RELI 130 – Asian Religions

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

The course surveys six religious traditions founded and developed in Asian including two from India: Hinduism and Buddhism, two from China: Confucianism and Taoism, and two from Japan: Shinto and Japanese New Religions. The survey of each religion includes: 1. a primary or sacred text, 2. contemporary practices in Asia, 3. contemporary practices in America, and 4. depictions in modern media. The course studies how the central tenets and teachings of Asian religions create the cultural roots of contemporary Asian cultures and how these teachings have influenced America's religious diversity.

RELI 160D4 – Introduction to World Religions

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Gen Ed: Tier 1 Traditions and Cultures/160

Gen Ed: Exploring Perspectives, Humanist

This course explores the diversity of religions and religious experiences across the globe. Religions to be examined include, but are not limited to, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, as well as indigenous traditions.

RELI 200 – Introduction to the Study of Religion

The objective of this course is to introduce you to the study of the phenomenon called 'religion'. What makes people religious? How is religion defined? What are the different approaches to understanding religion in all of its diversity? Through a reading of texts from diverse backgrounds and approaches, this course will illuminate the complex and multi-dimensional elements of religion, and how the study of religion can open up new ways of seeing the world.

RELI 203 – Religion and Medicine in the Western Healing Traditions

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

Gen Ed: Building Connections

Honors Course

An examination of the intersection between medicine and healing in western healing traditions, from ancient times to the modern era. Key scientific and humanistic questions will be addressed.

RELI 203 – Religion and Medicine in the Western Healing Traditions

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

Gen Ed: Building Connections

An examination of the intersection between medicine and healing in western healing traditions, from ancient times to the modern era. Key scientific and humanistic questions will be addressed.

RELI 211 – Life After Death in World Religions and Philosophies

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

Gen Ed: Building Connections

This course focuses on one Big Question: ¿How do afterlife beliefs affect the way we live?¿ It builds connections among the humanities [Religious Studies and Philosophy], the social sciences [Anthropology, Psychology, and Law], and the natural sciences [Medicine] to explore the ways in which religious afterlife beliefs are approached from multiple disciplinary perspectives. Students will analyze a variety of religious afterlife beliefs through case studies, problem-based assignments, and reading/writing genres from the six disciplinary perspectives in order to tackle the Big Question as it relates to their personal, academic, and/or career aspirations.

RELI 212 – American Indian Religious Traditions

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

Gen Ed: Exploring Perspectives, Humanist

This course offers a broad introduction to the diversity and complexity of American Indian religious traditions historically and in the contemporary. Students will explore general themes in the study of American Indian religions and spirituality along with analyzing specific examples. Of particular importance are the history and effects of colonialism and missionization on Native people, continuing struggles for religious freedom and cultural survival, and historical and contemporary religious responses to social, cultural, political, and geographical changes.

RELI 220 – Religion in Japanese Society

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

Introduction to texts, images and activities, both historical and contemporary, that comprise Japanese religion.

RELI 220B – Literature of the Bible

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

New Testament: The Gospels, the Epistles of Paul, and Revelation.

RELI 222 – Introduction to Zen Buddhism

Cross Listed

This course is designed to introduce students to the history,teachings,and practice of Zen Buddhism in China,Japan, Korea and the United States. The course will discuss Zen from a variety of perspectives but will center around the question of the meaning of history. Zen is a tradition of Buddhism that claims to have inherited and to pass on, in an unbroken historical transmission from patriarch to patriarch, the living experience of the Buddha's enlightenment. The course will discuss how Zen's conception of its history is related to its identity as a special tradition within Buddhism, as well as its basic teachings on the primacy of enlightenment, the role of practice, the nature of the mind, and the limitations of language.

RELI 227 – Religion and Film

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Arts

Gen Ed: Building Connections

This course explores religion and its relationship with visual storytelling culture. We will analyze, explore, and challenge various religious, pop-cultural, ideological, and moral messages as presented in various types of film, from art house cinema to blockbuster movies, and genres ranging from horror to comedy.

