Courses and Syllabi
The University Catalog is the authoritative source for information on courses. The Schedule of Classes is the authoritative source for information on classes scheduled for this semester. See the Schedule for the most up-to-date information and see Patriot web to register for classes.
Religious Studies Spring 2023
Undergraduate
Examines main forms of religious expression as embodied in several important religious traditions in contemporary world. 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. Limited to three attempts.
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7 Sections Currently Scheduled »
Focuses on Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and other global and local religions of Europe, Asia Minor, north Africa, and the Americas from historical, comparative, and cross-cultural perspectives. May include modern developments of religions like Mormonism, Baha'ism, and Scientology as well as other religions of ancient Asia Minor like Zoroastrianism. Limited to three attempts.
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3 Sections Currently Scheduled
Focuses on the traditional religions from Asia, particularly Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, and Confusianism from historical, comparative, and cross-cultural perspectives. May also include Jainism, Sihk, Shinto, native shamanism, and others as well as modern developments after European colonialism and these traditions' growth as global religions. Limited to three attempts.
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3 Sections Currently Scheduled
Explores 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. Limited to three attempts.
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10 Sections Currently Scheduled »
The course examines both the way that religious stories, images, ideas, and values have influenced the production and experience of art, and how art has historically been a primary means to express religious thought, feeling, and meaning. Thus, this course will examine the arts across different religions. The course will also examine the extent to which the artistic experience may be thought of as a kind of "religious" experience, and how even civil art projects convey a kind of civic or national "religion." Limited to three attempts.
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2 Sections Currently Scheduled
Explores how selected world religions address the universal experience of death and express their beliefs in an afterlife. Focuses on the scriptures, beliefs, rituals and customs of selected world religions as they reflect each tradition's response to the most basic question about human destiny - how human beings face death and attempt to transcend it. Limited to three attempts.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Surveys Buddhist religious traditions. Includes historical development of Buddhism in India, China, and Japan, examining both Theravada and Mahayana traditions; philosophical and religious significance of Buddhism; and social and political implications of Buddhist traditions in South Asian and East Asian countries. Limited to three attempts.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Religious heritage in American culture, growth of denominations and sects, and interrelationship of religion and sociopolitical life. Equivalent to RELI 331.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Examines Gospel accounts of Jesus in context of first-century Christianity. Applies variety of historical and literary methods to gain understanding of Jesus and history and theology of early church. Equivalent to RELI 356.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Explores two primary sources of Islamic belief and practice: Qur'an and Hadith. Discusses thematic structure and literary quality, and examines theological and moral issues. Also introduces various methods of interpretation and critical analysis applied to texts in both Islamic and Western scholarship. Lecture and discussion. Equivalent to RELI 375.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Analyzes the Bible as a collection of literary texts. Course readings will include selections from the Jewish Tanakh and from the Christian New Testament. Students will become familiar with contemporary scholarship on the Bible and sample the Bible's impact on the art and literature of the last millennia. Students will become conversant with concepts such as scripture, canon, source criticism, historical criticism, genre, and reception history. Equivalent to RELI 271.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Comparative treatment of major expressions of "mysticism" in diverse religious traditions through exploration of various ways of understanding "mystical" experiences. Readings and discussion emphasize one or more religious traditions from southern and eastern Asia (e.g., Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, etc.) as well as other religious traditions (e.g., Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). Equivalent to RELI 337.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Explores issues relating to law and religion. Focuses on the legal doctrines that have arisen in cases under the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment. Topics include religion and public schools, government aid to religious institutions, including school vouchers, government endorsement of religious symbols, freedom of religious expression, and freedom of religious practice. Limited to three attempts.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Explores Jewish thinkers' attitudes towards politics and state. Topics include traditional sources, theological and political crisis of modern times, liberal Jewish thought, Zionist ideology, Israel as a separate state, relationship between religion and politics in modern Israel. Equivalent to RELI 353.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Evaluates the political and religious goals of Muslim societies and governments, and whether these goals are conducive to the development of democratic institutions to promote democratic cultures and explicit support for human rights, as well as to these societies' full integration in an international order founded upon secularism and modernism. Equivalent to RELI 387.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Explores the history of Christianity around the world in the context of political and social structures as well as religious beliefs and practices. Limited to three attempts.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Selected topics on either the comparative study of religion, study of a particular kind of religion or aspect of religion, or engagement of religion and other topic (e.g., art, history, culture, politics, etc.). Equivalent to RELI 376.
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3 Sections Currently Scheduled
Senior seminar on a specific topic of relevance to religious studies. Content varies. Notes: May be repeated when topic varies. Students with other majors may be take the course if the topic is sufficiently close to their field of study. May be repeated within the term for a maximum 12 credits.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Senior seminar on a specific topic of relevance to religious studies. Content varies. Notes: May be repeated when topic varies. Students with other majors may be take the course if the topic is sufficiently close to their field of study. May be repeated within the term for a maximum 12 credits.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Graduate
Topics in religious studies selected by importance in the field and pertinent to the role of religion in society and culture. Emphasis on historical, interdisciplinary, and cross-cultural issues. Notes: May be repeated when topic is different with permission of department. May be repeated within the term for a maximum 12 credits.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Examines key issues related to religion in North America and the United States. Topics may include evangelicalism/revivalism; religion and the American founding; religious conversion; the intersection of religion and race; new religious movements; religion and immigration. May not be repeated for credit.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Introduces foundational Islamic texts; scholarly traditions of commentary, criticism and analysis on these texts; and application and significance of these texts in contemporary Islamic discourses. May not be repeated for credit.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
Topics in religious studies selected by importance in the field and pertinent to the role of religion in society and culture. Emphasis on historical, interdisciplinary, and cross-cultural issues. Notes: May be repeated when topic is different with permission of department. May be repeated within the term for a maximum 12 credits.
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1 Section Currently Scheduled
