Course Catalog – Religious Studies
Introductory Courses
Religious Studies 101 – Introduction to the Comparative Study of Religion
Alternate years
Introduction to the nature and place of religion in the human experience as critically understood through the modern disciplines of comparative history, text criticism, and social science. Viewpoints covered include the psychoanalytic, philosophical, biological, artistic, and anthropological. Sources range broadly from the Bible to modern fiction, Lao Tzu to Celtic myths. The course also examines the effects of modern change on religion in global perspective. One unit.
Religious Studies 120 – Comparative Religions/World View
Spring
Systematic exploration of similarities and differences within and among several traditions (Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam) and an examination of several key issues within the academic study of religion. One unit.
Religious Studies 147 – Introduction to Judaism
Annually
Introduction to the history, theology, and practices of the Jews which uses the evidence of Judaism to exemplify the interrelationship between a religious civilization and the historical and cultural framework within which it exists. How does what happens to the Jews affect their formulation of their religion, Judaism? By answering this question and by learning the details of Jewish belief and practice, students will come to comprehend both Judaism and the social construction of religion in general. One unit.
Religious Studies 149 – Judaism in the Time of Jesus
Every third year
Judaism as we know it took shape in the first six centuries C.E., in roughly the same period that saw the emergence of Christianity. This course describes and interprets early Judaism against its historical backdrop, evaluating the theological beliefs and ritual practices Jews developed and espoused. The main focus is Judaism’s central theological conceptions, concerning, e.g., life-after-death, the messiah, divine providence, revelation. The larger goal is to comprehend how religious ideologies respond to and make sense of the world in which the adherents of the religion live. One unit.
Religious Studies 161 – Religions: China and Japan
Spring
Introduction to the history and phenomenology of the religions of China and Japan. An examination of Confucianism, Taoism, Shintoism, Chinese-Japanese Buddhism and Zen Buddhism as an expression of reaction to the total human situation in which persons live. One unit.
Religious Studies 165 – Ancient and Medieval Hinduism
Spring
Introduction to key themes in ancient and medieval Hinduism. Considers the sacrificial worldview of the Vedas and Brahmanas and then moves to discuss the significance of the Upanishads and yoga. Special attention will be given to the two chief Hindu epics: the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Also examines key elements in Hindu law through a reading of The Laws of Manu. Concludes with a consideration of Hindu devotional theism in the worship Shiva, Krishna, and the goddess Kali. One unit
Religious Studies 195 – Jews and Judaism in America
Every third year
Evaluation of the history and ideologies of Jews in America as an example of contemporary religious life in general: why and how do modern people maintain religious affiliations? In what ways do their religions carry forward inherited ideals, and in what regards are they simply, or primarily, products of the modern period? These questions are answered through an examination of the character of the American Jewish community and an analysis of the perspectives of American Jews on contemporary social and political issues. Appropriate for students with no prior knowledge of Judaism or Jewish history. One unit.
Intermediate Courses
Religious Studies 206 – Buddhism
Alternate years
Survey of the Buddhist tradition, from its origins in ancient India through its evolution as a pan-Asian faith. Topics include the legends of the Buddha, the early monastic community, the emergence of Theravada and Mahayana teachings, Buddhist ethics and social philosophy, meditation traditions, and the later development of distinctive Tibetan, Chinese, and Japanese schools. Utilizes textual and anthropological sources. One unit.
Religious Studies 207 – Islam
Fall, spring
Examination of Islamic religious beliefs and practices from the origins of Islam to the present. Particular stress is placed on Islamic religious ideals, institutions and personalities. Central topics include: Islamic scripture and traditions, prophecy, law, rituals, theology and philosophy, sectarianism, mysticism, aesthetic ideals, art and architecture, pedagogy, and modern reinterpretations of the tradition. Also explores wider issues of religious identity by looking at the diversity of the Islamic tradition, tensions between elite and popular culture, and issues of gender and ethnicity. One unit.
Religious Studies 214 – The Modernization of Asian Religions
Alternate years
How could Chairman Mao be turned into a deity on taxicab good luck charms? Are Japanese truly a “nonreligious people?” Can India abandon its secular constitution to become a “Hindu nation”? How are Buddhist monks involved in adapting to the profound crises affecting their societies? This seminar addresses these issues and examines the modernization of Asian religions across the region, analyzing the impact of colonialism, the diffusion of scientific thought from Europe, and the impact of Protestant missions. Drawing upon recent research on Hinduism, Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism, Shinto, Daoism, and the “New Religions” of Japan, this interdisciplinary course draws upon studies from history, religion, and anthropology. One unit.