RELI 233 – Philosophy of Religion

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Individuals and Societies

This course uses philosophical methods to study religion and religious beliefs in the western tradition. The course provides an introductory survey to questions that have been central to the western philosophical tradition: What is religion? Can reasoning or experience give good grounds for religious belief? Does faith require philosophically sound reasoning? Is it philosophically justified to believe in miracles? What tools does philosophy provide for examining the concept of "God"? How can a good God exist if there's so much suffering in the world? How should humans react to suffering? Is there a conflict between religion and science? How can the diversity of religions be explained? Is religion a good thing for humanity?

RELI 235 – Religion, Violence, and Terrorism

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Individuals and Societies

Gen Ed: Building Connections

This course will study critical theories about the role of religion in acts of terrorism and violence. Through the examination of a range of case studies, this course will explore ways in which religion has been the motivation and justification behind violent conflict, aggression, and persecution.

RELI 277A – History of the Middle East: 600-1453

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

Gen Ed: Exploring Perspectives, Humanist

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.

RELI 277A – History of the Middle East: 600-1453

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

Gen Ed: Exploring Perspectives, Humanist

Honors Course

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.

RELI 280 – Introduction to the Bible: New Testament

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

Gen Ed: Exploring Perspectives, Humanist

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.

RELI 302 – Ellis Island, 9/11, and Border Walls: Religion and Immigration in the U.S.

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Individuals and Societies

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.

RELI 305 – Greek and Roman Religion

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Individuals and Societies

Gen Ed: Building Connections

Writing Emphasis Course

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

RELI 313 – Health and Medicine in Classical Antiquity

Cross Listed

Writing Emphasis Course

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.

RELI 313 – Health and Medicine in Classical Antiquity

Cross Listed

Honors Course

Writing Emphasis Course

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.

RELI 331 – Taoist Traditions of China

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

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.

RELI 334 – Islamic Thought

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Individuals and Societies

Gen Ed: Exploring Perspectives, Humanist

A consideration of Islam, one of the world's major religions, and the view of the universe and the modes of behavior and values it advocates. Most of the course will be dedicated to an examination of the majority (Sunni) opinion, but some attention will be directed also to the more significant minority (Shi'i, et al.) positions as well. The course has no prerequisite but does build on the information presented in TRAD 101 Middle Eastern Humanities.

RELI 335 – Rap, Culture and God

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

Gen Ed: Building Connections

Pass/Fail Option Available to Qualified Students

This course is a study of popular culture and religion in African-American and Latin@ communities, with a focus on the place of rap music in the cultural identity of these traditions. The class will begin with a study of some major themes in cultural studies concerning identity, class, race, and gender in addition to a study of the role of religion in Black and Latin@ communities. We will consider the approaches and self-understandings of identity and culture in rap music with special attention to the voices of protest, resistance, and spirituality among rap artists.

RELI 336 – Spirituality, Psychology, and the Mind

Cross Listed

Pass/Fail Option Available to Qualified Students

This course is a survey of psychological theory and research investigating religious beliefs, experiences, and practices.

RELI 350 – Hindu Mythology

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

Gen Ed: Building Connections

Overview of the traditional Hindu narratives found in the Vedic, epic, and puranic literature and in their many forms in regional literary and artistic forms, and the narratives influence on culture, philosophy, literature, and folklore.

RELI 351 – Zen, Tea, and Poetry: A Blending of Genres

Cross Listed

Writing Emphasis Course

This course will examine how the three genres of Zen Buddhism, the tea ceremony/tea culture, and poetry, have been presented over time as not only compatible, but as representative expressions of each other. We will consider the contemporaneous cultural, historical, and political factors that contributed to the formation of this discourse. We will also hold up to critical scrutiny the very concept of "genre" in pre-modern East Asia, as well as the distinction between "Zen Buddhism" and what may be termed "Zen culture." We will also investigate in depth how modern commentators such as Okakura Tenshin, Suzuki Daisetsu, and Hisamatsu Shin'ichi's dialogue with the West and Western models informed the now ingrained idea that the tea ceremony represents an artistic, aesthetic, and spiritual nexus of the other two genres, and indeed of East Asian Culture as a whole.

