RELS 291:0
Women in the Western Religious Traditions
Class Schedule: Professor: Dr. Ruby Ramji
September 14 – December 4, 2009 Office: CC 241 Phone: 563-1264
MON 2:30 – 3:45 pm Office Hours: MON/WED 12:45 – 2:00 pm
WED 2:30 – 3:45 pm and MON/WED 3:45 – 5:00 pm or by appt
Room CE 307 e-mail: ruby_ramji@cbu.ca
http://faculty.cbu.ca/rramji
Course Description
This course will explore the representations and roles of women in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. We will read passages from the foundational texts associated with each religion and explore how these texts represent women and gender and in what ways they are ambiguous. We will examine how women and gender were represented in the interpretative traditions of each religion, in theology and law. We will also consider the difficulties in generalizing about women's traditional roles in each religion. Even if women were excluded from the official interpretative tradition, how did they gain access to power through mystical experience, prayer, and ritual? We will discuss the changes in these roles and representations historically and their practical implications. The issues will include attitudes toward sexual practice, the adornment and covering of the body, and the participation of women in religious leadership.
This class is organized as a seminar course. The goals of this course are to: understand some of the major themes and views that have emerged in the study of women in Western religious traditions and gender as an academic discipline; to gain a fundamental understanding of the roles that women have played in the traditions we survey, and how they have been viewed from within these traditions; and, to expand our worldview by considering the lives of women in diverse religious communities, in their similarities and their differences.
The course seeks to stimulate critical thinking and discussion amongst students, as well as the ability to conduct research, read critically and present scholarly work in a clear and coherent style. Other topics of interest to the class may be discussed as well. Participation is extremely important as discussion will play a large role in this class, and attendance is imperative.
Course Evaluation:
Course Participation 35% Attendance, four presentations
Chapter Critiques x 3 10% each Due October 14/ November 4/ November 30
Major Research Essay 35% Due Wednesday December 2, 2009
Required Text:
The following work is required for this course:
Leona Anderson and Pamela Dickey Young (eds). Women and Religious Traditions (OUP, 2004). A copy of the textbook will be made available at the CBU library on reserve.
Tentative Class Schedule:
Week 1 – Introduction to course and Women in Religion
Week 2 – Women in Judaism (September 21 & 23)
Week 3 – Women in Judaism (September 28 & 30)
Week 4 – Women in Judaism (October 5 & 7)
Week 5 – Chapter 2 Presentation (October 14)
Week 6 – Women in Christianity (October 19 & 21)
Week 7 – Women in Christianity (October 26 & 28)
Week 8 – Women in Christianity/ Chapter 6 Presentation (November 2 & 4)
Week 9 – Women in Islam (November 9)
Week 10 – Women in Islam (November 16 & 18)
Week 11 – Women in Islam (November 23 & 25)
Week 12 – Chapter 7 Presentation/ Essay Presentation (November 30 & December 2)
Chapter Critiques:
Students will write a 3 – 4 page critique of each chapter discussed in the course, and be prepared to present their papers to the class. Each critique is worth 10%. Critiques are due in the class after we have finished discussing the topic. Critiques are based on course readings – external sources are permitted to add to the course readings. The critiques must be handed in during class or earlier to the professor. Do not put it under the instructor’s office door. Due dates are not negotiable and extensions are not given except for documented medical or compassionate grounds. If you think that you will require an extension for these reasons, talk to the instructor as soon as the need becomes apparent: do not wait until the assignment is due.
Three written chapter critiques – 10% each = 30%
In-Class Assignments and Course participation of 35% will be based on your presentation of the critiques in class, questions to other student critiques, presentation of the final research paper and regular attendance. If students are not in class to present their critiques, they will not receive participation marks. Students must prepare a written question to ask the presenters in each class. Participation marks will also be based on regular attendance taken in class (one percent each class for a total of fifteen percent).
In-class critique presentations – 5% each (x3) = 15%
Final essay presentation – 5%
Attendance and participation – 15%
Research Essay:
One major research essay will be due on the assigned date of Wednesday December 2, 2009 and is worth a total of 35% of your grade. The essay must be handed in during class or earlier to the professor. Do not put it under the instructor’s office door. Due dates are not negotiable and extensions are not given except for documented medical or compassionate grounds. If you think that you will require an extension for these reasons, talk to the instructor as soon as the need becomes apparent: do not wait until the assignment is due. Please be aware that having several assignments fall due in the same week does not constitute grounds for an extension.
