School of World Studies - Religious Studies

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Courses

RELS 101 Introduction to Religious Studies: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. This course examines the phenomenon of religion and religious experience. Through a phenomenological approach definitions and descriptions of the major features of the religious experience and of religious establishments, including concepts of the sacred, the numinous, religious language, texts, symbols, rituals and myths are reviewed. In addition, the social, political and spiritual dimensions of religion in human culture will be investigated.

RELS 201 Biblical Hebrew: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Vocabulary, elementary grammar, introduction to lexica and reading of biblical texts.
RELS 202 Biblical Hebrew: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: RELS 201.Vocabulary, elementary grammar, introduction to lexica and reading of biblical texts.
RELS 250 Death: Myth and Reality: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. A study of intellectual and emotional responses to death and dying with emphasis upon their role in the development of religious thought and practice. Special attention will be paid to the death theme in literature, funeral practices and beliefs concerning the afterlife in selected world religions.
RELS 280 Introduction to Catholic Studies: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. This course provides an introduction to Catholicism's major doctrines, figures, historical events, philosophy and ethics from its beginnings in the first centuries of the Common Era through contemporary debates over such issues as abortion, sexuality and war. Students will learn about scripture, doctrine, theology, the sacraments, art and architectures, saints, social justice and gender, and the history and role of the Church.
RELS 291 Topics in Religious Studies: Semester course; variable hours. 1-3 credits. Prerequisite: As specified by the Schedule of Classes.May be repeated with different topics for a maximum of six credits. Focused study of selected ideas, institutions, movements, time periods and/or thinkers. See Schedule of Classes for specific topic to be offered each semester.
RELS 301 Introduction to the Old Testament: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. A survey of the Old Testament from its beginning through the post-Exile period. Emphasis given to the literary and historical development of the text.
RELS 302 Introduction to the New Testament: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. A survey of the New Testament with particular emphasis given to the historical development of the Canon.
RELS 303 Intertestamental Literature and Thought: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: RELS 301 or 302.The period between the Old and New Testaments as seen through the literature of the era, with emphasis on the writings of the Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha and Josephus.
RELS 304 Introduction to Judaism: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. A general survey of the dynamics and characteristic patterns of Jewish civilization encompassing history, practices and beliefs.
RELS 305 Hebrew Prophets: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: RELS 301.A survey of the literature and history of Israel as seen through the work of the writing prophets. Emphasis will be placed on the second part of the Hebrew Canon and the Book of Daniel.
RELS 307/AFAM 307/INTL 307 Black Religion: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. An analysis of the role of religion in the lives of blacks with an emphasis on African religions and philosophies, the black church in America, and the roles of the various faiths, sects and cults.
RELS 308/HIST 307 The High Middle Ages: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. A detailed historical analysis of the Gregorian Revolution, the Crusades, the 12th-century Renaissance, the Thomistic World and the death of medieval civilization.
RELS 309/HIST 309 The Reformation: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. A careful and intensive inquiry into the spiritual and material forces and people involved in the reformation of Christendom in 16th-century Europe.
RELS 311, 312/INTL 311, 312 Religions of the World: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3, 3 credits. An investigation of the historical, cultural and theological foundations and development of major world religions. First semester: Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and Shinto. Second semester: Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
RELS 313 Life and Literature of Paul: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: RELS 302.A survey of the life and literature of Paul as given in Acts and the Epistles, involving special consideration of Paul's contribution to the expansion of Christianity.
RELS 314 Jesus in the New Testament Tradition: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. A study of the Christ of faith and the Jesus of history as presented in New Testament literature and as interpreted in the works of selected scholars from the Church fathers to the present.
RELS 315, 316/HIST 301, 302 The Ancient Near East: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3, 3 credits. A study of the ancient Near Eastern civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Anatolia and Syria-Palestine, from the preliterary period to that of the Archaemenid Empire of the Persians. First semester: preliterary period to the end of Kassite rule in Babylonia (c.-1160 B.C.). Second semester: the rise and fall of the great Neo-Assyrian, Neo-Babylonian, Hebrew and Persian Empires (c.-311 B.C.).
RELS 317/INTL 317 Islam: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. A study of the emergence of Islam in Arabia in the seventh century and its subsequent developments, including a look at the Qur'an (the holy book), the Prophetic traditions, the concept of God, and mysticism (sufism) and law (shari'ah) and an overview of ritual practices, fundamental beliefs, theological principles and current issues in Islam and international relationship.
RELS 318, 319/HIST 325, 326 History of the Jewish People: Semester courses; 3 lecture hours. 3, 3 credits. A study of the Jewish people from the destruction of the Second Temple in A.D. 70 to the present. First semester: Judea in Roman times, the Diaspora in Islam and in Europe, social and cultural trends and the impact of the Emancipation. Second semester: the rise of the American Jewish community, the impact of modernism and growth of Reform, the beginnings and growth of Zionism, restoration in Palestine, the Holocaust, the creation of Israel and the relations of Israel and World Jewry.
