Dr. Jonathan Y. Tan
ProfessorJTan@gmail.com
(513) 745-3794
121 Hinkle Hall
Office hours by appointment
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"Black Jesus"
in Color of the Cross (2006)
Jesus of the People
(Janet McKenzie)
"White Jesus"
played by Jeffrey Hunter
in King of Kings
(MGM 1961)
Christos Pantokrator
(Apse, Upper Church,
Basilica of the National Shrine
of the Immaculate Conception,
Washington DC)
African Last Supper
Da Vinci's Last Supper
ancestor veneration
Lunar New Year Eucharist
(Chinese Catholic Community,
San Jose, CA)
Nativity
(Lu Biyun)
Holy Family
(Pai Hui-chun)
Jesus reciting a lesson
Confucius & Jesus
Mary & Jesus
(John Lu Hung-nien)
Mary
(Luke Hua Hsiao-hsien)
Adam honored
by the angels
Adam & Eve
Sacrifice of
Ibrahim (Abraham)
Musa (Moses) confronts
the Pharoah
Yunus (Jonah)
Annunciation
(Qur'an 19:16-36)
[Luke 1:26-38]
Mariam & Isa
(Mary & Jesus)
under a palm tree
(Qur'an 19:23-26)
Isa (Jesus)
Isa (Jesus) bringing
down heavenly food
for his disciples
(Quran 5:111-115)
[cf. John, ch. 6])
Muhammad,
Daud (David), &
Sulaiman (Solomon)
Mi'raj
(Muhammad's ascent
to Heaven)
Muhammad's
victorious entry
into Mecca
Averroes
(Ibn-Rushd)
Xi'an Grand Mosque
(China)
Beijing Grand Mosque
(China)
Beijing Grand Mosque
Main Hall
THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS (HONORS)
(Religion, Globalization & Pluralism)
CLASS SCHEDULE & READINGS
LATEST ANNOUNCEMENTS:
PROFESSOR TAN'S TWITTER:
SHORTCUTS TO: |
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13 Jan: Introduction
[NB: No Student Presentation Today] [No Class Blog postings today] |
Map of the World's Major Religions
(click to download)
(I) NO GOD BUT GOD:
THE ORIGINS, EVOLUTION & FUTURE OF ISLAM
Islam Web Resources
Islam: News & Multimedia Resources
New York Times Articles about Islam
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15 Jan: Introduction to Islam
REQUIRED READINGS: Aslan, pp. xix-xxxii, chapter 1 [NB: No Student Presentation Today] [No Class Blog postings today]  Islam Outline #01
We will be watching the first part ("The Messenger") of the PBS Documentary, Islam: Empire of Faith in class today.
Discussion Questions ("The Messenger")
ISLAM: EMPIRE OF FAITH, PART 1: All students are encouraged to watch the first part ("The Messenger") of the PBS Documentary, Islam: Empire of Faith to prepare for today's class. This documentary is available for loan from Xavier University Library: BP50.I74 2005 (DVD) or BP50.I846 2000 (VHS). You may also watch the YouTube version below: In addition, all students are encouraged to watch another PBS Documentary, Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet to complement our class discussion of Islam: Empire of Faith. This documentary is available for loan from Xavier University Library: BP75.M84 2002 (VHS). You may also watch the YouTube version below: FOR YOUR REFERENCE: Reza Aslan's Official Website |
20 Jan: No Class -- Inauguration Day
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22 Jan: The Keeper of the Keys
REQUIRED READINGS: Aslan, chapter 2 STUDENT PRESENTER: Katrina Baumann Click here to post to the Class Blog |
| 27 Jan: SNOW DAY -- Class is cancelled |
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29 Jan: The City of the Prophet. Fight in the Way of God
REQUIRED READINGS: Aslan, chapters 3 & 4 STUDENT PRESENTERS: (1) Monica Bostic (chapter 3) (2) Ashley Caci (chapter 4) NB: Please post to the class blog for Aslan, chapter 3 (if you have not done so already), before posting to the class blog for Aslan, chapter 4 (links are given below). We will discuss both class blog postings today. Click here to post to the Class Blog for Aslan, chapter 3 Click here to post to the Class Blog for Aslan, chapter 4 |
The Abbasid Caliphate in 750 C.E.
