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Religious Studies > Courses

Courses

Department of Religious Studies

Click Spring 2011 Courses to view the Spring 2011 Course Offerings

1010-1020 Introduction to Classical Hebrew (4 sem. hours). This year-long study of classical (ancient, biblical) Hebrew will focus on mastery of grammar, vocabulary, and syntax to lay the foundation for proficient reading of Hebrew texts.
Sample syllabus (PDF)

1000 Introduction to Religious Studies (4 sem. hours). A wide-ranging exploration of thephenomenon of religion and of the various approaches to its study.
Sample syllabus (PDF)

2010 Ethics and Religion (4 sem. hours). A study of moral reasoning about personal and social issues in various religious, philosophical, and cultural contexts. An Arguments course. Offered in alternate years.
Sample syllabus (PDF)

2020 Classical Hebrew Readings (4 sem. hours). This semester course will focus on a wide selection of readings in Classical Hebrew, with some attention to later forms of Hebrew, including Qumran and Rabbinic. A Texts course. Offered occasionally.
Sample syllabus (PDF)

2110 Judaism, Christianity, Islam (4 sem. hours). A study of the history, literature, thought, and practices of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam with attention to their connections with one another. A Traditions (A) course. Offered occasionally. This course may be repeated for credit with a different topic.
Sample syllabus (PDF)

2120 Introduction to Hinduism (4 sem. hours). A study of the history, literature, thought, and practices of Hinduism in India and the West. A Traditions (B) course. Offered in alternate years.
Sample syllabus (PDF)

2130 East Asian Religions (4 sem. hours). A study of the history, literature, thought, and practices of the religions of China, Korea, and Japan, including Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and Shinto. A Traditions (B) course. Offered in alternate years. This course may be repeated for credit with a different topic.
Sample syllabus (PDF)

2140 Introduction to Buddhism (4 sem. hours). A study of history, literature, thought, and practices of Buddhism in its various historical and cultural contexts. A Traditions (B) course. Offered in alternate years.
Sample syllabus (PDF)

2150 Introduction to Islam (4 sem. hours). A study of the history, literature, thought, and practices of Muslims around the world. A Traditions (A) course. Offered in alternate years.
Sample syllabus (PDF)

2160 Introduction to Judaism (4 sem. hours). An introduction to Jewish history, culture, religion, literature, and practices. Modern forms of Jewish practice and identity will be engaged. A Traditions (A) course. Offered in alternate years.
Sample syllabus (PDF)

2210 Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) (4 sem. hours). An introduction to the history, literature, thought, and practices of ancient Israel. A Texts and Traditions (A) course. Offered in alternate years.
Sample syllabus (PDF)

2220 New Testament and Early Christianity (4 sem. hours). An introduction to the background, beginnings, earliest development, and thought of Christianity. A Texts and Traditions (A) course. Offered in alternate years.
Sample syllabus (PDF)

2300 African-American Religions (4 sem. hours). A study of varieties of religious expression, belief, and organization in African-American spiritual existence since the 18th century, with consideration of slave religion, racism and religion, religious colonization, independent black churches, black protest and liberation theology, womanist thought, and heterodox religious groups like the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Nation of Islam, Santeria, and Voodoo. Offered occasionally. This course may be repeated for credit with a different topic.

2350 Fundamentalism (4 sem. hours). An exploration of the characteristics, historical development, and social ramifications of fundamentalism, with emphasis on Christian, Muslim, and Hindu manifestations. Offered occasionally.

2400 The Meaning of Work (4 sem. hours). An investigation into the phenomenon that is arguably at the foundation of human civilization and the human psyche: work. The course explores issues of value, purpose, function, organization, and justice in relation to the meaning of work from a variety of perspectives, including philosophy, theology, sociology, psychology, and management. This course is the same as FWRK 2400. An Arguments course.
Sample syllabus (PDF)

2610 Re-Thinking Jesus (4 sem. hours). A study of some of the most important attempts to understand Jesus's significance, tracing Christological ideas and innovations from the canonical gospels into the present. A Texts and Traditions (A) course. Offered occasionally.