RELS 320 Taoism: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. A study of one of the most fundamental and influential philosophies of life in Chinese culture, focusing on the theory and practice of the basic principles of Taoism as formulated by the legendary Lao Tzu and further developed by Chuang Tzu.
RELS 322 Tibetan Buddhism: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. A basic introduction to the history, development and mythology of the Buddhism of Tibet focusing on the Indian heritage and shared basis of all Buddhist practices, a clear identification of the three vehicles found in Buddhism, and a careful consideration of the path of the Bodhisattva, the hero of Great Vehicle Buddhism.
RELS 326/PHIL 326 Existentialism: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: 3 credits in philosophy (exclusive of logic) or permission of instructor.An examination of the nature of truth, freedom, responsibility, individuality and interpersonal relations as found in some principal writings of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Jaspers, Sartre, Heidegger, Camus, Buber and Marcel.
RELS 327/HIST 327 History of Christianity: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. An historical and theological examination of Christianity from its origin to the present. Emphasis will be upon an understanding of leading events, ideas, movements and persons in their historical settings.
RELS 333/PSYC 333 Psychology and Religious Experience: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Religious belief and experience as viewed by major psychological theorists. How psychological methodology has been used to study religious experience. Topics include personality factors and development, conversion experiences, religious experiences and mental health and human values.
RELS 334 Religion in Contemporary America: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. This course studies the history, literature, belief patterns and unique traits of religion in the United States. The evolution of religion and religious sentiment in a modern pluralistic, democratic society, including the varieties of religious experiences in contemporary America will be reviewed.
RELS 335/HIST 335 The American Jewish Experience: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. The religious, social and cultural structure of American Jewry from the colonial era to the present.
RELS 340/INTL 341 Global Ethics and the World's Religions: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. A critical survey of ethical concepts and issues in the thought and practice of major religious traditions. Comparison of ethical perspectives on selected themes and attention to cooperative efforts toward a global ethic.
RELS 342/PHIL 342 Buddhist Reasoning and Debate: Semester course; 4 lecture hours. 4 credits. A basic introduction to perception, logic and epistemology in Buddhist thought. The course is designed to convey basic reasoning skills including formation of arguments, checking arguments for validity, and developing techniques and strategies for rational discourse.
RELS 350/INTL 360 World Classics of Spirituality: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. A critical reading of selected works from among the spiritual classics of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Taoism and other religious traditions.
RELS 360/SOCY 360 Sociology of Religion: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. A systematic review and assessment of major sociological theories of and empirical research on religious behavior and groups. Topics include the structure of religious organizations; social correlates and functions of religion; denominationalism; religion and social class, social change and population.
RELS 361/ENGL 361 The Bible as Literature: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Literary aspects of the Bible will be considered. Also, attention will be given to the history of the English Bible.
RELS 362 Shakespeare and Religion: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. An examination of the religious ideas in selected plays by William Shakespeare and their relevance to contemporary religious thought and experience. Topics include the nature of God, the meaning of life, the problem of evil, moral authority and the question of immortality as found in Shakespeare's plays.
RELS 368 Asian Religions and Asian Medicine: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. An introductory survey of three medical systems indigenous to Asia, including study of how these medical systems are linked in theory and practice to religions and spiritual systems. These three are Indian Ayurveda in light of Hinduism, Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture in light of Daoism, and Tibetan medicine in light of Tibetan Buddhism.
RELS 371/WMNS 371 Islam and Women: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: RELS 317, RELS 312 or knowledge of Islam.Critical study of the roles and rights of women in Islam.
RELS 372/WMNS 372/INTL 372 Global Women's Spirituality: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Explores the spiritual writings of women in various cultures and religious traditions.
RELS 373/WMNS 373 Women and the Bible: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Studies the Hebrew and Christian scriptures with emphasis on the participation and portrayal of women within these texts. Attention to traditional, feminist and womanist interpretations of the texts.
RELS 380 Contemporary Catholic Thought: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. A study of the contemporary Catholic Christian response to the questions, "Who is God?" and "Where/how do we experience the Sacred?" Methods of Catholic theology will be explicated and applied to the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and current responses to those teachings in such areas as sacramental worship and liturgy, and moral/ethical teachings of the Church.
RELS 401/LFSC 401 Faith and Life Sciences: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: sophomore standing and ENGL 200. Open to students of any school or program.Explores the complex relationships between faith traditions and the life sciences. Topics include epistemology, impact of life sciences on ideas of fate and responsibility, limits of science and technology, and scientific and religious perspectives on human origins, consciousness, aggression, forgiveness, health, illness and death.
RELS 407 Modern Jewish Thought: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. A study of the writings of the leading Jewish thinkers of the 19th and 20th centuries. Special reference will be made to the issues arising from the encounter of Judaism with the modern world: the nature of revelation and the authority of the Torah, the nature of God, the impact of the Holocaust, the meaning of redemption and the significance of the state of Israel.
