|
Religion Department Courses |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
COURSE
NUMBER COURSE
TITLE AND LINKS (if available) Instructor Classtime Location REL.
101b Introduction
to the Study of Religion An introduction to the study of religion from three perspectives:
overviews of several religions with classroom discussion of primary
sources; cross-cultural features common to many religions; theories
of religion and approaches to its study and interpretation.
LE:
50 N. Koltun-Fromm MWF 10:30-11:30 Introduction to Islam An introduction to the religion of
Islam. We will consider doctrines, practices, and religious institutions
in a variety of geographic settings from the rise of Islam in the
seventh century to the present. The Qur'an, the sayings of Muhammad,
legal texts, and mystical works will be our foundation. We will also
read from the scholarship on Islam. We will also look at Islam in
the immediacy of the world today and, briefly, in the media. Among
the topics we cover are the Qur'an as scripture and as liturgy, the
Muhammadan idea of prophethood, and the spread of Islam. LE: 40 REL.
122b Introduction
to the New Testament and Christian Origins An introduction
to the New Testament and early Christian literature. Special attention
will be given to the Jewish origins of the Jesus movement, the development
of traditions about Jesus in the earliest Christian communities,
and the social contexts and functions of various texts. Readings
will include non-canonical writings, in addition to the writings
of the New Testament canon. LE:
35 S.
Schwarz TTh
8:30-10 REL.
130b An introduction
to various forms of religious material practices in America. We
will examine how persons and communities interact with material
objects and media to explore and express religious identity. Topics
may include religion and sports, dance and ritual, food and dress,
and the visual arts. LE: 35 K. Koltun-Fromm MW 2:30-4 REL.
203b The Hebrew Bible and Its Interpretations This course
will critically study select Hebrew Biblical passages
(in translation) as well as Jewish and Christian Biblical commentaries
in order to better understand how Hebrew Biblical texts have been
read, interpreted and explained by ancient and modern readers alike.
Students will also learn to read the texts critically and begin to
form their own understandings of them. LE: 35 S. Schwarz TTh
1:00-2:30 Islamic Mysticism What is
Sufism (Islamic Mysticism)? Based on classical readings by "orthodox" or "Five-Pillar" Sufi
Muslims, we explore both the sober and the intoxicated styles of seeking
God. This course includes studies of contemporary Sufi men and women
throughout the world. REL.
221b Women
and Gender in Early Christianity An examination
of the representations of women and gender in early Christian texts
and their significance for contemporary culture. Topics include
interpretations of Genesis 1-3, images of women and sexuality in
early Christian and Gnostic literature, and the roles of
women in various Christian communities. LE:
20 Cross-listed
with Gender and Sexuality Studies A. McGuire TTh
10-11:30 REL./HIST.
240b History
and Principles of Quakerism The
development of Quakerism and its relationship to other religious
movements and to political and social life, especially in America.
The roots of the Society of Friends in 17th-century Britain, and
the expansion of Quaker influences among Third World populations,
particularly the Native American, Hispanic, east African, and Asian
populations. Cross-listed
with History E.
Lapsansky MW 12:30-2 REL./EAS/HIST.
256b Zen
Thought, Zen Culture, Zen History What are we
talking about when we talk about Zen? This course is an introduction
to the intellectual and cultural history of the style of Buddhism
known as Zen in Japanese. We will examine the development and expression
of this religious movement in China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam. LE: 30 Cross-Listed
with East Asian Studies and History H. Glassman TTh 10:00-11:30 REL.
299b Theoretical Perspectives in the Study of Religion What is “religion”? Where did
it come from? What is its function? How to describe it? Most importantly,
what conversations do we necessarily enter into when we ask such
questions? This course will introduce students to the history of
the study of “religion” in the modern West. ...Readings
may include: Kant, Feuerbach, Schleiermacher, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche,
Freud, Tylor, Durkheim, Weber, James, Otto, Benjamin, Burke, Eliade,
Geertz, Foucault, Douglas, Long, Said, Smith, Haraway, Derrida,
Taussig, and Asad. LE 20 J. Lardas TTh
2:30-4:00 REL.
338b Seminar
in American Civil Religion What are
the sacred bonds that tie Americans together? Does the
US possess its own religion? To what extent does this modern democratic
nation rely on the power of religion to legitimate its authority
and to perpetuate its aims? These questions will guide our exploration
of what sociologist Robert Bellah, drawing on the work of Jean Jacques
Rousseau, once called American ""civil religion."" Readings
may include Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Durkheim, Cassirer, Bellah,
and Taussig. LE:
15 J.
Lardas W
1:30-4:00 REL.
343b Seminar
in Religions of Antiquity and Biblical Literature Topic
for S '06: Interpreting
the Gospels Close
reading of selected early Christian gospels and recent critical LE:
15 A. McGuire M
1:30-4:00 REL.
399b Open to Senior
Religion majors only. Research and writing of the senior thesis in
connection with regular meetings with a thesis advisor from the department. Dept.
Faculty T 7:30-10 p.m. REL.
480A Independent
Study Staff N/A TBA
Previous Religion Dept. Courses |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
