100 The Human Religious Experience (3:3:0) 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.
211 Religions of the Near (Middle) East (3:3:0) Focuses on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam from historical, comparative, and cross-cultural perspectives. May also include modern developments of those faiths such as Mormonism and Baha’ism, as well as Zoroastrianism and religions of ancient Near Eastern cultures.
212 Religions of the Orient (3:3:0) Surveys 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.
231 Religion in America (3:3:0) Religious heritage in American culture, growth of denominations and sects, and interrelationship of religion and sociopolitical life.
235 Religion and Literature (3:3:0) 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.
272 Islamic Religious Life (3:3:0) Introduces basic religious beliefs and practices of Islam, with view to diverse manifestations of Islamic culture in different ethnic and social contexts. Provides overview of essential rituals of Islamic life, mystical practices of Sufis, certain popular forms of religious practice, sources and application of Islamic law, and distinctive Islamic artistic and literary forms.
313 Hindu Religion and Philosophy (3:3:0) Hindu religious and philosophical developments from origins through formative periods.
314 Chinese Philosophies and Religious Traditions (3:3:0) Prerequisite: RELI 212, or permission of instructor. Surveys major religious traditions and philosophical themes of China including Confucianism, Taoism, and Chinese Buddhism and Neo-Confucianism. Examines foundation of Chinese world view and spirituality by investigating diverse religious traditions that have created tensions and harmony among them.
315 The Buddhist Tradition (3:3:0) Prerequisite: RELI 212, or permission of instructor. 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.
316 The Christian Traditions (3:3:0) Prerequisites: RELI 211, 251, 252; or permission of instructor. Surveys origins and development of Christian traditions to present. Emphasizes diversity of forms of Christianity in different time periods, societies and cultures.
317 The Daoist Tradition (3:3:0) Explores philosophical ideas, spiritual orientation, religious practice, and social and political values in Daoist tradition reading classic Daoist texts including Dao De Jing, Chuang-tzu, and other sources. Discusses Daoism in light of comparative and cross-cultural studies for global understanding of issues on concepts of nature, human nature, and good and evil.
337 Mysticism: East and West (3:3:0) Prerequisite: 3 credits in religious studies, or permission of instructor. Comparative treatment of major expressions of mysticism in East and West through exploration of various ways of understanding mystical experience. Readings and discussion emphasize one or more of the Eastern (Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Zen) and Western (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) traditions.
341 Global Perspectives on Spirituality and Healing (3:3:0) Prerequisite: 30 credits, or permission of instructor. Cross-cultural investigation of human understandings of relationship between spirituality and health. Beliefs about spiritual causes of sickness and health and spiritual techniques of healing in variety of world cultures placed in context of religious beliefs of those cultures.
350 Religion and History of Ancient Israel (3:3:0) Prerequisite: RELI 211, or permission of instructor. Examines religion and history of ancient Israel from origins around 1250 BCE to Babylonian Exile in 587 BCE. Topics include debate on historical value of Biblical narratives, extra-Biblical texts mentioning Israel, move from polytheism to monotheism, archaeology and artifacts, and development of Israel’s unique religious and historical self-understanding.
351 Religions of the Ancient Near East (3:3:0) Examines religions of ancient Near East, ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Levant (Syria-Palestine), or Asia Minor. Selection of religion depends on instructor.
352 Judaism from Exile to Talmud (3:3:0) Prerequisite: RELI 211, or permission of instructor. Examines Jewish religion, history, and literature from the Babylonian Exile to third century C.E. Special attention to development of Hebrew Bible, Apocalyptic and Apocryphal literature, belief in resurrection and final judgment, Dead Sea Scrolls, Jewish sects, and emergence of Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism.
356 Jesus and the Gospels (3:3:0) Prerequisites: 3 credits in philosophy and religious studies, or permission of instructor. 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.
370 Judaism: Life and Thought (3:3:0) Prerequisite: RELI 211 or 251, or permission of instructor. Studies Judaism from ancient times to present. Covers topics such as religious, historical, and literary origins of Judaism B.C.E., Rabbinic Judaism, Jews in Mediaeval Christian and Islamic societies, Kabbalistic (mystical) Judaism, Jews and the Enlightenment, persecutions of Jews culminating in Holocaust of 20th century, contemporary American Judaism, and relations among Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
371 Classic Jewish Texts (3:3:0) Jewish life and practice have always been centered on ongoing interpretation of classic texts, such as Tanakh (“Old Testament”), Talmud (Oral Law), Midrash (readings of the Bible) and the Kabbalah (mystical teachings) Course provides survey and introduction to major texts of Judaism.
372 American Judaism (3:3:0) Surveys Jewish religious life focusing on various types of American Judaism such as orthodox, conservative, reform, reconstructionist, as they have developed historically and continue to evolve. Emphasizes issues and challenges facing contemporary Judaism.
373 Varieties Of Jewish Expression (3:3:0) Investigates different ways Jews have addressed religious, historical, and existential situations, with special reference to literature, philosophy, historical and polemical writing. Also includes visual arts and new media. Course may cover one theme or problem in several different periods, or concentrate on one geographical/linguistic area or historical period. Topics may include Holocaust, Jews in Muslim Spain, Post-War American Judaism. May be taken more than once with permission of instructor.
374 Islamic Thought (3:3:0) Prerequisite: RELI 211, 3 credits in religious studies, or permission of instructor. Examines Islamic views on fundamental issues in religious thought, such as nature of God, nature of man, and relationship between God and man as reflected in both divine revelation and human religious vocation. Investigates intellectual approaches to these problems within Islamic tradition, including those of theological, philosophical, and mystical thinkers.
