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Preliminary syllabus, subject to change at the discretion of the instructor. In order to serve students, the final syllabus will be posted one week prior to the start of classes. Please contact me for further information.

LAS 0260: The Cultural Voyages of the Virgin Mary From the to Latin America

This course counts as a major or minor requirement for Latin American Studies, as an elective for the minor in Women’s Studies, and fulfills the Creative Arts and Cultures Requirement of the Loyola Core.

Professor Naomi Yavneh Klos Email: [email protected] Office: Bobet 305, office hours [TBA] and by appointment

Course description: The Virgin Mary is arguably the most famous female figure in Christianity, but also one of the most contested. Theologically, according to Catholics, the Virgin is the object of special veneration -- hyperdulia, above the saints -- a who intercedes with her son on behalf of sinners. According to Protestants, however, although Mary was a Virgin when she conceived Jesus, after his birth she bore other sons (Jesus’ brothers), fathered by Joseph.

This Catholic/Protestant division is not the only point of contestation. When we talk about the Virgin Mary, who are we talking about? The Mary of the Gospels? One of her apparitions to the faithful -- for example, , or Fatima, or Lourdes, Nuestra Senora de la Caridad del Cobre -- our Lady of Chastity?

Do the people who show devotion to her follow the “theological rules” and does that matter? Why might someone want to possess a particular image or cup or keychain? What is her cultural significance? How has her representation affected and inflected a culture’s gender roles, for example? Is she a model of domesticity and ideal motherhood? A pawn of the patriarchy? A feminist ? An apologist for colonialism? The quintessential Jewish mother?

This seminar considers the Virgin Mary from a feminist perspective, looking at the ways in which her theological and cultural representation can both exemplify and be uniquely distinct from the lived, quotidian (day-to-day) experience of women. Examining scripture and the visual arts, literature, church buildings, shrines, theology and sociology, we will trace the path of the Virgin Mary from the Gospels to medieval and Renaissance Europe, and then on to Latin America and New Orleans. Finally, we will draw on tools and techniques considered in the class to create representations of the Virgin Mary that reflect our own learning regarding this complex figure.

Students have the option of participating in Service Learning with one of Loyola’s community partners. Through 20 hours of work, you will explore the role and status of women today, particularly in settings related to areas which we might view as under the purview of the Virgin Mary -- caretaking and spirituality. You will also consider the relationship between the articulated values of the partner 2 organization (for example, as expressed through their mission statement) and the way in which those values are (or are not) visible in your interactions and work with the organization. Although the potential service-learning partners offer experience in a variety of settings, they are connected in that each is a faith-based organization and/or works with the Latinx community. Regardless of what specific work you are doing, you will be called to reflect on how what you see at the organization is connected to some of the themes of this class.

Learning outcomes. This course will help you to ● Identify and understand the significance of the symbolism and of the Virgin Mary in a range of historical and cultural traditions; ● Through a consideration of the representation of the Virgin Mary, examine the way images and other cultural productions convey and contest gender norms and values; ● Develop an interdisciplinary understanding of the cultural role of the Virgin Mary and of the , from a variety of perspectives, including theological, political, social, and historical; ● Through a consideration of the Virgin Mary, examine the role of the Church as a hegemonic, evangelizing, and colonializing power in early modern Europe and Latin America; ● Distinguish and find connnections between the theology and lived experience of religion and faith traditions; ● Develop skills in critical and creative thinking, through the analysis of primary texts (written and visual) and secondary literature, and through the creation of creative works such as black out poetry, midrash (retellings of scripture), and retablos (devotional images). ● Identify and understand the significance of the symbolism and iconography of the Virgin Mary using basic vocabulary from the field of art history and use that vocabulary to demonstrate a basic understanding of aesthetic analysis

Learning outcomes for service learning: By working with faith-based and/or Latinx-focused organizations serving marginalized and vulnerable communities, students will ● gain understanding of how physical, spiritual, and emotional care-taking may be inflected by constructions of gender and power; ● observe and reflect on connections and distinctions between the articulated mission and goals of a service organization and its practices.

