Department of Religious Studies
DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS FOR SPRING 08
REL 101.01 Intro to Rel Studies
Marquis MW 1530-1645 Graham 313
GL, GPR
What is “religion?” How do we know a “religion” when we see it? How do scholars study this varied and complex concept and the phenomena it attempts to encompass? We will examine these questions by looking at some of the world’s major religious traditions in their historical and contemporary expressions. This course will introduce you to the interdisciplinary approaches employed by Religious Studies scholars and offer a broad overview of some major world religions. In order to mirror the diversity of our subject matter, we will not only read primary and secondary texts but also engage the sights and sounds pertaining to various traditions. Concepts and methods will be reinforced through class discussions, exams, and writing exercises.
REL 109.01 Religion and Contemporary Culture
McKinnon MWF 1100-1150 Graham 313
GPR
This course is an attempt to address religious issues within our contemporary Western context. We will explore divergent voices and practices that have arisen between the religious and the secular, within certain “traditional” Western religions, as well as within “new age” religions. Specific issues in past semesters have included truth and relativity, language and reality, racism and religion, feminist religious thought, and the role of the Internet in contemporary religion. Classes are designed to include large-group lectures as well as small-group discussions and activities.
REL 111.01 Non Western Religions
Duckworth MWF, 1100-1150 Graham 212
GN, GPR
This course is an introduction to three major religious traditions of Asia: the traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and religions of China. This course offers a window to these religious traditions in a historical perspective. The basic ideas and practices of these traditions will be presented in a way that students will have the opportunity to learn about important facets of these traditions while gaining familiarity with some of the tools of the academic discipline of Religious Studies. Through the course of the semester, students will become more familiar with these traditions and be challenged to think about religion in different ways.
REL 191.01 Studies Scpt Lng: Biblical Hebrew II
Natkin TR, 930-1045 Foust 111
Minor
This course is a follow-on from the previous semester's beginners' class.
Having studied the rudiments of the language, we continue our study of Hebrew, focusing on the elements of grammar and syntax.
At the same time, we shall be studying actual texts from the Bible and this will give you an opportunity to read, analyze and comprehend the Hebrew. In this way you will reach an understanding of how the commentators were able to look inside the text for inner meanings. We shall also be comparing different translations with the Hebrew text.
Prerequisites: This course requires the ability to read and write Hebrew and also a basic vocabulary and grammar.
REL 201.01 The Bible in Western Cult
Marquis W, 1800-2050 Graham 313
GL, GPR
Where do Bibles come from? Who decided (and who continues to decide) what goes into a Bible? How do people read Bibles? We will explore the historical issues behind the creation of Bibles in their many forms. Beginning with a basic overview of ancient literate and scribal practices, we will look at specific debates over canon formation (that is, what texts “belong” in the Bible) in ancient Judaism and Christianity. We will then discuss ancient and contemporary issues and controversies over Bible translation and how such discussions affect the role of the Bible in public discourse. This course will emphasize the broader social and intellectual contexts which influenced (and were influenced by) the slow process of making Bibles. Our work will consist of engagement with primary and secondary material, class discussions, presentations, and writing exercises.
REL 210.01 Christianity to Reformation
Ramsey MWF, 1000-1050 Petty 313
GHP, GL, GPM
We follow five questions from early Christianity to the Reformation.
1) The question of the knowledge of God: How do Christians believe that talk about God is possible at all, since God cannot be captured in language? Topics include negative theology, mysticism, mystery, and analogy.
2) The question of soteriology: How do Christians believe that Jesus saves them? Topics include deification (God becoming human makes human beings divine), ransom (Jesus tricks the devil at his own game) satisfaction (Jesus pays the debt that humans owe to God), and example (seeing what God does for human beings in Jesus inspires them to love).
3) The question of grace and free will: If part of my salvation is up to me, and God can be relied upon to do God's part, then doesn't everything really hang on what I do, so that effectively I end up saving myself? Or it is really God who saves me, am I left out of the process of my own salvation, so that it's hard to tell that it's really me getting saved? Or are those somehow false alternatives?
4) The question of growth: Why does the story of God's dealings with humanity take time, and why does salvation take time?
5) The question of theology in Religious Studies. What is a Christian thinker or teacher trying to do when he or she writes theology? I.e., what sort of a community practice is that intellectual activity? We will be testing the following hypothesis: religion is like a culture or language, and doctrines are like its rules or grammar.
Frequent announced and unannounced quizzes, three tests, heavy reading. Don't take this course if you don't like reading and thinking.
