Contents
Additional Information
Mara E. Donaldson, Professor of Religion (On leave 2008-09)Daniel G. Cozort, Associate Professor of Religion (On partial leave 2008-09)Theodore Pulcini, Associate Professor of Religion (On leave Fall 2007)Andrea B. Lieber, Associate Professor of Religion, Sophia Ava Asbell Chair in Judaic Studies, ChairNitsa Kann, Assistant Professor of Judaic StudiesCameron D. Warner, Visiting Instructor in ReligionEdward P. Merwin, Part-time Assistant Professor of Religion and Coordinator of the Hillel Program, Director of The Milton B. Asbell Center for Jewish LifeDavid Commins, Professor of History, Benjamin Rush Distinguished Chair in Liberal Arts and Sciences (On leave 2008-09)Shalom D. Staub, Assistant Provost for Academic AffairsOption A. Gives the student a working knowledge of a broad range of religious traditions and perspectives. The courses in Option A provide the foundation in the study of religion which the department considers necessary for today's liberally educated person. Of the 10 courses required in this option, no more than four may be at the 100-level, at least two must be at the 300-level, and at least one (such as 490) must be at the 400-level or above. The following guidelines apply:
1. Two courses for which approaches to the study of religion are the main concern (390, 490).
2. Two courses that raise critical questions about religion in Western traditions and cultures (e.g., 103, 104, 107, 110, 203, 206, 207, 208, 209, 211, 212, 214, 218, 219, and topics courses).
3. Two courses that raise critical questions about religion in Non-western traditions and cultures (e.g., 120, 130, 221, 223, 224, 226, 230, and topics courses).
4. Three additional courses. These may be concentrated in a particular tradition (e.g., Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, East Asian Religions, Biblical Studies), or they may be on approaches to religion in culture (e.g., Religion and Gender, Religion and Literature, Myth and Ritual, Religion and Art, Social Scientific Study of Religion).
5. One course taken outside the department. For example, courses outside the department may include Philosophy of Religion, Religion and Science, and Anthropology of Religion.
Option B. Students who have a focused interest in a particular area of the study of religion may be accepted, no later than the end of the sophomore year, for a major in religion structured along the following lines:
1. The major will consist of 11 courses, with as many as four courses taken outside of the religion department. 390 and 490 are required.
2. Upon the declaration of the major and each semester these majors will discuss their course selections and the shape of their major program with the department and other majors.
3. In the senior year, the student will engage in an independent research project, designed to synthesize the student's work in religion up to that point. This project must be approved by the department and will be delivered both in written form and through an oral presentation.
Option B encourages students to develop interests which may cross normal disciplinary lines. Possible self-developed majors might include: Reformation Studies, The Classical World and Early Christianity, Women and Religion, Liberation Theologies, Myth Studies, Sacred Texts in Comparative Perspective, Medieval Studies, South Asian Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, etc.
The minor in religion consists of six courses, including 390. No more than three of the six courses may be at the 100-level.
Additional Options: In addition to these options for the major in religion, the college offers a major in Judaic studies, East Asian studies, and the double major (recent examples: religion and philosophy, religion and art, religion and anthropology, religion and English). Students may also pursue studies in religion in a number of the college's off campus programs, including the CIEE Program in Hyderabad, India.
According to their special interests, students often develop and pursue Independent Study projects with members of the faculty. Among the projects recently undertaken have been Liberation Theology in Latin America, Abraham and Monotheism, The Hindu Temple, Martin Luther King, Jr., C. S. Lewis, Hopi Kachinas, Tibetan Views on Death, Spirituality and Activism, Women and Religion, and Philosophical Theology.
Majors in Religion have the option of pursuing departmental honors in their senior year by writing an honors thesis of between 60 and 100 pages demonstrating their ability to engage in sustained advanced research and scholarly endeavor. The thesis project will extend over two semesters. Only the best projects will be granted honors, but any student who completes the project will receive the credit for two semesters of work, i.e., two credits. Students will work with one advisor but may receive guidance from other members of the department.
Those wishing to write an honors thesis should register for RELG 550 for the fall semester, and find a research advisor. No later than the third Monday of the semester, the student must submit a formal proposal, outlining the project. Within a week, the department faculty will meet to discuss the proposal and assess its feasibility. Once the proposal is approved, the student and his/her advisr will decide on a schedule of research and writing. The student is expected to adhere to all deadlines set by the advisor.
In the spring semester the student once again must register for RELG 550. The first draft of the thesis must be submitted by spring break. Copies will be given to all department faculty, plus a designated outside reader. Within two weeks after spring break, members of the department will meet with the student to make comments on the draft. The final draft must be submitted before the end of spring semester classes. A defense date will be set for sometime during the exam period.
Students have regularly taken Junior Year Abroad programs in Scotland, England, Germany, France and Israel. The college also participates in the CIEE Program in Hyderabad, India.
