COURSE OFFERINGS
SPRING 2006
RS 101:1 Introduction to Western
Religions, CRN # 9043
Humanities Division
Credit; Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode Credit for new core;
Required for Religious Studies Major and Minor
Instructor: T. Blanton
MWF 9:10-10:00; Epworth G 2
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.
Evaluation:
Students will submit two short papers of
4-5 typed, double-spaced pages. Each paper will be worth 16.67%
of the final grade (33.3% combined). A midterm and a final exam
will each contribute 33.3% toward the final grade. The instructor
will reserve the right to administer periodic quizzes, at his
discretion. If such are administered, grades on papers and exams
will be re-weighted accordingly.
RS 101:2 Introduction to
Western Religions, CRN # 9044
Humanities Division
Credit; Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode Credit for new core;
Required for Religious Studies Major and Minor
Instructor: R. Mourad
MWF 1:10-2:00; 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.
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 101: 3 Introduction to
Western Religions, CRN # 9045
Humanities
Division Credit; Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode Credit for new
core; Required for Religious Studies Major and Minor
Instructor: C. Chase
TR 2:10-3:30; Robinson 402
Course Description:
An introduction to major Western religions as represented by Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam. Topics include the nature of religion and
religious experience in the West, origins and development of each major
religion: sacred scripture, formative myths, symbols and fundamental
tenets; forms of religious expression, spirituality and worship; and the
relationship to the world as seen in ethical orientations and
institutions.
Texts:
Willard G. Oxtoby, World Religions: Western Traditions.
Handouts
RS 102: 1 Introduction to
Eastern Religions, CRN # 9046
Humanities
Division Credit; Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode Credit for new
core; Required for Religious Studies Major and Minor
Instructor: R. Menzies
MWF 9:10-10:00, Vulgamore 103
Course Description:
This course will serve as a general introduction to
and survey of many of the religious traditions of Asia. It will focus on
the traditions of India, China and Japan, specifically Hindu, Buddhist,
Jain, Sikh, Confucian, Taoist and Shinto traditions. These terms are
merely rubrics under which to organize the material, and the actual
nature of how to “define” these traditions will be an on-going
discussion. The class will focus on both historical and contemporary
manifestations of these traditions by using primary sources and
audiovisual material in addition to the textbook. Students will become
familiar with the history, system, and dynamics of the traditions and
will develop tradition-specific vocabularies which will prepare them for
further classes in religion, as well as multicultural encounters outside
the classroom. The class will meet three times per week, and will
consist primarily of lectures supplemented by some discussion. Careful
preparation is necessary in order get the most out of this class.
Texts
Oxtoby, Willard G. World Religions: Eastern Traditions. New York and
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996. ISBN 0-19-541521-3
Fieser, James and John Powers. Scriptures of the East. 2nd ed. New
York: McGraw-Hill, 2004. ISBN 0-07-286523-7
RS 102: 2 Introduction to
Eastern Religions, CRN # 9047
Humanities
Division Credit; Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode Credit for new
core; Required for Religious Studies Major and Minor
Instructor: C. Chase
TR 12:10-1:30, Robionson 202
Course Description:
An introduction to major Eastern religions as represented by
Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Shinto. Topics
include the nature of religion and religious experience in the East;
origins and development of each major religion; sacred literature,
formative myths, symbols and fundamental tenets; forms of religious
expression, spirituality, and worship; and the relationship to the world
as seen in ethical orientations and institutions.
Required Text:
Willard G. Oxtoby, World Religions: Eastern
Traditions
R.S. 121 History, Literature and Religion of
the Old Testament, CRN # 9048
Humanities Division
Credit; Textual Analysis credit under the new core;
Fulfills Biblical Studies Requirement For
Religious Studies Majors
Instructor: T. Blanton
TR 8:40-10:00: Robinson 401
Course Description:
In this class, students will
be introduced to representative selections from each of the major
literary units within the Hebrew Bible: the Torah, the Prophets,
and the Writings. As a fundamental interpretative axiom, the
class will attempt to contextualize each Biblical reading within
its original historical and social setting. In this respect, the
methodology employed in the class will be typically historicist:
the text will be read as a document from the past, written to an
audience in the past. However, this method will not prevent us
from juxtaposing past attitudes toward such issues as sexuality,
gender roles, and the construction of power and authority with
attitudes toward the same, often contentious issues as expressed
in contemporary American culture. In addition, the class will
explore the major mythological formulations in the Hebrew Bible,
as well as those of other ancient Mediterranean and Mesopotamian
cultures (i.e., Enuma Elish, the Gilgamesh Epic, and the Baal
Cycle).
Texts:
Evaluation:
Students will submit two short papers of 4-5
typed, double-spaced pages. Each paper will be worth 16.67% of the
final grade (33.3% combined). A midterm and a final exam will each
contribute 33.3% toward the final grade. The instructor will reserve
the right to administer periodic quizzes, at his discretion. If such
are administered, grades on papers and exams will be re-weighted
accordingly.
RS 189 Diets and Deities: Food in South Asian Religions, CRN # 9049
Fulfills Global Studies Requirement; Fulfills Asian & Comparative
Studies Requirement for Religious Studies Major and Minor
Instructor: R. Menzies
T: 10:10-12:00; R 10:10-11:00; Vulgamore 201
Course Description:
This course explores several related questions: (1) What are the types
of and reasons for food rules in South Asian religions; (2) to what
extent do the food practices of women differ from those of men; (2) to
what extent do the food practices of the various traditions differ; (4)
in what ways are the food practices of the various traditions similar;
and (5) how have religious traditions used food and food symbolism to
construct relationships (with other members of the community, with other
religious communities and with other beings (animals, deities,
ancestors)? In the course of answering these questions, we will
familiarize ourselves with some of the myths, history, places,
practices, and images associated with food from a variety of religious
traditions.
