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Canyon College
online Religion and Culture course at Canyon College
COURSE SYLLABUS: Religion and Culture


Course Title: RL555 - Religion and Culture
Department: Religious Studies
Instructor: Don E. Peavy, Sr., Ph.D. E-Mail Vita
Prerequisites: None


PURPOSE OF THE COURSE

Welcome to RL 555, Religion and Culture. Have you ever noticed how much of our culture is about religion? “In God we trust” is on our money. We pledge allegiance to “one Nation under God.” There are crosses on hillsides and city seals; there are monuments of the Ten Commandments on courthouses and statehouse; and many of our most popular songs have religious themes; and many of the most popular movies have religious themes. The purpose of this course “is to undertake a theological [and religious] analysis of ordinary cultural phenomena … that will bring to bear concepts and norms that have been honed within the disciplines of theology and religious studies.” (Cobb 4) By the end of this course, students should be able to recognize the interplay between culture and religion and to possess some means of understanding and appreciating that interplay.

Textbooks should be ordered from the Canyon College Online Bookstore to insure that the correct volume and edition is obtained.

INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE

Students should strive to use inclusive language in their writings. By inclusive language is meant language that is not gender specific and which attempts to include as many people as possible. For instance, instead of writing that "God wills that every man obeys His will," inclusive language would require us to write, "God wills that everyone obeys Gods will."

REQUIREMENTS
  1. Readings. The required texts are: Online Bookstore

    The Blackwell Guide to Theology and Popular Culture by Kelton Cobb. Blackwell Publishing (2005). ISBN13: 9781405107020 ISBN: 1405107022

    Theories of Culture: A New Agenda for Theology by Kathryn Tanner. Augsburg Fortress (1997). ISBN13: 9780800630973 ISBN: 0800630971
  1. Conferences. Students may schedule no more than two Internet conferences between the student and the professor. These should be scheduled as necessary by the student. Of course, students may ask questions of the professor at any time by sending an E-mail to the address at the link above or by posting them to the message board.
  1. Exams. There will be no exams in this course.
  1. Papers.There will be a short paper of at least two single-spaced pages or 1,250 words (not counting end-notes and bibliography), due at the end of each week=s readings in which students will answer the discussion questions and give a reaction to their readings. There is a mid-term paper due of between 1500 and 2500 words. These papers are to be e-mailed to the professor. Those who do not feel comfortable with e-mailing the papers can contact the professor for a mailing address. Papers should conform to the form and style outlined in Kate L. Turabian=s "A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations," 6th ed. Students should use end notes instead of footnotes. Finally, the papers are intended to be reflection papers and not research or the "author said" papers. Students should indicate their understanding of the texts and this cannot be done merely by quoting the authors.
  1. Grades. Course work will be weighted as follows:

    Papers 60%
    Midterm Paper 40%
  1. Grading Scale

    90 - 100% A - Excellent
    80 - 89% B - Above Average
    70 - 79% C - Average
    60 - 69% D - Below Average
    59% or below F - Failing Grade


    A = Clearly stands out as excellent performance. Has unusually sharp insight into material and initiates thoughtful questions. Sees many sides of an issue. Articulates well and writes logically and clearly. Integrates ideas previously learned from this and other disciplines. Anticipates next steps in progression of ideas.

    B = Grasps subject matter at a level considered to be good to very good. Is an active listener and participant in chats, message boards, e-mails and conferences. Speaks and writes well. Accomplishes more than the minimum requirements. Work is of high quality.

    C = Demonstrates a satisfactory comprehension of the subject matter. Accomplishes only the minimum requirements, and displays little or no initiative. Communicates at an acceptable level for a college student. Has a generally acceptable understanding of all basic concepts.

    D = Quality and quantity of work is below average and barely acceptable.

    F = Quality and quantity of work is unacceptable.
WEEK ONE


Read Tanner all of Part One and all of Chapter Seven of Part Two. Review the website at http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

  1. Click on “Community Resources and Initiatives.” What is your reaction to some of the projects engaged in by this Center of Religion at USC?
  2. How does Tanner define culture?
  3. Do animals have culture?
  4. What is your culture?
WEEK TWO


Read Cobb Introduction and Part I, Chapters one and two.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

  1. How does Cobb define culture?
  2. How does Cobb’s definition of culture compare/contrast with the definition of culture by Tanner?
  3. What does Cobb mean by high and low cultures? Give an example of each.
  4. What is hegemony and why is it important in cultural studies?
WEEK THREE


Read Cobb Part I, Chapters Three and Four.

Mid-Term Paper

You are to write a coherent essay in which you answer the questions below. Your essay should be 1500 to 2500 words and in proper APA or Turabian format.

  1. Watch the film, “The Apostle,” starring Robert Duvall. What is the culture in which the film takes place?
  2. How is God portrayed in the film?
  3. What is the “message” of the film? Why is that message so important that Robert Duvall invested his personal funds in making the movie?
  4. What is your overall impression of the movie? Does Duvall succeed in getting his message across?
WEEK FOUR


Read Cobb Part II, Chapters Five through Seven. Read Tanner Part Two, Chapter Four..

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

  1. Is theology a part of culture or is culture a part of theology? Does it matter? If it does matter, in what ways?
  2. Have you read any of the novels or seen any of the movies discussed by Cobb in this week’s readings? If so, how does your understanding compare to Cobb’s? Discuss one novel or movie which Cobb discusses and state whether or not you noticed those things during your reading/viewing.
  3. Look at the list of the top 10 movies for this week. How many of them have religious themes? Please keep in mind that the movie need not be religious to have a religious theme.
WEEK FIVE


Read Cobb Part II, Chapter Eight to the end of the book.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

  1. What are at least three things that Cobb writes popular culture has to say about methods and understandings of salvation?
  2. Watch the movie, “What Dreams May Come.” What does this movie say about salvation?
  3. What does the movie say about heaven and hell?
  4. Does the movie represent any particular religion? If so, which one(s)?