All 100-level courses, regardless of their specific content, provide students with a basic introduction to the academic study of religion. Sophomores and juniors may take a 200-level course as their first course in religion, and seniors are encouraged to begin at this level. 200-level courses are more specific than 100-level courses but are not necessarily more difficult. 300-level courses are discussion-oriented seminars open to students who either have at least one previous course in religion, have junior or senior status, or have the permission of the instructor.
103 Hebrew Scriptures in Context A critical examination and attempt to understand the literature and the antecedent traditions remembered and formulated by the ancient Israelites in terms of their own views of God. This literature is interpreted in the context of events and cultures of the ancient Near East.
104 Introduction to Judaism A basic course in the history, basic beliefs and practices, and modern manifestations of Judaism as a religion. The course concerns itself with the interactions of Judaism and other world religions, notably Christianity.
This course is cross-listed as JDST 104.105 Judaism in the Time of Jesus This course is an introduction to the Hellenistic period of Jewish history, also known as the period of the "second temple". The course will analyze the cultural interaction between Jews and Greeks at this pivotal moment in Jewish history. The course will examine the impact of classical Greek thought and culture on the development of Judaism at its formative stage. We will focus on the phenomenon of sectarian movements and the emergence of rabbinic Judaism and Christianity as two dominant religions of the West.
This course is cross-listed as JDST 105.107 New Testament in Context A critical examination and attempt to understand the New Testament as the written traditions which articulated the faith, expectations, and actions of the early Christians as they responded within Jewish and Greek culture to the historical events of their day, and especially as they responded to the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth.
110 Religion and Modern Culture Drawing upon popular examples from film, drama, and narrative, as well as critical essays, the course explores both the religious dimensions of modern culture myth, sacred space and time, nature spirituality and the cultural contexts of contemporary theologies gender, race, economics.
111 What is Religion? An introduction to the study of religion that assesses as possible answers to the course title a selected range of individual and social experiences, expressions, and interpretations. Although the course is not a survey of world religions or a study of theories of religion, it examines phenomena from many religions and employs a variety of methods of analysis.
115 Native American Religions A survey of some major religious phenomena in the relatively recent histories of selected Native American traditions with emphasis on the tribal religions of North America and the religions of the civilizations of Mexico and Central America.
121 What is Hinduism? A study of the dominant religion of south Asia that focuses on the contemporary "embodiment" of religion in culture. This course will explore ways in which religion permeates the Hindu cycle of life, shapes choices such as occupation and marriage partner, and infuses Indian arts. It will ask whether the variation in these patterns over time, among regions of India, in city and country, and among different groups, are diverse "Hinduisms" that nevertheless contain a vital unity.
122 What is Buddhism? A study of Asia's most influential religion that focuses on the contemporary "embodiment" of religion in culture. This course will explore ways in which Buddhists have used visual arts, music, drama, asceticism, devotion, etc., to attain spiritual goals and express enlightenment. It will look at both monastic and popular Buddhism, concentrating on South and Southeast Asia but with some reference to East Asia and the West.
130 Religions of East Asia An introduction to the formative role of religious consciousness in the development of the cultures of China and Japan.
201 Buddhism in Tibet Studies in Buddhist philosophy and practice in Tibet.
203 Bible and Contemporary Issues An exploration of the impact of Biblical world views, perspectives, and laws upon the generation and resolution of contemporary problems such as environmental abuse, sexism and sexual problems, injustice, and war.
206 Jews and Judaism in the United States Traces the history of Jewish immigration to America and how the American experience has produced and nurtured new forms of Judaism, notably Reform and Conservative. The course concentrates on the last hundred years of American history and includes such topics as anti-Semitism, the Holocaust, and Israel.
This course is cross-listed as JDST 206.207 Holocaust & Future of Religion The course begins by looking at the variety of approaches to the Holocaust or Shoah. Second, it inquires into the roots of the Holocaust in Christian religious anti-Semitism. Third, the course examines the genocidal events of the Shoah itself and the responses to hose events by a small resistance movement within Germany. Fourth, the course concludes by looking at the various responses to the Holocaust, attempting to understand its impact on the future of religion itself.
208 Religion in the United States The course chronicles the relationship between religious ideas and cultural context from the founding of the first colonies through the rise of the Religious Right and New Age movements. Our journey will be guided by several key metaphors that have characterized the religious ethos of America: America as "The Promised Land"; America as the "land of opportunity", as the "melting pot." We will use primary sources, including fiction, poetry, and film.
209 Religion and the Literary Imagination Examines the variety of ways that religious themes grace, evil, redemption and genres parable, apocalypse are reflected, transformed in Biblical, classical, and contemporary literary texts.
211 Religion and Fantasy An exploration of the religious and mythological dimensions of traditional and modern fantasy literature. Our explorations will be guided by three interdependent themes: the nature of the divine, the nature of the human, and the nature of the moral life.
212 History of Christianity: From Margin to Center The course traces the emergence of Christianity from its beginnings as a minority sect in the first century to the height of its influence in the 14th century. Special attention will be given to cultural and aesthetic influences on the emerging Church.
