Course Description
This course will examine the cluster of (often extreme) bodily religious practices known as asceticism in premodern Christian communities as a test case in the formation of religious identity focused in the disciplining of the body. Over this quarter we will ask a series of questions that pertain not just to the history of Christianity, but to religious formation in general:
§ How do theories of mind-body interaction influence theologies of personal salvation?
§ Why are some bodily practices (fasting, sexual abstinence, self-flagellation) venerated as holy?
§ What are the goals of physical exertion in religious contexts: affirmation, transformation, or obliteration of the self?
§ Do ascetic practices inevitably create a sense of elitism in religious communities? Are ascetic practices inherently private, or public endeavors?
§ What role do social categories (gender, status, class) play in ascetic achievement?
§ How do elite practices such as asceticism bleed out into, and even form, the surrounding religious or secular cultures?
This course will examine primary texts of Christian asceticism (stories, letters, sermons, and other writings in translation) along with secondary literature both historical and theoretical. One major goal of the course will be not only to understand the particularities of early Christian asceticism, but also to ask how this one test case can illuminate (or not illuminate) other religious traditions often labeled ascetic.
Course Requirements
Final grades will be based on the following:
Class Participation: 20%
This course will operate as a seminar: although the professor will act as group leader, it is the job of every participant in the seminar to contribute actively and vocally in every class session. This means coming to class prepared to discuss the materials of the day, to ask questions (both of the material and of your fellow students), and to engage creatively and productively with the issues at hand. Discussion boards will be opened on the weeks topic prior to class meeting, so that students can warm up on line before coming to class. Attendance in every class session is mandatory.
Class Presentation: 20%
Every week, at least one student (depending on the number of students enrolled) will be responsible for presenting a supplementary text for discussion to the rest of the class, and guiding part of the discussion based on his or her presentation. (For long texts, student groups of two or three may present a single text.) Students will pick their presentation texts at the beginning of the quarter, and are encouraged to come prepared with any supplementary materials they feel are necessary to facilitate understanding and discussion of their text (handouts, summaries, etc.). In addition to the suggested readings for each week, students may choose to summarize any of the essays in Wimbush and Valantasis Asceticism. Students may also choose to present texts (primary or secondary) from other religious traditions more closely related to their own fields of study.
Midterm Assignment: 20%
Every student will complete a directed analysis of a text or texts (distributed in class), using the insights gained from course readings. The assignment is take-home, and will be due in class in Week Six.
Final Paper: 40%
By Week Six, every student must also have chosen a topic for a final term paper, due during Finals Week (no final exam will be given in this class). All final papers should be between 10-20 pages and should employ the critical insights gained throughout the quarter. Specific guidelines will be posted on the course website, and students are encouraged to meet at least once with the professor to consult on their progress. Final papers will be due during finals week.
Course Materials
The following books have been ordered and are available at UCR Bookstore, and are on reserve at Rivera Library.
Peter Brown, The Body and the Society: Men, Women, and Sexual Renunciation in Early Christianity, 20th Anniversary Edition (New York: Columbia University Press, 2008) [BS]
Elizabeth A. Clark, Reading Renunciation: Asceticism and Scripture in Early Christianity (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1999) [RR]
Teresa Shaw, Burden of the Flesh: Fasting and Sexuality in Early Christianity (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995) [BF]
RECOMMENDED: Vincent Wimbush and Richard Valantasis, eds., Asceticism (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995) [Asc]
Richard Valantasis, The Making of the Self: Ancient and Modern Asceticism (Eugene: Cascade, 2008) [MS]
Some readings are directly available online (they are underlined in the syllabus below). In addition, photocopied readings are available in electronic format online, accessible through the courses Blackbord site (link removed) or directly from the main course website; these readings are marked below with an asterisk (*).
All readings should be done before coming to class, and students are encouraged to begin pre-discussion through weekly Blackboard discussion boards.