2710 Seven Deadly Sins (4 sem. hours). A study of the "seven deadly sins" tradition fromits 6th-century articulation by Pope Gregory the Great through medieval and Renaissance literature, theology, and art, into contemporary literature, music, and film. A Traditions (A) course. Offered occasionally.
Sample syllabus (PDF)

2750-2753 Special Topics (1-4 sem. hours).

2790 Religion, Peace, and Justice (4 sem. hours). An examination of the history and literature of peace advocacy, with an emphasis on religious approaches to cultivating peace. An Arguments course. Offered in alternate years.
Sample syllabus (PDF)

3000 Myth (4 sem. hours). A study of the symbols and motifs of mythology focusing on the myths of Greece and Rome, with comparative material introduced from Near Eastern, Native American, Asian, African, and Norse mythology. This course is the same as CLST 3000. Offered occasionally.
Sample syllabus (PDF)

3110 History of Christian Thought (4 sem. hours). A study of formative figures and ideas in the history of Western Christianity. A Traditions (A) and Arguments course. Offered in alternate years.
Sample syllabus (PDF)

3120 Modern and Contemporary Theology (4 sem. hours). An examination of major developments in theology from the Enlightenment to the present, with attention to such figures as Schleiermacher, Barth, Tillich, Rahner, the Niebuhrs, Ruether, and McFague, and to contemporary movements such as the liberation theologies and global theology. A Traditions (A) and Arguments course. Offered in alternate years.
Sample syllabus (PDF)

3150 Religion, Science, and Nature (4 sem. hours). An investigation of issues raised by the relationship between Western science and classic religious traditions, including the religious roots of science, the worldview revolutions caused by scientific theories, the environmental impact of religious perspectives and practices, and environmental ethics and policy. An Arguments course. Offered occasionally.
Sample syllabus (PDF)

3160 Religion and Literature (4 sem. hours). A study of religious approaches and themes in ancient and/or modern literature. A Texts course. Offered occasionally. This course may be repeated for credit with a different topic.
Sample syllabus (PDF)

3200 Religion, Society, and Culture (4 sem. hours). An anthropological and sociological investigation through primary texts and field experience of the relationships among religious institutions and society and culture. This course is the same as SOAN 3200. Offered in alternate years.
Sample syllabus (PDF)

3310 Philosophy of Religion (4 sem. hours). An investigation of issues arising from religious experience and beliefs, including the nature of the divine, evil, and human destiny. This course is the same as PHIL 3310. An Arguments course. Offered in alternate years.
Sample syllabus (PDF)

3320 Creation and Evolution (4 sem. hours). A study of the concepts of divine world creation and natural evolution - how they originated in various forms, how they are applicable to our experience, and how they relate to each other, with attention to current controversies on the topic. An Arguments course. Offered occasionally.
Sample syllabus (PDF)

3400 Evil (4 sem. hours). A study of the reality, nature, origin, and consequences of evil, focusing on the distinctive shape and logic of what is most ignoble, destructive, callous, and dysfunctional in human history and existence. An Arguments course. Offered occasionally.

3460 Biblical Poetry (4 sem. hours). A careful study of ancient Jewish poetry found in the Hebrew Bible, exploring its ancient cultural environment and with full regard to the style, passion, and emotive elements of the poetic art. A Texts course. Offered occasionally.
Sample syllabus (PDF)

3600 The Educational Ministry of the Church (4 sem. hours). An examination of the purpose and implementation of Christian educational ministry. Offered occasionally.

3750 Special Topics (4 sem. hours).

3900-4900 Religious Studies Seminar (4 sem. hours). Intensive reading and discussion of selected texts and issues with important implications for the theory and practice of religious studies. Topics will be announced each time the course is offered; this course may be retaken for credit with a different topic.
Sample syllabus (PDF)

4800-4803 Directed Readings (1-4 sem. hours).

4850-4853 Religious Studies Internship (1-4 sem. hours). An off-campus learning experience designed in consultation with a professional in a religion-related field and a Department of Religious Studies faculty member.