Study of the question of God from a theological, philosophical, and literary perspective.

This course explores diverse religious and spiritual conceptions of health in the United States and their relationships to experiences of sickness and healing. It will include a critical examination of historical and contemporary cases in which religious and spiritual views of health have interacted with healthcare systems, including cases of cooperation and conflict.

This course will explore the central role of religion in shaping constructions of race and ethnicity in U.S. history, especially in light of immigration debates. Since the country's founding, immigrants have expanded ethnic and religious diversity in the United States in the face of powerful anti-immigrant movements. Students will engage with in-depth studies of immigrant communities who shaped the American religious and ethnic landscape, including diverse American expressions of religions such as Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Evangelical Protestantism, and Vodou.

Development of Roman Catholic thought from the twentieth century to the present day, with an emphasis on the impact of the Second Vatican Council.

Development of Christian thought from the New Testament through the Protestant Reformation.

This Building Connection GenEd course explores the rich and enduring history of the Jewish community of Persia, one of the oldest in the world, dating back to the sixth century B.C.E. From Cyrus the Great's liberation of the Jews to their ongoing presence in Iranian society, Persian Jews have played a vital role in shaping Persian culture, contributing significantly to literature, philosophy, science, the arts, and the economy. Through historical analysis as well as literary and political perspectives, students will examine key moments in this community's evolution, including its role in the modernization of Iran during the Pahlavi era, the impact of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and the complex realities faced by Iranian Jews both in Iran and in diaspora. The course will also highlight Jewish populations in other Persianate societies such as Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as the experiences of Iranian Jewish diasporas, particularly in Israel and California, to explore themes of identity, memory, and cultural transformation. By integrating Jewish history into the studies of the Persianate societies, this course offers an interdisciplinary and inclusive approach to understanding Iranian minorities and their lasting influence within Persianate societies.

This course introduces students to the New Testament in light of the contexts in which it was written and compiled, and as a window into reconstructing the world of early Christianity. The course will also examine how various Christian communities have understood the meaning and authority of the New Testament.

In this course, students take a humanistic disciplinary perspective to explore the cultural products of the pre-modern Middle East and answer questions about its historical development. Using primary sources in translation and secondary scholarship, students will explore the context of the rise of Islam; the process of conversion and expansion across the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia; the crystallization of Shi'ism and changing notions of religious authority; and the impact of Turkish migrations and Mongol conquests. They will become familiar with major genres of pre-modern Middle Eastern literary, religious, and scientific writings, and use techniques of close reading to answer questions about those texts' ideological positions and contexts.

This course examines the history of the great diversity of beliefs, practices, ways of life, and forms of authority among Christians, and especially conflicts about these. Not narrowly theological, the course construes Christianity broadly, treating, for example, society, culture, and art.

Origins of Christian Culture in the Art, Literature, and Philosophy in the Ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean Cultures.