Introductory Courses

• REL-R 102 Religion and Popular Culture (3 cr.) CASE A&H How do religion and popular culture interact? Study of ordinary people making sense of their worlds through diverse media.
  

• REL-R 133 Introduction to Religion (3 cr.) CASE A&H Introduction to the study of religion through analysis and reconsideration of the core question "What is religion?" Major theories of religion are assessed and applied to recent case studies.

• REL-R 152 Jews, Christians, Muslims (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Patterns of religious life and thought in the West: continuities, changes, and contemporary issues.
  

• REL-R 153 Religions of Asia (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Modes of thinking; views of the world and the sacred; the human predicament and paths to freedom; human ideas and value systems in the religions of India, China, and Japan.
  

• REL-R 160 Introduction to Religion in America (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE DUS Introduction to religious traditions and practices that influenced American history and culture.
  

• REL-R 170 Religion, Ethics, and Public Life (3 cr.) CASE A&H Western religious convictions and their consequences for judgments about personal and social morality, including such issues as sexual morality, medical ethics, questions of socioeconomic organization, and moral judgments about warfare.
  

• REL-R 264 Introduction to the Study of Religion (3 cr.) CASE A&H Survey of the principal thinkers, theories, and methodologies that have shaped the critical study of religious phenomena. Focal texts include the works of such figures as Durkheim, Weber, Freud, Otto, Eliade, Geertz, W C. Smith, J. Z. Smith, Horton, and Guthrie.
  

Area A—Africa, Europe, and West Asia

• REL-A 202 Issues in African, European, and West Asian Religions (3 cr.) CASE A&H Selected issues and movements in African, European, and West Asian religions. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

• REL-A 210 Introduction to the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Development of the beliefs, practices, and institutions of ancient Israel from the patriarchs to the Maccabean period. Introduction to the biblical literature and other ancient Near East documents. Credit given for only one of A210 or R210.

• REL-A 220 Introduction to the New Testament (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Origins of the Christian movement and development of its beliefs, practices, and institutions in the first century. Primary source is the New Testament, with due attention to non-Christian sources from the same environment. Credit given for only one of A220 or R220.

• REL-A 230 Introduction to Judaism (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC The development of post-biblical Judaism; major themes, movements, practices, and values. Credit given for only one of A230 or R245.

• REL-A 235 Sacred Books of the Jews (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Explores the sacred texts of Judaism after the Bible. Considers how tradition works; how people created new religious knowledge after the Bible was canonized; why some texts are considered sacred, while others are not. Includes a variety of sacred texts, including Mishnah, Talmud, Midrash, and Kabbalah. Credit given for only one of A235 or JSTU-J 220.

• REL-A 250 Introduction to Christianity (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Surveys history of Christianity from Jesus's healings and exorcisms in the first century up through the global expansion of diverse Christian communities in the modern world. Credit given for only one of A250 or R247.

• REL-A 270 Introduction to Islam (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Introduction to the religious world of Islam: the Arabian milieu before Muhammad's prophetic call, the career of the Prophet. Qur'an and hadith, ritual and the pillars of Muslim praxis, legal, and theological traditions; mysticism and devotional piety, reform and revivalist movements. Credit given for only one of A270 or R257.

• REL-A 300 Studies in African, European, and West Asian Religions (3 cr.) CASE A&H Selected topics and movements in African, European, and West Asian religions. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

• REL-A 305 Ancient Mediterranean Religions (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC A survey of the various religions in the ancient Near East (Egypt, Babylon, Persia) and the Greco-Roman worlds. Attention will be paid to ritual, philosophy, and community formation. Credit given for only one of A305 or R318.

• REL-A 315 Prophecy in Ancient Israel (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC The prophetic movement and its relationship to religious, social, and political traditions and institutions in the ancient Near East. The thought of major prophetic figures in Israel, such as Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel. Credit given for only one of A315 or R310.

• REL-A 316 Jews, Christians, and Others in Late Antiquity (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Explores the interactions and so-called parting of the ways between Jews, Christians, and other religious groups in Roman Palestine and Sasanian Persia from the first through seventh centuries C.E. Pays special attention to the portrayals of Christians in Jewish literature such as the Mishnah and Talmud. Credit given for only one of A316 or JSTU-J 316.

