First Seminar
The Stories God Tells

REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS.

• N. J. Dawood, trans., The Koran (Penguin, 2004), ISBN 0140449205
• Joseph Smith, The Book of Mormon (U of Illinois Press, 2005), ISBN 025207341X

COURSE DESCRIPTION.  In this seminar, we focus on the phenomenon of reading religious texts as pieces of literature.  How do we make sense of religious texts in a secular context?  How is reading a religious text different from reading other things?  Why do we sometimes misunderstand what we read?  What do we need to know in order to understand what we read?  In exploring these questions, we examine theory about religion as a social and cultural phenomenon.  As test cases, we also read The Koran and The Book of Mormon, all the while monitoring and analyzing our preconceptions, responses, questions, misunderstandings, and evolving interpretations of the texts.

GOALS.  By the end of the course, I want you

1. to explore the ways in which literary analysis can illuminate and interrogate religious texts,
2. to approach the world, information, and knowledge ever more critically, questioning surface appearances, received opinion, and authoritative answers,
3. to use writing, research, and reading for inquiry, learning, critical thinking, and communicating,
4. to collect, analyze, and interpret information and to communicate it to others in a reliable way,
5. to write essays that are clear, effective, correct (according to the norms of standard American English), and appropriate to an academic setting,
6. to understand better how the literary, visual, and performing arts reflect and inspire the richness of human expression, and how language and other forms of expression convey meaning and story,
7. to be able to analyze how forms of expression are used to reflect, exalt, or challenge the values of a culture,
8. to be able to explain the many purposes for which art is created and the multiple contexts in which it acquires meaning and value,
9. to have developed perceptual habits and conceptual lenses conducive to the appreciation of specific media, genres, and styles,
10. to have pursued a sustained investigation of the idea of literature itself by examining what literature is and how it is culturally, politically, philosophically and/or sociologically defined and influenced, and
11. to demonstrate sensitivity to the concrete historicity and cultural specificity of texts and to the development of literary traditions, cultural values, modes of thought, and uses of language over time and across national boundaries.

REQUIREMENTS.  For this course, you must complete the following graded assignments:

1. PAPER 1 (20% of your final grade),
2. Research Report (25%),
3. PAPER 2 (35%), and
4. 10 response papers (2% each, 20% all together).

ATTENDANCE.  Regular attendance is a virtual necessity for successful completion of the graded assignments in this class.  Class exercises and discussion constitute important, useful preparation for the course’s papers and presentations.  If you miss a class, you will essentially lose out on that day’s contribution to your preparation, since it is never really possible to reproduce or recapture the dynamics and flow of information for a missed class meeting (even if you get notes from someone).  If, however, you positively must miss a class, I expect you to find out what you missed and to come fully prepared – without excuses – to the next class meeting.  And please, don’t ask, “Did I miss anything?”  Check out Tom Wayman’s poem about that question.

OFFICE HOURS.  My office is Bliss 216, and my office hours are 2-4 p.m. on TF 3:30-4:00 p.m. and 5:30-6:30 p.m. on MR.  If you cannot see me during these office hours, feel free as needed to call my office (771-2106) or to talk to me before or after class to arrange an appointment at another time.  You may also contact me by email (gsteinbe@tcnj.edu), or you may leave a message for me in my box at the English department offices in Bliss 124.  Email is generally the fastest way to contact me in an emergency.

EMAIL.  I may, on occasion, want to email everyone in class.  I generally only have access to your TCNJ email addresses, however.  As a result, if you regularly use an email address other than your TCNJ address, I recommend that you have mail from your TCNJ address forwarded to the address that you use more regularly.  That way, if I email your TCNJ address, my message will be forwarded to your other address automatically.  To forward mail from your TCNJ address, just go to http://managemail.tcnj.edu/ and click “Mail Forwarding Manager.”  Follow the instructions there to set up the mail forwarding.

If you would like to send an email message to one or more of your classmates, you may  do so through SOCS.  To access SOCS, go to http://socs.tcnj.edu and, after you have logged in with your TCNJ email username and password, choose this class from the list of your courses for this semester.  Then, when our course page comes up, click the “Email” button.  From there, you can select individual email addresses or the entire class and send a message to the addresses you’ve selected.

Accommodations.  The College of New Jersey prohibits discrimination against any student on the basis of physical or mental disability or perceived disability.  The College will also provide reasonable and appropriate accommodations to enable students with disabilities to participate in the life of the campus community.  Individuals with disabilities are responsible for reporting and supplying documentation verifying their disability, and requests for accommodations must be initiated through the Office of Differing Abilities Services (Eickhoff Hall 159).  If you require special assistance, I will make every reasonable effort to accommodate your needs and to create an environment where your special abilities will be respected.