Religious Studies 216 – Readings in Asian Religious Texts
Alternate years
Focuses on critical and analytical readings of sacred writings in translation from the Asian religious traditions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daosim. The genres sampled include law codes, works of ascetic mysticism, religious biography, popular narrative, and scholastic treatises. Also examines the cross-cultural definition of “text,” the idea of a “scriptural canon,” and the construction of tradition in the western historical imagination. One unit.
Religious Studies 222 – Millennialism in Cross-Cultural Perspective
Alternate years
Examination of millennial and “end-time” beliefs in a variety of cultures around the world. Topics include: roots of millennial ideas, Jewish apocalypticism, beginnings of Christianity and Islam, the modern case studies from the Pacific Islands, China, Nigeria and the United States. Elicits general conclusions regarding millennial and messianic ideas through detailed discussions of specific examples. Previous course work in religious studies, history, or anthropology is helpful but not required. One unit.
Religious Studies 233 – Islam and the West
Spring
Introduction to the long history of the Islamic world and the West. The early encounters between Islam and the West throughout the Middle Ages are illustrated by examining such fields of interaction as philosophy, science, education, and military-political history. Analyzes the Western perceptions of Islam during the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, which paves the way for the modern Western conceptions of Islam and the Islamic world. Special attention is paid to the rise of the West as the superior power of the modern world and its impact on the relation of the two civilizations in negotiating patterns of encounter, challenge, rejection, reaction, and adaptation. Also analyzes the highly sophisticated network of media, academics, entertainment culture, and policy-making mechanisms to highlight the main sources of the current Western perceptions of Islam. This is followed by a discussion of various responses of the contemporary Islamic world to such challenges as modernism, secularism, and science and technology. Concludes with the current roots of confrontation and the possibilities of mutual understanding between the two civilizations. One unit.
Religious Studies 235 – Islam in the Modern World
Fall
Detailed survey of Islam and Muslim societies in the modern period. Beginning with a study of major developments in the 18th and 19th centuries, discusses the decline of classical Islamic civilization, decentralization of Muslim political power, European colonialism, modernization, and the emergence of a new class of Muslim intelligentsia. Particular emphasis on intellectual currents, challenges of modern science and technology, and the responses of Muslims scholars and leaders. In addition to a short survey of the important social and political events in the 20th-century Muslim world, also analyzes such issues as tensions between tradition and modernity, secularism, democracy, women, human rights, education, Islamic political movements, Sufism, Wahhabism, and Muslims in the West. One unit.
Religious Studies 255 – Ecology and Religion
Spring
Explores various perspectives on nature articulated in the history of the world’s religions beginning with hunter-gatherer and tribal peoples. Distinctive doctrines derived from sacred texts and by philosophers/theologians, as well as the impact of ritual practices, are reviewed to understand the impact of religion on human ecology. After considering the perspective of Enlightenment thought on the natural world, the course surveys early North American exponents of ecological spirituality (Thoreau; Emerson; Muir), the writings of Eco-theologians (Fox; Berry; Schweitzer; McFague), and how cosmologies articulated by modern ecologists (Leopold; Lovelock) and activists (Earth First! And Greenpeace) have sought to define as sacred the human connection with the natural world. One unit.
Religious Studies 260 – Comparative Mysticisms
Fall
A phenomenological analysis of mystical experience, both theory and practice, and an investigation of the epistemological and ontological status of this experience. Approach is pluralistic considering mysticism from the following perspectives: psychological, religious, anthropological, philosophical and scientific. Examines various conceptions of ultimate reality and a variety of practices constituting the mystic path or way. Mystical experience is broadly conceived as a state of consciousness whose dominant symbols and structures of thought, behavior and expression relate to the ultimate transformation of self and world. One unit.
