[Syllabus version S2015/Final]
The Department of Religious Studies
RELI 662: Advanced Seminar in Contemporary Catholicism Dr. Evyatar Marienberg Spring 2015, Mondays, 4:40pm-7:30pm, Saunders 104 This advanced seminar is for undergraduate and graduate students who have at least a basic knowledge about Catholicism (or are willing to get that knowledge quickly, with guidance, at the beginning of the semester) and would like to know even more. The range of topics is open and will depend on students’ interests and suggestions. Textbook: Evyatar Marienberg, Catholicism Today: An Introduction to the Contemporary Catholic Church, Routledge, 2014. The book is available in print or as an e-book (Kindle, Adobe, Nook, iPad, etc), for purchase or rent. See more information on Sakai. Students who did not take RELI 162 previously, or who took it and graduated with a grade lower than A-, will have to pass an oral exam on the textbook during the first two weeks of the semester. Instructor’s contact information: Dr. Evyatar Marienberg (
[email protected]). Office hours: By appointment, in Saunders 112. All students must have at least one appointment with the professor before Feb 16, 2015.
Grading
Attendance and Involvement: 15%
Postings on Sakai: 20%
Oral Presentation: 25%
Field Work: 10%
Final Paper: 30%
Missing one class: no impact on grade; two classes: -3; three classes: 7; More (unless for serious justified reason): possible failure. The instructor will note participation/involvement of students. Every student must write a post on Sakai (“Forums” →“ Posting I/II/III etc”) about the readings for the week, and/or other tasks, no later than 24 hours before the class begins. Recommended length for posting: 15-30 sentences. The instructor will grade the posting according to the following system: 0=No posting or extremely poor; 1=Acceptable; 2=Good. Exceptional postings might get 3 points. The scores will be continuously added to the grades section on Sakai. Considering the fact that the maximum grade for this category is 20 points, it might be possible for some students to skip one or two postings and still get the maximum points. Presentations will take place during the first or second part of certain sessions. Topics will be decided by consultation with the instructor. Each student must meet the instructor to discuss her/his planed presentation at least 14 days before his/her presentation. Before the meeting the student should try to decide about 2-4 readings he/she will assign to the class. At least one of them must be from a physical, printed book. The student should also have at least a basic plan for the presentation. Each student must send the instructor the final list of assigned readings for his/her presentation, following the bibliographic format used in the syllabus, with all readings attached as PDFs, at least 10 days before presentation. Unless confirmed in advance by the instructor, any delay will result in a loss of one point for each day. A short essay (2-3 pages) about a field work (interviews, observations, etc) done by the student (upon consultation with the instructor). Must be submitted by April 12, 2015. 12–15 pages on a topic discussed with and confirmed by the instructor. The topic may relate but not be identical to a topic of a presentation done in class. If the paper is related to a topic discussed in class (by the student or someone else) it will need to be significantly more in depth. Papers must be submitted by email, with the file name “RELI662LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME-TOPIC”, by April 28, 2015 (extensions possible upon request). For those interested, the instructor will be available to discuss your work on May 5th, from 4:00pm until 7:00pm.
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Course Plan (Draft) In case of broken links in the syllabus or on Sakai, you can find the missing file in “Resources”=> “Backups of Readings” CT = Evyatar Marienberg, Catholicism Today: An Introduction to the Contemporary Catholic Church, Routledge, 2014 Readings & Assignments
Main Topic(s) 4:40-5:30
Introduction: content, instructor, participants, syllabus, presentations and topics, structure, postings, final, grading, April. Religious Studies: How to deal - UNC-CH Writing Center, “Writing Papers in Religious academically with religious texts and Studies” (http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/religiousbeliefs. studies/)
I: Jan 12
Survey of students’ interests.
5:35-6:30
6:40-7:30
Possible topics for presentations and papers (w/o online search, 3 each, write on desktop computer). Stephen Colbert and Jack White: “Catholic Throwdown” (online) Catholic Quiz Exploring the library: The BX section
4:40-5:00
- Check/Revise your topic(s) of interest by online searches and library visits. - Writing a good paper: format, style, structure, argument, sources, references, etc.