(Click to download)
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3 Feb: The Rightly Guided Ones
REQUIRED READINGS: (1) Aslan chapter 5 (2)  Time to acknowledge science's debt to Islam? (New Scientist, 25 February 2009)
(3) In Medieval Architecture, Signs of Advanced Math (New York Times, 27 February 2007).
(4) Of Islam and Inventions (New York Times, 12 August 2007).
[NB: No Student Presentation Today] Click here to post to the Class Blog We will be watching the second part ("The Awakening") of the PBS Documentary, Islam: Empire of Faith in class today. Discussion Questions ("The Awakening")
ISLAM: EMPIRE OF FAITH, PART 2: All students are encouraged to watch Part 2 ("The Awakening") of the PBS Documentary, Islam: Empire of Faith to prepare for today's class. This documentary is available for loan from Xavier University Library: BP50.I74 2005 (DVD) or BP50.I846 2000 (VHS). You may also watch the YouTube version below: FOR FURTHER READING, I: AN EMERGING NEW ISLAMIC GOLDEN AGE OF SCIENCES & COMMERCE IN THE 21ST CENTURY? Islamic Sciences: Contemporary Developments Islamic Commerce/Finance: Contemporary Developments Higher Education in the Islamic World: Contemporary Developments FOR FURTHER READING, II: THE CRUSADES Pope Urban II's Speech at the Council of Clermont, 1095 Compare Pope Urban II's Call to Crusade in 1095 with Osama bin Laden's Call to Jihad in 2001.
The Siege and Capture of Jerusalem: Collected Accounts
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(MIT Press, 2007) [NB: George Saliba is one of the scholars who appear in Part 2 of the documentary, Islam: Empire of Faith.]
(NYU Press, 1995)
(Kazi, 2007)
(University of Texas Press, 1997)
(National Geographic, 2007)
(Springer 2003)
(Little Brown, 2002)
(Oxford, 2006)
(George Braziller, 2007)|
5 Feb: This Religion is a Science
REQUIRED READING: Aslan, chapter 6 Islam Outline #02
STUDENT PRESENTER: Lydia Gerlach Click here to post to the Class Blog FOR FURTHER READING: Reading the Koran (New York Times, 6 January 2008).
Malcolm X's reflection on his pilgrimage to Mecca (from the Autobiography of Malcolm X).
Revision to Ramadan tradition divides Muslims (by Matthai Chakko Kuruvila) (San Francisco Chronicle, 23 September 2006).
Muslim Player Thrives With Nourished Spirit (New York Times, 13 October 2007).
Fears of Inquiry Dampen Giving by U.S. Muslims (New York Times, 30 October 2006).
Charitable Tradition in Transition (Washington Post, 13 September 2007), p. B01.
Islamic Traditions Influence in Senegal (VOA News, 9 March 2007)
Fasting and solidarity during Lent in Pakistan (AsiaNews, 26 February 2005)
Muslims Help Fasting Christians (National Catholic Reporter, 19 March 2004)
ADDITIONAL READINGS: Deuteronomy Chapter 6
Gospel of John Chapter 1
Sunni Schools of Islamic Jurisprudence
FOR FURTHER REFERENCE: Sharia (Islamic Law) |
Distribution of Shi'i Muslims
(Click to download)
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10 Feb: In the Footsteps of the Martyrs
REQUIRED ASSIGNMENTS/READINGS: (1)  PODCAST: The Partisans of Ali: A History of Shia Faith and Politics [A 5-part series on NPR Morning Edition. Please listen online or download and listen to all the podcasts on your iPod, as well as read the articles (profiles, chronology, history, etc.) for today's class]
(2) The Sunni-Shia Divide and the Future of Islam. By Vali Nasr, on "Speaking of Faith" (American Public Radio, 20 November 2008). Please listen online or download and listen to the podcast on your iPod, as well as read the articles for today's class.
