AWAS 1200 S01 [CRN: 25782]

The course will focus on the cultural and religious-historical interpretation of physical displacements among sacred places, including urban processions, visits to temples and journeys to sacred places within the context of the Ancient Near Eastern religions. We will attempt to sketch a map of the holy centers and cultic itineraries, focusing on case studies from Babylonia, Assyria and Syria from the third to the first millennium BC as well as comparative case studies from surrounding cultures. These topics will be explored with an emphasis on how written and archaeological sources can be interpreted with the help of theoretical literature.

Course Website

https://canvas.brown.edu/courses/772133

Assignments and Grading

Students are requested to do the weekly readings continuously, participating in the discussion sessions and asking questions during the lectures. In the last part of the course, starting with week 11, some students will be asked to volunteer to act as chorus for the discussion. The discussants, belonging to the chorus, will be responsible for conducting the discussion during that session. During the semester 3 short papers (1000-1500 words) have to be submitted at weeks 3, 5 and 7. A proposal for the final research paper is required at week 9. The topic of the final research paper (10-12 pages) should be discussed before with me. A short presentation (10 minutes) of the final papers will be presented and discussed in symposium class during the reading period (Apr 26th) before being submitted May 16th.

Readings and Texts

Course Materials:
 The following required textbooks will be available for purchase in the Brown University Bookstore. All of these books will also be on reserve in the Rock: Johnston, Sarah Iles. Ancient Religions : Beliefs and Rituals across the Mediterranean World. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 2004. (http://josiah.brown.edu/record=b5788112~S7) MacCorriston, Joy. Pilgrimage and Household in The Ancient Near East. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011.
 
( http://josiah.brown.edu/record=b5705291~S7) Coleman, Simon & Elsner John, Pilgrimage : past and present in the world religions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 1995. (http://josiah.brown.edu/record=b2436929~S7) Note that additional required readings listed in the weekly schedule will be available in the library reserve or online as ebook or as pdf on the course website.

Term

Spring 2013

Credit Hours

1.0

Maximum Enrollment

999

Primary Instructor

Cinzia Pappi

Meetings

12:00 am - 12:50 am Mon, Wed, Fri - from Jan 23, 2013 to May 17, 2013

Exam Group Code

05 (May 17, 2013 2:00pm)