WS 3300: WOMEN AND SPIRITUALITY
FALL 2009
"Love of my life, I am crying,
I am not dying, I am dancing.
Dancing along in the madness,
There is no sadness,
Only a song of the soul"
-Chris Williamson
"The universe is a dance of energy, a uni-verse, a single song of everchanging rhythms and harmonies."
-Starhawk
"Then Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and dancing."
-Exodus 15: 20
"Even the passion that I revealed to thee and the others in the round dance, I would have it called a mystery..."
-Act of John, Apocrypha
"The Mother of Songs, the mother of our whole seed, bore us in the beginning. She is the mother of all races...and all tribes. She is the mother of the thunder, the mother of the rivers, the mother of trees and all kinds of things. She is the mother of songs and dances....she left songs and dances as a reminder."
-Song of the Kagaba Indians, Columbia
"When Africans are asked if they understand a certain type of music,...'they will say yes if they know the dance that goes with it.'"
-Karen McCarthy Brown
"In the way my body stretches to music and opens into response, hearkening to its deepest rhythms, so every level upon which I sense also opens to the erotically satisfying experience, whether it is dancing, building a bookcase, writing a poem, examining an idea."
-Audre Lorde
"If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of the revolution."
-Emma Goldman
This course is about a dance -- the dance of women's spirituality, the dance of the universe. I invite you all to enter the circle and join in the dance.
Basic Information:
Instructor: Beth Bartlett
Office: 481 Humanities
Office Hours:,T: 1-2; W: 1:30-2:30; Th, 9:30-10:30 or by appointment
Phone: 726-8284
e-mail:
class email alias: ws3300-1-f2009
website:
Purpose:
To awaken, dis-cover, create, dwell in, nourish, tradition, and transform you in your knowledge, wisdom, and practice of women’s spirituality, in whatever direction these steps in the dance take you.
Texts:
Required:
Maria Harris, Dance of the Spirit: The Seven Steps of Women's Spirituality
Maureen Murdock, The Heroine’s Journey: Woman’s Quest for Wholeness
Judith Plaskow and Carol Christ, Weaving the Visions : New Patterns in Feminist Spirituality
Other Readings on Electronic Reserve
Requirements and Evaluation
1) Class Participation (50 points)
Part of this class will consist of my passing on knowledge and information to you, but I envision most of it as a collective endeavor. We are co-creators in this class. Thus, I value your participation and encourage it. This course is very much what we all make it. Thus, part of your participation grade will be based on your --
* regularly being here
* being prepared to discuss the readings
* being willing to share your questions, insights, and ideas
* listening respectfully to me and to each other – especially, turn off cell phones and laptops.
Just as important as your speaking is your help in creating a climate in which speech and hearing are possible. To facilitate this, I ask that you keep in mind the following requirements of feminist practical discourse (Alison Jaggar):
1) Responsibility – for voicing opinions, participating in discussion
2) Self-discipline - state objections clearly and to the point, without putdowns or speeches. Recognize others' desires to speak.
3) Respect - respect others and trust them to make responsible input.4) Cooperation – look for areas of agreement and common ground and build on them; avoid competitive right/wrong, win/lose thinking
5) Struggle – If you disagree with someone's ideas, tell why you disagree with the idea. Personal attacks and derision, verbal and nonverbal, are unacceptable. This carries outside the classroom too. Use clear means of disagreement – no putdowns; use disagreement to learn, grow, change; work to build unity in group, but not at expense of individuals
Classroom Confidentiality: While I hope that you discuss the ideas raised in class with your friends, roommates, family members, what any and everyone chooses to share in this class must remain in the classroom.
We will also be doing some of the practices in class, as well as a presentation on your transformation through the semester, and your preparation and participation in these will also be part of your participation grade.
I recognize that you will not always be able to be in class. Please, if you are sick,stay home. I will allow leeway for occasional absences. If something beyond your control is causing you to have extensive absences, please let me know.
2) Responses to the Readings ( 12 Reading Responses: 4 points each, 48 points total)
The purpose of the response to the readings is to help prepare you to come to class ready to participate in class discussion, and to help me to structure class discussion around those points of most interest to you. These also help me to know you better.
