This course provides an overview of the history of Shinto in Japan. Recent scholarship has problematized the simplistic characterization of Shinto as the "indigenous religion of Japan." The course introduces students to the on-going scholarly debate over the category of "Shinto" and dissects from a historical perspective modern appropriations of Shinto discourses in relation to modernization, nationalism, and Japan's "self-image" in the world.

The course examines the mythology and practice of medicine in Greek and Roman times from Asclepius to Hippocrates and Galen, medical instruments and procedures, the religious manifestation of healing in Greek and Roman sanctuaries, the votive dedications by patients and cured, midwifery and child care, public hygiene and diseases. The topics cover a large spectrum of the medical practice and public health in the ancient societies of Classical antiquity, as well as how ancient worldviews, including religion and religious practice, shaped health and medicine in Greek and Roman civilization.

Study of the history and contemporary understanding of Mysticism in the Christian tradition.

Small group travel (8-15) to cultural centers of Europe, Asia, and Africa to study the interaction of cultural difference as evidenced in art, architecture, and city structure.

Survey of Jewish and Christian apocalyptic literature which explores the literary features and sociological significance of apocalyptic thought in Western culture from antiquity to the present.

Examination of the Epistles in the New Testament in light of the religious and cultural contexts of the Greco-Roman world.

This course provides an overview of the history of Buddhism in Japan. Major themes covered in the course include an integration of indigenous "kami veneration" (Shinto) into a Buddhist theological framework; a doctrinal emphasis placed on the notion of Buddha nature or "original enlightenment" (hongaku); the rise of the so-called Kamakura schools of Buddhism; bureaucratic roles imparted to Buddhist temples during the Tokugawa period; and challenges Buddhism faces in contemporary Japanese society.

Traditional and non-traditional concepts of spirituality are examined in Hopi, African-American, European, and American literature, philosophy, visual art and film.

This course investigates the emergence of Christianity in the first four centuries of the Greco-Roman milieu. Topics may include: the interaction of early Christians with Jews, Romans, and Greeks; as well as differences and debates within the various forms of early Christianity itself.

Religious beliefs and cult practices in ancient Greece and Rome. All readings in English.