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RELI385

Religion and the Social Construction of Race
RELI385 FA

Crosslistings: AFAM383
SectionClass Size*AvailableTimes
1 25 0 Times: M.W.... 1:10PM-2:30PM;

*The number of spaces listed as available is based on class seats open for the current phase of registration. Some seats may be taken in previous phases while others may be held out for subsequent phases of registration. (Last Updated on Wed Mar 4 05:01:03 EST 1998 )

In this course we will examine aspects of the interactions between "race" and religion in a number of historical and social contexts. We will place at the center of our discussions the question of how "race" functions as a prism through which people come to both understand and experience their own religious life and that of others. In examining "race," we will privilege interpretations that emphasize: a) the construction of race as a process in which power plays a pivotal role; and b) means through which communities form collective identities. We will read a wide range of historical analysis and primary source materials from the US and the Caribbean. We will examine pro-slavery documents, Native American missionary works, analyses of anti-semitism, and works on Father Divine, the Nation of Islam, Rastafari, Haitian Vodou, Jonestown, and Christian right supremacist groups like Aryan Nation.

MAJOR READINGS

Michael Barkun, RELIGION AND THE RACIST
RIGHT: THE ORIGINS OF THE CHRISTIAN IDENTITY MOVEMENT
Leonard Barrett, THE RASTAFARIANS
David Chidester, SALVATION AND SUICIDE:

Jill Watts, GOD, HARLEM U.S.A., THE FATHER DIVINE STORY
Ronald Takaki, STRANGERS FROM A DIFFERENT SHORE: A HISTORY
OF ASIAN AMERICANS
Sander Gilman, THE JEW'S BODY

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Attendance, weekly response papers, three critical essays.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

This course fulfills a "Religion in Society" requirement for the department major. Unless preregistered students attend the first class meeting or communicate directly with the instructor prior to the first class, they will be dropped from the class list. NOTE: Students must still submit a completed Drop/Add form to the Registrar's Office.

COURSE FORMAT: Discussion Seminar

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UG Credit: 1.00 Gen Ed Area & Dept: SBS RELI

Prerequisites: None

Section 01
McAlister, E
Times: M.W.... 1:10PM- 2:30PM;
Grading Mode: A/F
Registration Preference (1 high to 6 low, 0=Excluded) Sr: 1, Jr: 2, So: 3, Fr: 0
Major Preference Given

Last Updated on MAR-03-1998




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