Document Type

Syllabus

Publication Date

Spring 2024

Course Description

Through vast stocks of literary forms—temptation narratives, esoteric cosmogonies, morality dramas, epic mythologies, Faustian dilemmas, social satires, moral panic paradigms, and countercultural resistance scripts—the imaginary of (and discourse on) ha-satan (Job 1:6 [Hebrew: ;השטן the accuser/adversary”]), it seems, has been compellingly productive: Satan is “good to think with” (then and now). But what, now, is (a|the) “Satan,” and what does/can Satan do—especially in terms of imagining “our” [human] order/security, an indispensable part of a structure of reflecting on “our” [human] problems, discourses of/on “our” (adversarial) Otherness, within? This course employs transdisciplinary approaches to an investigation of the contours and functions of the (sometimes mundane, sometimes magnificent, always interesting) satanic imaginary as it is literarily voiced throughout time. Beginning with some ancient (then) expositions from Abrahamic traditions (Judaism | Christianity | Islam)—especially foregrounding questions related to translation—and concluding with select (now) [more] contemporary expressions, we explore the host of positions and interests such voices bring to their discourses on Satan (and the satanic). How might we contextualize the diverse ways that “then and now” folk relate to the satanic? What discourses and relations of power are at work in “then and now” satanic musings? More broadly, how might we imagine the relationships we have with the “then and now” satanic imaginary, while growing in (self-)critical awareness of the ideological/contextual nature of engaging with the past, present, and future? Come and see!

Student Outcomes

This course provides a focused opportunity for you to cultivate your understanding of human identities and interactions at personal, local, and global levels of reference, using the cultural (or reception) history of the figure of Satan as a focused case-study.

By the end of the term, you will have initiated and/or enriched…

  • Engagement with cultural, political, and social questions of difference(s): gain a critical understanding of how (sometimes oppositional/adversarial) religious, cultural and social identities are negotiated, by examining a chorus of literary voices from different (then and now) times and places, and the host of positions and perspectives such folk bring to their engagement with (attributions, identifications, applications, appropriations, and rehabilitations of) the figure of Satan;
  • Commitment to critical, structural and intersectional analysis: observe, connect and unpack foundational elements of literary satanic discourse to the ongoing development of diverse political, religious and cultural identities, configured around power relations (frequently intersecting with race, class, gender, and other categories of difference) within a global context; and,
  • Development of robust, cross-cultural approaches to the study of religion(s) and identities: establish, practice and refine a toolkit of responsible, comparative, observational, and analytic practices and an array of multidisciplinary skills in approaching and understanding cultural (and religious) difference(s), all while considering reflexively our own globally-situated position(s) as it/they impact the relationships we have with “texts,” identities, and their interactions.

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