, $7.99.

Karl Marx, “Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right” and “Social Principles of Christianity,” digital copies provided on Blackboard.

Sigmund Freud, The Future of an Illusion, trans. James Strachey (New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1989).  Isbn: 978-0393008319, $13.95.

II.  COURSE GOAL and OBJECTIVES:

The goal of this class is to prompt extended considerations on the philosophical foundations of religion.  With its focus on the paths to faith, the motivation of maintaining religious dedication, and understanding the ineffable through spiritual and mystical experience, interspersed with critical investigations into the definition and distinction of religion, our tasks will involve the active encouragement of careful consideration of diverse views, deep reflection thereupon, and rigorous argumentation of personal readings of these views.  These tasks will aid the broadening of intellectual perspectives and foster greater theoretical and social literacy.  These abilities are both skills and art forms that will better an individual regardless of his or her academic concentration and future career path.  This goal will be pursued in the following ways:

1. Engagement in close textual analyses of the reading assignments in order to foster critical thinking skills, which ultimately develop one’s own thinking and writing abilities and styles.
   

2. Attention directed to the lectures, which will provide the historical situation, theoretical background, and clarification of issues to frame and guide your own thinking.
   

3. Participation in class discussions that embrace academic freedom in order to practice formulating and expressing your questions, ideas, and interpretations of the issues at hand.
   

4. Creative reflection on the form and content of the course material by crafting oral and written responses.
   

III.  COURSE POLICIES and REQUIREMENTS:

ATTENDANCE:

Attendance is strongly encouraged.  If you do not come to classes it will be very difficult for you to achieve the same academic progress as your classmates, which will make it all the more difficult for you to successful present, write high-quality academic papers, and be able to positively contribute overall to the class.  Since these are the main grade determinants, it makes very good sense for you to come to all classes.  If a class is missed, one is still responsible for the material due and covered that day.  Please notify me in the case of excusable absences.  Each student is fully responsible for verifying and correcting, if necessary, his/her registration status.

ASSIGNMENTS:

Paired Presentation:  Working with one colleague, everyone will be responsible for one 15-minute, in-class presentation on an assigned reading.  Pairs are expected to read, discuss the reading, develop the presentation to offer an overview of the assignment that highlights its key issues, and then pose one or two guiding questions to begin the class discussion of the reading. 

Academic Papers: The midterm paper is to be 4-6 pages and due Sept. 26th; the final paper is to be 8-10 pages and due Dec. 3rd.  Further information will be provided in class.

EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENTS:

1) Attend any of the Humanities Symposium events (for the full time and with your full, courteous attention) listed in the Reading & Assignment Schedule, below, and submit a substantive one-paragraph reflection that includes a description of the event and your reflection upon it.

2)  Read one of the following selections available online and write a three page typed analysis that clearly summarizes the material, delineates its main argument(s), and closely evaluates its meaning (for its author or the argument at large, and for you, personally). 

Julian of Norwich’s Revelations of Divine Love (available at: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/julian/revelations.toc.html)

Bernard of Clairvaux’s On Loving God, Chs.I-IV (aval. at: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/bernard/loving_god.toc.html)

Omar Khayyam’s The Rubaiyat, 1-50 (available at: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/omarkhayyam-rub2.asp)

Ibn Sina’s (Avicenna) Remarks and Admonitions, Part One: Logic, Any one of the ten “Methods” (available at: http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/books/inati1.pdf)

Richard de Bury’s The Philobiblon, Prologue, Chs.1-2 (available at: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/626/626.txt)

Anonymous’ Cloud of Unknowing, Chs.1-6 (available at: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/anonymous2/cloud.toc.html)

The Trial of Joan of Arc, pp.27-47 (available at: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/joanofarc-trial.asp)

Buddhist Dhammapada, chs. 1-3, 12-14, 20 (at: http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhism/dhamma.htm)

The Hindu Khândogya Upanishad, I, 1-13 (available at: http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/sbe01/index.htm)

The Islamic Koran, Sura 2, Al-Baqarah (The Cow) (available at: http://quran.com/2, with Arabic or: http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/k/koran/koran-idx?type=DIV0&byte=1320, without)

The Jain Pravachansara, Bk. 1 (available at: http://www.jainworld.com/book/pravachansara/book1.asp)