214 History of Christianity: Reform and Modernity The course concentrates on the emergence of the Protestant tradition in the 16th century and the Catholic response. Considers the impact of the Enlightenment on both Protestant and Catholic self understanding.
215 Jewish Environmental Ethics See course description with Judaic Studies 215 listing.218 War and Western Values Literary and philosophical expressions of the experience of war; analyses of the nature of war in human affairs, and of restraints on and in war; assessment of the "special case" of nuclear armaments and strategies.
219 History of the Jews Willing or not, Jews have participated in world history since the dawn of civilization in the Middle East, ca. 3000 b.c.e. This course surveys the part Jews have played, concentrating on the interplay between Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
This course is cross-listed as JDST 219.221 Hindu Mythology Indian mythology, perhaps the richest in the world, is learned (and sometimes created) through ritual celebrations that re-enact and re-interpret myth episodes and themes and in other ways relate the human to the divine.
226 Yoga: Theory and Practice Yoga is an ancient Indian religious philosophy with a unique and complex world view. The Yoga system sees the human and the cosmos as homologous and therefore places special emphasis on the control of the body and mind in its pursuit of the realization of ultimate reality. In order to test Yoga's assertions about the effect of physical and contemplative techniques, students will participation in a lab section in addition to lectures and discussion.
230 Buddhism in China and Japan A study of the many phenomena of Chinese and Japanese Buddhism: historical development, socio-cultural context, personalities, texts, practices, thought, and aesthetics.
241 Topics in Arts, Literature, and Religion (e.g., Religion and Psychology; Faith and Identity; American Jewish Fiction; Jesus in Theology, Art, and Literature; Religion and Film)
243 Dead Sea Scrolls The discovery of a cache of ancient scrolls in 1947 in caves near the Dead Sea led to a revolution in the study of Second Temple Judaism and Christian origins. This course will focus on these texts, situating them in the context of the history of Judaism from the Hellenistic period through the first century C.E. What do they reveal about beliefs and institutions of the Essenes, the enigmatic community which produced them? What was life like at Qumran, the Essene community's center? How did the sect start, how did it differ from mainstream Judaism, and what was its vision of the future? What possible connections existed between the Essene community and the emergence of Christianity? How have the Dead Sea scrolls contributed to the study of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament?
245 Hidden Scriptures Besides the books included in the Hebrew Bible (Christian Old Testament) and the New Testament, a number of texts were excluded for various reasons. Their circulation and reading were discouraged, but they survived nonetheless. This course examines these texts, placing them in their historical context and using them as a "lens" through which we can better understand Judaism in the Hellenistic and Roman period and Christianity in some of its primitive (often "heretical") expressions.
250 Topics in Religion and Gender (e.g., Goddess and Devotee; Women & Religion; Sexuality and Spirituality; Women's Ways of Believing)
259 Islam An introduction to Islamic beliefs and practices in their classical forms: rituals, law, mysticism, and other topics. The course will consider aspects of Islamic cultures and societies in medieval and modern times.
This course is cross-listed as HIST 372.260 Topics in Religious Traditions (e.g., Islam; Shamanism; Apocrypha)
310 Topics in the Study of Myth (e.g., Comparative Mythology; Myths of Creation)
312 Topics in the History of Christianity (e.g., Contemporary Roman Catholic Thought; Medieval Mysticism; Christianity in Crisis; Augustine of Hippo; Eastern Orthodoxy)
314 Topics in Religious Ethics (e.g., Bonhoeffer, Peace and War; God and Evil; Religion and Ecology; Contemporary Christian Ethics)
316 Topics in Judaic Studies (e.g., Twentieth Century Jewish Thought; Principles and Topics in Jewish Law)
This course is cross-listed as JDST 316.318 Topics in Religion and Culture (e.g., Religion and Science; Encounters with Death; Liberation Theologies)
320 Topics in Indian Religions (e.g., Hindu Theology; Buddhist Tantra; Enlightenment in Comparative Perspective)
330 Topics in East Asian Religions (e.g., Zen; Confucianism and Taoism; Chinese Folk Religions)
390 Interpreting Religion An advanced introduction to some fundamental issues of theory and method in the academic study of religion. Selected religious phenomena will be examined using the perspectives such as those of the history of religions, psychology, sociology, anthropology, philology, philosophy, and theology. Emphasis will be placed upon methods of research and styles of writing in the study of religion.
490 Seminar Advanced investigation of methods and critical perspectives for the study of religion with a focus to be determined by the instructor. Writing enriched.
Prerequisite: 390 or permission of the instructor.The following course is offered abroad:
242 Jerusalem, Layer by Layer This course will examine the centrality of Jerusalem in the evolution of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The development and interaction of these religions will be situated within the sweep of the city's history, from the period of the ancient Israelite monarchy to the present. Through the study of monumental structures, archaeological remains, and textual records, Jerusalem's story will be uncovered layer by layer, with special attention given to the social and political dynamics which have shaped its monotheistic communities through the centuries.
