Basic Religions Common Features of Basic Religions of Basic Religions.
COLONIALISM, FREEDOM, AND AFRICAN AMERICAN RELIGIONS...
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1 COLONIALISM, FREEDOM, AND AFRICAN AMERICAN RELIGIONS (RELS 370: Adv. Topics in American Religion) TR 10:50AM-12:05PM (MYBK 119) Ieshia Evans arrested by Baton Rouge police in #BlackLivesMatter protest (Photo by Jon Bachman, 2016) CONTACT Professor: Dr. Matthew J. Cressler Office: 4C Glebe Street, Room 105 Hours: W 11:00AM-12:30PM, R 3:00PM-4:30PM Email: [email protected] Phone: 843.953.1026 DESCRIPTION Freedom is an ironic idea in African American religious history. African American Studies scholar Eddie Glaude defines the category "African American religion" as a practice of freedom in the midst of white supremacy. At the same time, the very concept of freedom was forged in an age of empires, colonial conquest, and transatlantic slavery. What is “freedom” and how is it connected to colonialism? What can the study of African American religions teach us about freedom struggles in the past and in the present? This upper-level seminar will explore these questions (and more) through close readings of primary sources and contemporary scholarship at the intersection of African American Studies and Religious Studies. The course will cover an array of religions across the African diaspora ranging from Yoruba traditions, Voudou, and conjure to Islam, Judaism, and Christianity.
Transcript of COLONIALISM, FREEDOM, AND AFRICAN AMERICAN RELIGIONS...
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COLONIALISM,FREEDOM,ANDAFRICANAMERICANRELIGIONS(RELS370:Adv.TopicsinAmericanReligion)
TR10:50AM-12:05PM(MYBK119)
IeshiaEvansarrestedbyBatonRougepolicein#BlackLivesMatterprotest(PhotobyJonBachman,2016)
CONTACTProfessor: Dr.MatthewJ.CresslerOffice: 4CGlebeStreet,Room105Hours: W11:00AM-12:30PM,R3:00PM-4:30PMEmail: [email protected]: 843.953.1026DESCRIPTIONFreedomisanironicideainAfricanAmericanreligioushistory.AfricanAmericanStudiesscholarEddieGlaudedefinesthecategory"AfricanAmericanreligion"asapracticeoffreedominthemidstofwhitesupremacy.Atthesametime,theveryconceptoffreedomwasforgedinanageofempires,colonialconquest,andtransatlanticslavery.Whatis“freedom”andhowisitconnectedtocolonialism?WhatcanthestudyofAfricanAmericanreligionsteachusaboutfreedomstrugglesinthepastandinthepresent?Thisupper-levelseminarwillexplorethesequestions(andmore)throughclosereadingsofprimarysourcesandcontemporaryscholarshipattheintersectionofAfricanAmericanStudiesandReligiousStudies.ThecoursewillcoveranarrayofreligionsacrosstheAfricandiasporarangingfromYorubatraditions,Voudou,andconjuretoIslam,Judaism,andChristianity.
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OBJECTIVES1) Introduce“religion”and“race”asmodernconstructedcategories2) Interrogatetherelationshipbetween“freedom”and“colonialism”3) SituateAfricanAmericanreligionsandfreedomstrugglesinthecontextofcolonialism4) Engageandimaginepossibleworldsbeyondtheconfinesofpresentcircumstances5) Honeyourcriticalreading,thinking,andwritingskillsthroughdisciplinedengagement
withtexts,constructiveconversationwithclassmates,andcreative/writingprojectsEVALUATION20% AttendanceandParticipation
• Thisisaseminarand,assuch,mostofourtimewillbespentindiscussion.• Ifyouareworriedaboutparticipation,meetwithme(ASAP)tostrategize.• Qualitycountsmorethanquantity,butyoumustspeaktocontribute.• Youcannotparticipateifyouarenotpresent.
10% DiscussionBoard• YouwillpostonourOAKSdiscussionboardby11:59PMpriortoeachclass.• Yourpostshoulddotwothings:
1. Rearticulatethereading’smostimportantpointinyourownwords.2. Poseaquestionraisedbythereadingforfurtherdiscussioninclass.
