Albrecht Classen, “Cloak of religion” (letter to the editor, Hawaii Tribune-Herald, Dec. 23, 2020)
THIS COURSE WILL BE OFFERED AS AN IN-PERSON COURSE IN Spring of 2025
Below, you find the course syllabus both for a regular semester and for the online version during a reduced summer or winter semester.
But here is the concrete Schedule. I will apply changes to the schedule only if appropriate.
As we enter the Spring semester, the health and well-being of everyone in this class is the highest priority. Accordingly, we are all required to follow the university guidelines on COVID-19 mitigation. Please visit covid19.arizona.edu for the latest guidance
All UA policies pertaining to classes in one location. For my own specifics, see below.
This course can count toward the Cultural Minor in German Studies or toward the THEMATIC MINOR IN MEDIEVAL STUDIES. It is also a TIER 2 course, open to students across campus, for history, English, creative writing, anthropology, etc. It is, primarily, a cross-listed course counting toward German Studies and Religious Studies.
It addresses the history of religion as discussed by German theologians, mystics, philosophers, writers, and others from the Middle Ages to the 20th Century.This will essentially also entail the history of toleration and tolerance, or the very absence.
INSTRUCTOR: Prof. Albrecht Classen, Dept. of German Studies, 301 Learning Services Building, Office 318; tel. 621-1395; aclassen@arizona.edu; sites.arizona.edu/aclassen/
Class meetings: TTh 10 a.m.-11:00 a.m., Edu 308, in person
OFFICE HOURS: Mo and We 9 a.m.-10 a.m., and any other time after appointment (but always feel free simply to email me, to connect with me via zoom, or through email at: aclassen@email.arizona.edu
For any advicing, or office hour meeting, please contact me first (phone: 520 621-1395) or email me, then go to the zoom link:
https://arizona.zoom.us/j/97291834166
COURSE OBJECTIVES: Introduce students to the long-term discourse on religious issues in the history of German culture and literature. We will examine medieval mysticism by Hildegard of Bingen,the theological discourse by Peter Abelard, Pre-Reformation arguments, Luther’s position against the Catholic Church, Baroque mysticism (Silesius), and then also the issue of tolerance in the age of Enlightenment (Lessing). This course will then be rounded off with some discussions of the meaning of God and the soul in nineteenth- and twentieth-centuries philosophies (Karl Marx, Arthur Schopenhauer, and Friedrich Nietzsche) and religious treaties, such as by Karl Barth.
COURSE OUTCOME: Students will have gained a solid understanding of a major strand of the intellectual and spiritual discourse from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century primarily in German lands, but also across Europe. The Protestant Reformation was probably the most important contribution to world culture by German intellectuals, but this course will help students understand the early developments and then the continuation of the Reformation in the subsequent centuries. Students will also have a good sense of the discourse on toleration and tolerance throughout the ages.
COURSE MATERIAL: online text excerpts and digital versions will be made available. No materials will have to be purchased.
Accessibility and Accommodations
Accessibility and Accommodations: At the University of Arizona, we strive to make learning experiences as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience barriers based on disability or pregnancy, please contact the Disability Resource Center (520-621-3268, https://drc.arizona.edu) to establish reasonable accommodations.
- The DRC is designated by the institution to ensure access for disabled students and employees. We use a centralized approach to respond to requests for accommodations. Should a student request disability-related accommodations, please do not say “yes” or “no”, but instead refer them to the DRC. Also, should a student present you with disability-related documentation, please do not keep it and, again, refer the student to the DRC.
- We have a team of Access Consultants who liaise with each academic college. Students work with the Access Consultant who corresponds to the college of their major. Once students affiliate with the DRC through a simple online process, their Access Consultant will engage them to explore accommodations.
ATTENDANCE:
Although it is assumed that you will attend all class sessions, you are informed hereby that excessive absences will have consequences. For details see below in the grading section. If justified circumstances prevent you from attending, please inform me in writing either before or after the event and provide satisfactory documentation (e.g., a doctor’s note).
(For online: different criteria) Participating in the course and attending lectures and other course events are vital to the learning process. As such, attendance is required at all lectures and discussion section meetings. Absences may affect a student’s final course grade. If you anticipate being absent, are unexpectedly absent, or are unable to participate in class online activities, please contact me as soon as possible. To request a disability-related accommodation to this attendance policy, please contact the Disability Resource Center at (520) 621-3268 or drc-info@email.arizona.edu. If you are experiencing unexpected barriers to your success in your courses, the Dean of Students Office is a central support resource for all students and may be helpful. The Dean of Students Office is located in the Robert L. Nugent Building, room 100, or call 520-621-7057.
DISCUSSIONS, ACADEMIC BEHAVIOR, AND EXPECTATIONS:
Please treat each other with respect and tolerance. People do have different views and opinions, but all these can only contribute to the rich learning experience I hope you all will have in this class. You are strongly encouraged to participate in class as much as possible. The two class meetings per week will only be of profit for you if you respond to my questions and those of your classmates.
