Religion and Social Change (REL 346) Center for Global Education and Experience Nation Building, Globalization, and Decolonizing the Mind Fall 2018

Instructor: LaMont A. Slater Cell: 081-772-0989 E-mail: [email protected]

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The course focuses primarily on the role and theology of in Southern Africa. Perhaps nowhere in the African continent is the study of Christianity as fascinating, complex, or contentious as in Southern Africa. In the twentieth century South Africans have used Christian doctrine both to justify and to oppose doctrines of racial segregation, and Christian leadership provided much of the impetus of the founding of the African National Congress (ANC) in 1912, as well as SWAPO in . But the history of South African Christianity is found for the most part in local—or “micro”—narratives, while the highly elaborated “macro” narratives of colonialism, capitalism, and liberation-the backbone of the conventional histories of -assign Christianity a marginal role, or no role at all.

This course is designed to help students reflect on the role of , particularly Christian theology, and analyze and assess both the positive and negative roles it has played in the process of change that characterized Namibian and Southern African history. Students will be encouraged to use the interdisciplinary insights gained through the other courses (history, politics and development studies) to assess for themselves what role religion has played in the changes Namibians have had to assimilate in their histories--through pre-colonial times, the colonial-era, followed by the regime, and the post-apartheid context.

This course meets the Christian Faith (FC-3) general education requirement at Augsburg College.

1 INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS

1. To develop an awareness of the important role have played historically, as well as currently, in Southern African cultures and politics.

2. To demonstrate the significant role that Christian theologies have played in establishing and maintaining both positive and negative forms of social change in Southern African societies.

3. To articulate an understanding of the various interpretations and uses of the Bible as a tool for colonization, liberation, and unity.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. To further analytical development regarding religions and Christian theologies and the contributions they have made as it pertains to social changes in their societies.

2. To create awareness concerning African Traditional Religions, which were the beliefs informing the political, social, economic and religious aspects of the indigenous people in Africa pre-dating the arrival of Christianity.

3. To critically study the history of Christianity in Namibia and South Africa, in order to comprehend positive and negative impacts of Christianity on the traditional views of Namibians with regards to human sexuality, patriarchal structures, authority, reconciliation and public discourse.

4. To gain an understanding of the role of religions and African liberation theologies in the struggles against colonialism and Apartheid, as well as in the reconciliation processes in Namibia and South Africa.

5. To assess the relationship between Christian theology/liberation theologies prevailing in Namibia and South Africa and human rights principles.

6. To learn about the advocacy of the churches regarding the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Namibia.

7. To evaluate the consistency between the theologies preached by churches in Namibia and South Africa and their current actions with regard to contemporary social issues.

8. To analyze the involvement of religious leaders “global North,” or “first world,” in the liberation struggles of southern Africa.

9. To reflect upon one’s own responsibility (or lack thereof) for social changes in Southern Africa as a citizen of the “global North” or “first world.”

10. To compare and contrast the theological views and practice discussed by authors and lecturers in Namibia and South Africa with one’s own philosophical, religious, and/or spiritual beliefs and practice.

11. To reflect upon the relationship between one’s own philosophical, religious and/or spiritual beliefs and involvement (or lack thereof) in work for social change.

12. To discuss the growing presence of minority religious groups in southern Africa and their contributions to positive/negative social change in the region.

13. To become a more informed and active global citizen.

2 TEACHING METHODOLOGY

Student Collaboration Session Working in groups, students will sign-up to lead collaborative research (outside of class) and discussion sessions (in class).Parting from the “Instructional Goals” and “Learning Objectives” listed above, as well as the “Theoretical Guides” in each unit description, groups are expected to brainstorm topics of personal interest relating to the theme of the different units in this course. Each student will lead two collaborative research and discussion sessions (two different units), and hopefully work with different classmates every time. Students should accomplish this through a combination of readings, lectures, individual and group reflections and discussions, and any and other media sources relevant and of your choosing. Students are encouraged to be creative when presenting their research findings and leading in-class discussion, and should utilize and engage a variety of these instruction mediums per class. Students should be prepared to present and lead the session for 30 minutes, and to answer questions and engage in discussion for 10 minutes.

Each group should work closely with the Teaching Assistant through the process of designing their collaborative research and discussion. This will typically entail (but is not limited to) brainstorming of ideas, finding relevant outside resources, determining goals and objectives that are relevant for the week, etc.

