Religious Studies 346: Ritual Studies Spring 2001 Arnold Hall 202 T-Th 11:00-12:20   Marilyn Gottschall Office:  Platner 118 Office hours: Wed. 9-11:00 Phone:  907-4200 x 4423 Mgottschall@whittier.edu

Course description:  This course will examine ritual as an important aspect of religious practice.    We will explore ritual as a phenomenon, interrogating its connection to the sacred as well as its presence in the profane or ordinary world.   Several questions about the nature of ritual will underlie our study:  what are the qualities of ritual?  What does ritual do and how does it function?  Does it work?  How does an outsider understand ritual? 

 The course is organized thematically but will expose you to a broad variety of theoretical approaches  that are central to the study of  ritual.  As well, one of the objectives of the class is to provide an opportunity for students to develop ritual skills. Ronald Grimes, a leading scholar in the field, suggests that the meaning of ritual can most easily be understood and articulated only after “we have been grasped by its sense.”  To that end, we will utilize the classroom as a laboratory for examining our own ritualized interactions and those of the culture in which we live, and, periodically, as ritual space itself.

Required texts:

Grimes, Readings in Ritual Studies, Prentice Hall, 1996.

Brown,  Moma Lola:  A Voduo Priestess in Brooklyn

Course requirements:

1.      Readings:  The course is divided into 13 weekly units.  Readings for each week are listed below and are due on the day that they appear on the schedule.  Lectures and discussion of the readings will take place on that day.
 

2.    Class activities/ small papers:  On Tuesdays, we will be engaged in classroom activities and exercises that utilize the textual materials from the previous Thursday.   Over the course of the semester you will be assigned eight small projects/papers that will structure classroom discussions.  I will give you detailed instructions for each of the assignments but, in general, they are to be 2-4 pagaes in length and they will employ and apply theoretical points in the readings.
 

3.    Weekly ritual presentations:  Each Tuesday, a team of 2-3 students will design and conduct a short ritual  (approx. 10 minutes) which will include the participation of the entire class.  The content and form of the ritual is completely up to you.  On the following Thursday, you will hand in a 2-3 page analysis of your ritual presentation.  This will include a discussion of the purpose, structure and content of the ritual, the symbols employed, and an evaluation of your own work as well as participant reaction.
 

4.    Field trips and special events:  There will be a number of field trips and special events over the course of the semester.  Attendance at these events is expected.  The events are: 

§         Santaria bata ensemble on  the evening of Tuesday March 6

§         Field trip to Yoruba House on Saturday March 22

5.   Attendance and participation:   Your full participation is expected.  This includes both completing the readings and being willing and ready to participate in the weekly classroom activities.  The experiential component of the class is important for several reasons: it gives you an opportunity to integrate and work with the concepts that we have discussed in class and it will give you experience with the practical uses of ritual. More than one unexcused Tuesday absence will result in the lowering of your grade.

6.  Final paper:  Instead of a final exam, you will write a 7-10 page paper which will analyze either Moma Lola or a ritual of your choosing.

7.        Grading:  Your grade will be determined by your cumulative points on the following:

·         8 assignments              8 x 50 pts                      400 pts

·         ritual presentation/writeup                                 50 pts           

·         class participation and attendance                      50 pts

·         quizzes    2 x 25                                              50 pts

·      final paper                                                      150 pts

COURSE SCHEDULE