For information on the University of Arizona Policy on Threatening Behavior by Students, click on this link: http://policy.arizona.edu/education-and-student-affairs/threatening-behavior-students
HONORS CONTRACTS: “Students who enter The Honors College as freshmen may fulfill up to 12 units (maximum 6 lower-division) through contracts. Students who enter the Honors College as sophomores may fulfill up to 9 units (maximum 3 lower-division) through contracts. Students who enter The Honors College as juniors may fulfill six Honors credits through contracts.” See also: “The work assigned as a result of the Contract should not determine the student’s final grade. That is, the fact that the student is working for Honors credit does not guarantee a high grade. Final grades should reflect the quality and content of all of the student’s work in the course.” (http://www.honors.arizona.edu/future-students/honors-credit-across-campus). The honors experience should involve not quantity but quality of further research, allowing a student in the Honors College taking this class to gain a deeper and broader understanding of the class material. This might entail the study of some relevant research papers, which should result in an extra paper or oral presentation, or the study of additional material expanding the horizon as aimed for in this course.
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SPECIAL NEEDS: Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations to participate fully in course activities or meet course requirements must register with the Disability Resource Center. http://drc.arizona.edu/instructors/syllabus-statement. Students need to submit appropriate documentation to the instructor if they are requesting reasonable accommodations.
WARNING:
If you use secondary material for your papers, make sure that you indicate clearly where you took it from. Plagiarism and cheating violate the Code of Academic Integrity. For further information, see:
http://www.library.arizona.edu/help/tutorials/plagiarism/index.html
and:
(http://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/policies-and-codes/code-academic-integrity
Do not ever copy from the work produced by published authors, by your classmates, by other students who might have taken this course in previous semesters, or by yourself in a previous or parallel class. If you receive help in writing your papers, make sure that the final outcome still represents your own work. You can discuss your papers with your fellow students, but in the end, they need to consist of your own ideas and words! Be advised that the Web is a great search tool, but never, never copy from there without identifying very clearly what you used (and then only sparingly). At this point, the scholarly value of web-based material still is not totally reliable, and the chances that you might stumble upon a most dubious webpage with untrustworthy information are very high. When you quote from a secondary source, clearly identify the quote and tell the reader in a footnote where you quoted it from. Every year more than 800 students at the UA are caught having committed the crime of plagiarism, resulting in penalties that could be as severe as expulsion from the University! You are smart enough not to copy from other people.
If there is any doubt in your mind whether you might commit plagiarism, see:
http://www.turnitin.com/research_site/e_faqs.html
Plagiarism and the Web
If you commit plagiarism, you could either receive an 0 on your specific assignment or an F for the entire course. Depending on the gravity of the case, you might even be expelled from the University. Every plagiarism case must be reported to the head of my dept., to the head of your dept., and to the Dean of Students.
Help with writing: The Writing Skills Improvement Program offers a number of valuable workshops at 1201 E. Helen Street. Please consult with them if you have a need to improve your writing skills (no walk-ins). For perhaps more immediate help, see the Writing Center: http://thinktank.arizona.edu/tutoring/writing (walk-ins allowed). Tel.: 621-5849
Writing Center: The Writing Center is a free resource for UA undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty and staff. At the Writing Center, a trained peer consultant will work individually with you on anything you’re writing (in or out of class), at any point in the writing process from brainstorming to editing. Appointments are recommended, but not required. For more information or to make an appointment, visit their website at http://wsip.arizona.edu/, stop by at 1201 E Helen St., main level, or call (520) 626-0530.?
GRADING: (100 percent total): (for online, see below)
1. Attendance and participation: you will receive points every day of our class meetings via Top Hat: attendance: 7%, correctness of your answers: 8%. Total: 15%
2. 2 papers: 20 + 20% = 40%
3. 3 online exams in Tophhat: 10% + 15% + 20%= 45% (the third exam will be more comprehensive)
Papers: Submit your papers in electronic form to the Assignment box in D2L. Keep in mind that each paper will be automatically examined as to the degree of similarities with other papers (turnitin software!). When there is suspicion of plagiarism, I will call you in for a conference, and the consequences of plagiarism might be very harsh. Do not write your paper together with a classmate, though you can, of course, discuss the topics with him/her. If you copy from another paper/chapter/article in print or online, without acknowledging the author and without indicating the extent to which you have copied by means of quotation marks and references, you commit plagiarism.
Thesis: Concisely developed, clear concept, well-formulated (avoid paraphrase!). Always provide a title that captures your thesis. 20 pts
Argument: Good use of original text to illustrate the thesis; complex argument based on a solid knowledge of the text; convincing organization. 50 pts.
Conclusion: Convincing connection with the thesis, good summary of the argument, final comment on the outside source (negatively or positively), concise formulation; 20 pts.
Format: Write down your first last name, SI, class, instructor, term, year on the top of your paper. Next follows the title. Next the thesis in bold.
At the end of your paper write a statement and sign it that this is your own piece of work and that you did not receive outside help.
Stylistics or Mechanics: 10 pts: Correct use of grammar and diction, sophisticated use of vocabulary, complex sentence structure.
LENGTH: Each paper should consist of ca. 600 words max.
