This course introduces students to the academic study of religion through a consideration of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and traditional African religions. Different forms of religious experience and belief are examined along with the myths, rituals, concepts, and symbols that convey them. Various methodologies and source materials are used. [GM2, H, V]
An exploration of how religious people and ideas shape contemporary life. The course examines religiously-influenced issues such as the separation of church and state, the role of religion in violence and terrorism, and debates between religion and science. The course also looks at positive roles of religion and spirituality in modern culture. [SS, V]
A study of the nature of fantasy and the fantastic and their relation to religion and religious expression, in both West and East. Students examine various texts and tales, as well as films, from a wide range of historical times and traditions, focusing on the modes through which they convey different kinds of religious experience, beliefs, and meanings. Themes include fate of the soul after death, conflict of good and evil, and boundaries between the real and the unreal. [GM1, H]
An introduction to the comparative and historical study of religion through an examination of three often interrelated types of religious personality: saint, mystic, ecstatic. After considering classic and recent studies of these three types from both Western and Eastern perspectives, the course analyzes autobiographical, biographical, hagiographic, iconographic, and cinematic portrayals of representative figures, focusing upon the expression of the figures' defining experiences and followers' responses to the persons' lives and experiences. [GM1, H]
Introduction to the religion of ancient Israel; examination of biblical perspectives on the great questions through close reading of selected texts; interpretation of the book as ''scripture'' as the Old Testament by Christian communities and as the Tanakh or written Torah by Jewish communities; methods of scholarly inquire. [H,V]
In this class, we read and study the Christian Scriptures, also known as the New Testament. Besides looking at the various genres of literature in the New Testament, we examine the central figures of Jesus, Paul, and the early Christian Church. Of particular interest in this course are the Jewish and Roman cultural, religious, and political contexts in which the Christian Scriptures were born. [H,V]
This course interprets the religious meanings and implications of a selection of twentieth-century novels. The focus is upon the problematic relationship of the religious protagonisst to society and God, or to some other ultimate concern. Other themes considered include the conflict of faith and doubt tensions between religious commitment and aesthetic yearnings, moral and ethical responsibility in the confrontation with evil, and religious dilemmas arising from the encounter between different cultures and religions. [H, V, W]
This course introduces the oral and written traditions of South Asian religions including Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Islam with selections from a range of texts including the Vedas; biographies of the Buddha; Hindu, Sikh, and Islamic mystical and devotional poetry. The course examines the use of oral and written traditions in religious practice. [GM1, H, V]
Over one billion Muslims believe that the Quran contains the literal words of God. This course attempts to orient students to the most sacred scripture of Islam. It will explore the Quran as an oral, visual, and fluid text. The Quran swiftly traverses concepts such as love and justice, estrangement and community, war, and peace, heaven and hell, good and evil. Occasionally, comparisons will be drawn to other sacred scriptures as well. [H,V]
Exploring the rich tradition of ghost stories and fantasy tales of the oddities (zhiguai) in East Asia, this course provides a comprehensive overview of folk religions and cultic practices in China, Taiwan, and Japan. Intensively reading zhiguai stories and relevant modern scholarship, students consider and compare Eastern and Western conceptions of self and other, body and soul(s), death and afterlife, and better understand the popular culture, folklore, and religious secularism and syncretism in East Asia. [GM1, H]
An introduction to the vast, complex religious traditions of India known as Hinduism, with readings from some classic works of early Hinduism, such as the Vedas, Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita, and Hinduism's extensive oral and written mythological tradition. Hindu worship and meditation are studied, as well as the religious foundations of the caste system. Issues in contemporary Hinduism are also considered. Counts toward Asia Culture Cluster and Asian Studies major and minor. [GM2, H, V]
An introduction to the development of Buddhism and its spread throughout Asia. The course begins with the rise of Buddhism in India and the development of Buddhist philosophy and religious practice. It then examines Buddhism in China, Japan, Tibet, southeast Asia, and the West, focusing on adaptations in Buddhist practice and belief in different environments. Counts toward Asia Culture Cluster and Asian Studies major and minor. [GM1, GM2, H, V]
An introduction to the religion, history, and literature of the Jewish people. Among the areas covered are: the biblical heritage; the development of rabbinic Judaism; ritual and practice; medieval philosophy and practice, and the reactions of Jews to modernity, such as political emancipation, immigration to America, the Holocaust, the state of Israel, and issues of gender. [GM1, H, V]
