Anthropology 241/Religion 262

Anthropological Approaches to the Study of Religion

How This Electronic Syllabus Works

The Course

ANTHROPOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF RELIGION looks at human religiosity in two ways. First it approaches religion as a collection of symbols which organize beliefs and practices. Focusing on symbols offers access to the way religious actions are understood by actors. Second it conceives of religion as a historical phenomenon, changing in ways consistent with political, economic, and social circumstances.

These two approaches have obvious virtues. It is plausible to study economic behavior--the growth of the economy, the rise and fall of firms, the relation of credit to economic prosperity--without paying much attention to individual attitudes. It is hard to imagine doing so with religious behavior because its core seems to be a distinctive mental state and what we want to understand in studying other religions is how those religious practices shape attitudes, experiences, and the very way human beings experience the world. Religion is not just something that people do. It is not just a set of beliefs and practices. It provides "another world to live in," a world constituted and made real, especially by what goes on in ritual occasions, by the use of symbols. As a consequence, I will spend considerable amounts of time this year talking about how rituals create that "world."

Studying religion in a historical or evolutionary way, by contrast, allows both the possibility of comparison and a context to think about the way religious life interacts with other aspects of social existence. Applying a historical perspective to the study of religion faces one great difficulty. Because the convenient terms--"primitive" and "modern"--are heavily loaded with everyday meaning, it is easy to assume that modern religions are somehow better than primitive ones--an interesting point but (even if we are willing to make clear what we mean by "better" and then justify those assertions) highly arguable--and that the religions of technologically-simple societies evolve in a straightforward way towards more sophisticated forms--which is seldom the case. What is required then is thinking about various religions as orienting people to the world in ways that are systematically related to historical changes, while respecting the virtue of all religions.

Required Books

1. Neihardt, Black Elk Speaks
2. Evans-Pritchard,Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic among the Azande
3. Anantha Murthy, Samskara
4. Thomas, Man and the Natural World
5. Luhrmann, Persuasions of the Witch's Craft

Reserve Readings

1. Bellah, Beyond Belief
   
2. Geertz The Interpretation of Cultures
3. Lessa and Vogt, eds., Reader in Comparative Religion

   This book has appeared in several editions; some of the articles continue throughout, but there are additions and deletions. If you cannot find the article you need, check the syllabus again or ask the librarian at the Reserve desk for the other editions. I've specified the fourth edition for all of the readings but one or two, which is the Bellah piece that also appears in Bellah's book Beyond Belief. Many of the readings cited in the fourth edition also appear in other editions, so if you need a reading and all of the fourth editions are checked out, try the others.

1. Introduction

2. Religion as a Cultural System

3.Lakota Religion as a Cultural System

4.Rationality and Religion

5. Myth and Ritual

6. Religion and History

7. Religion and Nature

9. Magic and Modernity

During the early part of the semester there are three short papers (3-4 pages) required for the course. Each is worth 20% of the final mark. The final examination is worth 30%. The remaining 10% depends on class attendance and participation.

I value what students have to say, sometimes to the extent of letting people go off on tangents. Where I can I will set aside the first part of every Friday class for students to bring up issues in the readings that especially interest them.

Hanging 10% of final grades on class participation is a form of coercion, but I believe learning to talk in an academic setting is as important as learning to think analytically or use a computer. Students usually assume that they are being judged on the content of their comments. I judge students merely on whether they say something. There are no dumb comments--there are only students who do not contribute to class and students who do. In my experience, the only mistake a student makes in class is imagining her or his comments are worth airing on every topic. If you are a verbal person, let other people have a chance at it. If you are not verbal, recognize that your ideas are often more incisive than those of people who talk regularly. Make an effort to make your ideas known, whether it is the first day of class or late November.

Final Exam - Friday, 17 December, 1:15 pm

All students are responsible for reading and understanding the Bates College statements on academic honesty, crediting of sources, and plagiarism.