• REL-A 317 Judaism in the Making (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC The development of Jewish traditions from circa 400 BCE to 200 CE in their linguistic, geographical, and cultural diversity. Discusses emergence of scripture, apocalyptic traditions, place in Hellenistic and Roman cultures, relationship with early Christianity, and emergence of Judaism as a religion. Credit given for only one of A317 or JSTU-J 317.

• REL-A 318 Rabbinic Judaism: Literature and Beliefs (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC The rabbis of late antiquity were masters of the Bible who produced a corpus of writings in which they interpret holy scriptures. These writings, known as rabbinic literature, remain to this day the foundation of normative Jewish behavior and traditions. This course explores what these rabbis believed and how they interpreted the Bible. Credit given for only one of REL-A 318 or JSTU-J 320.

• REL-A 320 Jesus and the Gospels (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC P: A220. Types of traditions about Jesus: their origins, development, and functions in early Christianity, compared with similar forms of traditions in non-Christian movements. Credit given for only one of A320 or R320.

• REL-A 321 Paul and His Influence in Early Christianity (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Life and thought of Paul in the context of first-century Christian and non-Christian movements. Development of radical Paulinism and anti-Paulinism in the second century; their influence on the formation of Christianity. Credit given for only one of A321 or R325.
  

• REL-A 325 Christianity 50–450 (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC The history and literature of Christianity from its origins to the end of antiquity. Credit given for only one of A325 or R327.

• REL-A 326 Early Christian Monasticism (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC The origins and development of varieties of the monastic life in ancient and early medieval Christianity; social forms of monastic groups, ascetic practices, types of spirituality. Credit given for only one of A326 or R323.

• REL-A 335 Introduction to Jewish Mysticism (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC P: Previous course in Judaism or consent of instructor. The development of Jewish mystical practice and thought from the Middle Ages to the present, thirteenth-century Spanish Kabbalah, sixteenth-century Safed, Sabbatianism, Hasidism, contemporary manifestations of mysticism. Credit given for only one of A335 or R341.

• REL-A 350 Christianity, 400–1500 (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC The history and literature of western Christianity during the Middle Ages. Credit given for only one of A350 or R330.

• REL-A 351 Christianity and Modernity (3 cr.) CASE A&H The history and literature of western Christianity from the Reformation to the present. Credit given for only one of A351 or R331.

• REL-A 355 The Right Belief: History of Orthodox Christianity (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Introduction to the doctrines, spirituality, and practice of Orthodox Christianity as expressed in various cultural and national contexts. Particular attention is paid to Orthodox asceticism, monasticism, parish life, theology, and religious rivalry within the confession.

• REL-A 375 Women in the Bible (3 cr.) CASE A&H Considers representations of women and the feminine in the Hebrew Bible, New Testament, and literature of early Judaism and Christianity. Explores how these texts have been interpreted in the history of Western culture, and how they continue to shape attitudes about women, gender, and sexuality in the contemporary world. Credit given for only one of A375 or JSTU-L 375.

• REL-A 380 Knowing the Will of God in Islam I: Law (3 cr.) CASE A&H Students gain understanding of how Muslims have traditionally interpreted the texts of revelation (Qur’an and Hadith) through the development of practical “hands-on” methods. Designed to resemble classes in theology, jurisprudence, and law in a medieval Islamic college. Credit given for only one of A380 or R378.

• REL-A 395 The Bible and Slavery (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC A historical study of slaves and the institution of slavery in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. Attention given to the biblical texts in their original contexts of the ancient Mediterranean world and to their legacy in the history of interpretation—the nineteenth-century American slave controversy. Credit given for only one of A395 or R392.
  

• REL-A 415 Topics in Ancient Israelite Religion (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC P: A210. Selected problems in ancient Israelite religion, such as pre-Yahwistic religion, Israel’s cultic life, royal theology and messianism, the wisdom movement, sectarian apocalyptic. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours in A415 and R410.

