Religious Studies 248N: Fundamentalism as Cultural Encounter

St. Lawrence University
The Cultural Encounters Program

T.B. Coburn
Richardson 207; (315) 379-5131

Course Description:
The word "fundamentalism" was coined in the United States in the early 20th century to describe a certain kind of Christianity that was opposed to "modernism" in religion. It was opposed, in particular, to Darwinian theories of evolution and favored literal reading of the Bible. In the 1950's the term became applied more broadly to apparently similar tendencies in other religious traditions, particularly Islam. Today it is used widely and often uncritically to identify movements among Hindus, Muslims, and Jews as well as Christians. It is often thought to overlap with religious nationalism or with religious enthusiasm generally. This seminar will test a recent hypothesis which suggests that fundamentalism is a particular, generic kind of religiousness that represents a "revolt against the modern age." This will involve two interrelated tasks: (1) exploring the usefulness of the concept "fundamentalism" as a comparative category and (2) becoming familiar with the dynamics of cultural and social change in a variety of settings including, but not limited to, modern India, the Islamic world, and North America.

Texts:

Carter, S. The Culture of Disbelief: How American Law and Politics Trivializes Religious Devotion
Esposito, J. The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality?
Hawley, J. Fundamentalism and Gender
Kepel, G. The Revenge of God: The Resurgence of Islam, Christianity and Judaism in the Modern World
Lawrence, J. and R. Lee. Inherit the Wind
Marty, M. and R.S. Appleby. The Glory and the Power: The Fundamentalist Challenge to the Modern World

Items on Reserve:

Bellah, R. Beyond Belief
Lessa, W. and E. Vogt. Reader in Comparative Religion
Marty, M. and R.S. Appleby (ed.). Three volumes of The Fundamentalism Project, abbreviated in the schedule below as *M & A 1, 2, and 3.

Course Requirements:

1.Absolutely faithful preparation for and attendance at class sessions and active participation in discussion.
2.Weekly submission of a question for discussion based on the week's reading. This question is due in my mailbox by 9 a.m.
each Wednesday morning. My secretary will then collate and xerox the questions for distribution by early afternoon. The question may be one simple sentence, or a little longer if you need the length to make your point clear.
3.Serving as a discussion leader on at least two occasions. On each occasion you will be paired with one other student.
4.Periodic completion of supplementary reading on which you will report to the rest of the seminar.
5.Completion of a medium-length (15-20 pages) research paper on a topic of your choice which will serve as the basis for an oral report during the last two weeks of class. The paper is due by 4:30 p.m. on the last day of classes.
6.A final examination of the take-home variety.
7.While a journal is not formally required for this course, I strongly advise you to keep one. Indeed, being part of a seminar course should make it a natural occurrence: class-time is for talking and listening to one another, with brief note-taking; after class is the time for expanding on the brief notes, recording and developing your own thinking.

Grading:

Participation, the research paper, and the final-exam will each count one-third.

Tentative schedule of meetings and topics:

Class 1: Introduction and Orientation

I. A Basic Survey of Western Monotheisms

Class 2: Bellah, "Religious Evolution" in his Beyond Belief or in Lessa and Vogt, Reader in Comparative Religion, pp. 1-36.  Lawrence and Lee, Inherit the Wind, all.

Class 3: (Interpreting Modernity—short class) Lawrence, 1-119. PUBLIC LECTURE: Professor B. Lawrence (Duke University), "Fundamentalism and Fanaticism."

Class 4: (Christianity): Marty and Appleby, 37-88. Lawrence, 120-152.

M & A: volume 1: ch. 1, 2, 3

volume 2: ch. 1, 2, 3, 9, 16, 17

volume 3: ch. 2, 3, 4, 15, 23

Class 5: (Judaism): Marty and Appleby, 89-128. Lawrence, 153-188.

M & A: 1: 4

2: 14

3: 5, 19

Class 6: (Islam): Marty and Appleby, 129-175. Lawrence, 189-226.

M & A: 1: 6, 7, 8, 12

2: 4, 5, 7, 8, 13

3: 6, 7, 8, 10

II. Alternative Approaches

Class 7: (A French Perspective): Keppel, entire.

Class 8: (Fundamentalism and Gender): Hawley, entire.

Class 9: (Is Islam a Special Case?): Esposito, entire.

III. Beyond Western Monotheisms

Class 10: M & A: 1: 9, 10, 11, 13, 14

2: 18

3: 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 24

Class 11: Marty and Appleby, 175-202. Lawrence, 227-246.

M & A: 1: 15

2: epilogue

3: 25

IV. Fundamentalism and American General Wariness of Religious Expression

Class 12: Carter, entire.

V. Student Reports

Class 13, 14.