The Jewish Zohar, Introduction, 1-8 (available at: http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/zdm/index.htm)

Jean-Paul Sartre’s Existentialism is a Humanism (available at: http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/sartre/ works/exist/sartre.htm)

Joseph Campbell’s The Masks of God, ch. 1, pt. 1, “The Dialogue in Myth of East and West” (available at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/73273100/The-Masks-of-God-Volume-II-Oriental-Mythology)

3)  Select and watch one of the films listed below and write a three page typed analysis including a plot summary highlighting philosophically relevant details and your thorough evaluation of it as both an aesthetic and theoretical presentation.  If sensitive to adult content, I encourage you to consult summaries or reviews before viewing; feel free to ask me, as well, for advice and/or recommendations.

Krzysztof Kieslowski’s “The Decalogue,” any of the ten films (Polish, 1989).

Robert Bresson’s “Diary of a Country Priest” (French, 1951).

Bruno Dumont’s “Hadewijch” (French, 2009).

Andrei Tarkovsky’s “Andrei Rublev” (Russian, 1966).

Martin Scorsese’s “The Last Temptation of Christ” (American, 1988).

Jean-Jacques Annaud’s “The Name of the Rose” (Italian, 1986).

Igmar Bergman’s “The Seventh Seal” (Swedish, 1957).

Bill Moyer’s documentary, “Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth” (American, 1988).

Carl Theodor Dreyer’s “The Passion of Joan of Arc” (French, 1928).

Conrad Rooks’ “Siddhartha” (American, 1972).

Akira Kurosawa’s “Ikiru” (Japanese, 1952).

Woody Allen’s “Crimes and Misdemeanors” (American, 1989).

Andrei Tarkovsky’s “Stalker” (Russian, 1979).

Roberto Rossellini’s “The Flowers of St. Francis” (Italian, 1950).

Margarethe Von Trotta’s “Vision” (German, 2009).

Richard Attenborough’s “Gandhi” (British, 1982).

M. Night Shyamalan’s “Wide Awake” (American, 1998).

Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments” (American, 1956).

If more extra credit assignments are desired, please see me (i.e., there is no maximum cap on the number of extra credit assignments you may complete).

Please Note: These extra credit assignments also make for excellent resources for the final paper, as they are related to, yet extend beyond the course material.   (Further paper resources listed on Reading & Assignment Schedule.)

GRADE DISTRIBUTION:

Attendance and Participation: 20% of your final grade.  Presentation: 20%.  Academic Papers: 60% (30% each).  Each extra credit opportunity completed successfully will be worth up to five points added to your lowest scoring assignment.

GRADE SCALE:

All assignments will receive an alphabetic and/or numeric grade based upon their demonstrated quality of thought and effort.  The scale will be: A (100-94); A- (93-90); B+ (89-87); B (86-83); B- (82-80); C+ (79-77); C (76-73); C- (72-70); D+ (69-67); D (66-63); D- (62-60); F (59-0).  Any grade disputes will be settled by personal meeting where we will review together the totality of your class work. 

EVALUATION CRITERIA:

Attendance and Participation will be evaluated by broad definition of active engagement: attendance requiring both one’s mind and body, so that sleeping or texting, etc., in class will be considered nonattendance and, beyond verbal communication, participation includes the active attention to lecture and discussion, respectful listening, peer and small group conversation, discussion and email communication with me, and the incorporation of discussed ideas into your written work.

Presentations will be evaluated on the equal participation of both presenters, clarity of the overview, and thoughtfulness of the reflection on the material and of the guide questions.

Academic Papers will be evaluated by their quality of content (i.e., your papers present coherent theses supported with several arguments that amply utilize the primary texts) and quality of writing (i.e., you must have grammatically correct work).

Late Work will only be accepted if a request for a brief extension is made and granted in advance of the deadlines (the rigidity of this requirement is due to the assignments’ correspondence with inflexible University deadlines for the submission of midterm and final grades).

ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTS and NOTES:

Optional readings will be provided through our course Blackboard site and, if possible, linked to on our external class website at: http://www.aquestionofexistence.com/, under the “Philosophy of Religion” tab.  In addition, while their consultation is not required, helpful summations of course lectures and additional materials both directly related and tangential to course material will be provided at that external class website.

