Religious Studies Courses
100 Religion, Dreams and the Dreaming. 4. The cross-cultural course will consider the religious role of the dream as initiatory experience, metaphor for aboriginal time, gateway to the other world, venue for the divine guide, healing event, “royal road” to the unconscious, occasion for quest or journey, epistemological paradox and prophetic harbinger of the personal or collective future This is an introductory course, and no previous academic experience in religious studies is expected or required. Fulfills humanities requirement.
101 History of Religion in America. 4. Exploration of the interaction of American religion and culture. Examines aspects of the religious traditions of Native Americans, African-Americans, Roman Catholics, Jews and Protestants and the shift from a white Protestant to a pluralist America. Fulfills humanities and diversity in the U.S requirements.
109 QLSP Freshman Seminar. 1. CR/NC
110 Quakerism. 4. Origins and development of the theology, social testimonies and institutional structure of the Quaker movement from the mid-17th century to the present, and their relevance to non-Quaker thought and life. Fulfills humanities requirement.
120 American Nature Writing (ENGL 228). 4. Examines literary nature writing in America from the 19th century to the present, with a primary focus on the different ways writers have presented the natural world as sacred. Writings consider both our current estrangement from the natural world and possibilities for developing intimacy with the earth through a deep sense of "place." Fulfills humanities and social justice/environmental responsibility requirements.
150 Special Topics. 4. May also be offered at 250, 350 and 450 levels. Possible offerings include Feminine Images in Biblical and Christian Literature; Propheticism: Archaic, Biblical and Modern; Passion: From Plato to Polanyi; or Social Reform and Personal Therapy: 19th- and 20th-century American Religion.
200 Native American Religions. 4. An advanced introduction to the religion of several Native American tribes, such as the Cherokee, Sioux, Crow and Navaho. Explores the world-views/myths, rituals (including art, dance and music) and the life-ways of these different cultures. Also focuses on the long interaction between American white cultural imperialism and the religions of these indigenous people. Fulfills the humanities and diversity in the U.S. requirements.
204 Islam. 4. Introduces the Islamic religion in its various aspects, including its origins, history, culture, laws, rituals and beliefs. Islam and Muslims have come to occupy a rather controversial, often misunderstood place in the media and popular opinion today. In this course we try to understand the reasons behind some of the controversial phenomena in the Islamic world, by focusing on particular issues such as the position of women and Islamic law. Fulfills humanities and intercultural requirements.
208 Hinduism. 4. Addresses the religions of India, primarily Hinduism, which is a way of life emphasizing practice more than doctrine; therefore, we look at the lives of people through narratives. We also address the thought and concomitant social systems forming the framework for the acceptance of diverse and often contradictory beliefs and practices, as a way of understanding how the people in the biggest democracy in the world, and the land of Gandhi, think and live. Fulfills intercultural requirement.
209 QLSP Sophomore Seminar. 1. CR/NC
215 Old Testament. 4. An examination of the Hebrew Bible with a dual focus: an exploration of religious expression through a consideration of literary style; and a study of the nature and possibility of historical reconstruction of Israelite political forms, economic structures, religious institutions and social structure. Fulfills humanities requirement.
216 New Testament. 4. Explores the literature of the New Testament, emphasizing the manner in which each writer tries to express an understanding of the person and work of Jesus in relation to the early Christian community. Fulfills humanities requirement.
222 Feminist Theologies. 4. An exploration of 19th- and 20th-century feminist religious and theological writers. Considers such issues as the role of religious systems both in establishing and sustaining sexism and in being agents of transformation and justice; sexism and God-language; patriarchal and egalitarian views of human nature; women and ritual; and feminist views of society. Fulfills humanities and social justice/environmental responsibility requirements.
230 Comparative Ethics. 4. Explores the varieties of ethical concepts in different religions, while teaching how to think critically about the applicability of a separate category such as “ethics” and showing how intricately intertwined the notions of good and evil are. Fulfills humanities and social justice/environmental responsibility requirements.
234 African American Religion and Theology. 4. Fulfills humanities and diversity in the U.S. requirements.
235 Quaker Origins. 4. An investigation of the emergence of Quakerism out of Puritan, Reformation and mystical backgrounds. Focuses on the development of Quakerism in the latter half of the 17th century in terms of theology, social testimonies and institutional organization and its relevance to non-Quaker currents of thought and life, both then and now.
