Not offered 2007-2008
REL 280 The Turn to Religion in Post-Modern Thought (Same as Jewish Studies 280 and Philosophy 282) (W)
As thinkers of the 20th century came to question the Enlightenment ideal of human self- sovereignty, both for its intellectual and political consequences, many turned back to
religious imagery and concepts in pursuit of alternate modes of conceptualizing the human
being. This course will examine some such endeavors in the fields of philosophy, psychoanalysis and literature. While none of the texts we examine will be explicitly theological, all
will, in some form or another, make use of theological notions such as revelation, redemption, or sacrifice. In examining these texts we will be asking some fundamental questions:
What meaning do religious concepts have when emptied of dogmatic content? How effective are these concepts when employed in the service of cultural critique? How might such
efforts reflect back on the theorizing and practice of religions in contemporary society? We
will, furthermore, analyze the very category of the post-modern by considering its relationship to the Enlightenment, debating whether this relationship is one of continuity, rupture or
both, and dissecting the critique that post-modern philosophy's concern for religion is a sign
of its nostalgic or reactionary nature. Readings will include Immanuel Kant's Religion within the Limits of Reason alone, Friedrich Nietzsche's Twilight of the Idols, Jacques Lacan's
Feminine Sexuality, as well as essays by Luce Irigaray, Georges Bataille, Emmanuel Levinas, Jean-François Lyotard and Jacques Derrida.
Format: discussion. Requirements will include regular participation and four writing assignments: three shorter papers of 3-5 pages on a question assigned by the instructor and a longer essay of 12-15 pages on an approved topic of the student's choice.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 19 (expected: 19). Preference given to Religion and Philosophy majors and Jewish Studies concentrators.
HAMMERSCHLAG