Reviewing your topics
II: Jan 26
5:00-6:30
“A Love Divided” (Film, 1999, 98 min., DVD)
6:35-7:30
- CT, pp. 128-131: "Matrimony"-"Marriage between a Catholic and a Non-Catholic" Marriages, Mixed Marriages, - CT, pp. 208-213: "Divorce and Remarriage" - Naomi Schaefer Riley, "Interfaith Unions: A Mixed Divorces Blessing", NYTimes, April 5, 2013 (Printout: “Mixed Marriages: A - "Marrying Outside Your Faith: An Interview with Selection of Primary Sources”) Naomi Schaefer Riley", America Magazine, May 20, 2013 [Podcast] - Anna Weaver, "Goy meets Girl: How Interfaith Couples
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Make it Work", U.S. Catholic 76:12, December 2011, pp. 12-17 - "Love Thy Neighbor: Interfaith marriage and the Catholic/non-Catholic next door", Nineteen Sixty-four, Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University, July 30, 2010 - "Divorce (Still) Less Likely Among Catholics", Nineteen Sixty-four, Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University, September 26, 2013 - Diantha Parker, "Stories of Catholic Marriage and Divorce", NYTimes, January 24, 2015 - Michael Paulson, "As Vatican Revisits Divorce, Many Catholics Long for Acceptance", NYTimes, January 24, 2015 4:40-5:45 6:00-7:15
III: Feb 2 7:15-7:30
"Pink Smoke Over the Vatican" - CT, pp. 185-186: "The Status of the Laity" (Film, 2011, 64 min., DVD) - CT, pp. 195-198: "Women and Feminism" - Gerald O’Collins, "An Argument for Women Priests", America Magazine, September 1, 1973 - John Paul II, Ordinatio Sacerdotalis (May 22, 1994) - Mark Chaves, Ordaining Women: Culture and Conflict Women in the Church in Religious Organizations, Harvard University Press, Cambridge 1997, pp. 84-129 (Printout: John Paul II, Mulieris - Kenneth D. Whitehead, "The Catholic Left’s Latest Call Dignitatem, 1988) for the Ordination of Women", Crisis Magazine, December 31, 2012 - Jamie Manson, "The women's ordination movement is about much more than women priests", National Catholic Reporter, May 22, 2014 - Kati Niemelä, "Female Clergy as Agents of Religious Change?", Religions 2 (2011), pp. 358-371 - Christine Schenk, "Why are we silencing women (and "Sister Pam Biehl Called to be a Parish Director" (6:36 min., lay) preachers?", National Catholic Reporter, August 28, 2014 YouTube) - Sarah-Jane Page, "Negotiating Sacred Roles: A Sociological Exploration of Priests Who are Mothers", Feminist Review 97 (2011), pp. 92-109
4:40-5:30 IV: Feb 9
- John Paul II, "The Limit Imposed Upon Evil", in: John Paul II, Memory and Identity: Personal Reflections, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London 2005, pp. 3-33 - John L. Allen Jr., "Obituary of Pope John Paul II: He was a magnificent pope who presided over a controversial pontificate", National Catholic Reporter,
Pope John Paul II
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2005 5:40-6:30
- Joseph Ratzinger, Dominus Iesus (August 6, 2000) - Anthony Grafton, "Reading Ratzinger: Benedict XVI, the theologian", The New Yorker, July 25, 2005, pp. 4249 - John L. Allen Jr., "The complex legacy of Benedict XVI", National Catholic Reporter, Feb 28, 2013 - USCCB, "Pope Francis Biography (Graphic)" - Francis, Evangelii Gaudium (November 24, 2013), paragraphs 52-75 (pp. 44-62) - "Full Transcript of Pope's Press Conference on Flight from Manila", America Magazine, January 19, 2015
Pope Benedict XVI
6:40-7:30 Pope Francis
4:40-5:40
5:50-6:20 V: Feb 16
6:30-7:30
4:45-6:00
VI: Feb 23
6:05-6:35
- CT, pp. 54-60: "Institutes of Consecrated Life"-"Some Contemporary Aspects…" "Trappist" (Film, 2008, 56 min., - M. Basil Pennington, "Cistercians", in: Lindsay Jones DVD) (ed.), Encyclopedia of Religion, 2nd ed., Macmillan Reference USA, Detroit 2005, Vol. 3, pp. 1800-1801 - M. Basil Pennington, "Merton, Thomas (1915-1968)", in: Michael Glazier and Thomas J. Shellby (eds.), The Discussion of film Encyclopedia of American Catholic History, The Liturgical Press, Collegeville 1997, pp. 912-916 Thomas Merton - Thomas Merton, The Seven Story Mountain, Harcourt 1998, pp. 401-443 Monastic Life Today - Scott Possiel, The