236 Reformation: Luther to Fox (HIST 236). 4. The course is designed to introduce students to a basic understanding of events and ideas of the Reformation era in Europe, ca. 1517 to 1660. A focal point of our readings will be the reformers’ view of the relation between political and ecclesiastical authority. Fulfills humanities requirement.
240 History of Christianity. 4. Traces the development of Christianity from its beginnings through the end of the 19th century by a consideration of major thinkers, events, and institutions. Prerequisite: two religious studies courses or consent of instructor. Fulfills humanities requirement.
260 Independent Study. 1-4. May also be offered at 360 and 460 levels. The individual formulation and completion of the study of a significant problem in the field of religion, such as Play, Celebration and Worship; Existential Psychology; Alchemy; Contemporary Social Change in the Church; Creativity and Imagination; or Women in Modern Japanese Religion.
281 Animals in Religion. 4. Fulfills humanities requirement.
283 HP:Religions of the Minorities of Southwest China. In this Historical Perspectives class we study the religious traditions of the Naxi, Tibetans, Yi, Lisu, Moso, & Bai peoples of Yunnan Province in Southwest China. The Chinese “Cultural Revolution” (1966-1976), which systematically devastated the religious lives of these peoples, serves as the central historical focus of the course. This course analyzes the religious traditions of Chinese minority nationalities before, during, and after the Cultural Revolution. Our study addresses the beliefs, practices, texts, oral traditions, folklore, and the role of sacred geography in the religions of this complex region. Fulfills intercultural requirement.
284 Spread of Buddhism Across Asia. The course begins with a study of the life of the Buddha, the early formation of Buddhism and the Mahayana reformation, then shifts to its major focus: study of the diffusion of Mahayana Buddhism across Central Asia and China, and into Japan and Korea. Fulfills intercultural requirement.
285 Daoism. 4. Explores Daoism, one of the most deeply pervasive and enduring religious/philosophical traditions in Chinese and East Asian culture. We will study the early development of Daoist ideas and practices from their inception and eventual institutionalization in China up to the present day. Fulfills intercultural requirement.
286 Buddhist Pilgrimage in East Asia. 4. In this course, we will investigate the role of sacred geography in the religious traditions of East Asia. Taking pilgrimage as the central topic of study, we will read in-depth accounts of religious travel and experience in several regions of East Asia. We will examine the interplay between humans and sacred land in China, Japan, Korea, Tibet, and Vietnam. We will begin the course in China, with accounts of pilgrimage from Imperial Chinese writers. The course will then explore the rise of Buddhist pilgrimage and its relationship with pre-Buddhist traditions, such as Daoism, Shinto, Bon, and other local religions. We will then read accounts of pilgrimage at Mount Tai in China, Kailas and Crystal Mountain in Tibet, Shikoku in Japan, and the philosophy of pilgrimage in contemporary Korea and Vietnam. Questions we will ask in our course of study will include: who creates the notion of “sacred geography” in a particular religious context, and how has this notion changed over time? What are the social, economic, political, and spiritual aspects of pilgrimage and how do they combine in the experience of ordinary pilgrims? How and why are mountains so sacred in the spiritual consciousness of East Asian pilgrims? To what extent has Buddhism eclipsed, absorbed, or been altered by the local religious traditions of different regions of East Asia? Who goes on pilgrimage, and when, how, and why do they do so? Fulfills humanities and intercultural requirements.
288 Witches, Ghosts and Demons. 4. This course will examine the religious roles of witches, ghosts, and demons. It is also, fundamentally, a course about death, dying, the fear and anxiety surrounding the dark, the night, death, and the problem of evil. We will employ a comparative methodology to examine (typically) odious spirits as they are understood in various contexts around the globe. Our focus on witches will include attention to the religious traditions of Europe, West Africa, and Southeast Asia, our investigation of ghosts will focus primarily on the traditions of the Japanese and Yi (the Nosuo people of Southwest China), and our study of demons and demonology will primarily address both Tibetan and European sources. Nevertheless, the scope of the class will not be strictly limited to these specific religious traditions, rather, we will include mention of similar horrors elsewhere, including the contemporary U.S., and will discuss such beings as vampires, devils, goblins, lycanthropes, etc., although the local names of such creatures vary greatly. Topics we will address throughout the semester include, among others, the role and classification of “evil” in different cultural contexts, the roles of magic, occult, and the supernatural in the face of an increasingly empirical world, the importance of death and un-death in various religious traditions, and the methods we, as scholars of the history of religion, employ in the comparative investigation of religious phenomena. Fulfills humanities requirement.
