PASI8003 Spirit Islands: Indigenous and Introduced Religions in Oceania
| Offered By | School of Culture, History and Language |
|---|---|
| Academic Career | Graduate Coursework |
| Course Subject | Pasifika |
| Offered in | PASI8003 will not be offered in 2010 |
| Unit Value | 6 units |
| Course Description | One of the supposedly most distinctive aspects of the cultures of Pacific Islanders indigenously and throughout their varied engagements with Western forces has been an abiding interest in religion and related forms of spirituality such as magic, sorcery, witchcraft, and so on. So impressed have outside observers been with the subtlety, sophistication and pervasiveness of Oceanic religions that many key indigenous notions have come to enjoy wide currency in the west (e.g. mana, tabu/taboo, "cargo cult"). Correspondingly, most Pacific Islanders have enthusiastically embraced one or another introduced Christian sect, reorienting their lives around the new religion and adapting it to their lives. This course will examine the place of religion in the social lives of Pacific Islanders in pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial settings and assess the contribution of both indigenous Pacific ritual systems and introduced Christianity to the course of cultural and social change that the people have experienced. |
| Indicative Assessment | Class participation (10%), mid-term exam (20%), essay (30%), final exam (40%) |
| Course Classification(s) | AdvancedAdvanced courses are designed for students having reached 'first degree' level of assumed knowledge, which provide a deep understanding of contemporary issues; or 'second degree' and higher levels of knowledge; or for transition to research training programs. |
| Areas of Interest | Non Language Asian Studies and Pacific Studies |
| Consent Required | Departmental Consent Required |
| Programs | Master of Anthropology and Master of Asia-Pacific Studies |
| Academic Contact | Professor Mark Mosko |
The information published on the Study at ANU 2010 website applies to the 2010 academic year only. All information provided on this website replaces the information contained in the Study at ANU 2009 website.