Texts:
Khare, R.S., ed. The Eternal Food: Gastronomic Ideas and Experiences
of the Hindus and Buddhists. Albany: State University of New York
Press 1992.
Pearson, Anne Mackenzie. “Because It Gives Me Peace of Mind”:
Ritual Fasts in the Religious Lives of Hindu Women. Albany: State
University of New York Press, 1996.
RS 212 Buddhism, CRN # 9050
Humanities
Division Credit; Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode Credit for new
core; Required for Religious Studies Major and Minor
Instructor: R. Menzies
TR 2:10--3:30; Epworth 202
Course Description:
This course will examine the origins of Buddhism in India and then will
trace some of its developments through Asia and North America. The
course is roughly chronological and broken into four units: India,
China, Japan, the 20th Century. Readings are from primary sources in
translation and secondary sources, and the emphasis attempts to strike a
balance between “elite” monastic traditions and “popular” lay
traditions.
Text:
Robinson, Richard H., Willard L. Johnson and Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Buddhist Religions: A Historical Introduction. 5th ed. Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth Publishing Company, 2005. ISBN: 0-534-55858-5
RS 215 Jewish Life and Thought, CRN # 9051
Fulfills Global Studies Requirement; Fulfills Biblical &
Jewish Studies Requirement for Religious Studies Major and Minor
Instructor: T. Blanton
MW 2:10-3:30; Olin 234
Course Description:
The course will examine the
ways in which Judaism both interacted with and was influenced by a
sampling of the various cultures within which it flourished from
antiquity to modernity. We will examine the festivals and holy
days of the Jewish calendar, and examine scriptural and liturgical
texts. In addition, we will read and discuss a variety of
medieval and modern Jewish texts including writings of Maimonides,
Spinoza, Arendt, and Wiesel. The class serves as an introduction
to Judaism in the plurality of forms that it has taken in
different historical and cultural settings.
Texts:
Evaluation:
Students will submit two short papers of 4-5 typed,
double-spaced pages. Each paper will be worth 16.67% of the final grade
(33.3% combined). A midterm and a final exam will each contribute 33.3%
toward the final grade. The instructor will reserve the right to
administer periodic quizzes, at his discretion. If such are
administered, grades on papers and exams will be re-weighted
accordingly.
RS 270 Liberation Theology, CRN # 9052
Fulfills Global Studies
Requirement; Fulfills Theology & Ethics Requirement for
Religious Studies Major and Minor
Instructor: R. Mourad
MWF 3:10-4:00; Vulgamore 204
Course Description:
Proponents of liberation theology argue that authentic Christian
faith requires more than abstract belief; Christians must also act in a
way that contributes to universal social and economic justice.
Liberation theologians therefore seek to interpret their social
situations according to the radical, revolutionary ethic that they
consider central to the Gospel. We will examine the origins of this
movement in 1960s Latin America and analyze one of the most influential
statements of its key themes from Peruvian priest Gustavo Gutierrez.
Liberation theology has subsequently flourished in many parts of the
world where Christian communities struggle with poverty and injustice,
including the United States. We will study two American theologians,
Rosemary Radford Ruether and James Cone, who offer prominent responses
to social injustices related to gender and race. Marx’s influence on
liberation theology will be an underlying theme of the course.
Texts:
Leonardo Boff, Introducing
Liberation Theology
James H. Cone, God of the Oppressed
José Comblin, Called for Freedom: The Changing Context of
Liberation Theology
Gustavo Gutiérrez, A Theology of Liberation
Daniel Levine, “Religion and Politics, Politics and Religion,” in
Churches and Politics in Latin America
Karl Marx, “Theses on Feuerbach”
Karl Marx, Contribution to the Critique of Hegel’s “Philosophy of
Right”: Introduction
Rosemary Radford Ruether, Sexism and God-Talk
Requirements and Evaluation:
Exam 1: 20%
Exam 2: 20%
Final Exam: 20%
Paper: 20%
Presentation: 10%
Attendance and Participation: 10%
RS 312 Global Christianities, CRN # 9578
Fulfills Global Studies
Requirement; Fulfills Asian & Comparative Studies Requirement for
Religious Studies Major and Minor
Instructor: S. Raj
MW 11:10-12:30; Epworth 202
Course Description:
This course investigates the ways Christianity was shaped by contact
with different world cultures and the social processes and religious
changes implicit in the acculturation of Christianity in diverse
geographical regions and cultural contexts. Through a critical analysis
of diverse sources, this comparative-historical course examines a select
number of Christianities around the globe including Asian, African,
European, Latin American, and North American Christianities, the
processes and challenges implicit in the localization/indigenization of
Christianity in diverse cultural, geographical, and religious settings,
and the distinct forms these have assumed over the centuries.
Texts:
Badone, Ellen (ed.) Religious Orthodoxy & Popular Faith in European
Society (ROP)
Berg, Clayton (ed.) Spontaneous Combustion: Grass-roots Christianity
Latin American Style (SC)
Raj, Selva & Corinne Dempsey (eds.) Popular Christianity in India:
Riting between the Lines (PCI)
Perez-Reverte, Arturo Popular Catholicism: A Hispanic Perspective
(PCH)
A Course Pack of Selected Readings (CP)
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