Anthropology of Religions How do you study religions when they are not in a document or a creed but lived by people you know?  Anthropologists over the course of the last century have had a wide range of responses and approaches to that question, including how to define the term “religion” itself.   The class will provide a history of approaches to anthropology and religions, including their origins in colonial legacies and world views.  We will then turn to recent writings in the field, particularly as thinkers began to re-evaluate their own premises and methods: what is the relationship between self and other in ethnographic field work in religious communities? How do we think ethically about field work and the representation of religious cultures and individuals? How do we approach religions as ontologies, or lived experiences, rather than a set of rules and regulations that cultures create?  How do we think about new scientific claims about the evolution of religions by cognitive anthropologists? How do we assess communities’ perspectives on interactions with deities and spirits within postcolonial cultures which are negotiating competing world views?  (At least two courses in ANTH or RELI, one of which must be at the 200 or 300 level.) This course may not substitute for the “Method and Theory” requirement in the Religion Major.

Conflict Transformation: Approaches and Skills (Half Credit) This course introduces students to a variety of approaches to conflict transformation (CT), including intercultural competence, mediation, restorative practices, and structured dialogue. CT skills enrich classroom learning and prepare students to be effective citizens in a polarized public square. To transform conflict, we must first understand the nature of conflict and then develop tools to build healthy relationships and communities – locally, nationally, and globally. Students will learn about the drivers of conflict and then practice CT skills in the course. This course is part of a Middlebury-wide CT initiative, and this course is foundational for students who wish to pursue practicum or research opportunities in other CT programs.  Students will meet once a week over the semester. (Half Credit)

Methods in the Study of Religion How do we think about religion? Is there a common way to talk about religion across cultural divides or should we simply concur that religion is like art, where “We can’t define it, but we know it when we see it? This course will take us through the basic twentieth and twenty-first century theories in the study of religion as “ways of perceiving” this most elusive of phenomena: anthropology, psychology, history, text, politics, philosophy, theology, experience. All of these ways of perceiving religion play a crucial role in the history of the field. We will end by thinking through recent issues in the study of religion–religion and politics, gender and sexuality, comparative and interfaith studies, and the authority of religious identity. Students will be asked to outline a single, compelling case study in religion, and each week they will apply the theorists we read to the details of their case.  In applying theories about religion to real-life situations, students will become skillful practitioners of the art of interpreting religion. They will also develop their own approaches to the study of religion and be able to articulate that approach to a wider audience.

Love, Anger, and Betrayal in the Indian Epics: The Mahabharata, The Ramayana, and The Shilappadikaram This course has two goals: to acquaint students with the immense narrative tradition which makes up much of India's religious heritage; and to examine how ideas about love, anger, and betrayal are expressed through the epic medium. The course will focus on the Sanskrit epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, and the Tamil South Indian epic, the Shilappadikaram.  We will also discuss the contemporary "re-tellings" of these epics by Indian and Western authors in essays, poetry, film, and theater.  We will end by examining the epics’ strategic uses in Indian politics, including nineteenth century freedom movements, Tamil separatism, recent Hindu/Muslim disputes, or early twenty-first century feminist and LGBTQIA+ activism.

Laurie Patton

Reviews and ratings for Laurie Patton at Middlebury College.Laurie Patton teaches Anthropology of Religions, Conflict Transformation Skills, Seminar: Study of Religion and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Laurie Patton good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

Laurie Patton herself was not that engaging as an instructor, you can tell she was a bit rusty in teaching to undergrads. Sarah Stroup was amazing though, and she really is knowledgeable in this field. I wish it wasn't a three hour night class when I took it, I think I would've been more awake and interested. They did, however, have snacks. It was pretty lowkey in terms of assignments, but we did have to do a weekly journal entry that was commented on and talked about in class.