RELI 367 – Yoga

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

Gen Ed: Building Connections

In this course we examine the philosophy, practice, historical roots, and development of yoga. Students are asked to use and reflect on the disciplinary perspectives of the historian to examine premodern primary texts (in translation)and the anthropologist and cultural critic to examine contemporary yoga practices. Additionally, students will compare and contrast perspectives of Indian yogis and contemporary international yoga influencers in order to understand how the experience of yoga differs across time and culture and how social systems of power and inequality are imposed upon and by yoga and its practitioners. Therefore, the two driving questions of the course are Does your background (race, ethnicity, gender, religious identity) shape how you view yoga (religious, spiritual, or exercise)? and Is Yoga Cultural Appropriation?

RELI 370A – History of the Jews: Modern Jewish History

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Individuals and Societies

Survey of major political, socioeconomic, and cultural developments in the history of Diaspora Jewry: Modern Jewish history.

RELI 372A – History and Religion of Israel in Ancient Times -- The Biblical Period

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

Survey of the history and religion of ancient Israel. Biblical period through the Babylonian Exile; introduction to the Hebrew Bible.

RELI 379 – Religion in German Culture

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

Gen Ed: Building Connections

Introduction to major cultural figures of German speaking countries who have seen, imagined, or experienced what role religion may or can play in human life. Taught in English.

RELI 389 – Middle Eastern Ethnic and Religious Minorities

Cross Listed

Writing Emphasis Course

Overview of ethnic and religious minorities in the contemporary Middle East, study of ethnic and religious diversity and its origin and manifestations in the modern Middle East. Examination of how the concept of religious and ethnic minority has emerged as a key factor in state policies towards minorities as well as the cultural, economic, political, religious, and educational lives of its people.

RELI 390 – Asian and Pacific Religions in American Spirituality

Cross Listed

Writing Emphasis Course

Throughout the modern development of what has been called "spirituality" in the United States, Asian Pacific Americans along with Asian and Pacific Islander religions have been integral. In the mid-nineteenth century, Asian Pacific American (APA) immigrants brought their religions, and towards the end of the nineteenth century non-APAs enthusiastically brought APA religious teachers to the mainland United States. In the twentieth century, this mixture of APA people and religions continued to reach new communities and develop into independent US-based religions; eventually, these influenced the emergence of more individualistic, non-traditional forms of religion - popularly called 'spirituality.' These lines of influence crisscrossed over the decades, leading to a complex mixture of interests, investments, discourses, and depictions of different racial groups. As a result, this course's examination of Asian and Pacific religions in US-based spirituality engages questions about its definition in distinction to the term 'religion' and in relationship to the social dynamics of race. The course explores its presence in diverse locations such as medicine, theatre, environmental activism, and children's video games.

RELI 401A – Early Christian Literature: Greek Texts

Cross Listed

Writing Emphasis Course

This course involves in depth study of early Christian texts together with related contemporary Jewish and Greco-Roman literature. Students will engage in careful analysis of individual texts in the New Testament and from the first four centuries of the Common Era, focusing on questions of genre, authorship, and meaning. Alongside these, students will examine writings by contemporary Jewish, Greek, and Roman authors (e.g., Philo, Josephus, Seneca, and Plutarch) as illustrative of the wider literary and religious culture. For students who have completed GRK 201, an option for readings in ancient Greek will be available as part of the course.

