Univ. course in Haitian Voodoo
Joel Dreyfuss
on the subject.
bcor...@crl.com (Bob Corbett) wrote:
>
>
>
>Last Tuesday I began a course on Haitian Voodoo. This
>is perhaps the 5th time I've taught this course for the
>religion department of my university. I am a
>semi-retired professor of philosophy, and since my
>semi-retirement I sort of have the delightful privilege
>of teaching whatever I want. I regularly do courses on
>Haitian History, Haitian Voodoo, Haitian language and
>occasionally lead study trips to Haiti.
>
>The primary theme of the course is that Haitian Voodoo
>is a religion in the same sense that any other religion
>is a religion. I try to dispell the Hollywood and
>American folk myths about Voodoo. I use the
>Rodman/Cleaver book as a sort of guide of topics and
>supplement it with handouts. I use the Karen McCarthy
>Brown book to emphasize the lived and emotive side of
>Voodoo, and the healing aspects.
>I thought you might enjoy seeing the syllabus I follow
>in the Voodoo course, and comments are welcome.
>
>Bob Corbett
>Webster University
>========================================================
>=
>========================================================
>=
>REL 234.01 Bob Corbett, instructor HAITIAN
>VOODOO Fall, (II) 1994
>
>I. SYLLABUS
>
>Class 1. 5:30 -- 7 General introduction to Haitian
>Voodoo
> with a focus on "who" are the Haitian people,
> and what makes Voodoo a religion.
> 7:00 -- 7:15 Break
> 7:15 -- 8:15 Film: Waters of Sorrow
> 8:15 -- 8:30 Break
> 8:30 -- 9:00 Current situation in Haiti
> 9:00 -- 9:30 About the course
>
>
>General comment about the class structure of classes 2
>through 8:
>Classes will have three main sections, and two breaks.
> Each class will focus on a prominent theme about
>Voodoo, which follows the structure of the Rodman &
>Cleaver book. Each class will have a film about
>Voodoo. Each class will have a section devoted to the
>assigned readings in MAMA LOLA.
>
>There will be other themes that are not included in the
>Rodman and Cleaver book which will be emphasized,
>especially the role of healing in Haitian Voodoo.
>
>Class 2.
> Readings:
> Rodman & Cleaver p. xi-xvi and
> p. 1-8.
> Evening's theme: General overview of Haitian
>Voodoo.
> Brown: p. 1-78
> Handouts of Corbett and others.
>
>Class 3.
> Readings
> Rodman & Cleaver p. 9-30
> Evening's theme: Focus on the spirits of
>Voodoo and their relation to God.
> Brown p. 79 - 92
>
>Class 4.
> Readings
> Rodman & Cleaver p. 31 -- 48
>Evening's theme: Ceremonies and possession.
> Brown p. 93 -- 140
>
>Class 5.
> Readings
> Rodman & Cleaver p. 49 -- 56
> Evening's theme: Syncretism
> and Voodoo's battles with Christianity.
> Brown p. 141 -- 218
>
>Class 6.
> Readings
> Rodman & Cleaver p. 57 -- 78
> Evening's theme: Art, Literature
> and the dominance of Voodoo in the conception
>of everyday life.
> Brown p. 219 -- 258
>
>Class 7.
> Readings
> Rodman & Cleaver p. 79 -- 92
> Evening's theme: The angry spirits
> Petro Voodoo, zombies and death curses.
> The Laguerre/Davis hypothesis and the
> secret societies.
> Brown p. 259 -- 328
>
>Class 8.
> Readings
> Rodman & Cleave p. 93 -- 108
> Evening's theme: Voodoo in Haitian history
>and politics.
> Brown p. 329 -- 382
>
>II. GRADING PROCEDURE
>
> A. Class attendance is required. Students are
>expected to attend each class and to do so from 5:30 to
>9:30. Attendance will be taken at 5:30 and at each
>break. Partial absences will be recorded. If you are
>not there at the attendance taking period you will be
>marked absent for that period.