• Yourpostswillbegradedonthefollowingscale:ü (100%)ü - (75%)
(0%)• Pleasereadyourpeers’postsinpreparationforclass.
10% DiscussionLeaders• Eachofyouwillbeassignedtoasmallgroup.• YoursmallgroupwillleadoneclassdiscussiononJOHNSON.• Youwillmeetwithmetheprecedingweektoprepareyourdiscussion.
10% CriticalAnalysisEssay• Youwillwritea4-5page(double-spaced,12-pointfont)essaythatanalyzes
aprimarysourceinlightofitscorrespondingchapterinJOHNSON.• Youressaywillbedueonthedayassignedtoyoursmallgroup.
10% FieldTripEssay• Youwillwritea4-5page(double-spaced,12-pointfont)essayanalyzing
yourownexperiencesatOyotunjiAfricanVillageinlightofourcourse.• ItisdueoneweekafterourtriptoOyotunji.
30% FreedomDreamingUn/Essay:yourfinalassignmentwillbetoeitherwriteanessay(8-10pages)orcreateanunessay(project+4-5pagecreator’sstatement)thatplacesanartistoractivistindialoguewiththequestionsandthemesofthecourse.
• Meetwithmetoyoursubject(5%)byTuesday,February27.• Submityourun/essayproposal(5%)byTuesday,April3.• Yourfinalproject(20%)isduebyTuesday,May1.
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ExtraCredit• Toreceiveextracredityoumayattendaspecifiedextracreditevent.
SpecifiedeventsareindicatedinthesyllabusbytheacronymEC.Inordertoreceivecredit,youmustattendsaideventandwriteashortpaperreflectingonit(1-page,double-spaced,12-pointfont).Yourreflectionisdueviaemailwithinoneweekofsaidevent.
GRADINGSCALEA=93-100 B+=87-89 C+=77-79 D+=67-69 F=0-60A-=90-92 B=83-86 C=73-76 D=63-66 B-=80-82 C-=70-72 D-=60-62REQUIREDSinceourcollectivesuccessinthisclassdependsoncarefulandcriticalreadingofallassignedmaterials,itisimperativethatyouhaveyourownphysicalcopiesofalltexts.Iexpectyoutoactivelyengagethetexts(underlinearguments,starkeypoints,writeexasperatedcommentsinthemargins,etc.)whilereadingoutsideofclassandtobringthemwithyoutoclasstofacilitatediscussion.Therearefourrequiredbooksandonerequiredmusicalrecording.AllthebooksareavailablefromtheCofCBookstore.Aslongasyou’reabletolistentoHamiltoninitsentirety,Idonotmindwhatmediumyouuse.AllotherreadingswillbepostedourOAKSsite(underContent).Pleaseprintthemandbringhardcopieswithyoutoclasswhennecessary.Youwillreceivea0forattendanceifyoufailtobringyourassignedmaterialonanygivenclassday.Digitalcopiesareprohibitedwithoutpermissionofprofessor(seeTechnologypolicybelow).Booksareonreserveinthelibrary,buttoactivelyengagelibrarycopiesyouwillneedtophotocopythem.Ifcostisaconcern,pleaseseeme.
• SylvesterA.JOHNSON,AfricanAmericanReligions,1500-2000:Colonialism,Democracy,andFreedom(CambridgeUniversityPress,2015)
• Ta-NehisiCoates&BrianStelfreeze,BLACKPANTHER:ANationUnderOurFeet,Books1-3(MarvelComics,2016-2017)
• Lin-ManuelMiranda,HAMILTON:AnAmericanMusical(OriginalCastRecording)RECOMMENDEDSincethisisanadvancedtopicscourse,Iencourageyoutoreadbeyondwhatisrequiredofyou.Tothatend,Ihavelistedthreebooksasrecommended.GlaudeishighlyrecommendedforstudentswhohavenotalreadytakenRELS270:AfricanAmericanReligion.WewillreadexcerptsofbothKelleyandTaylorthissemester,buttheentirebooksareworthreading.