IV)  UNIVERSITY POLICIES:

Honor Code:

The Belmont community values personal integrity and academic honesty as the foundation of university life and the cornerstone of a premiere educational experience.  Our community believes trust among its members is essential for both scholarship and effective interactions and operations of the university.  As members of the Belmont community, students, faculty, staff, and administrators are all responsible for ensuring that their experiences will be free of behaviors which compromise this value.  In order to uphold academic integrity, the university has adopted an Honor System.  Students and faculty will work together to establish the optimal conditions for honorable academic work.  Following is the Student Honor Pledge that guides academic behavior:

“I will not give or receive aid during examinations; I will not give or receive false or impermissible aid in course work, in the preparation of reports, or in any other type of work that is to be used by the instructor as the basis of my grade; I will not engage in any form of academic fraud.  Furthermore, I will uphold my responsibility to see to it that others abide by the spirit and letter of this Honor Pledge.”

Thus, I have a zero-tolerance policy for academic dishonesty and especially for any form of plagiarism.  Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the summary, paraphrase, or direct quotation of either published or unpublished work of another without full and clear citation.  Consequences for academic dishonesty will result in a zero score on the assignment and possible further repercussions in accordance with school policy.  If you have questions about plagiarism or academic honesty in general, please consult the school handbook, one’s academic advisor, or me. 

Accommodation of Disabilities:

In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, Belmont University will provide reasonable accommodation of all medically documented disabilities.  If you have a disability and would like the university to provide reasonable accommodations of the disability during this course, please notify the Office of the Dean of Students located in Beaman Student Life Center (615-460-6407) as soon as possible.

Course Evaluations:

The university urges and expects all students to participate in all course evaluations, providing honest feedback to the instructor and institution about the specific aspects and elements of the course. 

Outside of the official evaluations, I highly encourage you to provide me with feedback throughout the semester about the course and to collectively or privately engage in such dialogue so as to take an active engagement with the “how” of your education, as well as with the “what” that we cover.  

Etcetera:

Please respect the purpose of the class by refraining from the use of (and distraction by) cell phones and other digital devices. 

I highly encourage you to email, come to office hours, and/or set up an appointment with me about any questions, concerns, etc. about the class and its material. 

I will ask us all to uphold the ideals of academic freedom to make our classroom a space of comfortable and free discourse, which means feeling free to openly entertain and exchange even uncomfortable ideas and maintaining an environment where others enjoy the same freedom by respecting the rights of all to speak and listen. 

V)  READING AND ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE:

August

Thurs. 22Introduction

The Path to Faith:

Siddhartha, Augustine, and Attar

Tues. 27 Hesse’s Siddhartha, pp. 3-42 Rosner/ 5-31 OleschLast day (before 11 p.m.) to drop with refund

       Optional Supplements for Siddhartha:

               The Lotus Sutra’s “Belief and Understanding”

Thurs. 29 Hesse’s Siddhartha, pp. 45-73 Ros./ 32-51 OleschSutra Pitaka’s “All the Fermentations”

                      Online Notes on Hinduism and Buddhism

September        

Tues.  3Hesse’s Siddhartha, pp. 74-116 Ros./ 52-77 Olesch

Thurs. 5Hesse’s Siddhartha, pp. 117-52 Ros./ 78-100 Olesch

Tues. 10Augustine’s Confessions, Bk. I, pp. 1-24Optional Supplements for Confessions:

              Bible’s Genesis 1-9:29, Matthew 4-7,

Thurs. 12Augustine’s Confessions, Bk. II-III, pp. 25-55Ecclesiastes 1-6:9, Revelation 6-8:1

                       James’ Varieties, Lecs. IX-X

Tues. 17Augustine’s Confessions, Bk. VII, pp. 124-49       last day (by 11 p.m.) to withdraw with “W”

Thurs. 19Augustine’s Confessions, Bk. VIII, pp. 150-74

Mon. to Mon., Sept. 23rd-30th: Belmont Humanities Symposium: “Encountering Otherness”

–extra credit will be given for your courteously attentive attendance at and brief written report on any of the following events, all of which will meet in Beaman A&B–

Mon. 23:  Humanities Symposium (Dr. Caresse John, “A Person in History: Feminist Standpoint Theory and Literature,” 1-1:50 p.m.;  Dr. Sue Trout, “Jesus will Make You Itch: Encountering Other in Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible,” 2-2:50 p.m.;  Dr. Gary McDowell, “The Ethics of Creative Nonfiction … Are There Any?,” 3-3:50 p.m.)

