COURSE SYLLABUS
NATIVE AMERICAN RELIGIONS
Spring 2004 - Thursdays 6:25 to 9:05

Florida International University- University Park Campus - Miami, Florida

Undergraduate Course:  Religious Studies (REL 3380) or Liberal Studies (IDS 4920-03)

(Subject to change up until first class meeting)

Version of January 9, 2004      

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Lead Instructor: Dennis Wiedman, Ph.D. Anthropologist
       Room PC 543.  Phone: 305-348-2262.  Email: Dennis.Wiedman@fiu.edu  
                    Web Page: www.fiu.edu/~wiedmand  

   Jim Huchingson, Ph.D., Professor of Religious Studies

       Room DM 305B. Phone 305-348-3348. Email: huchings@fiu.edu 

   Mary Lou Pfeiffer, LL.M. Adjunct Instructor of Religious Studies

       Room DM 306. Phone 305-348-2186. Email: mpfeif01@fiu.edu


COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is an introduction to Native American religions and spirituality.  It focuses on the diverse religious communities of North American Indians with a special emphasis on myths, rituals, and beliefs ranging from individual practices to organized religions.  These different ways of seeing, sensing and listening form entire lifeways that are reflected in the arts, music, dance, poetry, narrative, architecture and social organizations.  Of importance will be the historical, economic, health, political and legal issues that influence the present and future ways that Native Americans practice their religious traditions. Attention will be given to contemporary issues and Native cultures of South Florida.

COURSE OBJECTIVES      On completion of this course the student should:

1) Recognize the diverse cultures and religious traditions of Native America.

2) Understand the importance of spirituality in the everyday lives and communities of contemporary Native Americans.

3) Identify tribal arts, music, dance, poetry, literature and architecture within the social, cultural and spiritual context of Native American communities.

4) Appreciate the economic, political and legal restrictions that have been and continue to be placed upon the practice of Native American religions and culture.

5) Be able to compare similarities and differences among religions.

WEB ASSISTED MATERIALS

WebCT is used to support class presentations and the student learning experience. It is required that students participate in the on-line email, discussions, assignments and quizzes. FIU computer labs are available for those who do not have personal computers.

Dennis Wiedman
2003  Native American Resources: Knowing, Understanding and Appreciating Native America. Web page: http://www.fiu.edu/~wiedmand/naresources/index.htm

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Quizzes and assignments are primarily through WebCT.

1)  Quizzes will focus on class lectures, films, readings and special presentations.  Through quizzes the student can demonstrate an understanding of the materials presented and their integration into the total course. 

2) Discussions both in-class and on-line demonstrate the student's interest in the course, understanding of the materials, as well as critical thinking and writing skills.

3) Assignments are short written statements that demonstrate the student's skills in research methods, analysis and writing. These integrate what was learned with the course readings, discussions, and presentations with the students research and experiences.

4) Final Examination covers the entire course.

READINGS

Joseph Epes Brown and Emily Cousins

   2001 Teaching Spirits: Understanding Native American Religious Traditions.
         New York: Oxford University Press.

Lawrence E. Sullivan, Editor

   2003  Native Religions and Cultures of North America: Anthropology of
          the Sacred. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group.

Vine Deloria, Jr.

   1999   For This Land: Writings on Religion in America. New York: Routledge.



Dennis Wiedman
    1990 Big and Little Moon Peyotism as Health Care Delivery Systems.
             Medical Anthropology 12(4)371-387.

TOPIC AND COURSE SCHEDULE http://www.fiu.edu/~wiedmand/nareligions/nareltopics.htm

The course schedule is on a page that is updated as the course proceeds. Here you can find dates for topic presentations, quizzes, discussions and assignments.

READING SCHEDULE

Reading assignments are an important foundation for discussion and tests.  It is expected that students will be familiar with the assigned reading by the designated dates.

 
January 8 - Class One -No assigned readings
   

January 15 -Class Two
Brown: Forward: How you Speak Could Change the World, & Introduction. Pps. i-xxiii.
Deloria: Introduction: An American Critique of Religion. Pps. 1-18. Ch. 20: Sacred Lands and Religious Freedom. Pps. 203-213. Ch. 26: Knowing Land, Places and Ourselves. Pps. 250-260.
January 22 -Class Three
Brown: Ch. 1. Back to Back, 2. Changeless at the Heart of Change, 3. Fixing a Center. Pps. 3-40.
Sullivan: Understanding Native American Religious Lifeways. Pps. 1- 32.
Choctaw and Tewa Creation Myths – FIU Library Reserve/WebCt
January 29 - Class Four
Brown: Ch. 4. Silence, the Word, and the Sacred, 5. There is No Word for Art (Pps. 41-82).
Sullivan: Ch. 1. Renewal as Discourse and Discourse as Renewal in Native Northwestern California. Pps. 33-52.
February 5 - Class Five
Brown: Ch. 6 & 7. (Pps. 83-125).
Sullivan: Ch. 2. Traditional Ways and Contemporary Vitality: Absaroke/Crow.
Pps. 53-84.

