Russian Orthodox Religion & Culture
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Russian Orthodox Religion & Culture Instructor: Dr. Jason Roberts Listed as: Rus Orthodox Religion/Cultr [email protected] 43015 REE 325 (Also RS 357 & HIS 366N) Office: Burdine 586 Meets MWF 10:00- 11:00AM online Office hours: Tues 1-2 & by appointment Teatime: 2-3 Founded in 988 in Kievan Rus’ with the semi-mythical conversion and baptism of Prince Volodimir, the Russian Orthodox Church (or the Moscow Patriarchate as it is now officially known) has grown to be the largest of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Churches, and accounts for over half of the world’s more than 300 million Eastern Orthodox Christians. The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), along with its primate, is preceded only by the four ancient Patriarchates (Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem) in order of precedence. Moreover, as Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus’, the Primate of the ROC claims exclusive spiritual jurisdiction not only over Russia, but over all of the former Soviet Republics excluding only Georgia and Armenia. Throughout its thousand-year history, the Russian Orthodox Church has been a powerful cultural force shaping the art, architecture, literature, and even the letters of the Cyrillic alphabet as well as the moral, philosophical, and political realities of those who live within its sphere of influence. Drawing from a broad range of primary sources and secondary scholarship, this course examines the role and force of the Orthodox Church in Russian history from the th Christianization of the pagan Slavs beginning in the 10 century, through the 1551 Stoglav Council under Ivan IV “the Terrible” (as a result of which, the ROC’s communion with the other Eastern Orthodox Churches was noticeably strained), through the Russian Revolution into the Soviet era (when a number of its priests and at least one patriarch were KGB!), and up to the present including Pussy Riot’s guerilla performance of “Punk Prayer” at Christ the Savior Cathedral and an icon-kissing Vladimir Putin. Throughout the course students develop their skill at the critical reading of secondary scholarship by regularly and methodically retracing select scholars’ arguments against other historical surveys and (translated) primary sources in staged collaborative class assignments. For example, we turn from the prescriptive tenets of the Orthodox faith (religion) to descriptive experiences of life within and under Russian Orthodoxy (religiosity), comparing the ROC’s moral ideals with its sometimes-immoral associations as well as its expectations of the faithful with a level of religion they are willing to accept as we follow the arguments of scholars who have tried to define “Orthodox Rus’.” The tension revealed by these comparisons serves, in turn, as context for our discussion of religious groups that broke with the ROC such as the Old 1 Believers (starovery), the Spirit Wrestlers (dukhobory), and the “Milk Drinkers” (molokany) as well as with the scholarship that has argued for and against understandings of the schism that birthed these movements as an “Orthodox Reformation.” Our investigation of Russian Orthodox religion and culture draws on everything from mystical theology and holy icons, Old Church Slavonic chants of monastery choirs and ascetic practices of prophetic hermits, to the celebration – both in and out of church – of the yearly cycle of religious holidays, the ROC’s complex relationship with the unofficial practices of Russian folk religion, and the literature and film in which all these things are reflected. Flags: Global Cultures & Writing This course carries the Global Cultures flag. Global Cultures courses are designed to increase your familiarity with cultural groups outside the United States. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from assignments covering the practices, beliefs, and histories of at least one non-U.S. cultural group, past or present. During spring of 2021 only, this course carries the Writing Flag. Writing Flag courses are designed to give students experience with writing in an academic discipline. In this class, you can expect to write regularly during the semester, complete substantial writing projects, and receive feedback from your instructor to help you improve your writing. You will also have the opportunity to revise one or more assignments, and you may be asked to read and discuss your peers’ work. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from your written work. Writing Flag classes meet the Core Communications objectives of Critical Thinking, Communication, Teamwork, and Personal Responsibility, established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Transferable Skills: Argument Logics In this course students approach the material through both primary and secondary sources. Each week (unit) consists of 1) a broader history of the period of focus, 2) a translated primary source from that period, and 3) narrower scholarship concerning the role/effect of the primary source within the broader history. Students read the first two readings over the weekend for Tuesday, and for Thursday read the third reading and prepare and upload a discussion question concerning the method and conclusions of articles concerning the primary source. Thursday’s class derives from class discussion (using student discussion questions) from which praise/critique of the scholar’s argument develops. Together, students and the instructor reconstruct the scholar’s argument logic (graphically), identifying strengths and weaknesses. 