• RobinD.G.Kelley,FreedomDreams:TheBlackRadicalTradition(2002)• EddieS.GlaudeJr.,AfricanAmericanReligion:AVeryShortIntroduction(2014)• Keeanga-YamahttaTaylor,From#BlackLivesMatterToBlackLiberation(2016)
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EXPECTATIONS(wewillcrafttheseinclasstogether)ForMe:
• • •
ForYou:
• • •
ATTENDANCEANDLATEPOLICIES
• Youcanonlyparticipateinourclassifyouarephysicallypresent,soattendanceisessentialtosuccess.Iwilltakeattendancedaily.Ifyoumissmorethanfiveclassesyouwillfailandbedroppedfromtheclass.
• Classbeginspromptlyat10:50AMonTuesdaysandThursdays.IexpectyoutobeseatedandpreparedforclasswhentheproverbialiPhonestrikes10:50.Pointswillbedeductedifyouarrivelateorleavebeforetheendofclass.
• Assignmentsaredueatthetimespecifiedontheassignmentitself.Anyassignmentturnedinafterthedesignateddeadlineisconsideredlate.Youwillbepenalizedonelettergrade(10points)foreachdaythatyourassignmentislate.Daysarecalculatedby24-hourperiodsthatbeginwiththeoriginalduedateandtime.
• Nooneismoresympathetictothebusynessofourcurricularandco-curricularschedulesthanIam(Ihaveawife,threedaughters,adog,afterall).Nevertheless,itiscrucialthatwealllearntoplanaheadandbalanceourrespectiveresponsibilities.Deadlinesforotherclassesandotherpriorcommitmentsarenotacceptableexcusesformissedclassorlatework.
• Thesamegoesfortechnologicalproblems.Weareincreasinglydependentonourdevicesandothertechnologies.However,asIknowyouknow,technologycanfailus.Computerscrash,iPadsbreak,serversaresometimesdown,etc.Again,whileI’msympathetic,technicaldifficultiesarenotacceptableexcusesforlateassignmentsormissedclass.Iexpectyoutocompleteassignmentswellenoughinadvancetofactorinthesevariablesandremember,always(ALWAYS!)backupyourdocuments!!!
TECHNOLOGYStudentsareexpectedtohaveaCofCemailaddresslinkedtoOAKSthattheycheckregularly.Emailismymostfrequentandeffectivemeansofcommunication.Pleaseturnyourcellphonesonsilentwhenyouentertheclassroom.Useofcellphonesisstrictlyprohibitedandwillresultina0forattendance.Ipreferthatyouusepaperandpen/cilasyournote-takingdevices(crayonsandmarkersalsoacceptable).Ifyouprefertotakenotesonalaptoportablet,Iaskthatyousignanagreementwithmeforresponsibleuseandthatyousitintherearoftheclassroom,soas
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nottodistractyourclassmates.Ifyouruseofdevicesdisruptsourclass,Ireservetherighttoembarrassyouand/oraskyoutoleave.(Seemeifyouwishtosignanagreement.)DISABILITYACCOMODATIONIfyouhave,orthinkyoumayhave,adocumenteddisability(physical,learning,psychiatric,visual,hearing,etc.)pleasevisittheCenterforDisabilityServices.TheCentercanprovideyouwiththeinformationanddocumentationnecessarytoarrangeaccommodationsyoumayrequire.TheCenterforDisabilityServices/StudentsNeedingAccessParity(SNAP)canbeaccessedvia:http://disabilityservices.cofc.edu/.RELIGIOUSACCOMODATIONTheCollegeacknowledgesthatreligiouspracticesdifferfromtraditiontotraditionandthatthedemandsofreligiousobservanceinsometraditionsmaycauseconflictswithstudentschedules.Inaffirmingthisdiversity,theCollegesupportstheconceptof“reasonableaccommodationforreligiousobservance”inregardtoclassattendance,andtheschedulingofexaminationsandotheracademicworkrequirements,