• REL-A 420 Religions of Ancient Rome (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Seminar on the extraordinary diversity of ancient Roman religion. Major themes and problems explored include sacrifice, the religious calendar, divination, and the priesthood. Examines the widening scope of religious choice within and outside the “official” cults of the state, including ancient Christianity. Credit given for only one of A420 or R420.

• REL-A 426 Gnostic Religion and Literature (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC The myth, ritual, and beliefs of the ancient Gnostics and related Christian and non-Christian movements of the late Roman empire: classic Gnostic scripture, Valentinus and his followers, the School of St. Thomas, Basilides, the Corpus Hermeticum, and the possibility of Gnosticism in the New Testament. Credit given for only one of A426 or R425.

• REL-A 430 Topics in the History of Judaism (3 cr.) CASE A&H P: Course on Judaism or consent of instructor. Special topics such as problems in Jewish mystical tradition, the nature of religious community, charismatic leadership, religious biography. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours in A430 and R445.

• REL-A 435 Catholic Controversies (3 cr.) CASE A&H Controversial issues in the history of Catholicism from Martin Luther's critique of the church's corruption to recent court cases indicting the church's response to sex abuse cases. Examines the place of Catholicism in the modern imagination as well as key historical figures and events.

• REL-A 440 Judaism and Gender: Philosophical and Theological Perspectives (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Studies the concepts of sex and gender in modern Judaism through categories including law, ritual, and theology. Uses gender theory to explore historical and contemporary struggles over interpretations of traditional Jewish texts. Discusses Jewish ideas about masculinity, femininity, human bodies, and their places in religious life. Credit given for only one of A440 or R421.

• REL-A 450 Topics in the History of Christianity (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Significant figures, issues, and movements in the history of Christianity examined in their social and religious contexts, with attention to their continuing religious and cultural impact. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours in A450 and R430.

• REL-A 470 Topics in Islamic Studies (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Selected topics on Islamic law, philosophy, theology, and mysticism. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours in A470 and R456.

• REL-A 480 Knowing the Will of God in Islam II: Theology (3 cr.) CASE A&H Develops students’ understanding of the central theological issues in Muslim thought as they were developed by various groups and individuals over the last 1,300 years. Credit given for only one of A480 or R468.

• REL-A 485 The Life and Legacy of Muhammad (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Explores the ways in which sacred biography is used in various contexts to develop theories of authority and history. Applies theories and methods of textual interpretation to the earliest known biography of the Prophet Muhammad (d. 632 C.E.). Credit given for only one of A485 or R467.

Area B—South and East Asia

• REL-B 202 Issues in South and East Asian Religions (3 cr.) CASE A&H Selected issues and movements in South and East Asian religions. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

• REL-B 210 Introduction to Buddhism (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Introduction to the basic beliefs and practices of Buddhism from its beginnings to the present. Special attention to the life and teachings of the founder, significant developments in India, and the diffusion of the tradition to East Asia, Central Asia, and the West. Credit given for only one of B210 or R250.

• REL-B 215 Zen Buddhism (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Introduction to Zen Buddhism in medieval East Asia and the modern world. Focuses on defining moments for important issues in religious practice, theoretical understanding, and cultural modeling. Readings include excerpts from Zen texts and scholarly analyses. Video clips used. Credit given for only one of B215 and R203.

• REL-B 220 Introduction to Hinduism (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Beliefs, rites, and institutions of Hinduism from the Vedic (c. 1200 B.C.) to modern times: religion of the Vedas and the Upanishads, epics and the rise of devotional religion, philosophical systems (Yoga and Vedanta), sectarian theism, monasticism, socioreligious institutions, popular religion (temples and pilgrimages), modern Hindu syncretism. Credit given for only one of B220 or R255.

• REL-B 230 Introduction to Chinese Religion (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Introduction to religion in premodern and contemporary China. Examines the concept of religion, the notion of religious identity, and various debates that have shaped religious traditions (Confucians, Daoists, Mohists, Chinese Buddhists, Confucian-Muslims) in China.