375 Qur’an and Hadith (3:3:0) Prerequisites: 3 credits in philosophy and religious studies, or permission of instructor. 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.
376, 377 Special Topics in Religious Thought (3:3:0), (3:3:0) Prerequisite: 3 credits in philosophy or religious studies, or permission of instructor. Selected topics from a philosophical perspective.
381 Beginnings of Christianity (3:3:0) Examines early Christian church from time of Jesus to 700 C.E. Covers internal development of Christianity as it formed official doctrines and institutions, and external relations of Christians with followers of other religions in Roman Empire. Special attention to reasons for success of Christianity in Roman world.
401 Death and the Afterlife in World Religions (3:3:0) Prerequisites: 60 credits including 6 credits in religious studies or permission of instructor. Examination of the rituals, practices and beliefs regarding death and the afterlife in world religions past and present. Emphasis placed on cross-cultural and comparative aspects.
402 Religious Fundamentalism and Violence (3:3:0) Prerequisite: 60 credits including 6 credits in religious studies, or permission of instructor. Studies origins and development of fundamentalism and violence in global religions, with special emphasis on contemporary manifestations and potential for resolution.
403 Scripture and Authority in World Religions (3:3:0) Prerequisites: 60 credits including 6 credits in religious studies, or permission of instructor. Examines origins, development, and role of Scripture (religious texts) in world religions, concentrating on issues of divine inspiration, authority, authenticity, and canon.
405 Religion, Values, and Globalization (3:3:0) Prerequisite: 60 credits including 6 credits of religious studies, or permission of instructor. Explores diverse value systems, ethical norms, and teaching found in different religious traditions and cultures. Examines assumption that globalization is attempt to universalize Western culture.
407 Women in the World’s Religions (3:3:0) Prerequisites: 60 credits; 6 credits of philosophy or religious studies. Seminar course offering theoretical and comparative study of role of women in six of the major religious traditions of the world—Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Chinese religions.
408 Ritual and Drama in Global Religions (3:3:0) Prerequisites: 60 credits including 6 credits in religious studies, or permission of instructor. Explores religious rituals and drama in selected world religions. Emphasizes ritual and drama spanning divine and human realms, actualizing myth, presenting beliefs and shaping lives of believers. May consider religious themes in modern drama.
420, 421, 422, 423 Seminar (3:3:0) Limited to students in the religious studies track of philosophy major, but others may be admitted if topic is sufficiently close to field of study. Topics vary.
425, 426 Independent Study (3:3:0), (3:3:0) Limited to students in religious studies track with 60 credits and 15 credits of religious studies, and permission of department.
490 Comparative Study of Religions (3:3:0) Prerequisite: 9 credits in religious studies including RELI 211 and 212, or permission of instructor. Cross-cultural examination of comparative aspects of religious phenomena. Examines significance of religious phenomena from diverse religious and cultural perspectives, and investigates patterns of religious phenomena that have appeared in world cultures and civilizations. Can be repeated for credit when specific topics are different.
591 Special Topics in Religious Studies (3:3:0) Special topics in religious studies of central interest in that field: historical, current, interdisciplinary, and cross-cultural. Topics selected by importance in field of religious studies, and pertinence to role of religion in social, political, and ethical concerns.
630 Approaches to the Study of Religion (3:3:0) Prerequisites: graduate standing, or permission of instructor. Examines study of religion as academic discipline. Evaluates various intellectual approaches and methods used in study of religious phenomena.
631 Sacred as Secular in Modern Spirituality (3:3:0) Prerequisite: graduate standing, or permission of instructor. Investigates nature of sacred and categories of sacred and secular in human experience. Both duality and interconnectedness of sacred and secular explored to facilitate fresh understanding of essential unity of human religiosity and spirituality.
632 World Religions in Conflict and Dialogue (3:3:0) Prerequisite: graduate standing or permission of instructor. Explores reasons for instances of global religious conflicts and examines ways of engaging in interreligious dialogue. Investigates religious pluralism as an effective means for dialogue.
633 Ethical Perspectives of World Religions (3:3:0) Prerequisite: graduate standing, or permission of instructor. Examines how perceptions of ultimate reality shape ethical values and behaviors of various religious traditions. Addresses problems in interpretation of authoritative foundational teachings in contemporary contexts. Special attention to non-Western religions.
634 Christianity and the Cultures of Rome (3:3:0) Prerequisite: graduate standing, or permission of instructor. Investigates rise of Christianity from small Jewish sect to official state religion of Roman Empire. Considers internal development, and relations with other religions and cultures in Roman world.
635 World Religions in Transition and Transformation (3:3:0) Explores transitions and transformations in selected world religions as they respond to and influence forces of cultural change, social values, and the crises of history. Fresh or modified constructions of the sacred and their relationship to world and humans will be examined. May be repeated for up to 6 credits.
636 Religion and the Natural Environment (3:3:0) Explores contemporary religious thought on the morality and ethics of environmental responsibility. Begins with an exploration of this issue in Western Christian thought and examines religious approaches to the environment in the traditional and contemporary thought of other major world religions, including Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and the Chinese traditions.
641 Drama in the World’s Religions (3:3:0) Prerequisite: graduate standing, or permission of instructor. Examines how drama is used in religions of world, past and present, to enact myths, convey concepts, and involve worshippers. Studies ritual dramas, mystery, morality, passion plays, plays that explore profoundly religious themes.
642 Sacred Language, Scripture, and Culture (3:3:0) Prerequisite: graduate standing, or permission of instructor. Explores how sacred languages and scriptures develop in major global religious traditions: study of grammar, syntax, and morphology of sacred languages; issues of inspiration, authority and canon. Also examines cultural dimensions of sacred language. May be repeated once when languages are different.