Courses in Religion (Division 457)

Rel. 121/ACABS 121. Introduction to the Tanakh/Old Testament.

(4; 3 in the half-term). (HU).

Introduction to the Hebrew Bible in translation and to modern methods of interpretation.

Rel. 122/ACABS 122. Introduction to the New Testament.

(4; 3 in the half-term). (HU).

This course introduces introduces the student to the modern study of the new testament, the most widely read but, probably, least understood book in the world. The course places the New Testament in its historical setting and introduce students to the methods of interpretation of New Testament writings.

Rel. 201/ACABS 200/AAPTIS 200/HJCS 200. Introduction to World Religions: Near Eastern.

(4; 3 in the half-term). (HU).

Religions of the Book: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. An introduction to those world religions with roots in the Near East. The traditions studied include Ancient Israel (including the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament) as well as its "offspring:" Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Special attention is paid the origins and development of these traditions, what they share, and how they differ.

Rel. 202/Buddhist Studies 220/Asian Studies 220. Introduction to the Study of Asian Religions.

(4). (HU).

An introduction to the study of Asian religions. We consider representative material drawn from some of the major Asian traditions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shinto, etc.) from ancient times to the present day.

Rel. 203. Introduction to the Christian Tradition.

I. (4). (HU).

A survey of the Christian religious tradition with emphasis upon its forms and development in western civilization.

Rel. 204/AAPTIS 262. Introduction to Islam.

(4). (HU).

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to Islam as a religious tradition. After examining the fundamental sources of Islam, particularly the Qur'an and the Reports about the activities and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, we discuss how these foundations gave rise to the beliefs and practices of Muslims and to an Islamic civilization with spectacular achievements in such areas.

Rel. 223/Asian Studies 223/S&SEA 223. Bhagavad-Gita: The Activist View of Hinduism.

(3). (HU).

This class introduces Hinduism to students through an intensive study of this single most important scriptural text, the Bhagavad-Gita. We spend half the time going over the text-in-translation, chapter by chapter. The other half of the class time is devoted to critical issues relating to the text, i.e., history of the text, its transmission, its location within the history of Hinduism, its connections with political/cultural history, its ancient and modern interpretations.

Rel. 225/S&SEA 225/Asian Studies 225. Hinduism.

(3). (HU).

Introduction to Hinduism, its general history over 3500 years. It studies Hindu religious literature, ritual, social system, et cetera. Also studies Hindu response to changing conditions.

Rel. 230/Asian Studies 230/Buddhist Studies 230/Phil. 230. Introduction to Buddhism.

(4). (HU).

Introductory readings and lectures on the history and literature of Buddhism in India and Tibet followed by a discussion of the basic problems of Buddhist religion and philosophy in the light of selected Buddhist texts in translation.

Rel. 231/Buddhist Studies 231/Asian Studies 231. Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism.

(4). (HU).

This course surveys the development of Buddhism in Tibet. It begins with an introduction to those doctrines and practices of Indian Buddhism that would come to hold an important place in the Tibetan tradition and goes on to examine the process of transmission of Buddhism from India to Tibet.

Rel. 246/Anthro. 246. Anthropology of Religion.

(4). (Excl).

An introduction to basic problems faced by religions and by the study of religion. Draws on case studies from around the world to examine how people confront questions of life, death, evil, misfortune, and power. Also asks how the study of religion wrestles with relations between tolerance and faith.

Rel. 250/Buddhist Studies 252/WS 250. Religion and Culture: Feminine and Masculine Images of Religious Experience.

(3). (HU).

An exploration of human differences and how they affect our sense of what is personal religious experience: inwardness, contemplative solitude, spirituality, ready from classical works of "spirituality" or religious self-reflection.

Rel. 280/ACABS 221. Jesus and the Gospels.

(4; 3 in the half-term). (HU).

An examination of the life and teaching of Jesus of Nazareth and of the form, purpose, and content of the gospels.

Rel. 286/Hist. 286. A History of Eastern Christianity from the 4th to the 18th Century.

(3). (HU).

A church history course for undergraduates that surveys the histories of the Greek, Bulgarian, Serbian, and Russian churches in detail, from their respective conversions into the eighteenth century.

Rel. 296/HJCS 296/Judaic Studies 296. Perspectives on the Holocaust.

(4; 3 in the half-term). (HU).