Future of Monastic Enclosure: Challenges of Contemporary Society, Honors Thesis, (Session led by Scott Possiel via Department of Religious Studies, UNC Chapel Hill, 2012 skype) - Dana Gioia, "The Catholic Writer Today", First Things, December 2013 “Catholic Literature in the 20th and - Gregory Wolfe, "The Catholic Writer, Then and Now", 21st centuries” Image 79 (2014) - John Jurgensen, "Hollywood’s Favorite Cowboy: (Session led by Chase H.) Interview with Cormac McCarthy", Wall Street Journal, November 20, 2009 Read one of the following articles, all from the book Young Catholics at the New Millennium: The Religion and Morality of Young Adults in Western Countries, University College Dublin Press, Dublin 2000: Catholic Youth - Teresa Dowling, "Young Catholic Adults in (Group Discussion) Ireland" (pp. 50-69) - Irena Borowick, "Young Adult Catholics in Contemporary Poland" (pp. 70-89) - Luigi Tomasi, "Young Adult Experience in Italy"
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6:45-7:30
4:45-6:00
VII: Mar 2 6:10-7:25
4:45-6:00
VIII: Mar 16
6:10-7:25
(pp. 90-111) - Penny Long Marler, "Young Catholics and Contemporary American Society" (pp. 112-136) - John Fulton, "Young Adult Catholics in England" (pp. 137-159) Lucy D’Agostino, Engaging Catholic Youth Today: Catholic Youth Ministry High School Catholic Youth Ministry in the United (Session led by Lucy D’Agostino via States, Honors Thesis, Department of Religious Studies, skype) UNC Chapel Hill, 2011 - CT, pp. 229-232: "Eastern Catholics" - Georges T. Labaki, "The Maronite Church in the United States, 1854-2010", U.S. Catholic Historian 32:1 (2014), “Eastern Rite Catholicism: History & pp. 71-85 - Watch a video: RebornPure Catholic, "Intro to the Practice Today” Divine Liturgy of Eastern Catholics: Byzantine – St. John (Session led by Maggie Z.) Chrysostom" (34 min.) - Michael Paulson, "Group of Catholic and Orthodox Officials Endorses Marriage for Some Priests", NYTimes, June 6, 2014 - Ruth Graham, "What American Nuns Built", The Boston Globe, February 24, 2013 - Maria Cimperman, "The Challenges Facing Religious “Becoming a Nun” Life Today", U.S. Catholic, January 2015 (Session led by Basia W.) - Helen Maher Garvey, "'I Want to Be a Sister': A Life in Religious Community", Commonweal Magazine, November 20, 2014 - Brian Regan, Gothic Pride: The Story of Building a Great Cathedral in Newark, Rutgers University Press, “Cathedrals in Contemporary New Brunswick 2012, pp. 200-219 - Michael Patrick Shiels, "Religious Tourists Love Catholicism” Spiritually Powerful Locations", Lansing State Journal, (Session led by Rebecca F.) February 20, 2015 - Rick Hampson, "Our Lady of Revenue: NYC Churches on the Market", USA Today, March 1, 2015 - Leeda Crawford, "Obstructing the Church’s View of Women Religious", Catholic Insight, February 1, 2011 - Monica Clark, "Two Groups, Two Paths for US “The Vatican and Women Religious” Women Religious", National Catholic Reporter, May 26, 2012 (Session led by Samantha S.) - Pat Farell, "Navigating the Shifts", Presidential Address, LCWR Assembly, 2012 - "A Response to the Final Report of the Apostolic Visitation", Council of Major Superiors of Women
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Religious, December 16, 2014 4:45-6:00
- Timothy Kelly, "Vatican II", in: Peter N. Stearns, Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern World, 2008 - William A. Norgren, "Mermories of Vatican II", Joumal of Ecumenical Studies 48:2 (2013), pp. 203-210 - Gilles Routhier, "Vatican II, Relevance and Future", Theological Studies 74 (2013), pp. 537-554 - Donald W. Norwood, "Vatican II: The Most Catholic Council?", The Ecumenical Review 66:4 (2014), pp. 421432 - Pius X, "Tra le Sollecitudini" (1903) in - Vatican II, "The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy" (1963), Ch. 6 - Jeffrey Tucker, "Catholic Music: It’s Time to Stop Making Stuff Up", Crisis Magazine, September 24, 2012
“Ecumenism and Vatican II” (Session led by Josh H.) IX: Mar 23 6:10-7:25
“Music and Spirituality Contemporary Catholicism” (Session led by Turner D.)
