COURSE OFFERINGS
Fall 2008
RS101:1 Introduction to Western Religions, CRN # 6388
Humanities Division Credit; Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode
Credit for new core; Required for Religious Studies Major and Minor
Instructor: N.
Weatherwax
MWF 12:10-1:00; Vulgamore 304
Course
Description:
This course explores the scriptures, beliefs,
practices, history, and ethics of the three major Abrahamic religions:
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. How have these religious traditions
shaped life for individuals and communities in the past and present?
What do these religious traditions have in common? How do they differ?
How have they developed over the centuries? What sorts of diversity do
we find within each religious tradition? We will give special attention
to the presence and interaction of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in
contemporary North America. Our approach will be academic rather than
confessional.
Texts:
Willard G. Oxtoby, World Religions: Western
Traditions
Readings from the Bible and Qur’an Handouts and online readings
Evaluation:
Attendance, participation, three field reports, three exams
RS 101: 2 Introduction
to Western Religions, CRN # 6389
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; 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 101:3 Introduction to Western Religions, CRN # 6631
Humanities Division Credit; Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode Credit
for new core; Required for Religious Studies Major and Minor
Instructor: R. Mourad
MWF 12:10-1:00; 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
RS 102: 1 Introduction to Eastern Religions, CRN # 6390
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 202
Course Description:
Religion has always played an important role in the
identities of individuals, in society and in politics, but today, as
adherents of different religions are coming into closer contact with one
another, it is becoming increasingly important to try to understand
religious faiths other than our own. This course is an introduction to
the religions that have developed in South and East Asia, including
Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Confucianism, Daoism and Shinto.
We will analyze the histories, myths, beliefs and practices of these
religious traditions, and note similarities and differences between
them.
Texts
Oxtoby, Willard G. World Religions: Eastern Traditions. New York and
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996. ISBN 0-19-541521-3
RS 102: 4 Introduction to Eastern Religions, CRN # 6635
Humanities Division Credit; Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode
Credit; Required for Religious Studies Major and Minor
Instructor: Staff
TR 10:00-11:30; Robinson 403
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.
RS 104: 1 Introduction to Islam—CRN# 6392
Humanities Division Credit; Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode Credit;
Fulfills Islamic Religion requirement for Religious Studies Major
Instructor: M. Soileau
TTR 10:10-11:30, Vulgamore 201
Course Description:
This course is an introduction to the religion of Islam in its various
manifestations, with additional emphasis on the history, politics and
gender issues which have both influenced and been influenced by the
Islamic tradition. Throughout the course there will be a focus on Islam
as it is lived by people, and we will look at many cultural expressions
of Islam. Students should gain a basic understanding of the key features
of Islamic faith and practice, the historical development of Islam as a
world religion, and the variety of ways in which it is practiced by
Muslims. This should provide students with the background to put into
perspective reports on world events that pertain to Islam.
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 # 6393
Humanities Division Credit; Textual Analysis credit;
Fulfills Biblical Studies Requirement For Religious Studies Majors
Instructor: J. McWhirter
MWF 9:10-10:00, Vulgamore 204
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 131 Introduction to
Christian Thought, CRN# 6394
Humanities Division
Credit; Fulfills Textual Analysis mode requirement; Fulfills Theology
and Ethics Requirement for Religious Studies Major
Instructor: N. Weatherwax
MWF 2:10-3:00; Palenske 223
Course Description:
This course is based on the reading and analysis of
a range of Christian literary and theological texts representing many
different genres and periods from late antiquity to the late 20th
century. Through the study of these texts, we will examine Christian
beliefs about God, Jesus, and the world; revelation; creation, sin,
evil, and salvation; nature and grace; freedom and necessity;
eschatology; human love and divine love. Our approach will be academic
rather than confessional.
Texts:
Augustine, Confessions (Chadwick
translation)
Dante, Inferno (Mandelbaum translation)
Bonaventura, The Mind’s Road to God (Boas translation)
Martin Luther, On Christian Liberty (Lambert translation)
Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Grand Inquisitor: With Related Chapters from
the Brothers Karamazov (Garnett translation)
Dorothee Solle, Thinking about God: An Introduction to Theology
Handouts and online readings
Evaluation:
Attendance, participation, short
papers, three exams
RS 205: 1 Islamic Mysticism CRN# 6401
Humanities Division Credit; Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode Credit;
Fulfills Islamic Religion requirement for Religious Studies Major.
Instructor: M. Soileau
TTR 2:10-3:30, Vulgamore 103
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, specific Sufi orders, gender issues, charges of heresy, and the
ways Sufism has adapted 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.
RS 212
Buddhism CRN# 6628
Humanities Division Credit; Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode
Credit; Fulfills Asian and Comparative Religion requirement for
Religious Studies Major
Instructor: Staff
TR 10:10-11:30, Vulgamore 102
RS 222 Jesus and the
Gospels, CRN# 6396
Humanities Division Credit; Fulfills Textual Analysis mode requirement;
Fulfills Biblical Studies Requirement for Religious Studies Major
Instructor:
J. WcWhirter
MWF 2:10-3:30, Palenske 227
Course
Description:
This course explores early beliefs about Jesus
through studying the canonical Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,
along with the extra-canonical Gospel of Thomas. We will proceed in
chronological order (more or less), paying close attention to each
Gospel’s historical setting, religious antecedents, and literary
artistry. We will consider how our understanding of the Gospels is
influenced by our own backgrounds and perspectives. At the end of the
course, we will weigh the Gospels’ value as historical sources for the
life and death of Jesus.
Required Texts:
The HarperCollins Study Bible, Revised Edition
Mitchell G. Reddish, An Introduction to the Gospels
Recommended Text:
Synopsis of the Four Gospels, edited by Kurt Aland T
Kurt Aland ed. Synopsis of the Four Gospels
Evaluation:
Attendance and participation: 10%
Two brief reports: 20%
Two take-home exams: 40%
Final exam: 30%
RS 232 Faith and Reason--CRN# 6397
Humanities Division Credit; Fulfills Textual Analysis mode requirement;
Fulfills Theology and Ethics Requirement for Religious Studies Major
Instructor:
N. Weatherwax
TR 2:10-3:30, Vulgamore 123
Course Description:
This course explores epistemology, or the theory of
knowledge, in relation to religious belief. What is the nature and
source of religious belief? What do we know and how do we know it? Are
faith and reason compatible or in conflict? Is faith “merely” belief?
This course surveys a wide range of Western perspectives on these
questions from Plato to the present, with more in-depth study of such
key figures such as Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Pascal, Locke, Kant,
Marx, Freud, Plantinga, and Swinburne. The approach will be academic
rather than confessional.
Texts:
Paul Helm (ed.), Faith and Reason (Oxford
Readers)
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, On Religion (Dover, 2008) Sigmund Freud, The Future of an Illusion
Richard Swinburne, Is There a God?
Handouts and online readings
Evaluation:
Attendance,
participation, short papers and readings journal, two exams
To learn more about the Major, browse the Major in
Religious Studies.
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