Required texts: Note that these texts are widely available used on Amazon or abebooks.com, often at lower prices than at the university bookstore. You may also purchase the kindle or audible edition, if available. ● Marina Warner, Alone of All Her Sex. (any edition; New York: Vintage, 1983). 978-0394-711553 ● Elizabeth Johnson, Truly Our Sister: A Theology of Mary in the Communion of the Saints. New York: Continuum, 2003. 08264-18279 ● María Del Socorro Castañeda-Liles. Our Lady of Everyday Life: La Virgen de Guadalupe and the Catholic Imagination of Mexican Women in America. 978-019-0280406 3

Recommended: ● Oxford Study . Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. 978-0195290004

A note about what this class is NOT about and class expectations This class is designed to help you think critically about the cultural role of the creative arts, and the way in which concepts of gender identity both shape and are shaped by culturally-specific representations. We will be looking at how the image and figure of the Virgin Mary was viewed, representative of, and understood, in a historical context, and across multiple cultures, and how these conceptions both colored and were inflected by understandings of the ideal role of women.

As a Catholic, Jesuit university, Loyola believes in freedom of speech and freedom of belief, and I encourage students of all faiths, worldviews and backgrounds to take this class. Whether you are Catholic, Jewish, Buddhist, or atheist, I hope this class opens your eyes to new insights, and strengthens your understanding of the role religion and faith play in culture and society. Whatever your background, you are not expected to accept Church doctrine regarding the Virgin as a matter of faith, nor should you feel hesitancy to challenge such doctrine in the context of our discussions. (Even devout theologians have been doing that for millenia!) At various points, you may disagree with what our readings, the professor, or your classmates argue. You may even feel offended or angry, or have some other emotional response. You may also find spiritual connection with the material, in a Catholic context or otherwise.

As a student in this class, you are expected to treat fellow students and the professor with respect at all times, to argue and disagree from evidence (e.g. “what you are saying contradicts [example x] or “here’s why I disagree,” not “what you are saying is just stupid!”). Please refrain from ad hominem (personal) attacks or from ascribing people’s arguments in class to their personal, political, or worldview beliefs. Assume good will and a positive sense of shared inquiry.

As a class, we may choose to set additional common expectations for behavior and conduct. If you ever feel the need to leave class and take a moment, please do so. If you would like to discuss your feelings with me, or would like me to connect you with someone with whom you can discuss them, please let me know. If you feel that someone (including me) has been offensive to you, please let me know, as well.

Course Requirements: Prepared participation and attendance (20%) Group project, “Marian Moments” and Mapping the Virgin (20%) Midterm project (25%) Final project or Service learning (25%) Reflections (10%)

Participation (20%) is more than just showing up; it also means that I expect you to come to class having read or otherwise reviewed the material, having completed any assignments, and ready to discuss the day’s topic. As a class, we will set community expectations, and you are expected to comply with them. Other important ways to participate: 4

● Respond to prompts on discussion boards ● Participate in class project ● Come to office hours to discuss something other than “what is my grade so far?” ● Serve as a technology resource for your classmates, helping with zoom or canvas issues, or in making videos or other media for presentations

Attendance ● (At the moment, we are anticipating that this class will be held in the classroom for Fall 2021; policies regarding campus clear, etc. will be updated in August.) ● This is a discussion-based class and you are expected to show up every day. Each student is allowed up to 5 excused absences before there is an impact on their grade. How you use these absences is up to you -- due to illness, a religious observance, a family activity, mental health and wellness day, etc. -- but it is your responsibility to let me know (in advance if at all possible or as soon as possible) and to reach out to your classmates for notes. If you have a particular situation that affects your attendance, please let me know so we can figure out a solution. Please note that the university policy on attendance is that students are expected to maintain a minimum overall attendance level of 80% or above. ● Because some people have health conditions that may require them to eat in class you may do so, as necessary. Similarly, if you need to go to the bathroom or otherwise excuse yourself, please do so.

Projects ● Marian Moment project: working in pairs, students define and explore the significance of a particular moment in the (e.g. the , the Pieta’, etc.) and discuss representations from three different historic eras. This project will link with the class assignment. ● Midterm project: comparison of text and two images from different time periods, or creation of their own image with reflection on how it draws on the concerns of a particular time period, with special but not exclusive attention to gender roles ● Final project: “New Stories to tell about the Virgin” in which students have the option of an analytic or creative project with reflection

Weekly topics:

Week 1: Who is the Virgin and why do we care? M: Post: Identify an image of the Virgin you have seen. It can be in your or someone else’s home, in a museum, in a church, in a store. W: according to Matthew, ch. 1-2 F: Gospel according to Luke, ch. 1-2; 1 Samuel ch. 1 BOLO: Mapping the Virgin in Our Community (start of project)

Week 2: Understanding the Biblical Mary; Typologies of the Virgin Mary 5

Reading: Marina Warner, Alone of All Her Sex, ch 1-2 Susan Haskins, “Introduction,” Who is Mary: Three Early Modern Women on the Idea of the Virgin Mary. “Marian moments” project