A study of the Holocaust as an historical event and its impact on Jewish thought and culture.

Rel. 303/S&SEA 303/Asian Studies 303. Sikhism.

(3). (HU).

Sikh religious beliefs, practices, and institutions. Emphasizes the techniques of the founder, Guru Nanak, and major doctrinal developments under subsequent Gurus. Particular attention is paid to the scripture, the Adi Granth, and other Sikh texts to understand the evolution of the Sikh community.

Rel. 308/Hist. 308. The Christian Tradition in the West from New Testament to Early Reformation.

(4). (Excl).

A survey of the doctrine, institutions, political involvement, and culture of western Christianity and Apostolic times to the first phases of the Lutheran Reformation.

Rel. 309/Hist. 309. The Christian Tradition in the West from Luther and Calvin to the Present.

(4). (Excl).

A survey of Christian culture, institutions, and political involvement from the breakup of the medieval church during the Reformation through the various crises brought on by the modernization of the West from the Age of Reason to the 20th century.

Rel. 310/CAAS 335. Religion in the Afro-American Experience.

(3). (HU).

This course studies religion as a major force in the life of the Black community. Religion has not only provided a sense of direction and a positive hope for Black people, it has also provided a philosophical basis for much of the social action of the community.

Rel. 312. Church and American Society.

(3). (HU).

The relationship which the Christian Church has on society, and the corresponding impact which society has on religious structures. The emergence of a religiously based political right as a powerful political reality in America makes the question of what happens when religion and society try to coexist an important one.

Rel. 316/Buddhist Studies 316/Asian Studies 316. Religion in Modern Japan.

(3). (Excl).

This course looks at dominant trends in modern Japanese religion. We pay particular attention to the "new religions" that arose after the Meiji restoration (1868), and the continued popularity of ancient religious practices (shamanism, exorcism, etc.) in a modern industrialized society.

Rel. 323/Buddhist Studies 325/Asian Studies 325. Buddhism in Zen Perspective.

(3). (HU).

An introduction to the Buddhism of the Far East, as viewed through the perspective of Zen (Ch'an) thought and institutions in China, Korea and Japan.

Rel. 345. Hellenism, Judaism and Early Christianity.

Religion 201. (3). (Excl).

The focus is the Greco-Roman world as the context for the emergence of Judaism and Christianity. The political, social and cultural elements of Hellenization are analyzed, including the historical process by which Judaism and Christianity were Hellenized. Main objective is to understand patterns of beliefs and practices.

Rel. 350/ACABS 323. History of Christian Thought: Paul to Augustine.

(4; 3 in the half-term). (Excl).

An introduction to the writings of the Church Fathers, east and west, from the 1st through the 5th centuries CE. The course is organized around certain recurring themes and problems in the history of Christianity, including: the unity of God, the inspiration of scripture, the place of the Church in society, etc.

Rel. 358/ACABS 321/Hist. 306. History and Religion of Ancient Israel.

(3). (HU).

Traces the cultural history of Ancient Israel as seen within the larger histories of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Syria of the late 2nd and mid 1st millennia (1200-600 BCE).

Rel. 359/ACABS 322/Hist. 307. History and Religion of Ancient Judaism.

May be elected independently of Religion 358. (3). (HU).

Traces the cultural history of Ancient Judaism within the larger history of the ancient Near East from its beginnings following 600 BCE/BC through to the last Jewish independence movement in Ancient Palestine, the Bar Kochba Revolt of 132-35 CE/AD.

Rel. 365/Phil. 365. Problems of Religion.

(4; 2 in the half-term). (HU).

A philosophic examination of basic religious problems such as the nature of religion, the existence and nature of God, methods of attaining religious knowledge, the problem of evil, and immortality.

Rel. 369/Psych. 313. Psychology and Religion.

Introductory psychology or senior standing. (4). (Excl).

Psychological processes in religious phenomena and an interpretation of the psychological meaning of religion.

Rel. 370. History of Christianity.

(3). (Excl).

A study of the relationship of Christianity to civil society from the beginning of the Christian era until modern times.

Rel. 371. Modern Religious Thought.

(3). (Excl).

An academic investigation of the relationship between religious thought and action in the modern world. Topics vary each year.

Rel. 375/MARC 375/German 375. Celtic and Nordic Mythology.

(3). (Excl).