Any readings/other advanced preparation work the group will be requiring of their classmates must be handed out or otherwise made known to their cohorts by Friday or before the class they are responsible for instructing.

Grading criteria is explained in detail in Course Requirements section below.

3 COURSE SCHEDULE** Class meets from 9am-1pm

Unit I: 12 September The Role of the in Southern Africa/ Rev Thijs Van Der Merwe

Unit II: 19 September The History of the Lutheran Church in Namibia/Bishop Brandt

Unit III:26 September

Unit IV: 3 October The Role of the Church During Independence/ Dr. Tschaka-Polo

Unit V: 31 October African Traditional Religions\ Reverend Gurirab

Sharpley

Unit VI: 7 November in Namibia/ Quba Masjid

Unit VII: 14 November in Namibia/ Zvi Gorelick

Unit VIII:28 November Presentations and Wrap up

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**Course schedule is tentative. Units may change based on speaker availability. TENTATIVE CLASS OUTLINE

Religion, Black liberation Philosophy Introduction of self and of one’s experiences with religion and spirituality

Location: CGEE

Experiential aspect: Self-Introduction Creative Projects: To be presented on the first day of class.

Theoretical Guide: Brainstorming – a “What is religion?” How does religion function? Is religion still important? Why? When? How? What are your own experiences with religion? Especially with regard to items such as: “meaning of life”, “symbolic universe”, “values worth living for and from”, “change”, “society”. What is Social Change? Consider the similarities and divergences between religion in the U.S. versus religion in Namibia (Southern Africa).

Readings will be given a week prior to the start of class

The role of the church during independence

Location :CGEE and Guest Speaker/ Dr. Tachaka-Polo

Dr Tschaka-polo will give a talk on the tole taht the Lutheran church played duringthe independence movement. Questions such as , what was the role of the local churches, and how was their role

different than those of the missionaries..

Readings will be given a week prior to the start of class

The Role of the Dutch Reformed Church in Southern Africa

5 Location:CGEE Rev. Van Der Merwe

Theoretical Guide: What was the pre-colonial situation in Namibia politically, culturally and religiously? When and how was Namibia and Southern Africa colonized and missionized? Which countries, churches, mission societies, were involved? What was the impact of the missionaries? What was the role of the churches during colonialism, Apartheid and during the liberation struggle?

Readings will be given a week prior to the start of class

Role of the Lutheran Church Talk by Bishop Brandt

In this unit we shall discuss the impact of German Colonization, including the impact of the Lutheran Church and the lasting imprint that it has made on society.

Topic for in-depth analysis: Discussion of positive and negative impacts of the Lutheran Church in Namibia.

Assignment Due: Discuss what role if any, does the church have with regards to reconciliation?

Contributions of Minority Religions to Social Change in Namibia

Location: Windhoek Synagogue ,Zvi Gorelick, and Quba Masjid

Theoretical Guide: Consider the minority religions in Namibian society. What are the relationships between Christianity and minority religions in Namibia? What are the minority religions in Namibian society? Both historically and presently, what roles have these religions played in this country? We will plan to visit the Windhoek Synagogue and the Windhoek Islamic Centre.

Readings will be given a week prior to the start of class

6 Unit VII African Traditional religions

Theoretical Guide: Brainstorm: what is African traditional religion (ATR)? Is there one African religion or multiple religions? Evaluate the relationship between Africans and their religion. What are the factors militating against the study of African traditional religion? Propose solutions to the problems. Assess and analyze the concept of God in Africa along with God’s attributes and worship. What are some of the derogatory concepts of African traditional religion? What similarities exist between African traditional religions and Christianity? Why do we need to study African traditional religion?

Readings will be given a week prior to the start of class

Wrap-up

Location: CGEE

In this unit we shall discuss the value, role and hope of religion to change the social lives of people. We will critique it, analyse the role, challenges, strengths, weaknesses and transformations religion has made in our lives. You are challenged to reflect critically on the following question: “Is the perpetuation of religion important to the structure of societies?”If you posit that it is, then what suggestions do you have for churches, religious groups, the civil society and governments of southern Africa, and Namibia in particular, in order to promote the importance of religion in their own countries. How will you, in the future, attempt to implement what you have learned in this course?

Topic for in-depth analysis: What suggestions do you have for churches, other religions, religious groups, civil societies and governments in southern Africa, Namibia in particular, to promote the contributions of religions in changing societies for the better?