Week 3: Typologies, continued; the Virgin Mary’s Virginity Marina Warner, Alone of All Her Sex, ch. 3 (Virgin Birth), ch. 4 (2nd Eve) Genesis, 1-3

Week 4: Feminist Theology of the Bible Elizabeth Johnson, Truly Our Sister (selections) It’s time to free Mary and Let have her own maternal face podcast

Week 5: The Dormition, Mary as Priest Ally Kateusz, "The Trajectory of the Redaction of the Markers of Mary's Liturgical Leadership” (please complete accompanying worksheet Warner, Alone, ch. 5 (Virgin Martyrs) and ch. 6 (The Assumption)

Week 6 The Embodied Mary and the lactans Miles, “The Virgin’s One Bare Breast.” (The lactating Virgin and the Black Death.) Yavneh, “To Bare or Not Too Bare: Sofonisba Anguissola’s Nursing Madonna.” “Boccaccio and the Black Death” (website with link to opening of Boccaccio, The Decameron)

Week 7 Reformation, Catholic Reformation, and the Virgin Mary Haskins, esp. 33-40 Pelikan, “The Model of Faith in the Word of God” (from Mary Through the Centuries)

Week 8 The Virgin in Spain

Week 9 &10 The Virgin and the Colonial Endeavor: The Virgin of Guadalupe

Week 11 Our lady of everyday life

Week 12 Alternate virgins: Madre de la muerte, Virgen de la Caridad del cobre

Week 13 Personal interpretations: Yolanda Lopez, Retablos, and Our Lady of Guadalupe in Wisconsin

Weeks 14 & 15 , Midrash and Black out poetry “Beyonce, the Virgin Mary, and the Power of Imagery” Hall, “Images of Women and Power” Washington Post, “Mary’s Magnificat is Powerful” “The Subversive Magnificat” Michael J. O’Loughlin, “Considering Mary’s Humanity” Monasteries of the Heart, “Litany of Mary of Nazareth” 6

Rev. Wil Gafney, Blogpost, “Mary of God”

Below is a collection of readings regarding the question of Mary and consent. Depending on the comfort level of the class, we may explore these together (with permission to opt-out) or students may choose to consider them on their own: https://medium.com/@artscisarah/jesus-was-a-rape-baby-98e652f2d8f8 https://catholicvote.org/19815-2/ no, mary wasn’t raped https://religionnews.com/2015/12/23/internet-meme-god-raped-mary-wrong-commentary/ https://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2012/12/let-it-be-marys-radical-declaration-of-consent/266616

Description of projects and sample assignments:

Class Assignment: Representing the Virgin Mary Where do you see images of the Virgin Mary in our community? BOLO: Be On The Lookout – in churches, on the street, in the supermarket, in stores. As a class, we will curate a collection of images of the Virgin Mary, with commentary based on our study as a class. What type of representation? What particular doctrinal moment or conception is this based upon? Who created this work and to what purpose? What gender roles and values do you see reflected?

First assignment: find an image of the virgin – comment on it, what do you see? This assignment will be returned in November – what do you notice about your response to the first assignment? How have you grown as a student and scholar?

Projects:

“Marian Moments” Although the Madonna and Child (the representation of the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child) is arguably the most well-known type of image of the Virgin Mary, throughout art history and across cultures, there are many different types of images of Mary, representing different moments in her life or facets of her doctrine.

Only one group will explore each type; please discuss your group's first, second, and third choice of the topics. You can also use this space to discuss how you will organize the work. Please email me your top choices of topic as soon as possible, and no later than prior to class on Monday!

Working in pairs and trios, please prepare a brief presentation (4-5-minute video or powerpoint with written or audio narration) that defines, gives an explanation of, and provides examples of that type of image. You should answer such questions as:

● The definition (The Annunciation is the moment when the Arcangel Gabriel appears to the Virgin Mary, telling her that she will bear the Son of God) 7

● The source (the Gospel according to Luke) ● Typical iconography (are there specific symbols that generally appear in representations of this moment) ● The significance of this moment (what theological concepts is it used to emphasize? What does it suggest or underscore about gender or power? ● 3 different versions of such representations. What period/country are each of these from? What is emphasized or ignored in the particular representation, and what effect does that create? Who created the work and what values did they seek to express? ● Bibliography (at least 3 sources, plus the sources for the images)

Topics: The Visitation, The , The at the Temple,

The Nativity, The Adoration of the Shepherds, The

The Purification of Mary/The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple

The Rest on the , The Finding of Jesus in the Temple

The Pieta’ (Mary holding the dead Christ), The Assumption, The of the Virgin

Midterm project

● Comparison of text and two images

In class and in our readings, we have considered the ways in which artists have interpreted biblical descriptions of the Virgin Mary. For this assignment, choose a biblical text along with two visual representations thereof.