A study of the Celtic and Nordic cycles of myths and sagas, including the Nibelungenlied, Tristan and Isolde cycles, the Irish Tain, the Welsh Mabinogi, the Scandinavian Edda and some of the literature based on these cycles.

Rel. 380. Selected Topics.

(3). (Excl). May be repeated for a total of six credits. Only one course from Religion 380, 387, and 487 may be elected in the same term.

Seminar topics are announced each year. Consult the Time Schedule for specific information.

Rel. 387. Independent Study.

Concentration in Religion. I, II, and III. (1-3). (Excl). (INDEPENDENT). May be repeated for credit. Only one course from Religion 380, 387 and 487 may be elected in the same term.

Designed to accommodate students who are unable to take listed offerings and have special reasons for undertaking directed reading.

Rel. 393/AAPTIS 393/ACABS 393. The Religion of Zoroaster.

(3). (HU).

A comprehensive introduction to the dualistic religion of Zoroaster, his view of creation and salvation, and ethics.

Rel. 402. Topics in Religion.

Upper-class standing. (1-3; 2 in the half-term). (Excl).

Inquiry into and discussion of the phenomena of religion as seen in relation to other academic disciplines.

Rel. 404/Anthro. 450. Comparative Religion: Logos and Liturgy.

Upperclass standing and permission of instructor. (3). (Excl). May be repeated with permission for a total of six credits.

This course is concerned with conceptions of cosmic order represented in the rituals and scriptures of a range of societies and religions. Various members of the faculty discuss societies, rituals, or religions upon which they have done research: ancient Mesopotamia, ancient Israel, early Christianity, Zoroasterism, Buddhism, etc.

Rel. 442/ACABS 414. Myth and Literature of Ancient Mesopotamia.

(3). (Excl).

This course provides a broad introduction to the two and a half millennia of Sumerian and Akkadian writing including myth and literature. It is studied from a variety of perspectives, concentrating on the historical and social contexts of writing. Genre theory, semiotics, hermeneutics and reader response is studied in conjunction with the unique problems of ancient myths.

Rel. 447/Poli. Sci. 447. Comparative Studies in Religion and Politics.

(3). (Excl).

Comparative analysis of patterns of change in religion, in politics, and in the relations between them. Particular emphasis to third world cases, including Latin American Catholicism, Islam, and to Africa and Asia, reference as well to the United States.

Rel. 448/Psych. 418. Psychology and Spiritual Development.

(3). (Excl).

This course explores the contributions of transpersonal psychology in examining direct spiritual experience, the decision to work within a spiritual discipline, and the diversity of lives led in search of life's highest goals.

Rel. 452/Anthro. 448. Anthropology of Religion: Ritual, Sanctity and Adaptation.

Junior standing. (3; 2 in the half-term). (Excl).

A discussion of the form and function of ritual and the notion of sacred and religious experience from the general perspective of adaptation and evolution.

Rel. 455/Soc. 455. Religion and Society.

(3; 2 in the half-term). (Excl).

Ultimate Reality (the focus of religion) becomes understood quite differently as people pursue religious quests within different social contexts. This course uses sociological methods of inquiry to explore the emergence of new religious movements, the ways that organizations respond to extraordinary experiences like mysticism and the ecstatic, the kinds of impact social forces have on organized religion, and the ways that religion, in turn, affects other areas of social life.

Rel. 465/AAPTIS 465. Islamic Mysticism.

Taught in English. (3). (Excl).

Beginning with the Quríanic origins of Islamic mysticism and its early Christian and ascetic influences, this course explores the central themes and institutional forms of Sufism, a stream of Islam which stresses the esoteric (mystical) dimensions of religious faith. It reflects upon the inward quest and devotions of Muslim mystics as these have been lived and expressed in art, theology, literature, and fellowship since the 8th century CE.

Rel. 467/AAPTIS 467/Hist. 541. Shi'ism: The History of Messianism and the Pursuit of Justice in Islamdom.

Junior standing. (3). (HU).

The course surveys the history of diverse Alid movements from the assassination of Ali (d.661) to the crystallization of Shi'ism into distinct political, legal and theological schools (Twelver, Isma'ili, Zaydi), and ends with the establishment of Twelver Shi'ism as an imperial religion in Safavi Iran (1501-1722). Emphasis on the debate over authority in Islam.

