63 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 111Environmental Spiritualities
Instructor Swenson-Lengyel This course is organized around four main questions: 1) How does the natural world impact or show up in different religious traditions and spiritualities? How do religious traditions and spiritual practices attend to and interpret nature? 2) How does environmental crisis impact religious practice and experience? 3) Does spirituality have a role to play in responding to environmental harms? and 4) What might we learn about the natural world by engaging religious and spiritual thought and practice? Over the course of the semester, we will engage religious traditions and voices to ask and answer these questions, from Bardo Thodol, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, to St. Francis’ Canticle of the Creatures. The course will center close reading of primary sources, developing individual and shared intellectual practices of conversation and reflection, and diverse writing practices, from journaling to academic papers to creative writing. The course is particularly geared toward first-years and sophomores, as entree to religious studies and to humanistic inquiry and practice, but is open to all years. Satisfies Religious Studies major and minor requirement. Satisfies Environmental Studies- Humanities track- major and minor requirement. Satisfies Philosophical and Religious Perspective requirement.
Instructor Snyder Who was Jesus of Nazareth? How were traditions about him remembered, gathered, and put in literary form? How different are the individual gospels? What were the issues that Paul addressed as he wrote to the churches he founded? How should we understand the Book of Revelation? How (and when) did all these writings come to form the collection now known as the New Testament? These are a few of the questions to be explored. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Prerequisites & Notes Not open to juniors or seniors until Drop/Add or to students who have taken Religion 230 or 231. This course may be applied towards a Classics major.
Instructor G. Snyder Informed by literary, historical, and theological methods, we look first at the magnificent myths and stories in the Hebrew Bible: stories of origins, of Pharaohs, kings, prophets, and poets. Then, we turn to the Christian New Testament: the surprisingly different stories of Jesus in the Gospels, before looking at the theological vision of the Apostle Paul, whose letters became the foundation for the Protestant Reformation. Finally, we touch on the book of Revelation, which chance and circumstance has placed at the end of what is now the Christian Bible. The course title, which includes “and its readers” conveys that the meaning conjured from these books is a joint creation between the texts and their interpreters. The Bible has been taken to say many things over its long life, some of which have been liberating, others oppressive. Satisfies Religious Studies Major and Minor requirements. Satisfies Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirements. Prerequisites & Notes Students who have taken REL 138 are not eligible for REL 130 (Introduction to the New Testament) and vice versa.
Instructor Staff This course explores major themes and critical questions in Christian ethics by reflecting on three contemporary issues: environmental degradation, abortion, and the relationship between a good life and our many roles, aims, and responsibilities at home, at work, and as citizens. Prerequisites & Notes
Instructor Heath The primary objective of this course is to give students an overview of how religious freedoms developed over the last 200 years through landmark cases decided by the United States Supreme Court. Satisfies a major and minor requirement in Religious Studies Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement
Instructor Wills Exploration of several U.S. movements, past and present, expressing religious commitment through rejection of received understandings of gender and/or reorganization of sexual practices. Specific movements change but may include groups such as Shakers, Mormons, Oneida, Nation of Islam, and Quiverfull. Satisfies a requirement in the Gender & Sexuality Studies major and minor. Satisfies a requirement in the Religious Studies major and minor. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Satifies the Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.
This course is one of 2 interlinked Memory Studies Courses* Instructor Wills Examines religious memoirs of twenty and twenty-first century U.S. writers who have forcefully described their own experiences of exile and their various visions of “home”–as justice, family, vocation, health, tradition, or place. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. *Interlinked Memory Studies Courses 2 different courses that engage with phenomena of memory will link up once a week for common readings and discussions. Students will meet one day a week with their course instructor to engage in the discipline-specific study of memory. On the other day each week, students and faculty members in all five courses will meet together to compare and share different disciplinary and personal ideas about the study of memory; the creation and effects of memory; the representation of memory; and the social, cultural, and personal creative processes that make memory. REL162 PSY292 Prerequisites & Notes Not open to juniors or seniors until Drop/Add.
Instructor Wills This course explores intersections of race and religion in both literary and popular fiction from the mid-nineteenth century to the beginning of the twenty-first. We will examine novelists’ personal experiences and their historical contexts. We will also analyze the religious, social, and political motives in the stories authors tell and the narrative forms they use. Not open to students who have taken Rel 262. Meets the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Meets the Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.