Assignment Due: Essay – The Role of the Church

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COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Overall course grade will be assessed based on the following items: 1. Interdisciplinary Blog Assignment:5% 2. Participation: 10% 3. Project: Religion & Social Change Auto biography: 15% 4. Essay: Critical Response and Reflection: 10% 5. Student Collaboration Session: 10% 6. Essay: Religion and Social Change in Namibia: 20% 7. Final Integrative Project: 30%

Interdisciplinary Blog Assignment This assignment is counted towards final marks in each course. Students will write two blog entries

each, and professors will work together to grade each blog entry. Participation Class attendance and participation will be assessed continuously. Class participation is an essential part of the learning process in this course. You will be evaluated on the quality of your contributions and insights, which should demonstrate your assiduity in completing the required readings. Quality comments offer a unique and relevant perspective; contribute to moving the discussion forward; are based on evidence; include argumentation; and demonstrate some reflective thinking.

While your participation grade is subjective, it will not be random or arbitrary. Each student is expected to bring at least two discussion points/questions for each unit’s assigned reading. Pop-up quizzes might be used as a tool to monitor the completion of reading assignments, and will contribute to your participation grade.

Religion and Social Change Autobiography (Due on the first day of class) Write an autobiographical essay (approximately 3-4 pages) and prepare a 20 minute creative presentation describing the development and evolution of your own critical analysis of religion and social change. Please expect personal thoughts, notes, and feedback from the professor as the subject is of a personal nature. These are not meant to question you or your beliefs but to push you to continue to analyze these issues .Presentations will be held on the first day of class. Essay is due on the second class. Grade will be split evenly between presentation and essay.

Essay: Critical Response and Reflection Due to scheduling arrangements of the program, regular classes in Windhoek, and consequently the present course, will have a hiatus of about one month in October. With the intention of maintaining cohesion between the two “halves” of the course, and encouraging students to remain conscious and critical during their time in rural Namibia, students are expected to write a critical response to one or more units covered in the first part of the course. This critical response should be written in an essay format (3-4 pages).

8 Your critical response should focus on one or more of the following units: − Religion, Politics and Transformation − African Traditional Religions − The History of the Dutch Reformed Church in Southern Africa − Contributions of Minority Religions to Social Change in Namibia

Your critical response should answer the following questions: − What was memorable about the speakers/class discussions from this unit? − Whose story was being told, whose was omitted? − What was problematic/ controversial about what you learned and experienced? − What questions do you still have about this topic?

Essay: Religion and Social Change in Namibia (Oral presentation and essay due on the last day of class) In the face of all you have experienced and learned throughout this course, assess the ways in which religion has contributed to the social transformation of Namibia, otherwise, the ways in which it has inhibited social change—propose possible alternatives to hamper these inhibitions.What roles have the various theologies discussed in this course played in the colonization, liberation, reconciliation, political landscape, and struggle for social change in Namibian society? Be sure to explore positive, negative, historical, and present roles and to analyze various theologies.

This final essay should pull from a variety of research methods that could include conversations with home stay families, friends, and co-workers, class readings, speakers, lectures and discussions, and independent research. Essays and oral presentation are due on the last class of the semester. Be prepared to discuss your findings in class.

Final Integrative Project Integrative Projects count for each and every course. This project can be developed individually or in groups of up to three students. Projects should be creative (a play, a calendar, musical piece, etc), and should: 1) be rooted in critical analysis of issues important to Namibia and/ or South Africa, 2) draw upon your own experiences, and 3) be a synthesis of your learning that can be used to educate others on key issues facing Namibia. Although this is an integrative project, each instructor will grade the final projects separately.

The proposal is an outline of the project; it should include the following below. Project Proposal is worth 5% of the course grade. 1. The topic 2. Who is doing the project (individual or group?) 3. How it will integrate themes from all your courses; internship and/or volunteering 4. Proposed format (presentation; panel discussion; performance, etc.) 5. Resources you are using/plan to use 6. What has already been accomplished and challenges you have encountered

Final Integrative Project Presentations The presentations must include clear and relevant references to sources (either text, outside readings, meetings or group research and/or interviews).A finalized outline of the presentation, with a list of sources, must be turned in before the presentation. The presentation itself is worth 25% of course grade.