RELI 406 – Religious Diversity in Healthcare: Intercultural Training

This course is designed to offer tools for engaging religious and cultural diversity within healthcare settings, which includes consideration of religious patients, religious healthcare workers, faith-based healthcare institutions, and the impact of religious communities on healthcare laws and services. To develop skills for navigating intercultural differences, students will practice applying academic approaches to religion to health-related case studies.

RELI 408 – The Renaissance

Cross Listed

Europe between the 14th and 16th centuries with special emphasis on Italy as the seat of the Renaissance. Topics include the city states, humanism, the Church in an age of Schism and secularization, Renaissance art, the New Monarchies and European exploration and imperialism.

RELI 408A – Islamic Movements in the Contemporary Muslim World

Cross Listed

Writing Emphasis Course

The course objectives are (1) to acquaint students with traditional literature and contemporary research on Islamic movements, and 2) to introduce students to the historical and ideological basis of an emerging globalized political Islam.

RELI 420 – Archaic Greek Sanctuaries

Cross Listed

Writing Emphasis Course

This course therefore concentrates on the evidence for Greek sanctuary sites between 1000 and 600 B.C. We examine the excavated material from numerous sanctuary sites, including architectural remains (temples and/or altars), votive offerings of bronze and clay, and any other evidence revealing religious practices during these formative years. The role the sanctuaries played in society is also considered with a view to their political, social, economic and spiritual implications for Archaic Greek life.

RELI 475 – Religion and the Law

Cross Listed

The evolving relationship between law and religion has had a profound influence on American political life and discourse since the country's founding. This course is designed to develop familiarity with that history and the resulting major tenets of the First Amendment's religion clauses. Taking as our starting point the concept of the separation of church and state, we examine what this idea has meant in U.S. Constitutional law. Class time will be structured around in-depth study of the Constitution and of Supreme Court precedents, and will integrate these formative Supreme Court decisions and decisions from state and lower federal courts into the social and historical contexts from which they derive meaning. In addition, the course will survey the scholarly treatment of such threshold questions as the meaning of "religion" in society, and will evaluate the evolving notion of religious liberty in a pluralistic society. We conclude with an examination of current legal debates and cases and of the prominent role of religious discourse about law, social change, politics and culture in today's society.

RELI 482 – Tantric Buddhism

Cross Listed

Writing Emphasis Course

What is ritual? Tantric Buddhism employs ritual in radical ways to work towards the goal of enlightenment in this very lifetime. This course provides an introduction to the principles of tantric ritual, including themes of guru devotion, rites of consecration, vows of secrecy, and visualization practice. In particular, the course guides students in contemplating what it means to imagine oneself as a deity as a means of attaining enlightenment. The importance of ritual to the practice of Tantric Buddhism invites us to reflect upon the larger significance of "ritual" for understanding tantra, Buddhism, and religion at large. The course culminates in an in-class colloquium aimed at defining ritual in dialogue with tantric materials.

RELI 489 – History of Japanese Religions: Modern

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

A selective survey of the history of Japanese religion from the 16th century through the present. Topics may include Shinto and Buddhism; Christianity and its suppression; Edo-period official and popular religion; State Shinto; and Japan's "new religions" and "new new religions."

RELI 491 – Preceptorship

Specialized work on an individual basis, consisting of instruction and practice in actual service in a department, program, or discipline. Requires faculty member approval, preceptor application on file with department.

RELI 501A – Early Christian Literature: Greek Texts

Cross Listed

Writing Emphasis Course

This course involves in depth study of early Christian texts together with related contemporary Jewish and Greco-Roman literature. Students will engage in careful analysis of individual texts in the New Testament and from the first four centuries of the Common Era, focusing on questions of genre, authorship, and meaning. Alongside these, students will examine writings by contemporary Jewish, Greek, and Roman authors (e.g., Philo, Josephus, Seneca, and Plutarch) as illustrative of the wider literary and religious culture. For students who have completed GRK 201, an option for readings in ancient Greek will be available as part of the course. Graduate level requirements included a extended research papers drawing on appropriate levels of training in language, literature, and knowledge of the ancient world.

