Fall 2004

REL 1300 (Honors): Introduction to World Religions (Kelsay)
A survey of major world religions. Lectures, discussions, exams and short papers.

REL 2121: Religion in the United States (Corrigan and Staff)
This course focuses on the historical development of religions in America with attention to economic change, politics, immigration, gender, regionalism, reform, and racial and ethnic diversity. We will examine the ideas and practices, forms of association, ethical systems, and material cultures of religious groups ranging from those that first took shape in America (e.g. Native American religions, Mormons, Christian Scientists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventists, Nation of Islam) to Roman Catholic and mainline Protestant denominations, to various Jewish congregations, to Asian religions in America, and religious aspects of popular culture (e. g. New Age religions, urban ethnic religions).

REL 2210: Introduction to the Old Testament (Staff)
This course will introduce the student to the contents of the Old Testament, also known as the Hebrew Bible, and examine these individual writings within their historical contexts. Throughout the semester, the class will learn how to recognize and analyze the major themes and characters of the Old Testament. The purpose of the course is to understand the OT within the broader cultural background of the ancient Near East, the history of the people who composed the book, and how the literary contents of the Bible reflect, reject, or otherwise interact with the cultural and historical circumstances of the times.

REL 2240: Introduction to the New Testament (Kelley and Staff)
To understand the writings of the New Testament in the context of the historical development of the early Christian church. After surveying Judaism and other religious options in the Roman world, attention will be focused on the figure of Jesus of Nazareth and the development of the traditions about Jesus. Next, an attempt will be made to understand Paul and the development and spread of the Christian movement. Emphasis throughout will fall on the variety of interpretations of the Christian message as Christians encountered new social circumstances and theological challenges. This course meets the Liberal Studies literature requirement and the "Gordon Rule" writing requirement.

REL 2315 Religions of South Asia (Staff)
An overview of the religions in the South Asian cultural region with emphasis on Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Islam. The history and cultural contexts of these traditions will be explored with particular attention to sacred stories, holy people, religious leadership, and gender issues. This course also serves as an introduction to the academic study of religion. No previous background is required. Meets Liberal Studies Humanities, Gordon Rule, and Multicultural (x) requirements. Honors students will have the opportunity to write e research paper on a topic of their choice.

REL 3128: Catholic Experience in America (Koehlinger)
This course provides a general introduction the historical experiences of American Catholics from the colonial period through the present. this course is not an institutional history of the American Church per se, but rather the course focuses on popular Catholicism, trying to uncover the diverse experiences of American Catholics through asking what it was like to be Catholic in different places and times throughout United States history. We will use a wide variety of sources to answer these questions, including traditional historical monographs, novels, memoir, film, papal documents, essays, speeches, poetry, political writing, sermons, advertisements, liturgy, and artwork. The course is organized thematically, in roughly chronological progression, including topics related to missions, immigration, anti-Catholicism, devotionalism, Mary, gender and sexuality, childhood, the Second Vatican Council, race and ethnicity, politics and citizenship, work and social class, authority and dissent.

REL 3170: Religious Ethics (Kalbian and Staff)
This course is an introduction to the study of religion and ethics. We will examine contemporary moral issues such as neighbor love, lying, capital punishment, war, sexuality, and the environment in the context of religious views about love, duty, good, and evil. We will read material describing views of different religious traditions including Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam.

REL 3180: Religion and Literature (Day)
This course examines the complex relationship between religious traditions, ethical reflection and modern literature by focusing on 19th and 20th century American writers. Particular attention will be given to the ways in which Americans have wrestled with the inherited vocabularies of Christianity—in novels, short stories, essays, and poetry—to address issues of personal identity, social justice, and national well being. In general, the course treats each figure as an important voice in an imaginative and ongoing cultural argument over the continuing moral, political and aesthetic relevance of Christianity (or, at times, “religion”) in the United States. The readings will include works by Emerson, Melville, Whitman, Baldwin and Updike.

REL 3337: Goddesses, Women, and Power in Hinduism (Erndl)
This course focuses on goddesses and women in Hindu cosmology, mythology, and society. It explores ways in which the categories "sacred" and "female" are interrelated in the Hindu tradition, using sources such as narrative, philosophical, and devotional texts, biographical and historical accounts, art, and film. We will become familiar with the myths, rituals, and iconography of the major Hindu goddesses, the social and symbolic roles of their human counterparts, and the philosophical concept sakti (creative female power) which is integral to the Hindu world view. This course also provides opportunities for cross-cultural comparison and discussion of interpretive problems concerning goddess traditions and gender.

