Sound holds a privileged position in virtually every religious tradition: as the Pythagorean harmony of the spheres, as the medium of divine revelation, as cultic (musical) instruments and sacrifices, as secular tokens of enchantment, as atmospheric claims to the city and citizenship, and the list goes on. Indeed, we cannot separate questions of what sound is (its ontology) and what we can know through it (acoustemology) from theological disputes about sound’s value and relationship to the divine. In religions of salvation such as Christianity and Islam, sound is often valued for its supposed immateriality and connection to spirit. But sound can equally be associated with the body—or understood as itself a kind of body. This course explores how and why sound matters (or transcends matter) in religious contexts. How does the (im)materiality of sound shape meaning? What makes music an expression—or a profanation—of divine truth? The course will explore these questions through a careful reading of primary and secondary texts, close listening to sacred sound and music, and intensive writing intended to sharpen students’ ability to engage in critical discourse about sound and religion.
