19 courses with the subject REL, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
REL 1100Introduction to Religion4
Goals: To examine general theories about religion and various dimensions of religion (e.g. the sacred, scriptures, ethics, practices, mysticism, etc.), to reflect on the role of religion in public life, and to appreciate various ways of being religious and non-religious. Content: Topics discussed include approaches to the interpretation of scriptures, religious ethics, different kinds of “religious lives,” the challenges of religious diversity, religion and violence, atheism, religious trends in America and the world, and the relationship of religion to politics, law, science, and feminism. A number of the world’s religious traditions and thinkers will be introduced through texts, case studies, films and field trips. Taught: Every semester
REL 1140Women and Religion: Witches, Vixens, and Rebels4
Goals: To introduce religious expressions of women and their role in religion; to analyze the roles religion plays in women’s lives; to explore ways women influence as well as rethink religious traditions and shape them. Content: Cross-cultural examination of how religions function in women’s lives and the leadership roles women take in religion; analysis of gender structures in religion; and examination of such concepts as spirituality, community, authority, relationship, and images of the divine. The specific religious traditions and the cultural contexts of the women may vary in different years. Taught: Alternate years
REL 1200Hebrew Bible/Old Testament: Textual Interpretation, Archaeology, and Digging for the Promised Land4
Goals: To survey the Jewish Scriptures/Christian Old Testament in historical context, exploring both the material’s literary characteristics—such as narrative plot and theme, poetic form and rhetoric—and its key theological emphases—such as the concept of God and the mission and destiny of Israel. Content: Samples from the three main portions of the Old Testament: Pentateuch, Prophets, and Writings (Psalms and wisdom literature).
REL 1220The New Testament in Contemporary Contexts4
Goals: Students will develop their skills as interpreters by encountering the texts of the New Testament in their contexts - and through contemporary and ancient case studies. As global citizens, students will confront the ways diverse groups of people across the ages have interpreted and deployed scripture to fit the needs of their day. Content: What is the Christian New Testament, how did it come to be, and how has it been used? How could a single set of texts be formative for civil rights leaders and segregationists alike, for queer persons and fundamentalists, for radical environmentalists and free-market capitalists, for the historically orthodox as well as heretics, and what can the worldviews of ancient Hellenism and Judaism teach us about the problems we face today? This course will explore the content and formation of the New Testament using the methods of historical-critical analysis.
Goals: To introduce the student to theological language and argument through critical examination of historical and contemporary thinkers as well as schools of thought. Content: Close reading and discussion of theological texts that explore central Christian claims about the nature of God, Jesus Christ, creation, humanity, the church, sin, suffering, evil, and salvation. Special attention will be given to the role of gender as well as to Christianity relationship to other religious traditions. Course focus varies by term and instructor. Students may register for this course more than once for different topics. Taught: Alternate years
Goals: To provoke reflection on, and understanding of, the basis, nature, content, and consequences of Christian moral thinking. To appreciate the variety of viewpoints of moral issues within the Christian tradition and their relation to the larger society. Content: Close reading and discussion of various approaches to Christian ethics followed by analysis of selected moral issues such as war, euthanasia, abortion, homosexuality, and racism.
Goals: To introduce students to the Jewish world by putting them in touch with authentic Jewish texts, experiences, values, and insights, and by enabling them to compare Judaism with their own ways of living and believing. Content: Analysis of the uniqueness and tragedy of Jewish history, issues of Jewish identity, the role of Jewish law in the life of the community.
Goals: To understand the social, cultural, and political realities that comprised the world of Jesus, and to see him as an embodiment of that milieu. Content: Movements in contemporary Judaism—Sadducees, Pharisees, Zealots, Essenes—as well as institutions like Temple, Torah, and Synagogue will be studied, along with the opportunities they presented to Jesus. Special emphasis will be placed on Jewish responses to Greek and Roman imperialism and culture, and to the ways in which these responses shaped Jesus’ environment.
Goals: To gain an understanding of the history, texts, beliefs and practices of Islam. To explore the ways the commitment to the tradition is understood and expressed in the lives of Muslims from a variety of places and backgrounds. To gain an appreciation for both diversity and unity within the tradition. Content: Close reading of portions of the Qur’an and other sacred writings, such as the Hadith; survey of the history of Islam; exploration of Islamic philosophy, law, art and literature. Special topics will include an examination of Sufism, the mystical tradition, and an analysis of contemporary issues relating to Islamic politics, the tension between tradition and modernization, and the growth of Islam in America. Teaching Methods: Lecture, small and large group discussion, videos; possible field trips and guest lectures. Taught: Annually
REL 1620Religions of East Asia: Belief and Practice in China, Korea, and Japan4
Goals: To provide an introduction to the religious traditions of China, Korea and Japan. To examine continuity and diversity within each tradition and among the various traditions. To explore how religious themes and values are expressed in texts, rituals, symbols, art and architecture. Content: We will look at both the indigenous religions of each culture (e.g. Chinese Daoism, Korean Shamanism, Japanese Shinto) as well as those traditions that all share in common (Confucianism and Buddhism). We will discuss beliefs and practices, major thinkers and texts, historical contexts, institutional developments and popular religious movements. Topics include Chinese cosmology, Zen meditation, Korean Christianity, religion and Communism, and Confucian capitalism in contemporary East Asia. Taught: Annually
REL 1630Religions of India: Hinduism, Buddhism and Beyond4
Goals: To provide an introduction to the religious traditions of South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh). To examine continuity and diversity within each tradition and among the various traditions. To explore how religious themes and values are expressed in texts, rituals, symbols, music, art and architecture. Content: We will look at the Brahmanical, Jain, Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic and Sikh traditions. Topics will include yoga, renunciation, Hindu deities, caste and social structure, and women in Hinduism. The last part of the course will explore trends in the 19th and 20th century, during which the religious traditions of South Asia were connected with nationalism and the birth of modern India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. We will conclude by looking at the role that Hindu traditions, teachers and practices have played in modern America. Taught: Annually
REL 3000Religion and Popular Culture: Spirituality in Movies, Music, Sports, and Fandom4
Goals: This course will investigate the following questions: What is religion and in what ways does it impact people’s lives? In what ways can religion be found not only in churches, synagogues and mosques, but also in movie theaters and concert stages, football fields and fandom? What methods should be used to study religion and what theories best explain it? Content: Students will study approaches to religion from a wide range of fields, including psychology, theology, anthropology, sociology, philosophy and history, as well as feminist and postmodern approaches. They will investigate religious phenomena in diverse contexts, from the totemistic rituals of aboriginal groups to contemporary popular culture.
