Currently Offered Courses - Spring 2021
Introduction to classic writers and texts in Western religious and social thought from the Enlightenment to the present, with emphasis on their social and historical contexts. Same as ANTH 109 and PHIL 109..
Survey of the leading living religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; examination of basic texts and of philosophic theological elaborations of each religion. Same as PHIL 110.
Introduces the history, teachings, and practice of Zen Buddhism in China and Japan. Same as EALC 132.
Introduction to the literary traditions of South Asia from the beginnings to the end of the Mughal era. Students will read - in translation - selections from a wide range of texts beginning with the earliest Vedic Hymns to the seventeenth and eighteenth century Sufi poetry and songs. Provides students an understanding of the heterogeneous and rich literary and cultural past of the region. Same as ASST 208, CWL 208, and SAME 208.
Introduction to the Qur'an (Koran), the holy scripture of Islam, examining its major doctrines, thematic development, literary style, and its relationship to pre-Qur'anic, especially Biblical, traditions. Special attention is given to various methods Muslims have used to interpret the Qur'an. Same as CWL 223 and SAME 223. Prerequisite: REL 213 or REL 214.
Elements of Hindu thought and practice; selected topics presented in historical order and in the context of Indian cultural history (including the present).
Thematic approach to the history of Buddhism from its origin in India to its spread throughout China and Japan; explores how the doctrinal and social development of Buddhism in East Asia is related to the process of cultural adaptation. Same as EALC 287.
Students will work for a semester with a partner organization and study academic issues that pertain to interfaith studies and interfaith activities.
Examination of gender ideologies and social realities affecting the lives of women in various Muslim countries. Same as ANTH 403, GLBL 403, GWS 403, HIST 434, and SAME 403. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: A course in Islam or the Middle East, or consent of instructor.
Examines the role of Islam in contemporary politics, the contemporary resurgence of Islam, and the articulation of Islamic approaches to the new economic order, nationalism, and the changing role of women. Same as PS 408 and SAME 408. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: Junior standing or consent of instructor.
Introduction to the principal themes and debates that have animated the academic study of religion since the late nineteenth century. The relationship of religion to society, the economy, the state, culture, tradition, colonialism, and secularism are all considered, drawing on several different disciplines, including anthropology, sociology, philosophy and history. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
Examines Catholic experiences in America from the colonial period to the present day. Mindful of the institutions that make Catholicism a credibly global community and of the diversity that has always characterized Catholic thought and practice, we will seek to highlight distinctive features of Catholicism in the United States and to chart changes in "American" Catholicism over time. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
Various topics in religious thought. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. May be repeated as topics vary.
Topics in Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and other Asian religious traditions. Same as EALC 495. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 undergraduate hours or 8 graduate hours as topics vary. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or consent of instructor.
An investigation of Buddhist core notions as conceived from the point of view of the three Major Mahayana traditions with an examination of the ways in which these Mahayana traditions are presented in modern and early modern scholarship. At stake is the fundamental hermeneutic issue of the ways in which the "moderns" look at pre-modern thought, that is, the questions of the historical situatedness of thought. Prerequisite: At least one previous course in Buddhism or consent of instructor.
Special topics not treated in regularly scheduled courses; for graduates. 2 to 6 graduate hours. No professional credit. May be repeated. Prerequisite: Evidence of adequate preparation for such study and consent of staff member supervising the work.