Rel. 468/Class. Civ 466. Greek Religion.

(3; 2 in the half-term). (HU).

Lectures, readings, and slides illustrate a survey of ancient Greek religious belief and observances and the ways in which Greek religious attitudes, customs, and practices influenced political institutions, moral standards, and contemporary and later religious systems (e.g., Roman and Christian).

Rel. 469/HJCS 478/Judaic Studies 468. Jewish Mysticism.

(3). (Excl).

A critical study of the historical development of Jewish mysticism, its symbolic universe and its social ramifications. The focus is on the variegated medieval stream known as Kabbalah. The issues to be explored are: the nature of mystical experience; images of God and the Person; symbols of the male and female; the problems of evil; mysticism and language; kabbalistic myth and ritual innovation; and kabbalistic interpretations of history.

Rel. 471/HJCS 577/Judaic Studies 467. Seminar: Topics in the Study of Judaism.

(3). (Excl). May be repeated for a total of nine credits.

Topics within history of Judaism such as reform and tradition in modern Judaism, theological responses to the Holocaust, the Sabbath and sacred time, Hasidism, and the emotions and senses in Judaism.

Rel. 476/Class. Civ. 476/Hist. 405. Pagans and Christians in the Roman World.

(4; 3 in the half-term). (HU).

This course traces the formation of Christian ideas and modes of conduct in the Roman empire, examines religion both as a form of cultural and political expression and as a method of establishing a variety of contacts with a supernatural world. We begin with an analysis of what was meant by culture and politics, while also looking at different ways of constructing a supernatural world.

Rel. 478/HJCS 477/Judaic Studies 478. Modern Jewish Thought.

(3). (Excl).

Topics within history of modern Judaism, such as reform and tradition in modern Judaism, theological responses to the Holocaust, modern Jewish philosophy.

Rel. 480/Asian Studies 480/Buddhist Studies 480/Phil. 457. Topics in Buddhism.

Religion 230. (3). (Excl).

This course covers selected topics in the history of Buddhist ideas. The class combines lectures and discussions on a number of primary sources ("Buddhist Texts") in English translation. Buddhist doctrines are approached from several points of view, using primarily, but not exclusively, the conceptualizations of classical Buddhist systems.

Rel. 481/Engl. 401. The English Bible: Its Literary Aspects and Influences, I.

(4; 3 in the half-term). (HU).

This course studies meaning and the literary genres and histories of the Old and New Testaments.

Rel. 483/Buddhist Studies 481/Asian Studies 481. Ch'an and Zen Buddhism.

(3). (Excl).

An introduction to the history, rhetoric, and institution of Zen Buddhism in the light of modern scholarship. Traces the development of Sino-indic techniques of dhyana from Upanishadic yoga through Taoist nei-tan to Zen koans. Lectures and discussions concentrate on the analysis of selected texts from the Sino-Japanese literature of Zen.

Rel. 487. Independent Study.

Concentration in Religion. I, II, and III. (1-3). (Excl). (INDEPENDENT). May be repeated for credit. Only one course from Religion 380, 387 and 487 may be elected in the same term.

Designed to accommodate advanced students who are unable to elect a listed offering and who have special reasons and/or interests in directed readings and research.

Rel. 495/ACABS 425. The Gnostic Religion.

Religion 280. Religion 201 recommended. (3). (Excl).

An exploration of the phenomenon of "Gnosticism" in the first three centuries of the common era, with special reference to the relation of the gnostic communities to the Jewish-Wisdom tradition, Greek mystery religions, and Pauline Christianity. Also covers Gnostic themes in the New Testament and early Christian writings.

Rel. 496/AAPTIS 495/WS 471/Hist. 546. Gender and Politics in Early Modern Islam.

Students should preferably have had one course in Islamic Studies. (3). (Excl).

An introduction to Muslim understandings of gender and gender relations, first, through a study of those sacred texts (Qur'an & Hadith) that came to define the ideal woman and man, as well as their roles and relationships. Then, gender participation in the political and cultural life of the Safavi, Ottoman and Mughal Courts shall be explored to view the interplay between theory and practice.

Rel. 497. Senior Honors Thesis.

Open only to seniors admitted to the Honors concentration program. I and II. (1-6). (Excl). (INDEPENDENT). May be repeated for a total of six credits.

Each student prepares a substantial paper under the direction of a staff member.