Instructor Zamir We will explore the “story of Islam in America” and ‘locate’ Muslim-Americans on the historical, geographical and imaginal planes of the United States of America. We will examine Islam’s historical origins, its major events and figures, the lives (and lifestyles) of Muslims in America, but also intellectual currents and cultural, literary and artistic traditions. Special attention will be paid to the spiritual and religious life and the Black Muslim experience - a major and highly complicated chapter in this story. If fruitful, our study will shed light on “Islam” through “America”, but also on “America” through “Islam”. Our core discipline and practice will be to learn and apply the Four Levels of Reading to the texts and artefacts, and to learn to speak (in order of significance) from within the texts, with them, and to/about them. Satisfies a major and minor requirement in Religion. Satisfies South Asian Studies minor requirement. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.
Instructor Patel South Asian religious life has been the subject of western fascination, interpretation, and misinterpretation for over two millennia. This course presents an introduction to this diverse and complex religious landscape through a historical and thematic approach. We will understand how Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, and Muslims have lived alongside each other, and how their interpretations of human purpose, divinity, death, and meaningful worship compare and contrast. We will also develop cultural literacy by studying everyday practices, such as forehead marks and head coverings, and spaces, such as temples, mosques, and gurudwaras, so we may respectfully interact with South Asian populations abroad or here in North Carolina. Satisfies Religious Studies major and minor requirement. Satisfies a requirement for the Interdisciplinary Minor in South Asian Studies. Satisfies the Philosophical & Religious Perspectives Ways of Knowing requirement. Satisfies the Cultural Diversity Graduation requirement.
Instructor Zamir How does the Islamic tradition deal with the end of human life, death of an individual and that of humanity at large? Is there another life after this one? Is there another World-to-Come? We will explore Islamic perspectives on these questions, learn about Muslim death rituals and burial practices, teachings regarding meaning of death and preparation for it, prophecies about the apocalyptic End and the mission of the Messianic Mahdi, and visions of the World-to-Come. Various messianic movements in Islamic history and contemporary times and ethical, aesthetic and mystical expressions of these eschatological ideas will also be considered. Satisfies a major requirement. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement. Satisfies Middle Eastern Studies requirement. Satisfies South Asian Studies requirement. Prerequisites & Notes Students at all levels welcome.
Instructor Zamir Throughout the semester we will read closely some of the most seminal texts of the Islamic literary traditions. There are three major themes of the class: 1) the relationship between religion, culture, and literature; 2) the role and significance of narrative to human life in general, and religious traditions in specific; and 3) how to form a meaningful relationship with a text, and through the text with the cultural religious “other.” This is a reading- and discussion-based class. Satisfies a requirement in the Global Literary Theory major and interdisciplinary minor. Satisfies a Middle Eastern Studies interdisciplinary minor requirement. Satisfies a South Asian Studies interdisciplinary minor requirement. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.
Instructor Zamir An overview of Islam ethical thought and life. What do seminal Muslim thinkers and texts have to say about the meaning and purpose of human life? How do various facets of Islamic life and thought (e.g., religion, revelation, prophetic example, piety, law, philosophy, theology, literature, and spirituality) shape Muslim visions of an ideal society? What difference does centrality of God make to living a good life? What is Islamic vision for the political and economic dimensions of life? Finally, how did Muslims enact and express these visions and commitments in their societies, institutions and daily life? Satisfies a Middle Eastern Studies interdisciplinary minor requirement. Satisfies a South Asian Studies interdisciplinary minor requirement. Satisfies Arab Studies requirement. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement. Prerequisites & Notes Students at all levels welcome.
Instructor Zamir This is an overview of the life, thought, and literary and artistic traditions of Muslim South Asia from the 16 th -20 th century with a particular emphasis on the era before India’s independence (and partition). We will travel back and forth in time across these centuries and across South Asian spaces. The theme changes in the course’s different iterations. This one zooms in on LOVE and LITERATURE in Muslim South Asia. Satisfies Religious Studies major and minor requirement. Satisfies South Asian Studies minor requirement. Satisfies Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Satisfies Curltural Diversity requirement.
