Fall 2008 Religion Courses

Rel 103. Islam and the Religions of India 11:20 MWF (in F08)—Blix The first part of the course studies the history, beliefs, and practices of Islam in the Middle East from Mohammad to the present day. The second part of the course studies the history, beliefs, and practices of the ancient religions of India (Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism), down to the coming of Islam in the 8th century. The third part of the course deals with the religious developments in India resulting from the interaction of Islam and Hinduism in the modern period. Emphasis is upon readings in primary texts of these religions. One course credit. No prerequisite. (First-semester freshmen are advised not to take the course unless they have done previous work in world religions, or have the consent of the instructor.)

Rel 141. History and Literature of the Hebrew Bible 10:20 MWF (in F08)—Royalty An introduction to the Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible. The format of the course will be discussion of the primary texts from the Torah, Prophets, and Writings of the Hebrew Bible. We will learn about the historical context and formation of the biblical texts; the theological issues in Ancient Israel and Judea; and the literary and narrative themes of the Bible. One course credit. No prerequisite.

Rel 171. History of Christianity to the Reformation 1:10 MWF (in F08)—Webb An historical survey of the origins of Christianity, the development and meaning of orthodox Christian beliefs, the social environment of the Christian Church, the great age of Medieval thought, and the background of the Reformation. One course credit. No prerequisite.

Rel 173. Introductory Topics in Theology: Introduction to Roman Catholicism 1:10 TTh 2nd ½ semester (in F08)—Webb What is Roman Catholicism? We will explore some of the basic themes of Catholic doctrine, ritual, and morality. We will examine the natural law tradition, the impact of Vatican II, the history of anti-Catholic prejudices, and current events and controversies in the Catholic Church. One-half course credit. No prerequisite.

Rel 181. Religion in America 2:10 MWF (in F08)—Baer An introduction to the religious history of America. This course will explore the historical development of the primary religious traditions in America, especially Protestantism, Catholicism, and Judaism, as well as the formative influence of religion among women, African-Americans, and American Indians. Principal themes include pluralism, the impact of religious disestablishment, revivalism and reform, theological movements, and religious innovation. One course credit. No prerequisite.

Rel 230. Topics in East Asian Religions: Confucianism in the Modern Era 2:40 TTh (in F08)—Blix Once on the wane (in the twentieth century), Confucianism has recently undergone a major renaissance in both mainland China and the United States. Hence this course. We’ll start with classical Confucianism, and do a close reading of the Analects and the Mencius in English translation. We’ll analyze the “logic” of each work, and the issues raised by the tensions between a “logical” reading of a text and an “historical” one. We’ll then turn to contemporary Confucianism, looking at its recent revival (e.g. the so-called “New Confucians” and the “Boston Confucians”), and at its role in current debates about bioethics, ecology, and social and political reform. We’ll also examine Confucianism in contemporary Chinese literature (novels, plays, etc.). Part of the course work will be devoted to learning a core set of Chinese characters, and a few rudiments of Classical Chinese, although absolutely no prior knowledge of Chinese will be presupposed in any way, shape, or form whatsoever. One course credit. Prerequisite: Religion 104, or the consent of the instructor.

Rel 273. Topics in Theology: Evolution and Creation 1:10 TTh 1st ½ semester (in F08)—Webb We will examine the relationship between the Christian doctrine of creation and the biological theory of evolution from a variety of perspectives and models. Some of the questions we will ask will include the following: 1) What is natural evil? Does it make sense to formulate moral evaluations of nature? 2) Can the language of purpose be expunged from our examination of nature? 3) What is the role of chance in evolutionary theory, and is that role compatible with the doctrine of creation? 4) Is the theory of evolution morally neutral, or does it entail very specific moral assumptions and implications? 5) What is the relationship between the theory of evolution and the philosophy of naturalism? Does evolutionary theory make metaphysical assumptions? 6) What difference does belief in God make for how we evaluate the claims of evolution? Our discussions will examine but not be limited to the intelligent design movement. One of our texts will be a book by Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, Archbishop of Vienna, entitled Chance or Purpose?, which is an expansion of a controversial essay he wrote for the New York Times in 2005. One-half course credit. Some background or interest in biology or theology is recommended.

Rel 280. Topics in American Religion: Native American Religions 2:40 TTh (in F08)—Myhre This course will provide an introduction to Native American religions. Students will explore historical and contemporary expressions of Native American religions, roles of sacred stories and objects in religious practices, and the place of geography and environment in the development of religious expression. Differences and similarities between Native American religions located in various regions of the United States will be examined. The course will include at least two visits to important Native American sites located in Indiana and Illinois. One course credit. No prerequisite. (This course will count in category C of the requirements for a religion major.)

Rel 296. Religion and Literature: Dante’s Divine Comedy (same as His 220, Eng 296, and Hum 296) 9:45 TTh (in F08)—Cook A study of The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri (1265-1321). In a semester’s reading of the poem, we will consider it primarily as a religious text, but we will be attentive to the social and political dimension too. We will read some other contemporary works that will help to contextualize the poem as well as carefully selected secondary works. One course credit. No prerequisite.

Rel 297. Anthropology of Religion 9:45 TTh (in F08)—Baer A discussion class examining the various ways anthropology describes and interprets religious phenomena. We will first study anthropological theories of religion, then focus on how these theories apply to specific religious phenomena in diverse contexts, paying particular attention to the social and symbolic functions of beliefs and rituals. One course credit. No prerequisite.

Rel 372. Seminar in the History of Christianity: Early Christian Monasticism (same as History 320) 1:10 TTh (in F08)—Cook A thorough examination of the roots of Christian monasticism and the variety of forms of early monastic life. We will discuss important primary texts such as Athanasius’ Life of St. Antony, the Conferences of John Cassian, and the Rule of St. Benedict and also important secondary literature. We will look at the theory, practices, and varieties of early monasticism in Africa, Asia, and Europe. One course credit. No prerequisite.

Rel 490. Senior Seminar: the Study of Religion 2:10-3:25 MW (in F08)—Royalty The course will examine different approaches to the study of religion in classic and contemporary texts from anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists, historians, philosophers, and theologians in an effort to think about what religion is and how it can be studied. One course credit. Required of senior religion majors and open to others by permission of the instructor.