*Write a response to any ONE idea or question raised in any ONE of the required weekly readings.
By response, I mean your thoughts about an idea in the readings, not a summary of what the author thought. For example, how do you respond to Walker's idea that God is in everything? Or, what does the Goddess mean to you? Or, what do you think of Harrison's statement that failure to live deeply in our bodies is the cause of the failure of moral relations? Your response need not be extensive. One to two paragraphs is sufficient, but develop your thoughts, ideas, and questions to the point that they can be used for purposes of class discussions.
Preferred Format: State the idea or provide a quote from the reading to which you are responding, then write your response to it. These may be handwritten or typed.
Note: Even though I am asking you to write a response on only one part of one reading, we will be discussing all of the readings in class. You are responsible for doing all of the assigned required readings. Your ability (or inability) to participate in class discussion affects everyone.
b) Responses to the Practices: (11 Practice Responses: 4 points each, 44 points total)
Each chapter of Dance of the Spirit includes seven practices. I am asking that you engage in at least one of the practices every day. You might want to pick one or two and do them every day that week, or you might want to choose a different one for each day. (Some of the practices require more than a week; some require group participation; and these will be inappropriate for this.) Occasionally, I will assign one in particular that I would like you to be prepared for the following week's class.
Though I am asking that you do a practice every day, I am only asking you to writeoneresponse to them. Briefly "report" on your practice. (You can talk about one day, or summarize the whole week as appropriate.) Like the response to the readings, the response to the practices should be
brief, one to two paragraphs. I am not so interested in what you did, as I am in what you experienced and learned. This should be the focus of your response. For example, if you choose to do "Coming to Our Senses" (Ch. 1, Practice 7) what did you experience as you listened and smelled and touched? What did you learn from this on a deeper level? Or, if you choose "The Prayer of Acts" (Ch. 5, Practice 2) and are asked to go through several steps for several stages of your life, give me an overall assessment of what you experienced and learned, rather than a description of each step in the process.
NOTE: Sometimes I have designated specific practices to focus on. These are noted in the syllabus.
DUE DATES:
* Responses to the Readings and Practices are due the week of the assigned topic. I will NOT accept late responses for previous weeks. If you have to be absent, have a friend bring them to class, put them in campus mail, bring them the next time you come to class, or email them to me. This is important in order for everyone to be prepared for class.
3) 2 Commentaries (40 points each; 80 points total)
Twice during the semester I ask that you do a more developed response to any one or combination of the readings. Take one idea and create a detailed response to it. Commentaries on the readings may be developments of your short responses, or they may be on another topic entirely. The commentaries are to be your response to the readings, rather than a summary of them. They should be focused around a central theme or argument, such as "I disagree with Ruether’s argument about sexism in talking about God...”or "This sentence in the Lorde piece spoke directly to me...Generally, I've found that the more specific and focused the topic, the deeper and more developed the response, so try to narrow your focus as much as possible.
At least one commentary must be in the form of a written responsive essay, but the other may take the form of a short story, poem, a painting, etc. (Collages not acceptable. Thanks.) If you choose to do your commentary in a form other than a written essay, please provide a brief written explanation of how your commentary connects with the readings.
Format for written responses: Typed, double-spaced, approximately 3 pages.
Due Dates: October 7 and December 2
4) Book Review (60 points)
There are so many varied directions this course could go, but rather than impose my direction on you, I want you to have some choices in the deepening of your knowledge. You are to choose one other related book you would like to read this semester.
I will give you suggested titles. If you choose a book not on this list, you must get my approval for its relevance to this course.
Write a critical or lyrical review of the book in which you discuss:
1) the central ideas of the book, or the main ones that touched you
2) what you learned from your reading with regard to women’s spirituality and topics we have covered in this course.
Format: Typed, double-spaced, 4-5 pages.
Due Date: November 18
5) Course Project (80 points)
Dance of the Spirit outlines seven steps in the development of women's spirituality. I would like you to choose one of these steps as a focus for your project for the course, or you might choose a topic that weaves all 7 steps together. It would be a good idea for you to look through Dance of the Spirit to get an idea of what each step involves. If you want to do a project that incorporates several or all of the steps, that is fine, just discuss it with me first.