Instructor Pang An introduction to the religious and philosophical traditions that played fundamental roles in shaping traditional Chinese, Korean, and Japanese culture: Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and popular religion. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement. Satisfies East Asian Studies major and interdisciplinary minor requirement.
Instructor Snyder This course explores Jesus in the midst of his historical, religious, and political context: how did Jesus encounter and resist the political and religious structures of his day? Can we construct an historically adequate picture of Jesus based on the different gospels that narrate his life and teachings? Is he best understood as an apocalyptic prophet, an ethereal sage, or a political revolutionary? The course also attends to Jesus’ ethical teachings on subjects such as wealth and poverty, non-violence, and love of enemies. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.
Instructor Snyder Paul is now enshrined in Christian history and dogma, yet few people realize how controversial his original message was. Many of Jesus’s first followers were suspicious of Paul and there were fierce debates over his preaching. By a careful inspection of his letters we’ll explore these debates and seek to understand the nature of the groups he founded in cities around the Mediterranean. Some of these groups survived, and some disappeared: what held them together - or broke them apart? Why would someone be drawn to Paul and his preaching? What was appealing about the life of these groups? The goal is to understand Paul and his theological ideas in their first-century context. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. This course may be applied towards a Classics major. Prerequisites & Notes
REL 233The Other Gospels: Lost Literature of Early Christianity
Instructor Snyder Examines the gospel literature that did not make it into the New Testament: the Gospel According to Thomas, Gnostic gospels such as the Gospel According to Phillip, the Gospel of Mary Magdalene and the Gospel of Judas, infancy gospels, and lost Jewish-Christian gospels. It also considers the development of the categories “heresy” and “orthodoxy,” as well as the process of canonization. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Prerequisites & Notes Students at all levels welcome.
Instructor Snyder The course begins with a close reading (and performance) of the Book of Revelation. We then examine the patterns of thinking encouraged by the Book of Revelation, from the periodization of history in Joachim of Fiore, to the uses of demonization in the Protestant Reformation, fundamentalist Christianity’s prediction of the endtimes and its intersection with American culture and politics, culminating in the wheels within wheels thinking seen in phenomena like the QAnon Conspiracy. The course includes film and literary components. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.
Instructor Snyder This course examines how the Bible is being used in contemporary moral, political, and cultural debates: homosexuality, creationism, environmentalism, race, Middle-Eastern politics, end-of-the-world predictions, among others. The range of topics is flexible, and can adapt to current conditions, e.g., the elections of 2016. Students will be encouraged to investigate issues of particular interest through individual research. For purposes of comparison, REL 266 The Bible in America emphasizes the role the Bible “has” played in American life; REL 236 emphasizes the role the Bible “is playing” in American life. The former course is more historical; the latter, more ethical and theological. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.
Instructor Staff A focused study of a given ethical issue and its theological significance. Topics to be studied may include medical ethics, justice and poverty, war and peace, the meaning of virtue and civil rights. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. ENV credit varies year by year, so please check with the ENV Chair if you have a question.
REL 251Moral Reflection in a Perilous World: Ethics, Injustice, and the Vagaries of Fortune
Instructor Swenson-Lengyel In this class, we will explore both historical and contemporary ethical reflection on what it means to lead good lives as human persons. We will examine deontological, virtue, and utilitarian approaches to ethical reflection. In particular, we will focus on the ways in which forces beyond our complete control-for instance, the unjust structures we live within, fate, or luck-can intersect with our lives in ways that can impact our moral obligations and our capacities to either understand or execute on those moral obligations. As such, the class focuses on questions of: a) the role of character in understanding the ‘good life’, b) the impact of fate or fortune on our responsibilities and our moral lives, c) how to evaluate actions morally, and d) how structural or systemic injustices affect and relate to our individual responsibilities. We will engage both theological and philosophical thinkers, from Plato to Iris Murdoch and from Augustine to Howard Thurman. Satisfies Religious Studies major and minor requirement. Satisfies Philosophical and Religous Perspectives requirement. Satiafies Justice, Equality and Community requirement.
