Spring 2025. For links to the readings (homework assignment before class), see the major syllabus.
Jan. 16: Introduction: What is the relevance of religion as a cultural-historical topic. This course aims for a cultural-historical approach and is not meant to instruct or convert you to any faith. This is an academic university course. So, we’ll study for today: what is religion. Then, we explore the field for ourselves within a German Studies context: 1. What role does religion play in culture? 2. Literature and religion. 3. What is the difference between spirituality and religion? 4. Religion and history? 5. Religion and art/music.
Jan. 21: Picking up on the material not yet covered on the 16th. Then: Critical approaches to Religious Studies: Read the texts in the links above in the syllabus (1. Swarthmore, 2. Chapel Hill, 3. Harvard, 4. Why Study Religion – my letter to the editor). And read the first section of the Wikipedia article on religion in antiquity and the early Middle Ages: To simplify, let’s focus on the table of contents and discuss then what the major steps have been and where we will need to investigate it further.
Jan. 23: History of religion and German culture, from the high Middle Ages to the 20th c., Wikipedia. Same link as on Tue in the general syllabus. There are 9 sections (from late antiquity to the 20th c. Let’s divide them up into groups. I’ll assign those to each two of you. Thanks.
Jan. 28: We outline the historical overview, going quickly from antiquity to the 20th century (use the same Wikipedia link as listed for Jan. 23). Let’s build a scaffold via google.docs. Here is our worksheet for today Please study the article on Wikipedia at home, and then provide brief statements for each historical term. Be ready to read out those on Thu. Please also read (my trans.) Rieger.hermeneutics I will be out of town today coming back from a conference. I will replace myself with a list of questions on Top Hat, assigned for the time of our class. I have assigned 11 questions for you that will open up at 12:30 p.m. and close at 2 p.m. Thank you.
Jan. 30: Please also read (my trans.) Rieger.hermeneutics. For today, homework is also to watch the trailer, read about the movie, and think about the underlying issue. What is anti-Semitism, and why does it exist until today? We watch this short video and discuss it in class. Time permitting: Let’s watch a short film: Maseltov Cocktail. trailer 2; Now, here is the full version, in German, with English subtitles, posted on D2L. Please watch the movie at home and be ready to discuss it in class.Discussion of the movie. Another trailer with English subtitles
Feb. 4: A few questions on Tophat about anti-Semitism. Then Rieger.hermeneutics. Then we discuss Maseltov Cocktail. Then we turn to: Max Mueller Max Müller, Introduction to the Science of Religion, 1870. I have also scanned the text and uploaded the first chapter to our D2L page.
Feb. 6: Karl Barth: let’s study his biography first, then we’ll look at a sample of his major statements (very brief quotes)
Feb. 6: Barth: his essay, see the link in the syllabus. Then: Friedrich Nietzsche: The Madman (see also link above in the syllabus)
Feb. 13: cont. with Nietzsche
Feb. 18: 1st exam, on top hat; then we discuss Karl Marx on religion
Feb. 20: We study the paintings by Caspar David Friedrich today: Biography, Romanticism, and his artworks. See images online.
Febr. 27: Lessing: Enlightenment. Biography. Lessing’s biography. Nathan the Wise, Act 1
Feb, 27: 1st paper, due at 8 p.m.
March 4: Cont. with Act
March 6: Lessing Act 2
Spring break: March 8-15
March 18: Lessing Act 3
March 20: Lessing Act 4
March 25: Lessing Act 5.
March 27: Lessing Act 5 Then we turn to Baroque poetry. Let’s use this article, For the historical background, the religious conflicts, and then the 30 Years’ War, watch this excellent lecture by Peter Wilson and take some notes. I will ask you about the information provided there. but focus only on the images included. Then, please read this introductory article first. Angelus Silesius: Baroque, Pietism. We read the first epigrams up to 1.47: use these translations, A quick video
April 1: Baroque poetry, Silesius cont. 1.97-5,242. We continue with Silesius.
April 3: 2nd exam, on Tophat
April 08: Andreas Gryphius, esp. pp. 145, 147, 149 (both in German and in English).
April 10: Protestant Reformation. Basic Facts. Then: Martin Luther: Protestant Reformation: theses 1-15
April 15: Review of the Introduction to the Reformation. Then we consider Luther’s translation of the Bible. We continue with the theses by Luther: 16-30
April 17: Renaissance: Boccaccio: I/2 and 3
April 22: Boccaccio: X/9. Then: We read this short but most insightful recent article on Nicholas of Cusa and Saint Francis of Assisi as to ‘interreligious dialogue’. We will not get to this, but in case you have time: Please also study this Introduction. This is a good, brief summary. ght not quite get very far, but let’s work on the Intro. at least for 20 min.
April 24: Today, a radical change of pace. We’ll meet at the Museum of Art, Olive Street, across from the Architecture School, and study some medieval Gothic paintings to understand the religious framework in aesthetic terms. We begin with the Retablo Room. You need to keep your backpacks in lockers.
April 28: 2nd paper is due at 8 p.m.
April 29: 3rd exam (on tophat). Mysticism: Hildegard of Bingen: her hymns. Please read just the beginning of this excellent study, on mysticism. Then turn to her own text, link above in the syllabus. The Stanford article might be too esoteric, so let’s focus instead on this online article, which is rather broadly conceived, global, but easier to understand. Please read first this entry on Wikipedia, esp. the chapter on Hildegard.
May 6: We finally switch to Abelard Video. Our text is an abbreviation, it begins on p. 19 and goes to 51.; please have read the entirety of the dialogue between the Jew and the Philosopher. The point here is to understand that the discourse on religion began already in the high Middle Ages, if not even before that. Final discussion.
Semester ends on May 7 (no class)
Extra credit: attend the conference on May 2-3 for some of the papers, and write an essay about one or more papers, ca. 200 words. Due: May 6: 8 p.m. Up to 50 points (4%).
Perhaps also: Rilke, Sonnets to Orpheus
For the background, please read the questions/assignments as posted on D2L.
Thanks.
Possible Changes: The information contained in the course syllabus, other than the grade and absence policies, may be subject to change with reasonable advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.
Final Grade Review: If there might be a problem with your grade, you can ask me for a review until May 12, 2021. Beyond that, there will not be any opportunity to revisit your grade.