1. Prof. Volney Gay Fall 2016
Office: GH 303, phone: 305 5025
E-Mail: Volney.P.Gay@Vanderbilt.edu
RLST 235/ REL 3060 Freud and Religion:
Freud and the Critique of Culture
Texts
Freud, S. Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis (hard copy at Bookstore)
Future of an Illusion in Collected Works PDF.
Totem and Taboo (and Group Psychology) in Collected Works PDF.
Three Case Histories in Collected Works PDF.
Gay, V. P. Reading Freud
“Against wholeness: the ego’s complicity in religion.” PDF.
“Dreams and The Dream Journal.” PDF.
“Dreams as Personal Myths: Dreams and Mythology.” PDF.
Additional readings:
“John Cheever” by Paul Harding, and other articles on film criticism, feminist theory, and anthropology,
etc.
Dream Journals: You are asked to keep a dream journal. Because so much of Freud's work developed
from dream interpretation, a dream journal is a valuable way into his thought. I'll explain the details in our
first class meeting.
Course Goals and Structure
This course is for upper-level undergraduates and beginning graduate students. We develop and evaluate
Freud's critique of religion and other cultural forms. We do so in three steps: (1) introduction to his basic
theory (using the Lectures, "Case Histories"); (2) his critique of religion ("The Uncanny," Group
Psychology, Totem and Taboo); and (3) the general psychoanalytic approach to culture. What did Freud
say? Why did he say it? How can we use his work to evaluate cultural forms? Where was he wrong or
incomplete? Graduate students may wish to use this course as part of their work in hermeneutic
disciplines, such as philosophy, literary criticism, feminist theory, and similar research traditions.
Assignments, Undergraduates: 2 tests (15% each) [take home]; a final exam (30%); a short paper (20%);
and the Dream Journal (20%).
Assignments, Graduate students: a brief presentation (20%); a research paper (60%); and the Dream
Journal (20%). Graduate students’ research papers (about 18-25 pages in length) should pertain to their
graduate focus.

2. Course sequence: readings, lectures, films, etc.
Week:
1 Introduction: course questions; fair play and respect; sexual content and privacy. Freud and
Psychoanalysis, the Dream Journal, Delusion vs. Illusion. V. Gay, Reading Freud, pages 1-14; Ellen
Willis, “Our Mobsters, Ourselves.”
2 Introductory Lectures, Numbers 1-4; VG “Dreams as Personal Myths: Dreams and Mythology.”
“Donnie Darko” (1988) and his fellow heroes, part one.
3 Introductory Lectures, Numbers 5-8; VG “Dreams as Personal Myths: Dreams and Mythology.”
“Donnie Darko” (1988) and his fellow heroes, part two.
4 27 Introductory Lectures, Numbers 9-12.
5 Introductory Lectures, Numbers 13-19.
6 “Fragment of an Analysis of a Case of Hysteria’ (Dora) in Collected Works; Reading Freud,
pages 41-68.
7 “Notes Upon a Case Obsessional Neurosis” (Rat Man) in Collected Works; Reading Freud,
pages 41-68.
8 “From the History of an Infantile Neurosis” (Wolf Man) in Collected Works; Reading Freud,
pages 41-68.
9 Spring Break
10 Freud, “The Uncanny,” in Collected Works. Freud, The Future of an Illusion, first half in
Collected Works. Reading Freud, pages 69-109. Student presentations. Lectures notes from Prof. Gay.
11 Freud, Future of an Illusion, second half, in Collected Works; Reading Freud, pages 69-109.
Student presentations. Lectures notes from Prof. Gay.
12 Freud, Totem and Taboo in Collected Works, chapters 1-2; Reading Freud, pages 69-109. Student
presentations.
13 Freud, Totem and Taboo, chapters 3-4; Reading Freud, pages 69-109. Freud, “The Uncanny,” in
Collected Works. V. Gay, “Against wholeness: the ego’s complicity in religion.” Student presentations.
Freud, Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego, in Collected Works. Student presentations.
14 Freud, “The Question of a Weltanschauung” and Freud, “Mourning and Melancholia,” both in
Collected Works. Student presentations.
15 Last Class: Catch Up, Course Review. All papers, make-up and graduate papers, and Dream
Journals are due.