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Section I:
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Section II:
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Requirements
Section III:
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Section VIII:
University
Personnel
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Religious Studies (Program Homepage) Faculty: B. Batto, B. Benedix, J. Fuller, B. Hawkins, B. Hawkins, L. James, J. Kenney, P. Watt, V. Ziegler Religion has played, and continues to play, a central role in virtually all societies. It is intimately related to such key aspects of communities as the structure of political power, economic organization, class structures, conceptions of gender, marriage, work and war. In short, religion shapes both the institutional order and the thought and behavior of individuals who inhabit it.
The study of religion, therefore, is basic to the liberal arts and helps prepare students for a variety of career paths, including journalism, law, business, education and work in philanthropic and religious institutions.
The department offers a major and a minor in Religious Studies; it also offers a bridge major, which involves the combination of work in religion with courses in another or other fields. Key to the program are courses on the history, scriptures, thought, practices and institutions of both Western and Asian religious traditions. Attention is also given to the interaction between religion and society and to the comparative study of religions.
Requirements for a major in Religious Studies bridged to another discipline: | Total courses required: | Nine |
| Other required courses: | Five additional courses (two at the 300-400 level)Two courses in the other discipline at the 200-level or aboveOne course in the other discipline at the 300-400 level |
| # 300 and 400 level courses: | Two (inclusive of REL 479) |
| Additional information: | Major under review. Please check the web for updates. |
Requirements for a major in Religious Studies: | Total courses required: | Nine |
| Core courses: | REL 130 (or REL 130E), REL 479 |
| Other required courses: | One course in biblical literature chosen from the following: REL 141, REL 142, REL 241. One course in Western religious traditions chosen from the following: REL 132, REL 244, REL 250, REL 252. One course in Eastern religious traditions chosen from the following: REL 253, REL 257, REL 258. |
| # 300 and 400 level courses: | Three (inclusive of REL 479) |
| Senior requirement: | The senior requirement consists of the completion of REL 479 with a grade of C or better. Students should consult with their major advisors about the senior seminar before the beginning of the senior year.
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Requirements for a minor in Religious Studies: | Total courses required: | Five | | Core courses: | One course in Western religious traditions to be chosen from the following: REL 130, REL 132, REL 141, REL 142, REL 241, REL 244, REL 250, REL 252One course in Eastern religious traditions to be chosen from the following: REL 130, REL 130E, REL 253, REL 257, REL 258.
| | Other courses: | REL 130 may be counted toward either the Western or Eastern religions requirement but cannot be counted toward both. | | # 300 and 400 level courses: | One | Courses in Religious Studies
| REL 130.
Introduction to Religions |
Group 4 |
1 course |
| A basic cross-cultural survey course of major religious traditions, usually Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Chinese and Japanese religions with comparative references to major Western religions. Particular attention is paid to the thought, scriptures, practices and institutions of these traditions. Not open to students with credit in REL 130E. |
| REL 130E.
Introduction to Religions |
Group 4 |
1 course |
| This course always includes sections on Chinese and Japanese religions and may be counted toward either the Religion or East Asian Studies majors. Not open to students with credit in REL 130.
|
| REL 132.
Judaism, Christianity, Islam |
Group 4 |
1 course |
| A basic cross-cultural survey course of the major religious traditions of the West: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Particular attention is paid to the thought, scriptures, practices and institutions of these traditions. |
| REL 141.
The Hebrew Scripture |
Group 4 |
1 course |
| The literature and faith of the Hebrew Scriptures (Tanakh/Old Testament), studies within the historical and cultural context of the ancient Near East, and particularly of ancient Israel and Judah.
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| REL 142.
New Testament |
Group 4 |
1 course |
| The literature and faith of the New Testament communities studied in the context of the early church and the Judaic and Greco-Roman world. |
| REL 150.
Introduction to World Religious Literature (formerly REL EXP) |
Group 3, literature |
1 course |
| This course introduces major Eastern and Western religious themes and ideas through a combination of sacred and secular literature. The approach is comparative in nature, emphasizing texts that place these traditions in new geographical, cultural, temporal, and philosophical contexts. May be counted toward a major or minor in English literature upon approval of English department chair.
|
| REL 197.
First-Year Seminar |
|
1 course |
| A seminar focused on a theme in the study of religion. Open only to first-year students.
|
| REL 241.
Biblical Literature |
Group 3, lit |
1 course |
| An assessment of the Old and New Testament as anthologies of poetry and prose. Students will be invited to observe the varieties of literary genre, the artistic character of literary traditions and of individual books and the role of the author or editor in delivering a specific message to an audience, and the role of contemporary literary theory and interpretation.
|
| REL 244.
Judaism |
Group 4 |
1 course |
| An introduction to Jewish life, thought and practice. Description of basic Jewish beliefs, attitudes, values and practices. |
| REL 250.
Christianity |
Group 4 |
1 course |
| A survey of major beliefs, practices and forms of the Christian religion. Special attention will be given to the Biblical foundations, theological formation and pivotal historical developments. |
| REL 252.
Islam |
Group 4 |
1 course |
| A survey of the major beliefs, rituals and institutions of Islam. Special emphasis will be given to recurring themes and issues that have shaped Muslim self-understanding throughout history. |
| REL 253.
Religions of India |
Group 4 |
1 course |
| A study of Hinduism, early Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Islam and Syrian Christianity, with emphasis on how each tradition has changed, or has been changed by, the others with which it has come into contact. |
| REL 257.