REL 215.01 Judaism
Haskell MW 1400-1515 Petty 224
GHP, GL, GPM
This course will provide a broad introduction to the religious tradition of Judaism. Central topics for the course include Jewish text, history, ritual, thought and culture. Course readings and discussions will stress the creative tension between tradition and innovation that has allowed Judaism to endure as a vital religion in an ever-changing world.
REL 217.01 Experimental Course: The Synagogue
Bregman TR 1100-1215 Foust 111
Major
From its inception, the synagogue has served as the social and religious center of Jewish life. In this course we will attempt to enter the world of the ancient, medieval and modern synagogue through the portals of its architecture, art, and literature. Texts for preparation and study in class will include passages from rabbinic and medieval Jewish literature viewed as artifacts of synagogue sermons, liturgical poems and selections from traditional and contemporary liturgy in English translation.
REL 218.01 Nonwestern Religion: China Religion
Orzech TR 1100-1215 Graham 313
GN, GPR
This course is an introduction to Chinese Religion, both in the past and the present. I will use the results of the best recent scholarship to introduce you to current issues and methods in the study of religions and to provide an in-depth exploration of a culture quite foreign to most of you. While we will, to some extent, be looking at Chinese Buddhism, the course will focus on the indigenous religions of China including Confucianism, Daoism, and folk traditions. A major element of this course is the reading of three ‘case studies’ which link traditional Chinese religion with the modern world. The course makes extensive use of films, online texts and images, and slides. There will be a 15 minute “mini exam” early in the term, and two comprehensive tests, the first halfway through the semester and the second on the last day of class.
REL 221.01 Buddhism
Duckworth MW 1530-1645 Petty150
GN, GPR
This course is an introduction to the Buddhist tradition. We will explore the theories and practices of Buddhist traditions and examine the historical developments of Buddhist doctrines and communities. We begin by looking into the fundamental characteristics of a Buddhist world view. We will then turn to a thematic survey of important topics in Buddhism, which include the roles of monasticism, ethics, meditation, philosophy, and rituals. Finally, we examine the historical developments of Buddhism in various permutations of Buddhist traditions around the world, in South Asia, China, Japan, and Tibet. We will also discuss the roles that Buddhism plays in the contemporary world, both in Asia and America.
REL 225.01 Islam
Sopper TR 930-1045 Petty150
REL 225.02 Islam
Sopper TR 123-1345 HEHP340
GN, GPR
About a ¼ of the worlds population, (1 billion people) identify themselves as Muslims. The traditional centers of this Islamic world are currently experiencing a vibrant and sometimes violent resurgence of religious devotion, practice and passionate reform that touches every aspect of contemporary life and that raises important questions concerning the relation of Muslims to non-Muslims and to the major institutions of the current international system. The need to understand and engage thoughtfully and constructively with Islam is a pressing one for both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. To begin to meet that need, this course introduces you to the main elements of classical Sunni and Shiite Islam. We examine the main beliefs, values, sacred texts, rituals, and holy days of classical Islam. We also examine the history of Islamic civilization as it develops from the time of Muhammad to the present, with particular emphasis on the role of Islam in shaping society, law and politics. Finally we examine contemporary debates among Muslims on such important topics as the quest for a truly Islamic state and society under modern conditions, jihad, peace, tolerance of non-Muslim religions and minorities, gender roles and the place of women in Muslim society, democracy, international relations and social justice.
REL 231.01 Religion in America
Ramsey TR 930-1045 Eberhart
GHP, GMO
Diverse religious traditions and thinkers that have played a significant role in the history of the United States from Native American beginnings to the present. (Formerly REL 131)
REL 250.01 Religious Traditions and Care of The Earth
Headington TR 1530-1645 Graham
ENV,GN, GPR
This course introduces the student to the study of religion by focusing on the ways that various religious traditions view and treat the natural world. Religious rituals, symbols, stories, and ethical systems generate different cultural and social responses to nature. In our present age, when species and natural systems are threatened with extinction, we need to understand the biases of various religious traditions, especially those of the West, and offer proposals for an ethic of sustainability. We will study indigenous people and western and eastern religions. We will also look at current attempts in the West to fashion a more life-enhancing ethic.
Our study will take up three major themes: The Great Work, Food, and Simple Living. Each will comprise a third of the course.
For each theme or third of the course, you will have a test on the material we’ve covered in class and readings, and you’ll have two projects to complete on Food and Simple Living. Thus, you’ll have a theoretical and an experiential way of understanding the material.