• REL-B 240 Introduction to Daoism (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC A selective survey of the politico-philosophical, mystical, meditative, alchemical, and liturgical aspects of the Daoist tradition in China from the fourth century B.C. to today. Themes include asceticism and bodily control, social protest, ritual action, hierogamy, and revelation. Alternative models for the study of non-Western religions are also considered. Credit given for only one of B240 or R265.

• REL-B 300 Studies in South and East Asian Religions (3 cr.) CASE A&H Selected topics and movements in South and East Asian religions. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

• REL-B 310 East Asian Buddhism (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Adaptation and assimilation of Buddhism in East Asia, early philosophical and ritual schools, social issues, Tiantai synthesis of Mahayana Buddhism, devotional Buddhism, Ch’an/Zen school of meditation, impact of Buddhism on East Asian cultures and arts. Credit given for only one of B310 or R350.

• REL-B 315 Tantric Buddhism (3 cr.) CASE A&H This class explores the rise and circulation of tantric practices, ideas, and texts among Indian and Tibetan Buddhists. The class also considers the advantages and limitations of various approaches that modern scholars have taken in their attempts to make sense of these practices, ideas, and texts.

• REL-B 320 Hindu Goddesses (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Introduction to the goddesses in Hindu traditions, including Lakshmi, Saraswati, Sita, Radha, Parvati, Durga, Kali, Ganga, and Sitala. Focus on the mythology, iconography, cultic practices, embodied forms, and theology associated with these goddesses. Credit given for only one of B320 or R348.

• REL-B 330 Women in South Asian Religious Traditions (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Historical view of the officially sanctioned roles for women in several religious traditions in South Asia, and women’s efforts to become agents and participants in the religious expressions of their own lives. Credit given for only one of B330, R382, or INST I380.

• REL-B 335 Bollywood and Beyond: Religion in South Asian Film (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC A consideration of the nature and meaning of religion in South Asia using film as the lens to explore the South Asian continuum running from the sacred to the secular. Credit given for only one of B335 or R388.

• REL-B 360 Religions in Japan (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Religious movements in Japan, with emphasis on the development of Shinto, Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity, and the rise of the “new religions. Credit given for only one of B360 or R357.

• REL-B 374 Early Chinese Thought (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC An introduction to the early development of Chinese thought, from ancient divination to the religious, ethical, and political theories of classical Confucianism, Mohism, and Daoism. Focuses on debates over human nature and self-cultivation, the nature of the cosmos, and the proper ordering of society. Readings are in English translation. Credit given for only one of B374, R368, EALC E374, or PHIL P374.

• REL-B 410 Topics in the Buddhist Tradition (3 cr.) CASE A&H P: B210, B310, or consent of instructor. Selected topics such as Mahayana Sutra literature, Buddhist cult practice, Indian Buddhist inscriptions, Prajñåpåramitå thought, or Zen in Korea and Japan. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours in B410 and R450.

• REL-B 412 Buddhism and Popular Culture (3 cr.) CASE GCC P: B210 or B310, or permission of instructor. Seminar examines several major questions on Buddhism in a global context. How do popular media such as manga, film, and fiction, shape and change our understandings of Buddhism? What does it mean for a human being, a given practice, or a particular object to be "Buddhist"? What do Buddhist doctrine and practice have to say about how we perceive and participate in popular culture?

• REL-B 414 Buddhist Philosophy in India (3 cr.) CASE A&H P: B210. Examines ideas, methods, and practices of seminal importance for Buddhist philosophical traditions in and beyond the Indian subcontinent. Explores how certain Buddhist thinkers have asked and attempted to answer questions regarding the self, reality, knowledge, conduct, and liberation.

• REL-B 420 Topics in Hindu Religions (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC P: B220. Selected topics such as Upanishadic thought, the Bhagavad Gita, Advaita Vedanta, Hindu ethics, monastic traditions, Hindu soteriology. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours in B420 and R458.

• REL-B 433 Embodying Nirvana (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC P: B210 or permission of instructor. Addresses the divergent ways in which Buddhists have understood the figure of the Buddha and the nature of Buddhahood. Draws from a number of primary texts in translation, concentrating principally (although not exclusively) on Indian Buddhist materials.

