Course Description
This course is a multi-disciplinary, social science look at women’s religious lives. We will be investigating how women experience religion and practice religious rituals by listening to women’s writings about their lives, not what others say about them. Throughout the semester we will be looking at how a women’s culture shapes how religion is understood, practiced and experienced. Topics for the semester will include issues such as identity, religious language, rituals performed by women, sacred texts, and women’s religious leadership, just to name a few. “Once women are allowed to speak about their own space…, an entirely otherworld of experience may be identified (Franzmann, p. 3)”

Course Requirements
Your grade will be based on several components:

 Exams
The first part of your grade will be based on 2 exams. The exams will be in-class, short essay exams.  The date of each exam is listed on your syllabus.  If you miss the exam, you may take a make up exam for a deduction in points. This make up exam must be taken in the same week as the original exam. NO MAKE UP exams will be allowed once graded exams have been passed back to students. You must contact me to set this up.  There are always situations beyond your control, so please contact me as soon as possible if there is a problem.   

Group Research Project
This semester you will be working in a group on a specific project.  Your group will research women’s experiences within a particular religious tradition (any tradition is fine).  You will be asked to research women’s lives within this particular religion - rituals, the background, etc. The final project may be in any form – food, video, powerpoint presentation, poster presentation, etc. You will be given more details about this later. You will be presenting this research to the rest of the class in the last week of classes and on the final exam day.  The completed project is due on the day of the regularly scheduled final exam.
 

In Class Assignments
You will also have some in-class assignments or group exercises. The in-class activities cannot be made up – you must be there to receive the points. 

Class Blog:  http://cerritoswomenreligion.blogspot.com/
This semester you will be on a blog with your classmates where you will post comments on the readings, on the class topics and on your thoughts.  You will be given instructions on how to log in to the blog and you are responsible to participate. Participation is in the form of posting comments, ideas and issues regarding this class.  I will be monitoring the blog, but you will be required to turn in a copy of your postings at the end of the course (you can just copy and paste them in a word document). You will be required to turn in 10 thoughtful postings (not just saying, “yea, me too”) by the end of the semester. 

Emailed homework/papers
Your homework assignments or critical analysis papers may be turned in via email to me. (aholzgang@Cerritos.edu) I must receive the email on the day it is due for it to be on-time. Remember that there may be server problems and that it is your responsibility that I get it. I will send you a reply when I do receive it.  It is your responsibility to make sure I have received your assignment on time. If you do not receive a reply from me indicating I have gotten an assignment, I did not get it.  I will print out a copy of your emailed homework for you to pick up in class after I have recorded it.  Whenever you send me any email, you must include in the subject line your first and last name, the class (either the ticket number or the day/time) and the homework assignment. If you do not include this information, I will not accept it.  Your assignment may be cut and pasted into the actual email or sent as a Word document attachment. Any other program must be sent in the email message (cut and paste it) or I won’t be able to access it. 

All assignments done outside of class are to be typed on a computer, typewriter, or word-processor.  They are to be in font no larger than 12 point, no smaller than 10 point, double-spaced, with one-inch margins.

Reading Assignments
The readings are to be completed by the date listed on the syllabus. This way you will have done the readings and will be ready to discuss the issues in class. If you miss a class, please check with a classmate for the notes missed.
 

Participation/Attendance
Your attendance and participation is expected for every class period. You are also expected to be on time and stay until class is dismissed.  I will be taking attendance each day. Excessive absences will impact your course grade – you must be in class to participate. Participation will be in the form of coming to class prepared to discuss that day’s readings, participating in group activities, as well as turning in assignments in a timely manner.  According to Cerritos College policy, if you miss more than 5 days (2 ½ weeks) of class consecutively, you may be dropped from the class by the instructor. If there is a problem, please get in touch with me.

 Academic Honesty
Honesty is expected of all students.  Students should consult the Cerritos College Catalog regarding official policy. For this class, cheating is unacceptable in any form.  If you are caught cheating or plagiarizing, you will receive a zero on that assignment and possibly a failing grade in the class.

 Your final grade composition will be based on the following:

            2 exams @ 100 points each                                                   200 points
            group project                                                                           100 points
            blog participation                                                                       50 points       
            homework/in class activities                                                     50 points

                                    Total                                                               400 points

 Distribution of the course grades typically follows the following scale: 

 Do’s and Don’ts for this class: 

A Note about Extra Credit

Generally, I do not believe in Extra Credit.  To succeed in this course you are asked to be diligent, committed, and serious about your regular assignments.  If you put forth this effort on your class assignments, you will not need extra credit.  There may be times when speakers are on campus or there are important events happening at Cerritos College. I will let you know if there are any such events and if so, which events you may attend and do a write-up to count as extra credit.

***Any student who needs instructional accommodation due to a disability should see me as soon as possible so that arrangements can be made. 

Note:  This syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor in order to adapt to instructional and/or student needs.

 Course Schedule/Readings

Homework

 Due Tuesday, August 26: Please answer the following questions: Into what religion were you raised? Into what religion were your family members raised? Do you follow these same faith traditions?  Why did you take this class? 

Questions for The Red Tent - These are NOT homework. These are for you as you read through the book. We will be discussing these topics when we discuss the book.

1. Female relationships figure largely in The Red Tent. Discuss the importance of Inna, Tabea, Werenro, and Mert.  
2. Discuss the idea of memory and emotional healing in The Red Tent.  How does Dinah use memory and ritual with respect to her mothers?
3. Does the Red Tent Raise questions about other women in the Bible? Does it make you want to re-read the Bible and imagine other untold stories that lay hidden between the lines?
4. The book is divided into 3 parts: My mother’s stories, My Story and Egypt. Is there any part you enjoyed more than the others?
5. Dinah is rich in “mothers”. Discuss the differences or similarities in her relationship with each woman.
6. The book travels from Haran, through Canaan and into Shechem, and into Egypt. What strikes you about the cultural differences Dinah encounters vis-à-vis food, clothing, work and male-female relationships?
7. In The Red Tent, we see Dinah grow from childhood to old age. Discuss how she changes and matures. What lessons does she learn from like, what word would you choose?  How would Dinah describe her own life experience?
8. Do you think this is a feminist work? Why or why not?
9. In the novel, Rebecca is presented as an Oracle. Goddesses are venerated along with gods. What do you think of this culture, in which the Feminine has not yet been totally divorced from the Divine? How does El, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, fit into this?