COURSE OFFERINGS
Fall 2007
RS 101:1 Introduction to Western
Religions, CRN # 8084
Humanities Division Credit;
Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode Credit; Required for Religious
Studies Major and Minor
Instructor: R. Mourad
MWF 12:10-1:00; Vulgamore 201
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 2nd edition. ISBN
0-19-541520-5
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:
Participation/Assignments:15%
Each Exam: 17%
Field Report: 17%
RS 101: 2 Introduction to Western
Religions, CRN # 8085
Humanities Division Credit; Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode
Credit; Required for Religious Studies Major and Minor
Instructor: J. McWhirter
TR 2:10-3:30; Vulgamore 201
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
A Bible
Course Packet
Evaluation:
Attendance and
participation: 10%
Current events report: 20%
Field report: 20%
Two in-class exams: 50%
RS 102: 1 Introduction to Eastern
Religions, CRN # 8086
Humanities Division Credit; Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode
Credit; Required for Religious Studies Major and Minor
Instructor: M. Soileau
MWF 9:10-10:00, Vulgamore 201
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, Shinto,
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
critical 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 102: 1 Introduction to Eastern
Religions, CRN # 8087
Humanities Division Credit; Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode
Credit; Required for Religious Studies Major and Minor
Instructor: S. Raj
MWF 11:10-12:00, Olin 229
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, Shinto, 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 critical 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#
8088
Humanities Division Credit;
Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode Credit; Fulfills Islamic Religion
requirement for Religious Studies Major and Minor.
Instructor: M. Soileau
TTR 10:10-11:30, Vulgamore 201
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 # 8089
Humanities Division Credit; Textual Analysis credit under the new core;
Fulfills Biblical Studies Requirement For Religious Studies Majors
Instructor: J. McWhirter
MWF 9:10-10:00, Robinson 403
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
and often entertaining 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 289/205: 1 Sufism—CRN# 8090
Humanities Division Credit;
Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode Credit; Fulfills Islamic Religion
requirement for Religious Studies Major and Minor.
Instructor: M. Soileau
TTR 2:10-3:30, Vulgamore 302
Course Description:
This course introduces students to the world of Islamic mysticism. We
will look at the historical development of Sufism, its contributions to
Islamic civilization and to the spread of Islam, its literature, key
themes like love and drunkenness, distinctive practices like music and
dance, and the ways it has adopted to the modern world, including in the
West.
Texts:
Carl Ernst. The Shambhala
Guide to Sufism.
Farid ud-Din Attar. The Conference of the Birds.
Evaluation
RS 234 Philosophy of Religion, CRN #
8091
Fulfills Theology and
Ethics Requirement for Religious Studies Majors;
Counts toward Philosophy Major.
Instructor: R. Mourad
MWF 2:10-3:00, Vulgamore 201
Course
Description:
This course will examine
several classic problems in the philosophy of religion and allow
students the opportunity to answer some of these important questions for
themselves. We will ask about the nature of God, the arguments that
might be offered for God’s existence, and whether human language can
adequately refer to God. We will also discuss the religious problems of
evil and suffering, miracles, and the afterlife as presented in both
classic and contemporary sources.
Requirements:
1.
Attend all classes.
2.
Read all assigned material and participate actively in class
discussions.
3. Two
short papers (minimum 2000 words each).
4. One
presentation.
5. One
final exam.
Texts:
Michael Peterson, et al.
Reason and Religious Belief: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion,
3rd Edition
Michael Peterson, et al. Philosophy of Religion: Selected Readings,
2nd Edition
Grading:
Paper 1:
25%
Paper 2: 25%
Final Exam: 25%
Presentation: 15%
Attendance/Participation: 10%
RS 313 Death & Dying in World Religions, CRN # 8092
Fulfills Global Studies Category Requirement; Fulfills Comparative
Religion Requirement for Religious Studies Majors; Counts toward
Anthropology/Sociology Major.
Instructor: S. Raj
MW 1:10-2:30, Putnam 253
Course Description:
Human longing for a meaningful explanation of the mystery of death
and dying is deep and universal. Through a critical analysis of textual
and non-textual sources, this comparative course will examine a wide
array of beliefs and rituals related to death and dying in a select
number of world religions.
In addition to intellectual familiarity with cross-cultural beliefs
and practices, students will be encouraged in the creative and critical
enterprise of analyzing familiar religious and cultural practices
surrounding death and dying.
Required Texts:
Albom, Mitch. Tuesdays with Morrie
Huntington, R. & Metcalf, P. (eds) Celebrations of Death: The
Anthropology of Mortuary Ritual
Kubler-Ross, E. On Death and Dying
Obayashi, H. Death & Afterlife in World Religions: Perspectives
of World Religions
Coursepack
Evaluation:
Class attendance, participation, two individual presentations, three
creative projects, and a reflection journal.
RS 320 Gender and Biblical Interpretation-- CRN# 8093
Fulfills the Gender Category Requirement
Instructor: J. McWhirter
MW 2:10-3:30, Vulgamore 204
Course Description:
Stories and commandments in the Bible have done much to shape
traditional views about gender in our society – views that have changed
dramatically over the past century. How do contemporary interpreters
address these changes while adhering to biblical religions? We will
explore this dilemma from various angles. As we focus on biblical texts
about men and women, we will investigate interpretations from various
constituencies – feminist and traditionalist, female and male, academic
and religious professionals – adding our own insights as we go along. We
will see how these competing interpretations affect religious belief and
practice. Ultimately, we will critique these texts and their
interpretations, keeping in mind that they are all generated by biased
human beings, and that they all have far-reaching ethical implications.
Required Texts:
A Bible
The Women’s Bible Commentary,
Carol A. Newsom and Sharon H. Ringe, eds.
Course Packet
Evaluation:
Attendance and participation: 10%
Journal: 20%
Final Project: 20%
Two in-class essay exams: 50%
To learn more about the Major, browse the Major in
Religious Studies.
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