Start with an analysis of the biblical text: How is the story represented? What is there and what is omitted? Remember, a text does not speak for itself -- you need to point out to the reader what is going on.

Then, provide an analysis and comparison of the two images: what version of the story does each one tell? What is emphasized and what is omitted? What point in the story does the artist capture and what interpretation of the story does the artist seek to emphasize? How is that interpretation of the story significant in the artist’s culture/time period? What kind of messages regarding gender and power do the images reflect? For each of the images, please consult at least two peer-reviewed sources (articles or books). The essay should be approximately 1000-1250 words in length.

● Analysis of an image from a different time period or culture

Thus far, we have considered Western European art, primarily from the Early Modern period (1300-1600). How has the Virgin Mary been presented in other time periods or cultures? What other meanings has she accrued? Choose such an image and provide an analysis. If the image represents a moment from the Bible, offer an analysis of the biblical text and then discuss what interpretation the image you have chosen provides. How is that interpretation of the story significant in the artist’s culture/time period? What kind of understanding regarding gender and power does the image reflect? In 8 discussing the image, please consult at least two peer-reviewed sources (articles or books). The essay should be approximately 1000-1250 words in length.

● The Virgin Mary in Our Time

In class and in your reading, we have considered some ways in which the image of the Virgin speaks to specific time periods -- for example, the Madonna lactans (breastfeeding Virgin) can be seen to address concerns regarding hunger, patriarchy, maternal devotion, and health. Choose one of the thematic representations of the Virgin we have discussed in class -- the Annunciation, the Assumption, the Immaculate Conception, etc. -- and design your own Virgin. In addition to creating your own Virgin in the media of your choice, write a reflection (250-400 words) that discusses how you have represented her and why, including how your imagery draws on previous representations or is innovative.

Final project: New Stories About the Virgin Mary

In these last two weeks of the semester, we will consider what new stories there are to tell about the Virgin Mary, whether in considering the adoption (some might argue appropriation) of her imagery by celebrities such as Beyonce, through the work of feminist and womanist theologians who re-envision Mary’s Magnificat as a proclamation of solidarity with and redemption for those on the margins, and in the creation of our own “black out poems” based on the biblical texts.

Choose one of these options for your final project.

1. Write a midrash that expands on the story of the Virgin Mary as narrated in the New Testament texts

There are a lot of gaps in the stories of the Bible. Like the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament is written paratactically -- that is, with declarative statement after declarative statement, and without a lot of detail, explanation, or interior response. We are told what a character does and possibly what s/he says, but not their motivation or how anyone felt about it. For example, the story of Noah’s ark in Genesis tells us that Noah took two of every kind of animal, but it doesn’t say what happened to those animals on the boat -- how Noah kept them apart, whether they ever bit him (or each other), what they ate, etc. Midrashic tales are designed to fill in those gaps.

In addition, the values or events expressed in the story sometimes contradict the values of later times. For well over two thousand years, stories and elaborations have been written that “correct” these Biblical texts.

Reverend Wilda C. Gafney has coined and expanded on womanist midrash, a particular practice and method that Gafney defines as:

"[...] A set of interpretive practices, including translation, exegesis, and biblical narratives, that attends to marginalized characters in biblical narratives, especially women and girls, intentionally including and centering on non-Israelite peoples and enslaved persons. Womanist midrash listens to and for their 9 voices in and through the Hebrew Bible, while acknowledging that often the text does not speak, or even intend to speak, to or for them, let alone hear them. In the tradition of rabbinic midrash and contemporary feminist biblical scholarship, womanist midrash offers names for anonymized characters and crafts/listens to/gives voice to those characters."

Gafney's analysis also draws parallels between midrash as a Jewish exegetical practice and African American Christian practices of biblical interpretation, wherein both practices privilege "sacred imaginative interrogation," or "sanctified imagination" as it is referred to in the black preaching tradition, when exegeting and interpreting the text. "Like classical and contemporary Jewish midrash, the sacred imagination [as practiced in black preaching traditions] tells us the story behind the story, the story between the lines on the page," Gafney writes. For your midrash, choose a specific text or verses relating to the Virgin Mary in the Bible and elaborate on those verses, expanding the story and allowing for your own interpretation that sheds light on the Virgin and her role that makes sense to you. The format should be a story that takes as its base the biblical narrative, not an explanation of the biblical narrative. Although the text or verses must relate to the Virgin Mary, she does not need to be your main character, as long as the story is showing the reader something about her and her role.

