Instructor: Andrew Jacobs | ajacobs@bu.edu | 147 Bay State Rd., 408
Office hours: Thursday, 3-4:30pm or by appointment (in person or Zoom)

Course websites

1. https://andrewjacobs.org/rn200/ (this site!) (no login required): All public information about this course, including syllabus, assignments, and additional resources
2. https://learn.bu.edu/ultra/courses/_131326_1/cl/outline (login required): Assigned readings, discussion boards, assignment portals, and other restricted information

Course description

Origins and history of the academic study of religion. Different constructions of religion as an object of study and the methods that arise from them. The role of the humanities and social sciences in understanding religion’s place in history and contemporary experience.

This course will explore the parameters by which people have theorized, engaged with, and contested the notion of “religion.” While RN 200 is required for Religion majors, and recommended for Religion minors, religion is a category that pervades society, culture, and politics globally: students from all background will benefit by understanding where the concept comes from and the work it has done to structure human life.

We will approach this complex topic from multiple angles:
  1. Questions/Answers. What is religion? A universal human capacity (like “emotion”) or a historically contingent social formation (like “democracy”)? Why does it matter, and for whom?
  2. Origins/Theories. A survey of the major theories of the origins of religion from modern philosophers, theorists, and historians.
  3. Approaches/Methods. A sampling of the ways scholars of religion conduct their studies, often using approaches and methods drawn from other academic disciplines.
  4. Identities/Critiques. Religion as both an object of study and a lived reality is often inflected by, and in turn reshapes, other ways of being in the world, such as gender, race, sexuality, and politics.
These multiple angles are intertwined. How does the social location of a scholar of religion inform their methodology? How does an understanding of what religion is and where it comes from shape a scholar’s approach to it, or allow for critique of the force of religion in society?

This class will proceed as a discussion based on our collaborative reading of the texts. To that end, every class will begin with a “question period” during which we will each ask one question based on the day’s readings. In addition, at least one member of class will be responsible for finding one additional source to add to discussion: an image, a text, a piece of media, anything that might illuminate the day’s topic.

This class meets BU Hub learning outcomes in three areas: Philosophical Inquiry, Historical Consciousness, and Critical Thinking (for more information on Hub capacities, click here). Here’s how you can expect course assignments and Hub capacities to come together in this course:
  • Philosophical inquiry: through your class discussions and detailed response papers, you will create meaningful connections between intellectual schools of thought (e.g., Marxism, Freudianism, feminism). Particularly in the final section of the class, you will evaluate the ethical propositions entailed in participation in and study of religion.
  • Historical consciousness: through your class discussions, comparison response papers, and final written exercise, you will locate and interpret specific theories and methodologies in their historical contexts, and related those contexts to our own historical narratives.
  • Critical thinking: through your class discussions and all of your written work you will demonstrate familiarity with key theories, methods, and debates in the study of religion and evaluate the effectiveness of their arguments.


Integrity

BU has a very long and detailed Academic Conduct Code which you can find here. It is worth reading so that you understand your rights and responsibilities as a member of the BU academic community. I confess little interest in acting as a classroom police officer; I am more interested in fostering an intellectual community in which we all want to learn with and from each other. If you find yourselves having the kinds of difficulties that make academic dishonesty seem easier or more appealing, I encourage you instead to come and speak with me so we can figure out a path together.

You (and I) may be unclear on the growing role of automated content generators like ChatGPT; if you are using these automated aids to generate new ideas and prose, you are probably not doing your own work (and you are helping to train systems whose ultimate uses and goals are unclear). I have tried to design assignments that make automated content generators unnecessary and even intrusive in the close reading and analysis of theoretical texts. But, once more, I am more interested in helping generate original ideas and intellectual conversation than I am in acting as content police. If you are uncertain about how these new and uncertain tools fit into our intellectual community, I encourage you to come and speak with me.

Accessibility

All classrooms should be inclusive learning environments; if you have any concerns about accessibility (in general or to foster your own learning success) please get in touch with me. If you are unfamiliar with the classroom accommodations that BU can provide, you can find information here. I understand that getting “official” certification for accommodations can take time; I am happy to work with you to put needed accommodations in place for you while the machinery of bureaucracy proceeds.

Required course texts

The following books have been ordered for this class:

1. Daniel Pals, Introducing Religion: Readings from the Classic Theorists (2003). I have also requested that this book be ordered and placed on reserve in Mugar Memorial Library.
2. Dennis Covington, Salvation on Sand Mountain: Snake Handling and Redemption in Southern Appalachia (1995/2009). This title is also available in electronic book form from BU Libraries (link here).

We will also be reading several articles, excerpts from books, and primary sources which are either available freely online or are accessible through the class’s Blackboard site (links to both types of online sources can be found on the main course webpage).
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