Submit to D2L Assignments
Bibliography: For each paper, add a list of 6 relevant titles of secondary literature, nothing from prior to 1980. Familiarize yourself with the various research sources in our library (MLA, JSTOr, etc.). Your outside sources ought to focus on the specific topic that you are addressing, but I do not expect that you have engaged with them explicitly.
How to cite your secondary source/s :
Trumpener, Katie. “Memories Carved in Granite: Great War Memorials and Everyday Life.” PMLA 115 (2000): 1096-103. – this is a journal article
Hanks, Patrick. “Do Word Meanings Exist?” Computers and the Humanities 34 (2000): 205-15. – this is a journal article
Kurlansky, Mark. Salt. A World (New York: Scribner’s, 2001). – this is a monograph!
Niiranen, Susanna. “At the Crossroads of Religion, Magic, Science and Written Culture.” Mental Health, Spirituality, and Religion in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Age, ed. Albrecht Classen. Fundamentals of Medieval and Early Modern Culture, 15. Berlin and Boston: Walter de Gruyter, 2014. 290-313. – this is an article in an edited volume
“Selected Seventeenth-Century Events,” Romantic Chronology. Ed. Laura Mandell and Alan Liu. 1999. U of California, Santa Barbara. 12 November 2003 <http://english.ucsb.edu:591/rchrono/>. (last accessed on Month, date, year) – this is an online source
You must use this format! Otherwise loss of points.
All reading materials will be online, free of charge, but we need the Tophat Learning Management System, which needs to be paid for (I do not gain any profit from it):
Top Hat: We will be using the Top Hat (www.tophat.com) classroom response system in class. You will be able to submit answers to in-class questions using Apple or Android smartphones and tablets, laptops, or through text message.
You can visit the Student Quick Start Guide which outlines how you will register for a Top Hat account, as well as providing a brief overview to get you up and running on the system. For all questions, use this link to contact Top Hat directly: https://support.tophat.com/s/article/ka25A0000007GSpQAM/Student-Top-Hat-Overview-and-Getting-Started-Guide
Or: https://support.tophat.com/s/article/Student-Creating-Your-Account
Or: https://success.tophat.com/s/article/Account-Course-Access
Join code for Spring 2025: 476359 (to be changed)
All our discussions in writing, quizzes, and exams will be done on Tophat. I can assure you, based on ca.6 years of experience with it, that this LMS is one of the best of its kind on the market.
Reading list:
For introduction:
read the survey online Wikipedia (history of religion in Germany).
Then, take a look at some of the public statements published by representatives of Religious departments across the country:
Swarthmore: Why study religion?
Chapel Hill, NC: https://religion.unc.edu/about/why-study-religion/
William A. Graham (Harvard): https://bulletin.hds.harvard.edu/articles/summerautumn2012/why-study-religion-twenty-first-century
Albrecht Classen, “Cloak of religion” (letter to the editor, Hawaii Tribune-Herald, Dec. 23, 2020)
Middle Ages:
Abelard: Dialogue: Dialogue – better and more complete translation
Hildegard of Bingen, background, illustrations
Hildegard: Divine Works
Rudolf von Ems, Der guote Gerhart: Rudolf von Ems, Der guote Gerhart (an expression of tolerance in the Middle Ages)
Renaissance:
Boccaccio: Decameron, 1st day, stories 2-3, 10th day, story 9 (Jews, Christians, and Muslims)
Reformation:
Martin Luther: 95 Theses, and many others (Protestant Reformation)
Baroque:
Angelus Silesius (A Baroque Mystic)
Enlightenment:
Lessing: Lessing: Nathan the Wise (Enlightenment)
19th century:
Friedrich Nietzsche, God is Dead (Anti-Enlightenment). Quotes. For an introduction, see the Stanford Encycl.
Nietzsche, The Anti-Christ, quotes
More Quotes – Very provocative, but stimulating
Karl Marx, Tyler and Frazer, Sigmund Freud, Emil Durkheimer, et al.
Marx quotes The critical statements by Marx on Religion
Arthur Schopenhauer: Essay. Schopenhauer quotes
20th century:
Karl Barth, The Humanity of God (Twentieth Century) For our purposes, let’s only look at these quotes
Essay on Karl Barth’s theology by Carlton Wynne
Declaration of Religious Freedom, Vatican II: Dignitatis
Online:
You will always receive points for attendance in the chatroom meetings (active participation is expected). If you have legitimate reasons to miss a meeting, let me know. You can then read the archived session and submit a written response to substitute your absence. Always read the assigned texts before our chatroom meetings.
read the survey online Wikipedia (history of religion in Germany).
Spring 2023: For the actual schedule, please click on the link above.
Thanks.
Student Learning Outcomes; By the end of the semester, students will be able to engage critically with the discourse on religion in the history of Germany from the Middle Ages to the present, they will be familiar with a solid selection of critical texts from many time periods, and will have acquired the skill to write about the crucial issues in solidly researched papers. They will understand how religion evolved from late antiquity to the 20th century, especially within the cultural-historical framework of Germany.
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, 2023. Beyond that, there will not be any opportunity to revisit your grade.