REL 1010: INTRODUCTION TO RELIGIOUS LITERATURE
This course introduces the sacred texts and other writings of religious significance that contribute to the major religions of the world. Students will study select texts from writings such as The Upanishads, The Analects, The Bible and The Qur'an as well as read novels that deal with religious themes and have shaped how we think about religious belief.GRAVETT TR 12:30-1:45
REL 1539: INTRODUCTORY BIBLICAL HEBREW
Introductory Biblical Hebrew is now being offered as a regularly listed course. It will meet MWF in room 116 in IG Greer hall. If you are simply interested in learning the language of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), or if you are going to study in a seminary or yeshiva, this is the course for you. A two year program of study will be provided, which can, upon successful completion, satisfy the BA language requirement.
HAUSER MWF 10:00-10:50
REL 2110: JUDAISM
Judaism is the oldest living Western religion, having roots that go back 4,000 years to the times of Babylon and Assyria. We will study the history of Judaism from these origins to the Holocaust and the rise of the State of Israel in the 20th Century. Films and a novel will assist us in understanding the culture, literature, religious beliefs, and the practices of Judaism in the 20th Century. Judaism in America and Israel will receive special emphasis.
HAUSER TR 11:00-12:15 W/MC
REL 2130: ISLAMIC RELIGION AND CULTURE
An introduction to Islam as a world view and way of life: primary texts from classical Islamic theology and from contemporary liberal Muslim theologians together with selections from contemporary social scientists who study everyday life in the Muslim Middle East.
HUTCHINS TR 9:30-10:45
REL 2140: HINDUISM
An interdisciplinary examination of the complexity of the Hindu religious and philosophical traditions from Vedic culture to the contemporary period, covering such topics as self, deity, cosmos, body, caste, ritual, karma, dharma, and yoga. The course will specifically employ historical, anthropological, sociological, and psychoanalytical theories and perspectives.
ELLIS MW 2:00-3:15
REL 3110: RELIGION IN AMERICA
Knowledge of America’s history is incomplete without an exploration of the role religion has played in its formation. The history of religion in America is complex, varied, and broad enough to include a wide range of religious practice and belief. For example, religion in America embraces the ancient traditions of Native Americans as well as the modern advent of post-Vatican II Catholicism. This course will introduce the student to the major religious traditions, movements, and groups that make up the story of Religion in America.OSTWALT TR 9:30-10:45 W
REL 3530: CHINESE MEDICINE
This course provides an historical overview of Chinese approaches to health and healing practices in order to help students gain comprehension and practical experience of the major concepts and methodologies employed in this field as its status grows in the United States. The worldview of traditional Chinese religion and medicine, with its concepts of bodily energies (i.e., qi, yin, yang, and the mind/heart), is introduced to better understand the variety of practices associated with Chinese medicine – such as acupuncture, dietetics, fengshui, and qigong. Additionally, the development of this tradition and its relationship to Daoist religious concepts of the body, immortality, and inner transformation is explored.
ARTHUR TR 12:30-1:45
REL 3532: THE LIFE AND TEACHING OF JESUS
Jesus of Nazareth is perhaps the most influential person in Western history, yet what do we really know about him? This class will undertake a voyage of discovery as we seek to use the methods of history, anthropology, sociology, textual criticism and archeology to find answers to the following questions: Who was Jesus of Nazareth? How did he see himself? What was his mission? And what did he create? The class will end with the students writing their own academic vision of the historical Jesus.
REED W 3:30-6:00
REL 3534: NATURE OF RELIGION
This course introduces the student to the “biology of religion,” an emerging and quite compelling perspective in the critical study of religion in the early twenty-first century. Employing evolutionary theory in particular, the course seeks to explain the natural origins, development, and continuing vitality of religious belief, behavior, and experience. The course also considers the argument that ethics and morals are products of a purely natural, evolutionary process as well. Finally, the course entertains the possibility that religious practitioners possess a particular gene – “the god gene” – that predisposes them to religious belief and experience.
ELLIS TR 2:00-3:15
REL 4700: SENIOR SEMINAR: MYTH, SYMBOL, & RITUAL
This course is an introduction to the strengths, limitations, and complexity involved in the cross-cultural study of human narratives (myths) and practices (rituals). After acquainting ourselves with some key terms and issues regarding religious and cultural myths, symbols, and rituals, we will examine assorted examples of each and will apply appropriate scholarly methods and theories to explain the wide spectrum of their usage, function, and propagation.
ARHTUR TR 3:30-4:45