25 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 103Introduction to Religious Studies1.0
Course This course introduces students to the academic study of religion through an investigation of central topics such as sacred space, sacred text, myth, ritual, ethics, religion and society, concepts of the divine and ultimate reality, anthropology, and others. Examples for discussion are drawn from a variety of religious traditions including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, as well as other religious traditions, ancient and modern. Attention is also given to aspects of religion in contemporary settings. CC: HUL, LCC, HUM, JCHF ISP: REL
Course This course offers an overview of the history of ancient Egypt from the rise of the state under the first pharaohs (3200 BC) to its incorporation into the Hellenistic and Roman empires. Attention isgiven to political and social organization, foreign relations, and religion based on a study of relevant ancient texts (in translation) and archaeological evidence. Cross-Listed: CLS 110 ISP: AFR, REL
Course This introductory course explores Buddhist understandings of the human condition and visions of human flourishing. We cover the major histories, doctrines and practices of Buddhism, from the fifth century BCE to the present day, by engaging sacred texts from the Buddhist canon as well as poetry, literature, autobiography and film. We consider how Buddhism has changed and evolved as it spread from India, to Central and East Asia and, more recently, to the West. Key themes include the question of suffering, the nature of compassion, training the emotions, and the place of the ordinary and imperfect within Buddhist visions of enlightenment. Throughout the course, we
Course This course examines some of the theoretical issues surrounding myth, ritual and magic as well as specific examples of their cultural expression. How do people make sense of themselves, their society and the world through myth and ritual? How do cosmology and belief systems help them gain and organize knowledge about the world and themselves? The course will be examining a number of "occult" and "esoteric" practices, that is, practices that were not commonly known to all members of society, including Sufism, kabbalah, alchemy, and shamanism. Cross-Listed: ANT 170 CC: HUM, LCC ISP: REE, REL Note: Electives (only one cross-listed course can count for the major or minor)
Course "A bird's wings are designed for the purpose of flying." Is this a scientific statement? Is it testable? Is it true (in any sense)? For thousands of years humans have looked at the natural world and perceived evidence of design and telos (purpose). The scientific theory of biological evolution, most famously associated with Charles Darwin, undercut this tradition by providing a testable (and subsequently well-validated) non-telic explanation of biological complexity. This course examines the history of the concept of organismal design in Western thought, Darwin's pivotal place in that history, and the subsequent development of the idea up to the present day, including the recent controversy surround the so-called "theory of intelligent design." CC: HUM, WAC
Course This course offers a comparative approach to Judaism, Christianity and Islam, three closely related religious traditions. It attempts to draw out commonalities among and differences between these traditions by focusing on their histories, their understandings of God, revelation and tradition, religion and society, and responses to social and political change. Cross-Listed: HST 203 CC: HUM, LCC, SOCS ISP: REL
Course It's easy to identify acts of evil and experiences of suffering, both currently and historically, that seem senseless and meaningless. So why do evil and suffering exist in the world? Since religions claim to make sense of human existence and how the world works, do evil and suffering constitute an insurmountable problem for them? Are evil and suffering more of a challenge to some religious traditions than to others? This course critically examines responses to the problem of evil and suffering that are offered by various religious traditions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism), how their distinctive answers arise from key concepts within each religion, and how answers have changed over time in response to intellectual and moral developments. The course also addresses recent critical appraisals of religion around the questions: Is religion itself a source of evil and suffering? And, can science offer better explanations for suffering and evil via the theory of evolution, the 'selfish gene', or sociobiology? Readings engage historical, philosophical, psychological and biological perspectives, as well as primary texts from the religious traditions. CC: HUM
Course We know that Jesus of Nazareth was Jewish, so how is it that Christianity and Judaism became separate religions? This course attempts to answer this question by investigating the nature of the relationship between earliest Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism, drawing out their shared roots in the religion and literature of ancient Israel, and exploring the diverse expressions of second temple Judaism among which the two religious traditions emerged. It also explores their distinctive religious teachings and scriptural interpretations with a particular interest in