A study of the main branches of Christianity-Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant-focusing on their common biblical inheritance, historical developments, characteristic doctrines, and institutional expressions. Readings are assigned in authors representing the viewpoints studied. [GM2, H, V]
An introduction to Islam, a religion that flowered into a world civilization. It covers the vast and dynamic range of Muslim religious life from Muhammad's time to the present. The broad survey spans the foundational texts of the Quran and prophetic traditions as well as later Islamic thought, including jurisprudence, theology, and mysticism. The course highlights modern debates within and about Islam. Topics include political Islam, religious pluralism, the limits of jihad, and the possibilities of Islamic feminism. [H, V]
This course is an introduction to the study of traditional African religious systems, thought, and experience. The course explores the way African religions are related to different forms of social organization and conflict, notions of authority, and power. It also explores the ways African religious thought and practice have been affected by and transformed through colonization, missionary activity, and the continent's integration into the global economy. [GM2, H, SS, V]
A Study of the religious traditions of Latinas and Latinos in the United States. The course looks at various forms of Catholicism, the growth of Protestantism in Hispanic communities, and a variety of Afro-Caribbean religions. Emphases are placed on the lived devotions of Latina/os, on the differences among Mexican, Caribbean, Central and South American groups, and on the role of religion in ethnic identity formation and maintenance. [GM1, H, V]
Revolving around the themes of self and society, this course explores the philosophical and cultural history of the Confucian tradition from its inception to the present day. Probing the cultural, religious, gender, and sociological aspects of Confucianism, students will develop a systematic understanding of the intersections and interactions of individual, community, and society in countries under a Confucian tutelage. Course materials consist primarily of canonical texts and modern scholarship, supplemented by literary narratives and movies. [GM1, GM2, H, V]
This course explores the intersection of religion, ethics and politics through the lens of interreligious cooperation and conflict. It focuses on the connected histories of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam-the ''Abrahamic faiths''-through a study of doctrine, ritual, and social life. Special attention is given to practices of representing ''nonbelievers'' and to historical interactions between the religious communities in order to highlight the complexity, fluidity and dynamism of religious identity. [GM1, H, V]
An examination of how various religious traditions understand sickness and health and how they try to restore wholeness to sick individuals and groups. The efficacy of religious healing, the interface between modern medicine and folk healing, and the importance of cultural narratives in restoring the sick to health are all considered. Academic analysis of religious healing as well as firsthand accounts of religious and folk healthcare are studied. [H, SS]
A study of the bases of normative claims about behavior in various religious traditions. Materials from Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, and other religious traditions are used. Topics include freedom, responsibility, and destiny. [H, V]
How have religions helped shape attitudes about traditional gender roles? This course explores ideas about gender and sexuality in the world's major religions. Topics include ideas about gender from texts and oral traditions, ideas regarding gender and spiritual capability, and the connection between religious notions of gender and larger social, political, and economic issues. The course also examines various feminist critiques of religion and reform movements within religious traditions. [GM1, H]
Judaism and Christianity claim common roots, yet historically defined themselves often as adversaries. Throughout most of history, Christianity relegated Judaism to a status of tolerated minority. This course explores complicated Jewish-Christian interactions since the “parting of the ways,” to medieval persecutions of the Jews, to processes of modernization and emancipation, to recent attempts at dialogue spurred by the tragedy of the Holocaust. While not free from controversies, these attempts do often result in interfaith reconciliation. [GM1, H, V, W]
This course is a critical introduction to the study of politics and the way religious forces and discourses have shaped and continue to shape general notions of the good in African societies and nations. The course will begin with classic studies of institutions of social and moral order in Africa and will move through the way African religious and political systems came into articulation with the colonial and postcolonial state. The second half of the course will examine moral quandaries, like political corruption, and moral reform movements like Pentecostalism, against the backdrop of economic structural adjustment and the decreased sovereignty of African nations. [GM1, GM2, H, SS, W]