4:40-5:10
Catholic Primary Education
&
X: Mar 24
- James Youniss, "Introduction", in: James Youniss and John J. Convey, Catholic Schools at the Crossroads: Survival and Transformation, Teachers College Press, New York 2000, pp. 1-11 - Jeffrey A. McLellan, "Rise, Fall, and Reasons Why: U.S. Catholic Elementary Education, 1940-1995", in: James Youniss and John J. Convey, Catholic Schools at the Crossroads: Survival and Transformation, Teachers College Press, New York 2000, pp. 17-31 - Joseph O’Keefe and Aubrey Scheopner, "No Margin, Secondary No Mission: Challenges for Catholic Urban Schools in the USA", in: Gerald Grace and Joseph O’Keefe (eds.), International Handbook of Catholic Education: Challenges for School Systems in the 21st Century, Springer, Dordrecht 2007, pp. 15-35 - Optional: Gerald M. Cattaro and Bruce S. Cooper, "Developments in Catholic Schools in the USA: Politics, Policy, and Prophesy", in: Gerald Grace and Joseph O’Keefe (eds.), International Handbook of Catholic Education: Challenges for School Systems in the 21st Century, Springer, Dordrecht 2007, pp. 61-83
5:10-6:40
- John Paul II, Ex Corde Ecclesiae (1990) - Robert Sullivan, "A Memorandum on the Higher Learning in Catholic America" in: Edith L. Blumhofer (ed.), Religion, Education, and the American Experience, University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa 2002, pp. 152176 - Optional: United States Conference of Catholic
Catholic Higher Education
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Bishops, The Application of Ex Corde Ecclesiae for the United States (2000) 6:50-730
Film?
4:40-5:30 Session on final papers 5:35-6:25
Afterlife in Contemporary Catholic/Christian Thought (Printout: “Catechism of the Catholic Church, par. 1020-1065: Life Everlasting”)
XI: Apr 13
6:30-7:30
“Hellbound?” (Film, 2012, 84 min., via Amazon Instant Video, we will see parts of it)
4:40-6:15 “Scenes from a Parish” (Film, 2009, 86 min., via Amazon Instant Video)
XII: Apr 14
6:25-7:30
Parishes and Mega Churches
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- Prepare (and send the instructor) one page (in PDF) of your plan for the paper, including topic. - Prepare a five minutes presentation of what you did or plan to do, and why. - Dante Alighieri’s “Inferno”: Full text (Trans. By Courtney Langdon, Harvard University Press, 1918) ; Summary (SparkNotes, "Inferno: Plot Overview") - Optional: John Paul II, "Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory" (1999) - Avery Dulles, "The Population of Hell", First Things, May 2003 - Ed Simon, "Jesus Went to Hell, But Nobody Wants to Talk About It", Religion Dispatches, April 2, 2015 - "Americans Describe Their Views About Life After Death", Barna Group, October 21, 2003 - Stephanie Samuel, "Author: Most Evangelicals Believe Good People are Heaven-Bound", The Christian Post, December 17, 2010 - Diana Walsh Pasulka, "Introduction", in: Diana Walsh Pasulka, Heaven Can Wait: Purgatory in Catholic Devotional and Popular Culture, Oxford University Press, 2014, pp. 3-29 - Diana Walsh Pasulka, "The Ghosts of Vatican II", in: Diana Walsh Pasulka, Heaven Can Wait: Purgatory in Catholic Devotional and Popular Culture, Oxford University Press, 2014, pp. 144-171 - Colleen McDannell and Bernhard Lang, "Heaven in Contemporary Christianity", in: Colleen McDannell and Bernhard Lang, Heaven: A History, Yale University Press, New Haven 2001, pp. 307-358 (or at least, 322345) - Ruth Graham, "Even Christian Bookstores Have Had It With Fake Testimonials About Heaven", Slate, March 30, 2015 - Jay P. Dolan and David C. Leege, "A Profile of American Catholic Parishes and Parishioner: 1820s to the 1980s", Notre Dame Study of Catholic Parish Life, Report No. 2, 1985, pp. 1-10 - Michael P. Hornsby-Smith, "The Parish in Comparative Perspective", in: Michael P. Hornsby-Smith, The Changing Parish: A Study of Parishes, Priests, and Parishioners After Vatican II, Routledge, London 1989, pp. 45-65 - Scott Thumma and Dave Travis, "The Scale and Scope of Megachurches in America", in: Scott Thumma and