RELI 506 – Religious Diversity in Healthcare: Intercultural Training

This course is designed to offer tools for engaging religious and cultural diversity within healthcare settings, which includes consideration of religious patients, religious healthcare workers, faith-based healthcare institutions, and the impact of religious communities on healthcare laws and services. To develop skills for navigating intercultural differences, students will practice applying academic approaches to religion to health-related case studies.

RELI 508A – Islamic Movements in the Contemporary Muslim World

Cross Listed

The course's objectives are (1) to acquaint students with traditional literature and contemporary research on Islamic movements, and 2) to introduce students to the historical and ideological basis of an emerging globalized political Islam. Graduate-level requirements include a 12 page student essay and final paper 25-30 pages.

RELI 520 – Archaic Greek Sanctuaries

Cross Listed

This course concentrates on the evidence for Greek sanctuary sites between 1000 and 600 B.C. We examine the excavated material from numerous sanctuary sites, including architectural remains (temples and/or altars), votive offerings of bronze and clay, and any other evidence revealing religious practices during these formative years. The role the sanctuaries played in society is also considered with a view to their political, social, economic and spiritual implications for Archaic Greek life. Graduate-level requirements include a more extensive paper than undergraduates.

RELI 582 – Tantric Buddhism

Cross Listed

What is ritual? Tantric Buddhism employs ritual in radical ways to work towards the goal of enlightenment in this very lifetime. This course provides an introduction to the principles of tantric ritual, including themes of guru devotion, rites of consecration, vows of secrecy, and visualization practice. In particular, the course guides students in contemplating what it means to imagine oneself as a deity as a means of attaining enlightenment. The importance of ritual to the practice of Tantric Buddhism invites us to reflect upon the larger significance of "ritual" for understanding tantra, Buddhism, and religion at large. The course culminates in an in-class colloquium aimed at defining ritual in dialogue with tantric materials. Graduate-level requirements include additional class presentations on research topics which will build upon the themes of the class to provide additional context, investigate a particular topic in greater depth, or diversify the scope of the material.

RELI 589 – History of Japanese Religions: Modern

Cross Listed

A selective survey of the history of Japanese religion from the 16th century through the present. Topics may include Shinto and Buddhism; Christianity and its suppression; Edo-period official and popular religion; State Shinto; and Japan's "new religions" and "new new religions." Graduate-level requirements include oral presentations and longer, more in-depth papers.

RELI 160A1 – Gods, Goddesses, and Demons: Divinity in South Asia

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Gen Ed: Tier 1 Traditions and Cultures/160

Gen Ed: Exploring Perspectives, Humanist

This course is an introduction to multiple concepts of the divine in South Asia. We will explore the different ways that the religious traditions of South Asia understand supernatural beings and forces. In order to do this we will read portions of primary texts in translation, examine iconography, and watch rituals as they unfold. In addition to learning about the South Asia traditions, we will put those conceptions of the divine in conversation with those rooted in a European context, forcing you to learn to think critically about the ways people from different cultures view the world around them.

RELI 160D4 – Introduction to World Religions

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Gen Ed: Tier 1 Traditions and Cultures/160

Gen Ed: Exploring Perspectives, Humanist

This course explores the diversity of religions and religious experiences across the globe. Religions to be examined include, but are not limited to, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, as well as indigenous traditions.

RELI 202 – Myths, Legends, and Religion: Foundational Literature of the European Visual World

Cross Listed

This literature course examines Greek and Roman classical myths and Jewish and Christian biblical stories that have frequently been represented in visual cultures over the centuries in Europe and beyond. When taught as part of a study abroad trip, the course will be customized to provide the literary background of the specific visual material students will view while abroad.