REL 253Religious and Philosophical Environmental Ethics
Instructor Swenson-Lengyel Environmental degradation at every level of existence is considered a primary existential threat facing people today. But, how to respond ethically to such degradation is less clear. In this class, we will explore the short history of both religious and philosophical environmental ethics to consider how to answer this concern. What is the content and extent of our current environmental moral obligations? To attend to this overarching question, the class will examine first the religious and philosophical arguments regarding the causes of environmental crises. We will ask: how should we understand the sources of such dramatic and escalating environmental destruction? Can we learn from those roots? And, what do those roots tell us about our moral responsibilities today? We will then turn to examine normative environmental ethics, from issues around the treatment of animals and species to agricultural practices, and from climate change responsibility to environmental justice. Lastly, we will consider the challenges that pressure moral action in response to environmental degradation–at individual and collective levels–and we will engage thinkers on how to respond to those challenges. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Satisfies Environmental Studies major and minor requirement (Humanities). Satisfies Religious Studies major and minor requirement. Prerequisites & Notes Students at all levels welcome.
Instructor Staff The purpose of this course is to explore relationships between religious communities (their commitments, ideas, and practices) and economic life (its institutions, roles, and attitudes). These relationships have been important in many places and times, from ancient cultures to the present day, and raise questions about a good society, justice, and equality. In some contemporary contexts, reflections about these relationships are especially significant for social ethics.
Instructor Swenson-Lengyel This course explores the ethical significance of ‘the end,’ understood both as terminus and as aim or purpose. Are we hurtling toward our extinction as a species-our end? And, what is the end (i.e. aim) of human existence, if that is the case? Within the US context, as well as more broadly, such apocalyptic images, ideas, and questions proliferate. Given this, it seems important to grapple with some of them and to consider the moral life in light of them. What would it mean to live at ‘the end of the world’? Why do so many people, in so many different ways, imagine that we are? And if we are living ‘the end,’ what does that mean for how we should live and what should we do? The course will investigate the ideas and histories of ‘apocalypse’ and ‘eschaton’, examine the ‘secular apocalypse’ of environmental degradation and drastic climate change, and consider how imagining and living in ‘the end’ affects our moral responsibilities, imaginations, and capacities. Readings will be wide ranging, from ‘cli-fi’ to indigenous studies, from philosophical and theological reflections on the nature of valuing to biblical studies on Revelation. Satisfies Religious Studies major and minor requirement. Satisfies a depth and breadth course requirement in the Humanities track of the Environmental Studies major and minor. Satisfies Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Satisfies Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.
Instructor Wills The varied religious experiences of African Americans from pre-slavery through the Civil Rights movement. Satisfies a requirement in the Africana Studies major (Geographic Region: North America). Satisfies a major or interdisciplinary minor requirement in Communication Studies. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Satisfies the Cultural Diversity requirement.
Instructor Snyder We discuss how the Bible was used in key debates in American history: race, slavery, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, and creation/evolution. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Satisfies Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.
Instructor Patel This course is designed to help understand why and how religious people and religious communities around the globe engage in philanthropic action. Drawing from a variety of case studies, including disaster relief work in India, religious charity in post-revolutionary Egypt, and social outreach from evangelical megachurches in the United States, we will identify the wide array of causal factors contributing to the exponential growth of faith-based funding. In doing so, we also explore the potential problematics of philanthropy- How much and for how long is one obligated to give? Should there be any expectation of accountability for the recipients of charity? Should social engagement align or misalign with political views? Can there ever be true altruist giving, or is that an unattainable myth? -and measure whether philanthropy leads to long-term social development and change, or just allows us to overlook long-standing inequities through the temporary belief in the concepts of shared humanity and belonging to a singular moral community. Satisfies Religious Studies major and minor requirement. Satisfies the Philosophical & Religious Perspectives Ways of Knowing requirement. Satisfies the Justice, Equality, and Community Graduation requirement.
Instructor Patel The primary focus of this course is to understand the myriad representations of Hindu gods and goddesses across pre-modern narratives, material objects, and contemporary rituals. This seminar utilizes several group and experiential assignments to help students understand how Hindu practitioners and non-practitioners can encounter and interact with different forms of divinity in Hindu traditions. The final assignment is a collaborative project in which students will design, script, and produce a 45-minute podcast on the historical establishment, development, and flourishing of the Trimurti Temple Devasthanam in Charlotte. Satisfies Religious Studies major and minor requirement. Satisfies a requirement for the Interdisciplinary Minor in South Asian Studies. Satisfies the Philosophical & Religious Perspectives Ways of Knowing requirement. Satisfies the Cultural Diversity Graduation requirement.
