RELS-327

Religion and Violence

Spring 2011 Instructor: Nathan Rein
MW 1:30-2:45, Olin 217 Office hours: MW 3-4 (in my office), Th 10-12 (in Blend Café)
rels-327.pbwiki.com Olin 211, 610-973-7186, nrein at ursinus dot edu

Course description
In recent years, religiously-motivated violence has been a regular part of the
news. Where does this phenomenon come from, and how should we understand
it? Who are the violent extremists who appear daily in headlines around the
world, and what kind of religious beliefs could cause a person to behave so
destructively? Historically, religious ideas have been used to justify both war and
peace, both violence and reconciliation. This course will examine the relationship
between religion and violence in various historical contexts. This will be a
seminar-style, discussion-based course. Most of your work will consist of reading
and discussing -- in written and oral form -- widely varying treatments of
religious violence. In general, there will be no lecturing.

Religious violence is a slippery topic -- religion in general can always be said to be

a "moving target" for scholars, and religious violence tends to be even more
problematic than religion itself. Defining "religion" is notoriously difficult.
Defining "violence," for many, turns out to be just as tricky. Due to the nature of
the topic, then, this course will have an exploratory nature. We will be inquiring
together into the history, causes, and characteristics of religious violence, but
none of us should expect to leave the class in December with a definitive
explanation for it. There are, at this point in our collective human history, no
clear "right answers" that cannot be questioned. What we can do, however, and
what I hope we will accomplish in this course, is to learn to ask the right
questions.

What might some of those questions be? There are many possible starting points,
and you will undoubtedly bring your own questions and ideas with you. For this
course, we will initially organize our inquiry around the following questions:
• Should we understand violence as an intrinsic part of human nature?
• When does religion promote, and when does it discourage, violent
acts?
• And given that religious violence will inevitably strike most of us as
repugnant, what does it mean to "understand" something that we find
morally reprehensible or simply bizarre? Is it true that "tout
comprendre, c'est tout pardonner" (to understand is to forgive)? What
do we have to know about such acts in order to feel we have understood
them?

Course goals
In this course, you are asked to:
• Develop the skills of analyzing, critiquing, and drawing inferences from
acts of religious violence and statements about those acts (this should
 -2-

make you, among other things, a much more informed consumer of the
news media);
• Understand and analyze the arguments of a variety of scholars of
religion, drawing on a variety of sources and contexts, about religious
violence
• Sharpen your ability to make critical judgments and formulate your
own arguments about religious violence and related topics

Assignments and grading

Four written and two oral assignments will be required in this course, in addition
to focus papers and responding in writing to your peers' work:
Three papers (900-1200 words each) 2/7, 2/28, 3/23 10% each
One paper (1200-1500 words) 5/2 15%
First in-class presentation 10%
Second in-class presentation } dates to be determined 15%
Focus papers due weekly 10%
Classroom participation 20%

Informal writing
This course requires regular informal writing in the form of "focus papers" (10%
of final grade), keeping up regular blog entries, and peer responses to formal
papers (counted as part of your participation grade).
1. BLOGGING: The more blog entries, the better. This is a kind of writing that
increases in effectiveness the more frequently you practice it. At a minimum you
must write twenty blog entries over the course of the semester to receive full
credit. They can take almost any form you want, as long as they deal with the
class in some kind of substantive way, and they can be quite short. Aim for
frequency. I reserve the right to let you know if your blog entries are too short or
too unrelated to the class, but I am pretty open-minded about this. Treat your
blog like an open-ended journal about the class, and feel free to refer not just to
the assigned readings but to current events, the news, class discussions, and so
forth.
2. FOCUS PAPERS. The purpose of these assignments is to help you focus your
reading (that's why I call them focus papers). They are due via email each
Wednesday at eleven a.m. and will not be accepted late. Period. You must write
ten over the course of the semester. A focus paper has two components. First,
identify and give a precise summary of some element of the week's reading
assignment (it must be current -- in other words, not last week's reading). You
can choose a particular passage that struck you as interesting or problematic; you
can describe an overarching theme; you can give a capsule summary of the
author's argument; etc. Second, give your own perspective on what you have just
identified and summarized: a critical analysis of what you find interesting or
compelling. In writing your analysis, ask yourself questions that probe into the
underlying meanings and problems in the texts. Examples might include:
• What is the author's unstated agenda? Is he/she trustworthy?
• What is at stake in this text? Is there some underlying conflict?
 -3-

• What historical conditions or causes might explain the author's point of

view? Would I have written something like this given the same
circumstances? Why or why not?
Sometimes I will give you specific questions to think about as you write. Focus on
the assigned readings, not on other texts or ideas from outside the course
material. Length: approx. 300-600 words (one to two pages). Include the date
and a word count. Focus papers will not be graded. If you hand in ten papers over
the course of the semester that meet these requirements, you will receive an "A"
for the focus paper portion of the grade; if you hand in nine, a "B"; if eight, a "C",
etc.
2. PEER RESPONSES: All papers will be available to the entire class. Within a week
from the due date of each paper (except the last one), each of you will be
responsible for choosing two papers you find particularly interesting and writing
a short response (a few paragraphs) in the form of a letter to the paper's author.
These responses will also be available to the class.