LANGUAGES ACROSS THE CURRICULUM.  A one-credit Languages Across the Curriculum independent study may be added to this course for those students who have intermediate level proficiency in another language and who wish to complement the work in this course by utilizing their language skills. Please visit the LAC website at http://internationalstudies.intrasun.tcnj.edu or contact dcompte@tcnj.edu for more information. Students must meet with Dr. Compte to enroll in the LAC independent study by September 7.

RESPONSE PAPERS.  In the course of the term, you are required to write 10 short, informal papers (about 2 pages each) on the readings for class from The Koran and The Book of Mormon.  You may choose for which days you want to write a response paper, as long as you have completed 10 response papers by the end of the term.  For each response paper, choose one of the following topics and analyze the reading assignment from The Koran or The Book of Mormon for the day with respect to the topic you’ve chosen:

1. Myth and metaphor (Frye).  Do you see signs of a mythos or narrative principle, unique to The Koran (or The Book of Mormon) that shapes today’s reading assignment?  Does the narrative of the reading assignment follow a pattern that we have seen elsewhere in the book as a whole?  Where is the reading assignment reaching beyond the historical into the mythical, beyond fact into poetry?  How might today’s reading assignment provide a mythical framework for subsequent literature and culture?
2. Motifemes and crystallization (Burkert).  Can the narrative of today’s reading assignment (or some discrete part of it) be distilled into a sequence of common story elements (i.e., a syntagmatic chain) that are part of a recognizable structure, largely known in advance and shared by other stories in other books and contexts?  What are the common story elements that make up the narrative?  What kind of story/structure do we have?  What is unique to the story (i.e., not part of the pre-existing structure)?  What role do contrast and symmetry (i.e., Burkert’s “crystallization”) play in determining the story’s unique details?
3. Social function (Malinowski).  How might today’s reading assignment have been used to codify belief; reinforce morality; buttress economic monopolies; establish special privileges for certain people or social classes; provide a foundation for social, cultural, or legal principles; strengthen local unity and regional pride; foster social cohesion and patriotism; or justify the validity of a social grouping, rite, or custom?  Does anything in today’s reading assignment seem to be designed to rationalize social inconsistencies or anomalies created by historical accident?  Does anything in the assignment suggest an underlying social strain (e.g., as a result of differences in power or prestige among members of the same or different social groups)?  Where might today’s reading assignment have served as a charter for social organization or as a bible of practical advice for social interaction?
4. Reality, value, and transcendence (Eliade).  How does today’s reading assignment give meaning to the world and to human life?  How does it make the world intelligible?  What kind of world does it portray?  What are the fundamental elements or principles of this world?  In what ways does the reading assignment explain how human beings are constituted as human beings?  How does it portray humanity?  What are the fundamental elements and nature of humanity?  How does the reading assignment act as a model for behavior or a reassurance/precedent for future undertakings?  What kind of model or reassurance/precedent does it offer?
5. Infantile recurrence (Freud).  In what ways might today’s reading assignment be interpreted as reflecting or reenacting an Oedipus complex?  Is there a figure (or figures) that represents the primal father?  Is there an act that represents the primal sin against the primal father (murder, sacrifice, incest)?  Where do we see signs of “the son’s sense of guilt and his defiance” or of “[t]he endeavour of the son to put himself in place of the father god” (Totem and Taboo, p. 196)?  Where do we see signs of a desire to eliminate the primal father and/or to expiate guilt for doing so?
6. Biology, history, and prehistory (Burkert).  Are there clues in today’s reading assignment that give us a glimpse of possible biological, historical, or prehistoric dimensions to the story?  Are there vestiges in the tale that point to a biological origin (e.g., “the quest” as comparable to a rat in search of food in a maze), a cultural or historical reference (e.g., “the girl’s tragedy” as a reflection of ancient initiation rituals), or a prehistoric derivation (e.g., the Polyphemus episode as a reenactment of the invention of the wooden spear in the Paleolithic period)?
7. Resistance (Fetterley).  Become a resisting reader of today’s reading assignment.  Question its values and assumptions.  Notice what’s missing from it.  What does it try to keep hidden or unacknowledged?  Who profits from having the world portrayed the way today’s assignment portrays it?  Who loses?  Like Judith Fetterley, you may focus on issues of gender, but you may also choose to focus on other issues instead or in addition (race, class, politics, country).

You should have written at least once on each one of these topics over the course of your 10 response papers for the term.  No response papers may be submitted before we begin reading The Koran (i.e., before September 13).