From the religious traditions of Native Americans to the religions brought to this continent by Europeans, Africans, and Asians, there is a rich tapestry of religious belief, practice, and culture in the U.S. This course focuses on the history of religious life in North America, the cultural aspects of religions in this region, and the diversity of religious expression. The course also considers how relates to group, regional and national identity. [GM1, H]
This course focuses on how religious practices and beliefs have contributed to culture, ethnic identity, and public life over time in Mexico, Central and South America, and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean. The role of the Catholic Church in colonization and nation formation, and its place in popular culture is considered. Other topics include the rise and spread of Protestant Christianity in the region as well as indigenous and African-origin religions. [GM2, H, W]
This course examines the popular female deities and demons in East Asia. We will discuss the various forms in which women figured in the spirit world of China, Japan, and Korea, how these female images evolved and what they tell us about the nature of East Asian religions, and the social roles and relations attributed to women within Confucian communities/countries. Course readins include primary texts and modern scholarship. Comparisons with Western traditions will be integrated. [H, GM1]
What is religion? What is the nature of religious belief? What roles does religion play in society? How can we study and understand religion? There have been many attempts to answer these questions from sociology, anthropology, philosophy, psychology, comparative religion, and the feminist critique of religion. This course examines representative theories of the nature and study of religion, paying close attention to the contexts within which these theories arise, and how effective they are in leading to an understanding of religious beliefs and practices. [H, SS, W]
As the United States and European colonial powers expanded into places like Africa, Native North America, Melanesia, and Australia (to name a few), different national traditions of anthropology developed an ever evolving toolbox of approaches and techniques for understanding the religious lives of Euro-American Others. This course is an introduction to this ''toolbox'' of anthropological theories and methods of studying religion from the Victorian era to the present. The course will also attend to voices in the discipline critical of the way anthropology constructs ''religion'' as an object of analysis. [SS, W]
This course introduces students to global Muslim culture and civilization through literature and film. Geographic regions include the Middle East, South Asia, Africa, North America and Europe; historical periods span both pre-modern and modern. Topics covered include but are not limited to: constructions of race, religion, and gender; diaspora and immigration; political Islam and Islamophobia in cultural contexts. Course materials focus on fictional storytelling although characters and plots may be rooted in actual historical events. [H, GM2]
An examination of central problems and current issues in the philosophy of religion as treated in classic texts of the field: definitions of religion; 'proofs' of God's existence; the nature of religious experience, faith, revelation, and miracle; the problem of evil; human destiny; religious naturalism; religious language; atheism and unbelief; religious pluralism; religion and gender. We discuss these subjects from a rational, critical, objective perspective, taking account of the authors' historical-cultural context. [H, V, W]
This course explores different conceptualizations of spirituality and transformation primarily through the lens of Islamic mysticism (Sufism), but also through Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah), and the contemporary (primarily American) Self-Help industry. Sources include both primary and secondary texts, including translations when appropriate.[H,GM1]
Investigation of a reactions to the Holocaust in a variety of genres, such as theology, philosphy, literature, history, ethics, politics, photography, memorials, and film. Contextualizes Jewish conceptions of suffering, considering the Holocaust as a ''Jewish'' event, and the influence of Holocaust narratives in the U.S., Israel, and Europe. [GM1, H, W]
The course traces the development of Jewish civilization in Poland, the spiritual and demographic heart of Judaism, examining distinctive Jewish movements and institutions and the flowering of secular Jewish culture in the early twentieth century. The course also considers the controversial issue of Jewish-Polish relations before, during, and after World War II. Finally, it confronts the rebirth of a Jewish community in Poland since 1989, the place of Jews and Judaism in Polish collective memory, and tensions between the two. [GM1, GM2, H, W]
This course introduces the concept of visual culture as a window into the study of religion. Secondary texts are juxtaposed with primary sources. These sources suggest the construction of religious communities and identities has taken place in the context of cultural exchange. We look at how various traditions have used images to construct community boundaries and ideologies. What and when have communities shared, disputed, and diverged? How has the presentation of ''others'' been an aspect of religious identity? [H, GM1, W]
