Religious Studies Courses

Semester specific course descriptions

Introductory

100. Mystery and Meaning: An Introduction to the Study of Religion.
This general introduction to both the subject matter and the study of religion calls attention to the fact that, although human beings have been religious in enormously varied ways since the dawn of history, the study of religion is a recent development, originating in Western Europe and America during the last century. What is there about the modern West that has led it to study religion on a global scale? Subsequently, attention is turned to the subject matter of religion, drawing selectively from the wealth of material that may be regarded as religious: past and present, literate and non-literate, Eastern and Western. The course concludes by considering the place of the study of religion in the contemporary liberal arts curriculum, the discipline’s relationship to adjacent disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, and the distinction between the study and practice of religion.

Scripture

205. Introduction to the Hebrew Bible. (In English)
This course is designed to enable the student to use the insights of modern biblical scholarship to read the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) in an informed manner. The student is introduced to the entire array of methods used for understanding biblical texts, although historical, sociological and literary analyses are emphasized. Attention is also given to the ways modern Judaism and Christianity understand specific biblical passages.

206. Introduction to the New Testament.
The goals of this course are identical to those of Religious Studies 205, although that course is not a prerequisite. The same forms of analysis that were used to understand the Hebrew Bible are used to understand the New Testament. The course emphasizes the different ways Christian communities understood the Christian message and how these different understandings came to be embodied in a single collection of documents. Also offered through European Studies.

307. Jesus in the Gospels.
This course studies one or more of the gospels using any or all of the techniques of modern biblical scholarship. It examines how the author(s) understood the ministry of Jesus and how they communicated that understanding to the reader. The format of the course is a combination of lecture and seminar. Religious Studies 206 or permission of the instructor required.

Surveys of Religious Traditions

221. The Religious Life of India.
An introductory exploration of the indigenous religious life of India, both past and present. The baseline is historical, beginning with the prehistoric evidence and concluding with the modern scene of Mahatma Gandhi, international meditation movements and politicized religion. Building on this baseline, the concern throughout is to discern what the tradition has meant personally to the individuals involved. Frequent use is made of artistic and video material to appreciate Indian appraisals of the human condition. Also offered through Asian Studies.

222. The Buddhist Religious Tradition.
An introductory exploration of the various classical and contemporary forms of Buddhism. The initial task is to understand the Buddha in the context of India in the sixth to fifth centuries BCE, then to examine the emergence of a sophisticated philosophical and psychological literature, the meditational techniques of Tantra and Zen, the sociopolitical role of the monastery, and more. The examination enables students to follow the historical spread of Buddhism into Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, Tibet, China, Japan and, more recently, the West. Also offered through Asian Studies.

223. The Religious Life of China.
An introduction to China’s unique religious heritage through a selective survey of major thinkers, texts and cultural expressions. The primary emphasis is on the historical development and mutual influence of the “three teachings”— Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism — with special attention given to the relationship between philosophy and popular practice, and to the interaction among political and religious institutions. Topics include gods and the sacred, ritual, ethics, human nature, meditation, mysticism and salvation. Also offered through Asian Studies.

224. The Islamic Religious Tradition.
An introductory examination of that religious tradition which, originating in seventh century Arabia under the inspiration of the Prophet Muhammad, has come to include one-sixth of humankind, and predominates throughout the Middle East, North and East Africa, Pakistan, portions of India and Indonesia. The course considers the career of the Prophet and the growth of the central institutions of Islamic civilization and endeavors to identify the varied aspirations and concerns of Muslims in the contemporary world. Also offered through Global Studies.

225. The Religious Traditions of Judaism.
An introductory examination of the religious traditions of Judaism from the biblical period through the 21st century. Just as Christianity is no longer the religion of the Hebrew Bible, neither is Judaism. Emphasis is placed on the development of Rabbinic (modern) Judaism and its evolution in the modern world. Recent movements and events (the emergence of new forms of Judaism, Zionism, the Holocaust and the birth of Israel) are also discussed.

226. The Religious Life of Japan.
A historical and topical introduction to the complex mingling of indigenous and foreign traditions, exemplified by the relationship between Shinto and Buddhism, that has informed Japan’s unique religious heritage. Major topics include attitudes toward nature, the interpenetration of religion and the arts (haiku poetry, landscape painting, swordsmanship, the tea ceremony, etc.), monasticism and meditation practices, modern Zen philosophy and the influence of the West. Course materials consist of canonical and secondary texts and autobiographical accounts, works of fiction and film. Also offered through Asian Studies.

231. Christian Religious Traditions.
A survey of the development of the Christian tradition or traditions from the end of New Testament times to the present. Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and the major streams of Protestantism are considered. Special attention is given to a sampling of significant Christian writers, both men and women, of the past and present. Also offered through European Studies.