Instructor Patel South Asian religious life has been the subject of western fascination, interpretation, and misinterpretation for over two millennia. This course presents an introduction to this diverse and complex religious landscape through a historical and thematic approach. We will understand how Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs, and Muslims have lived alongside each other, and how their interpretations of human purpose, divinity, death, and meaningful worship compare and contrast. We will also develop cultural literacy by studying everyday practices, such as forehead marks and head coverings, and spaces, such as temples, mosques, and gurudwaras, so we may respectfully interact with South Asian populations abroad or here in North Carolina. Satisfies Religious Studies major and minor requirement. Satisfies South Asian Studies minor requirement. Satisfies Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Satisfies Cultural Diversity requirement.
Instructor Pang Historical and thematic study of Buddhist thought and practice in representative Asian cultures. Topics include the nature of Gautama Buddha’s enlightenment, sectarian and philosophical developments, cultural values, psychological insights, contemplative practices and ethical views. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement. Satisfies East Asian Studies requirement. Satisfies South Asian Studies requirement.
Instructor Zamir This is not an introduction to Islam as a religion - take REL 178 if that’s what interests you! - but to Muslim peoples, cultures, and societies. We will virtually travel through the world of Islam, beginning from where it began, in 7 th -century Arabia. To understand Islamic societies and their inhabitants “the Muslims,” we will approach Islamic civilization geographically and as tourists, exploring the chosen zones: Muslim religious, cultural, social, political, and economic life and heritage, and experience of its Muslim inhabitants. As part of a team, you will discover, digitally map, and guide others through one of the Muslim cultural zones. We will conclude our study by reflecting upon the diversity experienced in these virtual tours and probe what has, may, or can unit Muslims under the umbrella terms “world of Islam” or “Muslim world.” Our study is guided and facilitated by a Technology Library Academic team. Satisfies Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Satisfies Cultural Diversity requirement.
Instructor Zamir A comparative study Christianity and Islam and/or Christian Muslim relations in history. A particular theme will be selected for a particular iteration of the course. Past themes include: Catholicism & Sufism; the Bible and the Qur’an; and Jesus and Muhammad. Upcoming themes include Christians of the Muslim World and Christian-Muslim relations. Satisfies Religious Studies major and minor requirement. Satisfies a Middle East Studies requirement in Arab Studies major. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement. Prerequisites & Notes Repeatable for credit
Instructor Zamir Introduction to the Shi’ite tradition. Topics include: the origins of Shi’ism; Shi’ite theology; religious and ritual life, piety and spirituality; development of the tradition over time; major institutions; Shi’ite Messianism; major themes in polemics between Sunnis and Shi’ites; ecumenical efforts; mediatory role of Sufism; and political thought and political ramifications of the Sunni-Shi’ite divide. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Satisfies Arab Studies major requirement. Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement. Satisfies a requirement in the South Asian Studies interdisciplinary minor. Satisfies a requirement in the Middle Eastern Studies interdisciplinary minor.
Instructor Zamir An overview of Islamic spirituality and occult in its diverse varieties, doctrinal formulations, practices, historical manifestations, and contemporary significance. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement. Satisfies a requirement in the South Asian Studies interdisciplinary minor. Satisfies a requirement in the Arab Studies minor.
Instructor Zamir Walking around on campus, have you ever stopped to wonder how one would study Davidson’s culture and life? What if you were to consider its space, art, and architecture as a window into the community? As one might at Davidson, in this course, to understand Islamic societies and their inhabitants, “the Muslims,” we approach Islamic civilization spatially. That is, we explore the three great Islamic empires of the pre-modern era – the Ottomans, the Safavids, and the Mughals – through their cities. How were those cities spatially arranged? What was the center of town? Where were the markets? Who lived where? Researching and imagining their societies, institutions, and cultural and artistic lives, we digitally recreate major cities of these Muslim empires. Satisfies a requirement for Religious Studies major and minor. Satisfies Arab Studies major and minor requirement. Satisfies a South Asian Studies interdisciplinary minor requirement. Satisfies the Religious and Philosophical Perspectives requirement. Satisfies a cultural diversity requirement.