REL 3358: Tibetan/Himalayan Religion (Cuevas)
Tibet has long been a subject of popular fascination in America and Europe, from its rich artistic heritage and unique Buddhist traditions to its distinctive political formations under the rule of the Dalai Lamas. This course offers a detailed introduction to Tibetan history and culture with an emphasis on the religions of Tibet and the Himalayas, including not only Buddhism but also Bon and popular indigenous traditions. Specific topics covered will include the ritual cosmos, epic literature, shamans and saintly madmen, the evolution of monastic power, demons, death and afterlife, and political rule by incarnation. Some attention will also be given to contemporary forms of Tibetan Buddhism outside of Asia, and the variety of ways Tibet has been imagined and represented throughout history by Americans and Europeans.

REL 3363: Islamic Tradition (Kelsay)
A survey of the development and major themes of Islamic Tradition. Lectures, discussions, a mid-term exam plus several short (3-5 pages) papers.

REL 3607 (Honors): Jewish Tradition (Kavka)
This course is a survey of the Jewish tradition and its development from the Biblical period to the present. We will critically read important texts from the fundamental periods/themes of the tradition:

Biblical texts
Talmud and Midrash, the texts of rabbinic Judaism
philosophy and Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) from the medieval era
philosophy and Hasidic texts from the early modern era
Zionism
the rise of Reform, Conservative, and Modern Orthodox Judaism
the Holocaust
modern Jewish feminism

In addition, we will spend some time on the structure of the liturgical year, the primary Jewish festival holidays, and contemporary worship services.

REL 3936: American Pragmatism (Day)
This upper-level seminar introduces students to America’s distinctive contribution to the Western philosophical tradition. The first half of the class reviews the formative writings of two canonical American pragmatists: William James and John Dewey. In the second half, we consider how contemporary figures such as Richard Rorty and Jeff Stout have extended the classical pragmatist agenda in new directions. Throughout the semester, our focus will be on the ways in which these thinkers have addressed problems in moral philosophy and religious thought against the backdrop of modern democratic life.

REL 3396: Religion and Existentialism (Kangas)
This course examines some texts and thinkers of existentialism in both its religious (i.e. Jewish and Christian) and atheistic forms. Beginning with the roots of existentialism in the 19th century, we will consider thinkers such as Kierkegaard, Buber, Heidegger, Sartre, Simone De Beauvoir, Camus, Heschel, and Bultmann. We shall consider the themes of the ambiguity of human existence, the nature of freedom, choice and responsibility, our relations with others, and the problem of God.

REL 4190/5195: Christian Ethics (Kalbian)
This advanced undergraduate/graduate seminar will explore the writings of some of the seminal figures in the development of Christian Ethics. These might include St. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Reinhold Niebuhr, Karl Barth, Emile Brunner, and perhaps others. The purpose of the course will be to gain competence in how to read these important texts, and how to situate them in relation to the development of Christian views about natural law, moral reasoning, human action, social justice, sources of morality, etc. Students will be expected to engage in close,
careful readings of these texts and to produce essays reflecting on the themes addressed by the authors. Undergraduates who wish to enroll must receive permission from the instructor.

REL 4290: Christian Apologists (Kelley)
This advanced undergraduate seminar will focus on the writings of selected Christian apologists (defenders of Christianity) in the second, third and fourth centuries of the Common Era. The course is divided into two units: apologetic writings directed toward Judaism, and apologetic writings directed toward “pagans.” We will read the works of apologists such as Justin, Origen, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, and Augustine, paying particular attention to their use of scripture and philosophical reasoning in the construction of their apologies. The course will emphasize careful reading of primary texts, all of which will be read in English translation. By the end of the term, students will be familiar with the issues debated among Christians, Jews and pagans in antiquity, as well as the rhetorical techniques used by Christians in defense of their religion. Students will write weekly reflection papers based on the assigned readings. In addition, students will be responsible for giving a presentation and helping to lead seminar discussion once during the semester. At the end of the semester, students will write a research paper on a specific text, author, or complex of issues. Prerequisite: one prior course in biblical studies.

REL 4304/5305: Death/Afterlife in Asia (Cuevas)
Death is central to both Buddhist philosophical thought and Buddhism's traditional social roles. Buddhist teachings stress that all is impermanent; awareness of one's mortality is traditionally said to be a necessary impetus to the religious life. At the same time, performing rites for the well-being of the deceased in their postmortem state has been a chief task of Buddhist ritualists throughout Asia. Rituals and beliefs surrounding death also reflect specific cultural values. In this seminar we will study Buddhist approaches to death, dying, and the afterlife with a focus on South Asia, Tibet, and East Asia. Topics include Buddhist cosmology and the doctrine of karmic causality; tales of exemplary deaths; accounts of journeys to hell; Buddhism, the family, and rites for ancestors; Buddhist funerary and mortuary practices; the placation of ghosts, demons, and the walking dead; and changes in contemporary Buddhist funerals. We will consider both Buddhist doctrinal teachings and social roles with respect to death and the afterlife, as well as interactions of Buddhism with local religious cultures. Prerequisite: REL 3340 or instructor's permission.