• REL-B 440 Topics in Daoism and Chinese Religion (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC P: B240. Selected topics within the Daoist tradition and its relations with the larger Chinese cultural world, such as the writings of Laozi and Zhuangzi, the Daoist mystical and meditative traditions, Daoist narrative and/or revealed literature in translation, and Daoist-Buddhist-Confucian interactions in specific historical periods. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours in B440 and R469.

• REL-B 460 Topics in East Asian Religions (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC P: One course in East Asian religions. Examination of a selected theme, movement, or period in the religious history of China, Japan, or Korea. Topics might include interactions of traditions, new religions in Japan, or religious change in Sung China. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours in B460 and R452.

Area C—The Americas

• REL-C 202 Issues in Religion in the Americas (3 cr.) CASE A&H Selected topics, issues, and movements in American religions. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

• REL-C 230 American Jewish History (3 cr.) CASE S&H, CASE DUS Explores American Jewish history from its beginnings to the present through primary source readings, documentary films, and historical readings. Credit given for only one of C230, JSTU-J 259, or HIST-H 259.

• REL-C 280 Indigenous Worldviews (3 cr.) CASE S&H, CASE GCC A survey of some basic aspects of indigenous lifeways, this course introduces comparative cultural analysis, providing a foundational course for those interested in thinking about how others think and how we think about otherness. Students will examine mythology, ritual, health, art, and philosophy within the context of colonialism and globalization. Credit given for only one of C280 or R275.

• REL-C 300 Studies in Religion in the Americas (3 cr.) CASE A&H Selected topics and movements in American religions. May be repeated with different topics for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

• REL-C 301 Religion in the United States, 1600–1850 (3 cr.) CASE A&H Development of religious life and thought in the early United States, from the beginnings to 1850. Credit given for only one of C301 or R335.

• REL-C 302 Religion in the United States, 1850–Present (3 cr.) CASE A&H Development of religious life and thought in the modern United States, from 1850 to the present. Credit given for only one of C302 or R336.

• REL-C 310 Women and Religion in America (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE DUS Examines the efforts of women in American religious history to find their voices and assume leadership positions in a variety of religious and ethnic traditions. Credit given for only one of C310 or R322.
  

• REL-C 320 African American Religions (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE DUS Examines the varieties of African American religions, especially Christianity, Islam, Yoruba, Vodun, and Humanism, from the colonial era to the present. Methodologies will also be critically examined. Credit given for only one of C320 or R321.

• REL-C 323 Jews and Race in the United States (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE DUS Explores the spectrum of Jewish thought on race and ethnicity from historical and regional perspectives. Addresses the questions "Are Jews white?" and "Are Jews a race?" looking at both contemporary and historical sources to see how the answers differ in relation to the specific racial landscapes of particular times and places. Credit given for only one of C323 or JSTU-J 310.

• REL-C 325 Race, Religion, and Ethnicity in the United States (3 cr.) CASE S&H, CASE DUS A comparative study of the role religious narratives and beliefs have played in the shaping of racial and ethnic boundaries. Credit given for only one of C325 or R324.

• REL-C 330 Evangelical America (3 cr.) CASE A&H Assesses the causes, nature, and implications of evangelical influence from the Great Awakening to the present. Credit given for only one of C330 or R337.

• REL-C 335 New Religious Movements in the Americas (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE DUS Offers a theoretical and comparative survey of the emergence of religious traditions. Groups may include early Christianity, early Islam, Nichirin Shoshu, Mormonism, Tenrikyo, the Nation of Islam, Scientology, Falun Gong, and the Branch Davidians. Credit given for only one of C335 or R334.

• REL-C 340 American Catholic History (3 cr.) CASE A&H American Catholic experience from discovery of the New World (French and Spanish missions) to the present. Credit given for only one of C340 or R338.

• REL-C 350 Islam in America (3 cr.) CASE S&H, CASE DUS Explores the history and life of Islam and Muslims in the United States, including the ethnic and religious diversity of American Muslims, conflicts about gender relations and women’s issues, debates about Islam’s role in politics, and the spirituality of American Muslims. Credit given for only one of C350 or R370.

