9 courses with the subject RE, 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.
religions of the Western world. The beliefs and practices of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam will receive primary attention. Particular attention will be paid to similarities and differences among these three faiths. Offered as required.
thought and practice of the Orient with particular attention to those traditions that have attained popularity and significance in the West: Yoga, the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, Zen, Taoism, etc. Certain distinctions between Eastern and Western religion and culture are suggested. Cross-listed as PH 106. Offered fall and spring semesters. RE 110 Introduction to Religion. (H) One unit. This course is an introduction to the study of religion as an academic discipline. The focus of the course is on religion as a dimension of human life. Its aim is to acquaint the student with the complex problems and issues that arise in the attempt to study and understand religious phenomena in their broadest human context. Offered fall and spring semesters. RE 120 Introduction to the Bible. (H) One unit. An introduction to the literature, history, and religious thought of the Bible and its interpretation. Study focuses on the origins of Judaism and Christianity, their institutions, beliefs, and major personalities as contained in the Jewish/Christian bible. Offered fall and spring semesters. RE 202 Ethics in a Religious Perspective. (H) One unit. A study of contemporary ways of applying the insights of biblical faith to the solution of pressing moral problems relating to sex and marriage, population, race, poverty, environment, government, and war. Offered as required.
literature that draw heavily upon religious themes and concepts for their content. How, for example, do fictional works deal with the issues of guilt, punishment, faith, and the quest for salvation? What is salvation? How, also, are God and Christ conceived in contemporary fiction? Cross-listed with EN 203. Offered fall and spring semesters.
practices regarding death and the afterlife. Among the issues considered will be preparation for life beyond the grave, funeral rituals and rites of mourning, the judgment of the dead, the journey of the soul to a new life, immortality of the soul, and reincarnation. The course will also consider death as a literary motif and as a cultural symbol. No prerequisites. Offered spring semester. RE 209 Is Religion ‘Man-made’? (H) (C) (R) (UU) One unit. Are religious “truths” divinely given or are they created by humans under the impact of cultural considerations? We will unravel this issue by approaching the question from various perspectives. We will consider, for example, the psychological approach of Freud as well as the anthropological approach of Malinowski. We will also consider the manner in which Biblical scenarios are conditioned—if not determined—by historical and cultural circumstances. Also considered will be the psychology of Jung and his contention that religious symbols are the inevitable products of a “collective unconscious”. We will conclude the course with Dante’s text, The Divine Comedy, Hermann Hesse’s novel, Demian, and a detailed investigation of the movie, The Matrix, demonstrating in each case how religious symbolism is self- consciously employed—even manipulated—in the arts. The creative use of symbolism will be illustrated through an examination of various novels and movies. Cross-listed with PS 209. No prerequisites. Offered as required. 293 / 445
reading and discussion of the meanings of the Book of Genesis. The mythic themes and literary motifs of its magnificent but often infuriating stories are examined: e.g., the moral ambiguity and imperfection of Genesis’ human heroes, the desire of the first man and woman for knowledge despite the consequences, the relationship between creation and why we die, the idea of original sin, the ultimate reason for human suffering, and the paradox of a God who is both blessed and flawed. In addition, this course attempts to uncover the narrator’s perspective not only of Israel’s patriarchs but also of the paradigmatic role that its matriarchs play in the sensitive treatment of the fragile nature of God’s promise. Offered spring semester. RE 221 The Bible as Literature. (H) One unit. The purpose of this course is to explore the rich variety of literary forms found in the Bible; e.g., parables, allegories, prophetic oracles, gospels, epistles, and apocalypse. Offered spring semester of even numbered years.
and the New Testament books known as the Gospels. This course proceeds through three stages of inquiry: (1) an introduction to the diverse religions and culture of the first century Mediterranean world, (2) the critical interpretation of the Gospels in the life of the early church, and (3)the reconstruction of the portrait of Jesus. Offered fall semester.
most helpful in illuminating the origin and development of the early Christian church. The course focuses on the discovery of the earliest church in the Book of Acts, Paul as the first Christian theologian and molder of Christian thought, and the expansion of the church as depicted in the Pastoral letters, Catholic letters, and the writings of John. Offered as required.
Jesus? (H) One unit. This course will examine the roles of Mary Magdalene and Judas in the New Testament Gospels as well as in the second-century Gospels of Mary Magdalene & Judas and also in the other so-called Gnostic gospels that were not canonized. The course will also focus on gender-related issues regarding these two figures. Students will participate with oral reports, papers and a research paper. Offered biannually fall semesters. RE 291 Special Topics in Religious Studies. (H) One unit. Discussion of one or more areas of current research in religious studies not covered in other courses offered by the department. Content varies with interests of students and department faculty and is specified in an announcement when the course is offered. Offered periodically. RE 322 Quest for the Historical Jesus. (H) The purpose of this course is to acquaint students with the primary sources for the historical Jesus and some representative literature of the “lives of Jesus.” Offered spring semester of odd-numbered years.
showing strong capacity to do independent work. Consent of the Division Chair of Humanities is required. Program Curriculum Requirements 294 / 445
Source: Wagner College's catalog, linked per course · table learning_unit · CourseShelf publish 61
