Rebecca Kneale Gould
Associate Professor of Religion
Email: rgould@middlebury.edu
Phone: work802.443.2548
Office Hours: Spring Term: Wednesdays 10:30-12:00 in Hillcrest 209, Thursdays 3:00-4:30 in Wilson Cafe and by appointment
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Rebecca Kneale Gould is Associate Professor of Religion and Affiliate in Environmental Studies where she teaches courses in American Religious History, Religion and Nature, Religion and Social Change in America, and Simplicity in American culture. Her book, At Home in Nature: Modern Homesteading and Spiritual Practice in America, has recently been published by The University of California Press (2005). At Home in Nature is an ethnographic and historical study of back-to-the-land experiments based on research she conducted while living and working at the homestead of Helen and Scott Nearing. She is currently engaged in a research project entitled "Religion on the Ground: The New Environmentalism of Religious Institutions," funded by the Louisville Institute. She is a fellow in the Young Scholars Program of the Center for American Religion at IU-IUPUI. She is a Board Member of two national non-profit initiatives: The Simplicity Forum and Take Back Your Time.
Courses
Courses offered in the past four years.
▲ indicates offered in the current term
▹ indicates offered in the upcoming term[s]
ENVS 0215 - Nature's Meanings
Topic determined by the instructor - please refer to the section.
NORFall 2010, Fall 2011, Spring 2013
ENVS 0500 - Independent Study ▲ ▹
Independent Study
A one- or two-semester research project on a topic that relates to the relationship between humans and the environment. The project, carried out under the supervision of a faculty member with related expertise, must involve a significant amount of independent research and analysis. Students may enroll in ENVS 0500 no more than twice for a given project. (Approval only)
Spring 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
ENVS 0700 - ES Senior Honors Work ▲ ▹
Senior Honors Work
The final semester of a multi-semester research project on a topic pertinent to the relationship between humans and the environment. Students may enroll in ENVS 0700 only once. (Previous work would have been conducted as one or two semesters of an ENVS 0500 Independent Study project.) The project, carried out under the supervision of a faculty member, will result in a substantial piece of writing, and will be presented to other ENVS faculty and students in a public forum. (Senior standing; ENVS 0112, ENVS 0211, ENVS 0215, GEOG 0120, and ENVS 0500; Approval only)
Spring 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
INDE 0800 - Ind Scholar Thesis
INTL 0504 - SAS Independent Project
RELI 0170 / AMST 0170 / HIST 0170 - Religion in America
Religion in America AR
America often has been defined paradoxically as both the "most religious" and "least religious" of nations. This course, a historical survey of American religious life, will trace the unique story of American religion from colonial times to the present. Guiding our exploration will be the ideas of "contact," "conflict," and "combination." Along the way, we will examine the varieties of religious experiences and traditions that have shaped and been shaped by American culture such as, Native American traditions, Puritan life and thought, evangelicalism, immigration, African-American religious experience, women's movements, and the on-going challenges of religious diversity. Readings include sermons, essays, diaries and fiction, as well as secondary source material. 2 hrs. lect., 1 hr. disc.
Fall 2010
RELI 0270 / AMST 0270 - Thoreau/Lib Relig/Soc Change
Thoreau, Liberal Religion and Social Change AR, WT
Thoreau is best known as a “nature writer,” but his contribution to American religion and culture is much broader. In this course, we will examine Thoreau’s work within the broader context of his deepest concerns, including challenges to Christian orthodoxies, the early study of “world religions,” abolitionism, non-violence, and the critique of capitalism. We will focus on Thoreau’s life and thought including Walden and beyond, reading widely among thinkers who most influenced him. In the second half of the seminar, we will explore Thoreau’s many modern legacies: liberal religion, religious pluralism, non-violent resistance, anti-consumption, environmentalism, and civil rights campaigns. 3 hrs. sem.
Spring 2012
RELI 0274 - The Simple Life in America
The Simple Life in American Culture AR
The pursuit of the simple life is rarely simple. Nevertheless, it has been a longstanding impulse in American culture. This course will explore the history and sociology of the American quest for the simple life, paying particular attention to the religious and spiritual contexts and dimensions of this pursuit. In the first half of the course, our approach will be historical, examining the emphasis on simplicity from Puritan beginnings to Progressive Era reformers. The second half of the course will examine more recent efforts, including those thinkers whose emphasis on simplicity includes religious, environmentalist and anti-consumerist visions of social change. (formerly RELI/AMCV 0274) 3 hrs. lect.
Spring 2012
RELI 0295 - Faith, Freedom, and Ecology
Faith, Freedom, and Ecology ET
This course will introduce students to some of the prevailing questions in environmental ethics, ecotheology, and the emerging field of ecocriticism. What is the proper relationship between humans, the natural world, and the divine? What is our moral responsibility to ourselves and to the planet? How do freedom and constraint play a role in our choices? Do men and women experience nature (and responsibilities toward nature) differently? Lectures and readings will approach these questions from a variety of philosophical, historical, and religious perspectives (primarily Western) and will include Jewish, Christian, feminist, pragmatist, scientific, and Native American voices. 2 hrs. lect., 1 hr. disc.
Spring 2009
RELI 0400 - Seminar: Study of Religion
Seminar on the Study of Religion
This seminar for advanced religion majors examines important and influential theories and methods in the study of religion. (Open to junior and senior religion majors or by waiver.) 3 hrs. sem.
Spring 2013
RELI 0500 - Independent Research
Independent Research
(Approval Required)
Spring 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Winter 2013, Spring 2013
RELI 0601 - Senior Project in Religion
Senior Project
(Approval Required)
Spring 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Spring 2012
RELI 0700 - Senior Project in Religion
Senior Project
(Approval Required)
Spring 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Winter 2013, Spring 2013
RELI 0701 - Senior Thesis in Religion
Senior Research for Honors Candidates
Approval required
Fall 2012, Winter 2013, Spring 2013
RELI 1028 / RELI 0395 - Religion and Environ Ethics
Religion and Environmental Ethics
What is the relationship between religion and ecology? We will examine how religious traditions (Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism) have characterized the human-nature relationship by studying such themes as: dominion vs. stewardship, restraints on human impact, concepts of interdependence, and ideas of sacred space. Later in the course, we will study contemporary religiously-based environmental activism, examining the possibilities and problems that emerge when religion is mobilized on behalf of the environment. We will read works by Sallie McFague, Mary Evelyn Tucker, Thomas Berry, and Rabbis Arthur Waskow and David Haberman. We will also take a field trip to an "eco-Catholic" monastery in Vermont. (Not open to students who have taken RELI 0395).
Spring 2009, Fall 2011, Winter 2013
RELI 1072 - Contemp Practice/Social Change
Contemplative Practice and Social Change
This course is a scholarly endeavor that includes an invitation into experiential education. We will examine the lives of those who have dedicated themselves to various kinds of social change (such as peace work, civil rights, and environmental protection). Many individuals who have taken up the call for social change have also maintained some kind of contemplative practice. We will examine the relationship between contemplative practice and transformational work with attention to such figures as King, Gandhi, Pema Chödron, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Thomas Merton. Students also will be asked to participate regularly in some forms of (non-religious) meditation practice. (Pass/Fail)
Winter 2011