• REL-C 355 Religion and Sex in America (3 cr.) CASE S&H, CASE DUS Examines the relationship between American religion and sex from the early 1600s to the 21st century. Readings include culture theory, contemporary literature, missionary documents, theological tracts, and legal documents from early and contemporary periods. Students are encouraged to draw upon the resources of the Kinsey Institute archives. Credit given for only one of C355 or R391.

• REL-C 401 Topics in American Religious History (3 cr.) CASE A&H A selected topic such as American Catholicism in the twentieth century, religion and nationalism in America, or the problem of race and the American churches. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours in C401 and R434.

• REL-C 420 Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X in American Religion (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE DUS An examination of the religious thought of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X in the context of American religious cultures. Credit given for only one of C420 or R438.

Area D—Theory, Ethics, and Comparison

• REL-D 202 Issues in Theory, Ethics, and Comparison (3 cr.) CASE A&H Selected issues and movements in theory, ethics, and comparison. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

• REL-D 250 Religion, Ecology, and the Self (3 cr.) CASE A&H Deep ecology seeks fundamental transformations in views of world and self. It claims that there is no ontological divide in the forms of life and aims for an environmentally sustainable and spiritually rich way of life. This course is an introductory examination of Deep Ecology from a religious studies perspective. Credit given for only one of D250 or R236.

• REL-D 300 Studies in Theory, Ethics, and Comparison (3 cr.) CASE A&H Selected topics and movements in theory, ethics, and comparison. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

• REL-D 301 Religion and Its Critics (3 cr.) CASE A&H Examines major critics of religion, including Spinoza, Hume, Marx, and Freud. Credit given for only one of D301 or R333.

• REL-D 310 Contemporary Religious Thought (3 cr.) CASE A&H Interpretation of the human condition and destiny in contemporary religious and antireligious thought. Topics can include study of a major figure (e.g., Kierkegaard) or movement (e.g., peace studies). May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours in D310 and R340.

• REL-D 315 Religion and Personality (3 cr.) CASE A&H P: One of the following: R170, A250, A325, A350, A351, D330, D331, or permission of the instructor. Different ways of relating psychological concepts and data from personality theory to the study of religion and theology. Topics include psychoanalytic interpretation, existential psychology, and psychohistorical study of religious leaders. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours in D315 and R365.

• REL-D 330 From Christian Ethics to Social Criticism I (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Christian ethics from the New Testament through the early modern period. Readings include first- and second-century authors, patristic fathers, Augustine, Bernard, Abelard, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Anabaptists, Vitoria, Locke, among others. First of a two-semester sequence. Credit given for only one of D330 or R374.

• REL-D 331 From Christian Ethics to Social Criticism II (3 cr.) CASE A&H Christian ethics from the New Testament through the early modern period. Readings include first- and second-century authors, patristic fathers, Augustine, Bernard, Abelard, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Anabaptists, Vitoria, Locke, among others. Second of a two-semester sequence. Credit given for only one of D331 or R375.

• REL-D 340 Religion and Bioethics (3 cr.) CASE A&H Examines questions about human nature, finitude, the meaning of suffering, and appropriate uses of medical technology in the face of natural limitations, such as disease and death, that humans encounter. Issues include prenatal/genetic testing, transhumanism, enhancement technologies, cloning, euthanasia, and organ transplantation. Judeo-Christian and cross-cultural perspectives on illness are considered. Credit given for only one of D340 or R373.

• REL-D 350 Religion, Ethics, and the Environment (3 cr.) CASE A&H Exploration of relationships between religious worldviews and environmental ethics. Considers environmental critiques and defenses of monotheistic traditions, selected non-Western traditions, the impact of secular “mythologies,” philosophical questions, and lifestyle issues. Credit given for only one of D350 or R371.

• REL-D 362 Religious Issues in Contemporary Judaism (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Religious problems confronting Jews and Judaism in our own time: women and Judaism, the impact of the Holocaust on Judaism, contemporary views of Zionism, religious trends in American Judaism. May be repeated with different topics for a maximum of 6 credit hours in D362 and R345.