2 Class Discussion I foster a classroom atmosphere in which everyone is treated respectfully, but this does not preclude disagreement. Classroom discussion of the material is an important part of the learning process and it is important for you to feel safe and relaxed so that you can speak up in front of the class without undue anxiety, even if you are uncertain of how your contribution will be received. Please do not hesitate to contact me if there is anything in the classroom that prevents you from speaking in class. Questions? Comments? Concerns? I value your feedback. If you enjoy your class, let me know. If there are aspects of the class that you do not feel comfortable with, please inform me. Additional course offerings from the Department of Religious Studies ● If you would like information about majoring or minoring in Religious Studies, contact Kevin Pluta, Undergraduate Advisor for Religious Studies at [email protected] or visit the department’s webpage: https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/rs/index.php Use of e-mail for official correspondence to students All students should become familiar with the University's official e-mail student notification policy. It is the student's responsibility to keep the University informed as to changes in his or her email address. Students are expected to check email on a frequent and regular basis in order to stay current with University-related communications, recognizing that certain communications may be time-critical. It is recommended that email be checked daily, but at a minimum, twice per week. The complete text of this policy and instructions for updating your e-mail address are available at http://www.utexas.edu/its/policies/emailnotify.html. The class will be using its Canvas site, accessible to each of you at https://canvas.utexas.edu/ or through your UT Direct account. E‑mail reminders and updates will be sent through Canvas. The instructor answers university email during business hours (M-F 8am-5pm). Do not expect a response after hours, immediately before class time or on weekends. I do check my email after hours, but much more infrequently. 3 Documented disability statement Any student with a documented disability who requires academic accommodations should contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at (512) 471-6259 (voice) or 1-866-329-3986 (video phone). Faculty are not required to provide accommodations without an official accommodation letter from SSD. Details of a student’s disability are confidential. Faculty do not ask questions related to a student’s condition or diagnosis when receiving an official accommodation letter. ● Please notify me as quickly as possible if the material being presented in class is not accessible (e.g., instructional videos need captioning, course packets are not readable for proper alternative text conversion, etc.). ● Please notify me as early in the semester as possible if disability-related accommodations for field trips are required. Advanced notice will permit the arrangement of accommodations on the given day (e.g., transportation, site accessibility, etc.). ● Contact Services for Students with Disabilities at 471-6259 (voice) or 1-866-329-3986 (video phone) or reference SSD’s website for more disability-related information: http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd/for_cstudents.php Behavior concerns advice line (BCAL) If you are worried about someone who is acting differently, you may use the Behavior Concerns Advice Line to discuss by phone your concerns about another individual’s behavior. This service is provided through a partnership among the Office of the Dean of Students, the Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC), the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and The University of Texas Police Department (UTPD). Call 512-232-5050 or visit http://www.utexas.edu/safety/bcal. Harassment Reporting Requirements Senate Bill 212 (SB 212), which goes into effect as of January 1, 2020, is a Texas State Law that requires all employees (both faculty and staff) at a public or private post-secondary institution to promptly report any knowledge of any incidents of sexual assault, sexual harassment, dating violence, or stalking “committed by or against a person who was a student enrolled at or an employee of the institution at the time of the incident". Please 4 note that both the instructor and the TA for this class are mandatory reporters and MUST share with the Title IX office any information about sexual harassment/assault shared with us by a student whether in-person or as part of a journal or other class assignment.