RELS 408/PHIL 408 Indian Tradition: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: At least six credits from philosophy or religious studies courses.A systematic analysis of the major theories of Indian religious and philosophical thought: Vedas, Upanishads, Gita, Charvaka, Jainism, Buddhism, the six systems of Hinduism and contemporary developments.
RELS 409/INTL 409 Modern Islamic Thought and Global Trends: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: RELS 312 or 317, or permission of instructor.Introduces students to the integral relationship of Islam to major events of global concern and contextualizes these events into the wider modern and postmodern developments of Islamic thought and its intellectual and ideological self interrogation. This course will provide students with the opportunity to study both the background of modern Islamic thought and selected contemporary events.
RELS 410/PHIL 410/INTL 410 The Chinese Tradition in Philosophy: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. A study of the development of Confucianism, of alternative ways of thought prior to the fall of the Han Dynasty and of neo-Confucianism. The systems of thought are examined in the light of their social, political and religious impact on China, Korea and Japan.
RELS 412/PHIL 412/INTL 412 Zen Buddhism: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. A study of Zen Buddhism, including backgrounds in Indian philosophy and practice, development in China and Korea, and present day Zen theory and practice in Japan and in Western countries.
RELS 425/ANTH 425/INTL 425 Religion, Magic and Witchcraft: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: ANTH 103 and a "C" or better in ENGL 200.A survey of the nature and variety of beliefs outside of the major streams of religious thought. Among topics considered are myth, totemism, taboo and sorcery. Emphasis on understanding supernatural beliefs and practices in relation to culture and society.
RELS 430/PHIL 430 Philosophy of Religion: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: 3 credits in philosophy (exclusive of PHIL 211 and PHIL 212) or permission of instructor.An introduction to the major problems and questions of religion and reason. Special reference will be made to the nature of God, the nature of man, the problem of evil, the source of good, immortality and the basis of authority.
RELS 440/PHIL 440 Mysticism: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or religious studies.A critical analysis of the varieties of mysticism in world religions. Arguments for and against mysticism will be emphasized. Mysticism will be related to art, psychology, science, philosophy, theology and magic.
RELS 441/INTL 441 Islamic Mysticism: the Sufis: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisite: RELS 312 or 317, or permission of instructor.Introduces students to the major Sufi masters and their works. It covers ideological and practical development of Islamic mysticism as compared to the developments within Islam itself.
RELS 450/INTL 449 Religion, Globalization and Social Justice: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: nine credits in religious studies or international studies or some combination, or permission of instructor.Explores the role religions are playing in the work of building a socially just and environmentally sustainable world community.
RELS 451/AFAM 451/INTL 451 Religion, Racism and Social Justice: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: nine credits in religious studies, African American studies or international studies or some combination, or permission of instructor.Explores the complex history and contemporary relationships between religion, racism and social justice.
RELS 453/WMNS 453/INTL 453 Western Religions, Women and Social Justice: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: at least three credits in religious studies and six credits in women's studies and/or international studies, or permission of instructor.This course explores the experience and portrayal of women in the three Abrahamic traditions: Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Study focuses on how these religions and their texts bear upon the social, economic, political and spiritual lives of women. Special attention is given to the impact of globalization and religious fundamentalism on women.
RELS 455/INTL 456 Catholic Ethics and Social Justice: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Prerequisites: six credits in religious studies.An exploration of the Catholic church's major theological, ethical, constitutional and strategic concerns, and an analysis of Catholic social teaching and its relation to current social issues such as abortion, peace and conflict, poverty, and human rights.
RELS 490 Seminar in Religious Studies: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits. Prerequisites: 12 credits in religious studies courses.Research methods and bibliography in the field of religious studies; application of techniques and resources on research topics with the classroom guidance and critique.
RELS 491 Topics in Religious Studies: Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. May be repeated with different topics for maximum of 6 credits. Prerequisite: Written permission of instructor.An in-depth study of selected ideas or concepts, religious thinkers or significant movements in the field of religion. See the Schedule of Classes for specific topics to be offered each semester.
RELS 492 Independent Study: Semester course; variable hours. Variable credit. Maximum of 4 credits per semester; maximum total of 6 credits for all independent study courses. Open generally to students of only junior or senior standing who have acquired at least 12 credits in the departmental discipline. Determination of the amount of credit and permission of instructor and department chair must be procured prior to registration of the course.An independent study course to allow interested students in religious studies to do research in an area of major interest under the direction of a professor qualified in that field.
RELS 492 Independent Study: Semester course; 1-4 credits. Determination of the amount of credit and permission of the instructor and department chair must be procured prior to registration for the course. Open only to graduate students.An independent study course to allow qualified graduate students to do research in an area of major interest.

RELS 499 Senior Seminar: Semester course; 1 lecture hour. 1 credit. Prerequisite: completion of 18 RELS credits at the 300- and 400-level or the equivalent.Focuses on self-assessment, compilation of a portfolio and curriculum vitae, career and graduate school preparation, and on the lifelong application of skills and knowledge acquired in the program. Students will critically assess their experience in the religious studies program.

Date Last Modified: August 29, 2007