Religion 238 - MARY:IMAGES AND CULTS

Spring
2017
01
4.00
Vera Shevzov
TTh 10:30-11:50
Smith College
42101-S17
SEELYE 208
vshevzov@smith.edu
Whether revered as the Birth-Giver of God or remembered as a simple Jewish woman, Mary has both inspired and challenged generations of Christian women and men worldwide. This course focuses on key developments in the “history of Mary” since early Christian times to the present. How has her image shaped Christianity? What does her image in any given age tell us about personal and collective identities? Topics include Mary’s “life”;  rise of the Marian cult; differences among Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox Christians; apparitions (e.g., Guadalupe and Lourdes); miracle-working icons, especially in Byzantium and Russia; Mary, liberation and feminism; Mary, politics and the Pussy Riot affair. Devotional, theological, polemical and literary texts, art and film. Enrollment limited to 35.
Permission is required for interchange registration during the add/drop period only.