In addition to the story (500-750 words), you must write a reflection (additional 500-750 words) that includes: ● Which text you choose ● Why you chose that text, and what your midrash tells us about the Virgin Mary ● How your interpretation of the Virgin Mary relates to at least two other representations or discussions of Mary we have considered in this class. ● Any sources (including bibliographical information) you drew upon

2) Design a retablo of the Virgin Mary that connects her in some way to this moment in history, to a moment in your own life, to a family member (or someone close to you), or to a figure in history. In designing your retablo, please read carefully the chapters from “Miracles on the Border” posted in canvas for Week 15 Monday readings, as well as considering the many different types of representations of the Virgin we have discussed.

In addition to your retablo, which should be in color (if you want only to do a black and white pencil drawing, you need to explain why that is appropriate to your portrayal), you will need to write a reflection that includes ● Which texts and images of the Virgin your image draws upon, and why you chose them ● An explication of your retablo, including the symbolism you used (both original to you and drawn from other sources) why it is personally significant to you ● A specific discussion explaining, based on the discussion in the book chapters, how you have drawn on the retablo tradition in creating your work.

3) Topic of your choice 10

Perhaps there is something we have discussed that you really want to explore further, or an idea you want to explore. If so, email me and we can set up a zoom appointment to discuss your project.

Service learning: Students in this class have the option of completing twenty (20) hours of community engagement with one of Loyola’s identified partner organizations. For students who chose this option, the service learning (hours plus additional required journaling, final reflection, and evaluation of performance by the service-learning supervisor) replace the final project and are thus worth 25% of the grade. X**% of the service-learning grade is the evaluation by the service providing organization.

Through Service Learning, students will gain sensitivity into the role of women today, particularly in settings related to areas which we might view as under the purview of the Virgin Mary -- caretaking and spirituality. Although the potential service-learning partners offer experience in a variety of settings, they are connected in that each is a faith-based organization. Regardless of what specific work you are doing, you will want to reflect on how what you see at the organization is connected to some of the themes of this class: ● Consider the articulated mission of the organization. (You should be able to find this on the organization’s website.) In your volunteer work there, (how) do you the articulated faith-based values of the organization inform their work and activities on a daily basis? In other words, where do you see these values in their work? ● Comparing the theoretically-expressed values to what you actually see in your experience of the organization, how might you connect this to the distinctions we have drawn between lived and theological religion? What kind of lived values do you observe or hear expressed by the clients this organization serves? ● In what ways do you see gender inflecting the roles and activities of this organization and those served by it? ● Is the Virgin Mary referenced in any way by this organization and, if so, in what way? Whether or not she is an explicit presence or referent, how might you connect what you see in your service learning to the larger themes of the class?

Potential partners: Cafe’ con Ingles, Catholic Charities, Anna’s Place, English as a Second Language

By working with faith-based and/or Latinx-focused organizations serving marginalized and vulnerable communities, students will ● gain understanding of how physical, spiritual, and emotional care-taking may be inflected by constructions of gender and power; ● observe and reflect on connections and distinctions between the articulated mission and goals of a service organization and its practices.

Sample homework assignment: The and the Status of Images

This activity should take no more than 90 minutes. 11

Please watch this video link about the Catholic, or Counter-Reformation, which we will discuss today.

Please review these notes regarding Catholic, Lutheran, and Reformed attitudes toward the saints and toward images

And here is the link to the actual "Canons and Decrees" of the 25th session of the Council of Trent, which discussed the status of images and of the Virgin Mary.

Start with the video and the notes, and respond to these three questions:

1. What was the Catholic attitude toward the saints? 2. Summarize the Lutheran attitude toward the saints

Compare the attitude toward images of the Catholics, the Lutherans, and the Calvinists

Now look at the Decrees of the Council of Trent, focusing on this section:

ON THE INVOCATION, VENERATION, AND RELICS, OF SAlNTS, AND ON SACRED IMAGES.

1. What attitude is expressed toward the saints? 2. Why do the writers affirm it is important to turn to images of the Virgin? How are we honoring Christ, the Virgin, and the Saints when we venerate their images and how is this not idolatry? 3. What important function do images serve and what are the bishops supposed to do to ensure their proper use? 4. Reflect: What role does gender play in these discussions?