REL 104 – Asian Mythology
Introductory survey of the mythologies of India, China, and Japan.
• Professor Adam Newman • MW 10:00-10:50 • CRN 68127
REL 108 - Religion & Society in West I
Introduction to classic writers and texts in Western religious and social thought from antiquity to the Enlightenment, with emphasis on their social and historical contexts.
• Professor Stephanie Thurston • MWF 1:00-1:50 • CRN 68128
REL 110 - World Religions
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.
• Professor Jonathan Ebel • TR 10:00-10:50 • CRN 67741
REL 111 - Elementary Greek I
Introduces ancient Greek (both classical and koine), including the reading of simple prose.
• Professor Kirk Sanders • MWF 9:00-9:50 • CRN 68348
REL 120 – A History of Judaism
Examines the social, political, economic, and intellectual history of the Jews from Abraham to the present-day, with particular attention to Jewish thought and society.
• Professor Eli Rosenblatt • TR 12:30-1:50 • CRN 68210
REL 160 – Ancient Greek and Roman Religion
Study of Greek and Roman Paganism and the rise of Christianity within that context. Readings are confined to ancient sources in English translation.
• Professor Betsy Bevis • MWF 1:00-1:50 • CRN 68408
REL 200 - Classical and Koine Greek I
Readings in classical Greek prose, and narrative and epistolary New Testament texts.
• Professor David Leon • MWF 1:00-1:50 • CRN 69689
REL 214 - Introduction to Islam
History of Islamic thought from the time of Muhammad to the present, including the prophethood of Muhammad, the Qur'an, theology and law, mysticism and philosophy, sectarian movements, modernism and legal reform, and contemporary resurgence.
• Professor ________ • TR 11:00-12:20 • CRN 70014
REL 220 – Jewish Storytelling
Course will introduce the great Jewish storytellers such as Nachman of Bratslav, Scholem- Aleichem, and I.B. Singer through readings of Yiddish tales, short stories, poetry, drama and excerpts from novels and autobiographies from the 19th and 20th centuries. In addition, Yiddish films and folklore will be used to exemplify the variety of Jewish cultural expression in Eastern Europe, Russia, and America. Course will also present a sample of critical approaches to Yiddish literature. Taught in English translation.
• Professor ________ • TR 12:30-1:50 • CRN 35635
REL 223 – The Qur’an (Koran)
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.
• Professor__________ • TR 2:00-2:50• CRN 70947
REL 251 – Viking Mythology
Studies pre-Christian beliefs of the Germanic peoples as reflected primarily in medieval Icelandic prose and poetry (in translation).
• Professor Walker Horsfall • TR 12:30-1:20 • CRN 68413
REL 283 – Jewish Sacred Literature
Literary study of the major post-biblical sacred texts of Judaism; includes readings in translation from Mishnah, Tosefta, Talmudim, midrashim, piyyutim, and mystical treatises. Emphasizes nature, history, function, and development of literary patterns and forms and the relationships between form and content in these texts.
• Professor Dov Weiss • MTWR 9:00-9:50 [**Term B: Meets 10/21/24-12/11/24 ] • CRN 67790
REL 308 - Psychology of Religion and Spirituality
Examines major topics in the psychology of religion and spirituality to promote reflection on how religion shapes attitudes, behavior, and contemporary U.S. society. Through the lens of psychology, we explore questions such as: Why are some people religious and spiritual? How do we study religion and spirituality from a psychological perspective? What do religion and spirituality look like across the lifespan? Does religion shape prejudice, morality, violence, or altruism? What is the role of religion in promoting health? Overall, we will examine these and other questions to promote greater understanding regarding the role of religion and spirituality in the lives of individuals and larger society.
• Professor Kimberly Rios • TR 12:30-1:50 • CRN 78469
REL 346 – The Age of the Renaissance
An introduction to the cultural history of Europe in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, embracing the Renaissance movements in Italy and in Northern Europe.
• Professor Stefan Djordjevic • MW 12:00-1:20 • CRN 75364
REL 350 - South Asian Goddesses
Introduction to the most well-known Hindu goddesses, at both the pan-Hindu and local level, and explores their mythical narratives, associated powers, iconography, and rituals of worship. Presents different methodological approaches scholars employ in the interpretation of goddess worship in South Asia and abroad. Materials are drawn from textual, historical sources as well as contemporary ethnographic research, and seek to include representative figures from different regions throughout India and the Himalayan region.