Tues. 24 Augustine’s Confessions, Bk. VIII, pp. 150-74

Wed. 25:  Humanities Symposium (Featured Speakers Panel, 10-10:50 a.m.;  Dr. Manuel Cruz, “Welcome the Other! Hospitality, Violence, and the Formation of Conscience,” 11-11:50 a.m.;  Dr. Mélanie Walton, “From Automatons to Doppelgängers: A Spectrum from ‘Utterly Foreign’ to ‘Exactly Me’,” 1-1:50 p.m.;  Prof. Clancy Smith, “Community Unlimited: Otherness, Inquiry, and a Challenge for 21st Century America in the work of C.S. Peirce,” 2-2:50 p.m.;  Philologoi Discussion Session, 3-4 p.m.;  Dr. George Yancy, “Encountering Whiteness: The Black Body as the Dangerous Other,” 6-7:30 p.m.)

Thurs. 26 Augustine Catch-Up / Wrap-Up Day; Mid-Term Paper Due

Thurs. 26:  Humanities Symposium (Dr. Amy Shuman, “Narrative and Empathy: The Limits of Understanding Each Other Through Stories,” 10-10:50;  CeCe Big Crow, “Walk a Mile in my Moccasins: Native American History and Spirituality,” 11-11:50)

Fri. 27:  Humanities Symposium (Dr. Erika Berroth, “Other to Your Self: Connect the Dots!,” 11-11:50 a.m.;  Dr. Pete Giordano, “The Colliding Worlds of Professors and Students: Exploring the Intersections of Otherness, Western Psychology, and Classical Confucianism,” 12-12:50 p.m.;  Dr. Peter Kuryla, “Encountering the Southern Other: Imagining the Civil Rights Movement as Travel Narrative,” 1-1:50 p.m.)

Sat. 28:  Humanities Symposium (“Helping Others through Community Service: Humanities Symposium Volunteer Activities,” 9 a.m.-12 p.m., must register in advance (by the 26th) by emailing cynthia.cox@belmont.edu)

Mon. 30:  Humanities Symposium (“Wrap-Up Panel,” 10-10:50 a.m.)

October

Tues. 1Attar’s Conference, pp. 29-           Optional Supplements for Conference:

               Online Notes on Sufism

Thurs. 3Attar’s Conference, pp.  -76

Tues. 8 Attar’s Conference, pp. 76-

Thurs. 10 Attar’s Conference, pp. -139

Tues. 15No Class — Mid-Fall Break (14th -15th)

Thurs. 17Attar’s Conference, pp. 140-96

Doubt and the Leap to or Rational Calculation of Faith:  

Kierkegaard and James

Tues. 22Attar’s Conference, pp. 196-229

Thurs. 24Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling, pp. 39-48last day to withdraw with a WP/WF

(Preface and Attunement) Optional Supplements for Fear & Tremb.:

                      Bible’s Genesis 21-22, Job 1-42

Tues. 29Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling, pp. 49-82 Goethe’s Faust, “Prologue in Heaven”

(Speech in Praise of Abraham & Preamble from the Heart)  Grimm’s Fairytale “The Faithful Servant”

                    Online Notes on Existentialism

Thurs. 31Continue Tuesday’s Reading

November

Tues. 5Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling, Problema I, pp. 83-95

Thurs. 7Continue Tuesday’s Reading

Tues. 12William James’ “The Will to Believe,” in The Will to Believe & Other Essays, pp. 1-32

Thurs. 14Continue Tuesday’s Reading

Doubt and the Denial of Faith:

Marx and Freud

Tues. 19Marx’s “Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right” and “Social Principles of Christianity,” digital copies provided on Blackboard.

Thurs. 21Freud’s The Future of an Illusion Optional Supplements for Marx & Freud:

           Online Notes on Marx & Freud

             Additional Textual Selections on Blackboard

Tues. 26Freud’s The Future of an Illusion

Thurs. 28No Class –Thanksgiving Break (21st – 23rd)

December

Tues. Dec. 3 Last Class – ‘Final Thoughts’ Discussion

Final Exam: Fri. Dec. 6th, 11 a.m., in our regular classroom;      Final Paper Due