Instructor Zamir An overview and survey of the place of nature and its study in the premodern Muslim heritage. We will examine the Islamic worldview, imagination and study of nature through Islam’s scriptural, mystical, philosophical, scientific, theological, and legal traditions and texts, but also through its literary and cultural expressions such as architecture, gardens, art, poetry, storytelling and daily life. Satisfies Environmental Studies major requirement. Satisfies Arab Studies major and minor requirement. Satisfies a requirement in the South Asian Studies interdisciplinary minor. Satisfies a requirement in the Middle Eastern Studies interdisciplinary minor. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Satisfies the Cultural Diversity requirement.
Instructor Pang A survey of the complex array of philosophical and religious traditions that have fundamentally shaped Chinese thought and culture. Topics include ancient state religion, classic Confucian and Daoist texts, religious Daoism, Buddhism in China, and popular religion. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement. Satisfies a requirement in the East Asian Studies major and interdisciplinary minor. Satisfies a requirement in the Chinese Studies minor.
Instructor Pang An introduction to both Bön and Buddhism in Tibet. The historical, philosophical, religious, ritual, contemplative, institutional, and social dimensions of religion in Tibet will be examined. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Satisfies the Cultural Diversity requirement. Satisfies a requirement in the East Asian Studies major and interdisciplinary minor. Satisfies a requirement in the South Asian Studies interdisciplinary minor.
Instructor Pang The history and development of Buddhism in America. Topics include the American Transcendentalists and “Eastern” thought, Buddhism and the Theosophists, the World Parliament of Religions of 1893, the “Zen boom” of the Beat generation, the varieties of Buddhism imported by Asian immigrants beginning in the 1960s, and modern “American Buddhist” communities and practices. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement.
Instructor Pang Traces the historical development of Chan/Zen Buddhism in China and its transmission to Japan and subsequent transformation. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Satisfies the Cultural Diversity requirement. Satisfies a requirement in the East Asian Studies major and interdisciplinary minor. Satisfies a requirement in the Chinese Studies minor.
Instructor Patel Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948), more popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, is a central figure in colonial and postcolonial South Asian history. His thought and actions, especially his non-violent political philosophy, have spread and acquired followers across the world. His concept of Satyagraha, for example, has been utilized as a political tool in movements advocating for social and racial equality, environmental stability, and economic parity. This course introduces us to the complexities of Gandhi’s thought and his political action, as well as his personal spiritual heights and idiosyncrasies. We will read Gandhi’s own writings, which include his autobiography, parts of his Hind Swaraj, and portions of his Satyagraha in South Africa. We will also use films, news clips, and critical studies to understand Gandhi holistically and separate legend from man. Satisfies Religious Studies major and minor requirement. Satisfies a requirement for the Interdisciplinary Minor in South Asian Studies. Satisfies the Philosophical & Religious Perspectives Ways of Knowing requirement. Satisfies the Justice, Equality, and Community Graduation requirement.
Instructor Patel This course will focus on what lived experiences and ongoing practices can teach us about Hindu traditions. Relying entirely on ethnographic sources, we will cover important religious themes, including conceptualizations of divinity, pilgrimage and space, gender, caste, and ritual, during our time together. Additionally, through the experiential projects in this course, we will fine-tune our own “ethnographic” intuitions for approaching religious phenomena and hopefully become more aware of the multitude of ways religion can manifest in everyday life. Satisfies a requirement for the Religious Studies major. Satisfies a requirement for the Religious Studies minor. Satisfies a requirement for the Interdisciplinary Minor in South Asian Studies. Satisfies the Philosophical & Religious Perspectives Ways of Knowing requirement. Satisfies the Cultural Diversity Graduation requirement.
Instructor Pang This course explores religion in Chinese societies during the tumultuous period between the late nineteenth and early twenty-first centuries. We will analyze the historical and cultural foundations of Chinese religion; the role of the state, intellectual, and political groups in shaping official religiosity; and the bewildering variety of religious traditions in contemporary Chinese societies. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Satisfies East Asian Studies major and interdisciplinary minor requirement. Satisfies Chinese Studies Minor.