REL 251W.01 Topics in Religious Social Ethics: Does Human Rights Need God?
Bucar W 1800-2050, Foust 111
GPR, WGS
REL 251W.02 Topics in Religious Social Ethics: Does Human Rights Need God?
Bucar W 1800-2050, Foust 111
GPR, WGS, WI
During the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, French Catholic philosopher Jacques Maritain commented “we agree on these rights, providing we are not asked why. With the ‘why,’ the dispute begins.” The text of the Declaration itself remained intentionally vague on “the why” of human rights, and the world community has to some extent continued to agree to disagree, fearing that any discussion of the differences among the various rationales for human rights would undermine the consensus of the Declaration. In contrast, this course will delve into the foundational questions of “the why” of human rights, focusing our inquiry on the relationship of religion and human rights and guided by the assumption that attention to the rationale of human rights might help us to understand these rights more fully in theory and practice. The course is organized into three parts. First, we explore the religious arguments for resonance between religious values and human rights ideals. Second, we consider accounts that deny a legitimate role for religion in “the why” of human rights. Third, we discuss specific regional examples of ways in which religion has been implicated in human rights.
REL 312W.01 Judaism & Construction of Gender: Female Images of God in JudaismHaskell M 1800-2045 Foust 111
WI, WGS
This course offers a critical exploration of feminine divine imagery in Judaism from the ancient world through the modern period, with special focus on the form of medieval mysticism known as Kabbalah. By critically engaging with primary sources from Jewish literature, we will attempt to unravel some of the mysteries behind these images, in order to understand their cultural and religious purposes. Key themes for this course will be the link between gendering God and expressing cultural ideology, the role of female images in the writings of male mystics, the gender implications of sacred sexuality and a comparison of Jewish feminine divine images with Christian depictions of the Virgin Mary.
REL 313W.01 Tpcs in Anc Jud: Jewish Law
Bregman TR 1400-1515 Foust 111
WI
This course will provide an introduction to Jewish Law. Class discussions of a variety of topics will be based on guided readings in primary sources and secondary literature. Writing assignments will require each student to summarize and to compare or contrast various approaches to legal issues within the Jewish tradition.
REL 328W.01 American Religious Thought III
Levinson R 1800-2045 Foust 111
WI
A Study of the James Family writings, including Henry James, Sr., a quacky theologian who promoted e pluribus unum as divine, William James, a pluralistic religious thinker, Alice James, a chronic hypocondriac, and Henry James, a novelist.
REL 332W.01 Contemporary African American Religious Thought
Hart TR 1230-1345 Foust 111
AFS, WI
This course is about “pilgrimage.” It explores the spiritual journeys of four African Americans from Christianity to Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, and “New World Yoruba,”
respectively.
REL 368/Eng 329W.01 Rel South Asia: Film/ Human Rights in Asian Literature, Religion
Grieve/Schulteis TR, 1230-1345 Petty 150
Crosslisted with English
What does it mean to be Human? What rights does this guarantee us? On December 10, 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states the "recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world." Using literature and film, as well as primary religious scripture (particularly Buddhist and Hindu), this seminar will focus on egregious human rights violations in four contexts: 1) Hinduism and Gandhi's politics of ahimsa (nonviolence) as it relates to the riots of Partition; 2) engaged Buddhist Thich Nhat Hahn's Theravadan teachings and his opposition to the Vietnam War; 3) the Dalai Lama's integration of human rights language and Tibetan Buddhism in working for Tibetan self-determination; and 4) the on-going conflict between Maoists, Hindu Royalists, and Parliamentarians in Nepal. The course facilitates an understanding of the meaning, basis, historical roots, and practical significance of human rights, with special attention given to questions of cultural relativism and historical context, especially the incorporation of international human rights norms into domestic national settings. Each of the four units will examine literary, cinematic, and religious works that provide alternative perspectives on the ways in which principles
REL 403.01 Tutorial
Hart W 1200-1445 Foust 111
TBA
REL 410W/S Senior Seminar
Orzech TR 1530-1645 Foust 111
WI, SI
This is Religious Studies capstone seminar and it is both writing and speaking intensive. We will be reading and critiquing two books, the first is by Thomas A. Tweed, Crossing and Dwelling: A Theory of Religion. The second work is yet to be determined.
REL 401.01 Tutorial
Hart TBA
REL 402.01 Tutorial
Hart TBA
REL 404.01 Tutorial
Hart TBA
REL 493.01 Honors
Hart TBA
H. HSS