277. Introduction to Hinduism.
This course is an introduction to Hindu religious cultures, its mythologies, sacred texts, ritual and major philosophical systems. The course emphasizes both text and practice in the development of Hinduism from the Vedic period (1750 BCE) to the 15th century.

Comparative and Topical Courses

266. History of the Middle East Since 1914.
This first course of a two-course sequence surveying the history of the Middle East from World War I to the present examines the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the rise of Zionism and Arab nationalism, and the development of modern Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, the countries of the Arabian Peninsula, Israel, and the Palestine Liberation Organization. The second course in the sequence continues this study in the post-1967 War period. Also offered through Global Studies and as History 260.

267. The Holocaust.
The development of the Holocaust from 1933 to 1945, within the larger contexts of Christian anti-semitism, Nazi ideas of race and empire, and World War II. We consider the Holocaust’s implications for Jewish and German identity, for Jewish and Christian theology, and for an understanding of racism, genocide and modernity. Course texts include scholarly analyses, philosophical essays, memoirs, images and poetry. Also offered as History 267 and through European Studies.

288. Cults and New Religious Movements.
The rise of new religious and spiritual movements (NRMs) in North America since the 1960s is a response to the rapidly changing religious, social and political conditions of the modern world. The objective of this course is to explore the origins, nature, beliefs and practices of NRMs. Who joins these groups and why? Do NRMs “brainwash” their followers? Are NRMs dangerous and violent? How have NRMs been portrayed in the mass media and in particular by the news media?

331. Pilgrimage as a Spiritual Journey.
This course explores the experiences, rituals, stories, beliefs, temples/shrines, images and traveling communities associated with the religious phenomenon of pilgrimage. What kind of travel is pilgrimage? Does it have a particular structure? Are there different kinds of pilgrimages? What kind of religious experience does pilgrimage provide? These and other questions are examined through a close study of selected pilgrimages in Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism.

339. Theology of Liberation: Analysis, Critique, Alternatives.
This course examines major expressions of the continued vitality of religious life in contemporary Latin America, such as the emergence over the last several decades of a theology of social change, usually called “theology of liberation.” We consider the rise of this theology and the reactions and criticisms it has provoked. We examine the growth of evangelicalism in Latin America as both alternative to and consequence of liberation theology. Prerequisite: Religious Studies 100 or permission of instructor. Also offered as Government 339.

370. Asian Religions in the Modern World.
A seminar that examines the transformations that the religious traditions of Asia — Islamic, Indian, Chinese and Japanese — have undergone during the past century. Attention is paid to (1) institutional and ideological changes in the Asian traditions themselves and (2) the increasing presence of Asian religious motifs in Western culture. Also offered through Asian Studies.

380. Mythology and Popular Religious Thought in India.
This seminar has two goals: (1) to familiarize students with the great myths of India and the variety of ways they have been woven into the fabric of Hindu culture; and (2) to explore some contemporary theories about the nature of myth. Emphasis throughout is on student discussion and research, on engagement with the values of Indian culture, and on seeing those values in relation to the concerns of modern Western scholarship. Also offered through Asian Studies.

Special Courses

247, 248. Special Topics.

347, 348. Special Topics Seminars.

450, 451. Directed Studies in Religion.
An individual study program for candidates for honors in religious studies or others showing special interest and aptitude in the study of religion, as approved by the department chair and the instructor under whom the work will be completed. A term paper is required as the product of the special study. (A 2.5 average is required.) Also offered through Asian Studies.

489, 490. Senior Year Experience.
An individual study program for candidates for majors in religious studies that fulfills the requirements for their senior-year experience and may be taken in place of Religious Studies 460 with approval of the department chair. (A 2.5 average is required). An extended term paper is required as the product of the special study.

498, 499. SYE: Honors.
This is a departmentally approved honors project requiring an extended term paper that is the product of the special study. A cumulative GPA of 3.5 in the department is required to do an honors project.

Hebrew

101-102. Hebrew.
An introduction to Hebrew language, the form of which (biblical, rabbinic, modern) is determined by the interests of the class. No prior knowledge is presupposed. In the first semester, students are introduced to the script and basic grammar and vocabulary. If modern Hebrew is taught, there is an emphasis on conversational skills; if biblical or rabbinic Hebrew, the emphasis is on ability to read the relevant texts. Offered occasionally by request.

Greek

111-112. Hellenistic Greek.
The first term and much of the second are spent mastering the essentials of Greek grammar and vocabulary of the period necessary to proceed in the second semester to readings in the New Testament. Offered occasionally by request.