22 courses with the subject HIS, 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.
In this course, we explore the global history of Christianity from its beginnings to the present. By engaging with the unique voices of the Church's past, we uncover not only the antecedents of the Church's present, but perennial resources, spiritual as well as intellectual, that can still nourish, challenge, and inspire.
A study of religious traditions, events, and individuals shaping religious life in America. Attention is given to native religions, colonization, denominations, awakenings, religious liberty, the western movement and the rise of the American Self. The development of pluralism and the impact of immigration, civil rights, and new religions is studied.
An exploration of the religious dimensions of African-American life from its African antecedents to contemporary figures and movements.
h) An introduction to the history and religious heritage of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim communities in Jerusalem and the Holy Land. Participants will metaphorically “walk the pilgrim’s road” as we trace the historic development of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam from their ancient origins, through the medieval period and Crusades, into the modern controversies around colonialism, Zionism, and contemporary politics. Special attention will be given to the city of Jerusalem through the ages; the spirituality of pilgrimage; Hasidism, Kabbalah, and modern ultra- Orthodox Judaism; the art and architecture of the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque; the Via Dolorosa, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and other pilgrimage sites on the Mount of Olives; Eastern Orthodox Christian communities; and diversity within each of the Abrahamic traditions (including Baha’i and Druze sects) in the Holy Land.
This course provides an historical introduction to Egypt's Muslim society as the context within which minority Christian communities have practiced their faith. By traveling to the Arab Republic of Egypt, students will directly experience Muslim culture and religion as they investigate Egypt's rich religious heritage. The class will visit numerous pharaonic, Christian, Muslim, and (historically) Jewish places of worship in the greater Cairo area and in Egypt's stunning archeological sites at the southern environs of Luxor. We will witness the grandeur of Islamic civilization in Cairo's medieval mosques and modern monuments. We will discuss the tumultuous history of Jews in Egypt while touring Cairo's historic Ben Ezra Synagogue. We will examine Christian monasticism n in the place of its origin at the Wadi Natrun. Site visits to numerous Christian churches, including All Saints Anglican Church (with its Sudanese refugee congregation), will expose students to a diversity of Christian practices in Egypt.
This course provides an historical introduction to Egypt's Muslim society as the context within which minority Christian communities have practiced their faith. By traveling to the Arab Republic of Egypt, students will directly experience Muslim culture and religion as they investigate Egypt's rich religious heritage. The class will visit numerous pharaonic, Christian, Muslim, and (historically) Jewish places of worship in the greater Cairo area and in Egypt's stunning archeological sites at the southern environs of Luxor. We will witness the grandeur of Islamic civilization in Cairo's medieval mosques and modern monuments. We will discuss the tumultuous history of Jews in Egypt while touring Cairo's historic Ben Ezra Synagogue. We will examine Christian monasticism in the place of its origin at the Wadi Natrun. Site visits to numerous Christian churches, including All Saints Anglican Church (with its Sudanese refugee congregation), will expose students to a diversity of Christian practices in Egypt.
In the ancient church—as in the present day—theological debate was never only about theology. In this class we will explore ancient controversies over the Trinity in their historical context, uncovering the complex ways that theological debates over the divine persons were intertwined with conceptions of gender and the rhetorical battle to define the communal identities of “Christian,” “Roman,” “Greek,” and “Jew.” Through engagement with the writings and history of early Christians, we explore the challenge and promise of striving to speak truthfully about God.
Do things happen for a reason? Why have my people suffered such tragedy? Why have I? Is death the end? Why has the Church become an instrument of oppression? In this class we will see how Christians from a wide variety of pre-modern historical contexts wrestled with these questions through poetry and narrative. Key texts will include The Recognitions of Clement (an ancient Jewish-Christian novel), poetry on war and natural disasters by Ephrem of Nisibis, Boethius’s The Consolation of Philosophy, and Piers Plowman (a long poem of biting satire and profound visions from medieval England). Through these texts we will also explore how different forms of writing offer different resources for spiritual and theological reflection.