One previous religion course, grade of C- or higher Credits: 4
REL 3200Biblical Narrative: Old Testament/Hebrew Bible4
Goals: To study in depth some portion of the narrative literature of the Jewish Scriptures/Christian Old Testament, with special attention to the issue of relevance posed by the antiquity of the texts, and to the issues posed by a sacred “literature-in-translation.” Emphasis will be given to developing close reading skills, a working acquaintance with critical methods of biblical studies, and intercultural competence. Content: Course content may shift from year to year. It may focus on a large block of narrative, the Deuteronomic History (Joshua-2 Kings), for example, or on an individual book (e.g., Genesis), or on a piece of a book (e.g., the Jacob cycle). Alternatively, the course may adopt a thematic approach: e.g., “family, friend, and stranger,” “holy war and peace,” or yet other topics.
REL 3250Death and Dying: Religious, Philosophical, and Literary Perspectives4
Goals: This course will examine death and dying from a range of perspectives and multiple methodologies. Content: The texts we will read include a) philosophical and theological reflections on the meanings(s) of death, how we should live in the face of death, and the possibility and desirability of immortality; b) psychological analyses of death anxiety, grief, and mourning; c) anthropological and sociological examinations of death rituals, suicide, and institutions surrounding death; d) accounts from Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist, and Christian traditions about the nature of death and the after-life; and e) debates on controversial issues including euthanasia, war and pacifism, capital punishment and factory farming. We will also read literary treatments (short stories, poems, excerpts from novels) on many of these issues, and view films that focus on these topics. Taught: Alternate years
REL 3390Christianity in an Age of Religious Diversity4
Goals: this course will investigate recent attempts by Christian scholars and practitioners to address how to think about, interact and live with people of other traditions. Students will leave the course with a critical understanding of the promise and the challenge of working from within a religious tradition to forge avenues of understanding and build relationships across traditions. Content: In an age of increasing religious diversity at the local, national, and international levels, it is imperative that religious traditions reflect on the following questions: How are we to think about the nature and meaning of religious diversity? What is the significance of my neighbor’s faith for mine? What does a commitment to my home tradition mean for how my community should relate to other religious communities that are now part of the fabric of life in our cities and neighborhoods? Taught in a seminar style, this course will explore these questions and more.
Goals: To achieve a greater appreciation of the major approaches and sources utilized by contemporary Christian ethicists, and to apply that knowledge to in-depth research into one current ethical dilemma. Content: The influence of scripture, philosophy, social, and natural science on the shape of Christian ethics in relationship to specific ethical issues such as sexuality, health care, politics, environment, economics.
Goals: To explore the traditional theological claims in light of feminist and womanist critiques and reformulations. Content: Close reading and discussion of a variety of feminist and womanist theological works, especially focused on how gender, race, and class have affected religious language and imagery regarding God, Christ, power, sin, love, and redemption. Taught: Alternate years
REL 3630Buddhism: Texts, Meditation and Enlightenment from Ancient India to Contemporary America4
Goals: To engage in an in-depth study of the Buddhist tradition, focusing on its origin in India, its development in Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Tibet, and the spread of Buddhism to America. We will look at both continuity and diversity within Buddhism, examining the different forms the tradition takes in various cultures and at the threads that run through all of them. Content: We will examine various facets of Buddhism—e.g. meditation, ritual, ethics, devotion—and different types of Buddhist lives—e.g. Monastic and lay, contemplative and activist. We will read both primary texts (e.g. Sutras) and modern secondary literature, and will examine Buddhist thought and practice at the “elite” level as well as the popular level. A number of sub-themes and questions will run through the course: How has each culture been shaped by Buddhism, and how has Buddhism been shaped by the various cultures? What has been the interaction of Buddhism with other aspects of culture, and with the sociopolitical sphere, in each country? Special topics include women in Buddhism, conceptions of Nirvana, the ethics of Karma, Buddhist-Christian Dialogue, and Buddhism in contemporary America. Taught: Alternate years
REL 5900Discerning Your Calling: Finding Meaning and Purpose in Work1
Goals: This course brings together students and faculty members for the presentation and discussion of scholarly work in religion and examines the concept of vocation in a way that helps students reflect on their lives after college and on the process of finding meaningful work and discerning a calling. Content: Scholarly work by students, faculty members and visiting scholars; texts that explore the concept of vocation; and guest speakers and panels discussing issues related to work, careers, calling and elements that constitute a meaningful life.