Dave Travis, Beyond Megachurch Myths: What We Can Learn from America’s Largest Churches, John Wiley & Sons, San Francisco 2007, pp. 1-20 - Scott Thumma and Dave Travis, "Megachurches Grow Because of the Show", in: Scott Thumma and Dave Travis, Beyond Megachurch Myths: What We Can Learn from America’s Largest Churches, John Wiley & Sons, San Francisco 2007, pp. 147-167 4:40-5:00
5:00-5:05
XIII: Apr 20 5:05-5:20
5:30-7:15 7:15-7:30
- Bring with you (links to) texts/video-clips you know in where religion/Christianity/Catholicism is/are apparent in popular music. - James Berryman, "James Edward. The Confessor", in: James Berryman, Sting and I: The Hilarious Story of Life The Sacrament of as Sting’s Best Mate, John Blake, London 2005, pp. 29Reconciliation/Confession Today 36 - James O’Toole, "Hear no evil", Boston College Magazine, Fall 2000 - Evyatar Marienberg, "In the name of the Father, in the name of the Son, and whatever the weave of this life that Religion Around Sting you’ve spun: Religion Around Sting" (unpublished article, 2015) “Heaven Help Us” (Film, 1985, 104 N/A min., DVD) N/A Party!!! Religion/Christianity/Catholicism Popular Music
Deadline for submitting final papers. Extension possible upon request.
Apr 28
Name
Proposed Topic for Final Paper
Basia W.
Death and Dying in Contemporary Catholicism
Turner D.
Gregorian Music in Contemporary Catholicism
Josh H.
Progressive Catholicism
Chases H.
Apologetics in Catholic and Protestant Theology
Rebecca F.
Contemporary Irish Catholicism
Maggie Z.
Catholicism and Counter-Culture
Samantha S.
Liberation Theology 9
Additional Information
There is an attendance requirement for this course: all students are responsible for making sure their presence is registered. A student who misses more than three classes might fail. In exceptional cases, if the absence was well-justified, the student may be asked to write an additional essay about the topics dealt with during his/her absence.
Students are expected to arrive promptly and to remain for the entirety of the scheduled class. If this is not the case, the professor retains the right to refuse entrance to students who arrive late and consider those who leave early as absent from the entire class.
Participation in class is expected. If you have a particular problem with voluntary participation (social anxiety, etc.), or an especially difficult time dealing with being suddenly called upon, please advise the professor during the first two weeks. Your request will be fully honored, and, if appropriate, another method of personal evaluation, agreed upon by both you and the professor, might be put into place.
Students must prepare the assigned readings (and/or other tasks) for each class. If the professor deduces that such is not the case, a system of pop quizzes may be introduced, with the grade system adjusted accordingly.
Other than the textbook, all readings, and many of the sources we will use in class, will be available through Sakai. Please note that some browsers (Chrome, for example) do not work perfectly with Sakai. If you have problems downloading documents, try using another browser.
The use of cell phones, laptops, iPads, MP3 players, eReaders, and similar gadgets is not permitted during class unless specifically authorized.
All students are expected to abide by the university’s Honor Code (http://honor.unc.edu). Any suspicion of intellectual dishonesty (e.g., plagiarism of any kind) will be thoroughly investigated and, if found to be justified, will have severe consequences.
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