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Informatie over Ma Programme Religion and Pluralism, Ancient and Modern
Hieronder staan het programma en de vakomschrijvingen van Ma Programme Religion and Pluralism, Ancient and Modern Klik op de naam van een vak in een schema om naar de omschrijving te gaan.
| » Jaar 1 (Ancient) | |||||||
| Periode | Type | Code | Naam | Taal | ECTS | Uren | |
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| hele jaar | verplicht | THMMENTOR | MA mentorship | Engels | |||
| semester I a | verplicht | THMJCOE10 | Jews, Christians and Others | Engels | 10 | 3 | |
| verplicht | THMTTE5 | Texts of Terror | Engels | 5 | variabel | ||
| semester I b | verplicht | THMCRD5 | Convivencia and Religious Disputes | Engels | 5 | ||
| verplicht | THMHRME5 | Historical Methods in Early Christianity | Engels | 5 | 3 | ||
| verplicht | THMRRATE5 | Reception and Re-Use of Aut. Texts | Engels | 5 | 3 | ||
| semester II | verplicht | THMSTAGE10 | Stage Master THRS | Engels en Nederlands | 10 | variabel | |
| keuze | THMDSRSE10 | Dirk Smilde Research Seminar | Engels | 10 | |||
| semester II a | verplicht | THMTS | Thesis Seminar THRS | Engels | variabel | ||
| semester II b | verplicht | THMTHRSS20 | Masterthesis | Engels en Nederlands | 20 | ||
| » Jaar 1 (Modern) | |||||||
| Periode | Type | Code | Naam | Taal | ECTS | Uren | |
| hele jaar | verplicht | THMMENTOR | MA mentorship | Engels | |||
| semester I a | verplicht | THMJCOE10 | Jews, Christians and Others | Engels | 10 | 3 | |
| keuzegroep A | THM-RGS5 | Religion, Gender and Sexuality | Engels | 5 | 3 | ||
| keuzegroep A | THM-RVCT5 | Religion, Violence and Conflict Transf. | Engels | 5 | 2 | ||
| keuzegroep A | THMTTE5 | Texts of Terror | Engels | 5 | variabel | ||
| semester I b | verplicht | THMHRME5 | Historical Methods in Early Christianity | Engels | 5 | 3 | |
| keuzegroep B | THM-FM5 | Forced Migration | Engels | 5 | 3 | ||
| keuzegroep B | THM-GDLC5 | Global Dynamics | Engels | 5 | 3 | ||
| keuzegroep B | THM-GRSN5 | Gender, Religion and Sexual Nationalism | Engels | 5 | 3 | ||
| semester II | verplicht | THMSTAGE10 | Stage Master THRS | Engels en Nederlands | 10 | variabel | |
| keuze | THMDSRSE10 | Dirk Smilde Research Seminar | Engels | 10 | |||
| semester II a | verplicht | THMTS | Thesis Seminar THRS | Engels | variabel | ||
| semester II b | verplicht | THMTHRSS20 | Masterthesis | Engels en Nederlands | 20 | ||
| Opmerkingen | Keuzemodulen Sem 1a: 1 uit 3. Sem 1b: 2 uit 3. | ||||||
| 1 | Convivencia and Religious Disputes | THMCRD5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 2 | Dirk Smilde Research Seminar | THMDSRSE10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The 19th and 20th centuries were marked by a series of manuscript discoveries--from Oxyrhynchus Papyri to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Nag Hammadi codices--that opened up astonishing new perspectives on the ancient Jewish and Christian past. Since then, much research has been dedicated to reconstructing fragmentary texts, lost voices, and forgotten sects and perspectives. Due to the success of this research, it is now an apt moment to step back and also consider what was forgotten, how, and why. The more we learn from the Dead Sea Scrolls and other such manuscript finds, the more we come to realize how much of the literary heritage of Second Temple Judaism came to be lost to later Jews and Christians. New questions arise, thus, about the selectivity in the preservation of the Second Temple past and the place of forgetting in the memory-making of Judaism and Christianity. This research project is an experiment in reassessing the Second Temple past and its reception within Judaism, Christianity, and modern scholarship, with a focus on what was forgotten. Many studies have drawn on the Dead Sea Scrolls, for instance, to trace histories of interpretation and reception into Late Antiquity and beyond. But what might these data also tell us about loss, rupture, overwriting, and erasure? Is it possible to draw upon theoretical models from the study of collective memory and cultural amnesia better to understand these dynamics, and in the process, to recover a richer understanding of the evolving place of the Second Temple past in the contested identities and intertwined histories of Judaism and Christianity? And how much such perspectives, in turn, also challenge us to rethink our modern scholarly narratives about Jewish and Christian antiquity? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 3 | Forced Migration | THM-FM5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 4 | Gender, Religion and Sexual Nationalism | THM-GRSN5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gender and sexuality are highly politicized in today’s globalized world. Across the world, we see nation states linking their national identity with a particular position to homosexuality. Often they oppose LGBTQI rights as in the case of Uganda, Russia and many other countries, or, as in the case of the Netherlands, the national identity is linked with a championing of gay rights. Religious actors and transnational religious networks (e.g. evangelical, Catholic) are very influential in these processes. How can we understand processes such as these? How are these processes related to local understandings of gender and sexuality? These are the kinds of question central to this course. In the event of emergency situations and force majeur, such as societal lockdown, changes may need to be made to class schedules and assessment. Your lecturer will inform you of these changes as soon as possible, should such a situation arise. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 5 | Global Dynamics | THM-GDLC5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The course intends to give insight into the processes that are involved in the interaction between local cultural and religious systems and global economic, political and ideological forces like capitalism and colonialism. In contrast to the widespread assumption that indigenous local cultures just give way to overpowering global forces there are many examples of local cultures dealing very creatively with aspects of globalization on their own terms. We will deal initially with the concepts of society and culture in order to have a firm basis to discuss the dynamics between local and global patterns and cultural change. We will then discuss in some detail the theoretical approaches of Louis Dumont and Marshall Sahlins (perhaps others) in relation to specific cases. At the end of the course students will write a reflection essay in which they are asked to bring into dialogue a concrete ethnographic case with selected theories (or aspects thereof) discussed in the course. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 6 | Historical Methods in Early Christianity | THMHRME5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 7 | Jews, Christians and Others | THMJCOE10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This foundational seminar explores the root belonging-categories of ethnos (notional kin-group) and polis from the classical period through the conquests of Alexander and the Romans. How diverse was this constantly changing world and what criteria permitted or constrained what we might call pluralism: tolerance or even support of difference? How did such tolerated variety manifest itself in areas connected with ‘religion’, such as polis calendars, deities, and holy days, translocal sacrificial cults, philosophical schools, and voluntary associations? What limits did the Hellenistic kingdoms and Roman Empire impose on diversity? Why did Antiochus IV move against Jerusalem, or the Roman senate against the Bacchants? What did Hasmonean expansion mean for Judaea’s neighbours? How did Jews/ Judaeans fare in their homeland under foreign rule and as minorities abroad, before and after Jerusalem’s destruction (70 CE)? How did Christianity relate to polis life and to expatriate Jewish communities, in its first generations and as it gained strength in the third and fourth centuries? Through the period of Christianity’s expansion, what possibilities for pluralism existed among Roman leaders (Constantine, Julian, Theodosius I and II), philosophers (Celsus, Porphyry), Jews, and Christian leaders? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 8 | MA mentorship | THMMENTOR | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MA mentors support the first year MA students in their studies by arranging mentor meetings. The meetings are not mandatory, but we do encourage all MA students to attend these meetings. During the mentor meetings you can ask all your questions regarding studying at our faculty and living in Groningen. Also, every mentor meeting has its own theme/topic. Check the planning below to see when which theme is discussed in the mentor meetings. Check the schedule of your master’s degree track to see when exactly the mentor meetings are scheduled. › September This meeting in September will focus on the start of your study. Did you have a good start of their study? Do you have a clear overview of your course programme and the of the upcoming exams. If you have any other study related problem, feel free to ask your peers and the mentors. › October The meeting in October will focus on the placement. Have you already started searching for one? Where can you find suitable placements and what does the process of searching for a placement and finding a placement look like? If you have any other study related problem, feel free to ask your peers and the mentors. › November The meeting in November will focus on the thesis. If you have questions about how to start writing your thesis, finding the right assessor, setting up a thesis contract you can ask them during this meeting. If you have any other study related problem, feel free to ask your peers and the mentors. › January During the mentor meeting of January you will take a look ahead to the next semester. Have you found a placement and maybe already made a start with writing your thesis? Again, if you have any other study related problem, feel free to ask your peers and the mentors | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 9 | Masterthesis | THMTHRSS20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 10 | Reception and Re-Use of Aut. Texts | THMRRATE5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This module explores the reception history of the Bible and other authoritative texts. Major themes include the processes through which ancient stories and concepts were incorporated into scripture, as well as their interpretations in varying historical, political, and sociocultural conditions. In the introductory sessions we reflect on basic questions regarding reception history. Then we look at the reception and interpretation of texts and traditions in a range of sources, especially in the Bible itself, and in early Jewish literature of the Second Temple period. Using specific examples drawn from themes (e.g. creation, the flood, eschatology) and figures (e.g. Abraham, Moses) found in these sources, we compare interpretations of authoritative texts in these individual traditions. How have religious or political authorities used these authoritative texts? What challenges arise when a narrative found in one source is re-used in another source, or by another tradition? The sessions conclude with a general hermeneutical reflection on the reception of authoritative texts in ancient times, preparing students for critical engagement with the contemporary use of authoritative texts in religious or political circles. Assessment: Self-study, assignments, presentations, paper. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 11 | Religion, Gender and Sexuality | THM-RGS5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Many conflicts in which religion is involved focus on gender and sexuality. Religious traditions often work on the body, through gendered practices of dressing, gesture, posture, ritual and more materially, such as cutting (e.g. male and female circumcision), scarring, and tattooing. So how can we conceptualize the relationship between religion, gender and sexuality both on the level of politicized societal debates and the level of individual subjectivities? This course will focus on learning to recognize and conceptualize the links between religion, gender and sexuality. We will first discuss some of the classic authors on these topics. The second part of the course is focused on discussing ethnographic research detailing how sexuality and gender are shaped culturally and religiously. Students will be asked to go deeply into one ethnographic context and communicate their insights to their fellow students and via an essay. This course will make use of literature from anthropology, gender studies, critical theory and philosophy. In the event of emergency situations and force majeur, such as societal lockdown, changes may need to be made to class schedules and assessment. Your lecturer will inform you of these changes as soon as possible, should such a situation arise. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 12 | Religion, Violence and Conflict Transf. | THM-RVCT5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This course deals with fundamental questions at the intersection of the discourse and practice of religion, violence and conflict transformation. It will examine how these concepts interrelate and will investigate assumptions that lie behind their use, as well as how they are put into practice. The following elements will be interrogated: the discourse and practice of peacebuilding and conflict transformation; the history and development of religious violence and religious peacebuilding/conflict transformation; religion and reconciliation; transitional justice and religion; religion and conflict; fundamentalism and religious violence; women, religion and peacebuilding; religion, ritual and peacebuilding. The course shall be interdisciplinary, that is using analytical tools from disciplines such as religious studies, sociology, history, theology, anthropology, politics, law, peacebuilding and reconciliation studies etc. Students are invited to participate actively by going beyond describing issues to critically analyzing and interrogating theoretical underpinnings of religion, violence and conflict transformation. Case studies such as South Africa, Israel/Palestine, Zimbabwe, and Northern Ireland inter alia against the backdrop of globalization shall be deployed to facilitate analysis. Various religious traditions including Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and African Religions shall be referred to whenever relevant. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 13 | Stage Master THRS | THMSTAGE10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 14 | Texts of Terror | THMTTE5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Religiously motivated fanaticism and violence constitute a threat to human civilization. All religious traditions seem to have a violent potential. Often, however, the monotheism of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic religion is particularly suspected of an aggressive and intolerant potential. Leading figures in all three traditions have turned, at various times, to the exclusion and even violent persecution of people and ideas deemed alien. Sacred texts and ideas drawn from them can play a major role in motivating and justifying the actions of group members. Violent or intolerant behaviour can, from both insider and outside-observer perspectives, reduce the great tradition to a single essence, for which a few selected elements of the tradition are brought forward while many others are ignored. In this course we study selected texts from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and contexts in which violence, power, and politics have exploited them. We focus on texts that have been used to justify violent actions in order to understand them better in their original contexts, as a basis for tracking later interpretations and exploring how appeals to these texts functioned in relation to political aims. Ultimately we ask whether monotheism necessarily has violent consequences, and how adherents handle the dangerous potentialities of claims to revealed truth. Historical and cultural factors other than monotheistic thought are given their full weight in this investigation. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 15 | Thesis Seminar THRS | THMTS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| During the seminar meetings, students will discuss and practice specific aspects of the writing, planning and researching process involved in producing a thesis on a master level. Through peer-review, each student will benefit from regular feedback. Methodologies to be discussed and practised include interviewing, observation, discourse analysis and statistical analysis. We will also discuss aspects of thesis planning and writing such as how to write a literature review, how to prepare for an interview, how to find participants, how to analyse interviews, how to write introductions and conclusions etc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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