Response papers will be graded Pass/Fail.  Think about one of the topics above; then, write a response.  Don’t worry about answering every question I ask under the particular topic.  In fact, focus on the one question that seems most interesting to you, and be as specific as you can, getting down as much as you can, as quickly as you can.  I don’t want a five-paragraph theme; I want an exploration – as detailed and specific as possible – of the reading assignment for the day.

Normally, as long as you submit a response paper of suitable length, detail, and thoughtfulness (and as long as you submit it in hard copy in class on the assigned day), you will receive all the points that the response paper is worth.  The purpose of the response papers is

1. to help you in your preparation for class discussion,
2. to help me see where you’re struggling with the readings for class,
3. to help you develop your intellectual independence and your confidence as a reader, and
4. to practice the kind of analysis that you will do for PAPER 1 and PAPER 2).

You may submit more than 10 response papers in the course of the semester (to make up for any response papers that do not receive a grade of Pass), but no matter how many extra response papers you turn in, you will not receive credit for more than 10 total.  You may not submit more than one response paper on a single day, nor may you submit a response paper for a day that you are absent from class.

PAPER 1.  Choose an episode, scene, or passage from The Koran that we have not discussed in class but that seems very important to you in terms of developing a theme, character, or idea in the book as a whole.  Compose a paper of 5-7 pages in which you argue a clear, specific, and interesting thesis about the passage and its significance in the book.  As you think about what to write, I strongly recommend that you use your response papers as a starting place.  Once you’ve chosen a focus for your paper, look very carefully at your passage.  Look for details that reveal or illustrate the significance of the passage in terms of your chosen focus.  Use those details as evidence and illustration in your paper.  You need not use outside sources for this paper (other than The Koran); in fact, I would encourage you not to use outside sources (because I'd rather hear what you think than what some published scholar thinks).  A week before the paper is due, you will submit a thesis paragraph (a draft first paragraph of your paper or just a paragraph that describes what you plan to write about), and I will give you feedback on your proposed thesis before you submit your final paper.

Your paper will be graded based on the following criteria:

1. Does the paper have a clear, specific thesis?  Does the thesis offer an interesting perspective or “hook” that is provocative without being gimmicky or offensive?
2. Does the paper’s analysis progress logically?  Does the paper have a clear and consistent overall organization that relates all the ideas of the paper together in support of the thesis (rather than simply a list of random observations without relation to one another or to the thesis)?  Does the paper have appropriate transitions to aid the reader in following the paper’s logic (rather than weak transitions, such as "The first...," "Another...," and "...also...")?
3. Does the paper provide relevant, concrete evidence and logically persuasive reasons for every assertion?
4. Does the paper exhibit confidence and insight when analyzing passages from the book not discussed in class?
5. Does the introduction to the paper offer an interesting, helpful preview of the content, logic, and organization of the paper?
6. Is factual information in the paper accurate?
7. Is the writing in the paper clear, effective, correct (according to the norms of standard American English), and appropriate to an academic setting?

RESEARCH REPORT.  Around the middle of the semester, you will be required to choose a research topic, approved by me, and to find out as much information as you can about that topic for class.  You will share your findings in a 10- or 15-minute presentation in class, and you will submit a written report of your research (4-6 pages) to me one week after your in-class presentation.  In addition, you will satisfy your first-year community-engaged learning requirement by working with your classmates to create a workshop that you will present to real middle and high school students at an “enrichment” day on campus on November 28.

This assignment is meant to be intense but short.  There is no specified number of sources required, but a research report that uses only one source (or that relies inordinately on just one source while using others very superficially) will not be a very successful report.  After you submit your written report, I will ask you to give me a xerox copy of one of your sources, chosen at random (so that I can evaluate how well you have understood and used the source).  Your research report will be graded based on the following criteria:

1. Does the report use a variety of sources (rather than rely heavily on a single source)?  Does the report rely primarily on books and scholarly articles (rather than on the Internet or on popular sources of information)?  Does the report synthesize the information from its sources (or does it merely list all information from one source and then all from the next source and then all from the next and so on)?

2. Does the report use its sources critically?  Does the report evaluate the authority and reliability of its sources?  What does the report do if sources contain contradictory information?

3. Does the report engender confidence that the information in the report is authoritative and complete?  Is factual information in the report accurate?  Does the report summarize information from its sources accurately and fairly?

4. Does the report progress logically?  Does the report have a clear and consistent overall organization that relates all the ideas of the report together in a meaningful way (rather than simply provide a list random observations without relation to one another)?  Does the report have appropriate transitions to aid the reader in following the report’s logic (rather than weak transitions, such as "The first source...," "Another source...," and "...also...")?

5. Does the introduction to the report offer an interesting, helpful preview of the content, logic, and organization of the report?
6. Is the writing in the report clear, effective, correct (according to the norms of standard American English), and appropriate to an academic setting?  Is the report properly documented in a consistent documentation style?  Does the report summarize its sources without unintentionally plagiarizing the language or ideas of those sources?

