24 courses with the subject RELS, 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.
A survey of major and minor religious traditions found in the United States, covering the colonial era to present.
A comparison of well-known OT and NT stories with film depictions of those stories, critically analyzing plot, character, theme, and other aspects of storytelling.
An introduction to the study of comparative religion, focusing on how such basic concepts as myth, ritual, gods and systems of purity are handled in the great religious traditions of the world.
An exploration of the religious dimensions of American popular culture with emphasis on film, Broadway musicals, television, monster mythology and sports. Generally offered during January Term.
A survey of the collections of texts comprising the Bible, with the aim of identifying the key themes and concepts developed in these diverse writings.
An examination of alternative religions including treatment of historical and contemporary groups. Topics include formation and development of "new religions," social and psychological motives for joining, leadership, relations with the mainstream, legal issues, and violence.
An exploration of the concept of sacred space, including an introduction to theories and methods used to study sacred spaces, religious architecture, monuments and memorials, and spiritual beliefs related to American landscapes. Includes various field trips to sacred sites. Usually offered during January Term, sometimes as FLP 103.
An historical examination of the development of the early Christian tradition reflected in the four Gospels and in the other New Testament writings. Attention will be given to the cultural world in which the New Testament was written.
An exploration of the world of Hinduism, a religion originating in India that includes not only a multitude of gods and goddesses and powerful techniques of meditation, but also some of the world's subtlest philosophies.
An exploration of a religion that grew from the experience of a prince who lived in India 600 years before Jesus, examining how his influential teachings spread throughout South and Southeast Asia.
An examination of the historical development of the Jewish cultural heritage from antiquity up to the modern day, focusing on the diverse forms in which it has been expressed, and the role that religion has played in its development.
An examination of the Christian tradition from its beginnings as a Jewish movement through its establishment as a world religion. Attention will be given to the religious, literary, liturgical, and theological trends that have defined Christianity across the centuries.
An introduction to the life and career of Muhammad, the Quran, the history of Islamic civilization, Islamic mysticism, the struggles between traditional Islam and modernization, and the resurgence of Islamic fundamentalism, focusing on issues of unity and diversity within the faith.
An examination of the key ideas, events, individuals and movements that have shaped the interaction of religion and science from the Scientific Revolution to the present via role playing games. Emphasis on the varied models of interaction between science and religion, as well as key ethical, philosophical, and political debates.
Explores the influence of religion in American politics from the late 18th century through the present. Topics include the views of the founders on religion, the First Amendment and its interpretation, voting patterns of key religious groups, religiously motivated political activism, and the religious views of political elites.
An introduction to basic theories and methods used by scholars to study religious phenomena. Emphasis on both classic theories from anthropology, sociology, and psychology, as well as more recent scholarship that focuses on race, class, gender, and popular culture. Includes case studies of voodoo in both Haiti and the United States.
In this course we will explore the writings of some notable figures in the history of Zen and in 'the Kyoto school' of Japanese philosophy, examining the specific ways in which they try to articulate the philosophical underpinnings of Zen to a Western audience.
Who am I, really? In this course we will read stories about life and death, about the pain of being human, about our love for each other and - for some of us - a love for God. The stories we will read have to do, in one way or another, with how our sense of self - our identity - is formed, and how under certain extreme circumstances it can be un-formed or entirely lost, in such a way as to radically transform our understanding of life and death. This is a course about how stories shape our experience of truth and reality, about how deeply they are enmeshed in our sense of who we are, and ultimately, about our deepest yearnings for wisdom and salvation.
An interdisciplinary survey of the various dimensions of the relationship between religion and medicine. Topics include healing practices of traditional shamanic societies, healing in major Western religious traditions, alternative healing groups, ritual aspects of modern medical practice, biomedical ethics, illness narratives, and groups that reject mainstream medicine.
Examines the relationship between religious beliefs and technological development in various historical and contemporary contexts. Topics include the religious response to the atomic age, artificial intelligence, ethical debate over new technologies, the technological sublime, the use of the internet by religious groups and the religious dimensions of computer games.
An interdisciplinary seminar that explores the relationships between human beings, their religious traditions, and the Earth's living systems.
Required of all majors. Students either complete a Capstone Seminar on current issues in the field of Religious Studies, or complete a Senior Thesis advised by one of the Religious Studies faculty.
Students who want to work with an organization outside of the college may develop a credit-bearing internship in coordination with RELS faculty and the Career Development office.
Source: Hartwick College's catalog, linked per course · table learning_unit · CourseShelf publish 61
