COURSE OFFERINGS
Fall 2006
RS 101:1
Introduction to Western Religions, CRN # 2456
Humanities Division
Credit; Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode Credit for new core;
Required for Religious Studies Major and Minor
Instructor: M.
Soileau
MWF 9:10-10:00; Olin 234
Course Description:
In this class,
students will be introduced to some of the beliefs and practices that
characterize Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, largely
through the reading of primary sources (i.e., the Zoroastrian Avestas,
the Bible, and the Koran). Some of the material that we will examine
treats beliefs regarding the afterlife, divine beings, and the ways in
which humans relate to these entities. We will survey, among other
literary genres, apocalypses from Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and
Christianity. Class discussions will explore textual constructions of
power, authority, gender roles, and inter-group relations. The class
involves a moderate amount of reading and extensive textual analysis.
Texts:
Willard
G. Oxtoby, World Religions: Western Traditions.
RS 101: 2
Introduction to Western Religions, CRN # 2457
Humanities
Division Credit; Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode Credit for new
core; Required for Religious Studies Major and Minor
Instructor: J.
McWhirter
TR 2:10-3:30; Robinson 402
Course Description:
Christians, Jews,
and Muslims all claim either physical or spiritual descent from Abraham,
a nomad said to have migrated from Mesopotamia to Canaan in the Middle
Bronze Age. This explains both the fundamental similarities among the
three faiths as well as the sibling rivalries sparked by their many
significant differences. This course will trace the historical
development of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam over the past two
thousand years. We will pay special attention to their shared biblical
traditions as well as their unique beliefs and practices as we explore
their mutual influence, their mutual competition, and the possibilities
for mutual understanding.
Texts:
Willard G. Oxtoby,
ed., World Religions: Western Traditions
Various handouts and online readings
Evaluation:
Attendance and
participation: 10%
Current events report: 20%
Field report: 20%
Two in-class exams: 50%
RS 101:3
Introduction to Western Religions, CRN # 2458
Humanities Division
Credit; Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode Credit for new core;
Required for Religious Studies Major and Minor
Instructor: R.
Mourad
MWF 11:10-12:00; Vulgamore 304
Course Description:
Contemporary
Americans must contend with an unprecedented plurality of religious
viewpoints. In this course, we will seek to address this situation
responsibly by examining three prominent “Western” religions: Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam. We will analyze the characteristic beliefs and
practices of these three traditions so as to understand and appreciate
their similarities and differences. While we will survey the
distinctive origins and histories of these religions, we will also study
their contact with one another and explore the conditions necessary for
dialogue between them. Our approach will be academic rather than
confessional or apologetic.
Texts:
Willard
G. Oxtoby, World Religions: Western Traditions.
Handouts
Requirements:
1.
Attend all classes
2. Read all assigned material and participate actively in class
discussions and activities
3. Four exams
4. Occasional written assignments
5. Field Report
Evaluation:
Each
Exam: 15%
Participation/Assignments:15%
Field Report: 25%
RS 102: 1
Introduction to Eastern Religions, CRN # 2459
Humanities
Division Credit; Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode Credit for new
core; Required for Religious Studies Major and Minor
Instructor: S. Raj
MWF 11:10-12:00, EPOROL 5
Course Description:
In light of a
typology of religious phenomena, this course will critically explore the
religious wisdom of the East as represented by Hinduism, Buddhism,
Jainism, Shintoism, Confucianism, and Taoism, and expressed in their
respective sacred literature, myths, symbols, beliefs, and practices. In
addition to intellectual familiarity, the course aims to inculcate in
students a criticial appreciation for the religious imagination of a
tradition other than one's own.
Texts
Oxtoby, Willard G. World Religions: Eastern Traditions. New York and
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996. ISBN 0-19-541521-3
RS 104: 1 Introduction to Islam—CRN# 2592
Humanities Division Credit; Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode
Credit for new core.
Instructor: M. Soileau
TTR 10:10-11:30, EOPOROL 4
Course Description:
This course is an
introduction to the beliefs and practice of Islam in its various
manifestations, with additional emphasis on the history, politics and
gender issues which have both influenced and been influenced by Islam.
Throughout the course there will be a focus on Islam as it is lived by
people, so that students can gain an appreciation of what it is like to
live as a Muslim, and we will look at many cultural expressions of
Islam. We will also analyze the ways Islam is represented in the news
media and on the internet, since these have become the main sources of
information – and misinformation – presented on Islam in the United
States.
While the course
will consist in part of lectures, class discussions are also important,
and active participation by students is required. Students will be
expected to have read the readings before class, and be ready to discuss
them in class. We will make one field trip to a local mosque, and
students will be expected to ask questions. Students will also keep a
journal to record their impressions of certain readings, websites, other
media and the field trip. Students’ grades will be calculated based on a
midterm, a final, a term paper, other assignments, the journal and class
participation.
Required Text:
Frederick
Mathewson Denny. An Introduction to Islam. 3rd edition. Pearson
Prentice Hall, 2004.
RS 104: 2 Introduction to Islam—CRN# 2593
Humanities Division Credit; Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode
Credit for new core.
Instructor: M. Soileau
TTR 2:10-3:30, Vulgamor 304 EOPOROL 4
Course Description:
This course is an
introduction to the beliefs and practice of Islam in its various
manifestations, with additional emphasis on the history, politics and
gender issues which have both influenced and been influenced by Islam.