• Professor Anna Tosato • MWF 12:00-12:50 • CRN 78224
REL 390 – Independent Study
Special topics not treated in regularly scheduled courses; designed primarily for upperclassmen.
REL 419 – Jesus and Judaism
Examines the ways Jews over the last two thousand years thought about, polemicized against, and celebrated, Jesus of Nazareth. The course will cover numerous types of Jewish literature including, but not limited to, folk stories and Talmudic teachings (from Late Antiquity), published letters, polemical treatises, law codes, philosophical tracts, and mystical writings (from the Middle Ages) and, lastly, works of Reform theology, ecumenical treatises, Zionist literature, and Jewish artistic expressions (in the Modern Period).
• Professor Dov Weiss • TR 3:00-5:30 •[** Term B: Meets 10/21/24-12/11/24] CRN 79666
REL 434 – History of Jews in Diaspora
Deals with the history of the Jewish people from the destruction of the Jewish state by Rome to the reestablishment of a Jewish state in 1948. The emphasis is on the interaction between the Jewish and non-Jewish worlds as well as changes internal to the Jewish communities.
• Professor Marc Abou Abdallah •MW 11:00-12:20 • CRN 69574 & 69575
REL 485 – Karma of Words: Buddhism, Language and the Literary Arts of Japan
The relation between Buddhism, Language and the Literary Arts of Japan will be explored. After introducing the ideas, motifs, paradigms and images of the Buddhist tradition and reading Buddhist scriptural texts from a literary perspective, we will then analyze how Buddhism was re-expressed and reshaped in Japanese literature with additional focus on Buddhist theories of language and literature.
• Professor Christopher Callahan •F 4:00-6:50 • CRN 79801
REL 493 - Honors Senior Thesis
Two-term research project.
REL 494 - Topics in Religious Thought
Complicity and Structural Injustice.
• Professor Stephanie Thurston • M 3:00-5:00 • CRN 79716 & 79717
REL 495 - Topics in Asian Religions
This course serves as an introduction to Hindu epic and narrative literature. Through a close reading of the Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata, Purāṇas, and other classical Hindu narratives, we will engage with several important and guiding questions: what is the role of narrative in religious culture, in public and private life, and in constituting people’s cultural identities? How do religious narratives shape society, and how does society in turn shape religious narratives? By examining Hindu literature over the course of its development from the ancient into the modern period, special attention will be paid to the ways in which these narratives have been re-imagined through novels and public performance and still have meaning for Hindus today.
• Professor Adam Newman • W 3:00-5:00 • CRN 71399 & 71400
REL 495 - Topics in Asian Religions
Everything you need to know about this ancient Indian religion. This course will teach you the basics of Jainism in a creative and interesting way. Non-violence, vegetarianism, asceticism, material culture, and more. We will learn about the ideas that shaped Jainism and made it so relevant in the ancient and contemporary world. No previous knowledge of the topic is required to take this class.
• Professor Anna Tosato • TR 12:30-1:50 POT B • CRN 79766 & 79767
REL 510 - Graduate Intro to Religion
Introduction for first semester graduate students to selected methods and techniques for conducting research in the area of Religion. Students will receive general guidance on strategies for conducting bibliographic research and designing research projects. Includes study of some currently salient issues and areas of inquiry in a number of disciplines pertaining to the study of religion. The course will be supervised by one professor and will offer a series of presentations on several methodologies and historical issues by experts in various fields.
• Professor Jonathan Ebel • T 3:00-5:30 • CRN 67805
REL 535 – Historiography of Religion in America
Immerses students in major works of recent American religious history. Written from multiple disciplinary perspectives and wrestling with the knotty problems in which religion has been interwoven, these books will give the student a solid foundation in American religious history.
• Professor Alexia Williams • W 3:00-5:30 • CRN 79714
REL 590 - Independent Study
Special topics not treated in regularly scheduled courses; for graduates.
REL 599 - Thesis Research
Researching and writing a thesis in consultation with a faculty adviser.