• REL-D 365 Friendship, Benevolence, and Love (3 cr.) CASE A&H By closely reading relevant classic works from Western and East Asian cultures, students examine ideas of friendship, benevolence, and love. Questions include: What are the varieties of love and friendship? Is romantic love uniquely Western? Is compassion for others natural to human beings? Could true benevolence require actions that appear cruel? Credit given for only one of D365 or R377.

• REL-D 370 Topics in Gender and Western Religions (3 cr.) CASE A&H Specific topics regarding gender in Western religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; studies of specific historical periods; or feminist critiques in theology and ethics. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours in D370 and R364.

• REL-D 375 Religion and Literature in Asia (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC The treatment of religious issues in Asian literature (Hinduism in the Epics) or the significance of the literary forms of religious texts (The Genre of Recorded Sayings), showing how the interplay of religious realities and literary forms reveals the dynamics of religious development in India, China, or Japan. Credit given for only one of D375 or R352.

• REL-D 380 Comparative Study of Religious Phenomena (3 cr.) CASE A&H Eastern and Western religions on a selected subject such as time and the sacred, sacrifice, initiation. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours in D380 and R360.

• REL-D 385 Messianism and Messiahs in Comparative Perspective (3 cr.) CASE A&H, CASE GCC Examines the messianic phenomenon as central to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Focuses on Jewish messianism. Christianity and Islam will be employed to compare and contrast how this idea developed in two competing religions. Studies the history of the idea, its relationship to orthodoxy and heresy, and its political implications. Credit given for only one of D385 or R307.

• REL-D 410 Topics in Religious Philosophy (3 cr.) CASE A&H P: Junior standing. Selected focus on major movements and problems that provide the theoretical framework for theological reflection. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours in D410 and R462.

• REL-D 430 Problems in Social Ethics (3 cr.) CASE A&H Intensive study of a selected problem in religion and society such as religion and American politics, war and conscience, medical ethics. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours in D430 and R473.

• REL-D 485 Religion and Media (3 cr.) CASE S&H An introduction to recent debates on the nexus between religious experience and communities, and various forms and technologies of mediation. Combines perspectives on religion and ritual with scholarship on media, media consumption, and critical theory. Readings also include an array of ethnographic studies of religiously-inspired movements in South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East. Credit given for only one of D485 or R411.

Special Courses

These courses may be counted toward allocation requirements by departmental consent.

• REL-R 202 Topics in Religious Studies (3 cr.) CASE A&H Selected topics, issues, and movements in religion. May be repeated once with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

• REL-R 300 Studies in Religion (3 cr.) CASE A&H Selected topics and movements in religion. May be repeated with different topics for a maximum of 12 credit hours.

• REL-R 389 Majors Seminar in Religion (3 cr.) Limited to majors. Investigation of a theme or topic in the study of religion, with close attention to method, theory, and history of the discipline. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

• REL-R 399 Reading for Honors (3 cr.) P: Consent of instructor and departmental honors advisor. Independent guided reading. May be repeated once for credit with a different topic.

• REL-R 494 Teaching Internship (3 cr.) Supervised work as teaching apprentice in religious studies either in the university or another appropriate educational setting. Intern must be sponsored by a religious studies faculty member.
  

• REL-R 495 Individual Research Internship (1–3 cr.) P: Consent of instructor and departmental director of undergraduate studies. May be repeated with different topics for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

• REL-R 496 Service Learning Internship (1–3 cr.) Affords a student the opportunity to receive academic credit for work experience in a communal or public setting. Student must submit an application, obtain a faculty sponsor, and be approved by the departmental director of undergraduate studies.
  

• REL-R 497 Language Instruction for Religious Texts (1–6 cr.) Elementary language training in preparation for the reading of sacred or scriptural texts. Language to be announced. Consent of instructor required. May be taken for a maximum of 12 credit hours.

• REL-R 498 Advanced Language Instruction for Religious Texts (1–6 cr.) Advanced language training in preparation for the reading of sacred or scriptural texts. Language to be announced. May be taken for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

• REL-R 499 Senior Honors Essay (1–6 cr.; max. 6  cr.) P: Approval of departmental honors advisor. Guided research culminating in essay(s).