Fall 2009 Religion Courses

Rel 103. Islam and the Religions of India MWF 11:20 (in F09)—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 MWF 10:20 (in F09)—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 MWF 1:10 (in F09)—Cook 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 181. Religion in America MWF 10:20 (in F09)—Wilcox 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 196. Religion and Literature (same as Humanities 196 and English 196) MW 2:10-3:25 (in F09)—Webb A discussion class that will study the religious themes and theological issues in diverse literary works. Authors represent various religious traditions and raise particular religious questions (like the problem of evil, the question of atheism, the place of tradition, the meaning of suffering, and the nature of redemption). One course credit. (As Humanities 196 or English 196, this course counts toward the distribution requirement in Literature and Fine Arts.) No prerequisite.

Rel 230. Topics in East Asian Religions: Zen Buddhism TTh 2:40 (in F09)—Blix In this course we will try to understand Zen Buddhism by looking at its principal beliefs and practices, with an eye to both their historical context and their “inner logic.” We will pay special attention to the way in which Zen transformed the very questions Buddhists thought it was important to ask, and the way that transformation subsequently influenced the culture, art, literature, and religion of East Asia and the United States. Discussions will be based on readings from the classical texts of the Theravada, Mahayana, and Zen traditions, as well as from more recent literature. Some time will be spent practicing Zen meditation techniques in class. One course credit. Prerequisite: Religion 104, or the consent of the instructor. Course enrollment limited to 15.

Rel 273. Topics in Theology: The Problem of Evil in Historical Perspective MW 2:10-3:25 (in F09)—Wilcox This course will explore the difficulty of reconciling the existence of evil and suffering in the world with the existence of an omnipotent and benevolent God. Concentrating on topics within the Jewish and Christian religious traditions we will investigate how the evils of war, racism, exploitation, violence, disease and natural disasters have forced philosophers and theologians to rethink the divine-human relationship. As part of the historical approach to this subject we will be engaging the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament, the philosophers and theologians of the medieval and Reformation periods, and the various “theodicies” set forth in the contemporary debate. One course credit. No prerequisite.

Rel 280. Topics in American Religion: Jesus, Made in America TTh 1:10 (in F09)—Wilcox This course will explore the ways in which the figure of Jesus, believed within the Christian tradition to be the Son of God, the second member of the Divine Trinity, has been co-opted and appropriated by various groups or communities in the American context. There is, in fact, in the American religious experience, no one single image of Jesus that has prevailed. In our course readings we will investigate how these various representations of Jesus—Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Buddhist, Liberal, Fundamentalist, movie star, rock star, etc.—reveal as much about America’s own unique religious culture as they do about Jesus himself. One course credit. No prerequisite.

Rel 298. Sociology of Religion MWF 1:10 (in F09)—Webb We will examine the relationship between religion and popular culture by first asking what culture is and then examining the differences between high and low culture. Religion shapes culture, but religion is also shaped by culture. We will look at examples from sports, music, and literature of the intersection of religion and culture. We will also discuss to what extent America has become a post-Christian culture and to what extent the church itself is its own culture. One course credit. No prerequisite.

Rel 370. Contemporary Theology: African and African American Theology MWF 10:20 (in F09)—Lake and Webb This course will explore issues pertaining not only to African American theology but also the explosion of theology work in Africa. The course will be constructive (what do these theologies try to change in the world) and systematic (how do the various components of these theologies fit together). We will ask what Northern Hemisphere theologians have to learn from the growth in both numbers and sophistication of Southern Hemisphere theologians. We will also try to identify the historical and cultural factors that comprise African and African American theology. One course credit. No prerequisites are required, but the theoretical texts in this course suggest that some background in religion, philosophy, or history would be helpful.

Rel 490. Senior Seminar: the Study of Religion MW 2:10-3:25 (in F09)—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.