Christianity, from the beginning, has been a preached religion. This class will explore the varied landscape of preaching in the first five centuries of the church. From the difficulties of Christian doctrine to interpretive puzzles in the Biblical text to flights of mystical poetry to declamations against societal injustice, the sermons of the early church offer a window onto the world of the ancient Christians and a whetstone to hone the practice of preaching today.
h) In this course we explore the cultivation of virtue as the essential practice for Christian leadership. We begin with writings on ministry from authors of the early Church, who emphasized the importance of a pastor’s own moral and spiritual maturity. Then we turn to the classical Confucian tradition, which argued against other philosophical schools of ancient China that moral leadership was essential for a flourishing society. Through the study of these ancient authors, we will apply their wisdom to our own lives and the contexts in which we lead. Combined Bulletin 2026-2027 523
Since 1994 the historic North African city of Fes, Morocco, has hosted the annual Festival of World Sacred Music. Musicians and dancers come from across the globe to perform and share in intercultural and interfaith conversations. The nine-day festival celebrates “the spiritual heart of Islam—peaceful, pluralistic, generous and cheerful—” as it honors the diverse spiritual traditions of the world. Each day of the festival features a morning forum, an intimate afternoon concert in the courtyard of the Batha Museum, an evening performance outside the medina’s medieval gate (Bab Al-Makina), and a late-night exhibition of Sufi chants and dancing (dhikr) from various Moroccan brotherhoods. Academic topics include Islam, Sufism, world sacred music, and Moroccan culture, history, and literature.
An examination of the ideas and practices of major religious traditions in their historical and cultural contexts. The primary focus is on the Hindu and Buddhist traditions, the religions of China and Japan, and Islam.
This course examines great works of literature from the world’s religious traditions (including Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism). While the basic teachings of selected religions are introduced for students with little or no background in the subject, the focus of this class remains on scriptural and literary texts that offer classic theological perspectives on the human condition. These are beautiful and profound writings, ranging from the tragic to the sublime, that challenge readers with perennial questions of religious significance. Our subjects and readings may encompass philosophical discourses, prophetic oracles, lyric and mystical poetry, lamentation and tragedy, erotic imagery, and apocalyptic visions of cosmic destruction. Readings include the Gilgamesh Epic, the Qur’an, Sufi poetry, Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Dhammapada, and Zen sutras. This year’s class will also consider some recent novels or works that complement the scriptural texts.
An exploration of the historical, social, cultural, theological, ethnographic, and practical components of African American religious life and foodway culture. Particular attention is given to the historical relationship between eating and church life, highlighting diverse and creative forms of culinary expression in the African American faith tradition and the ways in which food becomes transformative for those struggling for human dignity.
h) An examination of evangelicalism with regard to its important contributions to American religious culture, its variety in forms, and its ability to reconsider itself in an increasingly pluralistic United States.
Resistance to racial bias dates back to institutional slavery. This course will chart an intellectual history from antebellum America through the most publicized protest movement during the mid-to- late twentieth century—the Civil Rights Movement. Students will assess several classic and contemporary texts on radical black political thought, connecting those historical voices to contemporary religious thinking and social activism. This course will consider the ways in which faith communities, organizations, and individuals have fueled or been reinforced by African American protests and demands for equal rights. As a site of investigation, this class also will pay some attention to the history and nature of the civil rights struggle in Winston-Salem and surrounding areas. Ultimately, this class will engage the complexity of religious voices within the American freedom struggle—including Judaeo-Christians, Muslims, or even the non-religious. We will trace the role religious faith plays in the various forms of the resistance over the nearly 400 years of the African American pilgrimage for equal rights.
The course will introduce students to an intellectual history of Black religious leadership and thought. Notably, it will chart the theo-political and intellectual history of African American leaders from the antebellum period to the close of the Civil Rights era. Together we will assess the epistemological and religious implications of individual leaders in the face of diverse forms of discrimination.
A study of Baptist history with particular attention to Baptists in the United States and the diversity of Baptist ways of belief and practice.
Courses in history can be developed and offered on a one-time basis using this designation.
, HIS 690C. Topics Course in Historical Studies. (1-3 h)
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Source: Wake Forest University's catalog, linked per course · table learning_unit · CourseShelf publish 61