Instructor G. Snyder Does the development of monotheism, by its very nature, introduce notions of truth and untruth, insider, outsider, believer, heretic, that lead inevitably to violence? Certain writers (Jan Assmann, Regina Schwartz) have argued that it does. Others claim that the monotheism of the ancient Israelites, and then later, Christianity, introduced an ethic of care and regard for others that would not otherwise have evolved. More generally, some theorists argue that as a western, post-Enlightenment category, the very concept of “religion” is inextricably tied to conquest and colonialism. This iteration of the course will take a special interest in theories of religion and violence that inform current political developments, e.g., the sacrificial theory of René Girard, appropriated by people like Peter Thiel and J.D. Vance. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Satisfies the Methods requirement for the Gender and Sexuality Studies major in the Histories and Genealogies track. Prerequisites & Notes Pre/Corequisites: Any two Religion courses or permission of the instructor. Students intending to go abroad in their junior year should take this course in their sophomore year, if possible.
Any two Religion courses or permission of the instructor. Students intending to go abroad in their junior year should take this course in their sophomore year, if possible.
REL 325Religion vs Cults
Instructor Pang An examination of the critical scholarship written on religions and cults with case studies of historical and contemporary examples.
Instructor Swenson-Lengyel Of the books of the Hebrew Bible, few match the Book of Job for poetic brilliance and theological, existential probing. In this course, we will explore the book itself, as well as its reception history across more than two millennia–in theology and biblical studies, but also in visual art, literature, theater, and film. From Augustine to William Blake to Elie Wiesel, students will have the opportunity to learn about diverse engagements with the text and will themselves become part of an ongoing, lively and contested interpretive discourse about the book and character of Job.
Instructor T. Foley This course explores the variety of ways that early and medieval Christians understood saintliness. Beginning with a close look at how Jesus is portrayed in one of the four Gospels, the course will proceed to examine later types of Christian sanctity and their biblical precedents. These will include some or all of the following: the apostle, the prophet, the martyr, the hermit, the monk, the consecrated virgin, and the mystic. Satisfies Religious Studies major and minor requirement. Satisfies Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.
REL 354Major Figures in Theology and Ethics: Reinhold Niebuhr
Instructor Staff Reinhold Niebuhr is arguably the most important theological ethicist that America has produced. This course will concentrate on his Christian realism, his interpretations of politics and democracy, and his understanding of human nature. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Prerequisites & Notes Students at all levels welcome.
Instructor Wills Using biographies and autobiographies of women from various periods and traditions of American religion, this course will explore women’s roles in those traditions and the conventions through which those women have been portrayed. Satisfies a major or interdisciplinary minor requirement in Communication Studies. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Satisfies the Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.
Instructor Wills Examines an indigenous American religion, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, exploring its historical origins, beliefs, related theological and political controversies, and cultural heritage. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Prerequisites & Notes Students at all levels welcome.
Instructor Snyder In this discussion-based course, we will examine sites in contemporary culture where politics and religion interact. How do political and religious convictions inform each other? How shall we understand the complex synergy between political and religious impulses? The end-time theology of many American evangelicals drives much American foreign policy towards Israel-Palestine. Attitudes (and policies) towards the environment are likewise influenced by religious beliefs and convictions. Some readers of the Bible argue that Donald Trump is a latter-day Cyrus, the Persian king who helped rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (Make Jerusalem Great Again!). Each week, we’ll examine a different case. While the course is offered at the seminar level, there are no expectations that students come with a background in the theory and method of Religious Studies or of Political Science. We will acquire these tools along the way.
REL 378Islam in the Modern Age: Tradition, Fundamentalism and Reform
Instructor Zamir The course looks at Islam and Modernity as two units of intellectual, cultural, and historical formations and analyzes their development and interaction from the Age of European Expansion into the Islamic world to the present. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement. Satisfies the cultural diversity requirement. Satisfies Middle Eastern Studies requirement. Satisfies South Asian Studies requirement. Prerequisites & Notes Students at all levels welcome.