290 Internship, 1-4. May also be offered at the 390 level.
309 QLSP Junior Seminar. 1. CR/NC
310 Interdisciplinary Perspectives. 4. An exploration of problems lying on the boundaries between religion and the natural or social sciences and the humanities. Topics may include Freud, Jung, Rank (with psychology); science and religion (with chemistry or geology); Dante, Arthurian myth, modern poetry and religion (with English); African American literature and religion; Islam and modernization. With changes in content, may be repeated more than once. REL 311, 312, and 313 are also courses in Interdisciplinary Perspectives. May fulfill humanities requirement.
317 Women in Tibetan Buddhism. 4. In this course we will study the religious roles and lives of women of Tibet and the Himalaya from the seventh through the twenty-first centuries. We will read accounts of the lives of and about the roles of, among others, Buddhist meditation experts and hermitesses, Tantric consorts, nuns, laywomen, polyandry, goddesses, Dakinis, motherhood, demonesses, and the feminine in Tibetan culture and in Buddhist scriptures. We will also read about the contemporary political situation of particular Tibetan women, and the extent to which religion informs their experiences, motivations, expressions, and relationships. We will also examine some contemporary “Western” feminist political-philosophical theory and its problematic applicability to the situation of Tibetan women throughout the last thirteen hundred years.
Fulfills humanities and intercultural requirements.
318 Tibetan & Himalayan Religions. 4. Studies the religious traditions of the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau as well as the effects of the Chinese occupation of Tibet, the effects of modernization and tourism on local religion and the recent internationalization of Tibetan Buddhism. One prior course in religious studies, history or philosophy is highly recommended. Fulfills humanities and intercultural requirements.
319 Buddhist Emptiness. 4. Explores Indian, Tibetan, Chinese and Japanese Buddhist masters' commentaries on the doctrine that all phenomena including the “self” are “empty of inherent existence,” and investigate issues such as religious truth, different paradigms of reality and the ethics of ego-less-ness.Prior coursework in religious studies or philosophy is recommended.Fulfills intercultural requirement.
340 Christians and Social Justice in the U.S. and Germany. 4. A reading-intensive, seminar-format examination of 20th and 21st century Christian theologians from the North Atlantic region (mostly Germany and the United States) who have written with a deep awareness of their historical, cultural, economic, political and ecological contexts.
341 Liberation Theologies. 4. Seminar on Catholic and Protestant Christian theologies from the perspective of poor and disenfranchised women and men. Works from Latin America (Peru, Brazil, El Salvador), Africa (Ghana, South Africa, and their regions), and Asia (Philippines, India, Hong Kong). Includes ecofeminist and postcolonial perspectives. Fulfills intercultural requirement.
395 Religious Studies Colloquium. 1. Students reflect collectively on the study of religion and its relationship to the liberal arts, to their own college career and to life outside of college. Students complete an intellectual autobiography to further their self-understanding as students of religion. For majors in their junior year. CR/NC.
409 QLSP Senior Seminar. 1 (each semester). CR/NC.
415 Contemporary Theology. 4. The contemporary Christian theological analysis of and struggle with the nature of self and God is examined in relation to forms of social domination (sexism, racism, classism, militarism and anti-Judaism) through consideration of religious thinkers such as H.R. Niebuhr, Ruether, Keller, Heyward, Nelson, Cone, Cannon, Boff and van Buren. Prerequisite: REL 337 or consent of instructor.
422 Contemporary Religious Problems. 4. An exploration of one major contemporary thinker or problem, such as religion, language and the body (Merleau-Ponty); God and language (Wittgenstein); or religion and symbol (Ricoeur). With changes in content, this course may be repeated more than once. Prerequisite: consent of the instructor.
444 Magic, Science and Religion: Modalities of Thought (IDS 477). 4. This course examines the nature and interplay of different modalities of thought: chiefly magic, science, religion. Among the issues considered are magic vs. empiricism, reason vs. revelation, biology vs. theology, the scope of rationality, religious pluralism and relativism and physics and the ultimate nature of reality.
470 Senior Thesis. Credit variable. Individual study culminating in a thesis, which, in consultation with the advisor, may be submitted for departmental honors. Requires a prior semester’s preparation (a two- or four-credit independent study) that can be counted either as a REL 460 or as part of the Senior Thesis (REL 470).
490 Departmental Honors. 4-8. Requires a 3.5 average in courses in religious studies and a senior thesis or the equivalent.