(3) Aslan, chapter 7 (Please listen to #1 and #2 before you read #3) (4) Can You Tell A Sunni From A Shiite? by Jeff Stein (New York Times, 17 October 2006).
NB: Student Presenter to summarize #3 only for class presentation. All students should be prepared to discuss #1-#3 in class today. STUDENT PRESENTER: Lizzie Glaser Click here to post to the Class Blog ADDITIONAL READINGS: Contemporary Sunni-Shi'a Conflict Shi'ism & Contemporary Iran YOUTUBE: Ashura in New York City YOUTUBE: Ashura in Nabatieh, Southern Lebanon |
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12 Feb: An Awakening in the East
REQUIRED READING: Aslan, chapter 9 STUDENT PRESENTER: Carl Labanz Click here to post to the Class Blog FOR FURTHER READING: The Philosopher of Islamic Terror (New York Times, 23 March 2003)
Sayyid Qutb's America (NPR All Things Considered, 6 May 2003).
Wahhabism and Jihad (by Patrick Lang) (America, 10 March 2003).
Wahhabism (From the PBS Frontline Documentary, Saudi Time Bomb?)
Chronology of the House of Saud
Royal Family Tree of the House of Saud
Analysis of Issues Relating to the House of Saud
Readings/Resources on the challenges of Islam and modernity in Saudi Arabia
Readings/Resources on the challenges of Islam and modernity in Egypt
ADDITIONAL READINGS: (1) Sayyid Qutb's magnum opus, Ma'alim fi al-Tariq (Milestones): Version #1 or Version #2 [NB: This is an extremely controversial work. Please read it with an open mind.] (2) Fi Zilal al-Qur'an (In the Shade of the Qur'an) (by Sayyid Qutb) [excerpts] |
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17 Feb: Slouching Toward Medina
REQUIRED READINGS: (1) Aslan, chapter 10 (2) The War For Islam (Boston Globe 10 September 2006). Click here for the PDF version.
STUDENT PRESENTER: Liza Magley Click here to post to the Class Blog HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: HOW TO WIN A COSMIC WAR (REZA ASLAN'S LECTURE) Part 1 of 6 Part 2 of 6 Part 3 of 6 Part 4 of 6 Part 5 of 6 Part 6 of 6 This lecture was originally aired on KUOW/NPR Speakers Forum, 22 February 2007, and forms the kernel of his new book, How to Win a Cosmic War: God, Globalization, and the End of the War on Terror  , which is the sequel to No God but God.
ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED READINGS: Islamism/Jihadism Project for a New American Century (PNAC) and the U.S. Invasion of Iraq (2003) |
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19 Feb: Islam in the United States
REQUIRED READINGS: (1)  VODCAST: Portraits of Ordinary Muslims in the United States (Frontline: Muslims)
(2) Please read the articles in Multimedia & News Resources on Islam in the United States to prepare for this class. [NB: No Student Presentation Today] Click here to post to the Class Blog We will be watching excerpts from the PBS Documentary, Frontline: Muslims in class today. Discussion Questions ("Islam in the United States: Being Muslim and American")
YOUTUBE CLIPS: AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN & ISLAM: LADY CALIPHS ON ESPN: This is a 7-minute clip on ESPN of the Lady Caliphs of W. Deen Mohammed High School (735 Fayetteville Road SE, Atlanta, GA 30316), a K-12 Islamic school that is noted for its academic excellence. The Lady Caliphs completed another outstanding basketball season, winning 21 out of 22 games.