Throughout the course there will be a focus on Islam as it is lived by
people, so that students can gain an appreciation of what it is like to
live as a Muslim, and we will look at many cultural expressions of
Islam. We will also analyze the ways Islam is represented in the news
media and on the internet, since these have become the main sources of
information – and misinformation – presented on Islam in the United
States.
While the course
will consist in part of lectures, class discussions are also important,
and active participation by students is required. Students will be
expected to have read the readings before class, and be ready to discuss
them in class. We will make one field trip to a local mosque, and
students will be expected to ask questions. Students will also keep a
journal to record their impressions of certain readings, websites, other
media and the field trip. Students’ grades will be calculated based on a
midterm, a final, a term paper, other assignments, the journal and class
participation.
Required Text:
Frederick
Mathewson Denny. An Introduction to Islam. 3rd edition. Pearson
Prentice Hall, 2004.
RS 121 History, Literature and Religion of the Old Testament, CRN
# 2462
Humanities Division Credit; Textual Analysis credit under the new core;
Fulfills Biblical Studies Requirement For Religious Studies Majors
Instructor: J. McWhirter
MWF 10:10-11:00, Robinson 404
Course Description:
The Exodus from
Egypt; the Golden Age of David and Solomon; the encroachment of the
Assyrian Empire; the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians; the
rebuilding of Jerusalem under the Persians; the ban of Judaism by
Antiochus IV: Israel’s religious leaders saw God at work in such
momentous events. They recorded their perceptions in the books that now
make up the Hebrew Bible, known to Christians as the Old Testament. We
will read their stories, laws, prophecies, psalms, wisdom literature,
and apocalyptic visions, emphasizing how each author understands
Israel’s religious traditions in light of contemporary circumstances. In
the process, we will become more competent interpreters of these ancient
texts.
Texts:
The
HarperCollins Study Bible
Bernhard W. Anderson,
Understanding the Old Testament
Evaluation:
Attendance and
participation: 10%
Two take-home exams: 20% each
Two in-class exams: 50%
RS 122 History,
Literature, and Religion of the New Testament, CRN# 2463
Fulfills
Humanities requirement (old core), Fulfills Textual Analysis mode
requirement (new core), Fulfills Biblical Studies Requirement for
Religious Studies Majors
Instructor:
J. WcWhirter
MWF 2:10-3:300, Robinson 406
Course
Description:
This course introduces students
to the New Testament as a collection of literary works that interpret
first-century Jewish traditions in light of events that affected the
first Christians. Such events include life and death of Jesus as well as
the spread of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire, the Jewish War,
and the persecution of Christians under the Emperor Domitian. We will
read six of Paul’s letters, the four canonical Gospels, The Acts of the
Apostles, and Revelation. In the process, we will become more competent
interpreters of these ancient texts.
Texts:
The
HarperCollins Study Bible
Stephen L. Harris, The
New Testament: A Student’s Introduction
Evaluation:
Attendance and
participation: 10%
Two take-home exams: 20% each
Two in-class exams: 50%
RS 131 Introduction
to Christian Thought, CRN# 2464
Instructor: R. Mourad
MWF 3:10-4:00
Course Description:
In this course we will examine some important literary and
theological works of the Christian tradition. We will seek to understand
how the authors of these works understand God, Jesus, the world, human
persons, sin, and salvation. There have been many different
understandings of the nature of Christianity. We will examine some texts
that have been very popular and influential and some that present
unorthodox or minority views. Since this course will focus on Christian
thought, rather than Christian practice, we will emphasize the skills
necessary both to interpret and to evaluate the arguments and rhetoric
of the authors. Our primary methods will accordingly be theological and
philosophical. This course fulfills the Textual Analysis mode
requirement.
Requirements:
1. Attend all classes
2. Read all assigned material and participate actively in class
discussions
3. Three exams
4. One paper (2000 word minimum)
Texts:
Augustine, Confessions.
John Bunyan, The Pilgrim's Progress.
C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters.
Film: "The Last Temptation of Christ."
Handouts
Grading:
Paper: 20%
Exam 1: 20%
Exam 2: 20%
Exam 3: 25%
Attendance and participation: 15%
RS 210
Feminine in World Religions—CRN# 2465
Fulfills
Gender Category Requirement
Instructor:
S. Raj
MW 1:10-2:30; Stockwell 305
Course Description:
This comparative
course examines the role of society and culture in defining the
character of the Divine Feminine on one hand and in determining the
position of women in World Religions on the other. For the former, we
will examine the mythology of a select number of goddesses, including
Hindu goddesses like Lakshmi and Kali, Chinese Bodhisattva Kuan Yin, and
Japanese goddess Amaterasu. For the latter, we will look at a select
number of world religions, including Hinduism, Chinese Religions,
Christianity, and Islam.
Texts:
Kinsley, D. Goddesses’ Mirror: Visions of the Divine From East and
West
(SUNY Press 1989)
Sharma, A. Women in World Religions (SUNY Press 1987)
Coursepack
Evaluation:
Attendance, participation, two presentations, one research paper, and a
final exam.
To learn more about the Major, browse the Major in
Religious Studies.
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