RELI 203 – Religion and Medicine in the Western Healing Traditions

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

Gen Ed: Building Connections

An examination of the intersections between medicine and religion in western healing traditions, from ancient times to the modern era. Key scientific and humanistic questions will be addressed.

RELI 220 – Religion in Japanese Society

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

Introduction to texts, images and activities, both historical and contemporary, that comprise Japanese religion.

RELI 227 – Religion and Film

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Arts

Gen Ed: Building Connections

This course explores religion and its relationship with visual storytelling culture. We will analyze, explore, and challenge various religious, pop-cultural, ideological, and moral messages as presented in various types of film, from art house cinema to blockbuster movies, and genres ranging from horror to comedy.

RELI 241 – Introduction to Chinese Religions

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

The course is a comprehensive historical survey of the main religious traditions in China, including Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and popular religion. Through lectures, discussions, and reading of select primary and secondary sources, we will explore the formulations and subsequent transformations of key beliefs, doctrines, practices, and institutions that characterized specific religious traditions. We will also examine the patterns of interaction among different traditions, as well as the general character of religious life in both traditional and modern China.

RELI 304 – The Question of God

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

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

RELI 305 – Greek and Roman Religion

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Individuals and Societies

Gen Ed: Building Connections

Writing Emphasis Course

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

RELI 320 – Reformations and Revolutions in Early Modern Britain, 1485 - 1714

Cross Listed

This course aims at a broad analysis of the enthralling history and legacies of the Tudor and Stuart dynasties that ruled England from 1458 to 1714. The objective is to understand how in a quarter century the radical political and religious events, and figures, transformed the social, political and religious structures of England, giving birth to the foundation of England as a united kingdom, and significant world power. The course begins by focusing on the Tudors with emphasis on Henry VIII and the English Reformation, the return to Catholicism under Mary Tudor, the creation of a new Anglican Church under Elizabeth I and its unforeseen consequences. From there, it explores the Stuarts, with attention to the catastrophic English Revolution culminating in the public execution of King Charles I in 1649, and the rise of the English republic that ended with the restoration of monarchy in 1660. The course then reflects on the transformation of the English state following the elite coup d'etat of 1688, the Glorious Revolution, a fundamental watershed that cleared the way for a constitutional monarchy, parliamentary sovereignty, and religious toleration in England.

RELI 321 – Women in Judaism

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Building Connections

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.

RELI 331 – Taoist Traditions of China

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

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.

RELI 332 – The Holocaust: Witnesses and Representations

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Building Connections

This course explores Holocaust memory and representation in Europe, Israel and the United States through various media and genres from diaries, memoirs and oral testimonies to Yiddish and Hebrew poetry, second generation graphic novels and film to memorial gardens and resistance monuments, archives and museums. We engage with some of the most fundamental questions of memory and Holocaust trauma from multiple perspectives and contexts. Is it possible to communicate the horrors of the concentration camp? Who has the right to speak about the Holocaust? How does "Jewish" memory of the Holocaust shape our understanding of the history of Nazism, genocide, World War II and its aftermath? In what ways, has Holocaust memory become associated with movements for historical justice and human rights, in particular, in the United States?

RELI 335 – Rap, Culture and God

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

Gen Ed: Building Connections

Pass/Fail Option Available to Qualified Students

This course is a study of popular culture and religion in African-American and Latin@ communities, with a focus on the place of rap music in the cultural identity of these traditions. The class will begin with a study of some major themes in cultural studies concerning identity, class, race, and gender in addition to a study of the role of religion in Black and Latin@ communities. We will consider the approaches and self-understandings of identity and culture in rap music with special attention to the voices of protest, resistance, and spirituality among rap artists.

RELI 336 – Spirituality, Psychology, and the Mind

Cross Listed

Pass/Fail Option Available to Qualified Students

This course is a survey of psychological theory and research investigating religious beliefs, experiences, and practices.

