From toxin-cleansing juice fasts to medieval nuns who claimed to survive solely on the Eucharistic Host; from the longing for Eden to hunger strikes for justice, this course traces the significance and practice of fasting as a spiritual technology within the context of western asceticism (primarily western Christianity) and “the pleasure of no pleasure.” Utilizing primary and secondary sources, and employing scholarly inquiry, textual analysis, and experiential learning/reflection, we will consider some of the meanings and uses of fasting and renunciation including: embodied petition for spiritual as well as socio-political ends; expiation and purification; sacrifice and repentance; an expression of mourning and of martyrdom; demonstration of spiritual athleticism; preparation for revelation; inducing altered states of consciousness; and the longing to transcend the flesh and the world. Particular attention will be paid to issues at the intersection of religion, gender, desire, the body, social status, and authority. This course counts toward the Gender Studies minor. After the first week of the semester, permission of the instructor will be required in order to register for this course.