Faculty Name

Julie Neraas

Document Type

Syllabi

School

CLA

Department

REL

Course Subject

REL

Course Number

3160

Course Section

01

Course Title

Spiritual Memoir

Academic Term and Year

Fall 2015

Credits

4.00

Hamline Plan Letter

D, W

Area of Study

REL

Course Description

Goals: Spiritual memoir and autobiography are literary forms that go back thousands of years. In these testaments the writer links encounters with mystery, experiences of the sacred, and details unique to his or her individual life, with universal structures that cross time and traditions. Whether they are stories about trauma and healing, encounters with the holy, the sacred in the ordinary, or unsurpassed joy, the process of writing one's spiritual journey can in itself be a transformational spiritual practice. Stories serve as containers that hold spiritual experiences when language about them in inadequate. Content: In this class we look at literary texts that have been intentionally crafted as spiritual memoir. Readings may include: Among the Believers, An Islamic Journey, V.S. Naipaul; The Spiral Staircase, Karen Armstrong; The Winged Seed, Li Young Lee; Salvation on Sand Mountain, Dennis Covington; Proverbs of Ashes, Brock and Parker; Standing alone, Asma Nomani; Faith, Sharon Salzburg; The Jew in the Lotus, Roger Kamenetz; Seven Story Mountain, Thomas Merton; The Way to Rainy Mountain, Scott Momoday; Honey From the Stone, Chet Raymo. Credits: 4

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