This course analyzes Jewish religious practice throughout the Americas. We compare Jewish life in multiple local and national contexts, evaluating how particular contexts have influenced Jews; how Jews have influenced various societies, cultures, and religious practices; and transnational Jewish networks, practices, and identities. We evaluate contexts individually as well as in exchange with each other. We consider the roles of various languages, including Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino, English, Spanish, and Portuguese (all readings in English translation). [GM1, H, W]
What do the Eucharist, the ritual slaughter of oxen, and military service have in common? They all share sacrificial elements; the giving up of something, often the life of some being (broadly understood), in order to constitute the sacredness or boundary of a community. This course examines the role of sacrifice in religion, ritual, gender relations and even secular social formations such as nationalism. The course thus explores both theories of sacrifice and the significance of sacrifice in different social and historical contexts. [GM1, GM2, H, SS, W]
The body constitutes a contested site of religious practices, identity politics, gender discourses, and social norms. This course explores the use and understanding of the gendered body in major Asian religions. We investigate various Eastern body images, inscriptions, and practices in relation to piety, divinity, sex/sexuality, identity, morality, and modernity, comparing and contrasting Asian topoi with western counterparts. Course materials consist primarily of literary, social, and historical studies, supplemented by visual arts and films. [GM, H, V]
This seminar explores the relationship between global capitalism and phenomena like spirit possession and ''witchcraft'' in different historical and cultural contexts in Africa and the diaspora. Rather than approach such phenomena as exotica, we will instead seek to understand them as sophisticated forms of theory and practice. In the first part of the course, students will engage with classic theories of capitalism and its critics. The course then engages with specific case studies of possession-based religions and moral panics about witchcraft as vital windows into the relationship between economic forces and religious development. [GM2, H]
This seminar examines African American religion as a social institution that emerged in the wake of slavery and the failure of Reconstruction. Many who converted to Christianity during enslavement considered their practices resistance to white Christianity, a pattern that continued. We analyze lynching and the Exodus of Blacks from the South, vodou, Black Islam, the Civil Rights Movement, and look at constructions and representations of Black family and gender. [GM1, V, W]
The purpose of this course is to familiarize upper level undergraduate students with the cultural and historical specificities of Islamic communities in West Africa. With reference to the introduction of Islam into West Africa via the Qadiriyya brotherhood, and other schools of thought in the pre-colonial period, the focus of this course is from the colonial period to the present day (roughly the late nineteenth century to the twenty-first). The subject is approached from a multi-disciplinary point of view. Historical, anthropological and geographic sources are used to introduce students to the political, economic, and cultural impacts that the religion and culture of Islam have had on the sub-region. The course informs students of historical links between West African Islamic cultures and the larger Islamic world, particularly North Africa, while examining the relationships between Islamic leadership and French and British colonialism. [GM2, V, W]
Typical narratives of religious history in the Americas start with the arrival of Christian Europeans on the eastern seaboards who then inevitably move westward across the hemisphere, converting or displacing all in their path. This seminar-style course presents alternatives to this colonial story by examining various histories and ethnographies of religious people that move, instead, on north/south axes, from west to east, or in multi-directional ways. Emphasis is placed on transnational flows and cultural contact. [GM2, W]
These courses study subjects of current interest to students and members of the staff.
Open to junior or senior Religion majors or minors. Students select a specific area of interest for reading and investigation in consultation with the faculty adviser and subject to the approval of the department. Students confer regularly with advisers on their work and prepare an essay on an approved subject. Open to other qualified juniors or seniors with permission of the department.
Students who major in religion develop a capstone project under the direction of a faculty member in the department, following the established, written guidelines available in the department. This takes place in the first semester of the senior year. [W]
Students desiring to take honors should inform their department advisers by the end of the second semester of the junior year. Honors work involves a guided program of independent reading and research culminating in a thesis on a topic to be selected by the student in consultation with his or her adviser and approved by the department. All honors projects must be conducted in accordance with the established written guidelines available in the department. Honors candidates enroll in REL 496 only upon successfully completing REL 495. [One W credit only upon completion of both 495 and 496]