REMINDER: Please e-mail your Book Report #1 to ProfessorJTan@gmail.com by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, 23 February 2009. |
(II) AMERICA AND THE CHALLENGES OF RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY
Web Resources for the Study of Religion
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24 Feb: Confronting Diversity. A Special People in a Diverse World
REQUIRED READINGS: (1) Wuthnow, pp. xi-xvii, 1-36 (2) The End of White America? By Hua Hsu (The Atlantic, Jan/Feb 2009). Click here for the original online version of this article.
(3) In First Family, a Nation's Many Faces (New York Times, 21 January 2009)
STUDENT PRESENTER: Molly McGranahan Click here to post to the Class Blog 
FOR FURTHER READING: In Major Poll, U.S. Religious Identity Appears Very Slippery (Washington Post, 26 February 2008), p. A01.
Americans Change Faiths at Rising Rate, Report Finds (New York Times, 25 February 2008)
Poll Finds a Fluid Religious Life in U.S. (New York Times, 26 February 2008)
Pew Forum's United States Religious Landscape Survey Website
United States Religious Landscape Survey Report (Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, 2008)
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26 Feb: The Next Diversity
REQUIRED READINGS: Wuthnow, chapter 2 STUDENT PRESENTER: William Meiners Click here to post to the Class Blog
FOR FURTHER READING: Islam in the United States Hinduism in the United States Buddhism in the United States Crosscultural Christianity in the United States |
3 & 5 Mar: No Class -- Spring Break
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10 Mar: The Significance of Religious Diversity
REQUIRED READINGS: Wuthnow, chapter 3 STUDENT PRESENTER: Anna Reid Click here to post to the Class Blog |
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12 Mar: Embracing Diversity
REQUIRED READINGS: Wuthnow, chapter 4 STUDENT PRESENTER: Hannah Roberts Click here to post to the Class Blog |
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17 Mar: "Many Mansions": Accepting Diversity
REQUIRED READINGS: (1) Wuthnow, chapter 5 (2) Inaugural prayers aim for a more diverse America (Washington Post, 20 January 2009) [source: AP]
(3) Variety of Clergy, Worship Program Reflect a Focus On Inclusiveness (Washington Post, 22 January 2009, p. B02)
STUDENT PRESENTER: Mark Tillotson Click here to post to the Class Blog |
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19 Mar: "One Way": Resisting Diversity
REQUIRED READINGS: Wuthnow, chapter 6 STUDENT PRESENTER: Rachel Weigand Click here to post to the Class Blog |
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24 Mar: The Public's Beliefs and Practices
REQUIRED READINGS: Wuthnow, chapter 7 STUDENT PRESENTER: Katrina Baumann Click here to post to the Class Blog ADDITIONAL RESOURCES (FOR YOUR PAPER):  Wuthnow's PowerPoint Presentation
Interview with Robert Wuthnow (NPR Religion & Ethics, 26 April 2002)
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26 Mar: How Congregations Manage Diversity
REQUIRED READINGS: Wuthnow, chapter 8 STUDENT PRESENTER: Monica Bostic Click here to post to the Class Blog |
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31 Mar: Negotiating Religiously Mixed Marriages
REQUIRED READINGS: Wuthnow, chapter 9 STUDENT PRESENTER: Ashley Caci Click here to post to the Class Blog |
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2 Apr: How Pluralistic Should We Be?