The type of project, its shape and form, will vary according to what step you choose to focus on. For example, if you choose Dis-covering, you might want to do a research paper on a specific topic in women’s spirituality. If you choose Creating, you might want to give artistic or liturgical form to your conception of the sacred, or create a dance that expresses all of the seven steps. If you choose Dwelling: in the City, you might want to engage in a service project to those who are suffering or in need.If you choose Nourishing, you might want to create a spiritual "diet" -- commit yourself to particular practices and disciplines, engage in them regularly, and reflect on what you have learned and how you have been affected. If you choose Traditioning, you might want to take on the role of mentor to a young girl, or deliberately teach and love your child(ren) into their spirituality.
If you choose to do:
* research paper: it should be typed, double-spaced, appropriately referenced (style of your choosing), approximately 8-10 pages. Internet websites no more than 50% of sources
* artistic project: a 1-2 page written explanation is necessary as well.
* action-oriented or service project, I would like you to keep and turn in a log of your activities, and provide a short (about 2 pages) type-written report including: a summary (rather than step-by-step) description of 1) what you did and 2) what you learned. About 20-25 hours of service/engagement is expected for this type of course project.
Topic Due Dates: Action and Service Projects, September 30; All others, October 21
This is to be a course project, meaning you should be working on it throughout the semester. I would like you to turn in your topic/idea/plan for your project so that I can better guide you and provide resources. I also need to be sure that the subject and workload involved fit the course and the number of points for the project. Turn in your completed Course Project Form on the due date.
Completed Project Due Date: December 9
6) Take-Home Final (80 pts)
You will have a final take-home essay exam.
By December 2, I will give you 2-3 comprehensive essay questions that will ask you to incorporate, interpret, and apply the knowledge you have received from the course. These must be turned in (to my office, HUM 481) by Dec. 17th at 10AM(the given time for our final exam), but may be turned in any time prior to that time.
Summary of Grading
Class Participation 50 points
Responses 92 points
Commentaries 80 points
Course Project 80 points
Book Review 60 points
Final80 points___
Total442 points
Grades will range approximately as:
A range: 442- 398
B range: 397 - 354
C range: 353 - 309
D range: 308 - 278
I am open to your input on any and all components of your grade.
Policy on Emailing Assignments to Me:
I understand that your printers occasionally run out of ink, but our department has a limited budget as well. The volume of papers emailed to me has increased substantially over the past few years. Therefore, I will ask that you always hand in a hard copy of your paper rather than email it to me, unless your paper is late or you are otherwise unable to attend class and email is the only way you can get your paper in on time.
Due Dates:
Assignments are due on the dates indicated. Please turn in your assignments in class on the day that they are due. If you are absent, please email them to me. If anything is preventing you from doing your work as assigned, please inform me right away.
The Form of the Dance
DateTopicReadingsAssignments
Week 1Introductions to each other and
9/9 to the dance
Week 2Step One: Awakening Dance of the Spirit (Dance), Reading &
9/16 Overview Prologue and Ch. 1: 1-7,13-15,18-19 Practice
Heroine’s Journey (HJ) Responses
Introduction
Body/Spirit Issues Dance: 8-13
HJ: Rejection of the Female Body:
23-26; Body and Sexuality: 111-119;
Duality: 169-171
Weaving the Visions (Weaving):
Anzaldúa, "Entering intothe Serpent”
Week 3Disbelief, Myths, Gods Dance: 18 Reading &
9/23 Weaving: Practice 5
Walker, “God Is Inside Responses
You”; Ruether, “Sexism and
God-Language;” (rec)
HJ: Myths: 48-60; Betrayal by God: 78-79
Masks and AuthenticityDance: 15-16, 19
HJ:Ch. 2; Great Pretender: 65-68;
Worm Baby: 110-111
Week 4Step Two: Dis-Covering
9/30Overview Dance,Ch. 2: 28-35; 45-48 Reading &
HJ: 68-69, Ch. 5Practice 1 or 6
Responses
BrokennessDance: 35-37
Weaving: Brock, "On Mirrors, Mists, Murmurs"
HJ: 119-122; Ch. 6
ACTION AND SERVICE COURSE PROJECT TOPICS DUE
Week 5Dis-covering Community and the Weaving, Christ, "Rethinking Theology Reading
10/7 Earth and Nature"; Griffin, "The Earth Is Response &
My Sister" Practice #4
Dance: 41-44
HJ: 125, 140-141Commentary
Reserve: Starhawk, "Feminist Earth-Based #1 Due Spirituality" (rec)
FIELD TRIP FOR CLASS: We’ll be outside for the entire class period, so come dressed for any
hiking you want to do, and for the weather.