REL 4359/5354: Hindu Ethics, Human Rights, and Social Justice in India (Erndl)
This seminar will focus on the continuities and discontinuities between traditional texts and practices in the Hindu tradition and contemporary social justice and human rights issues in India. To what extent is the category of Dharma compatible with contemporary understandings of human rights? Readings include ancient scriptures such as the Laws of Manu, early 20th century writings by reformers such as M.K. Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar, and contemporary writings by activists such as Amartya Sen, Madhu Kishwar, and Arundhati Roy, as well as analytical studies by Western and Indian scholars. In addition to common readings, students prepare and present individual research projects. Examples of issues to be considered include the caste system and discrimination against Dalits (ex-untouchables), women’s family and property rights, sati (widow-burning) and dowry-related deaths, child labor, religious communalism, refugees, environmentalism, and globalization. This seminar is geared toward graduate students specializing either in ethics or in Asian religions. Undergraduates will be admitted by permission of the instructor only.

REL 4491/5497: Kant and Hegel (Kangas)
This course is designed as an upper division and graduate level introduction to the thought of Kant and Hegel. Major texts we will read (or parts thereof) will be the following: for Kant, The Critique of Pure Reason, Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals, and Religion within the Limits of Reason alone; for Hegel, the early “theological writings,” Encyclopedia Logic, and sections from his Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion. A guiding theme for the seminar will be the way in which basic concepts in religion and ethics are transformed by a philosophical thought which is self-consciously modern.

REL 4912/5915: Tutorial in Sanskrit Texts (Erndl)
Individualized readings in Sanskrit texts geared toward the student’s level and interests. Permission of the instructor required and minimum prerequisite of SAL 4101 or one year of Sanskrit. May be repeated for credit up to 12 semester hours.

REL 5035: Introduction to the Study of Religion (Corrigan)
This course is designed to familiarize students with classic texts, interpretations, and methods in the academic study of religion. In reading and discussion we will engage a broad field of issues, including theories about the origins of religion, the nature of ritual, the structure of myth, time and space, the relationship of the individual to the group, authority, worship, sacrifice, and ultimacy. We will explore the ways in which researchers have approached the study of religion through a variety of disciplinary perspectives within the humanities and social sciences. This course will serve, ideally, as a basis upon which investigators can build focused and imaginative programs for their own explorations of religion as a central aspect of culture.

REL 5937: Islamic Tradition (Kelsay)
A survey of Islamic Tradition for graduate students. Students attend lectures and discussions for REL 3363, plus meet on a weekly basis to discuss additional readings. Mid-term, one short (3-5 pages) and one longer (ca. 20 pages) paper.

REL 6176: Information for Foreigners: Theatre and Human Rights in 1970s Argentina (Twiss, Graham-Jones)
The focal point of the course is Argentinean playwright Griselda Gambaro's 1972 drama, Information for Foreigners, which raises significant issues regarding the dynamics and representation of repression, violence, and complicity during the years leading to Argentina's 1976-83 "Dirty War." These issues will be explored and deepened by reading pertinent materials on human rights atrocities, crimes of obedience, dynamics of torture, and bystander complicity, as well as other historical, autobiographical, literary, and theatrical texts bearing on understanding the causes and effects of "disappearances" and other crimes against humanity in 1970s Argentina.

REL 6596: Theory, Practice, and Historical Application of Religious Ethnography
(Koehlinger)
This seminar provides students with a general introduction to the anthropological method of research and writing known as ethnography, both as it has been applied to the study of religion and as it has been appropriated by religious historians in their work. We will consider the constructive potential and the methodological challenges inherent in scholarly attempts to "get inside" religious worlds of meaning through intimate examinations of culture. Topics for discussion range from critical issues in the development of ethnography as a form of knowledge about religion to practical considerations for the conduct of ethnographic research and writing. Following a brief survey of literature on religion and culture, we will devote the bulk of the course to reading a range of religious ethnographies, including foundational works of religious ethnography, contemporary ethnographic works, and hybrid studies that combine history with ethnography. In addition, the course includes a workshop component to help students develop and practice concrete skills either in conducting actual ethnographic research or in applying an ethnographic sensibility to historical archival work.

SAL 4100: Elementary Sanskrit (Erndl)
Sanskrit, known as the “language of the gods", is a classical language of India and scriptural language for Hinduism and Buddhism. As a member of the Indo-European linguistic family, it is related to Greek, Latin, and English, as well as to the spoken languages of modern India such as Hindi, Marathi, and Bengali. This is the first semester of a two-semester course and presumes no previous background. The course introduces the Sanskrit language through Devanagari script, emphasizing reading, writing, grammar, and oral recitation. It will be offered in fall, 2004 if there is sufficient student enrollment. Contact the instructor for further information.