9 GRADING CRITERIA FOR STUDENT COLLABORATION SESSION:

This project will be graded on the following three criteria: 1. Form: 30%, 2. Content: 35% 3. Interpretation and Analysis: 35%

The instructor considers excellent work that which fulfils the following criteria:

1) Form: -Quality of discussion/presentation outline (to be handed in during class) - Organization - Clear objectives and goals of research, as well as engaging discussion questions

2) Content -Integrates knowledge from diverse sources -Experiential learning technique(s) -Participatory/engaging presentation of research findings/discussion

3) Interpretation & Analysis -Demonstrates a genuine and extensive investigation of the theme -Demonstrates an understanding of the ways in which issues are interrelated -Analyzes the issues from different viewpoints -Generates critical questions -Synthesizes and integrates information and ideas

10 GRADING CRITERIA FOR ESSAY ASSIGNMENTS

While criteria will vary slightly from assignment to assignment, most work will be graded on the following four criteria: 1. Form: 10% 2. Content: 30% 3. Interpretation and Analysis: 30% 4. Integration & Understanding: 30% The instructor considers superior work to be work which fulfils the following criteria.

1) Form - Extremely well-organized - Articulate ideas clearly and concisely - Correct grammar and spelling - Legible - Typed or handwritten on 8 ½ x 11” paper - Accurate citation of readings and speakers (using footnotes or endnotes & bibliography)

2) Content - Demonstrates accurate & profound knowledge of the subject - Includes an articulate statement of your thesis & or questions for further exploration - Scales down information to what is most important exhibits a profound understanding of the main points expressed by guest speakers & in required readings - Employs solid logic and well-documented data - Supports arguments with concrete examples from readings, speakers, class sessions, & other experience

3) Interpretation & Analysis - Presents more than just a summary of information - Analyzes issues from different viewpoints, including views opposite one’s own - Recognizes interrelationships among issues - Draws upon assigned texts, class sessions & guest speakers to support own thesis - Makes logical arguments - Articulates complexities of the issues - Generates critical questions not addressed fully by authors or speakers - Applies principles and generalizations already learned to new information

4) Integration & Understanding - Demonstrates an understanding of the ways in which issues interrelated with each other - Integrates knowledge from diverse sources, including authors and speakers -Compares ideas of authors of required readings with each other - Makes connections between ideas raised in required readings with those of guest speakers - Takes new information acquired in Namibia and effectively integrates it with prior knowledge & experiences - Synthesizes and integrates information and ideas

11 AUGSBURG HONESTY POLICY: All students are expected to follow the Augsburg Honesty Policy, which is printed in the program manual. It is assumed that all students have read the honesty policy, understand it, and are following it. Except when the assignment expressly encourages group work, it is assumed that all course work will be one’s own. Students are not to copy the work of others. The first occurrence of plagiarism will result in the failure of the assignment. A student who commits plagiarism for the second time will fail the course.

STUDENTS’ RIGHTS AND RESPONSBILITIES: Students with formerly diagnosed learning or physical differences have legal rights to course modifications. Those who qualify should identify themselves to the instructor as soon as possible in order to obtain appropriate modifications.

SELF-ASSESSMENTS AND PEER ASSESSMENTS: Students will be asked to self-assessment form. Although the instructor makes the final determination of grades, students are asked to honestly evaluate their own work in order to have input into the grading process and generate a constructive dialogue regarding the evaluation of specific assignments based on explicitly defined criteria. When there is a strong disagreement between the student and the instructor regarding the evaluation of a particular assignment, the student should make an appointment with the instructor to discuss the disagreement. Students will also be asked to participate in a process of peer evaluation regarding creative projects, oral presentations, and class participation.

LATE ASSIGNMENTS: Assignments are due on the set date, unless prior arrangement has been made by the student with the instructors. Points will be subtracted for late work.

GRADING: Traditional Augsburg College grading policies apply to this course. Students may select either traditional grading on a 4.0 to 0.0 scale or the P/NC option, although they are strongly encouraged to take the course P/NC due to the rigorous nature of the academic program and the added stress of cultural adjustment.

The following system is used to determine grades: Grade GPA Percentage Augsburg Definition A 4.0 93-100%Achieves highest standards of excellence A-/B+ 3.5 88-92% B 3.0 83-87%Achieves above basic course standards B-/C+ 2.5 78-82% C/PASS 2.0 73-77%Meets basic standards for the course C-/D+ 1.5 68-72%(NO PASS) D 1.0 63-67%Performance below basic course standards D- 0.5 60-62% F 0.0 Under 60% Unacceptable performance (no credit for the course)

The course and course syllabus are deliberate works-in-progress, which will be continuously improved throughout the semester.

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