unlesstheaccommodationwouldcreateanunduehardshipontheCollege.OurfullStatementonReligiousAccommodationsPolicycanbefoundhere:http://president.cofc.edu/community-relations/rlc/accommodation.phpTHECENTERFORSTUDENTLEARNINGTheCSL,locatedonthefirstfloorofthelibrary,offersawidevarietyoftutoringandotheracademicresourcesthatsupportmanycoursesofferedattheCollege.Servicesincludewalk-intutoring,byappointmenttutoring,studystrategiesappointments,PeerAcademicCoaching(PAC),andSupplementalInstruction(SI).AllservicesaredescribedandalllabschedulesarepostedontheCSLwebsite:http://csl.cofc.edu/.WRITINGLABIencourageyoutotakeadvantageoftheWritingLabintheCenterforStudentLearning(AddlestoneLibrary,firstfloor).Trainedwritingconsultantscanhelpwithwritingforallcourses;theyofferone-to-oneconsultationsthataddresseverythingfrombrainstorminganddevelopingideastocraftingstrongsentencesanddocumentingsources.Formore,visithttp://csl.cofc.edu/labs/writing-lab/.HONORCODEANDACADEMICINTEGRITYLying,cheating,attemptedcheating,andplagiarismareviolationsofourHonorCodethat,whenidentified,areinvestigated.Eachincidentwillbeexaminedtodeterminethedegreeofdeceptioninvolved.Incidentswheretheinstructordeterminesthestudent’sactionsarerelatedmoretoamisunderstandingwillbehandledbytheinstructor.Awritteninterventiondesignedtohelppreventthestudentfromrepeatingtheerrorwillbegiventothestudent.Theintervention,submittedbyformandsignedbothbytheinstructorandthestudent,willbeforwardedtotheDeanofStudentsandplacedinthestudent’sfile.Casesofsuspectedacademicdishonestywillbereporteddirectlybytheinstructorand/orothershavingknowledgeoftheincidenttotheDeanofStudents.AstudentfoundresponsiblebytheHonorBoardforacademicdishonestywillreceiveaXXFinthecourse,
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indicatingfailureofthecourseduetoacademicdishonesty.Thisgradewillappearonthestudent’stranscriptfortwoyearsafterwhichthestudentmaypetitionfortheXXtobeexpunged.TheFispermanent.Thestudentmayalsobeplacedondisciplinaryprobation,suspended(temporaryremoval)orexpelled(permanentremoval)fromtheCollegebytheHonorBoard.Studentsshouldbeawarethatunauthorizedcollaboration—workingtogetherwithoutpermission—isaformofcheating.Unlesstheinstructorspecifiesthatstudentscanworktogetheronanassignment,quizand/ortest,nocollaborationduringthecompletionoftheassignmentispermitted.Otherformsofcheatingincludepossessingorusinganunauthorizedstudyaid(whichcouldincludeaccessinginformationviaacellphoneorcomputer),copyingfromothers’exams,fabricatingdata,andgivingunauthorizedassistance.Researchconductedand/orpaperswrittenforotherclassescannotbeusedinwholeorinpartforanyassignmentinthisclasswithoutobtainingpriorpermissionfromtheinstructor.StudentscanfindthecompleteHonorCodeandallrelatedprocessesintheStudentHandbookathttp://studentaffairs.cofc.edu/honor-system/studenthandbook/index.php
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COURSESCHEDULE(subjecttochangewithadvancenotice)INTRODUCTIONWeek1–Whatisthiscourse?Tuesday,January9Thursday,January11 JOHNSON,IntroductionandConclusion(14pp.)Week2–“Freedom”andFreedomMonday,January15:MartinLutherKingDay Sekou,“MartinLutherKing’sRadicalLegacy”–OAKSTuesday,January16