Religious Studies 265 – Modern and Contemporary Hinduism
Annually
A survey of Hinduism in the modern and contemporary periods. Issues examined include: opposition to British rule, Hindu temple worship, village Hinduism, new Hindu movements, caste, and the role of women in Indian society and culture. Special consideration is also given to the life of Mahatma Gandhi. Readings include novels by Rabindranath Tagore, Mulk Raj Anand, and Premchand. This course also draws heavily upon ethnographic case studies. Students may enroll in Modern and Contemporary Hinduism if they have taken either Ancient and Medieval Hinduism (RELS-165) or Comparative Religions Worldview (RELS-120). One unit.
Religious Studies 276 – Comparative Catholicisms
Spring
Comparative examination of Catholicism in four broad culture areas: the United States, Europe, Africa and Asia. Topics include: inculturation, interreligious conflict, popular devotion and the cult of Mary, sanctity, Catholic charismatic and healing movements, as well as Catholic social and political resistance. Special attention is given to whether we can understand world Catholicism as a unified system of religious beliefs and practices. One unit.
Religious Studies 277 – Modern Religious Movements
Spring
Examines the phenomenon of modern religious movements within the United States. The movements considered are popularly known as cults, and one of our most important objectives will be to examine critically this term and other categories, such as brainwashing. Ranges broadly, from a consideration of contemporary movements such as Scientology, the Branch Davidians, the People’s Temple, and UFO Cults, to other groups that have experienced longer histories, such as the Latter Day Saints (the Mormons) and the Watchtower (Jehovah’s Witnesses). Special attention is also given to contemporary religious movements within Catholicism. A consideration of modern religious movements is inevitably highly charged. The fundamental purpose of the course is to provide the analytic tools to consider not only modern religious movements themselves but also the discourse surrounding them. One unit.
Advanced Courses
Religious Studies 305 – Mahayana Buddhism
Alternate years
Seminar examining prominent movements within the Northern School of Buddhism, with particular attention to Indic, Tibetan, and east Asian developments. Topics include the Bodhisattva doctrine, Madhyamika and Hua-yen philosophies, Pure Land lineages, and the esoteric schools. Focuses upon influential texts (Lotus Sutra, Vimalakirtinirdesa Sutra) and associated devotional practices. One unit.
Religious Studies 311 – Zen Buddhism: Seminar
Spring
Examination of Zen Buddhism and its influences on East Asian civilizations. Surveys the texts and monastic practices that define Zen spiritual cultivation and the history of the Soto and Rinzai schools’ evolution. Special attention is also devoted to the distinctive poetic (haiku), fine arts (painting, gardening, tea ceremony), and martial arts (swordsmanship) disciplines that this tradition has inspired in China and Japan. One unit.
Religious Studies 312 – Theravada Buddhism
Alternate years
Seminar examining the prominent texts, doctrines and practices of the Theravada Buddhist tradition. Surveys the historical development of the tradition in India, with attention to major schools of interpretation and practice. Theravada social philosophy and ethics are studied, as are the patterns of accommodation with non-Buddhist religions. The second half of the course focuses upon the distinctive practices of Burma, Sri Lanka, and Thailand as well as reformist modern movements. One unit.
Religious Studies 315 – Islamic Philosophy and Theology
Alternate years
Introduction to the major issues, figures, and texts of Islamic philosophy and theology. Attempts to answer the question of what Islamic philosophy and theology are and how they figure in Islamic tradition. While dealing with such towering figures as Kindi, Farabi, Ibn Sina, Ghazali, Ibn Rushd, Ibn Hazm, Ibn Tufayl, Ibn Bajjah, Suhrawardi, the school of Ibn al-Arabi, Nasir al-Din Tusi, and Mulla Sadra, also discusses central issues and concepts of Islamic philosophy, including existence and essence, God’s existence and knowledge of the world, knowledge and its foundations, cosmology, causality and its role in sciences of nature and political thought. Kalam or Islamic theology is the focus of the second part of the course. Examines classical debates around such issues as God’s names and qualities, free will and determinism, reason and revelation, ethics, and political philosophy. One unit.
Religious Studies 327 – The Holocaust: Confronting Evil
Annually
Seeks to interpret an event that defies representation and lacks discernible logic or meaning. By evaluating how others have depicted, attempted to create meaningful narratives about, and drawn conclusions from the Holocaust, we hope ourselves to reach some understanding of this event, of its significance for modern society, and of its potential for helping us to recognize our own responsibilities in a world in which ultimate evil is possible. One unit.