Syllabus

Blood, Sex and Drugs

Course code: RLG102H1F
Course date: Fall 2022
Lectures: Wednesdays,  12:10 — 2:00 pm
Lecture location: RW 110 St. George campus 
Course instructor: Rosalind Cooper (she, her)
Office hours: by appointment
Email: rosalindleonora.cooper@mail.utoronto.ca
Teaching Assistants:
  • Martin Arno (he, him): m.arno@mail.utoronto.ca
  • Tanisha Chakma (she, her): tanisha.chakma@mail.utoronto.ca
  • Jade Hui (they, them): jade.hui@mail.utoronto.ca
  • Katarina Pejovic (she, her): katarina.pejovic@mail.utoronto.ca


Goya, The Cannibals (2) (circa. 1800 – 1808)

Course description

In this class, we explore the motifs of blood, sex and drugs as they relate to the study of religion and the irrevocably enigmatic nature of the human condition. Drawing on pre-eminent nineteenth and twentieth century social theorists and philosophers, we probe the fundamental roles played by violence, desire and narcosis as they bear upon the political, economic, psychological, cultural, historical and metaphysical dimensions of human existence.

We investigate aggression, lust and intoxication as at once historical and structural forces. We thereby uncover, not only how these forces have shaped pivotal past processes such as hominization, the passage from nature to culture and the development of human civilization, but also how they continue to operate in our contemporary conjuncture of globalized capital flows and digitally-mediated life-worlds.


Ernest Bélier, Les Bacchantes (watercolour and ink on paper, 1905)

Through shared readings and discussions, we unearth the rarely acknowledged bonds between human sexuality and the death of God; we navigate and transgress the boundaries between, not only the sacred and the profane, but also the animal and the human; we reflect on the origins of human society as well as the intertwined trajectories of modernization and secularization; and we furthermore consider law and the incest taboo, the ambivalence of the sacred and the pharmacological (that is, at once poisonous and therapeutic) facets of religious and communicational technologies.

We examine, in short, how the genesis, development and contours of our species, civilization, psyche and subjectivity are at once soaking in blood, saturated in eroticism and oiled by pharmacological potions.


Meeting of Œdipus and the Sphinx (Kylix)

Learning objectives

Students will have the opportunity to:

(1) develop skills pertaining to approaching, closely reading, carefully interpreting and critically engaging with classical texts, theories and ideas from the social sciences and humanities;

(2) strengthen written communication proficiencies through the authoring of 10 weekly blog-post reflections and the expertly guided crafting of 3 original argumentative essays;

(3) obtain experience using social media as a platform for publicly-accessible, reasoned and respectful scholarly debate and intellectual discussion;

(4) practice oral communication through the active participation in weekly tutorial discussions;

(5) acquire familiarity with concepts and theoretical lenses drawn from Marxist, psychoanalytic, anthropological, literary, philosophical and historical traditions.

Anonymous Italian Masters, The Metamorphosis of Amymone (circa 1504-1506)

Course evaluation

(1) Blog-post reflections. Students will post ten blog-post reflections of approximately 50 words each. These short reflections will respond to my weekly blog-posts. 10 blog reflections at 2 points each for a total of 20 possible points. Graded as credit/no credit.

I will publish my weekly blog-posts by Fridays at midnight. Student blog responses are due by the following Monday at midnight.

I will post a blogging question for each of the twelve weeks of the course. Students are also welcome to post a blog in response for each of the twelve weeks. However, only ten blog submissions are required to receive full credit. 

(2) Essays. Students will compose three argumentative essays of approximately 500 words each. These short essays will respond to the essay-prompt questions. 3 essays at 20 points each for a total of 60 possible points.

(3) Tutorial attendance and participation. Lively engagement in tutorial discussions will assist students in comprehending how blood, sex and drugs illuminate society, the study of religion, the history of our species and the nature of the human condition. 12 tutorials for a total of 20 possible points. Meaningful engagement with the RLG102 twitter bot will also inform our assessment.

Academic Integrity

As members of the RLG102 course, we --- students, teaching assistants and course instructor --- are expected to conduct ourselves with academic integrity. This means striving to act ethically at all times and thus behaving in accordance with the principles of honesty, fairness and responsibility. To this end, understanding what plagiarism is and how to steer clear of it is of paramount importance.

Plagiarism involves appropriating the ideas or words of another person (such as an author, classmate or teacher) and representing them as one's own original work. This webpage provides helpful tips on giving plagiarism a wide berth. Please take the time to consult it. Another resource on avoiding plagiarism is available here. I also recommend watching these short videos:



Good Writing Matters!

In this class, one of our core learning objectives consists in strengthening our writing skills. As a complement and supplement to this goal, you may want to avail yourself of some of the myriad writing resources on hand at the University of Toronto. These include, for example, the Fall 2022 Writing Plus Workshops (held on zoom) and the College Writing Centres. These services are free. In addition, if English is not your mother-tongue, you may be interested in the English Language Learning Mini Courses.

Lecture Recordings

Please note that I will be making audio recordings of the lectures. If you contribute to the class discussions (strongly encouraged!), it's possible that your voice may be picked up by the microphone and thereby included in the recording. The recordings will likely be made available on the web. Tutorial discussions will not be recorded.