RELI 350 – Hindu Mythology

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

Overview of the traditional Hindu narratives found in the Vedic, epic, and puranic literature and in their many forms in regional literary and artistic forms, and the narratives influence on culture, philosophy, literature, and folklore.

RELI 367 – Yoga

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

Gen Ed: Building Connections

In this course we examine the philosophy, practice, historical roots, and development of yoga. Students are asked to use and reflect on the disciplinary perspectives of the historian to examine premodern primary texts (in English translation) that provide a window into the origins of yoga, as well as the perspectives of the anthropologist and cultural critic to examine contemporary yoga practices. Students will compare and contrast perspectives of Indian yogis and contemporary international yoga influencers in order to understand how the experience of yoga differs across time and culture and how social systems of power and inequality are both subverted and reinforced by yoga and its practitioners.

RELI 370B – History of the Jews: Cultural Loss and Resilience from the Middle Ages to the French Revolution

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Individuals and Societies

Survey of major political, socioeconomic, and cultural developments in the history of Diaspora Jewry from the Middle ages to the French Revolution.

RELI 372A – History and Religion of Israel in Ancient Times -- The Biblical Period

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

Survey of the history and religion of ancient Israel. Biblical period through the Babylonian Exile; introduction to the Hebrew Bible.

RELI 372B – History & Religion of Israel in Ancient Times: Ezra-Nehemiah to the Roman Empire

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

Survey of the history and religion of ancient Israel. Ezra-Nehemiah to the Roman Empire, with emphasis on the formation of rabbinic Judaism.

RELI 387 – The History of Anti-Semitism

Cross Listed

This course examines various definitions of anti-Semitism and traces the history of anti-Semitism (or "anti-Judaism") from the earliest arguments between Christianizing Jews and Judaizing Christians to the birth of Islam, through the period of Muslim expansion and the Crusades, to the Middle Ages, the Enlightenment, and the Holocaust. It looks at the differences among various types of Christian anti-Semitism, Muslim anti-Semitism, and Jewish anti-Semitism, and concludes with a look at contemporary forms of anti-Semitism.

RELI 489 – History of Japanese Religions: Modern

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

A selective survey of the history of Japanese religion from the 16th century through the present. Topics may include Shinto and Buddhism; Christianity and its suppression; Edo-period official and popular religion; State Shinto; and Japan's "new religions" and "new new religions."

RELI 150B1 – Religion and Popular Culture

Gen Ed: Tier 1 Individuals & Societies/150

This course provides an introduction to the study of Religion and Popular Culture in modern societies. We will study what constitutes "religion" and how definitions of religion change over time. We will examine the ways popular culture becomes "religious" and how religious institutions reflect popular taste and opinion.

RELI 160A1 – Gods, Goddesses, and Demons: Divinity in South Asia

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Gen Ed: Tier 1 Traditions and Cultures/160

Gen Ed: Exploring Perspectives, Humanist

This course is an introduction to multiple concepts of the divine in South Asia. We will explore the different ways that the religious traditions of South Asia understand supernatural beings and forces. In order to do this we will read portions of primary texts in translation, examine iconography, and watch rituals as they unfold. In addition to learning about the South Asia traditions, we will put those conceptions of the divine in conversation with those rooted in a European context, forcing you to learn to think critically about the ways people from different cultures view the world around them.

RELI 160D4 – Introduction to World Religions

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Gen Ed: Tier 1 Traditions and Cultures/160

Gen Ed: Exploring Perspectives, Humanist

This course explores the diversity of religions and religious experiences across the globe. Religions to be examined include, but are not limited to, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, as well as indigenous traditions.

RELI 160D5 – Spirituality, Ceremony, and Saints of the Southwest

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Gen Ed: Tier 1 Traditions and Cultures/160

Gen Ed: Building Connections

An introduction to the religious history and contemporary religious diversity of the region currently known as the American Southwest, focusing on a variety of topics such as land based spirituality, shrines, pilgrimage, folk saints, religious syncretism, and New Age movements. The religious landscape of this area includes the traditions of indigenous communities, Spanish colonial descendants, Mexican Americans, Anglos, and immigrants from around the globe.