Guidelines for in-class presentations

Everyone in the class will present twice during the semester. The presenter's
responsibilities are to (1) introduce the material for the day, (2) connect the day's
readings to material we have read previously, and (3) act as a discussion leader
and "resource person" for the rest of the session. This can take many forms, but
in general, you should plan to speak for fifteen to twenty minutes at the start of
class, giving a basic introduction to the day's assigned material. This can mean,
among other things:
• outlining the author's argument;
• identifying the author's underlying assumptions or unstated agenda;
• providing background information for understanding the reading;
• pointing out connections between different texts or different ideas, or
between the primary sources and the textbook reading;
• showing how the day's readings represent a continuation of or a
departure from themes and positions we've seen before;
• drawing the class's attention to significant, confusing, difficult, or
problematic areas for discussion.
You should be as comfortable with the day's readings as possible. If you wish, this
may involve some library research, but you will never be penalized for sticking
exclusively to the assigned text or texts. You don't have to have a perfect
understanding of the texts for the day; but if there's something you don't
understand, be honest about it. Come to class prepared to talk about what you
found interesting or confusing, give us the benefit of your ideas, and ask your
classmates what they thought.
You will also lead the day's discussion. Determine what you think are the most
central questions that the class needs to talk about. Bring a list of questions and
of the most important themes and quotations from the reading. (Since everyone
in the class is responsible for bringing ideas and questions to class, you won't be
completely on your own.) A handout may be very helpful. It is highly
recommended that you schedule a short meeting with me several days before
your presentation is scheduled so that we can go over your ideas.
 -4-

Your grade for this assignment will be based on your engagement with and
insight into the readings, as reflected by your introduction and the questions you
raise for discussion.

Assigned texts
Six texts have been ordered for purchase.
R. Scott Appleby. The Ambivalence of the Sacred.
Inge Clendinnen. Aztecs: An Interpretation.
Mark Juergensmeyer. Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of
Religious Violence (third edition, 2003).
Bruce Lincoln. Holy Terrors: Thinking about Religion after Sept. 11
(second edition, 2006).
Jonathan Riley-Smith. The First Crusade and the Idea of Crusading.

The fine print

CONTACTING ME: I do my best to be as available as possible, but I have two very
young children at home so I can't be on campus late. However, you can feel free
to email me (I'll get back to you within 48 hours), phone me (610-933-4686 at
home, call before 9:30 pm), or IM me (nathanrein on AIM). You can also usually
track me down via Facebook, if you're into that kind of thing.
WRITTEN WORK: All written work must be submitted in order to receive a passing
grade for the class. Late papers will be penalized by one grade-step (from B+ to B,
etc.) for each day they are late, unless you have arranged with me for an
extension well in advance of the due date. Informal writing will never be
accepted late. All written work must include both page numbers and a word
count in the upper right corner of the first page. Submitting work via email (as an
attached Word document) is fine; in fact, it's preferred. If you give me a hard
copy, make sure it's stapled, or it may end up in the trash (really. This is
important).
ATTENDANCE: Attendance at every class meeting is expected. Missing class shows
disrespect for your classmates and professor and for the collective enterprise of
the class. Missing two class meetings may result in the issuance of an academic
warning slip. Missing three or more meetings may result in a failing grade for the
course. In general, absenteeism will harm your participation grade.
ACADEMIC HONESTY: Plagiarism is a serious offence, and today it has become very
easy to detect. In written work, all quotations must be properly attributed and
appear in quotation marks. But at least as importantly, any time you are
drawing on someone else's work you MUST cite it! (Either parenthetical citations
or footnotes are appropriate.) This includes paraphrases, summaries, or any time
you make use of an idea that's not your own. Anything else is plagiarism and can
result in one or both of the following: (1) a failing grade for the course or (2)
College-level disciplinary action, including expulsion. At best, you will have an
extremely unpleasant meeting with the dean and get an "F" for the assignment,
and I guarantee it will ruin your day and mine. If you have questions about the
proper use of sources, please don't hesitate to contact me. You are probably better
off turning in nothing at all than turning in a plagiarized paper.
INCLEMENT WEATHER: In the event that class must be cancelled due to inclement
weather, I will let you know via email as early as possible the day of class.
 -5-

Schedule of readings and assignments

The following schedule is subject to change. Please complete all reading by the
date listed.

Mon 1/17 Introduction to the course

Religious violence in the modern world
Wed 1/19 Juergensmeyer, pp. 3-15
Mon 1/24 Juergensmeyer, pp. 19-83
Wed 1/26 Juergensmeyer, pp. 84-116
Mon 1/31 Juergensmeyer, 119-186
Wed 2/2 Juergensmeyer, 187-243
Mon 2/7 Appleby, pp. 1-56 First paper due
Wed 2/9 Appleby, pp. 57-80
Mon 2/14 Appleby, pp. 81-121
Wed 2/16 Appleby, pp. 121-165
Mon 2/21 Appleby, pp. 167-206
Wed 2/23 Appleby, pp. 207-229 and 281-309
Recommended: pp. 230-280
Symbols of war, war of symbols
Mon 2/28 Lincoln, pp. 1-33 Second paper due
Wed 3/2 Lincoln, pp. 33-50
Mon 3/7 Spring break -- no class
Wed 3/9 Spring break -- no class
"Deus lo volt": the Crusades
Mon 3/14 Riley-Smith, pp. 1-57
Wed 3/16 Riley-Smith, pp. 58-109
Mon 3/21 Riley-Smith, pp. 109-155
A study in human sacrifice: Aztec religion
Wed 3/23 Clendinnen, pp. 1-44 Third paper due
Mon 3/28 Clendinnen, pp. 45-83
Wed 3/30 Clendinnen, pp. 87-140
 -6-

Mon 4/4 Clendinnen, pp. 141-152, 174-209

Wed 4/6 Clendinnen, pp. 213-235
Mon 4/11 Clendinnen, pp. 236-273

Wed 4/13 COSA -- no class

Mon 4/18

Wed 4/20

Mon 4/25

Wed 4/27

Mon 5/2 Fourth paper due