Fridays, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., University Hall 122
updated October 14,
2014Religious Studies 777 / Cultural Studies & Critical Theory 777: Forgiveness - Atonement - Reconciliation (Fall 2014)
This syllabus is posted at http://socserv.mcmaster.ca/danahol/777 and is also accessible by way of my home page (see below). It will be updated periodically, and students in the seminar are asked to consult it regularly during the semester.
| CLASS
MEETINGS: Fridays, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., University Hall 122 |
updated October 14,
2014 |
Dana
Hollander,
Department of
Religious Studies, University Hall 109, 
(905) 525-9140, ext. 24759*, 
danahol@mcmaster.ca*,
http://univmail.cis.mcmaster.ca/~danahol/
Office
Hours: Wednesdays, 4-5 p.m. ☛ JUMP
TO SCHEDULE: September / October
/ November / December
We
will look at critical analyses of the themes of forgiveness, atonement,
and reconciliation (which often also involve the themes of retribution
and sacrifice) in works by Hermann Cohen, Vladimir Jankélévitch,
Jacques Derrida, Emmanuel Levinas, and others. We may also look at
theoretical reflections on related legal notions such as "transitional
justice." Grades
will be based on
Participation/Presentations 45%, Final Paper 55%. Organizational Meeting
Derrida on Forgiveness "To Forgive"
(1997-1999), trans. Elizabeth Rottenberg, in Questioning God,
ed. John Caputo,
Mark Dooley, and John Scanlon (Bloomington: Indiana UP, 2001) Original:
"Pardonner: l'impardonnable et l'imprescriptible" in Jacques Derrida, ed. Marie-Louise
Mallet and Ginette Michaud (Paris: L'Herne, 2004) [book on reserve] "On Forgiveness,"
trans. Michael Hughes, On
Cosmopolitanism and Forgiveness (London:
Routledge, 2001). (Note
that the interviewer questions are missing from the Routledge edition; an
alternative translation, including
the questions, is here.) Original:
interview
with Michel Wieviorka, "Le Siècle et le pardon," in Le Monde des Débats
9 (1999), reprinted in Foi et
savoir, suivi de Le Siècle et le pardon (Paris: Seuil, 2000) Supplementary: Derrida
speaking on forgiveness at European Graduate School (video, 2004) excerpt from the film Derrida (2002),
including footage from an August 1998 lecture on forgiveness in South
Africa Interview
with Professor Jacques Derrida conducted by Michal Ben-Naftali, trans.
Moshe Ron (Jerusalem,
January 8, 1998; posted on the website of the Shoah Research Center,
Yad Vashem) "On Forgiveness. A
Roundtable Discussion with Jacques Derrida" (1999), in Questioning God, ed. Caputo et al. "Justice
et pardon," in Jacques Derrida, Sur
parole. Instantanés philosophiques
(Paris: L'Aube, 1999) - a compilation based on radio interviews from
1997-98
*in your
phone and e-mail
messages, please let
me know how I can reach you by phone
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
November 10) on a
topic chosen in consultation with me, due December 15.
September 19, 26
Leonard Lawlor, "Jacques Derrida" (2006-2014), Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Jean-Michel
Rabaté, "Jacques
Derrida" in Johns Hopkins Guide to
Literary Theory & Criticism, 2nd ed. (2005) Further
Reading on Derrida:
Vladimir
Jankélévitch on Forgiveness
selections from: Forgiveness, trans. Andrew Kelley (U of Chicago P, 2005) [purchase book / book on reserve]
Original: Le Pardon (1967), in Philosophie morale (Paris: Flammarion, 1998) [book on reserve]
Should We Pardon Them? trans. Ann Hobart, Critical Inquiry 22 (1996) [print out from journal online]
Original: "Pardonner?" (1971) in L'Imprescriptible. Pardonner? Dans l'honneur et la dignité (Paris: Seuil, 1986) [book on reserve]
Derrida on the Gift
Jacques Derrida, Given Time: I. Counterfeit Money (1991), trans. Peggy Kamuf, chaps. 1 and 2 [book on reserve]
Original: Donner le temps 1. La fausse monnaie [book on reserve]
October 17Derrida, Given Time (cont'd), along with:
Original: "Zeit und Sein," in Zur Sache des Denkens
Original: "Différance," in Marges de la philosophie
October 24
Emmanuel Levinas - Introduction
Ethics and Infinity.
