COURSE OFFERINGS
Spring 2008
 

RS 101:1 Introduction to Western Religions, CRN # 5334

Humanities Division Credit; Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode Credit; Required for Religious Studies Major and Minor

Instructor: R. Mourad
MWF 2:10-3:00; Vulgamore 204

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:    17%
Participation/Assignments:15%
Field Report:    17%

RS 102: 1 Introduction to Eastern Religions, CRN # 5346

Humanities Division Credit; Historical and Cultural Analysis Mode Credit; Required for Religious Studies Major and Minor

Instructor: M. Soileau
MWF 9:10-10:00, Olin 213

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# 5348

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, Olin 214

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 122 History, Literature, and Religion of the New Testament, CRN# 5351

Fulfills Textual Analysis mode requirement (new core), Fulfills Biblical Studies Requirement for Religious Studies Majors

Instructor: J. WcWhirter
MWF 9:10-10:00, Vulgamore 304

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 204: 1 Islam and Modern World—CRN# 5353

Humanities Division Credit; Fulfills Global Studies Category Requirement; Fulfills Islamic Religion requirement for Religious Studies Major and Minor.

Instructor: M. Soileau
TTR 2:10-3:30, Olin 216

Course Description:

Islam is the second largest religion in the world, and one that has been increasingly in the news in recent years. Much of this recent interest has been due to terrorist acts perpetrated in the name of Islam and to conflicts in countries with majority Muslim populations. Many of these problems are in turn related to difficulties Islam has faced in incorporating values introduced from the West and to the history of Muslim interaction with the West. This course analyzes Muslim intellectual responses to some of these issues and examines developments in some Muslim countries in the twentieth century. This will help provide students with an understanding of the dynamics behind many of the events that affect our world today.

Required Text:

To learn more about the Major, browse the Major in Religious Studies.