RELI 160D6 – Gender and Religion

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Gen Ed: Tier 1 Traditions and Cultures/160

This course is an introduction to the study of gender and religion. We will examine the ways religious roles have been shaped by gender, and how religion has formulated understandings of gender, including gendered representations of the divine.

RELI 203 – Religion and Medicine in the Western Healing Traditions

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

Gen Ed: Building Connections

An examination of the intersections between medicine and religion in western healing traditions, from ancient times to the modern era. Key scientific and humanistic questions will be addressed.

RELI 211 – Life After Death in World Religions and Philosophies

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

Gen Ed: Building Connections

This course focuses on one Big Question: "How do afterlife beliefs affect the way we live?" It builds connections among the humanities [Religious Studies and Philosophy], the social sciences [Anthropology, Psychology, and Law], and the natural sciences [Medicine] to explore the ways in which religious afterlife beliefs are approached from multiple disciplinary perspectives. Students will analyze a variety of religious afterlife beliefs through case studies, problem-based assignments, and reading/writing genres from the six disciplinary perspectives in order to tackle the Big Question as it relates to their personal, academic, and/or career aspirations.

RELI 212 – American Indian Religious Traditions

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

Gen Ed: Exploring Perspectives, Humanist

This course offers a broad introduction to the diversity and complexity of American Indian religious traditions historically and in the contemporary. Students will explore general themes in the study of American Indian religions and spirituality along with analyzing specific examples. Of particular importance are the history and effects of colonialism and missionization on Native people, continuing struggles for religious freedom and cultural survival, and historical and contemporary religious responses to social, cultural, political, and geographical changes.

RELI 220 – Religion in Japanese Society

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Diversity Emphasis

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

Introduction to texts, images and activities, both historical and contemporary, that comprise Japanese religion.

RELI 220A – Literature of the Bible

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

Old Testament: legendary and historical narratives, prophetic literature, and poetry.

RELI 222 – Introduction to Zen Buddhism

Cross Listed

This course is designed to introduce students to the history,teachings,and practice of Zen Buddhism in China,Japan, Korea and the United States. The course will discuss Zen from a variety of perspectives but will center around the question of the meaning of history. Zen is a tradition of Buddhism that claims to have inherited and to pass on, in an unbroken historical transmission from patriarch to patriarch, the living experience of the Buddha's enlightenment. The course will discuss how Zen's conception of its history is related to its identity as a special tradition within Buddhism, as well as its basic teachings on the primacy of enlightenment, the role of practice, the nature of the mind, and the limitations of language.

RELI 227 – Religion and Film

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Arts

Gen Ed: Building Connections

This course explores religion and its relationship with visual storytelling culture. We will analyze, explore, and challenge various religious, pop-cultural, ideological, and moral messages as presented in various types of film, from art house cinema to blockbuster movies, and genres ranging from horror to comedy.

RELI 241 – Introduction to Chinese Religions

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

The course is a comprehensive historical survey of the main religious traditions in China, including Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and popular religion. Through lectures, discussions, and reading of select primary and secondary sources, we will explore the formulations and subsequent transformations of key beliefs, doctrines, practices, and institutions that characterized specific religious traditions. We will also examine the patterns of interaction among different traditions, as well as the general character of religious life in both traditional and modern China.

RELI 277A – History of the Middle East: 600-1453

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

Gen Ed: Exploring Perspectives, Humanist

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.

RELI 277A – History of the Middle East: 600-1453

Cross Listed

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

Gen Ed: Exploring Perspectives, Humanist

Honors Course

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.

RELI 280 – Introduction to the Bible: New Testament

Gen Ed: Tier 2 Humanities

Gen Ed: Exploring Perspectives, Humanist

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.