Patterson,“Freedom,Slavery,andtheModernConstructionofRights”(36pp.)Thursday,January18
Lorde,“TheMaster’sToolsWillNeverDismantletheMaster’sHouse”(4pp.)–OAKSKelley,“‘WhenHistorySleeps’:ANewBeginning”(12pp.)–OAKS
EC:Thursday,January18@6PM:Dr.ShariRabinandDr.MatthewCressler,“FrontierJewsandBlackCatholics:NewBooksinAmericanReligion”(ArnoldHall,JWST)(UN)FREEDOMWeek3–Race,Religion,andColonialismTuesday,January23
West,“IgnobleParadoxofModernity”(4pp.)–OAKSDuBois,“TheSoulsofWhiteFolk”(16pp.)–OAKS
Thursday,January25 Baldwin,“WhiteRacismorWorldCommunity?”(7pp.)–OAKSEC:Thursday,January25@6PM:Dr.CliftonGranby,“ResilientInjustices,UnyieldingResolve”(RandolphHall–AlumniMemorialHall)Week4–ColonialGovernanceandReligiousSubjectivityTuesday,January30
JOHNSON,Chapter3(49pp.)Thursday,February1 Equiano,“TraditionalIboReligion”(6pp.)–OAKSEC:Thursday,February1at6:30PM–“TheFirst365:AnalyzingtheFirstYearoftheTrumpAdministration,”moderatedbyMSNBC’sJoyAnnReidWeek5–DemocracyandMythTuesday,February6
HAMILTONAdichie,“TheDangerofaSingleStory”(VIDEO)–OAKS
Thursday,February8Monteiro,“Race-ConsciousCasting&theErasureoftheBlackPast”(10pp.)–OAKSResponsestoMonteiro’s“Race-ConsciousCastingandtheErasureoftheBlackPastinLin-ManuelMiranda’sHamilton”–OAKS
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FREEDOMSTRUGGLESWeek6–WhiteRevolutionandBlackSettlerColonialismTuesday,February13 Johnson,Chapter4(49pp.)
Group#1:DiscussionLeadersThursday,February15 VISIT:AveryCenterinExile(AddlestoneLibrary,Rm.360)FIELDTRIP:RyanCoogler’sBlackPanther(2018)Week7–BlackTheologyandWhiteRedemptionTuesday,February20 JOHNSON,Chapter5(61pp.) Group#2:DiscussionLeadersThursday,February22 Cooper,“EthicsoftheNegroQuestion”(10pp.)–OAKS Group#4:CriticalAnalysisDueWeek8–Anti-ColonialismandStateRepressionTuesday,February27 JOHNSON,Chapter6(51pp.) Group#3:DiscussionLeadersThursday,March1 F.B.I.,“MoorishScienceTempleofAmerica”–OAKS Groups#1-2:CriticalAnalysisDueWeek9–Counterintelligenceandthe“NegroRebellion”Tuesday,March6 JOHNSON,Chapter7(51pp.)
Group#4:DiscussionLeadersThursday,March8 King,“BeyondVietnam”–OAKS Group#3:CriticalAnalysisDueFREEDOMDREAMSWeek10–WakandaandDemocraticDreamsTuesday,March13
BLACKPANTHER,Books1-2Thursday,March15
BLACKPANTHER,Book3Monday,March19–Friday,March23:NOCLASS(SpringBreak)
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Week11–OyotunjiandYorubaDreamsTuesday,March27
Long,“WhatisAfricatoMe?”(17pp.)–OAKS EC:Tuesday,March27:Dr.SimranSinghComestoCampusThursday,March29
Hucks,“OyotunjiAfricanVillage”(58pp.)–OAKS FIELDTRIP:OyotunjiAfricanVillageWeek12–#BlackLivesMatterandDreamsofBlackLiberationTuesday,April3
Taylor,“BlackLivesMatter:AMovement,NotaMoment”(37pp.)–OAKSThursday,April5
Taylor,IntroductiontoHowWeGetFree(14pp.)–OAKS“TheCombaheeRiverCollectiveStatement”–OAKS
Week13–#BlackLivesMatterandDreamsofBlackLiberationTuesday,April10
“AVisionforBlackLives:PolicyDemandsforBlackPower,Freedom,Justice”–OAKSCullors,Khan,andAlhassen,“NoBan,NoWalls,NoPrison,NoCops”–OAKS
Thursday,April12:NOCLASSWeek14–FergusonandFreedomDreamsTuesday,April17
Sekou,“TheLiberationTheologyofFerguson”(VIDEO)–OAKSThursday,April19 Kelley,“‘WhenHistoryWakes’:ANewBeginning”(4pp.)–OAKSFinalProjectDue:Tuesday,May1(11:00AM)