Conversations with Philippe Nemo (1982) [book on reserve]
Original: Ethique et infini [book on reserve]
"Dialogue" with Richard Kearney (1981), from Kearney, Dialogues with Contemporary Continental Thinkers [book on reserve]
"Revelation in the Jewish Tradition" (1977) in Beyond the Verse, trans. Gary D. Mole [book on reserve]: pp. 129-41 (esp. secs. I.1-I.4)
Original: "La Révélation dans la tradition juive," in L'Au-delà du verset [book on reserve]
Background Reading
Robert Bernasconi, "Levinas, Emmanuel" (1998), in Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy* [online / Mills Reference]
Dana Hollander, "Levinas, Emmanuel," from The
Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism, 2nd ed.,
2005 [handout / online (Note that the online version contains some
errors.)]
Edith Wyschogrod, Emmanuel Levinas: The Problem of Ethical Metaphysics, 2nd ed. (2000)
Diane Perpich, The Ethics of Emmanuel Levinas (2008)
Levinas - A "Talmudic reading" on Forgiveness
"Toward the Other" (1963) in Nine
Talmudic Readings, trans. Annette Aronowicz
Annette Aronowicz, "Translator's Introduction" to Levinas, Nine Talmudic Readings
Robert Gibbs, “Returning/Forgiving: Ethics and Theology” in Caputo et al. (eds.), Questioning God
Edith Wyschogrod, Emmanuel Levinas: The Problem of Ethical Metaphysics, 2nd ed. (2000): 188-94
——, “Repentance and Forgiveness: The Undoing of Time” in International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 60 (2006): 157-68
November 7 and 14 Hermann Cohen on Atonement Religion
of
Reason Out of the Sources of Judaism (1919/1929), trans. Simon
Kaplan (Scholars Press): chapters 10 and
11 [book on reserve] excerpt from "Love and Justice in the Concepts of God and Man" (1900), in a draft translation by D.H. Religion
of
Reason Out of the Sources of Judaism: Introduction
"Political Forgiveness," "Political Apology," and Religion selections from Danielle Celermajer, The Sins of the Nation and the Ritual of Apologies (2009) [book on reserve]
Nigel Biggar, "Making Peace or Doing Justice: Must We Choose?" in Biggar (ed.), Burying the Past. Making Peace and Doing Justice after Civil Conflict (2001) [book on reserve]
Alice MacLachlan, "The Philosophical Controversy over Political Forgiveness," in Public Forgiveness in Post-Conflict Contexts, ed. B. A. M. Stokkom et al. (2012), or download pre-publication version here
Nir Eisikovits, "Transitional Justice," Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2009/2014).
Copyright
© Dana
Hollander
*NOTE: To view the "Bibliography" portion of REP articles, click on "Bibliography" on the blue bar above the article heading.
Further Reading
October 31
Original: "Envers autrui" in Quatre
lectures talmudiques
Background Reading
Additional Resources
"The Talmud" (2013), two-part BBC radio program.
A
Page of Talmud (website by Eliezer Segal, University of Calgary)
Supplementary
Original:
Religion
der Vernunft aus den Quellen des Judentums, 2nd ed., ed. Bruno
Strauss (1929) [book to be placed on reserve]
Original: "Liebe und
Gerechtigkeit in den
Begriffen Gott und Mensch" in Jüdische
Schriften (Berlin: Schwetschke, 1924), vol. 3
Background
Reading
Andrea Poma, "Hermann Cohen: Judaism and Critical Idealism," chap. 5 of Morgan/Gordon (eds.), The Cambridge Companion to Modern Jewish Philosophy (2007)
Louis Newman, "The Quality of Mercy: On the Duty to Forgive in the Judaic Tradition," Journal of Religious Ethics, vol. 15, no. 2 (Fall 1987): 155-72, esp. 159 ff.
Further Reading
Michael Zank, The Idea of Atonement
in the Philosophy of Hermann
Cohen (2000) [book on reserve]
Monday, November 10 - paper proposal due in Dr. Hollander's mailbox in UH 104 (office closes at 4 p.m.)
November 21 - No class. Instructor at a conference.
November 28
Background Reading
REMOVED FROM SCHEDULE:"Political Forgiveness," "Political Apology," and Religion (continued)