>
> Students may have up to one class (4 hours) of class
>cuts without penalty. After that, from 4 to 8 hours
>(equivalent of two missed classes) will lower the grade
>one level.
> Missing more than 8 hours of class will result in a
>grade of NC.
> B. Each student must write two papers.
> 1. Paper one, an overview paper: The task is
>this: You are explaining to someone who knows
>virtually nothing about Haitian Voodoo just what
>Voodoo is. The task is to be thorough,
> accurate, creative, clear AND SUCCINCT.
> Papers must be at least 5 pages long and no
>more than 7 pages, with margins of no more than 1
>inch on all four sides, and with regular sized
>type. Paper do not need any footnotes or
>references. They are a summary of what you have
>learned in class and with the assigned readings
>and all that material you will be expected to
>have had at your finger tips.
>
> Papers will be judged on the criteria above,
> with accuracy and thoroughness being the primary
>criteria, and the other criteria separating the
>higher grades from the lower.
> This paper must be handed in the night of the
> final class. Late papers will be penalized one
>grade level. Since grades must be turned in
>within one week of the end of the term, papers
>later than one week will be not be accepted.
>
> 2. One research paper. This is a paper that will go
>beyond class to elaborate on a topic in MUCH greater
>detail that we did, or to take of a topic which we did
>not cover in class. These papers must be fully
>documented and not use either of the two classroom
>texts as a reference.
>
> A. Standard research paper. (Eligible for any
>grade.)
>These research papers must be at least a full 7 pages
>long and may not be longer than 15 pages.
>
>The criteria I will use in grading are the following:
>Accuracy, importance and centrality of the topic to a
>study of Haitian Voodoo, depth of analysis, amount of
>demonstrated research, clarity of writing, and
>creativity of approach. Standard English grammar and
>spelling will be assumed!
>
>During the course of the term I will mention some
>suggested topics, and any topic MUST BE CLEARED WITH
>CORBETT before it is an acceptable topic.
> B. Alternative possibility: A careful and critical
>book review. (No grade of "A" is possible on this
>paper.)
>It will be possible to write a paper of an analysis of
>a single book.
>However, the highest grade on such a paper would be a
>grade of B.
>Approval of the book must be obtained before it is an
>acceptable topic.
>
>These book reviews must not just be a chronological
>report of what the author said, but an organized
>presentation of the "message" of the book and should
>include two separate sections: a main section (3/4 the
>paper) which provides the analysis of the book, and a
>section (1/4 to 1/8) that is a critical evaluation of
>the author's position.
>These book reports must be at least 5 pages and a
>maximum of 7 pages.
>THE RESEARCH PAPER OR BOOK REVIEW PAPER IS DUE THE
>EVENING OF THE 7TH CLASS. Late papers will be
>penalized one grade level.
>NOTE: The research paper (or book review paper) will
>carry slightly
>greater weight than the final paper on What is Voodoo.
>Thus if the two
>papers had the same grade, then the grade on the
>research paper/book review would dominate. However, in
>a case where you wrote a book review and got a grade of
>B, and got an A on your Voodoo paper, AND had
>participated regularly in class, then you would receive
>an A for the course.
> 3. Class participation. General speaking class
>participation will not figure in your grade.
>Attendance will, but only in a negative fashion.
>However, in the case where the research paper and the
>"what is Voodoo" paper leave you with a grade on the
>border line between two grades, then class
>participation will be the deciding force in tipping you
>one way or the other.
>
>
Bob Corbett
: Maya Deren's book, "Divine Horsemen" is one of the best books
: on the subject.
Joel, I agree that this is an important and useful book. In
my first few times of teaching this course I used the Deren book and
the classic HAITIAN VOODOO by Metreaux as texts. But
Metreaux is too dry for most students and Deren's books
emphasizes ceremonial and possession too much for my taste
and doesn't doe enough with HEALING, which, on my view, is
the central fact of Haitian Voodoo.
However, Mystic Fire Video has made a film called THE DIVINE
HORSEMEN, using film short by Dreen in the 1950s and it has
a voice over reading extensively from the book. I do use the
film in my class.
Best, Bob Corbett