Course This course investigates how various religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, and examples of indigenous and ancient religions) understand death and the afterlife, and how this understanding relates to views of the human person. The course also discuses religious rituals pertaining to death, near death experiences, the undead, and contemporary practices such as public memorization. Our study of death and the afterlife draws on a variety of methods: history, anthropology, sociology, philosophy. CC: LCC, HUM, JCHF
Course This course is an overview of the advent and development of Zen (Chinese: Chan), a form of Buddhism centered on the practice of meditation. Using both primary and secondary sources, we cover the premodern origins of Buddhist meditation in India, the institutionalization of Chan in China, and its subsequent transnational journey throughout Japan, East Asia and the world. We consider the influence of Zen on the modern mindfulness movement and on widespread secular interest in meditation and wellness. Major subthemes include the question of religious experience; history and genealogy; Zen theories of language; Zen modernism and its influence in psychology, neuroscience and medicine. Throughout the course, we highlight the continual processes of translation, change and adaptation that have characterized Zen Buddhism since its beginning. CC: LCC, HUM ISP: AIS
Course This course offers an introduction to the study of religion in Asian societies. We will begin by discussing classical approaches to defining religion and studying its role in society. We will then answer two critical questions about religion. First, what do religious beliefs and practices look like in various parts of Asia? Second, how do these beliefs and practices inform people's everyday lives? We will explore each of these questions at the level of society, at the level of organizations within society, and at the level of individuals. This course surveys a broad range of religious ideas and practices belonging to different Asian traditions. Our survey includes Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Islam. These religious traditions are important factors in the history, cultures, and literatures of South Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and East Asia. CC: LCC, HUM ISP: AIS
Course Why do we eat the things we eat in the way we eat them? Used in religious rituals, food can become a potent symbolic expression of people's relationships to one another, the world, and to the Ultimate. Historically, food has been an integral part of religious activity through practices such as preparation, consumption, and fasting. In order to understand these practices better, the course begins with a brief exploration of how food functions in culture generally to create and sustain meaning. The bulk of the course investigates the place of food in the rituals and beliefs of four of the world's great religious traditions: Judaism, Islam Hinduism and Christianity. The course also examines the phenomena of over- and under-eating in light of the importance given to feasting and fasting in these religious traditions. CC: HUM, LCC ISP: LAW, REL
REL 275East-West Contacts and the Invention of Everyday Cultures1
Course Tracing the history of various aspects of people, things and ideas that we encounter in our daily life will provide insight into how South and West Asian civilizations have affected people's lives in the present day. We will examine the influences and impact of these civilizations by looking at aspects such as migration, culinary cultures, fashion, trade, religion, and gender, and trace the trajectories of how they spread to different parts of the world.
Course This course explores the historical and contemporary relations between several of the world's major religions and the natural sciences. The presently pervasive "conflict" view is examined, along with alternative views. The course assumes no background in science beyond high school, nor adherence to any particular religious tradition. CC: HUM ISP: REL
REL 300Seminar: Theory and Method in the Study of Religion1.0
Course This course offers an introduction to the theory and methodology of the academic study of religion. It explores several of the most influential efforts to develop theories of religion and methods for its study, including approaches found in disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, psychology and phenomenology. The course adopts
Course Considering religious fundamentalism in the context of modernity and globalization, this course examines the character, development, variety, and continuing significance globally of religious fundamentalism through a comparative study of examples drawn from Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. The course considers case studies that elucidate the social, political and ethical implications of religious fundamentalism with respect to a number of key current issues: the state/nationalism; law; science; education; women. CC: HUM
Course How do we understand power and culture in Buddhist Southeast Asian societies? What are the enduring arrangements of power and belief that distinguish these societies, and how have these arrangements been changed by processes of globalization, modernization, and development? To help answer these questions, this course examines Buddhist Southeast Asia from the perspective of its peoples. We will discuss a range of themes, such as religion, the role of women, supernaturalism, politics, health, and violence. We will read scholarship in history, religious studies, and anthropology. CC: HUM ISP: AIS, REL
