RELI 376-001
Religion and Medicine
Abdulaziz Sachedina TR 12:00-1:15
This course examines the ethical principles that guide our society’s most important decisions in health care, with a focus on principles developed in Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Islamic and humanistic traditions, and embedded in our contemporary pluralistic society. Taught by Prof. Abdulaziz Sachedina, an internationally recognized scholar of religion and contemporary biomedical ethics, the course examines debates about assisted suicide; terminating life-sustaining treatment; abortion and maternal-fetal relations; artificial reproduction; the use of human subjects in research; genetic counseling, screening, and engineering; obtaining and distributing organs for transplantation; and a variety of public health issues from AIDS to possible bioterrorist attacks. Students will examine numerous actual and hypothetical cases in their exploration of these moral issues.
RELI 370
Judaism
Randi Rashkover MW 1:30-2:45
Follow the story of one of the world’s oldest, continuously practiced religions, from it origins in the BCE period to its contemporary manifestations. This course explores the foundational development of Rabbinic Judaism; the history and thought of Jews in the Middle Ages; and the rise of Hasidic and mystical Judaism. The course goes on to examine Jewish persecution in the modern period, culminating with the Holocaust and its profound effect on Jewish life and thought; the rise of contemporary American Judaism; and Jewish, Christian, and Muslim relations.
RELI 363
Catholicism
Garry Sparks TR 10:30-11:45
The Roman Catholic Church is arguably the oldest, most far-reaching, and most diverse, single institution within human history. It is also the only religion with its own nation-state (the Vatican). Catholicism’s thought, aesthetics, and influence made it global long before “globalization.” Yet, for many interested in history, philosophy, art, and literature, Catholicism remains a “mystery.” This course will introduce students to the historical development and change within Catholic thought (religious, philosophical, moral,and liturgical) and its wider influence, focusing on key historical and cultural encounters.
RELI 376-005
Muslims in the US
Ahmet Tekelioglu MW 10:30-11:45
Issues related to Muslims in the US continue to be part of a national debate about the role of religion in public life. In the post-9/11 era, Muslim life in the United States has been considerably securitized and fundamentally changed at sociological and theological levels. This course examines the category of “American Muslims,” with all of its ethno-racial and theological diversity, and seeks to explore the history of Islam in the US as well as the current dynamics shaping American Muslim communities. From conversion to inter-generational shifts in religiosity and identity construction, the course explores a variety of issues from multiple disciplinary perspectives.
RELI 644
Islamic Texts and Contexts
Abdulaziz Sachedina T 4:30-7:10
The scriptural and traditional texts of Islam, particularly the Qur’an and Hadith, have generated a rich intellectual history of commentary, criticism and analysis. Even as scholars seek to understand them as products of the particular historical contexts in which they emerged, Muslim thinkers and activists continually reappropriate and reinterpret these texts to address new social contexts and challenges. This course introduces, at a graduate level, the foundational texts of Islam; considers different scholarly approaches to this literature; and examines the application and significance of these texts in contemporary Islamic discourses.
Core Course: MA in Middle East and Islamic Studies
RELI 331
Religion in America
John Turner TR 10:30-11:45
Why did 80% of white American evangelicals vote for Donald Trump? Why don't Mormons drink coffee? Why have some non-Protestant faiths gained broad acceptance in the United States, whereas others have not? These are among the topics students will analyze in the Fall 2017 section of RELI 331.
RELI 360
Religion and Politics
John Farina MW 10:30-11:45
Many of today’s debates about religious liberty, religious extremism and terrorism, and the role of religion in civil society are situated at the crossroads of political theory and religion. In this class, we will examine the intellectual roots and history of these debates through classical texts in political theory, including Plato, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Tocqueville, Mazzini, and Brownson, with a particular focus on their views about the role of religion in society. This course will be particularly useful for students interested in political theory, religion, and European and American history.
RELI 315
Buddhism
Catherine Prueitt TR 1:30-2:45
Imperial conquest, ritual sex, high-stakes philosophical disputes, and divine beings who play with universes as if they were marbles---these might not be the first things that come to mind when you think about Buddhism. Yet, the brilliant world of pre-modern South Asian Buddhism includes all of these, and much more. We'll move beyond the image of a solitary monk meditating on a mountaintop to explore early Buddhist traditions in all of their mind-bending complexity.
Fulfills:
CHSS Non-Western Culture requirement
Mason Core Global Understanding requirement
RELI 317
Daoism
Young-chan Ro MW 1:30-2:45
The course will study the philosophical, religious and spiritual dimensions of Daoism. The Daoist idea of "nature" and its implications to the ecological issues and the Daoist concept of "non-doing" in relationship to the contemporary socio-political and economic ideas will be discussed. It will also explore the popular aspects of the Daoist tradition including the Daoists practice of meditation, and their attempts to seek longevity and immortality.
RELI 490/631
Sacred as Secular
Young-chan Ro M 4:30-7:10
What is sacred and what is secular? Is religion concerned more about the sacred than the secular? The traditional dichotomy of “secular” and “sacred” has been critically challenged as we now live in a “secular city” and a “secular age.” This course is an attempt to discover the nature of sacred and secular by exploring the intrinsic dynamics of these two aspects of human experience. The course will study the significance of secularity found in some of the sacred traditions of East and West and it will also include some contemporary discussions on the nature of sacred and secular.
Fulfills:
CHSS Non-Western Culture requirement
CHSS / Religious Studies synthesis requirement
Core Course: MAIS Concentration in Religion, Culture, and Values
RELI 235
Religion and Literature
Religion and Literature courses explore the relationship between religion and literature in different times and cultures, the influence of religion on literary works, and how literature expresses major religious themes such as death and immortality, divine will and justice, suffering and human destiny, and religion and state.
FULFILLS: MASON CORE LITERATURE REQUIREMENT
Each section has a unique theme:
Check out the Religious Studies website for more information on each section!
RELI 235-001: Religion and Literature - John Farina
TR 3:00-4:15
RELI 235-002: Religion and Literature - TBA
MW 3:00-4:15
RELI 235-003: Religion and Literature - Garry Sparks
TR 1:30-2:45
RELI 235-004: Religion and Literature - John Burns
MW 12:00-1:15
RELI 100
Human Religious Experience
An examination of fundamental forms of religious expression as embodied in several important religious traditions in contemporary world, the course investigates religious experience; myth and ritual; teachings and scripture; ethical, social, and artistic aspects of religion; and nature and function of religion in human society.
Sections
RELI 100-001: Human Relig Experience David Dakake MW 12:00-1:15
RELI 100-002: Human Relig Experience Catherine Prueitt TR 10:30-11:45
RELI 100-003: Human Relig Experience TBA MW 3:00-4:15
RELI 100-005: Human Relig Experience David Dakake MW 1:30-2:45
RELI 100-006: Human Relig Experience TBA TR 3:00-4:15
RELI 100-DL1: Human Relig Experience Susan Bond (online/DE)
RELI 211
Religions of the West
An introduction to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam from historical, comparative, and cross-cultural perspectives.
Sections
RELI 211-001: Religions of the West TBA MW 1:30-2:45
RELI 211-002: Religions of the West John Turner TR 1:30-2:45
RELI 212
Asian Religions
A survey of the religions of India, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and the religions of the Far East, China, and Japan, including Daosim, Confucianism, Shinto, from origins to present.
Sections
RELI 212-002: Religions of Asia Prabhavati Reddy TR 1:30-2:45
RELI 212-002: Religions of Asia TBA TR 9:00-10:15
April 23, 2017