February 12 - Class Six
Sullivan: Ch. 3. Rebalancing the World in the Contradictions
of History: Creek/Muskogee. Pps. 85-103.
Deloria: White Church and Red Power. 1. Missionaries and the Religious
Vacuum, 2. Theological Dimension of the Indian Protest Movement,
3. Religion and Revolution Among American Indians. Pps. 19-43.
February 19 - Class Seven
Sullivan Ch. 4. Wiping the Tears: Lakota Religion in the
Twenty-first Century. Pps. 104-120.
Deloria: Ch. 5. The Churches and Cultural Change, 6. GCSP: The Demons at
Work, Liberating Theology, Ch. 7. A Violated Covenant, Ch. 8. An Open
Letter to the Heads of the Christian Churches in America. Pps. 51–83.
February 26 - Class Eight
Sullivan: Ch. 5. The Continuous Renewal of Sacred Relations:
Navajo Religion. Pps. 121-141.
Deloria: Ch. 11. On Liberation, 12. Vision and Community, Worldviews in
Collision, 13. Religion and the Modern American Indian, 14. Native
American Spirituality. Pps. 100-134.
March 4 - Class Nine
Sullivan: Ch. 6. In the Space between Earth and Sky:
Contemporary Mescalero Apache Ceremonialism. Pps. 142-159.
Deloria: Ch. 15. Civilization and Isolation, 16. Christianity and Indigenous Religion,
Habits of the State, 17. Completing the Theological Circle: Civil Religion in
America,. Pps. 135-174.
March 11 - Class Ten
Sullivan: Ch. 7. Synchretisn, Revival, and Reinvention:
Tlingit Religions, Pre- and Postcontact. Pps. 160-180.
Deloria: Ch. 18. American Indians and the Moral Community. 19. A Simple
Question of Humanity: The Moral Dimensions of the Reburial Issue,
21. Worshiping the Golden Calf, Pps. 175-202, 214-217.

March 19 - Class Eleven
Sullivan: Ch. 8. Eye of the Dance: Spiritual Life of the
Central Yup’ik Eskimos. Pps. 181-207.
Deloria: Ch. 22. Secularism, Civil Religion, and the Religious Freedom of
American Indians, Old Ways in a New World, PPs. 218-228. Ch. 25 Out of Chaos, Pps. 243-249.
Wiedman: Big and Little Moon Peyotism as Health Care Delivery Systems.
          FIU Library Reserve/WebCT
March 26 - No Class - Spring Break
April 1 - Class Twelve
Sullivan: Ch. 9. Images of the Sacred in Native North
American Literature. Pps. 208-237.
Deloria: Ch. 27. Is Religion Possible? An Evaluation of Present Efforts to Revive Traditional Tribal Religions. Ch. 28. Introduction to Vision Quest, Afterward – Contemporary Confusion and the Prospective Religious Life. Pps 261-282.
April 8 - Class Thirteen
Deloria: Appendix 1: The Missionary in a Cultural Trap. Pps. 283-294.
April 15 - Class Fourteen - No Assigned Readings
April 22 - Final Examination

ATTENDANCE

Attendance will be taken occasionally throughout the term. You may have one recorded absence without penalty. Each additional unexcused absence will result in a penalty reducing the total points earned during the semester.

QUIZZES AND FINAL EXAMINATION

Quizzes demonstrate the students understanding of the course presentations and readings.  These will be focus on the course and materials up to that time.  They could be composed of an essay, multiple choice, and/or word identification, etc. These are primarily administered on-line via WebCT.

The final examination will be cumulative of the entire course. Failure to take the final examination at the scheduled time will result in a letter grade deduction from the test result.  If for some legitimate reason you cannot meet at this time your excuse must be approved by the instructor prior to that date.

CLASS PARTICIPATION

During class and in WebCT the instructors will promote discussion on the topics and issues.  Students should be prepared to verbally and in writing demonstrate their comprehension of the class presentation and integration of the reading materials.

Academic Ethics
It is strictly prohibited to submit as one's own work material provided by a professional research agency, the internet, or other persons. A grade of F for the course will be assigned to any student who violates these principles. The instructor also has the authority to consider academic misconduct charges that carry considerable penalties. Please consult the University student handbook for further information on plagiarism and its consequences.

 
GRADING
  Points Total 100  
     
Quizzes 30  
Assignments 30  
Discussion: On-line &/or In-Class 20  
Final Exam 20  
   
     
Extra Credits for Out-of-Class Activity: Attend a Native American activity, exhibit, etc. and write a 300 - 600 word ethnographic description with a focus on the spiritual aspects.   Up to 5 extra points each. Approved in advance by the instructor.  
     
The final course letter grade is derived from the total points with + or - assigned to the upper and lower extremes of each letter grade.  
90 - 100
   A  
80 - 89
   B  
70 - 79
   C  
60 - 69
   D  
Below 60
   F  

 

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