Syllabus Outline
Readings prefixed with an asterisk (*) are intended for undergraduates; those with a double asterisk (**) are for graduate students only.
I. Introduction: The Origins of Millennial Thought, the Book of Revelation, and the Vocabulary of Apocalypse
Readings:
- Paul Boyer, When Time Shall Be No More, ch. 1.
- Damian Thompson, The End of Time, Preface and Introduction.
- "The Book of Daniel," Bible (KJV) http://www.godsnet.net/KJV/Daniel.htm
- *Yuri Rubinsky and Ian Wiseman, A History of the End of the World, pp.30-35.
- **Norman Cohn, "Jewish Apocalypses (I) and (II)," Cosmos, Chaos and theWorld to Come: The Ancient Roots of Apocalyptic Faith, chs. 9 and 10.
- John of Patmos, "The Book of Revelation." Bible (KJV) http://www.godsnet.net/KJV/Rev.htm
- Millennial Terminology http://www.mille.org/types.htm
- Book of Revelation Outline--handout
- Art: Albrecht Durer's "Apocalypse" Woodcuts: http://camel.conncoll.edu/visual/
II. The Early Church, the Last Millennium, and Medieval Apocalyptic Movements
Readings:
- Thompson, The End of Time, chs. 2 and 3.
- **Richard Landes, "Giants With Feet of Clay: On the Historiography of the Year 1000," Center for Millennial Studies http://www.mille.org/AHR9.html
III. America as Apocalypse: From New World to New Jerusalem
Readings:
- *Rubinsky and Wiseman, A History of the End of the World," pp. 91 and 98.
- Thompson, The End of Time, ch. 4
IV. Post-War America and the Twentieth Century: The Clash of New Age and New Right
Readings:
- Thompson, The End of Time, ch. 9.
- Stephen O'Leary, "Hal Lindsey and the Apocalpse of the Twentieth Century," Arguing the Apocalypse, ch. 6.
- Paul Boyer, "Antichrist, 666, and the Mark of the Beast," When Time Shall Be No More, ch. 8.
- "Bill Gates is the Antichrist" http://hero.com/HyperNews/get/sucks/32.html
Film: "The Rapture" (1991)
V. Case Studies
A. Gender Issues in the Biblical Apocalypse: The Poles of Marian Faith and Feminist Counter-Apocalypse
Readings:
- Michael Cuneo, The Vengeful Vision: Cases Studies in Contemporary American Catholic Apocalypticism," in Thomas Robbins, Susan J, Palmer, and Robins, eds., Millennium, Messiahs, and Mayhem, ch. 9.
- **Daniel Wojcik, "Apocalyptic Apparitions of the Virgin Mary in New York City," The End of the World as We Know It, ch. 4.
- Susan Palmer, " Woman as World Savior," in Robbins, Palmer, and Robins, eds., Millennium, Messiahs, and Mayhem, ch. 8.
- Charles Cameron, "Princess Diana as Icon of Woman in Millennial Discourse," Center for Millennial Studies http://www.mille.org/diana.html
- **Catherine Keller, "Gender: Silly Women of the Last Days," Apocalypse Now and Then, ch. 6.
Song: Beatles, "Let It Be"
Video: Millennium: Episode--"In Arcadia Ego"
B. Aliens in America: UFOs, Alien Abductions, the Solar Temple, and Heaven's Gate
Readings:
- Daniel Wojcik, "Emergent Apocalyptic Beliefs about UFOs and Extraterrestrial Beings," The End of the World as We Know It, ch. 8.
- John R. Hall and Philip Schuyler, The Mystical Apocalypse of the Solar Temple," in Robbins, Palmer, and Robins, eds., Millennium, Messiahs, and Mayhem, ch. 15.
- *Mark Kingwell, "The Truth is Out There," Dreams of the Millennium, ch. 6.
- **Jodi Dean, "Fugitive Alien Truth," Aliens in America: Conspiracy Cultures from Outerspace to Cyberspace, ch. 1.
- **John Saliba, "UFO Contactee Phenomena from a Sociopsychological Perspective: A Review," in James R. Lewis, ed., The Gods Have Landed: New Religions from Other Worlds, ch. 9.
- Official Heaven's Gate Web site http://www.zdnet.com/yil/higher/heavensgate/index.html
- Rick Ross Heaven's Gate Information Site: http://www.rickross.com/groups/heavensgate.html
C. Ecology and the Apocalypse
Readings:
- M. Jimmie Killingsworth and Jacqueline S. Palmer, "Millennial Ecology: The Apocalyptic Narrative from Silent Spring to Global Warming," in Carl Herndl and Stuart Brown, eds., Green Cultures: Environmental Rhetoric in Contemporary America, ch. 1.
- **Lawrence Buell, "Environmental Apocalypticism," The Environmental Imagination, ch. 9.
- Martha Lee, "Environmental Apocalypse: The Millenarian Ideology of 'Earth First'," in Robbins, Palmer, and Robins, eds., Millennium, Messiahs, and Mayhem, ch. 6.
D. The Globalization of Apocalyptic Fever: The Oido Full Gospel Church and the Aum Shinrikyo Cult
Readings:
- Thompson, The End of Time, ch. 10-11.
- Mark R. Mullins, "Aum Shinrikyo as an Apocalyptics Movement," in Robbins, Palmer, and Robins, eds., Millennium, Messiahs, and Mayhem, ch. 16.
E. The Secular Apocalypse and the Militarized Millennium: Survivalism and the Militia Movement in America
Readings:
- Philip Lamy, "Secularizing the Millennium: Survivalists, Militias, and the New World Order," in Robbins, Palmer, and Robins, eds., Millennium, Messiahs, and Mayhem, ch. 5.
- Philip Lamy, "Millennium Rage," Millennium Rage: Survivalists, White Supremacists, and the Doomsday Prophecy, ch. 1.
- Michael Barkun, "Millenarians and Violence: The Case of the Christian Identity Movement," in Robbins, Palmer, and Robins, eds., Millennium, Messiahs, and Mayhem, ch.13.
F. Countdown to Armageddon at Waco: David Koresh, the Branch Davidians, and the Recurrence of Millerite Premillennialism
Readings:
- Thompson, The End of Time, ch. 12.
- Dick Anthony and Thomas Robbins, " Religious Totalism, Exemplary Dualism, and the Waco Tragedy," in Robbins, Palmer, and Robins, eds., Millennium, Messiahs, and Mayhem, ch.14.
- Frontline: "Waco: The Inside Story" http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/waco/
- Official Branch Davidian Web site http://www.branchdavidian.com
Videos:
- WGBH Frontline: "Waco: The Inside Story"
- The X-Files: episode--"The Field Where I Died"
VI. In/conclusion: Apocalyptic Belief as Political Resource or Political Obstacle
Readings:
- Michael Walzer, Exodus and Revolution, selections.
- Thompson, "The End of Time?" The End of Time, ch. 13.
- Stephen O'Leary, The Apocalypse of Apocalypses," Arguing the Apocalypse, ch. 8 (213--224 only).
Comments? Contact: Dr. Ernest J. Yanarella (ejyana@pop.uky.edu)
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Graphics and HTML by John Yanarella, 1998