Goals of the Course
Eschatology:
[Gk eschatos
last, farthest] 1.
a branch of theology concerned with the final
events in the history of the world or of mankind.
This
course examines how some religious groups in the
U.S.
herald the hastening of the End Times, when a Messiah
will appear to cleanse the earth of all unrighteousness.
We will focus on selected societies in
U.S.
history including Puritans, Messianic Jews,
Christian Fundamentalists, Branch Davidians,
Rastafari, the Nation of Islam and Christian Identity,
and on genres of representation including fiction, film
and popular music. Among
the themes we will discuss will be Americanism, or the
ways groups imagine the
United
States
to be favored by God, religious politics, and the ways
that American eschatologies are gendered and racialized.
|
Requirements
Each
week a one-page response paper will be due on the
webboard; late papers will not be accepted.
Students will also be responsible for three 6
page essays, and two mini-projects on endtimes websites
and pop music, in addition to one class-opening
presentation. Note:
I will show films on several evenings at
8:00
,
so please schedule your semester accordingly.
|
|
Required Reading
Most readings are in a course Packet at
the
Mail
Center
.
Required course books are at Atticus:
Nancy Ammerman,
Bible Believers
Octavia
Butler, Parable
of the Sower
David
Chidester, Salvation
and Suicide
Tim
LaHaye, Left
Behind
Hal
Lindsey, Late
Great Planet Earth
Mark
Jurgensmeyer, Terror
in the Mind of God
You
must find access to a copy of the Bible, the King
James Version. If
you do not have one, you can find it on the web at
http://ccel.wheaton.edu
|