Instructor Staff Admission by consent of the instructor; use 396 for second Independent Study. Independent study under the direction and supervision of a faculty member who reviews and approves the topics of study and determines the means of evaluation. Satisfies the Philosophical and Religious Perspectives requirement.
Instructor Zamir Required of all senior majors. Explores issues within the study of religion and discusses strategies for research. Each student will complete a thesis directed by an appropriate department member.
Instructor Wills This course will explore key moments in the twentieth-century engagement of U.S. Catholic and Protestant churches with reproductive ethics and justice. Prerequisites & Notes Instructor permission required.
Instructor Zamir Our seminar will probe the relationship between authority of God and human beings in Islamic sociopolitical life. What does it mean to dwell in God’s Islamic country? What does polity, law and economy look like in God’s country? Who must rule, 1) God, 2) human beings individually or collectively, OR 3) both, and how? Who prescribes the Law by which a human society has to live: God, human beings or both, and how? And what about economy? Does God have an economic system in mind? What are the burdens of God’s economy? We will seek answers to these questions in the mirror of Islamic political and economic thought, Shariah law, and past and present civilizational experience. Satisfies the Cultural Diversity requirement. Satisfies a Middle Eastern Studies requirement. Satisfies a South Asian Studies requirement.
Instructor G. Snyder This seminar will examine the religious roots of non-violence, both in the Christian tradition (Jesus and “turn the other cheek”; the Quakers) and in the religion of Gandhi, whose beliefs and practices directly influenced the use of nonviolence in the Civil Rights Movement by Martin Luther King Jr. and groups like SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) and CORE (Congress on Racial Equality). We will examine the successes and failures of the practice along with the criticisms and affirmations of writers like Ta Nehisi Coates (“Non-violence as Compliance”) and Erica Chenowith, Why Civil Resistance Works .
Instructor Wills Conversion, commitment to certain ethical norms, conviction about the Bible, and Jesus-centrism - these impulses characterize the movement known as evangelicalism, according to one trusted historian. As one style of western Christianity, evangelicalism emphasizes individual transformation by divine power that then guides (and even guards) individual action in the world. The movement recognizes the Bible’s unique authority, especially as it witnesses to Jesus’ death on the cross as the central fact of human existence. In this seminar, we will consider this classic definition as it relates - or doesn’t - to the movement’s U.S. history, theology, and culture from the nineteenth century to the present. Did American evangelicalism ever look like this? What additional dimensions of evangelicalism have developed under the U.S.’s particular framework of religious liberty and culture of religious inventiveness? What is the current state of Christian evangelicalism in the U.S.? Is evangelicalism also properly considered a political movement? Why or why not?
Instructor Swenson-Lengyel This is a close-reading seminar, guided by the following questions: How do we make sense of the existence of both moral evil-e.g. injustice, cruelty-and natural evil-the seeming suffering endemic to the world? Whence these evils, if the Divine is deemed good creator of all that is? Are there defensible accounts of faith in light of these realities and commitments? And how can humans respond to experiences of evil and suffering? Drawing primarily but not exclusively on Christian and Jewish thought, this class will explore ways of both formulating the problems and responding.
Instructor Ottati Close reading and discussion of John Calvin’s 16th century Institutes of the Christian Religion ; reference to the historical context of the work with the emphasis on engagement with the theological arguments and images Calvin presents.
Instructor Zamir According to the 2017 Pew Forum survey, “about a quarter of U.S. adults (27%) now say they think of themselves as spiritual but not religious ” (SBNR). Our study explores this cultural phenomenon and probes questions such as: What does SBNR mean? What is the distinction between being ‘spiritual’ and being ‘religious’? When and how did this phenomenon originate and how has it evolved? How does SBNR overlap with western esotericism, occult and New Age spirituality? Who are its architects and popularizers? What are its key ideas, worldview, practices and sensibilities? How do proponents of SBNR view religious traditions like Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism etc., but also vice versa? Our study will also examine scholarly and theological criticisms of SBNR as a religious movement. Participants need not have any prior knowledge in Religious Studies for this seminar open to all.
Instructor Staff Research project on some aspect of religious studies. Prerequisites & Notes For senior majors approved by the department. See thesis instruction sheet for details.
