Teaching Ritual

by Catherine Bell

Overview

There is a great deal of interest in bringing a better appreciation of ritual into religious studies classes, but many teachers are uncertain how to go about doing this. Religious studies faculty know how to teach texts, but they are often unprepared to teach something for which the meaning lies in the doing. How much doing should a class do? How does the teacher talk about religious concepts that exist in practical relationships, not textual descriptions? These practical issues also give rise to theoretical questions. Giving more attention to ritual effectively suggests a reinterpretation of religion itselfless focused on what people have thought and written, and more focused on how they order their universe. Much of the useful analysis of ritual derives from anthropological and sociological premises, which are often foreign to religious studies faculty and are seen by some as theologically problematic. This is the first resource to address the issues specific to teaching this subject. A stellar cast of contributors, who teach ritual in a wide variety of courses and settings, explain what has worked for them in the classroom, what hasn't, and what they've learned from experience. Their voices range from personal to formal, and their topics from Japanese theatre to using field trips. The result is a thoughtful guide for teachers who are new to the subject as well as experienced ones looking for fresh angles and approaches.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195176469
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	05/18/2007
Series:	AAR Teaching Religious Studies
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 6.00(h) x 0.71(d)

About the Author

Catherine Bell is the Bernard J. Hanley Professor of Religious Studies at Santa Clara University. She is the author of Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice and Ritual: Perspectives and Dimensions.

Table of Contents

PrefaceContributors' BiographiesIntroduction, Catherine Bell, editorPart I. Teaching the Experience through Encounter and Reflection1. "Living A Double Consciousness", R. Schechner2. "Still Liminal After All These Years: Teaching Ordeals and Peregrinations", A. Grodzins Gold3. "Dancing Ritual, Ritual Dancing: Experiential Teaching", S. Gill4. "The Fieldtrip and Its Role in Teaching Ritual", D. Pinault5. "Experience, Purpose, Pedagogy and Theory: Ritual Activities in the Classroom", M. Wallace6. "Ritualizing Zen and the Art of Writing", R. GrimesPart II. Teaching the Questions through Issues and Theories7. "Teaching Ritual Propriety and Authority through Japanese Religions", J. Nelson8. "The Camp-Meeting and the Paradoxes of Evangelical Protestant Ritual", A. Taves9. "Ritual from Five Angles: A Tool for Teaching", A. Strathern and P. Stewart10. "Teaching Rites Ritually", M. McGann11. "Teaching the Cognitive Approach", T. Vial12. "Religion as Ritual", C. BellPart III. Teaching the Medium through Contrast and Engagement13. "Teaching Healing Rituals/Ritual Healing", S. Sered and L. Barnes14. "Reflections on Ritual in Noh and Kyôgen", R. Gardner15. "Ritual Performance and Ritual Practice: Teaching the Multiple Forms and Dimensions of Ritual", L. Ekstrom and R. Hecht16. "Eventfulness of Space: Teaching about Sacred Architecture IS Teaching about Ritual", L. Jones17. "Ritual and the Writing Class", C. LehrichBibliographyIndex