THEOREL 301 Religious Texts of Terror - Course Outlines

Course Prescription

Explores the ways that various forms of violence are evoked and discussed within religious texts and traditions. Students will learn about the origins of these ‘texts of terror’, and then trace their ongoing influence throughout history and up to the present day across a range of socio-cultural contexts, both global and local.

Course Overview

The contentious relationship between violence and religious texts has long been a topic of debate within religious studies. Sacred texts, including the Bible, contain traditions that appear at times to condone multiple forms of objective and systemic violence, including murder, war, genocide, rape, incest, domestic violence, human sacrifice, ethnic cleansing, slavery and sex slavery. Other texts (written, oral and digital) that emerge from religious traditions throughout history and up to the present day may draw on religious doctrine to defend or even encourage various acts of violence towards particular groups and individuals, based on their race, religious beliefs, gender, or sexuality.

In this course, we will focus specifically on “texts of terror” that are found in the Bible. Students will trace the historical, cultural and religious roots of these biblical texts, analysing the particular historical and cultural locations from which they emerged. They will also consider their ongoing significance and influence within contemporary cultures at global and local levels. Do these texts continue to have political and cultural authority, even within secular contexts? What impact do they still have in contemporary political and societal debates, around issues relating to gender, sexuality, race, and religious intolerance? And how do we engage critically and ethically with these texts within our own contemporary contexts?

The course will therefore allow students to develop their skills in textual analysis and critical thinking, as they learn to evaluate complex relationships between the Bible and multiple forms of violence using a number of theoretical approaches, including historical, postcolonial, feminist, and queer theories. Topics covered in the course may include gender violence and religious texts, heresy and hell, witch hunts both old and new, the use of the Bible to justify racism and colonialism, religious homophobia and transphobia in sacred texts and social media, religious persecution, and anti-Semitism.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: 30 points at Stage II from the BA Schedule Restriction: THEOREL 209

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

Develop an understanding of the complex ways that multiple forms of violence are articulated and understood within a number of biblical texts and traditions throughout history (Capability 1.1)
Communicate clearly about contemporary issues relating to multiple forms of violence, and how these are engaged with in contemporary religious and secular communities (Capability 4.2)
Analyse primary texts and scholarly sources using a number of different methodological and theoretical approaches (Capability 2.2)
Be able to define the central issues raised by "texts of terror", with regard to their significance, ethical implications and real-world impact, using skills in textual and cultural analysis (Capability 3.1)
Demonstrate an awareness of the responsibilities of the religious studies scholar, as they work towards the role of critic and conscience beyond the classroom and into wider society (Capability 6.3)

Assessments

Assessment Type	Percentage	Classification
Critical review	30%	Individual Coursework
Discussions	30%	Individual Coursework
Essay	40%	Individual Coursework
3 types	100%

Next offered

Semester 1 2021

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 2 hours of lectures, a 1 hour tutorial, 5 hours of reading and thinking about the content and around 2 hours of work per week on assignments.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including tutorials will not be available as recordings.

The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Digital Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894, which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Capability 1:	Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2:	Critical Thinking
Capability 3:	Solution Seeking
Capability 4:	Communication and Engagement
Capability 6:	Social and Environmental Responsibilities

THEOREL 301 : Religious Texts of Terror

Arts

2021 Semester Two (1215) (15 POINTS)