PAPER 2.  As in PAPER 1, choose an episode, passage, or scene from The Book of Mormon that we have not discussed in class but that seems very important to you in terms of developing a theme, character, or idea in the book.  Compose a paper of 6-8 pages in which you argue a clear, specific, and interesting thesis about your chosen scene and its significance in the book.  You need not use outside sources for this paper (other than The Book of Mormon); in fact, I would encourage you not to use outside sources (because I'd rather hear what you think than what some published scholar thinks).  As with PAPER 1, I strongly recommend that you use your response papers as a starting place.  PAPER 2 will be graded based on the same criteria as PAPER 1.  About a week before the paper is due, you will submit a thesis paragraph (a draft first paragraph of your paper or just a paragraph that describes what you plan to write about), and I will give you feedback on your proposed thesis before you submit your final paper.

COURSE SCHEDULE.  This schedule is subject to revision at the discretion of the professor.  Changes made after the beginning of the semester will be shown in red.

Dates	Assignments
R Aug 30	Introductions
M Sep 3	NO CLASS (Labor Day) – class will be held on Tuesday instead
T Sep 4	selections from Northrop Frye and Walter Burkert (available in SOCS)
R Sep 6	selections from Mircea Eliade and Bronislaw Malinowski (available in SOCS)
M Sep 10	selections from Sigmund Freud and Judith Fetterley (available in SOCS)
R Sep 13	The Koran, pp. 9-60
M Sep 17	The Koran, pp. 60-126
R Sep 20	The Koran, pp. 126-187
M Sep 24	The Koran, pp. 187-246
R Sep 27	The Koran, pp. 246-308
M Oct 1	The Koran, pp. 308-369
R Oct 4	The Koran, pp. 369-435; THESIS PARAGRAPH for PAPER 1 DUE after class via email
M Oct 8	Bring whatever you have done on your paper so far to class for a peer writing workshop.
R Oct 11	PAPER 1 DUE in the “Dropbox” of SOCS BEFORE CLASS
M Oct 15	Think about a potential research question to explore in your RESEARCH REPORT.  What aspect of Islam or The Koran do you wish you knew more about?  Think about how you would go about researching that topic.  You will sign up in class for your RESEARCH REPORT presentation.
R Oct 18	NO CLASS (conferences)
M Oct 22	NO CLASS (Mid-term Break)
R Oct 25	RESEARCH REPORT PRESENTATIONS NO CLASS (conferences)
M Oct 29	RESEARCH REPORT PRESENTATIONS
R Nov 1	RESEARCH REPORT PRESENTATIONS The Book of Mormon, pp. 1-60; WRITTEN RESEARCH REPORT DUE in the “Dropbox” of SOCS (for those who presented on October 25)
M Nov 5	NO CLASS (I’m going to be gone for a conference), but do the following reading (and if you want to submit a response paper for this day, do so by emailing it to me as an attachment): The Book of Mormon, pp. 1-60 The Book of Mormon, pp. 61-114; WRITTEN RESEARCH REPORT DUE in the “Dropbox” of SOCS (for those who presented on October 25 29)
R Nov 8	The Book of Mormon, pp. 61-117; The Book of Mormon, pp. 114-173; WRITTEN RESEARCH REPORT DUE in the “Dropbox” of SOCS (for those who presented on November 1)
M Nov 12	The Book of Mormon, pp. 117-192 The Book of Mormon, pp. 177-248 WRITTEN RESEARCH REPORT DUE in the “Dropbox” of SOCS (for those who presented on October 29)
R Nov 15	The Book of Mormon, pp. 192-266 The Book of Mormon, pp. 248-309 WRITTEN RESEARCH REPORT DUE in the “Dropbox” of SOCS (for those who presented on November 1)
M Nov 19	The Book of Mormon, pp. 266-339 The Book of Mormon, pp. 309-371
R Nov 22	NO CLASS (Thanksgiving)
M Nov 26	The Book of Mormon, pp. 339-410 The Book of Mormon, pp. 371-435
W Nov 28	PRESENTATION at “enrichment” workshop on campus (based on RESEARCH REPORT)
R Nov 29	The Book of Mormon, pp. 410-480 The Book of Mormon, pp. 436-498
M Dec 3	The Book of Mormon, pp. 480-553 The Book of Mormon, pp. 499-568
R Dec 6	The Book of Mormon, pp. 553-630 The Book of Mormon, pp. 571-630
M Dec 10	THESIS PARAGRAPH for PAPER 2 DUE via email
Finals Week	PAPER 2 DUE in the “Dropbox” of SOCS

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