Hinduism |
Group 4 |
1 course |
| A survey of the history of Hinduism, beginning with the Vedic tradition and ending with modern movements that focus on the guru, or religious teacher. Includes readings from the epics, puranas and devotional hymns. |
| REL 258.
Buddhism |
Group 4 |
1 course |
| Examines the development of Buddhist thought, scriptures, practices and institutions in India and the religion's spread to China and Japan. |
| REL 263.
Religion in American Culture: Friend or Foe? |
Group 4 |
1 course |
| The class examines both historical and contemporary examples of the relationship between religion and culture in the United States in light of such questions as: In what ways has religion in the United States reflected the values of the larger culture? In what ways has it rejected those values? What happens when religious traditions conflict with or seek to convert one another? In what ways, apart from institutional settings such as churches and synagogues, have Americans found religious grounding for their lives? How does religious affiliation affect adherents' views of racial relationships, family life or capitalism? What myths undergird American identities? |
| REL 267.
Caribbean Religions and Culture |
Group 4 |
1 course |
| An exploration of the relationship between Caribbean religious traditions and culture in the development of Caribbean identity and nationhood. It focuses on how the major world religions were modified through the encounter between peoples of Amerindian, African, European and Asian descent. Further, it studies the impact of slavery, emigration, colonialism, and globalization on the emergence of indigenous Caribbean religious traditions (Vodun, Santeria, Rastafari).
|
| REL 269.
Liberation Theology |
Group 4 |
1 course |
| An examination of the interaction between Western religious traditions and the foremost liberation movements: Third-World, black, gay and women's liberation. |
| REL 281.
Religion, Healing and Medicine |
Group 4 |
1 course |
| This course deals with the fact that religious traditions all over the world understand illness and disease as symptoms of spiritual defects. Additionally, many of these religious groups focus to varying degrees on therapeutic means of dealing with illness. This course considers cross-cultural contexts that include traditions of Asia, South America and the West. |
| REL 290.
Topics in Religion |
|
1 course |
| Topics such as religious phenomena, e.g., Millenialism, religious ethics and historical religious figures and movements. May be repeated for credit with different topics.
|
| REL 320.
Genesis and Gender: Jewish, Christian and Muslim Readings |
Group 4 |
1 course |
| This course considers ways that interpretations of sacred texts influence religious perceptions of gender and social order. Christian readings of Genesis 1-3 are the main focus; yet attention is also given to understandings of Eve and Adam in Judaism and Islam. Interpretations of Genesis that historically and presently argue for the subordination of women to men forms a central theme of the course. A counter theme emerges as we consider alternative readings that have traditionally used Genesis 1-3 to argue for gender equality. We will also reflect on the ways in which a hierarchical reading of the text has served to legitimate the domination of groups such as African-American slaves. Texts range from the Gnostic gospels, Philo, the Qur'an, The Maelleus Maleficarum, Paradise Lost, The Bible Defense of Slavery, The Woman's Bible and "The Coming of Lilith."
|
| REL 340.
Topics in Biblical Studies |
Group 4 |
1 course |
| A study of selected problems or current developments in relation to the Old and/or New Testaments. Topics may include history and myth in the Ancient Near East, the social world of the prophets, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the historical Jesus and hermeneutics. May be repeated for credit with different topics.
|
| REL 341.
Women and the Bible |
Group 4 |
1 course |
| The effect of the Biblical tradition on women, both ancient and modern. The experiences and stories of women as recorded in the Old and New Testaments read and examined in the light of contemporary feminist hermeneutics. The role of the Bible both in suppressing and liberating women. |
| REL 350.
Modern Christian Thought: From Liberalism to Liberation |
Group 4 |
1 course |
| Examines the ways in which Christian theology has responded to challenges presented by the modern world, particularly the Enlightenment. Considers the rise of 19th century liberalism, the development of historical critical approaches to scripture, and the search for the historical Jesus; post-World War I disillusionment and the neo-orthodox critique of liberalism; European theological responses to National Socialism; and the formation of gender, ethnic, racial and economic critiques of traditional Christianity that seek to present Christianity as a religion of liberation.
|
| REL 352.
Religion in Modern Japanese Society |
Group 4 |
1 course |
| Examines religion within the context of Japanese society from the 17th to the 20th century. Attention given to the rise of Confucianism in the 17th century, the Shinto revival of the 18th century, Buddhism in early modern Japan, the appearance of the new religions, and the relationship of religion to modernization and nationalism. Prerequisite: an introductory course in the department, East Asian history or permission of the instructor.
|
| REL 370.
Advanced Topics in Religion |
|
1 course |
| Usually a category of religious phenomena, such as religious experience, mysticism, the nature of deities; or the role and status of persons; healing in religious traditions; sectarian groups; major thinkers or movements; or themes and approaches in the study of religion. May be repeated for credit with different topics.
|
| REL 479.
Seminar in Religion |
|
1/2-1 course |
| This class involves readings and discussion of theoretical issues concerning the study of religion, research methods and concentrated research on a topic in Religious Studies. It culminates in a major paper that will be presented to senior majors and department faculty. Prerequisite: major in religious studies and senior status. May not be taken pass/fail.
|
| REL 491.
Independent Study in Religion |
|
1/4-1 course |
| Directed studies in a selected field or fields of religion. May be repeated for credit with different topics. |
| REL EXP.
Introduction to World Religious Literature |
|
1 course |
| (offered fall of 2004)This course introduces major Eastern and Western religious themes and ideas through a combination of sacred and secular literature. The approach is comparative in nature, emphasizing texts that place these traditions in new geographical, cultural, temporal, and philosophical contexts. |
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