Essays must be between 7-8 pages in length, with a minimum of four reference sources – they are to be books and journal articles only. All papers must be carefully documented with precise references for all quotations (direct and indirect), paraphrases, and derived ideas, information and interpretations. You are reminded that it is essential that you give credit to all authors for all ideas and phrasing not originating with you. Failure to document and/or to place quotation marks around all direct quotations is plagiarism and will be dealt with in accordance with university disciplinary regulations. Plagiarism can result in a zero grade on the essay. Do not hesitate to consult with the instructor if doubts should arise.
On the final day of class, students will present their research essays to the class and students will have the opportunity to discuss each others’ presentations.
* The final research paper will be based on a woman who has had a direct impact on one of the three religions we will discuss in class – you will need to get approval for the topic of your essay from the professor by Wednesday November 4th
Essay Checklist
Your essay will be distinguished by the following:
§ Printed (i.e. computer generated)
§ The essay itself must be seven to eight pages in length
§ Double spaced, but do not put extra spaces between paragraphs
§ Numbered pages (not including title page)
§ Reference all materials in your essay, either using MLA or APA style. Precise references are required for all quotations, paraphrases, information and ideas. You must give credit to all authors for all ideas that are not your own. See the following website for more information on footnotes, endnotes, parenthetical references and how to write a bibliography - http://www.aresearchguide.com
§ Bibliography of at least 4 items (books or journal articles), placed on the final page of the essay; only those works in your essay are to be included.
o Do not use any internet sources (especially wikipedia).
o Do not use any encyclopedia or dictionary sources.
o Do not use course notes as a reference source.
o Remember the restrictions on which sources are acceptable.
§ Title page including your name, identification number, course number and the instructor's name
§ Students must keep a copy of all the papers they submit until final grades have been submitted for the course.
Critique and Essay Guidelines
Women in the Western Religious Traditions
September – December 2009
Chapter Critique and Presentation Guidelines
The chapter critique (3-4 pages) and presentation should NOT simply be a summary of the author’s work, but should be a critical evaluation of the work(s) being read. The responsibility of the presenter is to start a discussion by providing a critical evaluation of the assigned readings for the day. This evaluation may include but is not limited to: a) posing a set of questions that interrogates the author’s key ideas and arguments; b) extracting the author’s thesis idea or key ideas and comparing and contrasting this (these) against ideas that have emerged from our other readings; and, c) offering suggestions for questions or avenues of inquiry that will push the boundaries of what the author has already presented. This is the time to offer your perspectives, confusions, questions, problems and responses to the author’s work. Each student will hand in their chapter critique at the end of class on the day of the presentation.
The responsibility of the respondents is to provide a direct response to the presenter’s material: this may include, but should not be limited to, a rebuttal, critical inquiries, point(s) of agreement, or suggestions for further inquiries. Respondents are required to provide hard copies of their questions/ inquiries to the professor at the end of class on the day of the presentation.
Wednesday October 14 – Women in Judaism critiques due
Wednesday November 4 – Women in Christianity critiques due
Monday November 30 – Women in Islam critiques due
Final Research Essay Topic and Guidelines
The final research paper (7-8 pages) will be based on a woman who has had a direct impact on one of the three religions we will discuss in class. The purpose of the essay is to write about the role these women have played within their religious tradition, their impact, the changes they may have made and the challenges they faced. Explain how these women are written about in primary texts (scripture) if they are from that time period, as well as what secondary sources say about these women. How do feminist interpretations change the way these women are understood within their faiths? Write about the traditional and modern understandings of these women in order to better explain their impact on their faiths today.
NOTE: You will need to get approval for the topic of your essay from the professor by Wednesday November 4th as each essay has to be on someone unique. Two students cannot pick the same person upon which to write their essay, so the sooner you choose your topic, the more likely you are to get the topic you want.
Wednesday December 2 - Final Research Essay Due Date
The following women can be chosen for your essay (or you may propose another not on the list with approval):
Judaism:
Eve • Deborah the Judge • Miriam • Abigail/Esther (Female Prophets) • Sarah/Rebekah/Rachel/Leah • Bathsheba • Lilith (Apocrypha) • Salome • Jesabel
Christianity:
Mary (Mother of Jesus) • Phoebe (Deacon in early church) • Thecla (virgin martyr) • Perpetua (martyr) • Felicitas (martyr) • Teresa of Avila • Hildegard of Bingen • Julian of Norwich • Claire of Assisi • Ellen White (Seventh Day Adventism) • Mary Baker Eddy (Christian Science)
Islam:
Hind al-Hunnud • Khadijah (Prophet’s first wife) • A’ishah (Prophet’s wife) • Fatimah (Prophet’s daughter) •Rabi’ah al-Afawiyya (Sufi master)