Week 6 Power and Divinity Weaving: Reading
10/14 Allen, "Grandmother Response
of the Sun"; Morton, "The Goddess Practice 2, 3,
as Metaphoric Image"; Downing, 5, or 7
“Artemis"; Lorde, “Uses of the Erotic
Dance: 37-41
HJ: (110-119 revisited); 130-136;
142-154
Reserve: Christ, "Why Women Need
the Goddess"
Week 7Step Three: Creating Dance: Ch. 3 Reading & Practice
10/21 HJ:126-128 Responses
NOTE: We will do Practice 5 in class. Please don’t do it beforehand.
ALL OTHER COURSE PROJECT TOPICS DUE
Week 8Step Four: DwellingDance, Ch. 4: 86-93 Reading Response
10/28 Place Weaving: Sanchez, “New World Sabbath Practice *
Tribal Communities Response
PresenceHandout: Hanh, “A Day of Mindfulness”
RestReserve: Schaeper, “The Unconsummable
Sabbath”
HJ: 128-129
* PRACTICE: During the week, incorporate a day (or more) of mindfulness and/or
a day (or more) of sabbath (a day of rest, however you define that; a day away from
work, school, and other obligations.)
10/31-Women and Spirituality Conference, Mankato, MN (optional)
11/1Keynote Speaker: Vandana Shiva
Week 9Step Four: DwellingDance, Ch. 4: 93-105Reading &
11/4 Desert and the City: Weaving: Thistlethwaite, "Every Two Minutes" Practice 4-7
Home:Reserve: Bartlett, "The Tasks of Domesticity" (rec) Responses
Estes, “Homing”; HJ:139-140
Garden:HJ: 140-141 (revisited) Reserve: Schaeper, "The Summer Garden" (rec)
Week 10Step Five: NourishingDance, Ch. 5: 114-124; 130-131Reading &
11/11 Prayer, ContemplationHJ: Grandmother, 141-142 Practice
Fasting; Liturgy & Ritual; Weaving: Starhawk, "Ritual as Bonding" Responses
Memory Teish, "Ancestor Reverence"
FIELD TRIP
Week 11Step Five: NourishingDance, Ch. 5: 124-127; 131-133Reading
11/18 Justice, Service, PropheticWeaving: Harrison, "The Power of Anger in Responseto
Speech the Work of Love"; Heyward, "Sexuality, Love, Harrison or
and Justice" Heyward
Reserve:Hayden, "Body on the Line"
Book Review
Week 12THANKSGIVING BREAK
11/25NO CLASS
Week 13Step Five: NourishingDance, Ch. 5: 129-130Reading &
12/2 Embodiment:Weaving, Brown, "Women's Leadership Practice
in Haitian Voudou";Responses
Reserve: Linda Chrisman, "Birth"
Commentary
#2 Due
NOTE ON PRACTICES: In addition to the Practices in Ch. 5, you may also incorporate a
massage, yoga, tai chi, or some other form of physical spiritual practice.
FOR CLASS: We will be drumming and doing movement work. Please bring a
drum, if you have one, or anything you can drum on (e.g., ice cream carton, big can,
etc.). Also, please bring a mat, carpet pad, large towel. Dress comfortably.
Week 14Step Six: Traditioning Dance, Ch. 6 Reading Response
12/9 Weaving: Spretnak, "The Myth of Demeter Practice #7