REQUIRED READINGS: Wuthnow, chapter 10 STUDENT PRESENTER: Lydia Gerlach Click here to post to the Class Blog REMINDER: Please e-mail your Book Report #2 to ProfessorJTan@gmail.com by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, 6 April 2009. |
7 & 9 Apr: No Class -- Easter Break
(III) NEW FAITHS, OLD FEARS:
MUSLIMS & OTHER ASIAN IMMIGRANTS IN AMERICAN RELIGIOUS LIFE
New York Times Articles on Migration, Immigration & Refugees
New York Times Articles on Immigrants and Religion
World Migration Map
(Click to download)
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14 Apr: Introduction. American Religion as Commodity Culture
REQUIRED READINGS: (1) Lawrence, pp. ix-xvi, 1-45 (2) Samuel Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations (Foreign Affairs, Summer 1993)
(3) Edward Said, The Clash of Ignorance (The Nation, 22 October 2001)
(4) The New Imperialism, by Pepe Escobar (Asia Times, 6 November 2001). If you have difficulty understanding Huntington and Said, you should read Escobar's insightful synopsis, which succinctly summarizes both Huntington's and Said's positions.
(5) Michael Hirsh, Bernard Lewis Revisited Washington Monthly 36 no. 11 (Nov 2004): 13-19. A powerful critique of Lewis and Huntington.
STUDENT PRESENTER: Lizzie Glaser Click here to post to the Class Blog
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: DATA FROM THE U.S. CENSUS BUREAU Asian & Pacific Islander Population in the U.S.
IMPORTANT REPORTS/DATA ON ASIAN AMERICANS: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
Facts, Not Fiction: Setting the Record Straight (National Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education, 2008)
National Asian American Survey: Asian American Voters in California (2008) Additional NAAS reports are available from the National Asian American Survey website.
FOR FURTHER READING: Study Foresees the Fall of an Immigration Record That Has Lasted a Century (New York Times, 12 February 2008)
Yearning for Words of Tolerance (Washington Post, 10 March 2008), p. B01.
In a Generation, Minorities May Be the U.S. Majority (New York Times, 14 August 2008)
Majority Minorities (New York Times, 14 August 2008)
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16 Apr: Civil Society and Immigrants
REQUIRED READINGS: Lawrence, chapter 2 STUDENT PRESENTER: Carl Labanz Click here to post to the Class Blog FOR FURTHER READING: Government Offers Look at Nation's Immigrants (New York Times, 21 February 2009)
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21 Apr: New Immigrants as Pariahs
REQUIRED READINGS: Lawrence, chapter 3 STUDENT PRESENTER: Liza Magley Click here to post to the Class Blog ADDITIONAL READINGS: Civil Religion in America. By Robert N. Bellah. Daedalus: Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 96 no. 1 (Winter 1967): 1-21.
Is There A Common American Culture? By Robert N. Bellah. Journal of the American Academy of Religion 66 no. 3 (Fall 1998): 613-625.
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23 Apr: Religious Options for Urban Immigrants
REQUIRED READINGS: Lawrence, chapter 4 STUDENT PRESENTER: Molly McGranahan Click here to post to the Class Blog |
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28 Apr: Reimagining Religious Pluralism. Conclusion
REQUIRED READINGS: Lawrence, pp. 105-144 STUDENT PRESENTER: Anna Reid Click here to post to the Class Blog |
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30 Apr: Conclusion Review & Student Feedback.
REMINDER: Please e-mail your Book Report #3 to ProfessorJTan@gmail.com by 5:00 p.m. tomorrow (Friday, 1 May 2009). |
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Humorous student evaluations at a foreign (non-U.S.) university... Enjoy!!!
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STATEMENT OF FAIR USE FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES A good faith effort has been made to comply with US copyright law. This does not mean that none of the materials used in this course website is copyright protected, but that the "fair use" clause of US Copyright Law has been adhered to. In particular, any copyright material used here is (a) not used for commercial gain and used exclusively for educational purposes; and (b) used in limited amounts in comparison to the published source. The relevant provision (section 107) of the U.S. Copyright Act is reproduced below:
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© Copyright Jonathan Y. Tan, 2007-2009. All rights reserved.
TEXTBOOKS:
Reza Aslan
No God But God
(Random, 2006)
Robert Wuthnow
America and the
Challenges of
Religious Diversity
(Princeton,
2005)
Bruce Lawrence
New Faiths,
Old Fears
(Columbia, 2004)