{"id":154,"date":"2018-01-08T20:10:48","date_gmt":"2018-01-08T20:10:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/faculty.lmu.edu\/amirhussain\/?page_id=154"},"modified":"2018-01-17T04:09:39","modified_gmt":"2018-01-17T04:09:39","slug":"thst-4998-religion-in-the-modern-world","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/faculty.lmu.edu\/amirhussain\/thst-4998-religion-in-the-modern-world\/","title":{"rendered":"THST 4998: Religion in the Modern World"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n\u201c. . . mingling with the remnants of the plane, equally fragmented, equally absurd, there floated the debris of the soul, broken memories, sloughed-off selves, severed mother-tongues, violated privacies, untranslatable jokes, extinguished futures, lost loves, the forgotten meaning of hollow, booming words, land<\/em>, belonging<\/em>, home<\/em>.\u201d
\n\u2014Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

THST 4998: Religion in the Modern World<\/strong><\/p>\n

Section 01, CRN 78610: Mondays 4:20 to 7:20 pm
\nClassroom: University Hall 1403<\/p>\n

Professor: Amir Hussain, PhD<\/strong>
\nOffice: University Hall, Room 3722
\nPhone: (310) 338-5987 (or Department of Theological Studies at 338-7670)
\nEmail: amir.hussain@lmu.edu<\/a>
\nWeb Page: http:\/\/faculty.lmu.edu\/amirhussain\/<\/a>
\nOffice Hours: Mondays, 2:00 to 4:00 pm, and by appointment<\/p>\n

Course Description:<\/strong><\/p>\n

This course will examine issues in contemporary religious traditions. We will focus on Christianity and Islam, the two largest religious traditions in the world. However, examples from other traditions will be discussed, and students can include them in their research projects. We will start with some methodological issues: What is \u201cReligion\u201d? What is \u201cthe Modern World\u201d? How can these phenomena be studied? In this section, we will discuss the use of scholarly sources, but also the important roles of essays and other literary genres that will be utilized in the course. The next part of the course will examine the relationships between the past and the present of religious traditions. We will look at a book that examines the historical formation of orthodoxy in Islam. That book will be paired with a recent novel that raises contemporary issues about Muslim belief and practice. The third part of the course will look at issues of race in contemporary Christianity, paired with a classic text about these issues from an African American perspective. The final part of the course will engage the issues that students are researching, which may be on areas such as gender, violence, or sexuality. The last week of the course will be devoted to student seminar presentations about their research.<\/p>\n

Student Learning Outcomes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the end of this course students will 1) demonstrate that they will think both empathetically and critically about religion in the modern world; 2) demonstrate knowledge of issues in contemporary Christianity and Islam; 3) demonstrate that they have the ability to interpret texts and other cultural phenomena (such as rituals, music, architecture) that have religious presuppositions or implications; 4) demonstrate that they will think both empathetically and critically about conflicting religious claims; and 5) through class participation and written assignments have improved their verbal and written skills.<\/p>\n

Statement on the University Mission in Relation to Theological Studies: <\/strong><\/p>\n

Courses in the Department of Theological Studies serve the University Mission to encourage learning, educate the whole person, serve faith and promote justice. Theological Studies courses encourage learning within the intellectual and cultural heritage of the Catholic tradition. They value imagination and intellect, seeking an integration of different kinds of knowledge, and promote ecumenical and interreligious discourse. They seek to educate the whole person and serve faith by an academic exploration of the possibilities, challenges, and ambiguities of faith, in dialogue with the contemporary world. By their structure and content, they strive to promote justice by encouraging students to engage their theological understanding in a broken world.<\/p>\n

Theological Studies courses require students to think, speak, write, and reflect critically about the largest questions of human existence. To do this, students are required also to \u201cacquire the arts of precise and elegant expression, a sound and critical grasp of ideas, a familiarity with the modern world\u2019s ways of knowing itself, a personal understanding of this nation\u2019s history and multicultural heritage, and an appreciation of other cultures and societies around the globe.\u201d (University Bulletin)<\/p>\n

Theological Studies courses invite students to become more reflective and responsible persons in their own intellectual, ethical, and spiritual development.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t know me from the wind
\nYou never will, you never did
\nI\u2019m the little Jew
\nwho wrote the Bible
\nI\u2019ve seen the nations rise and fall
\nI\u2019ve heard their stories, heard them all
\nBut love\u2019s the only engine of survival
\n\u2014Leonard Cohen, \u201cThe Future\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

4-CREDIT HOUR POLICY<\/strong><\/p>\n

At LMU, one credit hour is defined as a minimum of 3 hours of work by an average student per week for a 15-week semester. That means that a 4-unit class must average a minimum of 12 hours of work a week and a minimum total of 180 hours of work for the semester (inclusive of class contact time). Typically this will mean one hour of classroom instruction and two hours of out of class student work each week for each unit of a course. This course meets for three hours per week and expects a minimum of 12 hours per week on class-related assignments.<\/p>\n

Required Texts:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Shahab Ahmed, Before Orthodoxy: The Satanic Verses in Early Islam<\/em> (Cambridge: Harvard
\nUniversity Press, 2017).<\/p>\n

James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time<\/em> (New York: Vintage International, 1993).<\/p>\n

Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses<\/em> (New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2008).<\/p>\n

Jim Wallis, America\u2019s Original Sin<\/em> (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2016).<\/p>\n

Supplementary readings supplied by the professor<\/p>\n

Oh I am a lonely painter
\nI live in a box of paints
\nI\u2019m frightened by the devil
\nAnd I\u2019m drawn to those ones that ain\u2019t afraid
\n\u2014Joni Mitchell, \u201cA Case of You\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Evaluation:<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is important for each student to know at the outset that this course requires daily reading, two book reviews, a research project and presentations, and participation. Moreover, regular class attendance and participation are required. Clear, grammatically correct composition and standard spelling are expected on all written assignments.<\/strong>
\n<\/em>
\nInformation on the written assignments and the research paper (which will be on a topic of the student\u2019s choice, in consultation with the professor) will be provided separately during the course. Active class participation will positively affect the student\u2019s final grade. More than one unexcused absence during the semester will negatively affect the student\u2019s grade. The University\u2019s grading policy, including the plus\/minus system, will be used. The University\u2019s policy on Academic Honesty (discussed below) will be followed in this course. Grades will be determined as follows:<\/p>\n

15% A review of not more than 5 pages on the Ahmed book due on Feb. 19.<\/p>\n

15% A review of not more than 5 pages on the Wallis book due on March 26.<\/p>\n

40% A research paper of not more than 15 pages.<\/p>\n