Intellectual foundations of Taoism in its two classical sources, the Lao Tzu and the Chuang Tzu, and a sampling of the varieties of religious practice which developed later.

This course will explore diverse Buddhist communities in North America, including local expressions of Buddhism. Students will learn about Buddhist perspectives and practices and how these have been transmitted from Asia to the Americas over the past two centuries, with an emphasis on contemporary forms of North American Buddhism.

Explores the parallel and intersecting paths that both Jewish and Christian communities have taken toward theologies of self-identity.

Explores the relationship of women and Christianity in history and literature. Examines multiple images and ideals of womanhood in Christian history; women's influence in shaping cultures and thought; feminism and fundamentalism in Christianity.

This course is an examination of the role of religion and science in the construction of human worldviews and beliefs, in historical and contemporary contexts.

This course focuses on the history and doctrine of Eastern Christianity from its origins in the early Church through today, emphasizing the cultural manifestations of Orthodox doctrine: liturgy, iconography, pious practice. We will compare Eastern Orthodoxy to Western Christianity (Catholicism and Protestantism), and will examine various different national Churches within Eastern Orthodoxy (i.e., Byzantine, Bulgarian, Serbian, Modern Greek, the older "Oriental" Churches, etc.), with a primary focus on Russia. Eastern Orthodox Christianity is often perceived as being one of the more 'mystical' of Christian traditions, and we will explore the Orthodox vision of 'the mystical life', examining its basis in history and contemporary experience. We will also ask about the significance of Church doctrine and practice for the development of culture as a whole in the areas of the world in which Eastern Christianity predominates, and the ways in which that culture both differs from and relates to what we (perhaps inaccurately) call "Western" civilization. In general, Orthodox practice relies heavily on the senses, and the course is designed to be experiential. To that end, we will make at least one field trip to a local Orthodox Church during the course of the semester.

Considers the place of women in multicultural U.S. society by placing them in historical perspective with regard to religious communities. Pursues historical encounters between women and their religions.

Explores the relationship between the Hindu goddess traditions, women, and the feminist spirituality movement in order to complicate the relationship that is often assumed to exist between women, goddesses, and power.

Religion as a social institution with special reference to industrial societies.

This course examines religion and gender through the study of women in Judaism. How do scholars construct a history of women in ancient Judaism when Jewish sacred texts are written by and for men? How have modern Jewish women accommodated feminist ideals without undermining the authority of the established tradition? What impact has the feminist movement had on Jewish communal institutions in the United States and Israel? In this course, we explore these questions and others by examining the influence Jewish religious beliefs and practices have played in the formation of Jewish women's identities, image and their understanding of power and authority. Students study the role of women in the formation of Judaism and Jewish society as a culturally constructed and historically changing category through archaeology, biblical studies, rabbinics, theology, folklore, social and political movements.